Researchers measure biodiversity in conservation projects through the blood meals of leeches. Discover more by clicking the link below.
"Leeches feed on a wide range of animals," says Christopher Baker, who participated in the study as part of his postdoctoral research at Harvard University. "Conveniently, one of those animals is humans, which makes them easy to collect."are opportunistic feeders, latching onto animals and biding their time until another creature crosses their path. This means that the location of the leech helps reveal the location of the organism it was feeding on, Baker explains.
"It would be like an average human weighing 1,500 pounds after each meal," says Michael Tessler, an assistant professor of biology at St. Francis College, who was not involved in the study. During the rainy season, they’re not hard to spot. "It can sometimes feel like the ground is moving towards you," says Tessler, now a leech-collecting veteran. It gets to the point where you’ve collected your samples and then you’re just fighting to get them off you, Tessler says. "The only thing you have to pay attention to is that the leech doesn’t bite you before you collect it, otherwise you’ll be sequencing your own DNA.
The vertebrate DNA matched a list of known species and identified 86 animals living in the reserve. Researchers detected the presence of endangered and vulnerable species, including sambar deer, the Asiatic black bear and the Chapa Bug-eyed frog. This proves the reserve is providing a safe haven for threatened species, accordingDepending on where researchers collected leeches, they could map the distribution of species across the region.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
You can queue up now to purchase a PS5 directly from SonySony’s stock sells out quickly, so log in and act fast.
Read more »
Biden to issue Earth Day order that aims to protect old-growth forests from wildfirePresident Biden is taking steps to restore national forests devastated by wildfires, drought and blight, using an Earth Day visit to Seattle to sign an executive order protecting some of the nation’s largest and oldest trees.
Read more »
Cities Build Better BiologistsUrban environments naturally train critical thinkers and observational experts who are the future of ecology
Read more »
US Southwest region hit by widespread wildfiresParched US Southwest region hit by an unusual number of wildfires as rising temperatures have lowered winter snowpacks and allowed fires to start earlier in the year
Read more »
'Vampire Energy' Is Sucking the Life Out of Our PlanetThis Earth Day, it's time to tackle a sneaky source of waste that drains wallets and accelerates climate change.
Read more »
Florida Blood Donation ShortageThere’s a growing need for blood donations—both nationwide and here in Northeast Florida.
Read more »