ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

---

• Land-Ocean connections: Scientists discover how tree trunks, leaves and kukui nuts are indirectly feeding bottom fish in the submarine canyons off Moloka’i, Hawaii
• Salty soil can suck water out of atmosphere: Could it happen on Mars?
• Amoeba may offer key clue to photosynthetic evolution
• New fossil penguin from New Zealand may be the biggest ever
• Indigenous peoples at forefront of climate change offer lessons on plant biodiversity
• Coral reef study traces indirect effects of overfishing
• Polysternon isonae, a new species of turtle that lived with dinosaurs in Isona (Spanish Pyrenees)
• Lethal effects of genetically modified Bt toxin confirmed on young ladybird larvae
• Unusual weather: Arctic sea ice decline may be driving snowy winters seen in recent years in N. Hemisphere
• Study extends the 'ecology of fear' to fear of parasites
• Some bacteria attack using spring-loaded poison daggers
• Volcanoes deliver two flavors of water

Land-Ocean connections: Scientists discover how tree trunks, leaves and kukui nuts are indirectly feeding bottom fish in the submarine canyons off Moloka’i, Hawaii Posted: 27 Feb 2012 05:49 PM PST Scientists recently discovered that land-based plant material, such as tree trunks, leaves, and kukui nuts; and coastal macroalgae indirectly support the increased abundances of bottom fish in submarine canyons, like those off the north shore of Moloka'i.

Salty soil can suck water out of atmosphere: Could it happen on Mars? Posted: 27 Feb 2012 05:49 PM PST The frigid McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica are a cold, polar desert, yet the sandy soils there are frequently dotted with moist patches in the spring despite a lack of snowmelt and no possibility of rain. A new study has found that that the salty soils in the region actually suck moisture out of the atmosphere, raising the possibility that such a process could take place on Mars or on other planets.

Amoeba may offer key clue to photosynthetic evolution Posted: 27 Feb 2012 12:28 PM PST The major difference between plant and animal cells is the photosynthetic process, which converts light energy into chemical energy. When light isn't available, energy is generated by breaking down carbohydrates and sugars, just as it is in animal and some bacterial cells. Two cellular organelles are responsible for these two processes: the chloroplasts for and the mitochondria. New research has opened a window into the early stages of chloroplast evolution.

New fossil penguin from New Zealand may be the biggest ever Posted: 27 Feb 2012 12:25 PM PST After 35 years, a giant fossil penguin has finally been completely reconstructed, giving researchers new insights into prehistoric penguin diversity.

Indigenous peoples at forefront of climate change offer lessons on plant biodiversity Posted: 27 Feb 2012 10:28 AM PST Over the last 40 years, an ethnobotanist has worked with the Yanesha of the upper Peruvian Amazon and the Tibetans of the Himalayas, two groups of indigenous peoples carrying on traditional ways of life, even in the face of rapid environmental changes. She explains how their traditional knowledge and practices hold the key to conserving, managing and even creating new biodiversity.

Coral reef study traces indirect effects of overfishing Posted: 27 Feb 2012 10:28 AM PST A study of the tropical coral reef system along the coastline of Kenya has found dramatic effects of overfishing that could threaten the long-term health of the reefs.

Polysternon isonae, a new species of turtle that lived with dinosaurs in Isona (Spanish Pyrenees) Posted: 27 Feb 2012 08:12 AM PST Researchers have discovered a turtle that lived near the end of the age of dinosaurs. Unlike other kinds of turtles, it seems that Polysternon did not survive the end of Cretaceous and went extinct with the dinosaurs.

Lethal effects of genetically modified Bt toxin confirmed on young ladybird larvae Posted: 27 Feb 2012 08:11 AM PST Researchers confirm earlier findings that the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin Cry1Ab produced for pesticidal purposes by genetically modified (GM) Bt maize increases mortality in the young ladybird larvae (Adalia bipunctata L., two-spotted ladybird) in laboratory tests. These ladybird larvae are typical 'non-target' environmental goods which are not supposed to be harmed by the GM maize.

Unusual weather: Arctic sea ice decline may be driving snowy winters seen in recent years in N. Hemisphere Posted: 27 Feb 2012 08:10 AM PST A new study provides further evidence of a relationship between melting ice in the Arctic regions and widespread cold outbreaks in the Northern Hemisphere. The study's findings could improve seasonal forecasting of snow and temperature anomalies across northern continents.

Study extends the 'ecology of fear' to fear of parasites Posted: 27 Feb 2012 06:43 AM PST The ecology of fear, like other concepts from predator-prey theory, also extends to parasites, new research suggests. Raccoons and squirrels would give up food, the study demonstrated, if the area was infested with larval ticks. At some level, they are weighing the value of the abandoned food against the risk of being parasitized.

Some bacteria attack using spring-loaded poison daggers Posted: 27 Feb 2012 06:43 AM PST Bacteria have evolved different systems for secreting proteins. One, called a type VI secretion system, is found in about a quarter of all bacteria with two membranes. Despite being common, researchers have not understood how it works. Now scientists have figured out the structure of the type VI secretion system apparatus and proposed how it might work -- by shooting spring-loaded poison molecular daggers.

Volcanoes deliver two flavors of water Posted: 26 Feb 2012 12:36 PM PST By analyzing submarine volcanic glass from the Manus Basin, scientists found unexpected changes in hydrogen and boron isotopes from the deep mantle. They expected to see the "fingerprint" of seawater. But discovered evidence of seawater distilled from a more ancient plate descent, preserved for as long as one billion years. The data indicate that these ancient "slabs" can return to the upper mantle, and that rates of hydrogen exchange may not conform to experiments.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top Environment News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610