Ecos articles from January 2001

Ecos archives from January 2001

Lavish reference speaks volumes for lepidoptera. (spectrum).(Butterflies of Australia: Their Identification, Biology and Distribution )
January 1, 2001... Australia, despite its reputation for being one of the most mega-diverse corners of the globe, actually has only about 400 species of butterfly: just 2% of the world's total count. About half the species that we have, however, occur nowhere...

Genetic metamorphosis. (spectrum).(controlling cane toads)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... In 1935, the South American cane toad, Bufo marinus, was introduced into Northern Queensland by the Australian Bureau of Sugar Experimental Stations. Instead of controlling the cane beetles that were damaging sugar cane harvests, the toads...

Stocking the FloraBank. (spectrum).(preserving native seed)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... AN adequate supply of native seed is of great strategic significance in the fight against salinity, erosion, vegetation decline and loss of biodiversity. But the demand for native seed, coupled with poor growing seasons, has seen seed supplies...

Finding the best fragments, before fragmentation. (spectrum).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... AGRICULTURAL activity in the Top End is on the rise, and includes plans to subdivide more than 2700-square-kilometres of savanna woodland in the Daly Basin, south-west of Darwin. When the developers move in, many resident plants and animals...

Sweeter energy, inspired by photosynthesis. (spectrum).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Scientists have found a way to combine the principles of photosynthesis -- the conversion of carbon dioxide and sunlight into oxygen, water and sugar -- with their own technological wizardry. The result is `artificial photosynthesis', a...

Saving lake Victoria: Brad Collis tells a dramatic tale of biological control textured with African politics, Australian science and a tiny, hungry, South American weevil.
January 1, 2001... Pink fillets of tilapia lie draped and drying over the gunwales of fishing dhows hauled onto the black beach. Under a bright equatorial sun, women tend nets as thin-boned men, spectral figures against shimmering water, work inside tangled...

Dirty deeds: subterranean alliances are being forged in citrus orchards of the Riverland. Steve Davidson pays homage to the soil community.
January 1, 2001... At best, most of us think of soil as a mysterious source of sustenance for plants. At worst, we dismiss it at as barren dirt. But those that study the stuff know that most soil absolutely teems with life. The array of life forms underfoot...

Rare qualities: is there a connection between the abundance of plant species and their inherent ecological characteristics? Steve Davidson looks at the science of rarity.
January 1, 2001... Australia has lost 74 plant species to extinction since European settlement and more than 1000 threatened species are in danger of going the same way. Some causes of plant rarity -- bulldozers, grazing and introduced weeds -- are obvious...

Plain predictions: an industrious native vole and overgrazing by livestock are making a desert of Inner Mongolia's once fertile grasslands. Wendy Pyper outlines efforts to arrest the transformation.
January 1, 2001... Fifty years ago, sweeping vistas of waist-high grass were the trademark of Inner Mongolia. But today, stubbles of grass and weeds carpet much of the landscape, and wind erosion speeds desertification. This transformation of China's...

Changing habitat: the revival of the Richmond birdwing butterfly offers hope that through research, education, dedication and teamwork, local communities can secure a future for threatened species.
January 1, 2001... It was a sultry January afternoon when our small group entered the rainforest. In the oppressive heat and the company of a million biting insects, we were soon sweating and swatting ineffectually. But the discomfort wore off when the reason for...

Bubble bubble ...: dryland salinity -- the notorious consequence of land cover change in Australia -- has two potentially devastating understudies: acid sulfate soils and soil acidification. Wendy Pyper and Steve Davidson profile research on these lesser-known threats to our agricultural heartlands.
January 1, 2001... Rising groundwater has brought more than the threat of salinity to inland Australia. In many parts of the country, the combination of water-logging, agriculture, and a rich geology of iron, sulfur and heavy metals, has led to the formation of...

Anti acids.(SOIL acidification)
January 1, 2001... Leaching the landscape SOIL acidification is a natural process that is accelerated by agriculture... with insidious consequences. It is a serious hazard for rural landscapes and farm productivity. Some 33 million hectares of farmland...

Welcome to Emu. (Journal extracts).(journal of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... NEARLY everyone knows something about birds -- most of us can tell a sparrow from a seagull. Many people are serious about birds and go bird-watching, some keeping careful notes about what they observe. In Australia, there are about...

Stone age crows. (Journal extracts).(evidence birds fashion tools)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... HANDYMEN know that the right tool will get the job done quickly and effectively. And so it seems, do crows. In a six week study of New Caledonian crows, Gavin Hunt from the University of Auckland saw the birds fashioning tools from leaf stems,...

Dietary cunning. (Journal extracts).(diet of red foxes investigated)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... SINCE its introduction to Australia in the 1870s, the red fox has gained a reputation as a common predator of livestock and a serious threat to native wildlife. Dietary studies have shown it is an opportunistic predator and scavenger with...

Faulty indications? (Journal extracts).(effects of forest management considered)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... IT IS difficult to judge whether forests are being managed in an ecologically sustainable way and impossible to measure and monitor the effects of forest management practices on all forest species. Biological indicators or surrogates, are...

Lone box warning. (Journal extracts).(research on breeding system of yellow box eucalyptus tree)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... THE yellow box (Eucalyptus melliodora) is a handsome and widespread woodland and forest tree of eastern Australia. Yellow box woodlands and forests have virtually disappeared, but isolated trees still exist in agricultural landscapes. A...

Olives spreading. (Journal extracts).(certain animals and birds contributing to spread of feral olives)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... LIKE THE people of the Mediterranean, many birds and small mammals are fond of olives. In Australia, this fondness can be indulged on a grand scale, as olive groves for commercial or hobby purposes have been planted in almost every state. But...

Modelling the forces of nature.(building a house to best resist natural diasters)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... In the United States, home of Tornado Alley and the restless San Andreas Fault, strong winds and earthquakes regularly devastate buildings and communities. Designing more resilient houses for such locations requires understanding how the...