Pittwater Environmental Foundation Directors Appointed
Humpback Having A Whale Of A Time In Sydney Harbour
Please Help: Contribute To Significant Trees Register For Our Area
Significant trees listings wanted
Avalon Preservation AssociationThe next step in the Avalon Preservation Association's Avalon Cultural Audit is to identify and list significant trees in the area.
Roger Sayers has nominated the Spotted Gums in the reserve opposite Careel Bay Wharf.
Please help us by contributing your pick of significant trees in the area so we can map them and enter into our database.
You can either post a picture/s on the APA Facebook page and identify location of tree/s and species type if known or email us with same at secretary@avalonpreservationassociation.org.au
Our new Avalon Preservation Association Noticeboard is finally installed on corner of Belle Property Building near Herforts Chemist Old Barrenjoey Rd Avalon Beach. Many thanks to Mark Griffin Belle Property for use of wall and Robert Adema for installation.
Significant trees listings wanted
Avalon Preservation Association
The next step in the Avalon Preservation Association's Avalon Cultural Audit is to identify and list significant trees in the area.
Roger Sayers has nominated the Spotted Gums in the reserve opposite Careel Bay Wharf.
Please help us by contributing your pick of significant trees in the area so we can map them and enter into our database.
You can either post a picture/s on the APA Facebook page and identify location of tree/s and species type if known or email us with same at secretary@avalonpreservationassociation.org.au
Our new Avalon Preservation Association Noticeboard is finally installed on corner of Belle Property Building near Herforts Chemist Old Barrenjoey Rd Avalon Beach. Many thanks to Mark Griffin Belle Property for use of wall and Robert Adema for installation.
Have Your Say On The Management Of Forests
World Environment Day 2018 - Beat Plastic Pollution: If You Can’t Reuse It, Refuse It
2018 Whale Census
Pittwater Reserves
Avalon Boomerang Bags Update: May 2018
Friends Of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment Activities
Bush Regeneration - Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment
This is a wonderful way to become connected to nature and contribute to the health of the environment. Over the weeks and months you can see positive changes as you give native species a better chance to thrive. Wildlife appreciate the improvement in their habitat.
Belrose area - Thursday mornings Belrose area - Weekend mornings by arrangementContact: Phone or text Conny Harris on 0432 643 295
Wheeler Creek - Wednesday mornings 9-11amContact: Phone or text Judith Bennett on 0402 974 105Or email: Friends of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment : email@narrabeenlagoon.org.au
Cromer to Oxford Falls
Sun 10/6/18 Start 10am from Cromer Rd, allow 4 hrs and bring lunch to see great carvings near Red Hill, fantastic views over Narrabeen Lagoon and as typical for this catchment very different vegetation communities. Plant ID as we go. We will walk down to Oxford Falls and carpool back. Bookings needed: Conny Harris 0432 643 295
Bush Regeneration - Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment
This is a wonderful way to become connected to nature and contribute to the health of the environment. Over the weeks and months you can see positive changes as you give native species a better chance to thrive. Wildlife appreciate the improvement in their habitat.
Belrose area - Thursday mornings
Belrose area - Weekend mornings by arrangement
Contact: Phone or text Conny Harris on 0432 643 295
Wheeler Creek - Wednesday mornings 9-11am
Contact: Phone or text Judith Bennett on 0402 974 105
Or email: Friends of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment : email@narrabeenlagoon.org.au
Cromer to Oxford Falls
Sun 10/6/18
Start 10am from Cromer Rd, allow 4 hrs and bring lunch to see great carvings near Red Hill, fantastic views over Narrabeen Lagoon and as typical for this catchment very different vegetation communities. Plant ID as we go. We will walk down to Oxford Falls and carpool back. Bookings needed: Conny Harris 0432 643 295
No Gas Drilling Off Newcastle Petition
Update On Baleen 2D HR Seismic Survey
Streams May Emit More Carbon Dioxide In A Warmer Climate
May 23, 2018Streams and rivers could pump carbon dioxide into the air at increasing rates if they continue to warm, potentially compounding the effects of global warming, a new worldwide analysis has shown.
To reach that conclusion, an international research team conducted the first continental-scale study of carbon flows into and out of streams across six major climatic zones. They collected data in watersheds from Puerto Rico and Oregon to Australia and Alaska. In each one, scientists analyzed the balance between photosynthesis -- which uses atmospheric CO2 to generate plant material such as roots and leaves -- and respiration, which pumps CO2 back into the air.
The scientists published their results this week in the journal Nature Geoscience.
The issue is important because the world's rivers and streams exchange carbon with the atmosphere at rates that are comparable with land-based ecosystems and the oceans. If global warming continues, an increase in stream-based carbon emissions could add to the concentration of heat-trapping CO2 in the atmosphere.
"This paper is the first to look at the effects of climate change on stream metabolism at the continental scale using field observations," said Alba Argerich, co-author who monitored McRae Creek and Lookout Creek in the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest east of Eugene, Oregon. "This approach takes into consideration the complexity of an ecosystem, as opposed to controlled experiments where you recreate simplified versions of an ecosystem."
Argerich and other scientists monitored streams for water temperature, dissolved oxygen and sunlight at the water surface. The researchers also simulated the balance between net primary production (the product of photosynthesis by all organisms in the stream) and respiration under a 1-degree Celsius rise in stream temperature.
The net result of the simulations, they reported, was a 24 percent shift toward more respiration and CO2 emissions. However, not all streams are projected to respond in the same manner. The shift toward more CO2 emissions appears to be more pronounced in warmer streams, the scientists found, while colder streams might actually see an increase in net primary production. Carbon cycling in streams can also be affected by other factors such as the plants and microbes in the stream ecosystem and nutrients flowing into the water from surrounding lands.
Argerich conducted her work as a researcher in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University. She is now an assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri.
In previous work at the H.J. Andrews Forest, Argerich showed that small streams can export surprising amounts of carbon both downstream and to the atmosphere. "This paper confirms the role of streams as an active source of CO2 to the atmosphere, which can be even become more important as global temperatures increase," she said.
Chao Song, Walter K. Dodds, Janine Rüegg, Alba Argerich, Christina L. Baker, William B. Bowden, Michael M. Douglas, Kaitlin J. Farrell, Michael B. Flinn, Erica A. Garcia, Ashley M. Helton, Tamara K. Harms, Shufang Jia, Jeremy B. Jones, Lauren E. Koenig, John S. Kominoski, William H. McDowell, Damien McMaster, Samuel P. Parker, Amy D. Rosemond, Claire M. Ruffing, Ken R. Sheehan, Matt T. Trentman, Matt R. Whiles, Wilfred M. Wollheim, Ford Ballantyne. Continental-scale decrease in net primary productivity in streams due to climate warming. Nature Geoscience, 2018; DOI: 10.1038/s41561-018-0125-5
Lookout Creek in the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, Oregon, USA, was one of the sites included in a continental analysis of carbon cycling in rivers and streams. Credit: Theresa Hogue, Oregon State University
May 23, 2018
Streams and rivers could pump carbon dioxide into the air at increasing rates if they continue to warm, potentially compounding the effects of global warming, a new worldwide analysis has shown.
To reach that conclusion, an international research team conducted the first continental-scale study of carbon flows into and out of streams across six major climatic zones. They collected data in watersheds from Puerto Rico and Oregon to Australia and Alaska. In each one, scientists analyzed the balance between photosynthesis -- which uses atmospheric CO2 to generate plant material such as roots and leaves -- and respiration, which pumps CO2 back into the air.
The scientists published their results this week in the journal Nature Geoscience.
The issue is important because the world's rivers and streams exchange carbon with the atmosphere at rates that are comparable with land-based ecosystems and the oceans. If global warming continues, an increase in stream-based carbon emissions could add to the concentration of heat-trapping CO2 in the atmosphere.
"This paper is the first to look at the effects of climate change on stream metabolism at the continental scale using field observations," said Alba Argerich, co-author who monitored McRae Creek and Lookout Creek in the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest east of Eugene, Oregon. "This approach takes into consideration the complexity of an ecosystem, as opposed to controlled experiments where you recreate simplified versions of an ecosystem."
Argerich and other scientists monitored streams for water temperature, dissolved oxygen and sunlight at the water surface. The researchers also simulated the balance between net primary production (the product of photosynthesis by all organisms in the stream) and respiration under a 1-degree Celsius rise in stream temperature.
The net result of the simulations, they reported, was a 24 percent shift toward more respiration and CO2 emissions. However, not all streams are projected to respond in the same manner. The shift toward more CO2 emissions appears to be more pronounced in warmer streams, the scientists found, while colder streams might actually see an increase in net primary production. Carbon cycling in streams can also be affected by other factors such as the plants and microbes in the stream ecosystem and nutrients flowing into the water from surrounding lands.
Argerich conducted her work as a researcher in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University. She is now an assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri.
In previous work at the H.J. Andrews Forest, Argerich showed that small streams can export surprising amounts of carbon both downstream and to the atmosphere. "This paper confirms the role of streams as an active source of CO2 to the atmosphere, which can be even become more important as global temperatures increase," she said.
Chao Song, Walter K. Dodds, Janine Rüegg, Alba Argerich, Christina L. Baker, William B. Bowden, Michael M. Douglas, Kaitlin J. Farrell, Michael B. Flinn, Erica A. Garcia, Ashley M. Helton, Tamara K. Harms, Shufang Jia, Jeremy B. Jones, Lauren E. Koenig, John S. Kominoski, William H. McDowell, Damien McMaster, Samuel P. Parker, Amy D. Rosemond, Claire M. Ruffing, Ken R. Sheehan, Matt T. Trentman, Matt R. Whiles, Wilfred M. Wollheim, Ford Ballantyne. Continental-scale decrease in net primary productivity in streams due to climate warming. Nature Geoscience, 2018; DOI: 10.1038/s41561-018-0125-5
Lookout Creek in the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, Oregon, USA, was one of the sites included in a continental analysis of carbon cycling in rivers and streams. Credit: Theresa Hogue, Oregon State University
Bold Lizards Of All Sizes Have Higher Mating Success
Some Desert Creatures May Be Able To Cope With Climate Change Better Than Expected
May 24, 2018The world of reptiles may well include creatures that are more spectacular than the Gehyra variegata, but nevertheless, this small nocturnal gecko has managed to make a couple of fascinating new contributions to the discussion about the ecological consequences of climate change.
These geckos are small grey- or brown-skinned lizards that grow to around five centimetres and spend their lives in the deserts of Australia. The hollowed out trunks of eucalyptus trees are their preferred hiding places. After spending the night hunting insects, this is where they seek refuge from the heat in a climate where temperatures can often climb to more than 40 degrees Celsius. And it is in exactly these deserts where climate scientists expect to see even more extreme conditions in the future. They are forecasted to become even hotter and drier, worldwide. So how will the unique animals and plants that live in these ecosystems cope with these new challenges? This was the question the researchers set out to investigate, using this little gecko as a representative of other nocturnal desert inhabitants.
Prof. Klaus Henle, head of the Department of Conservation Biology at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, began collecting data about Gehyra variegata as far back as the 1980s. Working in the Kinchega National Park in Eastern Australia, he and his colleagues have been catching, measuring, photographing, tagging and then releasing reptiles for more than 30 years.
An adult gecko with a backpack containing an RFID tag attached to the lizard's skin. The RFID tag transmits its location and the gecko's body temperature. Credit: Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth, UFZ
The researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research then collated this information with weather conditions in the National Park, and also with global climate phenomena. Their findings are surprising, to say the least. As biologist Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth said, "We expected the higher temperatures and greater dryness to have a negative effect both on the individual geckos and on their populations." After all, even lizards need a certain amount of moisture to ensure that their eggs develop properly, and to enable them to moult when they need to. If they dry out completely, they will die. And the same is also true if excessive temperatures cause them to overheat. "But our investigations revealed that our geckos grow and survive particularly well in the very hottest years. In fact, they are generally in better condition, and their populations grow rather than fall." But what could be the reason? To discover this, Grimm-Seyfarth carefully observed the lizards' behaviour and measured their body temperature.
At night, she used an infrared thermometer, which can measure temperature at a distance, to locate the creatures while they were hunting. And then, to find where the geckos were hiding during the day, the scientists used tiny passive transmitters, similar to those used as ID chips for dogs. These chips are usually implanted under the skin. But when the tiny reptile is only five centimetres long, this isn't really feasible. So, the scientists created miniature backpacks for the geckos to wear, which keep the chips close to their skin. The researchers then use a radio antenna to locate the chips. The chips not only reveal where each lizard is, but also transmit its body temperature. Despite the tremendous daytime heat in the desert, the scientists discovered that the geckos don't search out particularly cool places to hide. They prefer their refuges to have a temperature between 30 and 35 degrees Celsius. As Grimm-Seyfarth said, "The creatures need these high temperatures so that they can digest their food properly." Consequently, they also crawl around in branches that are particularly exposed to the sun. To her astonishment, Grimm-Seyfarth also found that, in cooler years, the geckos left the safety of their tree and deliberately sat out in the sun to bask in its heat. But searching for enough warmth also takes energy. And, if the search is unsuccessful, the gecko can't digest its food properly. This might be the reason that cooler years had a negative effect on the geckos.
However, even having the perfect temperature range isn't any good if it's also too dry. This doesn't just cause physical problems for these creatures. In particularly dry periods, there are also fewer insects for them to eat. As expected, geckos experience really hard times during periods of drought. But it's not just local precipitation levels that are the decisive factor. Every few years, the La Niña weather phenomenon brings torrential rainfall to the east coast of Australia. Months later, the rivers bring the resulting flood waters to the desert, increasing humidity levels and creating an abundance of insects. As Grimm-Seyfarth said, "These lizards are affected by local conditions and global climate phenomena alike. We need to look beyond the horizon of a particular area if we want to make an accurate prediction about the future of its inhabitants.
Until now, all the evidence indicated that the geckos would face problems caused by drought rather than by heat. But now, we have discovered that they can also compensate for this, to a certain extent. The study shows that, although individual creatures become thinner in years of drought, their population levels remain constant. This is because they scale back their growth and reproduction rates in hard times," explained Grimm-Seyfarth. They can then concentrate all their efforts on surviving into the next year. Thanks to their exceptional longevity (up to 28 years in some cases), these creatures can afford to lose a few reproductive cycles without any particular problem. And when conditions improve again, they can make up for lost time.
Therefore, even if climate change causes deterioration in living conditions for these geckos, they're hardly likely to die out immediately. And, according these evaluations by the scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, these findings could also apply to other long-lived desert dwellers. However, this is in no way a simple carte blanche for letting climate change just happen. "If there are several very dry years in succession, the creatures will no longer be able to cope," said Grimm-Seyfarth. At some point, even the hardiest survival specialists will be overwhelmed.
Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth, Jean-Baptiste Mihoub, Bernd Gruber, Klaus Henle. Some like it hot: from individual to population responses of an arboreal arid-zone gecko to local and distant climate. Ecological Monographs, 2018; DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1301
May 24, 2018
The world of reptiles may well include creatures that are more spectacular than the Gehyra variegata, but nevertheless, this small nocturnal gecko has managed to make a couple of fascinating new contributions to the discussion about the ecological consequences of climate change.
These geckos are small grey- or brown-skinned lizards that grow to around five centimetres and spend their lives in the deserts of Australia. The hollowed out trunks of eucalyptus trees are their preferred hiding places. After spending the night hunting insects, this is where they seek refuge from the heat in a climate where temperatures can often climb to more than 40 degrees Celsius. And it is in exactly these deserts where climate scientists expect to see even more extreme conditions in the future. They are forecasted to become even hotter and drier, worldwide. So how will the unique animals and plants that live in these ecosystems cope with these new challenges? This was the question the researchers set out to investigate, using this little gecko as a representative of other nocturnal desert inhabitants.
Prof. Klaus Henle, head of the Department of Conservation Biology at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, began collecting data about Gehyra variegata as far back as the 1980s. Working in the Kinchega National Park in Eastern Australia, he and his colleagues have been catching, measuring, photographing, tagging and then releasing reptiles for more than 30 years.
An adult gecko with a backpack containing an RFID tag attached to the lizard's skin. The RFID tag transmits its location and the gecko's body temperature. Credit: Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth, UFZ
The researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research then collated this information with weather conditions in the National Park, and also with global climate phenomena. Their findings are surprising, to say the least. As biologist Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth said, "We expected the higher temperatures and greater dryness to have a negative effect both on the individual geckos and on their populations." After all, even lizards need a certain amount of moisture to ensure that their eggs develop properly, and to enable them to moult when they need to. If they dry out completely, they will die. And the same is also true if excessive temperatures cause them to overheat. "But our investigations revealed that our geckos grow and survive particularly well in the very hottest years. In fact, they are generally in better condition, and their populations grow rather than fall." But what could be the reason? To discover this, Grimm-Seyfarth carefully observed the lizards' behaviour and measured their body temperature.
At night, she used an infrared thermometer, which can measure temperature at a distance, to locate the creatures while they were hunting. And then, to find where the geckos were hiding during the day, the scientists used tiny passive transmitters, similar to those used as ID chips for dogs. These chips are usually implanted under the skin. But when the tiny reptile is only five centimetres long, this isn't really feasible. So, the scientists created miniature backpacks for the geckos to wear, which keep the chips close to their skin. The researchers then use a radio antenna to locate the chips. The chips not only reveal where each lizard is, but also transmit its body temperature. Despite the tremendous daytime heat in the desert, the scientists discovered that the geckos don't search out particularly cool places to hide. They prefer their refuges to have a temperature between 30 and 35 degrees Celsius. As Grimm-Seyfarth said, "The creatures need these high temperatures so that they can digest their food properly." Consequently, they also crawl around in branches that are particularly exposed to the sun. To her astonishment, Grimm-Seyfarth also found that, in cooler years, the geckos left the safety of their tree and deliberately sat out in the sun to bask in its heat. But searching for enough warmth also takes energy. And, if the search is unsuccessful, the gecko can't digest its food properly. This might be the reason that cooler years had a negative effect on the geckos.
However, even having the perfect temperature range isn't any good if it's also too dry. This doesn't just cause physical problems for these creatures. In particularly dry periods, there are also fewer insects for them to eat. As expected, geckos experience really hard times during periods of drought. But it's not just local precipitation levels that are the decisive factor. Every few years, the La Niña weather phenomenon brings torrential rainfall to the east coast of Australia. Months later, the rivers bring the resulting flood waters to the desert, increasing humidity levels and creating an abundance of insects. As Grimm-Seyfarth said, "These lizards are affected by local conditions and global climate phenomena alike. We need to look beyond the horizon of a particular area if we want to make an accurate prediction about the future of its inhabitants.
Until now, all the evidence indicated that the geckos would face problems caused by drought rather than by heat. But now, we have discovered that they can also compensate for this, to a certain extent. The study shows that, although individual creatures become thinner in years of drought, their population levels remain constant. This is because they scale back their growth and reproduction rates in hard times," explained Grimm-Seyfarth. They can then concentrate all their efforts on surviving into the next year. Thanks to their exceptional longevity (up to 28 years in some cases), these creatures can afford to lose a few reproductive cycles without any particular problem. And when conditions improve again, they can make up for lost time.
Therefore, even if climate change causes deterioration in living conditions for these geckos, they're hardly likely to die out immediately. And, according these evaluations by the scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, these findings could also apply to other long-lived desert dwellers. However, this is in no way a simple carte blanche for letting climate change just happen. "If there are several very dry years in succession, the creatures will no longer be able to cope," said Grimm-Seyfarth. At some point, even the hardiest survival specialists will be overwhelmed.
Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth, Jean-Baptiste Mihoub, Bernd Gruber, Klaus Henle. Some like it hot: from individual to population responses of an arboreal arid-zone gecko to local and distant climate. Ecological Monographs, 2018; DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1301
When The Dinosaurs Died, So Did Forests -- And Tree-Dwelling Birds
May 24, 2018: Field Museum, ChicagoSixty-six million years ago, the world burned. An asteroid crashed to Earth with a force one million times larger than the largest atomic bomb, causing the extinction of the dinosaurs. But dinosaurs weren't the only ones that got hit hard -- in a new study, scientists learned that the planet's forests were decimated, leading to the extinction of tree-dwelling birds.
"Looking at the fossil record, at plants and birds, there are multiple lines of evidence suggesting that the forest canopies collapsed," says Regan Dunn, a paleontologist at the Field Museum in Chicago and a co-author on the study in Current Biology. "Perching birds went extinct because there were no more perches."
"We drew on a variety of approaches to stitch this story together," said Daniel Field, the paper's lead author, of the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath. "We concluded that the temporary elimination of forests in the aftermath of the asteroid impact explains why arboreal birds failed to survive across this extinction event. The ancestors of modern arboreal birds did not move into the trees until forests had recovered from the extinction-causing asteroid."
The project's pollen expert, Antoine Bercovici of the Smithsonian Institution and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, helped determine that the world's forests were destroyed by looking at microscopic fossils of pollen and spores. Dunn explains, "After a disaster like a forest fire or a volcanic eruption, the first plants to come back are the fastest colonizers -- especially ferns." That's because ferns don't sprout from seeds, but from spores, which are much smaller -- just a single cell. "Spores are minuscule, the size of a grain of pollen, so they're easily dispersed. They get picked up by the wind and go further than seeds can, and all they need to grow is a wet spot."
"The spores are tiny -- you could fit four across a single strand of your hair," says Dunn. "To see them, we take a sample of rock from the time frame just after the collision and dissolve it in acid. Then we purify it so that all that remains is the organic debris, like pollen, spores and little leaf bits, then we look at them under a microscope."
Immediately after the asteroid hit, the fossil record shows the charcoal remains of burnt trees, and then, tons of fern spores. An abundance of fern spores in the fossil record often comes on the heels of a natural disaster that destroyed larger plants like trees.
"Our study examined the fossil record from New Zealand, Japan, Europe and North America, which showed there was a mass deforestation across the globe at the end of the Cretaceous period," says co-author Bercovici.
And with no more trees, the scientists found, tree-dwelling birds went extinct. The birds that did survive were ground-dwellers -- birds whose fossilised remains show longer, sturdier legs like we see in modern ground birds like kiwis and emus. The Cretaceous equivalent of robins and sparrows, with delicate little legs made for perching on tree branches, had no place to live.
"Today, birds are the most diverse and globally widespread group of terrestrial vertebrate animals -- there are nearly 11,000 living species," says Field. "Only a handful of ancestral bird lineages succeeded in surviving the mass extinction event 66 million years ago, and all of today's amazing living bird diversity can be traced to these ancient survivors."
And while fossil animals like dinosaurs and birds often get more love than fossil plants, Dunn says that plants are critical to understanding life on earth. "Plants are everything, plants are the context in which all terrestrial life evolves and survives. They're primary producers, they make energy available to all life forms by capturing it from the sun -- we can't do that."
She also notes that while the dinosaurs and their perching bird neighbors died 66 million years ago, their plight is relevant today. "The end-Cretaceous event is the fifth mass extinction -- we're in the sixth," says Dunn. "It's important for us to understand what happens when you destroy an ecosystem, like with deforestation and climate change -- so we can know how our actions will affect what comes after us."
Daniel J. Field, Antoine Bercovici, Jacob S. Berv, Regan Dunn, David E. Fastovsky, Tyler R. Lyson, Vivi Vajda, Jacques A. Gauthier. Early Evolution of Modern Birds Structured by Global Forest Collapse at the End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction. Current Biology, 2018; DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.062
The asteroid impact that eliminated non-avian dinosaurs destroyed global forests. Here, a hyopothetical surviving bird lineage -- small-bodied and specialized for a ground-dwelling lifestyle--flees a burning forest in the aftermath of the asteroid strike. Credit: Phillip M. Krzeminski
May 24, 2018: Field Museum, Chicago
Sixty-six million years ago, the world burned. An asteroid crashed to Earth with a force one million times larger than the largest atomic bomb, causing the extinction of the dinosaurs. But dinosaurs weren't the only ones that got hit hard -- in a new study, scientists learned that the planet's forests were decimated, leading to the extinction of tree-dwelling birds.
"Looking at the fossil record, at plants and birds, there are multiple lines of evidence suggesting that the forest canopies collapsed," says Regan Dunn, a paleontologist at the Field Museum in Chicago and a co-author on the study in Current Biology. "Perching birds went extinct because there were no more perches."
"We drew on a variety of approaches to stitch this story together," said Daniel Field, the paper's lead author, of the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath. "We concluded that the temporary elimination of forests in the aftermath of the asteroid impact explains why arboreal birds failed to survive across this extinction event. The ancestors of modern arboreal birds did not move into the trees until forests had recovered from the extinction-causing asteroid."
The project's pollen expert, Antoine Bercovici of the Smithsonian Institution and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, helped determine that the world's forests were destroyed by looking at microscopic fossils of pollen and spores. Dunn explains, "After a disaster like a forest fire or a volcanic eruption, the first plants to come back are the fastest colonizers -- especially ferns." That's because ferns don't sprout from seeds, but from spores, which are much smaller -- just a single cell. "Spores are minuscule, the size of a grain of pollen, so they're easily dispersed. They get picked up by the wind and go further than seeds can, and all they need to grow is a wet spot."
"The spores are tiny -- you could fit four across a single strand of your hair," says Dunn. "To see them, we take a sample of rock from the time frame just after the collision and dissolve it in acid. Then we purify it so that all that remains is the organic debris, like pollen, spores and little leaf bits, then we look at them under a microscope."
Immediately after the asteroid hit, the fossil record shows the charcoal remains of burnt trees, and then, tons of fern spores. An abundance of fern spores in the fossil record often comes on the heels of a natural disaster that destroyed larger plants like trees.
"Our study examined the fossil record from New Zealand, Japan, Europe and North America, which showed there was a mass deforestation across the globe at the end of the Cretaceous period," says co-author Bercovici.
And with no more trees, the scientists found, tree-dwelling birds went extinct. The birds that did survive were ground-dwellers -- birds whose fossilised remains show longer, sturdier legs like we see in modern ground birds like kiwis and emus. The Cretaceous equivalent of robins and sparrows, with delicate little legs made for perching on tree branches, had no place to live.
"Today, birds are the most diverse and globally widespread group of terrestrial vertebrate animals -- there are nearly 11,000 living species," says Field. "Only a handful of ancestral bird lineages succeeded in surviving the mass extinction event 66 million years ago, and all of today's amazing living bird diversity can be traced to these ancient survivors."
And while fossil animals like dinosaurs and birds often get more love than fossil plants, Dunn says that plants are critical to understanding life on earth. "Plants are everything, plants are the context in which all terrestrial life evolves and survives. They're primary producers, they make energy available to all life forms by capturing it from the sun -- we can't do that."
She also notes that while the dinosaurs and their perching bird neighbors died 66 million years ago, their plight is relevant today. "The end-Cretaceous event is the fifth mass extinction -- we're in the sixth," says Dunn. "It's important for us to understand what happens when you destroy an ecosystem, like with deforestation and climate change -- so we can know how our actions will affect what comes after us."
Daniel J. Field, Antoine Bercovici, Jacob S. Berv, Regan Dunn, David E. Fastovsky, Tyler R. Lyson, Vivi Vajda, Jacques A. Gauthier. Early Evolution of Modern Birds Structured by Global Forest Collapse at the End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction. Current Biology, 2018; DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.062
The asteroid impact that eliminated non-avian dinosaurs destroyed global forests. Here, a hyopothetical surviving bird lineage -- small-bodied and specialized for a ground-dwelling lifestyle--flees a burning forest in the aftermath of the asteroid strike.
Credit: Phillip M. Krzeminski
Powerful Owl Release
March 18, 2018: Avalon Preservation AssociationPNHA's Jacqui Marlow has advised that a Powerful Owl chick has been released in Plateau Park following its recuperation in Taronga Park.
If you see it there being harassed, or even if you see it at all, can you please phone her on 0458 194 127.
Powerful owl family - photo courtesy PNHA
March 18, 2018: Avalon Preservation Association
PNHA's Jacqui Marlow has advised that a Powerful Owl chick has been released in Plateau Park following its recuperation in Taronga Park.
If you see it there being harassed, or even if you see it at all, can you please phone her on 0458 194 127.
Powerful owl family - photo courtesy PNHA
‘Do Not Call Register’ Scams
New Reforms To Strengthen Aged Care Quality And Safety
Funding Announced For Action Plan On Macular Disease
Aussie High School Student Wins Top Prize At International Science And Engineering Fair
May 21, 2018: from CSIRO2018 BHP Billiton Foundation Science and Engineering Award winner Oliver Nicholls has taken home the top prize and $US75,000 as winner of the Gordon E. Moore Award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) announced in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Friday night.
The 19-year-old from Barker College in Sydney secured the win with his fully-autonomous robotic window cleaner that is designed to reduce human injury and decrease the costs of window cleaning on medium rise commercial buildings. The small robotic device uses drones, motors and propellers to navigate building facades and clean windows using water and micro-fibre scrubbers.
Australian students excelled at the international competition, with five of Australia's 2018 BHP Billiton Foundation Science and Engineering Awards finalists securing a total of 11 major award wins against a field of over 1800 high school students from 75 countries.
CSIRO Education and Outreach Director Mary Mulcahy said it was another example of Australia's great science being recognised on the global stage.
"Australia is one of the best places in the world to start a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). By having our high school students winning international awards, we are further strengthening our international reputation as an innovative country," Ms Mulcahy said.
BHP Billiton Foundation Executive Director James Ensor said seeing Australian high school students winning at an international level would inspire others to pursue independent research projects.
"Studying STEM topics fosters innovative thinking and problem solving abilities that will help to address sustainable development challenges," Mr Ensor said.
"We believe that by supporting STEM education and achievement in young people, we are investing in Australia's future problem solvers."
The BHP Billiton Foundation Science and Engineering Award finalists attended Intel ISEF as part of the BHP Billiton Foundation Science and Engineering Awards Australian delegation and STANSW's Young Scientist delegation.
The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF), a program of Society for Science & the Public is the world's largest international pre-college science competition. Each year over 1800 high school students from more than 75 countries, regions, and territories are awarded the opportunity to showcase their independent research and compete for on average $4 million in prizes. The BHP Billiton Foundation and Intel Foundation provide support for the BHP Billiton Foundation Science and Engineering Awards Australian delegation attending the fair.
BHP Billiton Foundation Science and Engineering Award winners at Intel ISEF
Oliver Grant Nicholls, Barker College, NSW, Australia1st place overall, Gordon E. Moore Award, with a prize value of $US75,0001st place and Best in Category in the Physical Sciences Robotics and Intelligent Machines categoryIEEE Foundation Second Place AwardNational Aeronautics and Space Administration Second Award of $US750Project: Autonomous window cleaning robot for commercial high rise buildingsOliver Nicholls combined his knowledge in mathematics, physics and design to design an autonomous robotic window cleaner. His design aims to reduce injury and decrease the commercial costs of window cleaning. The final product went through rigorous prototyping, testing and evaluation to show commercial viability.
Angelina Arora, Sydney Girls High School, NSW, Australia4th place in Physical Sciences, Environmental Engineering category.Angelina also won a scholarship to Arizona University.
Project: Shrimp Shell Bioplastics: A new solution to the world's growing plastic problemConcerned about the damage plastics do to the environment, especially the ocean, Angelina Arora set out to develop a bioplastic made from prawn shell and sticky protein from the silk of silkworms. The plastic completely degrades leaving nothing harmful behind. She tested the strength, elongation, clarity, solubility, deconstruction and endurance of the plastic as well as other plastics made out of potato, corn and tapioca. Angelina hopes this plastic could replace current plastic shopping bags and other packaging to reduce the environmental impact in landfill and in the ocean.
Caitlin Roberts, Friends School, Hobart, Tas, Australia3rd place in the Life Sciences, Biomedical Sciences category.Project: The protease inhibiting effect of almondsCaitlin's project looked at the digestive properties of almonds. She compared the rate of protein digestion of skim milk when either activated or natural almonds were consumed and how this process occurs. This research contributes to a body of research aimed at understanding how nutritional intake can be optimised.
Jade Moxey and Macinley Butson, Sapphire Coast Anglican College, NSW, and The Illawarra Grammar School, NSW3rd Place in the Physical Sciences, Environmental Engineering categoryKing Abdul-Aziz & his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity $US20,000 Scholarship for Sustainable Initiatives with Water TechnologyQatar Foundation, Research & Development First Award of $US1000Project: The SAS System (Sanitation and Sterilisation)Jade and Macinley worked together on a portable sanitation and sterilisation system to provide both clean potable drinking water and sterile water for medical use. It also has the potential to be used in emergency response and disaster relief situations.
Oliver Nicholls has taken home the top prize as winner of the Gordon E. Moore Award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) announced in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Choose The Safest Car Seat For Your Child
May 22, 2018: NSW Government
The NSW Government and NRMA have released new safety ratings to help parents choose the safest car seat for their child.
Thirteen child car seats were tested in three simulated crash tests to measure crash protection performance and ease-of-correct-use.
The Child Restraint Evaluation Program (CREP) assesses the crash protection performance of car seats using three simulated crash tests:
- Frontal impact test – This test simulates a situation where a correctly restrained child is involved in a head-on crash with another car of similar mass travelling at the same speed. The car seat is evaluated in term of its ability to retain the dummy's head and torso, minimise the forward and upward motions of the dummy's head, manage the crash energy, maintain the car seat's structural integrity, and ensure the harness buckle is still working properly after the test.
- Side impact test – The simulates a situation where a correctly restrained child in a car is struck from the side (90 degrees) by another car of similar mass. The car seat is evaluated in term of its ability to retain the dummy’s head and torso and maintain the car seat's structural integrity.
- Oblique impact test – The test simulates a situation where a correctly restrained child in a car is struck at an angle (66 degrees) by another car of similar mass. The car seat is evaluated in term of its ability to retain the dummy’s head and torso and maintain the car seat's structural integrity.
The CREP also considers how easy it is to use child car seats correctly by assessing the following five features individually:
- packaging
- instructions
- labels
- securing and releasing the child
- securing and releasing the car seat within the vehicle (not used for booster ratings).
While all seats tested comply with Australian Standards, there is a vast difference in the quality of protection they offer, as indicated in the table below.
Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight Melinda Pavey said the new star ratings will help to remove confusion for parents.
“Every parent wants the best for their kids,” Ms Pavey said.
"This new star system will make that decision straight forward,” Ms Pavey said.
Learn more about the testing and rating system, and find restraint fitting stations across NSW