Sea Pact’s Post

The bunya pine, Araucaria bidwillii, has survived since the Jurassic period at least 145 million years ago, but soil-borne plant pathogens introduced since European settlement are taking a terrible toll. If you’re an avid bush walker like me or just like to get out to some beautiful wild places on the weekend. Learn more about Phytophtora, its impacts on our Bunyas and other trees in the Sunshine Coast and how you can minimise the spread of this soil borne pathogen. https://lnkd.in/g6HJ2q55

A rare sighting of an otherworldly creature is always a thrill! This deepstaria jellyfish was spotted during the #AtacamaTrenchAncients expedition off the coast of Chile. This member of the Ulmaridae family was first described in 1967. It was named after Deepstar 4000, a deep-submergence vehicle designed by Jacques Cousteau and built by Westinghouse in 1965. David F. Gruber — dubbed “the Jellyfish Guy” by peers — thinks jellyfish have lots of charisma, and deepstaria, in particular, are one of the more obscure and interesting jellyfish he’s ever encountered. He spent several years examining jellyfish as a potential food source and medicine. According to a 2018 paper by Gruber et al., in the 45+ years since its formal description, there have been few recorded observations of deepstaria due to the challenging nature of encountering these delicate soft-bodied organisms. However, recent advances in our ability to observe squishy creatures in their natural environments are shedding light on these mysterious creatures. Lacking stinging tentacles like other jellies, these animals capture their dinner by enveloping prey in their bag-like bodies. The veiny network of channels in their thin outer membrane is a gastrovascular system consisting of canals that deliver food to a stomach located at the top of the animal’s bell. In 2018, Gruber and colleagues on the E/V Nautilus observed a “jelly-fall” carcass with a high density of crustaceans feeding on its tissue and surrounding the carcass. They believe jellies and other gelatinous zooplankton play an outsizedbut understudied role as major food sources and biodiversity drivers in the deep Ocean.

🔬 𝟮𝟳 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘆! What better reason to dive into EAZA's efforts on Polar bear (𝑈𝑟𝑠𝑢𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑠) research? In 2023, the EAZA Bear Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) and their partners* released the “Polar bear research prospectus”. This document bundles research strategies and opportunities for conservation-oriented studies on polar bears in EAZA organisations. 🤔 Zoos and aquariums play a key role in polar bear conservation research by offering controlled environments to test new methodologies and technologies before they are used in the field. ❄️ Polar bear research has already taught us a lot about the survival needs of these animals. To better protect the species, it is especially important to harmonize research efforts and combine ex situ with in situ studies. Read the Polar bear research prospectus below. ---- * Polar Bears International, IUCN SSC Bear Specialist Group, Tierpark Berlin, Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Polar Bear Research Council (AZA PBRC) #polarbear #research #Zoo

This week, I had the pleasure of presenting a fascinating paper at our journal club, focusing on the global latitudinal trends in the colorfulness of passerine birds and exploring their underlying causes. Main findings: 🐦 A strong latitudinal gradient in colorfulness was observed in both male and female passerine birds across the tropics. 🐦 Climatic conditions and ecological traits associated with latitude significantly contribute to greater color diversity in tropical passerine species. To dive deeper, please find the link to the paper below. What are your thoughts on the impact of geographical diversity on animal colorfulness? 🔗 [https://lnkd.in/dkRHKZyM]

No deleterious circumference effects for T90 codends in an Australian fish trawl targeting tiger flathead, Platycephalus richardsoni - Frontiers in Marine Science: In an attempt to improve the selectivity of Australian fish trawls targeting tiger flathead, Platycephalus richardsoni (≥28 cm total length), the utility of four-seam codends with shortened lastridge ropes and comprising 71-mm meshes turned 90° (T90) hung at the narrowest and widest coherent circumferences was compared against a traditional 91-mm diamond-mesh (T0) codend. Significant effects of codend configuration were limited to an increase in the catches of another commercially important species, latchet, Pterygotrigla polyommata, by both T90 codends, and greater escape of some small tiger flathead from the wide 71-mm T90 codend than from the 91-mm T0 codend. Notwithstanding a need to investigate slightly larger T90 mesh sizes for the fishery, the data imply that unlike most codend configurations, circumference does not negatively affect selection in the stated designs and might not require future regulation.

🐞 Cychrus caraboides L., also known as the snail-eating ground beetle, is a beetle in the runner family (Carabidae) with a body length of up to 20 mm. Its body is uniformly black with a glossy dense scoring. Head elongated and narrow, maxillae large and strong. Forewing narrow heart-shaped. Lids fused, with a rounded, oval shape. Legs long and slender, adapted to move quickly. 🌎 The snail-eating ground beetle is found in almost all of Europe, with the exception of its southern regions. It can be found in countries such as Belarus, Benelux, the UK, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Spain, Ukraine, Scandinavia, the Balkans and throughout Central Europe, In the north it reaches far beyond the Arctic Circle. 🏚 Cychrus caraboides prefers moist and humus soils in deciduous and mixed forests. It can often be found under moss and in rotten stumps. It is mainly active at night and lives in shady places such as woodlands and other wooded areas. It is found on upland heathland in the UK. 🍲 The snail-eating ground beetle, both adults and larvae, feed on snails, especially small species of Oxychilis 🔍 Cychrus caraboides is a fairly common species in Europe and is not currently considered an endangered species and is not subject to any form of species protection. #InsectOfTheDay #Biodiversity #NaturePhotography #Entomology #CychrusCaraboides #snaileatinggroundbeetle #Beetles #groundBeetles #NatureProtection #FaunaEurope. #EnvironmentNatural #carabidae #cychrus #predators #snails #nocturnalanimals #Nature #Biology #Insect #Ecosystem #Forest #Environmentalprotection #Nature #Animals

Mono Lake in the Eastern Sierra Nevada is known for its towering tufa formations, abundant brine shrimp and black clouds of alkali flies uniquely adapted to the salty, arsenic- and cyanide-laced water.

Check out this extraordinary article from Parley for the Oceans about the discovery of new hydrothermal springs offshore Costa Rica and nurseries of deep-sea octopus and unique biodiversity. #marinelife #biodiversity #deepsea #linkedincreators

A photo from our live video feed of brownbanded cockroaches, Supella longipalpa. I maintain a few live insect colonies, as well as a preserved specimen collection, for training purposes. Anyone else do this? What live colonies do you keep? I have: 1. Brownbanded cockroaches, Supella longipalpa 2. Arizona bark scorpions, Centruroides sculpturatus 3. Giant desert hairy scorpion, Hadrurus arizonensis 4. Stripe-tailed scorpion, Paravaejovis spinigerus 5. Lesser stripe-tailed scorpion, Chihuahuanus coahuilae 6. Pacific dampwood termites, Zootermopsis angusticollis 7. Giant golden honeypot ants, Myrmecocystus mexicanus 8. A variety of stored product beetles #entomology #insectrearing #insectcolony #urbanpestmanagement #ipm #ants #cockroaches #scorpions #insects #teaching #microscopy

Mono Lake in the Eastern Sierra Nevada is known for its towering tufa formations, abundant brine shrimp and black clouds of alkali flies uniquely adapted to the salty, arsenic- and cyanide-laced water.