| Hi Everybody,
In this news digest I've compiled articles regarding wildfire management, audio discoveries, novel insect adaptations, climate change, and how a trip to the grocery store may benefit birds. Happy reading! |
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| Beavers the new 'Smokey Bear'? In recent years, large wildfires have raged across the west. However, researchers at University of Minnesota noted that beaver ponds provided safe havens, remaining largely in tact among burned landscapes. Beaver ponds are able to hydrate soils and turn plants into lush fireproof plants through storing more than a quarter million gallons of surface water and 600,000 gallons of groundwater. Learn more about the history of beavers, the renown Beaver River of the American West, and beaver restoration efforts here!Ā |
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| | šø Beaver| Credit: Ng Sze En on Unsplash |
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| | | šø Humpback Whales| Credit: Chinh Le Duc on Unsplash |
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Songs of the past: oldest whale song recovered in Cape Cod In 2025, at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution archivist Ashley Jester stumbled upon an old disk labelled āfish noisesā and played it for the team. Researchers recognized the noise as a humpback whale song. The disk, recorded in 1949, is the oldest recorded whale song and offers special insight into the soundscapes of the past. As marine environments have become noisier, this record presents an opportunity to compare to past conditions and animal behavior. Read more here.Ā |
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| Bumblebee queens breathe underwater in new discovery! In a chance discovery, researchers found that bumblebees can breathe underwater. This is the first known case of a terrestrial insect being able to get oxygen from the water! Bumblebee queens are thought to have evolved this adaptation in response to snow melt and rain while queens are overwintering in the soil. Only recently are researchers uncovering the mechanisms that allow them to do this. This new discovery brings up questions about how climatic conditions and weather may affect bees in the winter as well as winter conservation conditions. To read more about how researchers discovered this, read here.Ā |
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| | šø Bumblebee on flower | Credit: Lucas Borg - Darvaeu |
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| | | šø Great tit nestling | Credit: David LoĢpez-IdiaĢquezĀ |
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Young birds face off with wacky weather Researchers at the University of Oxford are looking at bird nestling survival under hotter, colder, and wetter conditions in anticipation of climate change. Results of their study found that young birds benefit from some warmer temps, likely due to insect activity and access. In contrast, long term colder conditions and rainier environments reduced their likelihood of survival. For more information, read here. |
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| Bird-friendly beef - Audubon's Conservation Ranching program In a recent State of the Birds Report it was noted that grassland birds populations have fallen by 43%. Luckily, Audubon's new Conservation Ranching program is making efforts to combat key factors contributing to their decline including habitat loss and degradation as well as tree and shrub encroachment. How? Equipping the grazing power of cattle to create a mosaic of grassland habitat through partnerships with ranchers. Follow Nantz Land & Cattle, a Texas operation newly adopting conservation ranching practices and the new bird-friendly beef options coming to grocery stores here. |
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| | šø Cattle Ranch | Credit: Stacy Steinke |
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| | - JayEarthwise Aware | Spring Intern |
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