ecology

Brains Versus Brawn Amongst Wild Canids

Posted 8 April 2013 by Anne-Marie Hodge

Continuing the theme from my last post, I'm going to cover a new study involving some of the carnivores that I'm observing and studying out here in Kenya. Last time we talked about mongoose, and this time we'll move on to one of my favorite mammalian families: the Canidae. Few things are more important for a carnivore's survival than having a lethal bite. The critical mechanics underlying bite force have significantly influenced carnivore evolution--they determine morphology, hunting behavior, and prey... Read more

Posted in carnivores, ecology, evolution, mammals, physiology, Uncategorized, zoology |

0 Comments | Permalink

How do “fish of a feather” shoal together?

Posted 8 February 2013 by Anne-Marie Hodge

“Birds of a feather flock together,” as the old saying goes, and that simple axiom raises many fascinating questions. Do animals really choose to associate with conspecifics that closely resemble themselves? If so, how do they even determine, without the either aid of mirrors or cognitive abilities that enable self-recognition, who is “of a feather” and who is not? Why would once choose to be “just a face in the crowd,” or even a member of a crowd at all?... Read more

Posted in animal communication, ecology, evolution, physiology, zoology |

0 Comments | Permalink

Humpbacks Multitask for Mates

Posted 31 December 2012 by Anne-Marie Hodge

The trade-offs between rewards involved in either foraging or courting mates have likely plagued animals for millennia. The need to feed often competes with the requirement to reproduce . . . and yet one cannot successfully secure a mate and raise offspring without adequate resources. This dilemma means that animals must carefully balance the time and energy they allocate to each endeavor. Humans may be able to cruise for dates in the grocery store, but few other animals are so... Read more

Posted in animal communication, ecology, mammals, marine biology, marine mammals, zoology |

0 Comments | Permalink

Prions Survive Crow Guts

Posted 15 December 2012 by Anne-Marie Hodge

Mad cow disease, kuru, chronic wasting disease—all of these ghastly illnesses are caused by prions--misfolded proteins in the brain, which are more technically known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Once a prion infection sets in, the results are gruesome. Loss of muscle control, hallucinations, general neurological meltdown . . . the symptoms of prion disorders can lead to truly tragic and painful deaths, all ultimately due to a few key misshapen proteins (see this neat interactive animation for a refresher... Read more

Posted in disease ecology, ecology, physiology |

3 Comments | Permalink

From “You are What You Eat” to “You See What You Eat”: Shedding Light on Ecologically Attuned Vision

Posted 25 November 2012 by Anne-Marie Hodge

If you have ever been temporarily blinded by sunlight after emerging from a building, or have stubbed a toe in the middle of the night, then you realize first-hand that sensitivity to light is a key element of success in one's environment. Animals vary dramatically in their visual abilities under different light conditions: birds and bees use UV vision to see colors that we cannot even perceive, some cave animals forgo vision completely, and the rest of us fall somewhere... Read more

Posted in ecology, evolution, mammals, physiology, zoology |

0 Comments | Permalink

“The Redder the Better” . . . Sometimes

Posted 26 July 2012 by Anne-Marie Hodge

Nature is a wonder of color: flowering plants are the kaleidoscopes of many landscapes, and animals ranging from flatworms to parrots display a rainbow of shades and hues. Color is often appreciated for its aesthetic value alone, but in reality it often carries great functional significance. An animal’s hues and patterns may help it to hide from predators, attract mates, or signal that it wields a toxin or sting that potential attackers would be wise to avoid. Two recent studies,... Read more

Posted in ecology, mammals, zoology |

6 Comments | Permalink

Of Bears, Berries, and Hoofed Invaders

Posted 6 June 2010 by Anne-Marie Hodge

There are few images more fearsome than that of an angry bear, with teeth bared and claws flashing. It is intriguing, then, to consider a community in which a population of mighty ursids was driven to extinction by a diminutive prey species: the deer. Who knew Bambi had a bad streak? This surprising story hails from reseach conducted by Dr. Steeve Côté on Anticosti Island. This 8,000 sq km island is about 35 km off the stretch of coastal Quebec... Read more

Posted in competition, ecology, zoology |

1 Comments | Permalink

Boozing Treeshrews: Heavyweight drinkers in small packages

Posted 2 May 2010 by Anne-Marie Hodge

Although political and moral stances on alcohol use have gone back and forth over the decades, anthropological studies suggest that low-level alcohol ingestion has been an important factor in primate evolution. Alcohol is associated with ripe, nutrient-rich fruits, in addition to functioning as an appetite stimulant to quickly take advantage of ephemeral food resources (Dudley 2002). As highly mobile herbivores, primates could have benefited these alcohol-producing plants through pollination and wide seed dispersal capabilities, leading to important mutualisms and possible... Read more

Posted in ecology, zoology |

1 Comments | Permalink

Saving face: Salamanders show why it’s important to know thy enemies

Posted 29 April 2010 by Anne-Marie Hodge

In the past I have focused on reviewing newly published literature, but I have decided to periodically take a look back at some “classic” zoology papers. Defining “classic” is difficult, I am using the slightly arbitrary criteria that the paper has been cited over 100 times, in addition to the very arbitrary and slightly self-centered criteria that the paper was published before the year of my birth, 1986. So, without further adieu, I bring you discussion of a fascinating paper... Read more

Posted in amphibian, competition, ecology, salamander, zoology |

0 Comments | Permalink