Latest news with #CaryInstituteofEcosystemStudies
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
How Dinosaurs Shaped Fruit Evolution
What do humans have in common with the dinosaurs that trampled through ancient forests? It turns out that both may have a surprising impact on the size of seeds in the fruits growing around them. When researchers mapped the evolution of seed sizes onto that of land animals, they observed that when land animals got bigger, so did fruit seeds—with a few outsize exceptions. A recent study in Palaeontology illustrates how, over the course of natural history, gigantic megafauna such as dinosaurs curbed the growth of seed sizes by physically altering the ecosystem, influencing forest light levels. Today that role may be filled by a much tinier species: humans. The idea that land animals can alter their environments is 'fairly straightforward and well substantiated in a variety of scales,' explains Clive G. Jones, an ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, N.Y., who was not involved in the new study. For instance, savanna elephants push down trees and tear at shrubs, transforming the plant landscape. But even this elephantine influence is minor in comparison to that of prehistoric creatures. The researchers' new model suggests dinosaurs caused a level of destruction that suppressed an evolutionary tendency for seeds to grow bigger, says study lead author Christopher E. Doughty, an earth system scientist at Northern Arizona University. Bigger seeds tend to attract bigger animals for dispersal and to sprout taller plants, Doughty explains; both factors can give plants better access to sunlight in crowded conditions. But this was generally not the case when there were 'big lumbering dinosaurs knocking things down, opening up the environment' and thinning forests, Doughty says. [Sign up for Today in Science, a free daily newsletter] After dinosaurs went extinct, forest understories became about 20 percent darker. This change 'reset the slate' for plants and other animals, Doughty says. And 'during this time the canopy became more closed,' notes Brian Atkinson, a University of Kansas paleobotanist not involved in the study. This growth would have placed evolutionary pressure on seeds to get larger again, Atkinson says, which is also reflected in fossil data. Another dip in seed size occurred with the emergence of early giant mammals and persisted until they died out. But even though we're far from megafauna-sized, humans' influence on forests—particularly via logging—resembles that of those long-extinct giants, Doughty says. If we continue at this rate, our effect on fruit seeds might someday rival that of dinosaurs. Jones notes that humans influence plant life in many other ways as well. 'Agriculture [is] one obvious example,' he says, along with 'introducing exotic species, clearing forests to make suburbia, to make cities, and so on.' That complexity is one reason it could be difficult for the model to predict future fruit seed sizes, Doughty says. Another important factor to consider is the rapid pace at which human technology tends to develop in realms such as farming. Although the model provides a good analytical comparison of forest density alterations by megafauna and by humans, developments such as agriculture mean 'normal ecological rules don't really apply anymore.'
CBS News
14-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Fast start to tick season has doctors preaching preventative measures
Public health experts say it is an early start to tick season Public health experts say it is an early start to tick season Public health experts say it is an early start to tick season Public health experts say an early start to tick season is upon us. Hospitals are already seeing an unusually high number of emergency room visits for bites, which are raising concerns about Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. "Tick season is off to a galloping start" Set on 2,000 acres in Dutchess County is the renowned Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, where Dr. Richard Ostfeld has spent decades studying ticks and Lyme disease. "We have roughly half a million new cases of Lyme disease in the U.S. every year so it's always a problem, but there's some years that are much worse than others," Ostfeld said. This year may be one of those years as hospital emergency rooms are already reporting the number of tick bite cases usually seen in early June. "As the climate warms, the ticks come out earlier in the season, so that appears to be what's going on right now. This is true in the Northeast as well as other parts of the U.S., where this tick season is getting off to a galloping start," Ostfeld said. The black-legged tick has been the traditional concern in the Northeast. Experts are now also monitoring two other species showing up here, the lone star and the longhorn. Be proactive with preventative measure, doctors say Ostfeld said the early tick season is a cause for concern, but not an excuse to avoid time outdoors, adding prevention can help you avoid bigger health concerns. "We need to start now, being very vigilant, doing tick checks, using repellants, taking care of ourselves and our family," Ostfeld said. At Northwell Health Northern Westchester Hospital, Dr. Evan Cohen says a tick bite is no reason to panic. "Most ticks do not carry Lyme disease, do not carry babesiosis, or anaplasmosis, so not to be alarmed. Also, when a tick is only on for a few hours and is not engorged, the risk that tick will transmit Lyme is very, very low," Cohen said. Cohen says Lyme, the most common tick-borne illness, is generally treatable with antibiotics.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Northeast tick season approaching record highs in ER visits for early May
Tickborne disease alarm bells are sounding at emergency rooms in New York and across the Northeast as May got off to a record-shattering start for tick-bite visits. Newly reported ER data suggested May 2025 was already approaching past record-highs in terms of patients showing up with tick bites during that month. Put differently, the first week of May this year had so many tick bites that it triggered early warnings from those tracking tickborne-illnesses, including Lyme disease. Dr. Richard Ostfeld, a top scientist behind The Tick Project at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, described the early-May spike as very concerning, noting his institute's research has shown ticks are emerging earlier in the spring as the climate warms. Other factors involved in a really bad tick season include everything from bumper acorn crops that feed mice to supersized deer populations thriving in the warmer temperatures — both of which ensure the tiny parasitic ticks have plenty of hosts to feed on before latching onto and biting humans. "This early emergence is now so striking that we've argued that health agencies should consider making April, rather than May, Lyme Awareness month, to allow at-risk populations to prepare," he said. Tick-bite risks are highest for people with underlying health conditions, as well as those who spend a lot of time outdoors for leisure or work. Among the findings of a USA TODAY Network analysis of public health data for the 2025 tick season: ER tick bite reporting in the Northeast hit 264 visits for tick bites per 100,000 ER visits in May during the first seven days of the month, the most recent data show. That single week of tick bites was already the fourth-highest total for an entire month of May during the past nine years. There are three weeks left for tick bites to send scores of more patients to ERs this May and shatter records. The prior record-high for a May came in 2017, with 332 visits for tick bites per 100,000 ER visits. The average for the month of May was 245 visits, which was already surpassed during the first seven days of the current May. Stay safe: Bit by a tick? What you should know about tick testing and tick removal While considering tick-testing, your first priority should be removing the parasite safely. Among the best practices, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouthparts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouthparts with tweezers. If you cannot remove the mouth easily with tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal. After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water. This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: How bad has the first week of tick season been in NY? Pretty bad
Observer
04-05-2025
- Science
- Observer
This Tree Wants to Be Struck by Lightning
When lightning strikes a tree in the tropics, the whole forest explodes. 'At their most extreme, it kind of looks like a bomb went off,' said Evan Gora, a forest ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York. Dozens of trees around the one that was struck are electrocuted. Within months, a sizable circle of forest can wither away. Somehow, a single survivor stands, seemingly healthier than ever. A new study by Gora, published in the journal New Phytologist, reveals that some of the biggest trees in a rainforest don't just survive lightning strikes. They thrive. Gora set out to study whether individual trees in the rainforest in Panama's Barro Colorado Nature Monument benefit from being struck by lightning. And if they did, does that help the population of the species survive at a larger scale? Members of Gora's team developed a method for monitoring lightning strikes and triangulating their electromagnetic signals. From 2014-19, their system captured 94 lightning strikes on trees. The researchers discovered that 85 species had been struck and seven survived, but one stood out literally and figuratively: Dipteryx oleifera, a towering species that had been struck nine times, including one tree that had been hit twice and seemed more vigorous. Dipteryx oleifera stands 30% taller than the rest of the trees and has a crown 50% larger than others, as if it is an arboreal lightning rod. All the struck Dipteryx oleifera trees survived lightning strikes, but 64% of other species died within two years. Trees surrounding Dipteryx oleifera were 48% more likely to die after a lightning strike than those around other species. In one die-off, a single strike killed 57 trees around Dipteryx oleifera 'while the central tree is just happy and healthy,' Gora said. The clearing of neighboring trees and choking vines meant struck Dipteryx oleifera trees had less competition for light, making it easier to grow and produce more seeds. Researchers estimated getting struck multiple times could extend a Dipteryx oleifera tree's life by almost 300 years. — REBECCA DZOMBAK / NYT
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Intrigued by Tree That Harnesses Electricity to Kill Its Enemies
For trees, lightning strikes are the great leveller. Stick your neck out by growing taller than the rest, and you risk getting zapped into oblivion. Hundreds of millions of trees suffer this fate every year. But the opposite appears to be the case for the towering tonka bean tree (Dipteryx oleifera), a native of the rainforests of Panama that grows up to 130 feet tall and lives for hundreds of years. Lightning is a weapon in its arsenal, and it wields it masterfully. When an opportune lightning strike comes, the tonka tree survives unscathed — while clinging-on parasites and its competing neighbors are vanquished, according to a recent study published in the journal New Phytologist. "We started doing this work 10 years ago, and it became really apparent that lightning kills a lot of trees, especially a lot of very big trees," lead author Evan Gora, a forest ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, told Live Science. "But Dipteryx oleifera consistently showed no damage." The work explores how lightning shapes forests and the lives of the trees that inhabit them. Compared to other causes of tree mortality, like drought and fire, which are known to have crucial roles in maintaining a healthy ecosystem, lightning's positive influence is largely understudied, according to the researchers. To dig in, the researchers created a system to pinpoint lightning strikes in Panama's Barro Colorado Nature Monument, using an antenna array and an ensemble of drones. Combined with four decades of tree plot records of the extensively studied rainforest, the researchers were able to form a clear picture of how lightning affected the specific areas that it struck. In all, between 2014 and 2019, the researchers documented nearly 100 instances of various species of trees being directly struck by lightning. More than half of these trees were killed. But strikingly — pun intended — all ten tonka bean trees that were hit by the powerful electric discharges survived, showing negligible damage. The same could not be said for the tonka bean trees' parasites, a species of woody vine known as lianas: 78 percent of them were wiped out by the lightning purges. And woe befell the neighbors, too, with over two metric tons of competing trees' biomass annihilated in each strike. "There's a quantifiable, detectable hazard of living next to Dipteryx oleifera," Gora told Live Science. "[As a tree], you are substantially more likely to die than living next to any other big old large tree in that forest." As tonka bean trees can live for centuries, the researchers estimate that on average, one will be struck at least five times over its lifespan, providing substantial benefits that rise above mere fluke. In fact, with a height some 30 percent taller and a crown 50 percent wider than others, it seemingly dares the heavens above to unleash their fury. Relative to trees with a trunk of similar diameter, the researchers found, the tonka bean tree boasted 68 percent higher odds of being struck by lightning. "It seems to have an architecture that is potentially selecting to be struck more often," Gora told the New York Times. And so, virtually bending lightning to its will to take care of its enemies, the tonka bean trees see a fourteen times boost to their fecundity — a stunning reproductive advantage. More on nature: Behold This Bonkers Photo of a 2,800-Pound Rhino Dangling Upside Down From a Helicopter
