Wild Things: Giant Pandas, an Ancient Ibis and More...
Panda-friendly forests, one bizarre bird and foxes on junk food
- By Arcynta Ali Childs, T.A. Frail, Megan Gambino, Laura Helmuth and Sarah Zielinski
- Smithsonian magazine, March 2011
Tree Rings of Ponderosa Pine. (© Tom Bean / Corbis)
A new analysis of tree rings from more than 9,000 European pines, larches and oaks provides a climate record going back 2,500 years. Scientists in Switzerland and elsewhere linked the data to history. For instance, the Roman Empire thrived during a period of above average rainfall and steady temperatures, which ended around A.D. 250, followed by 300 years of extreme variability—and the fall of the empire.
Additional Sources
“Whistling in caterpillars (Amorpha juglandis, Bombycoidea): sound-producing mechanism and function,” Veronica L. Bura et al., Journal of Experimental Biology, December 8, 2010
“Stable isotopes evaluate exploitation of anthropogenic foods by the endangered San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica),” Seth D. Newsome et al., Journal of Mammalogy, December 2010
“The bizarre wing of the Jamaica flightless ibis Xenicibis xympithecus: a unique vertebrate adaptation,” Nicholas R. Longrich and Storrs L. Olson, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, January 5, 2011
“Old-growth forest is what giant pandas really need,” Zejun Zhang et al., Biology Letters, January 12, 2011
“One haploid parent contributes 100% of the gene pool for a widespread species in northwest North America,” E. F. Karlin et al., December 28, 2010
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