Betsy Smeed » Ecology

Some trees ‘farm’ bacteria

Betsy — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 03:46:42 +0000

From science centric, oak and beech seem to encourage root microbes to facilitate mineral weathering. Root microbes break down minerals to create usable nutrients, like iron, to the trees.

Sushi may ‘transfer genes’ to gut

Betsy — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:07:03 +0000

From BBC News: The marine bacteria found on sushi transferred its genetic material to the microfauna of humans who consume sushi.

Bacterial ‘ropes’ tie down shifting Southwest

Betsy — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:38:43 +0000

From Physorg, several species of cyanobacteria create rope-like structures that “allows them to colonize physically unstable sedimentary environments, and to act as successful pioneers in the biostabilization process.”(From the abstract) These ropes wrap around grains of sand to prevent the sand grains from shifting.

Abstract

The deep-sea crab that eats trees

Betsy — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:34:46 +0000

From BBC, a study that looks at wood falls(trees and other vegetable matter that settle on the ocean floor) and what creatures eat them. And there is a crab that eats from these wood falls. Connected to this is the worms that eat whale bone. As humans explore more and more of the ocean, the different sources of energy used is incredible. Then there is the florescent coral that heals itself.

Tits Osbourn Bats

Betsy — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:31:53 +0000

Sorry for the crazy headline. From BBC News, in a Hungarian cave, great tits hunt and eat pipistrelle bats. Including eating off the head of the bats. See video and graphic pic by following the link.

Scientists Find a Microbe Haven at Ocean’s Surface

Betsy — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:59:44 +0000

From the New York Times, a cool finding about a microlayer of microbes at the oceans’ surface. These microbes form an oily biofilm which maybe involved with gas exchange in the ocean.

Woolly Bears take drugs

Betsy — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 13:48:22 +0000

From Nat Geo, the caterpillar of the Isabella moth, when infested with parasitic fly larva will eat more leaves containing alkaloids.

Article

Great Lake’s Sinkholes Host Exotic Ecosystems Akin To Iced-over Antarctic Lakes

Betsy — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:18:11 +0000

From Science Daily, in my backyard sinkhole in Lake Huron they have found cyanobacteria that uses sulfur in photosynthesis. Like the lakes of Antarctica the sinkhole house unique organisms that NASA has been looking at for clue to life on Mars. Which also could produce novel compounds useful in biotechnology, medicine, etc.

Extreme nature helps scientists design nano materials

Betsy — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:15:38 +0000

From Eureka Alert, A bacterial phage has been found in Iceland that can be used as a viral nanoparticle. Because of the way viruses work, they are ideal for self-assembly of materials.

Quote: “Future applications may be found in liquid crystal assembly, nanoscale templating, nanoelectronic and biomedical applications.” said Dr Dave Evans of the John Innes Centre.

Perfume and bateria

Betsy — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 19:40:13 +0000

A recent study of Vetiver grass, used in perfume and cosmetics has an associated bacteria that helps create different properties in the essential oil the grass produces. The grass produces base oil that various types of bacteria metabolize the create the different smells and tastes in the oil.