167 posts · 216,969 views
GrrlScientist is the blog pseudonym for an evolutionary biologist/ornithologist who writes about E3: Evolution, Ecology and Ethology, and the subtle relationships between these phenomena, especially in birds.
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- November 9, 2010
- 11:31 AM
- 17,058 views
Mini frog packs a powerful punch
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
Another tiny-but-deadly poisonous frog has been discovered, this time, in Cuba... Read more »
Ariel Rodriguez, Dennis Poth, Stefan Schulz, & Miguel Vences. (2010) Discovery of skin alkaloids in a miniaturized eleutherodactylid frog from Cuba. Biology Letters. info:/10.1098/rsbl.2010.0844
- November 30, 1999
- 12:00 AM
- 14,290 views
How many species concepts are there?
by John Wilkins in GrrlScientist
It's an old question in biology: what is a species? Many answers have been given over the years – I counted 26 in play, and recently a new one, the "polyphasic" concept has been introduced... Read more »
John S. Wilkins. (2006) The Concept and Causes of Microbial Species. History , 389-408. info:/
- November 8, 2011
- 03:00 AM
- 13,137 views
The seventh starling (Murmuration) [video] | @GrrlScientist
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
What do particle physics, statistics and poetry have in common? (includes videos)... Read more »
Cavagna, A., & Giardina, I. (2008) The seventh starling. Significance, 5(2), 62-66. DOI: 10.1111/j.1740-9713.2008.00288.x
Cavagna, A., Cimarelli, A., Giardina, I., Parisi, G., Santagati, R., Stefanini, F., & Viale, M. (2010) Scale-free correlations in starling flocks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(26), 11865-11870. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1005766107
Hemelrijk, C., & Hildenbrandt, H. (2011) Some Causes of the Variable Shape of Flocks of Birds. PLoS ONE, 6(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0022479
- October 25, 2011
- 03:00 AM
- 2,246 views
Can a Siphon Work In Vacuo? [video] | @GrrlScientist | Punctuated Equilibrium
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
Video proof that siphons do not require atmospheric pressure to suck... Read more »
Boatwright, A., Puttick, S., & Licence, P. (2011) Can a Siphon Work In Vacuo?. Journal of Chemical Education, 2147483647. DOI: 10.1021/ed2001818
- December 17, 2008
- 05:46 PM
- 1,968 views
Why Do We Yawn?
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: yawning, thermoregulation, budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus, animal behavior
Yawning human, Homo sapiens serving as a perch for a domestic budgerigar, Melopsittacus undulatus.
Image: Wendy (Creative Commons License).
Yawning. Everybody does it. In fact, I am yawning now as I write this piece. Yawning is interpreted to have a variety of meanings, ranging from tiredness to boredom. Perhaps more interesting is the fact that yawning is contagious among humans, at least: watching someone else yawn, seeing a photograph or reading about -- and even the mere thought of -- yawning is enough to induce this behavior in observers. (Tell me: have you yawned yet?) Even though yawning is very common, the physiological and evolutionary reasons for yawning behavior are poorly understood. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
A GALLUP, M MILLER, & A CLARK. (2009) Yawning and thermoregulation in budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus. Animal Behaviour, 77(1), 109-113. DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.09.014
Andrew C. Gallup, & Gordon G. Gallup Jr. (2007) Yawning as a Brain Cooling Mechanism: Nasal Breathing and Forehead Cooling Diminish the Incidence of Contagious Yawning. Evolutionary Psychology, 5(1), 92-101. DOI: http://www.epjournal.net/filestore/ep0592101.pdf
- February 14, 2011
- 03:56 PM
- 1,937 views
Whipping up a storm
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
Hypothesis: beating tired racehorses with a whip stimulates them to run faster ... Read more »
Evans, D., & McGreevy, P. (2011) An Investigation of Racing Performance and Whip Use by Jockeys in Thoroughbred Races. PLoS ONE, 6(1). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0015622
DEUEL, N., & LAWRENCE, L. (1988) Effects of urging by the rider on gallop stride characteristics of quarter horses. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 8(3), 240-243. DOI: 10.1016/S0737-0806(88)80016-9
- Research / Scholarship
- Biology
- Medicine
- Mathematics
- Psychology
- Probability and Statistics
- Veterinary Medicine
- Behavioral Biology
- Ethics
- Animal Behaviour
- sports
- horse racing
- horseracing
- race horses
- horses
- whip use
- thoroughbreds
- stride length
- race performance
- quarter horses
- whipping
- whip rules
- punishment
- December 18, 2008
- 04:30 PM
- 1,929 views
Austroraptor cabazai: They Just Don't Make Big Scary Dinosaurs Like They Once Did
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: Austroraptor cabazai, dinosaurs, Dromaeosauridae, birds, fossils, taxonomy, evolution
The newly unveiled Austroraptor cabazai (left) attacks a juvenile sauropod dinosaur in an artist's interpretation.
The giant raptor, found in Argentina, measured between 16.5 and 21 feet (5 to 6.5 meters) long, making it one of the largest raptors to roam Earth 70 million years ago, a new study finds.
A dramatic new carnivorous dinosaur that was bigger than a car was unveiled yesterday in public at the Bernardino Rivadavia Museum of Natural History in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The incomplete fossil skeleton was unearthed in Patagonia and was identified as a new species of dromaeosaur, or birdlike dinosaur, a group that includes Velociraptors. Christened Austroraptor cabazai, this specimen is the largest birdlike raptor ever discovered in South America and its discoverers estimate that it lived roughly 70 million years ago. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
Fernando E. Novas, Diego Pol, Juan I. Canale, Juan D. Porfiri, & Jorge O. Calvo. (2008) A bizarre Cretaceous theropod dinosaur from Patagonia and the evolution of Gondwanan dromaeosaurids. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. DOI: http://journals.royalsociety.org/content/90n26424nr722374/fulltext.pdf
- September 25, 2008
- 03:37 PM
- 1,903 views
Love, Sex and War in the Seychelles
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: bpr3.org/?p=52, Seychelles magpie-robin, Copsychus sechellarum, behavioral ecology, conservation biology, endangered species, population dynamics, ornithology, birds
Seychelles magpie-robin, Copsychus sechellarum.
Image: Tony Randell (Wikipedia) [larger view].
Every once in awhile, I read a paper that surprises me. Today, I read one of those papers, and it surprised me because it analyzes a phenomenon that is so obvious that I wonder why no one ever thought of studying it in a systematic and rigorous way before. I am referring to a paper that was just published by a team of researchers who found that particular behaviors can damage and even reverse the recovery of endangered species under certain circumstances. In this situation, the team documented the negative effects that can occur when individuals of a social species engage in frequent battles for limited reproductive opportunities. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
Andrés López-Sepulcre, Ken Norris, & Hanna Kokko. (2008) Reproductive conflict delays the recovery of an endangered social species. Journal of Animal Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2008.01475.x
- January 27, 2009
- 03:09 PM
- 1,850 views
Meet the Great Speciators: The White-Eyes
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolution, speciation, diversification rate, Zosterops, White-eyes, ornithology, birds, molecular phylogeny, South Pacific Islands
The Splendid (Ranongga) White-eye, Zosterops splendidus,
endemic to Ranongga Island in the Solomon Islands archipelago.
This species' home range is smaller than Manhattan Island.
Image: Chris Filardi [larger view].
For many decades, the white-eyes (Family: Zosteropidae) were known as the "Great Speciators" in honor of their apparent ability to rapidly give rise to new species while other birds in the same areas showed little or no diversification. But the Great Speciator hypothesis could only ever be indirectly inferred -- until now, that is. According to a paper that was just published by my postdoctoral colleagues, Rob Moyle and Chris Filardi, this group of diminutive birds apparently does evolve faster than any other avian group on earth.
Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
Robert G. Moyle, Christopher E. Filardi, Catherine E. Smith, & Jared Diamond. (2009) Explosive Pleistocene diversification and hemispheric expansion of a ‘‘great speciator’’. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(4).
- December 19, 2008
- 03:55 PM
- 1,817 views
Dinosaurs: A Bunch of Mister Moms
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolution, behavioral ecology, parental care, egg incubation, dinosaurs, birds
The Oviraptorid dinosaur, Citipati osmolskae,
on a nest of eggs that was unearthed in the Gobi desert
of Mongolia by the American Museum of Natural History.
Image: Mick Ellison, American Museum of Natural History.
Oviraptors ("egg seizer") were given their name because their fossil remains were first discovered on top of a pile of eggs. Because of their close proximity to clutches of dinosaur eggs, it was initially assumed that these dinosaurs were eating them. However, in his 1924 paper, their discoverer Henry Fairfield Osborn cautioned the scientific community by writing that the name Oviraptor "may entirely mislead us as to its feeding habits and belie its character." Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
D. J. Varricchio, J. R. Moore, G. M. Erickson, M. A. Norell, F. D. Jackson, & J. J. Borkowski. (2008) Avian Paternal Care Had Dinosaur Origin. Science, 322(5909), 1826-1828. DOI: 10.1126/science.1163245
- October 7, 2008
- 04:59 PM
- 1,787 views
Singing to Females Makes Male Songbirds 'Happy'
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: dopamine, behavior, evolution, rewarding affiliative behaviors, brain reward pathways, songbirds, birdsong, zebra finch, Poephila guttata, neurobiology
A pair of wild Zebra (Chestnut-eared) Finches, Poephila guttata.
Image: Adelaide Zebra Finch Society [larger view].
People have been known to "sing for joy" and we often experience happiness when others sing for us. Additionally, birdsong has often brought joy to those who have listened, but what about the birds themselves? Do birds experience "happiness" when they hear birdsong, or when they sing for others? According to newly published research, male songbirds do apparently experience happiness when they sing to females. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
Ya-Chun Huang, Neal A. Hessler, & Kenji Hashimoto. (2008) Social Modulation during Songbird Courtship Potentiates Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons. PLoS ONE, 3(10). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0003281
- December 4, 2008
- 11:29 AM
- 1,782 views
The Psychology Behind Wrapping Paper [Reprise]
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: peer-reviewed paper, psychology, gift wrapping, wrapping paper, behavior, holidays, holidaze
Besides bright lights, my favorite thing about the holidays is wrapping gifts. I love covering a boxed gift with colored papers (or even with plain brown paper bags), I get tremendous satisfaction from folding the paper so it makes precise corners and then I especially enjoy decorating the wrapped gift with bows, ribbons and toy flowers and birds, christmas ornaments or other decorations. I also enjoy figuring out how to wrap unusually shaped objects. However, my most favorite thing to do is to place a wrapped gift inside a series of wrapped boxes, so the eventual discovery of the gift inside is postponed for as long as possible. I enjoy wrapping gifts so much that I sometimes think I should open a small business that focuses specifically on doing this.
But what does gift-wrapping do for the recipient? Is all this effort worth it for the recipient? For example, do recipients actually like gift-wrapped presents more than unwrapped gifts? Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
Daniel J. Howard. (1992) Gift-Wrapping Effects on Product Attitudes. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 1(3), 197-223. DOI: 10.1207/s15327663jcp0103_01
- September 12, 2008
- 07:29 PM
- 1,737 views
Are Mad Cow Disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Identical?
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, BSE, mad cow disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, CJD, pathogenic mutation, prion protein gene
Image: Orphaned.
Mad Cow Disease, technically known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), is one of a group of transmissible diseases that destroy brain tissue, collectively known as Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs). TSEs are an unknown agent(s) that act by damaging the structure of brain proteins known as "prions" (PREE ons). In turn, these damaged prion proteins damage other normal prions and together, they build up to damage tissue in the brain stem, causing cavities to develop in the victim's brain so it resembles swiss cheese in mammals. This neurodegenerative diseaseleads to death for the victims, of course.
In humans, this disease has long been known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) in honor of the two medical scientists who first described it in the literature. But is the agent that causes BSE in cattle the same one that causes CJD in humans? What are TSEs; genetic diseases, infectious agents, or sporatic mutations? Where did the first TSE come from? These basic questions about the nature of TSEs have remained unanswered for decades -- until today, that is. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
Jürgen A. Richt, S. Mark Hall, & David Westaway. (2008) BSE Case Associated with Prion Protein Gene Mutation. PLoS Pathogens, 4(9). DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000156
- November 12, 2008
- 09:42 AM
- 1,736 views
Invasive Exotic Species: More than Meets the Eye
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: ecology, exotic species, introduced species, non-native species, invasive species, monk parakeets, quaker parrots, Myiopsitta monachus, Michael A Russello, Michael L Avery, Timothy F Wright
Monk (Quaker) parakeets, Myiopsitta monachus, with nest.
Image: Arthur Grosset [larger view].
Invasive species are everywhere: from plants such as Scotch (English) broom, Cytisus scoparius, whose yellow flowers bloom prolifically along roadways of North America, Australia and New Zealand to mammals such as human beings, Homo sapiens, which are the ultimate invasive species because we have invaded nearly every habitat on the planet. The widespread introduction of exotic invasive species has modified habitats, reduced species biodiversity and adversely altered ecosystem functioning across the globe -- as many as 80% of all endangered species are threatened due to pressures from non-native species. Economically, the annual cost to merely control the roughly 50,000 invasive species in the United States is estimated to be $120 billion -- greater than the annual expenses incurred by the Iraq War. So the ecological and economic costs associated with invasive species is not trivial.
But most species lack the potential to be invasive. Thus, it is very important to learn more about the phenomenon of species invasiveness so we can better identify which attributes make some species so aggressive. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
Michael A Russello, Michael L Avery, & Timothy F Wright. (2008) Genetic evidence links invasive monk parakeet populations in the United States to the international pet trade. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 8(1), 217. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-8-217
- March 25, 2009
- 03:15 PM
- 1,734 views
Evolution of Squeaker Catfishes in Africa's Lake Tanganyika
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolutionary biology, speciation, species flocks, molecular phylogeny, behavioral ecology, Synodontis species, squeaker catfish, cuckoo catfish, Lake Tanganyika, peer-reviewed paper
False Cuckoo Catfish, also known as the Dwarf Lake Synodontis, Synodontis lucipinnis [Siluriformes: Mochokidae]. Endemic to Lake Tanganyika in Zambia.
Image: Destination Tanganyika [larger view].
One of the groups of fishes that I worked with as an aquarist for nearly my entire life are the synodontids, often known as "squeaker catfish" for their ability to make high-pitched sounds. These medium- to large-sized African catfishes are attractive, long-lived and intelligent, and many species in this genus exhibit a variety of distinctive breeding behaviors. For example, S. multipunctatus is the only fish documented to practice brood parasitism: it sneaks its eggs in with those of mouthbrooding cichlids in Lake Tanganyika, and its larvae grow faster than those of the host and feed on them. Add that to a fascinating evolutionary history, which is still being deciphered, and you have a very interesting group of fishes. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
DAY, J., BILLS, R., & FRIEL, J. (2009) Lacustrine radiations in African Synodontis catfish . Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 22(4), 805-817. DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2009.01691.x
- January 25, 2008
- 01:01 AM
- 1,733 views
Berry Butts: Parasitized Black Ants Resemble Red Berries
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: bpr3.org/?p=52, neotropical ants, Cephalotes atratus, parasitic nematodes, Myrmeconema neotropicum, tetradonematid nematode, evolution, coevolution, fruit mimicry
A neotropical black ant host, Cephalotes atratus,
infected with the newly described parasitic nematode,
Myrmeconema neotropicum.
The ant's infected and swollen abdomen does not actually take on a red pigment.
It becomes a translucent amber. With the yellowish parasite eggs inside and a touch
of sunlight, it appears bright red.
Image: Steve Yanoviak, Universi... Read more »
George Poinar, & Stephen Yanoviak. (2008) Myrmeconema neotropicum n. g., n. sp., a new tetradonematid nematode parasitising South American populations of Cephalotes atratus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with the discovery of an apparent parasite-induced host morph. Systematic Parasitology, 69(2), 145-153. https://commerce.metapress.com/content/v1331781v6632602/resource-secured/?target
- December 24, 2008
- 01:58 PM
- 1,731 views
What Parrots Tell us About the Origin and Evolution of Birds
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: parrots, Psittaciformes, evolution, molecular phylogeny, ornithology, Neornithes
Red-crowned Amazon parrot, Amazona viridigenalis, at Elizabeth Street Parrotry, Brownsville, Texas.
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 7 April 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/750s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
One of the most contentious issues among scientists who study the evolution of birds is identifying precisely when the modern birds (Neornithes) first appeared. This is due to conflicts between the fossil record and molecular dating methodologies. For example, fossils support a Tertiary radiation whereas molecular dating methodologies suggest that the birds radiated in the early Cretaceous. But there is another way to address this discrepancy. Because the evolution of parrots and cockatoos reflects the evolution of Aves themselves, studying the psittaciformes offers compelling insights into this mystery. Further, because psittaciformes generally are not migratory and because they tend to occupy discrete ranges, their ancient patterns of diversification are easier to discern than for many other taxonomic orders of birds that have dispersed widely. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
T. F. Wright, E. E. Schirtzinger, T. Matsumoto, J. R. Eberhard, G. R. Graves, J. J. Sanchez, S. Capelli, H. Muller, J. Scharpegge, G. K. Chambers.... (2008) A Multilocus Molecular Phylogeny of the Parrots (Psittaciformes): Support for a Gondwanan Origin during the Cretaceous. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 25(10), 2141-2156. DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msn160
- October 28, 2008
- 08:05 PM
- 1,716 views
Why Are Female Blue Tits Unfaithful?
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, extrapair fertilization, genetic benefit hypothesis, genetic similarity, plumage color, birdsong, ornithology, behavioral ecology
Blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus.
Image: Paul Hillion, 26 April 2008.
Even though most bird species form social bonds with their mates, they are not always faithful partners to each other. It's easy to figure out why male birds engage in extrapair copulations: this increases the number of their offspring -- and this increases their reproductive fitness. But since female birds are physically capable of producing only limited numbers of offspring per breeding season, why would they seek out extrapair copulations? How do they benefit? Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
A. N. DREISS, N. SILVA, M. RICHARD, F. MOYEN, M. THÉRY, A. P. MØLLER, & É. DANCHIN. (2008) Condition-dependent genetic benefits of extrapair fertilization in female blue tits . Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 21(6), 1814-1822. DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2008.01578.x
- December 5, 2008
- 03:55 PM
- 1,712 views
The Evolution of Poisonous Birds
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolution, Phylogeny, ornithology, chemical defense, Batrachotoxin, poisonous birds, Pitohui, Ifrita, Pachycephalidae, New Guinea
The Hooded Pitohui, Pitohui dichrous, endemic to New Guinea, is very unusual because it has poisonous plumage.
Image: John Dumbacher.
I have been in love with New Guinea since I first read about it as a kid. Everything about this tropical island is exotic and fascinating to me, from the large numbers of endemic bird and plant species to the tremendous number of spoken languages -- more than anywhere else on the planet. So I was immediately interested to learn about Jack Dumbacher's adventures there between 1989 and 1991. At the time of his first visit, he was a grad student in ornithology who was catching birds of paradise as part of a National Geographic Society expedition -- what I wouldn't have given to be part of that! As the story goes, Dumbacher removed several fiesty orange-and-black birds that had become accidentally entangled in his mist nets when he stopped to lick the wounds on his hands. Shockingly, his lips and mouth became numb: he had been poisoned.
"I was scared and I tried not to swallow," he recalled. "I figured I had probably brushed up against some poisonous tree." Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
J DUMBACHER, K DEINER, L THOMPSON, & R FLEISCHER. (2008) Phylogeny of the avian genus Pitohui and the evolution of toxicity in birds. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 49(3), 774-781. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2008.09.018
- November 8, 2008
- 07:34 AM
- 1,678 views
Tiny Gecko Species Discovered in Vanuatu Rainforest
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: Lepidodactylus buleli, new species discovered, Vanuatu gecko, reptiles, Ivan Ineich, Natural History Museum Paris France
French scientist, Ivan Ineich, displays a never-before-seen species of gecko at France's Natural History Museum in Paris. This gecko, formally described with the Latin name, Lepidodactylus buleli, was born in Paris from an egg that was removed from the rainforest canopy on the west coast of Espiritu Santo, one of the larger islands of the Vanuatu Archipelago, east of Australia in the South Pacific Ocean.
IMAGE: Francois Mori (AP Photo) [larger view].
According to scientists at France's National Museum of Natural History, a new species of gecko has been discovered -- after it hatched from an egg removed from a nest on a South Pacific island and carried 12,000 miles to Paris in a box lined with Kleenex. The island, Espiritu Santo, is one of the larger South Pacific islands of the Vanuatu Archipelago, east of Australia.
Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
Ivan Ineich. (2008) A new arboreal Lepidodactylus (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from Espiritu Santo Island, Vanuatu: from egg to holotype. Zootaxa, 26-38. DOI: 1175-5334
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