Experts on polar bears

I found some interesting commentary and numbers that really get to the heart of the looming threat of global warming and its impact on polar bears.  Full article can be found on BBC News Web site.

• Scientists say Arctic sea ice is melting at a rate of up to 9% per decade
• Arctic summers could be ice-free by mid-century
• Dr Andrew Derocher, of the University of Alberta, Edmonton, has used the data to assess the impact on the Arctic’s top predator - he believes the polar bear could disappear in the wild by the end of the century unless the pace of global warming slows.
• British polar expert Dr Peter Wadhams of the University of Cambridge says the bear faces a gloomy future unless it is able to change its habits: “It could be that a polar bear could adapt to a new habitat and adopt habits like the brown bear in Alaska which hunts salmon in streams and other small animals on land,” he said.
• Lynn Rosentrater, climate scientist in the WWF International Arctic Programme, thinks that is unlikely to happen.
• Polar bears are currently found in Arctic regions of Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland and Norway.
• Populations in southern limits such as Hudson Bay are at most risk of dying out.

Protection of smelt - impact on SoCal

Image courtesy of http://www.delta.dfg.ca.gov

Until the droughts in Georgia last summer, I was not aware that water reservoirs and supplies were affected by protections for aquatic animals.

In Georgia’s case, Congressman John Linder was upset that water was being diverted from Lake Lanier that supplies over 3 million residents with water to support a federally protected species of mussel in Florida, according to an article in USA Today.

“We’ve learned from this what a blunt weapon the Endangered Species Act has become,” said state Rep. John Linder. “We need to understand this lake was created not for mussels but for people.”

The first step towards declaring the longfin smelt an endangered or threatened species was taken last week, according to an article in the LA Times.

The California Fish and Game Commission voted 3 to 0 to adopt protection for longfin smelt. The tiny fish makes its home in the delta, which serves as headwaters for the state and federal canals that send water to Southern California.

Those aqueducts, which deliver water to 25 million people and 2 million acres of farmland, have seen exports decline more than 40% in recent weeks because of court-ordered restrictions intended to save another diminutive fish, the delta smelt.

The addition of the longfin smelt to the protected list could affect water exports even more because its life cycle and breeding season are different from delta smelt, prompting restrictions that might begin earlier each year and end later.

Like its aquatic cousin, the longfin smelt has seen its population plummet in recent years. In 2007, it hit a record low along with several other types of delta fish, in what is considered a broad decline in the environmental health of the state’s biggest estuary.

It is unclear exactly how global warming and climate change will affect drought conditions in different parts of the United States, but there is little doubt that it will have an impact.

Examples like these illuminate the broader struggle to protect threatened species while maintaining sufficient resources to support human populations. Clearly these issues will warrant more attention and research.

A fantastic book!

An engrossing tale of Robert Sapolsky’s adventures and research in Africa includes heartwarming and heartbreaking accounts of his life while studying baboons to learn more about stress-related disease and its relationship to behavior.     In A Primate’s Memoir, stories of baboon love triangles are mingled with descriptions of scientific behavioral research and methods. 

“Nick joined the troop during the unstable years.  He was still and adolescent and you could almost read the contempt on his face as he watched the foibles of his elders playing Keystone Kops….In a fight one day, he trounced the easily intimidated Reuben, who in a gesture of submission, stuck his ass up in the air.  Now, every baboon on earth knows what that means.  It means you give up, your conceding, uncle, no mas.  And every baboon on earth knows that at that pint, the winner is supposed to merely examine your bottom or mount you, or something conventionally demeaning like that, and it’s all over with….at the last second, Nick leans over and gives him a deep slash in the ass with his canines.  Those happy-go lucky stable years were over with a vengeance.” 

In an exciting exploration of behavioral similarities and differences between humans and primates, Sapolsky investigates what mechanisms underlie such behaviors. His accounts of baboon troop social dynamics are entertaining and fascinating. 

DNA sequencing for eels

It should come as no surprise to anyone that research using animals has generated a wealth of knowledge used to better understand human biology and behavior and improve medical treatments. It may be shocking to learn that biologists are hoping electric eels will provide insight into the human nervous system.

This article on the journal Nature’s Web site explains why researchers are asking for the DNA of eels to be thoroughly sequenced by sequencers who have already completed similar studies on mice and chimps.

One of the things that sequencing the E. electricus genome could lead to, is advances in treatments for spinal injuries, the researchers say. The fish have developed an amazing ability to regenerate, possibly as a result of often having their tails bitten off by electro-sensing predatory catfish, says Albert.

“You can cut off the back third of the body and they will regenerate everything, including the spinal cord,” says Albert.

It will be interesting to see what is learned from this type of research using animals as models.

Tropical birds living in Chicago

photo courtesy of Eloise Mason

Trudging along the snow-covered streets of Hyde Park, you hear chirping and screeching resembling the sound of Styrofoam pieces rubbing together.  You look up and see a bright green and blue parakeet.  You may think that all the cold and snow has finally made you go mad, but there really are tropical birds that have colonized on the South Side of Chicago. They are called monk parakeets.

These birds have been living in Hyde Park for more than 30 years. No one knows exactly how the wild parakeets arrived in Chicago, but it seems they are here to stay.

Mark Spreyer, a biologist who directs the Stillman Nature Center in South Barrington, has written about the monk parakeet and led tours for people interested in seeing the exotic birds.  He told Parrot Chronicles the monk parakeets ”chose the right place to put up a colony. Everyone there really likes them. It’s a really diverse neighborhood and I think there’s a kind of multiculturalism connection between the people and the birds. They fascinate people,” he said.

Stephen Pruett-Jones, associate professor of ecology and evolution at the University of Chicago, will give a lecture on the exotic birds who have settled in Hyde Park.  The impact of these non-native birds on other bird species, the environment and the community is the topic of Pruett-Jones’ lecture at noon on Feb. 20. 

Roughly one foot long, the monk parakeet is a very social and gregarious bird. The plume of green feathers on the bird’s head and neck inspired its scientific name, myiopsitta monachus, because its hood of feathers resembles a monk’s hood, according to the Houston Audubon Society. 

Pruett-Jones has been observing these birds for more than 15 years, and is generating a map of monk parakeet nests in Chicago and the surrounding areas including northwest Indiana and southern Wisconsin, with help from undergraduate students and local inhabitants’ sightings.

Experiments conducted in aviaries with captive birds have found the large nests provide a four-degree advantage over outside temperatures, so it is slightly warmer in the nests.  However, “if that was the only thing they had going for them, they could not survive the winters.  They only survive the winters because they have access to a large good-quality food source,” in birdfeeders, said Pruett-Jones. 

“I think this winter will probably slow them up,” said Spreyer.  The thick snow cover could make it harder to find food, and may “knock their numbers back a bit,” he said. Pruett-Jones estimates the number in Hyde Park at about 200.

The birds are of some concern for utility companies in Illinois.  Monk parakeets occasionally build their nests on utility poles and power transformers, which can ignite fires and cause power outages. 

The lecture will be in the Swift common room at the University of Chicago in Hyde Park.  Admission is $5 at the door, and includes a vegetarian meal. Reserve a place before Tuesday at noon by contacting divinitylunch@gmail.com

NRDC fights Bush administration

The NRDC put out a press release on Tuesday concerning a law suit they filed under the freedom of information act against the Bush administration.  The group charges that the government is purposely covering up research by the Minerals Management Service finding the dangers of allowing drilling in the Arctic Ocean.

“This opposition has highlighted that, among other concerns, there are no methods proven effective for cleaning up oil spills in the Arctic Ocean. This is especially troubling because the federal Minerals Management Service admits that oil spills are likely in the Chukchi Sea if it is opened to oil and gas development.”

The NRDC would like to protect the habitats of polar bears, endangered bowhead whales, gray whales, Pacific walrus, seals, threatened eider, and other marine birds and fish. 

Polar Bear Info

One of the most interesting things about the polar bears is that although they appear white, their fur is actually translucent and the skin below is black to absorb heat from the sun.

Polar bears eat seals, walruses, narwhals, fish, birds, berries, and many other foods.  They are carnivorous and need to eat about 4 lbs of meat daily to maintain their weight.

Mothers nurse their cubs for a long time, sometimes more than two years.

They have partially webbed front paws making them better swimmers capable of swimming long distances

Only female polar bears hibernate, and unlike other hibernators, polar bears give birth during hibernating, usually to two cubs.

These facts and more can be found on SeaWorld’s Web site.

Polar Bear = Endangered Species?

The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to make a decision soon on whether the polar bear should be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.  The proposal was initiated over a year ago due to concerns that melting ice is threatening polar bear habitat and their ability to hunt for food.

 ”A species can be listed under the Endangered Species Act under one of two categories, endangered or threatened. An endangered species is likely to go extinct within all or a significant portion of its range in the foreseeable future. The polar bear was petitioned to be listed as a threatened species, defined as a species likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future,” according to F&WS - Alaska

A day in the life of a polar bear

The Polar Bear International Web site allows you to track polar bears that have been collared, including around the Chuckchi Sea.  It is an awesome tool!

Data is provided to the site by the the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center.

Polar Bear International has teamed with more than 35 Zoos to organize the “Year of the polar bear,” which began January 1, 2008.  “PBI’s two-pronged mission is to support conservation measures through scientific research and to educate the public about issues relating to the polar bear and its habitat.”

Administration says drilling not a threat to polar bears

The leasing of the Chuckchi Sea sale is necessary step towards increasing the domestic supply of energy, wrote the director of the Minerals Management Service on the government agency’s Web site.

Among their primary arguments is that oil drilling can occur while protecting the habitats of polar bears and other animals.

  “Our decision comes down to the bare necessities:  Where do we want to get our energy?  Having a domestic supply is far more reliable and secure than relying upon foreign sources. Can we develop domestic supplies and provide protection for the environment and wildlife, including polar bears?  Yes, we can and should.”

The director says that oil spills are extremely unlikely, and that any drilling plans undergo rigorous scrutiny before being implemented.  He also notes that Congress did not take any actions to disapprove of the proposed plans.

It will be very interesting to see where this goes from here and what new information comes from the lawsuit.  This is one component of a long standing struggle between environmental groups and the Bush administration who already faces a great deal of criticism about his lack of action on environmental issues.