In Limburg worden veel planten- en diersoorten die uniek zijn voor deze regio ernstig bedreigd. Er is een lijst van 28 bedreigde diersoorten die binnen Nederland alleen – of in belangrijke mate – in Limburg voorkomen.
Experts from Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Buglife and the RSPB have all pointed to species in danger of disappearing from East Anglia. They include stone curlew - only 202 pairs nested in the East of England last year; the shrill carder bee - common in the region 25 years ago but now found only in the Thames Gateway area; and the crested cow-wheat - a plant limited to a small number of roadside verges because grassland has disappeared to farming or construction. Indeed, habitat destruction and human disturbance are cited as the two most common reasons these species are on the brink.
Der Bestand der Gartenschläfer ist in den vergangenen Jahren drastisch zurückgegangen. Auch in Bonn sind sie noch heimisch. Wissenschaftler untersuchen die Population. In einigen Regionen gelten die Tiere mit der markanten Gesichtszeichnung, die an Zorros Maske erinnert, als ausgestorben. In Europa hat sich der Bestand in den vergangenen 30 Jahren halbiert. Weshalb ist völlig unklar. In Bonn haben sich allerdings wieder einige Gartenschläfer (Eliomys quercinus), die wie Haselmaus und Siebenschläfer zur Gattung der Schlafmaus zählen, angesiedelt.
We assessed the effects of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid (IMI) in adult male and female mice after in utero and early postnatal exposure. Pregnant mice were infused with IMI (0.5 mg/kg/day) from gestational day 4 to the end of nursing at postnatal day 21. The young adult offspring were studied in a series of biochemical and behavioral tests. To assess reproducibility, the behavioral analyses were conducted in three separate studies using multiple exposed litters. Exposure to IMI reduced fecundity, and in adult offspring, decreased body weight in male but not female pups.
Bees tend to get the most attention as pollinators critical to the survival of plant species. But lizards, mice, bats, and other vertebrates also act as important pollinators. A new study finds that fruit and seed production drops an average 63 percent when vertebrates, but not insects, are kept away from plants.
Pesticides are a convenient way to get rid of the pests in our homes and gardens and on the farms that grow the food we eat. Yet, the increased use of pesticides has been linked to a number of serious health risks. Some pesticides are irritating to the skin and eyes. Others, including organophosphates, have been linked to nervous system damage and to the development of Parkinson's disease. Pesticide exposure has also been associated with a greater risk for some cancers, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Experimental studies have revealed that neonicotinoids pose potential risks for the nervous systems of non-target species, but the brain regions responsible for their behavioral effects remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to assess the neurobehavioral effects of clothianidin (CTD), a later neonicotinoid developed in 2001 and widely used worldwide, and to explore the target regions of neonicotinoids in the mammalian brain.
Not so long ago, on a drive down a rural road in Minnesota you’d often see an American kestrel (Falco sparverius) perched on a power line, watching for a dragonfly or small rodent to pass beneath. If you were really lucky, you’d spot this smallest member of the falcon family flapping its wings in its unusual hovering flight as it watched for prey. Such sights are becoming increasingly rare. These handsome little raptors, about the size of a mourning dove, are suffering a long-term and widespread population decline.
Die Fledermäuse erwachen momentan aus dem Winterschlaf. Nachts gehen sie auf die Jagd, um ihre leeren Reserven aufzutanken. Doch sie finden kaum noch Futter. „Seit einiger Zeit beobachten wir einen alarmierenden Rückgang von Insekten“, sagt Karl Kugelschafter, Fledermausexperte vom Naturschutzbund (Nabu). Für die Fledermäuse geht es ums Überleben, denn sie ernähren sich fast ausschließlich von Insekten und müssen pro Tag ungefähr ein Drittel ihres Körpergewichtes an Nahrung zu sich nehmen. Hochgerechnet braucht ein einzelnes Tier also ungefähr ein Kilogramm Insekten in einem Sommer.
A study by scientists at Madurai Kamaraj University, Tamil Nadu, has found evidence that chronic exposure to organophosphate insecticides induces diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance in both humans and mice. The researchers found that organophosphate-induced diabetes was mediated by gut bacteria. The results were published in the journal Genome Biology.