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

Don't panic: The animal's guide to hitchhiking

2011-10-22
(Press-News.org) New research suggests that hitch-hiking, once believed to be the exclusive domain of beat poets and wanderers, is in fact an activity that daring members of the animal kingdom engage in. And it may lead to a serious ecological problem.

Dr David Chapple, Dr Bob Wong and Sarah Simmonds from Monash University's School of Biological Sciences, have published two complementary studies on invasive species, which are taking the opportunity to jump on board freight and cargo transports to explore, and settle, new lands.

The researchers found that particular personality traits may equip animals to become successful, if unintentional, invaders.

Dr Chapple said the process of moving to new territory was difficult and only naturally bold species were able to do this successfully.

"Not only do animals need to be in the right place at the right time in order to be inadvertently transported by humans, but they also need to be able to survive the often harsh and lengthy journey inside consignments of freight.

"When they arrive at the new destination, the stowaways have to contend with being strangers in a strange land and successfully adapt to new environments. In the face of these challenges, the new colonists must also thrive and reproduce before spreading out across the landscape," Dr Chapple said.

Dr Wong said it was the ability to overcome these significant hurdles that makes successful invaders a formidable threat to native wildlife.

"The incidence and impact of unintentional invasion is increasing with globalisation - as we encroach further and further into the natural environment, animals have had more opportunities to jump on board our various transports. Given this increase, and the potential impact on biodiversity, it's important that we understand this phenomenon better.

"Personality and behavioural traits are an important and, to date, unexplored component of the success of these species' invasions," Dr Wong said.

Ms Simmonds said the researchers examined whether personality differences between two species of garden skinks in eastern Australia could explain why one of the species has managed to spread overseas and the other has not.

"Our research found that the successful skink invader was bolder and tended to be more exploratory, thereby increasing its chances of entering cargo ships.

"Once on board, the lizards' tendency to hide probably helps them evade biosecurity checks and reach their destination undetected," Ms Simmonds said.

The researchers emphasised that factors besides behavioural and personality traits, including diet and the suitability of the new habitat, affect the success of biological invasion; however, these factors did not tell the whole story.

The research has been published in Trends in Ecology and Evolution and in Ecology and Evolution.

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Biggest ever study shows no link between mobile phone use and tumors

2011-10-22
There is no link between long-term use of mobile phones and tumours of the brain or central nervous system, finds new research published on bmj.com today. In what is described as the largest study on the subject to date, Danish researchers found no evidence that the risk of brain tumours was raised among 358,403 mobile phone subscribers over an 18-year period. The number of people using mobile phones is constantly rising with more than five billion subscriptions worldwide in 2010. This has led to concerns about potential adverse health effects, particularly tumours ...

Leaf litter ants advance case for rainforest conservation in Borneo

Leaf litter ants advance case for rainforest conservation in Borneo
2011-10-22
Studies of ant populations in Borneo reveal an unexpected resilience to areas of rainforest degraded by repeated intensive logging, a finding which conservationists hope will lead governments to conserve these areas rather than allow them to be cleared and used for cash crop plantations. Leaf litter ants are often used to measure the overall ecological health of an area because of the large number of species present and because the health of the leaf litter is a good indication of the overall health of the forest. It is commonly assumed that repeated logging of rainforests ...

AsiaRooms.com - Take Part in IOI Community Run 2011 in Malaysia

2011-10-22
Visitors to Puchong in Malaysia this November will have the opportunity to participate in the IOI Community Run 2011, an exciting charity race event. To be held on November 20th, the race sees families and friends banding together on a fun-filled Sunday morning to take part in a physically demanding run through Puchong in order to help raise money for charity. Partners of the IOI Community Run 2011 include relief charity World Vision Malaysia, the SSL Stroke and Welfare Development Foundation and local foster home Rumah Shalom. Those participating will be able ...

AsiaRooms.com - Attend Thailand's Silk Phuk Siew Festival and Red Cross Fair

2011-10-22
Thailand visitors will be able to enjoy a celebration of friendship and local culture during next month's Silk Phuk Siew Festival and Red Cross Fair. Running from November 29th to December 10th this year, the event has been bringing the people of the area together since 1980 and centres around the friendship-making ritual of Phuk Siew. In local culture, the principle of siew refers to the most inseparable of affectionate relationships between two people, whose ties extend across both of their families. Phuk Siew is organised concurrently with the local silk ...

Wakey, wakey!

2011-10-22
We all know the feeling, the short, sharp shock of waking to the sound of an alarm clock. Whether the traditional clattering metal bells, the incessant beeping of digital or the dulcet tones of today's radio news reader. Even the chance to slap the snooze button to grab a few extra moments between the sheets does not leave everyone feeling refreshed when they finally crawl out of bed. Now, researchers in India think they have the answer. Writing in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, the researchers describe an alarm ...

AsiaRooms.com - Take Part in Laguna Phuket Triathlon in November

2011-10-22
Amateur athletes will be congregating in Phuket next month to take part in the Laguna Phuket Triathlon, which is to be held on November 27th this year.   Running for the last sixteen years, the event allows participants to put themselves to the ultimate physical test alongside top triathletes, while passing through striking tropical scenery.   Professionals such as Mark Allen, Greg Welch, Craig Alexander, Paula Newby-Fraser, Michellie Jones and Chrissie Wellington are among those who have taken part in past years.   The race starts with a 1.8 km swim from the beach, ...

Different reading devices, different modes of reading?

2011-10-22
A book or a screen – which of these two offers more reading comfort? There are no disadvantages to reading from electronic reading devices compared with reading printed texts. This is one of the results of the world's first reading study of its kind undertaken by the Research Unit Media Convergence of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in cooperation with MVB Marketing- und Verlagsservice des Buchhandels GmbH. "E-books and e-readers are playing an increasingly important role on the worldwide book market. However, readers in Germany are particularly skeptical when ...

Women do not get enough vitamin D during the menopause

Women do not get enough vitamin D during the menopause
2011-10-22
A healthy diet is especially important during the menopause – a period in which the risk of suffering from health problems increases. Various studies analyse the diet of peri- and postmenopausal women in Spain alongside the troubles that come with this transition. The results show that all of those groups studied have a deficient intake of vitamin D. Marina Pollán, researcher at the Carlos III Institute of Health and one of the authors of the study explains that "biological and physiological changes in women caused by the menopause come with a greater risk of developing ...

SDC and Party Erotique Come Back to Dallas October 29, 2011

SDC and Party Erotique Come Back to Dallas October 29, 2011
2011-10-22
SDC and Party Erotique come together again to bring you "Party Erotique Dallas" at the Aloft Saturday, October 29th, 2011. Doors open at 9pm and *masks are required* for entry. The Aloft is located at 1033 Young St in downtown Dallas. Advance ticket purchases are only $30 and if purchased the day of the event $50. Make it an Erotique Halloween Weekend and purchase a package starting at only $199 per couple. Packages include accommodations for two at Starwood's flagship Aloft Hotel, admission to afternoon educational seminars and demos, two tickets to Party ...

Laser makes sure food is fresh

2011-10-22
"It will be the first non-destructive method. This means that measurements can be taken in closed packaging and the gas composition over time can be checked. This will make it possible to check a much higher number of products than at present", says Märta Lewander, Doctor of Atomic Physics at Lund University in Sweden. Dr Lewander developed the technique in her thesis and now works as chief technical officer for the company Gasporox, which is commercialising the technology. Today, spot checks are performed on individual samples, with the risk that damaged products ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission

UTA-backed research tackles health challenges across ages

In pancreatic cancer, a race against time

Targeting FGFR2 may prevent or delay some KRAS-mutated pancreatic cancers

[Press-News.org] Don't panic: The animal's guide to hitchhiking