Ecos articles from January 1999

Ecos archives from January 1999

Bizarre worm puzzles scientists.
January 1, 1999... A tiny nematode from a previously undescribed genus has been identified as the cause of an unusual muscle-wasting disease in two people living in Australia. Authorities are hoping the infections are isolated cases, but scientists are baffled by...

Caption correction.
January 1, 1999... A caption on page 7 of Ecos 97 incorrectly attributed the development of an aerial survey technique for counting kangaroos to CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology technician David Grice. The technique was in fact developed by Grice's former supervisor,...

How the animals all marched in.
January 1, 1999... In 1857, Edward Wilson, owner of the Melbourne Argus, suggested that `the introduction of British songbirds, such as skylarks and nightingales, to Victoria would temper the harsh laugh of kookaburras and the raucous shrieks of cockatoos'. ...

Looking down on the continent.
January 1, 1999... Imagine having access to a satellite view of your neighbourhood, property or special place of interest. You could trace local patterns of land use or vegetation growth, or perhaps chart your progress on a long trek through rugged terrain. ...

Cool clouds shade our view of global warming.
January 1, 1999... Investigations into the effect of aerosols on cloud formation have revealed a cooling effect, previously unaccounted for in climate models, which may partly explain their tendency to overestimate global warming. Dr Leon Rotstayn has...

wild things.
January 1, 1999... ABSTRACT The first scientific study of wild camels is being conducted in a 200-square-kilometre paddock on the eastern edge of the Tanami Desert. Australia has the only wild camel populations in the world. Thermo transmitters and data...

hearts of darkness.
January 1, 1999... ABSTRACT The role of fungi in Australian ecosystems is vastly underestimated. They are by far the dominant component of the microbial network that recycles nutrients. Relationships between Australian fungi, plants and animals are complex...

Marine protection Learning to give and take.
January 1, 1999... ABSTRACT An international system of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), involving six management categories, was created by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 1994. The categories range from...

Secrets of the lagoon.
January 1, 1999... ABSTRACT A five-year study of the environmental impact of prawn trawling in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park has found a high degree of biological diversity on the seabed in deep waters between reefs, and between the Great Barrier Reef...

Bioenergy beckons.
January 1, 1999... ABSTRACT Biomass is finding favour in Australia as a source of renewable energy. Biomass energy costs less to produce than most other renewable power sources and the environmental and potential social benefits are substantial, provided the...

Felix the destroyer.
January 1, 1999... ABSTRACT Cats are prolific throughout the Australian hinterland. They thrive in the arid zone because they don't need to drink if able to catch live prey, and they are untroubled by predators. Together with foxes, changed fire patterns and...

Will cats take the bait?
January 1, 1999... ON the Heirisson Prong Peninsula, scientists and wildlife managers are fighting an ongoing battle to protect from predators reintroduced populations of the burrowing bettong Bettongia lesueur, and western barred bandicoot Perameles...

Urban terrorist?
January 1, 1999... Have you ever wondered what mischief lies ahead as your beloved moggy vanishes over the fence with that jaunty swish of the tail? Limp offerings left on the doorstep offer partial clues, but gleaning the full story of moggy's adventures would...