Across most of their North American range, Moose are most commonly found in forested or shrub habitats and generally avoid areas of open tundra and prairie".........."in Summer, Moose eat forbs (herbs), grasses, sedges and leaves of broad-leaf trees and shrubs"..........."During these warm weather months, they also utilize open meadows and in ponds feeding on aquatic plants"................In early September, moose begin changing their diet to include woody browse of willow, aspen, poplar and birch"................."Early in the winter, Moose can be found near their rutting areas feeding on low shrubs"............."Also utilized are Lowland burns with sapling aspen and birch"......... "As Spring unfolds, the moose's diet shifts back to leaves and herbaceous plants".................So why are Moose in Aberta and Saskatchewan, Canada now showing up on the prairie in the Winter?.........."Apparently to feast on wheat and grain found in Farmers fields".............."“The spilled wheat and canola in these croplands provides like a Michelin five-star experience for these moose who are overwintering in these areas"............ "It provides a lot more energy to them than their splinter-wood diet of dried-out branches, which really provides them no nourishment at all"

https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmonton/2018/03/04/they-ve-adapted-moose-are-migrating-to-the-alberta-prairies.html&ct=ga&cd=CAEYAyoUMTA4NTUwNzExMDE3MTA1MTA5NDYyGjNiYjU3MDBkYmE0ZWU1MmQ6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNHZgoWWEgvx7fTyuU246511Kmr56A

'They've adapted': Moose are migrating to the Alberta prairies

Research shows the large animals are trading tree cover for abundant food on Alberta and Saskatchewan farms

By: Kevin Mainmann-- Published on Sun Mar 04 2018

Moose are running loose on the prairies, and nobody is quite sure what to do about it.

New research suggests moose are migrating to flatlands across Alberta and Saskatchewan and eating farmers’ crops.  

Biologist Chris Fisher, who is working on a project in southeast Alberta, said he’s been surprised to spot the 1,500-pound animals in areas he’s never seen them before, away from tree cover where they "stick out like a sore hoof."

When he saw one scurrying for cover last week, he had to stop and take a photo.

“It just kept on chugging, chugging, kicking up snow, until it found a small patch of willow the size of my truck,” Fisher said.

“It just started feasting on this willow and standing beside it for hours and hours, as if this little clump of trees would mask this giant form on a barren landscape and conceal it from almost an embarrassing situation of being out of place.”

Moose wandering through Farmers field

Moose are generally known to live in the boreal forest and aspen parkland.

Fisher suspects they’re moving to the prairies for food in the winter, where they can find wheat and grains that provide better nourishment than the twigs they feast on in barren winter forests.

“The spilled wheat and canola in these croplands provides like a Michelin five-star experience for these moose who are overwintering in these areas. It provides a lot more energy to them than their splinter-wood diet of dried-out branches, which really provides them no nourishment at all,” Fisher said.

MORE TYPICAL NORTHERN FORST/BOG MOOSE HABITAT

“During the wintertime, basically, they are in a negative energy balance and they’re just slowly starving as the winter proceeds.”

He said moose are sometimes called “swamp donkeys” because they tend to reside around wetlands, which are also scarce on the prairies.

But according to Ryan Brook, a professor and wildlife researcher at the University of Saskatchewan, increasing rainfall in Saskatchewan over the last decade has created small “pothole wetlands” where moose can graze on vegetation and cool off in the summer.

Brook, who is leading the Saskatchewan Farmland Moose Project, said a lack of predators on the prairies has contributed to their growing migration, as well as new farming practices with fewer people tending to bigger farms.

LARRY RICHTER / SUPPLIED

A moose standing by grain bins in rural Saskatchewan.By: Kevin Maimann Metro Published on Sun Mar 04 2018

oose are running loose on the prairies, and nobody is quite sure what to do about it.

New research suggests moose are migrating to flatlands across Alberta and Saskatchewan and eating farmers’ crops.  

Biologist Chris Fisher, who is working on a project in southeast Alberta, said he’s been surprised to spot the 1,500-pound animals in areas he’s never seen them before, away from tree cover where they "stick out like a sore hoof."

When he saw one scurrying for cover last week, he had to stop and take a photo.

“It just kept on chugging, chugging, kicking up snow, until it found a small patch of willow the size of my truck,” Fisher said.

More typical Moose habitat

“It just started feasting on this willow and standing beside it for hours and hours, as if this little clump of trees would mask this giant form on a barren landscape and conceal it from almost an embarrassing situation of being out of place.”

Moose are generally known to live in the boreal forest and aspen parkland.

Fisher suspects they’re moving to the prairies for food in the winter, where they can find wheat and grains that provide better nourishment than the twigs they feast on in barren winter forests.

“The spilled wheat and canola in these croplands provides like a Michelin five-star experience for these moose who are overwintering in these areas. It provides a lot more energy to them than their splinter-wood diet of dried-out branches, which really provides them no nourishment at all,” Fisher said.

“During the wintertime, basically, they are in a negative energy balance and they’re just slowly starving as the winter proceeds.”

He said moose are sometimes called “swamp donkeys” because they tend to reside around wetlands, which are also scarce on the prairies.

But according to Ryan Brook, a professor and wildlife researcher at the University of Saskatchewan, increasing rainfall in Saskatchewan over the last decade has created small “pothole wetlands” where moose can graze on vegetation and cool off in the summer.

Brook, who is leading the Saskatchewan Farmland Moose Project, said a lack of predators on the prairies has contributed to their growing migration, as well as new farming practices with fewer people tending to bigger farms.

SUPPLIED/RYAN BROOK

A moose on the Saskatchewan prairies. While moose migrating to the prairies might be a good thing for hunters, it also has serious implications for farmers and motorists.

“We’ve talked to producers that farm land that used to have 40 people or 50 people living on that same area, and now it’s a family of four,” he said.

“Now moose in these farmland areas may be disturbed by farming activities only a handful of times a year.”

Canola is one of Alberta’s most popular crops and is the top food choice for moose, Brook said.

While there are no hard numbers on farmland moose populations, his research team has found the animals are reproducing, and their young have a much higher survival rates than they would in the boreal forest where they could be snatched up by bears or wolves.

The research has also noted an increase in crop damage through the prairies.

“Five years ago, I don’t think I would have thought that moose were much of a major contributor," Brook said. "I certainly hadn’t thought of them as eating agricultural crops, but they definitely do. They’ve adapted.”

MOOSE TYPICAL NORTHERN FOREST HABITAT

While crop damage claims are compensated, he said, smashed fences are not – and that's been a point of frustration for some farmers.

“Deer tend to jump fences. Moose often go through fences,” Brook said.

He added that vehicle-moose collisions are another concern for humans living on and driving through the prairies.

“We definitely see much more severe impact – people having severe injuries, being paralyzed, and people being killed,” Brook said.

“That’s arguably the No. 1 issue related to these moose expanding in farmland areas, especially in areas where historically people didn’t have to worry about moose collisions.”

On the other hand, he said, many hunters on the prairies are rejoicing over the abundance of game.

Brook said the expansion of the moose population is a complex situation with a lot of variables, but he believes humans can find some common ground to manage the issue.

“One of the unknowns is, what is the target? What do we want here?” he said.

“We expect that there will be some pressure to keep those populations at moderate to low levels, given the impact that they have.”

"Among biologists, discussions of termites as a form of Cockroach go back at least to 1934 when researchers reported that several groups of microbes that digest wood in termite guts live in some wood-eating cockroaches too".............."Accordingly, As of February 15, 2018, termites no longer have their own order says Mike Merchant of Texas A&M University, chair of The Entomological Society of America's Common Names committee".............."Once biologists figured out how to use DNA to work out genealogical relationships, evidence began to grow that termites had evolved as a branch on the many-limbed family tree of cockroaches"............ "In 2007, Paul Eggleton(Natural History Museum of London) and two colleagues used genetic evidence from an unusually broad sampling of species to publish a new tree of these insects".............. "Titled “Death of an order,” the study placed termites on the tree near a Cryptocercus cockroach(found in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina)"................"Termites are “nothing but social cockroaches"........... "Various roaches have some form of social life, but termites go to extremes".......... "They’re eusocial, with just a few individuals in colonies doing all of the reproducing"

http://click.societyforscience-email.com/?qs=8dbc1fb95c4ae07318fdacc98e644cfe762741f7ac2c0a01e8fed6564db7febe52f87a67f306b5d2be12ff2257520f7fdf7531f35384a108

It’s official: Termites are just cockroaches with a fancy social life

Reordering demotes one infamous insect group to being a mere branch of an equally infamous one

BY Susan Milius

 MARCH 1, 2018

COCKROACH ON LEFT AND TERMITE ON RIGHT

Termites are the new cockroach. Literally. The Entomological Society of America is updating its master list of insect names to reflect decades of genetic and other evidence that termites belong in the cockroach order, called Blattodea.
As of February 15, “it’s official that termites no longer have their own order,” says Mike Merchant of Texas A&M University in College Station, chair of the organization’s common names committee. Now all termites on the list are being recategorized.

The demotion brings to mind Pluto getting kicked off the roster of planets, says termite biologist Paul Eggleton of the Natural History Museum in London. He does not, however, expect a galactic outpouring of heartbreak and protest over the termite downgrade. Among specialists, discussions of termites as a form of roaches go back at least to 1934, when researchers reported that several groups of microbes that digest wood in termite guts live in some wood-eating cockroaches too.

COCKROACH ON LEFT AND TERMITE ON RIGHT

Once biologists figured out how to use DNA to work out genealogical relationships, evidence began to grow that termites had evolved as a branch on the many-limbed family tree of cockroaches. In 2007, Eggleton and two museum colleagues used genetic evidence from an unusually broad sampling of species to publish a new tree of these insects (SN: 5/19/07, p. 318). Titled “Death of an order,” the study placed termites on the tree near a Cryptocercus cockroach.

Cryptocercus roaches live in almost termitelike style in the Appalachian Mountains, not too far from chemical ecologist and cockroach fan Coby Schal at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Monogamous pairs of Cryptocercus roaches eat tunnels in wood and raise young there. The offspring feed on anal secretions from their parents, which provide both nutrition and starter doses of the wood-digesting gut microbes that will eventually let the youngsters eat their way into homes of their own.

Termites are “nothing but social cockroaches,” Schal says. Various roaches have some form of social life, but termites go to extremes. They’re eusocial, with just a few individuals in colonies doing all of the reproducing. In extreme examples, Macrotermes colonies in Australia can grow to 3 million individuals with only one queen and one king.

After several years of debate, the common names committee of the American entomologists’ organization voted it was time to switch to the new view of termites. At a February meeting of the society board, there was no objection.  The common names of individual termite species, of course, will remain as something-something “termite.”

Considering whether to demote a whole order of insects is an uncommon problem, says Whitney Cranshaw of Colorado State University in Fort Collins, a longtime member of the society’s naming committee. “Probably some of us, including myself, didn’t want to make the change because we liked it the way it was,” he says. Termites and cockroaches as separate orders were easy to memorize for the undergraduates he teaches.  Yet, he voted yes. “It’s what’s right.”

Citations

Common Names of Insects Database. Entomological Society of America.
D. Inward, G. Beccaloni and P. Eggleton. Death of an order: a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study confirms that termites are eusocial cockroaches. Biology Letters. Vol. 3, June 22, 2007, p. 331. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2007.0102.

Further Reading

S. Milius. In debate over origin of fairy circles, both sides might be right. Science News. Vol. 191, February 18, 2017, p. 17.
S. Milius. Termite soldiers locate battles with vibrational clues. Science News. August 23, 2014, p. 16.
S. Milius. Terminator termites have unique technique. Science News Online, July 26, 2012.
S. Milius. Face it: Termites are roaches. Science News. Vol. 171, May 19, 2007, p. 318.

https://allyouneedisbiology.wordpress.com/2016/04/09/play-in-animals/

WHY DO ANIMALS PLAY?

The fact animals play is something we all know. However, have you ever wondered which is the main objective of play for animals? Do all animals play? Is play something exclusive for the youngest ones?

Irene Vila-9/4/16

In psychology and ethology (the science of animal behavior), play is defined as a range of voluntary and internally motivated activities(spontaneous actions), normally associated with enjoyment and recreational pleasure, which aren’t usually related withWhen playing, an animal usually tries to manipulate objects or maybe to make new combinations of movements always in a controlled environment; that is, the main objective of play is not to improve directly its survival, but to learn about its own limits and abilities. So, play differs from any other action or behavior essentially due to its context and the existence of limits and rules.

COYOTE PUPS AT PLAY

Thus, for example, we can consider bitting as an aggressive behavior unless it takes place within the context of a recreational and controlled activity. An only growl would be enough for wolverines to make it clear to their opponents they have gone too far with the play! a direct and immediate increase of survival (or fitness) of the organism.

Due to its complexity, play is considered as an activity almost exclusive of mammals (it’s known that almost 80% of mammals show differents expressions of play), mainly as a consequence of a major development of their nervous system in contrast to other organisms. Play has also been observed with less frequency on birds, and its existence in other animal groups, such as reptiles, amphibians or even fishes shouldn’t be ruled out, because some of them have shown rudimentary forms of play (mostly in captivity).

DEER FAWNS AT PLAY

On the other hand, as far as we know play has been considered an activity exclusive of young individuals, but the truth is that some animals (specially primates) keep playing during adulthood

During the early months of an animal’s life, the establishment of emotional bonds between parents (especially mothers) and their offspring is an essential fact to assure both cognitive and emotional development. Despite being rudimentary, some gestures or actions which mothers and their youths stablish (tickling, vocalizations, gazes) can be considered as different forms of play which allow offspring to react and develop.

Movement and body play

Jump, run, stretch the body or even vocalize (e.g. by singing or growling) are all of them activities more beneficious than you think. The body play allows organisms to test the limits of their own body and of their surrounding environment (How far I am able to jump? Which effect has the gravity on my own body? Am I flexible enough to stretch my body and reach the next branch?).

BABY OTTERS AT PLAY

Movement and corporal play produce a feeling of joy on organisms. In addition, they help organisms to earn self-confidence and they seems to have an important effect on brain organization.

PUMA KITTENS AT PLAY

Object play

Using objects during play is a usual fact in primates, but there exist other animals that also use them. The selected object acquires different and unique characteristics for the organism, which essentially use it to have fun. Some studies propose that the greater the level of manipulation of the object is, the bigger is the development of neural connections.

Social play

Playing with friends is always funnier. However, is not only the enjoyment of playing with other organisms the main benefit of social play, but the acquirement of abilities and behaviors that will be of a major importance during adulthood.

Some social play allow organisms to develop social skills (interaction) by the stablishment of different codes of conduct and rules. At the same time, in some organisms (whether wolfs, primates or deer, carnivorous or herbivorous) social play prepares them to face a wide range of situations that will take place in adulthood, but in a safe and controlled environment: fights, bites and tests of strength are only a few examples.

GRIZZLY BEAR CUBS PLAYING

"A global study of 57 species of mammals, published in the journal Science, has found that wildlife move far less in landscapes that have been altered by humans, a finding that could have implications for a range of issues, from how well natural systems function to finding ways to protect migratory species"............"The challenge is understanding how many holes you can punch in the landscape,” said Matthew Kauffman, a professor of wildlife biology at the University of Wyoming, “before a migration is lost"..............."This Study of animal migration is known as “movement ecology” a scientific discipline that is casting light on the secretive movements of wildlife and how those habits are changing".............“It is important that animals move, because in moving they carry out important ecological functions like transporting nutrients and seeds between different areas,” said Marlee Tucker, a biologist at Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center and Goethe University, Frankfurt and the study’s lead author"........... "The ability to move and find food helps keep some imperiled species viable"............"Predators may suffer more than other animals from restricted movement because they range over wider areas and encounter more development as they roam"........... “Wolves are caught in a pinball game, stuck between fences and highways and they can’t get around as much as wolves in wilder situations,” said Mark Hebblewhite, a wildlife biologist at the University of Montana who has a long running study on wolves and elk in British Columbia and contributed data to the new paper"..........“We all know that animals go where animals want to go".............. "U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke added that more often than not, animal migration is dependent upon natural features like watersheds rather than whether the land is publicly or privately owned".............."Zinke has signed an order to foster cooperation on migrations, working with ranchers to modify their fences, working with states to collaborate on sage brush restoration, or working with scientists to better understand migration routes"................."“Wild animals on an intact landscape move in sync with their needs, Dr. Kauffman said"..............“When you develop the landscape, this leads to less movement because they are less in tune with the naturally occurring pulse of the landscape"

Movement ecology

Animals Are Losing Their Vagility, or Ability to Roam Freely

Jim Robbins, Feb 19, 2018

A herd of mule deer near Gunnison, Colo. In the west, 

the acceleration of oil, gas and other development on 

public lands could increase the loss of migration. CreditHelen H. Richardson/The Denver Post, via Getty Images

Pronghorn antelope along a fence northwest of Casper, 

Wyo. A study has found that wildlife move far less in 

regions where humans are present, ultimately 

threatening the viability of a species.CreditAlan Rogers/
Casper Star-Tribune, via Associated Press

Pronghorn antelope wandering through the Jonah

 natural gas field near Pinedale, Wyo.CreditAnacleto
 Rapping/Los Angeles Times, via Getty Images

Two Wolf Packs on the move looking for prey(below pictures)

A team of American, French, Spanish and Swedish scientists have published a Paper revealing that "meta-analysis of 400 studies worldwide that document recovery from large-scale disturbances, such as oil spills, agriculture and logging, suggests that though ecosystems are progressing towards recovery following disturbances, they rarely recover completely".............Don't be fooled by the TV and Print commercials that polluting Firms put forward claiming that all is recovered after extraction and accident occurrences in and around their Operations...............Even well-intentioned and well funded restoration efforts of damaged sites fall short of a return to prior biodiversity levels............."Recovery rates slowed down with time since the disturbance ended, suggesting that the final stages of recovery are the most challenging to achieve"............The bottom line is large, core reserves of intact systems with connective bio-rich corridors to other large, core reserves of instact ecosystems are a must if we are to protect and optimize biodiversity both at home and around the world

https://phys.org/news/2018-02-ecosystems-nature.html

Study suggests active restoration of damaged ecosystems not always better than nature

February 28, 2018 by Bob Yirka, Phys.org

An international team of researchers has found evidence that suggests human efforts to restore damaged ecosystems are not always better than simply letting nature take its course. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the group describes analyzing over 400 studies documenting ecosystem recovery efforts and reports their findings.

While we have to extract minerals to live a modern life,
Mining extraction sites are hard to fully reclaim

To balnce our impact on the land due to our need for minerals, 
timber and energy, large core reserves of natural areas interconnected
 by additional natural corridors are needed to optimize biodiversity

As humans have realized that natural areas on the planet are a limited resource, attempts have be made to repair the damage. Forests are replanted, for example, or dams are demolished—such efforts often include the reintroduction of plants and animals threatened by oil spills. But the researchers with this effort wanted to know, whether or not such efforts are better than simply allowing nature to take its course. To find out, they pored over papers and other documentation materials created by others who studied individual ecosystem recovery efforts.

The researchers conclude that ecosystem recovery efforts are a mixed bag—some do appear to restore areas to their natural states in a relatively short amount of time. But others seemed to do no better than nature—and some did not seem to succeed at all. Planting trees in areas where they have been cut down is clearly faster, they note, than letting seedlings find their way across vast stretches of barren land. But simply removing a dam may not be enough to return a river system to its prior state—in some cases, animals may have gone extinct, for example.


More examples of difficult to reclaim extraction sites as well
as a Rocky Mtn paradigm for optimizing biodiversity

The team also used data from the documentation to produce statistics on ecosystem recovery, such as the speed at which different types of systems recover. They found, for example, that on average, ecosystems recovery rates ran from 1 to 10 percent per year, and that marine systems and wetlands tended to recover faster than lakes and forests. They also noted multiple instances in which ecosystems never recovered completely.

The researchers conclude their analysis by suggesting that rather than dash in with a plan for ecosystem restoration, planners should take more time to study the unique areas they are dealing with and then decide if their efforts will reap the desired rewards.

More information: Holly P. Jones et al. Restoration and repair of Earth's damaged ecosystems, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2018). 

LINK: DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2577

Restoration and repair of Earth's damaged ecosystems

Holly P. Jones, Peter C. Jones, Edward B. Barbier, Ryan C. Blackburn, Jose M. Rey Benayas, Karen D. Holl, Michelle McCrackin, Paula Meli, Daniel Montoya, David Moreno Mateos

Published 28 February 2018.

Abstract

Given that few ecosystems on the Earth have been unaffected by humans, restoring them holds great promise for stemming the biodiversity crisis and ensuring ecosystem services are provided to humanity. Nonetheless, few studies have documented the recovery of ecosystems globally or the rates at which ecosystems recover. Even fewer have addressed the added benefit of actively restoring ecosystems versus allowing them to recover without human intervention following the cessation of a disturbance. 

 Industrial sites are hard to reclaim,,,,,,,,,,,Florida map of open spaces
that if connected would lead to optimized biodiversity for this State

Our meta-analysis of 400 studies worldwide that document recovery from large-scale disturbances, such as oil spills, agriculture and logging, suggests that though ecosystems are progressing towards recovery following disturbances, they rarely recover completely. 

This result reinforces conservation of intact ecosystems as a key strategy for protecting biodiversity. Recovery rates slowed down with time since the disturbance ended, suggesting that the final stages of recovery are the most challenging to achieve.

 Active restoration did not result in faster or more complete recovery than simply ending the disturbances ecosystems face. Our results on the added benefit of restoration must be interpreted cautiously, because few studies directly compared different restoration actions in the same location after the same disturbance. The lack of consistent value added of active restoration following disturbance suggests that passive recovery should be considered as a first option; if recovery is slow, then active restoration actions should be better tailored to overcome specific obstacles to recovery and achieve restoration goals. We call for a more strategic investment of limited restoration resources into innovative collaborative efforts between scientists, local communities and practitioners to develop restoration techniques that are ecologically, economically and socially viable.