Weekly Newsletter | | Other topics

News articles on Gustavo Lorenzana

---

Mongabay.com news articles on Gustavo Lorenzana in blog format. Updated regularly.

Why top predators matter: an in-depth look at new research

(02/02/2010) Few species have faced such vitriolic hatred from humans as the world's top predators. Considered by many as pests—often as dangerous—they have been gunned down, poisoned, speared, 'finned', and decimated across their habitats. Even where large areas of habitat are protected, the one thing that is often missing are top predators. However, new research over the past few decades is showing just how vital these predators are to ecosystems. Biologists have long known that predators control populations of prey animals, but new studies show that they may do much more. From controlling smaller predators to protecting river banks from erosion to providing nutrient hotspots, it appears that top predators are indispensible to a working ecosystem. Top predators sit at the apex of an ecosystem's food chain. Wolves in Alaska, tigers in Siberia, lions in Kenya, white sharks in the Pacific are all examples of top predators.


Una nueva teoría que sostiene que los bosques controlan el movimiento de las precipitaciones podría revolucionar a la meteorología moderna

(01/28/2010) Victor Gorshkov y Anastassia Makarieva, dos científicos rusos del laboratorio de Física Nuclear de San Petersburgo, publicaron una teoría revolucionaria que pone de cabeza a la meteorología moderna, argumentando que el mayor impulsor de los vientos no es la temperatura, sino los bosques y su capacidad para condensar la humedad. Aunque este modelo tiene vastas implicaciones en muchas ciencias, ninguna es de mayor importancia que la que tiene sobre la conservación de las selvas, ya que se presume que éstas son cruciales para "bombear" las precipitaciones de un lugar a otro. La teoría explica, entre otros enigmas, el porque la deforestación de las regiones costeras tiende a producir aridez hacia el interior de los continentes.

home | archives | news | XML / RSS feeds


XML / RSS / Syndication options

mongabay.com features more than 250 RSS feeds to meet your specific area of interest

All mongabay.com news
Only rainforest news
Only Brazil news
Only Biodiversity news
Only Climate Change news
Only Madagascar news

more XML feeds