Wildlife Conservation and Protection

Shark conservation must go beyond simply protecting shark populations—it must prioritize protecting the ecological roles of sharks, according to new research published in Science.

The problem is shark abundance has plummeted by 71% for oceanic species in the past 50 years. Populations of the top five reef shark species have been depleted by 63%.

The issue of shark conservation becomes all the more critical as global temperatures increase, leading some sharks to head into new areas where they can find the temperatures they thrive in.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/23068219

Here in Canada, beavers are often not thought of in a kind light. Yes, tourist shops sell beaver merchandise, and one of our coins even has a beaver on it, but among locals, they do not have the best reputation.

Beavers to many are considered a pest. They clog storm drains, cut down forests, and flood farmland.

To make them seem even more frightening, sometimes their work on building dams goes for generations. The worlds biggest beaver dam (in Wood Buffalo National Park, Alberta, Canada) is so large, it can even be seen from space.

However, they don’t really deserve the bad reputation they are getting. Here are just some of the reasons why to love beavers.

1. They help local wildlife

When a beaver builds a dam, it does restrict the flow of water, but it does not stop the flow completely. This creates havens for fish and other wildlife.

“The study found that in the pools created by beaver dams there were 37 percent more fish than in comparable stretches of the river where there were no dams.” | BBC from this article

2. They can help with flooding

The common perception is that beavers cause flooding, and in a way, that is true. They create a dam, and that dam waterlogs habitats on a small scale. However, on a larger scale, those dams can help slow the flow of water in a network of channels, which reduces the chance of damage for people living down stream during floods.

The dams have slowed the flow of floodwater through the village, reducing “peak flows” during flood events. | The Guardian

3. They can help with droughts

Thanks to the holding of water, they can create reserves of water that can last even after every other source in the area goes dry. As well as that, slowing down the water gives the surrounding soil a better chance at absorbing the water.

“Beaver can help lessen the effects of drought because they cause water to be stored on the surface and absorbed into the sub-surface of the land due to the impoundment of water by their dams. This can increase stream flow during drought periods and make ecosystems less vulnerable during dry periods." | Parks Canada

4. They improve water quality

Thanks to "beaver fever," it is commonly thought that beavers dirty the water and make it undrinkable. Beaver fever is a parasitic infection of the digestive system that you can get from drinking contaminated water, eating raw meat, or even changing diapers.

So, no, it is not only restricted to beavers, but it ended up being called that here after some hikers made the poor decision of drinking from a contaminated stream in Banff National Park(Alberta, Canada).

Yes, drinking untreated stream water is never a good idea, but no, beavers are not all to blame for making water less drinkable. In fact, they help remove some harmful pollutants.

“Beaver dams and pools reduce soil erosion and retain sediment, which absorb and filter pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticides, and fertilizers. This improves the quality of water downstream used by humans and other species.” | Parks Canada

5. They help limit the impacts of forest fires

When a beaver makes a dam, it is not just the pool that sees the benefit, but also all the earth around it. While the water does trickle down stream, it also enters the earth in an underground network, moistening the area. This creates a lush green environment that is more protected from fires.

When a fire ignites, that green vegetation near the beaver ponds will be more difficult to burn than other nearby dry vegetation. The fire will often take the path of least resistance and burn through the dry vegetation away from beaver ponds instead of smoldering through the wet vegetation near beaver ponds. | Emily Fairfax, PH.D

Figure from Fairfax, E. and Whittle, A. (2020),

More Info:

• https://youtu.be/sdkZH3uM1BI
• https://youtu.be/FR-5F9x-fmo
• https://youtu.be/RAHvrLNe5K4

Mushrooms are a vital part of our ecosystems, contributing to nutrient cycling, soil health, and biodiversity. However, many mushroom species face threats from habitat loss, climate change, and over harvesting. Conservation and preservation efforts are essential to protect these important organisms and ensure their continued ecological role. This article explores various strategies and initiatives aimed at conserving and preserving mushrooms.

Cross posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/11758965

Zebra mussels

“Over 30,000 swift bricks—essentially a normal building brick with a hollow inside—have been sold in the country, and more than 10,000 homes have been built with swift bricks incorporated into the design.”

Article Link

This article is about a year old, so the number is probably higher now.

One thing all cities should enforce for future builds(especially for skyscrapers), is bird-protection on windows.

In Canada, 16-42 million birds are killed by window strikes, and in the USA, that number goes up to 365 million-1 billion.

Sadly, one or two of those bird-shaped decals do not help, since the decals have to be no more than 2-inches apart.

“Window decals may help, but they must be placed no more than 2-4 inches apart in order to be effective. Birds will try to fly through larger gaps. This means that on large windows, many closely spaced decals may be necessary to deter bird collisions.” Audubon

Luckily, however, the fix for this window problem is easy. For the first example; there are bird-safe decorative window films and decals(they must go on the outside of the window).

The most common design is made up of several small white dots, while others are more decorative.

(Image Credit: Image 1 | Image 2)

If decals will not work for you (they sometimes don’t last in cold climates), you can opt for permanent (and more expensive) window etchings.

(Image Credit: Image 1 | Image 2)

Need an even less expensive option? You can make your own dots or designs using a Uni-Posca pen. The markings can be scraped off if needed. Just remember that the markings must be on the outside part of the window for them to work.

(Image Credit)

If more apartment complexes and skyscrapers used these or other solutions, we’d be a step closer to co-existing with nature.

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(Image Credit: Image 1 | Image 2 )

Roads can cause major problems for wildlife, and not just from the danger of being truck by vehicles. With busy enough traffic, wildlife may avoid crossing at all, causing habitat fragmentation. In order to stitch habitats back together, wildlife overpasses, underpasses/tunnels, and viaducts are all used.

Typically, overpasses work better than underpasses for most wildlife, since not all wildlife is comfortable traversing into a dark (sometimes loud with traffic vibrations) tunnel. In comparison, the overpasses are typically made to feel like a hill for wildlife; with soil, grass, and trees added.

No matter what people build, however, it can help.

(Image Credit: Image 1 | Image 2)

In most cases, the cost of building and maintaining these crossings end up being less than the cost of repairs, injuries, and cleanup that occurs when a vehicle strikes an animal.

For millions of years, underground fungi have lived in symbiosis with plant roots. Plants provide photosynthesized carbon, while fungi deliver water and nutrients. In order to do so, these organisms share space at the cellular scale: fungi stretch a network of tendrils called arbuscules into a plant's root cells, and both organisms rearrange their cells around this structure to facilitate sharing.

Recently, researchers have been able to study both sides of this interaction up close, using RNA sequencing to understand gene expression: one of the first cross-kingdom spatially-resolved transcriptomics studies to date. This paper appears as a cover article in Nature Plants.