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Breakthrough for kākāpō hatching could be in genes
Research using DNA in a new way could help Aotearoa New Zealand’s kākāpo – one of the country’s most critically endangered native birds – hatch chicks more successfully.
University of Canterbury doctoral student Jana Wold and Associate Professor Tammy Steeves plan to investigate DNA to find the cause of high rates of hatching failure in the endangered kākāpō.
A University of Canterbury-led nationwide project investigating the DNA structure of the flightless parrot in a bid to find the cause of high hatching failure is launching later this year.
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By uprooting carbon trapped in soil, wild pigs are releasing around 4.9 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide annually across the globe, the equivalent of 1.1 million cars.
An international team led by researchers from The University of Queensland and The University of Canterbury have used predictive population models, coupled with advanced mapping techniques to pinpoint the climate damage wild pigs are causing across five continents.
UQ’s Dr Christopher O’Bryan said the globe’s ever-expanding population of feral pigs could be a significant threat to the climate.
“Wild pigs are just like tractors ploughing through fields, turning over soil to find food,” Dr O’Bryan said.
Lun, 07/19/2021 - 16:23 El impacto climático de los jabalíes es mayor que el de un millón de coches, según un estudio que señala que al escarbar el suelo estos liberan anualmente alrededor de 4,9 millones de toneladas métricas de dióxido de carbono en todo el mundo, el equivalente a 1,1 millones de coches. El trabajo se publica en la revista Global Change Biology y sus autores señalan que la creciente población de jabalíes en el mundo podría ser una importante amenaza para el clima. Para llegar a sus conclusiones, el equipo de la Universidad de Queensland y la Universidad de Canterbury utilizó modelos predictivos junto a técnicas avanzadas de cartografía para determinar el daño climático que causan los cerdos salvajes en los cinco continentes.
The climate impact of wild pigs around the world is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of 1.1m cars annually, according to new research.
Modelling by an international team of researchers estimates that feral pigs release 4.9m metric tonnes of carbon dioxide each year globally by uprooting soil.
Researcher Dr Christopher O’Bryan of the University of Queensland said feral pigs were one of the most widespread vertebrate invasive species on the planet.
“Pigs are native to Europe and parts of Asia, but they’ve been introduced to every continent except Antarctica,” he said.
“When we think of climate change, we tend to think of the classic fossil fuel problem. This is one of the additional threats to carbon, and to climate change potentially, that hasn’t really been explored in any global sense.”
Tuesday, 20 July 2021, 12:54 pm
An intensive search for the pod of the
stranded baby orca – named Toa – has continued daily for
the last week-and-a-half.
The young orca calf has
been cared for around-the-clock by Department of
Conservation (DOC) staff and volunteers since becoming
separated from his mother at Plimmerton, north of
Wellington, on Sunday 11 July. It’s reported the cost to
taxpayers of looking after Toa is estimated at
The SMC asked experts to comment on ethical
considerations in this evolving situation.
Dr Karen
Stockin, Professor in Marine Biology and Rutherford
Discovery Fellow, Massey University, comments:
“The
situation for Toa was always very fragile from the moment he