#Drops of Science

[dropsofsciencenews]

¡Calles ruidosas, picos furiosos!

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¿Qué sucede cuando intentas hablar con alguien, pero el ruido te interrumpe constantemente? Normalmente, subes la voz y, a veces, incluso te irritas. Algo similar se ha observado en la reinita amarilla (Setophaga petechia aureola), un pequeño pájaro nativo de las Islas Galápagos. Estas islas, famosas por los estudios de Darwin, están experimentando un fuerte impacto humano. La población crece un 6% cada año, lo que aumenta también el número de automóviles. Un grupo de investigadores quiso entender si el ruido del tráfico podía afectar el canto territorial de las reinitas, que se encuentran entre los animales más atropellados.

¿Por qué centrarse en este tipo de canto? Para muchas aves, la señalización vocal les ayuda a evitar peleas físicas, ya que los machos pueden evaluar a sus rivales solo por su canto, sin necesidad de un enfrentamiento directo, reduciendo así el riesgo de lesiones o muerte. Sin embargo, si el ruido enmascara las señales acústicas, se dificulta la evaluación de los oponentes, aumentando la probabilidad de agresión. Para investigarlo, los científicos realizaron experimentos en dos islas: Santa Cruz, con una de las carreteras más transitadas del archipiélago, y Floreana, donde tanto los autos como las personas son escasos.

Los investigadores grabaron cantos de reinitas y ruido del tráfico, y luego los reprodujeron en territorios cercanos a las carreteras y en aquellos a más de 100 metros de distancia. Los resultados mostraron que las reinitas respondieron a los sonidos con comportamientos de defensa territorial, independientemente del tipo de sonido. Sin embargo, las aves con territorios cerca de la carretera se volvieron más agresivas cuando el canto se combinaba con ruido del tráfico, mientras que las que estaban más lejos redujeron su agresividad. Esto puede deberse a la interferencia del ruido con la comunicación, lo que dificulta evaluar a un intruso y hace que recurran más a la defensa física.

El número de cantos no cambió, pero la frecuencia mínima aumentó ligeramente con el ruido. La frecuencia de pico, es decir, la de mayor intensidad, solo aumentó en las aves que estaban lejos de la carretera. La duración del canto aumentó en Santa Cruz pero disminuyó en Floreana. Los cambios en la frecuencia y la duración sugieren un intento de compensar el ruido, pero podría haber un límite a partir del cual la comunicación deja de ser efectiva. Estos resultados son clave porque, durante mucho tiempo, las Galápagos se han considerado un laboratorio natural, pero el impacto humano creciente ya está alterando el comportamiento de la fauna local.

¡Hasta Pronto y Buena Ciencia!

Fuente Fuente Foto

[markscherz]

Meet the seven new frog species we just named after iconic Star Trek captains!

Artwork by A. Petzold, CC BY-ND 4.0

At the right time of year along rushing streams in the humid rainforests that stretch the length of Madagascar's eastern and northern mountain ridges, otherworldly trills of piercing whistles can be heard.

Are they birds? Insects? Communicator beeps? Tricorder noises?

No, they're little treefrogs!

Boophis janewayae. Photo by M. Vences, CC BY-SA 4.0

Until recently, we thought all of the populations of these little brown frogs across the island were one widespread species, Boophis marojezensis, described in 1994. But genetics in the early 2000s and 2010s showed that there were several species here, not just one.

Now my colleagues and I have shown that they are in fact eight separate species, each with unique calls!

These whistling sounds reminded us so much of Star Trek sound effects that we decided to name the seven new species after Star Trek captains: Boophis kirki, B. picardi, B. janewayae, B. siskoi, B. pikei, B. archeri, and B. burnhamae.

Photos of all new species described by Vences et al. 2024. CC BY-SA 4.0

I subtly and not-so-subtly built some Star Trek references into the paper, but probably the best one is this one:

'Finding these frogs sometimes requires considerable trekking; pursuing strange new calls, to seek out new frogs in new forests; boldly going where no herpetologist has gone before.'

— Vences et al. 2024

There’s a real sense of scientific discovery and exploration here, which we think is in the spirit of Star Trek.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that there are at least two Trekkies amongst the authors (including yours truly). As fans of Star Trek, we are also just pleased to dedicate these new species to the characters who have inspired and entertained us over the decades.

On a personal note, this marks a milestone for me, as it means I have now described over 100 frog species! I am very pleased that the 100th is Captain Janeway's Bright-eyed Frog, Boophis janewayae (if you count them in order of appearance in the paper)—she is probably my favourite captain, and I really love Star Trek: Voyager.

You can read more about the discovery of these new species on my website! You can also read the Open Access paper published in Vertebrate Zoology here.

[ladyorlandodream]

4th Episode is out

News from Natural Sciences in Spanish, English and Italian

[the-barefoot-hatter]

c'mon Sixer, it's like the World's Greatest Playpen! 100% safe!

[forestd0ll]

₊˚⊹Tetragnatha webs dappled in morning dew₊⟡⋆

[sunnyrmrez]

[onenicebugperday]

Idioctis parilarilao: A new species of Intertidal Trapdoor Spider from Taiwan

One of only a few species of spiders known to live in marine intertidal zones

Info and images via: Yu et al, Journal of Arachnology on 6 October 2023

[will-bonna]

another background practise but this time not exactly rain world

[brokenheartwithheartbreak]

Liam every time Theo accidentally, off-handedly drops another piece of horrifying, fucked up lore like he’s talking about the weather

[gladosluver]

they should set their differences aside and work together. imagine the horrors they could create

[dropsofsciencenews]

New Crocodiles Among the Islands

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Going to live on an island can change you, sometimes so drastically that it rewrites your entire evolutionary history. That's what happened in Mexico, where an international team of researchers, trying to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships of American crocodiles, found themselves with more species than previously thought.

Crocodiles of the genus Crocodylus arrived in America about 5 million years ago, giving rise to 4 species: Crocodylus moreletii (low risk), C. acutus (vulnerable), C. rhombifer and C. intermedius (both critically endangered). Reconstructing their evolutionary relationships is essential to protect them, but until now it was a complex and unclear story. The team focused on C. acutus, a large and threatened species, exploring 2 populations never studied before: those of the islands of Cozumel and Banco Chinchorro, isolated from the Caribbean sea currents.

Samples were collected from eight locations (71 C. acutus, 24 C. moreletii, 5 C. rhombifer) and integrated existing data from Panama. The DNA was analyzed using the RAD-seq technique, which allows the detection of thousands of SNPs, DNA locations where a single base can vary between individuals, revealing genetic diversity. The analysis of more than 13,000 SNPs showed that Cozumel and Banco Chinchorro possess numerous unique alleles and extraordinary genetic variety. Not only that, but the two groups have been genetically isolated for more than 11,000 years, enough time to favor the evolution of new traits. The evolutionary tree drawn confirms three main groups: an insular one (Cozumel and Banco Chinchorro), a Panamanian one and a Mexican Pacific one. The differences do not end there: by analyzing the shape of the skulls, the researchers discovered that the crocodiles of Cozumel have longer and narrower snouts, while those of Banco Chinchorro show distinct but less accentuated characteristics. Differences in the post-occipital and caudal scales reinforce the idea of ​​a separation at the species level.

Currently, Banco Chinchorro is home to about 718 individuals, Cozumel about 523. These populations are part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, where ocean currents limit genetic exchanges, allowing the development of independent evolutionary lines. For this reason, the researchers are considering formally recognizing these populations as new species, a step that would be of enormous value for their conservation.

See You Soon and Good Science!

Source Pic by Tomás Castelazo

[creedei]

Thank you for the idea @technicalgator

[ladyorlandodream]

episode 3 out now

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 338

So the GIW is the Ghost Investigation Ward and not the Ghost Extermination Ward, yes? Hear me out, hm? 

See, it’s really hard to study ecto-entities when they’re going all over in and out of the world. Really hard! And of course they aren’t like, sentient, studies for years before the boom in this one town showed this! But, the overgrown not-birds (they’re still debating that) are really hard to watch doing their natural thing when they naturally mimic people around them! 

So! They got this idea, right? Their operatives can capture some! They’ve even made enclosures based off of what they currently know! It’s like containing crows, down to the mimicry & puzzle solving just er, with opposable thumbs and intangibility. 

And they don’t succeed first tries of course (Wow were said operatives frustrated and maybe cursing a bit that might be a bit violently) but then they get some assistance from the Fentons! Trying to hit an ecto-entities’ wings in a way to not permanently injure them is hard, but the new net canons that a ghost can’t pass through? Perfect! 

They have so many specimens now! They even released a few that were very much uncontainable- they rely on technology a bit and that entity kept unlocking all the doors. So catch and release with that one it is!  

They even managed to catch the white-haired ghost! In double! Which might not seem that important, but! As they realize during intake & initial examination (wow are they bitey) the two appear to be young! Something their ectobiologists only theorized about but oh are they excited! (Now if only the two would stop trying to escape their enclosure that’d be swell! Look, toys! Foo- oh dear God that baby ecto-entity is melting- Oh few, okay note taken to raise ambient ecto levels in that room dear god that was horrifying and stressful. … Maybe get some feelers out for feeding unstable energy entities…) 

[kuulpenguin]

late night calls <3

[srnileforme]

“hola mami!”