English

Bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus), arguably the most recognized and revered game bird in the nation, has seen its wild population free-fall over the past half-century or so. In some states within the birds' native range, which covers most of the United States from the Atlantic seaboard to the Great Plains, bobwhite numbers have declined by as much as 90 percent or more. That includes states such as Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina, where wild quail were so abundant they were a part of the region's cultural and social fabric. In some states where the birds were relatively abundant as recently as 30 years ago, bobwhites are considered "recreationally extinct," their numbers so low that hunting seasons have been either suspended or, if hunting is allowed, almost no wingshooters pursue the iconic game bird. No region of the bobwhites' range has escaped the collapse, including Texas. The statewide bobwhite quail population has, by some estimates, declined 70 percent or more over the past 60 years. In parts of Texas, the birds have all but vanished; East Texas and the Post Oak Savanna, which held fairly healthy bobwhite populations into the 1960s, are almost wholly devoid of wild quail, and the Blackland Prairies and Edwards Plateau regions hold only scattered, isolated islands of quail.

Many companies hope to send an employee into a government agency to influence regulation. How much better if the employee can actually shape government regulation to promote and sell a specific product! Monsanto seems to have accomplished this — and much more. Michael Taylor is among a number of people with Monsanto ties who have worked in government in recent years. He worked for the Nixon and Reagan Food and Drug Administration in the 1970s, then became a lawyer representing Monsanto. In 1991, he returned to the FDA as Deputy Commissioner for Policy under George H. W. Bush, and helped secure approval for Monsanto’s genetically engineered bovine (cow) growth hormone, despite it being banned in Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

A new paper is calling for more attention to be paid to poorly-known micro-organisms capable of killing off amphibians and fishes. Chytridiomycosis, caused by the amphibian chytrid fungus, affects the skin of amphibians, is capable of killing rapidly, and is responsible for population declines and extinctions in amphibians globally. Not surprisingly, it is the most well-studied disease in amphibians. But it’s not the only fungal or ‘fungal-like’ disease out there. One particular group of fungal-like parasites called mesomycetozoeans (what is it with fungi and difficult to pronounce names!?) are very poorly-studied parasites capable of causing high mortality rates in fish and amphibian populations. Mesomycetozoeans are microscopic, but can cause visible lesions on skin, muscle or internal organs in amphibians and freshwater fishes, and these infections can kill. Although we don’t know much about them, several aspects of the biology of mesomycetozoeans are particularly worrying. They are highly virulent (deadly!) under certain conditions, aren’t at all fussy about which species they infect (even jumping from fish to frog, for example), and have a free-living infectious stage. Together, these characteristics make them possible candidates for causing the extinction of their host species, just like the better-known amphbian chytrid fungus.

A report released in late October by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife shows a decline in the abundance of fish in the San-Joaquin Sacramento Delta. The Fall Mid Water Trawl indices measure the relative abundance and distribution of upper estuary pelagic species. Unlike a population count, the indices sample 122 stations from upstream San Pablo Bay to Stockton in September and October by towing a midwater trawl through the water for 12 minutes. All fish, shrimp and jellyfish collected are identified and enumerated. This year’s indices reveal that populations of Delta fish such as Delta smelt, striped bass and threadfin shad are at a fraction of their historical abundance. Striped bass in particular have plummeted since the 1980s, with the 23 counted in this year’s report the second lowest figure since the trawls began in 1967.

FDA cannot act on its own to get all of the information it needs to ensure the safety of all chemicals and substances added to food, so Congress should intervene and require manufacturers to provide information on those substances to FDA, much like pesticide manufacturers report data to EPA, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. In a 28-page capstone report, Fixing the Oversight of Chemicals Added to Our Food (http://bit.ly/17iYEal), released yesterday, Pew concluded its three-year project reviewing the agency's food additive petition and generally recognized as safe (GRAS) programs, which resulted in several papers published in peer-reviewed journals and a number of workshops that featured representatives from the food industry, academia and FDA alike.

Our Nation’s bees are in a tail spin, and victims include commercial honey bees, wild bumble bees, and other native bee species. This isn’t just a bee problem – it’s our problem too because we rely on the pollination services of our buzzing invertebrate friends to grow food and make flowers bloom. According to the US Department of Agriculture Honey Report, honey production is down, as it has been almost every year since the neonicotinoid pesticides were approved (see graph below from Dr. Susan Kegley, Pesticide Research Institute). The decline of bee colonies almost certainly has numerous causes. Much of the pesticide industry is focused on pathogens like Nosema parasites and Varroa mites, shifting attention away from their own harmful pesticide products. But, science is bringing pesticides and bee deaths closer together. It is now evident that even low field-realistic levels of neonicotinoids (‘neonics’) – a class of pesticides purposely designed to soak into the whole plant – are compromising the immunity of bees, leaving them unable to fend off viruses and other deadly pathogens that stress and eventually kill bee colonies. It is a deadly one-two punch. The bees are immune compromised from the pesticides, and then fall prey to mites and other viruses that kill them.

In a new study on ecosystems in the Midwest, scientists suggest that once-fertile landscapes dominated by tall grass prairies and supported by microbial biodiversity have been destroyed due to decades of agricultural production. The study, Reconstructing the Microbial Diversity and Function of Pre-Agricultural Tall Grass Prairie Soils in the United States, published in the journal Science, demonstrates the crucial role soil microbial diversity plays in ecosystem stability and health. Although soil microbes are inherently important for the breakdown of organic matter, the cycling of nutrients, as well as plant productivity, previous research has narrowly focused on the role of nitrogen fixing root fungi, rather than broader aspects of soil microbial diversity. Thus, this new study represents one of the first to delve into the importance of soil microorganisms in ecosystem restoration projects.

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have discovered two pesticides they believe cause an increased risk of endometriosis, a condition that can lead to infertility in women. Endometriosis occurs when the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus grows outside of the organ and attaches to other structures or organs. The condition most often affects the ovaries, fallopian tubes and lining of the pelvic cavity. While it is not fatal, endometriosis can cause chronic pelvic pain, painful menstrual periods and infertility. The condition affects up to 10 percent of reproductive-age women.

Millions of children in the U.S. are being exposed to insecticides that are currently used daily in homes around the country. According to a recent study published by Canadian researchers, the exposure to pyrethoid pesticides found in thousands of home products, including cockroach sprays and flea controls, was found to be associated with neurobehavioral deficits in children. In the most recent study, constructing data from children ages six to 11, the Canadian Health Measures Survey researchers analyzed the organophosphate and pyrethoid metabolites in their urine. The researchers used logistic regressions to estimate odd ratios for high scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, which may indicate the presence of certain behavioral problems. During the study, each parent was asked a series of three questions regarding their use of indoor pesticides, pyrethoid pesticides and outdoor pesticides during that month. The results of the study showed a strong correlation between the use of pesticides and high scores on the questionnaire.

Once described as the “Switzerland of England”, the Forest of Bowland offers an ideal habitat for the peregrine falcon. With its rocky outcrops and vast tracts of upland, it was until recently home to a thriving population of some 15 pairs of Britain’s fastest bird of prey. But almost as rapidly as Falco peregrinus sweeps from the sky to secure its quarry, the number of the species in the 880-square-kilometre beauty spot stretching across Lancashire has plummeted. In just five years, the population has tumbled from 30 birds to just a single breeding pair. The dramatic decline has set alarm bells ringing among conservationists, who point out that there are now more of these graceful predators living in England’s cities than across a vast swathe of the North stretching from the Peak District to the Yorkshire Moors and the Pennines.