PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

First analysis of invasive plant impacts worldwide

2011-05-22
(Press-News.org) This week the scientific journal Ecology Letters has published a synthesis of the ecological impacts of invasive plants worldwide. This global analysis has been based on more than one thousand studies that in total describe the impacts of 135 invasive plant species. The lead author, Dr. Montserrat Vilà, a professor at the Spanish Higher Research Council (CSIC) adds: "This assessment would have been impossible to achieve ten years ago, because the evidence was anecdotal, it has only been in the last decade that well designed field studies have been conducted".

Twenty-four impact types have been considered. Alien plants can for example affect the activity of animal species feeding on them and even the microorganisms in the soil where they growth. The most extreme impacts affect the resident vegetation. In invaded sites, the abundance of native plants is reduced more than 40% and species diversity decrease more than 50%. These changes can have tremendous implications for the functioning of ecosystems such as alien nitrogen fixers doubling soil N pools. This study reveals that by the time changes in nutrient cycling are detected, major impacts on the performance of plant populations are likely to have already occurred.

It is important to notice that even within an impact type, the magnitude and even the direction of the effect is not always the same, that is, an alien species can decrease the growth of a particular native species but increase the growth of another. These differences might be due to differences in the traits of the invasive species; but they might also depend on how dominant they are, for how long they have been present in the invaded ecosystem, and even on the invaded ecosystem type. All these are aspects require more research and highlight that the impact of invasions is highly context-dependent.

INFORMATION:

Posted by Pensoft Publishers, a partner in the STEP FP7 project
Related press release on STEP: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-05/pp-mep051611.php.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Buying 'legal highs' from the Internet is a risky business

2011-05-22
Many drugs sold as 'legal highs' on the internet do not contain the ingredients they claim. Some instead contain controlled substances and are illegal to sell over the internet. These are findings of Dr. Mark Baron, who bought a range of tablets from different websites to see what each contained. The study is published today in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis. "It is clear that consumers are buying products that they think contain specific substances, but that in reality the labels are unreliable indicators of the actual contents," says Dr. Baron, who works in the ...

Small insects attacks and kill amphibians much bigger than themselves

Small insects attacks and kill amphibians much bigger than themselves
2011-05-22
VIDEO: Wizen and Gasith's current study shows that adult Epomis beetles can prey upon live amphibians, in addition to their regular diet. Click here for more information. New findings of researchers from Tel-Aviv University show that predator-prey interactions between ground beetles of the genus Epomis and amphibians are much more complex than expected. The study was published in the open access journal Zoo Keys. "Amphibians are typical insect predators and their diet ...

Better buildings for extreme climates will be focus of researcher's talk

2011-05-22
Rima Taher, an expert in the design of low-rise buildings for extreme winds and hurricanes, will speak next week at the Annual Conference of Construction Specifications Canada (Devis de Construction Canada) in Montreal. Taher, a university lecturer in NJIT's College of Architecture and Design, is a civil and structural engineer, http://www.njit.edu/news/experts/taher.php. Construction Specifications Canada (http://csc-dcc.ca) is a national, non-profit association with chapters across Canada. Its mission is to deliver and develop quality educational programs, publications ...

Iowa State engineer scales up process that could improve economics of ethanol production

Iowa State engineer scales up process that could improve economics of ethanol production
2011-05-22
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State University's Hans van Leeuwen has moved his research team's award-winning idea for improving ethanol production from a laboratory to a pilot plant. Now he knows the idea, which produces a new animal feed and cleans water that can be recycled back into ethanol production, works more efficiently in batches of up to 350 gallons than on a lab bench. "We're learning we can reliably produce good quality and good quantities," said van Leeuwen, Iowa State's Vlasta Klima Balloun Professor of Engineering in the department of civil, construction and environmental ...

Diet high in vegetables and fruit associated with less weight gain in African-American women

2011-05-22
(Boston) - Investigators from the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University have reported that African American women who consumed a diet high in vegetables and fruit gained less weight over a 14-year period than those who consumed a diet high in red meat and fried foods. This is the first prospective study to show that a healthier diet is associated with less weight gain in African American women, a population with a high prevalence of obesity. The study results, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, were based on data from the Black Women's Health ...

Poor understanding of anesthesiologist's role during labor may affect maternal and fetal outcomes

2011-05-22
TORONTO, Ont., May 20, 2011 – Today, one in four or five women in Ontario will give birth through a cesarean or "C-section." A new study, led by researchers from St. Michael's Hospital and The Wilson Centre for Research in Education and the Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto, has found that many labour and delivery health professionals lack a clear understanding of the anesthesiologist's role as a physician with specialized skills in the management of seriously unwell pregnant patients. This role misperception may affect the quality of care delivered to mothers ...

UK Espresso Cups Retailer Espresso Deco Launches in the Age of the 'Home Barista'

2011-05-22
A new company has launched in the United Kingdom providing quality Espresso Cups to consumers in Europe via their website. Espresso Deco aim to establish an ecommerce business using a mix of traditional and new marketing techniques coupled with high standards of customer service and quality products. The company was conceived due to the increasing popularity of coffee shops in the UK and the rise of the 'Home Barista'. With an established variety of consumer choice in espresso machines already Espresso Deco are focused on delivering value in retailing espresso cups from ...

Enlarged prostate: Study demonstrates immediate and long-term benefits of laser treatment

2011-05-22
New research presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Urology Association (AUA) in Washington, DC demonstrates that holmium laser therapy is a safe and durable treatment option for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) – an enlargement of the prostate that affects most men as they age. The study, conducted by researchers from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), is the longest comprehensive assessment of this technology to date, and researchers suggest it may now safely be considered the new, size independent, gold standard for treatment of BPH. A man's prostate ...

Wildlife in trouble from oil palm plantations, according to scientists

2011-05-22
Forest fragmentation driven by demand for palm oil is having a catastrophic effect on multiple levels of biodiversity, scientists from Queen Mary, University of London have discovered. The researchers are worried that unless steps are taken to safeguard and manage the remaining forest, then certain species will struggle to survive. The study, which focused on bats as an indicator of environmental change, was published in one of the leading scientific journals, Ecology Letters. The team conducted bat surveys in pristine forest and also in forest patches of varying ...

UCSB scientists make strides in vision research

UCSB scientists make strides in vision research
2011-05-22
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– New research at UC Santa Barbara is contributing to the basic biological understanding of how retinas develop. The study is part of the campus's expanding vision research. The new studies are published in recent online versions of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), and Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science (IOVS). The scientists document how they used mice as a research model organism to show that the size of different populations of retinal neurons display wide-ranging variability among individuals. In the ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Heart attacks don’t follow a Hollywood script

Erin M. Schuman wins 2026 Nakasone Award for discovery on neural synapse function and change during formation of memories

Global ocean analysis could replace costly in-situ sound speed profiles in seafloor positioning, study finds

Power in numbers: Small group professional coaching reduces rates of physician burnout by nearly 30%

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage: A comprehensive review of CCUS-EOR

New high-temperature stable dispersed particle gel for enhanced profile control in CCUS applications

State gun laws and firearm-related homicides and suicides

Use of tobacco and cannabis following state-level cannabis legalization

Long-term obesity and biological aging in young adults

Eindhoven University of Technology and JMIR Publications announce unlimited open access publishing agreement

Orphan nuclear receptors in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease development

A technological breakthrough for ultra-fast and greener AI

Pusan National University researchers identify key barriers hindering data-driven smart manufacturing adoption

Inking heterometallic nanosheets: A scalable breakthrough for coating, electronics, and electrocatalyst applications

Adults with autism show similar brain mapping of body parts as typically developing adults

Uncovering behavioral clues to childhood maltreatment

Premenstrual symptoms linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease

Newly discovered remains of ancient river landscapes control ice flow in East Antarctica

Newly discovered interstellar object 'may be oldest comet ever seen'

Animal-inspired AI robot learns to navigate unfamiliar terrain

Underserved youth less likely to visit emergency department for concussion in Ontario, study finds

‘Molecular shield’ placed in the nose may soon treat common hay fever trigger

Beetles under climate stress lay larger male eggs: Wolbachia infection drives adaptive reproduction strategy in response to rising temperature and CO₂

Groundbreaking quantum study puts wave-particle duality to work

Weekly injection could be life changing for Parkinson’s patients

Toxic metals linked to impaired growth in infants in Guatemala

Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death

Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks

Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period

‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths

[Press-News.org] First analysis of invasive plant impacts worldwide