CLFS News

A study highlighted on the cover of Nature magazine (October 1, 2008) suggests that species of Lake Victorian cichlid fish became two separate species after changes in how they see led to changes in the mates that they selected. The team of biologists who conducted the study, which is led by Ole Seehausen of the University of Bern in Switzerland, and includes Karen Carleton of the University of Maryland, say that the phenomenon provides evidence that differences in sensory perception contribute to the development of new species.

Birds, bees, bats and other species that pollinate North American plant life are in decline due to environmental stress and disease. What are the threats currently facing wild and managed pollinators and how can we reverse this trend? “Anybody who likes to eat should care about what’s happening to pollinators,” says Dr. David Hawthorne, Associate Professor of Entomology. “About 30% of our food depends on them.”  Hawthorne starting teaching the course Pollinators in Crisis in 2007, which he created for the Marquee Courses in Science and Technology program developed at the University of Maryland. “This class is an opportunity to talk about where our food comes from and how lots of parts of the natural world contribute to our food, and how those parts contribute to our well being in general,” Hawthorne explains.

Dr. Arthur N. Popper, Professor of Biology, and his colleague Dr. Michele Halvorsen, received a three-year, $809K grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) to study the effects of high intensity sounds produced from pile driving on fish. Pile driving and other activities associated with the construction of bridges, piers, and alternative energy facilities, such as offshore wind parks, will generate considerable noise, the intensity and duration of which may cause damage to nearby fish. The MMS will be overseeing new alternative energy development projects and wants to evaluate the possible adverse impacts of noise on marine organisms.

Professor Norma Windsor Andrews from the School of Medicine at Yale University has accepted the position as Chair of the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics. Dr. Andrews’ formal appointment will begin January 2, 2009.

A group of researchers led by University of Maryland ecologist William Fagan, reports success using a so-called "neutral model" to study fish diversity in the sprawling Mississippi-Missouri River System.

This research challenges current thinking about biodiversity and opens up new avenues for predicting how climate change or human activity may affect biodiversity patterns.