Getting a tail up on conservation? ( Lizards are an important indicator s...)

Getting a tail up on conservation?

Date:9/1/2010

Lizards are an important indicator species for understanding the condition of specific ecosystems. Their body weight is a crucial index for evaluating species health, but lizards are seldom weighed, perhaps due in part to the recurring problem of spontaneous tail loss when lizards are in stress.

Now ecological researchers have a better way of evaluating these lizards. Dr. Shai Meiri of Tel Aviv University's Department of Zoology has developed an improved tool for translating lizard body lengths to weights. Dr. Meiri's new equations calculate this valuable morphological feature to estimate the weight of a lizard species in a variety of different ecosystems.

"Body shape and body size are hugely important for the understanding of multiple ecological phenomena, but there is a need for a common metric to compare a multitude of different species," he says.

Building a lizard data bank

In a study published recently in the Journal of Zoology, Dr. Meiri evaluated hundreds of lizard species: long-bodied, legless species as well as stout, long-legged species; some that sit and wait for prey, others that are active foragers. Based on empirical evidence, such as well-established behavioral traits, he built a statistical model that could predict weights of lizards in a reliable, standardized manner, for use in the field or at the lab.

For the study, Dr. Meiri looked at a large sample of lizards 900 species in 28 different families and generated a dataset of lizard weights, using this dataset to develop formulae that derive body weights from the most commonly used size index for lizards (the length of the head and body, or "snoutvent length"). He then applied a species-level evolutionary hypothesis to examine the ecological factors that affect variation in weightlength relationships between different species.

Predicting post-disaster damage to the environment

How can this standardized met
'/>"/>

Contact: George Hunka
ghunka@aftau.org
212-742-9070
American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2
Related biology news :

1. Getting warmer? Prehistoric climate can help forecast future changes
2. Many middle-aged and older Americans not getting adequate nutrition
3. Getting into hot water
4. Getting down to cancer basics
5. Getting to the root of science in a nutty way
6. Getting plants to rid themselves of pesticide residues
7. Getting a leg up on whale and dolphin evolution
8. Getting down to details
9. Most patients gain weight after getting a new knee, UD study finds
10. Poor in rural Oregon face double binds when getting food
11. Getting turned on

Post Your Comments:

(Date:5/23/2013)... fastest growing open-access publishers, announces the launch of ... Biotechnology . , A broad scope journal ... Biotechnology will provide a single open-access platform ... to be disseminated and discussed. , ... an open-science and interactive web platform for the ...

(Date:5/22/2013)... cell powered buses, including a team from Simon ... processes and bus membrane durability. , The team ... in the operating cycle of the bus on ... study, led by SFU graduate student Natalia MaCauley, ... Burnaby-based Ballard Power Systems and funded by Automotive ...

(Date:5/22/2013)... The discovery of potential environmental and human health ... batteries each year has led scientists to recommend ... reuse of lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery materials. That,s the ... journal Environmental Science & Technology . , ... Li-ion batteries have become mainstays for powering everything ...

Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Frontiers launches new open-access journal in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 2 Tests lead to doubling of fuel cell life 2

[0] Frontiers launches new open-access journal in Bioengineering and Biotechnology [0] Tests lead to doubling of fuel cell life [0] More emphasis needed on recycling and reuse of Li-ion batteries

... A new study has shown that racehorses are extremely ... can adapt very quickly to sudden shifts in the 24-hour ... with unexpected benefits on their physical performance. The ... of Medical and Veterinary Sciences is published in the ...

... WASHINGTON and LONDON On the heels of a ... D.C., leaders of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and ... global insurance and reinsurance broker headquartered in the U.K., pledged ... financial resilience of populations to extreme events. Although 2011 ...

... N.Y., Oct. 18, 2011 When North Carolina,s "Laura,s Law" ... became the 8th state in the last year to pass ... DUI laws from penalizing cars to required—and enforced—sobriety for the ... poised to join the movement, as state lawmakers look at ...

Cached Biology News:Light dependency underlies beneficial jetlag in racehorses 2 Light dependency underlies beneficial jetlag in racehorses 3 US science academy and global reinsurance broker spark 2 US science academy and global reinsurance broker spark 3 US science academy and global reinsurance broker spark 4 Are Alcohol Anklets the New Ignition Interlock? 2 Are Alcohol Anklets the New Ignition Interlock? 3 Are Alcohol Anklets the New Ignition Interlock? 4

Light dependency underlies beneficial jetlag in racehorses US science academy and global reinsurance broker spark Are Alcohol Anklets the New Ignition Interlock?

(Date:5/23/2013)... , May 23, 2013 Pusan National ... a private biotherapeutics and contract research company focused ... for cancer, announced today a publication reporting the ... with the oncolytic and immunotherapeutic vaccinia JX-594 (pexastimogene ... was published in the May 15 th , ...

(Date:5/23/2013)... (PRWEB) May 23, 2013 ... ancestry tracing for people of African descent, today ... product offering. For people of all races, myDNAmix ... from five distinct populations: Indigenous Americas (Native American), ... India Subcontinent. , Originally launched in ...

(Date:5/23/2013)... 2013 Bed bugs compromised Penn ... already confirmed it. Meanwhile, My Cleaning Products offered complimentary samples ... fight the pests without using harmful chemical elements. , ... 2013, the affected building was actually a dormitory , ... said made on May 13 and bed bug presence was ...

(Date:5/23/2013)... Newmarket, NH (PRWEB) May 23, 2013 Ralph ... all of their emergency management products and emergency survival ... , This announcement was made at the quarterly executive ... meeting with a moment of silence for the Oklahoma tornado ... executives that the quality of their emergency kits is paramount. ...

Breaking Biology Technology:Pusan National University Announces Science Translational Medicine Publication Highlighting Landmark Demonstration of Functional Anti-Cancer Antibody Induction in Patients Following JX-594 Treatment 2 Pusan National University Announces Science Translational Medicine Publication Highlighting Landmark Demonstration of Functional Anti-Cancer Antibody Induction in Patients Following JX-594 Treatment 3 AfricanAncestry.com Rolls Out Improved MyDNAMix Admixture Test for People of all Races; Enhancements Increase Accuracy in Estimation of Ancestral Makeup 2 AfricanAncestry.com Rolls Out Improved MyDNAMix Admixture Test for People of all Races; Enhancements Increase Accuracy in Estimation of Ancestral Makeup 3 Penn State Dorm Infested with Bed Bugs, My Cleaning Products Offers Complimentary Sample of Bed Bug Spray to Help Bed Bug Victims 2 PHI Emergency Management on Announces Father's Day Specials All Emergency Survival Kits 2

[0] Pusan National University Announces Science Translational Medicine Publication Highlighting Landmark Demonstration of Functional Anti-Cancer Antibody Induction in Patients Following JX-594 Treatment [0] AfricanAncestry.com Rolls Out Improved MyDNAMix Admixture Test for People of all Races; Enhancements Increase Accuracy in Estimation of Ancestral Makeup [0] Penn State Dorm Infested with Bed Bugs, My Cleaning Products Offers Complimentary Sample of Bed Bug Spray to Help Bed Bug Victims [0] PHI Emergency Management on Announces Father's Day Specials All Emergency Survival Kits

... NEW YORK, Oct. 29 Regenicin, Inc. ... company specializing in the development of regenerative cell therapies ... today announced that the Company,s Chief Executive Officer, Randall ... at RetailInvestorConferences.com .DATE: , November 4, 2010TIME: ...

... Performance in Q3, Full Year Earnings Expectations Increased, New... -- DUBLIN, October 29, 2010 ... ... if (typeof(lpUnit)==,undefined,) var lpUnit=,PRN,; --> ... = ""; BitlyCB.alertResponse = function(data) { var s = ,; var first_result; // Results are keyed by longUrl, so ...

... Oct. 28 Cephalon, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEPH ) ... 32 percent increase compared to sales of $535.2 million for ... the quarter was $1.76. Excluding amortization expense and certain other ... was $2.27, a 34 percent increase over the $1.70 for ...

Regenicin to Present Live at RetailInvestorConferences.com on November 4th Shire plc: Continued Excellent Performance in Q3, Full Year Earnings Expectations Increased, New Value in Pipeline Emerging Cephalon Reports Record Earnings and Raises 2010 Guidance

... White solid. PROTECT FROM LIGHT. PACKAGED ... soluble pyrimidinone compound that acts as a ... PARP (IC 50 = 200 nM ... respectively) with little activity against the dehydrogenase ...

...

... is used to screen blots of mini format ... screen up to 40 different antibodies or sera ... The apparatus includes a base plate, 2 separate, ... 8 x 7 cm membranes, and gaskets and ...

Fingerprinting II database sharing tools is an optional module for the Fingerprinting II Basic software package that enables peer-to-peer data exchange over the internet and provides external databas...

Biology Products:

PARP Inhibitor XI, DR2313 from Calbiochem Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP) Conjugation Kit For labeling Antigens/Antibodies (Reaction Time 2 hr) from Alpha Diagnostic International Inc Mini-PROTEAN II Multiscreen Apparatus from Bio-Rad Fingerprinting II Database Sharing Tools from Bio-Rad