Often maligned and largely misunderstood throughout history, bats have more recently been recognized for the important role they play in ecosystems all over the world, pollinating flowers, dispersing seeds and controlling pests by eating insects.
But many North American species are now threatened by white-nose syndrome (WNS), a deadly fungal disease affecting millions of bats, primarily in the eastern US. The Ecology… Read more
Biologists and ecologists monitor wildlife to learn more about their behaviors, but tracking small creatures can be challenging, time-consuming and costly. Through a National Science Foundation grant, a multidisciplinary team at Northern Arizona University—led by Michael Shafer, associate professor of mechanical engineering; Carol Chambers, professor of wildlife ecology; and Paul Flikkema, professor of electrical engineering—has developed… Read more
A series of unprecedented droughts in the already impoverished areas of east Africa, chiefly northern Kenya and eastern Ethiopia, have affected millions of people in the region in the past several years, including many refugees from neighboring Somalia.
Although crop failures and resulting food shortages cause severe malnourishment in these populations, the lack of safe drinking water for both… Read more
“Species from Feces,” a unique new DNA barcoding tool developed by researchers from Northern Arizona University’s Bat Ecology and Genetics Lab in the School of Forestry, is generating widespread interest by mainstream and scientific news outlets—both nationally and internationally—such as the Natural Resources Defense Council, California Academy of Sciences, PLOS Research News, Read more