Pethacker

February 25, 2010
Source: Wired News

A painstaking, multidecade study of 33,000 individual trees may finally have uncovered the roots of biodiversity.

That biodiversity’s origin needs uncovering is surprising because the word seems to be everywhere. but scientists still don’t quite understand why one place has more species than another, or fewer.

The traditional explanation — every organism has its niche, competing not with other species but its own — sounds nice, but has holes. according to the tree study, that’s because ecologists haven’t looked for the right niches.

“We take this very complex, high-dimensional thing called the environment, and average out all the variation that organisms really require,” said Jim Clark, a Duke University biologist and author of the study, published Feb. 25 in Science. “Biodiversity is very much a niche response, but it’s just not evident at the species level.”

The central tenet of biodiversity science is that animals compete against their own kind, not against other species. Computer models of inter-species competition soon collapse, with rich diversity inevitably replaced by a few dominant species.

In the real world, that’s not what happens. Species seem to be sharing. So ecologists have developed a theory of niches: Every species has a particular specialty, a set of conditions for which it’s best suited. some plants do well in shade, others in rocky soil, and so on.

This is true. however, it still doesn’t seem to explain biodiversity. some ecosystems that are very poor in resources, and consequently don’t seem to have many niches, can still have a high species diversity.

“When you have thousands of species, it’s difficult to come up with ways to partition a limited set of resources or conditions,” said John Silander, a University of Connecticut ecologist who studies South Africa’s Cape Floristic region, a rocky scrubland with as much biodiversity as the Amazon rainforest. “People looking at niche differences always seem to come up short.”

Clark may have found the answer. he has spent the last 18 years studying trees in the southeastern United States and has assembled 22,000 detailed individual accounts, spanning 11 forests and three regions. for each tree, Clark has recorded its precise, on-the-ground (and in-the-ground and above-the-ground) exposure to moisture and nutrients and light, its response, and its proximity to other plants.

Ecologists usually aggregate this information, turning it into average. By going tree-by-tree, Clark found that there are, in fact, enough niches to go around. They’re filled when competition in a species drives individuals to fill them. Biodiversity — or, from another perspective, configurations of organisms that don’t need to compete against each other — is the result of this fierce race for resources.

The niches could only be seen at a fine-grained level, not in the coarse analyses typically used by ecologists. “We take environmental variation and project it down to a very small set of indices. Light becomes average light per year. Moisture becomes average moisture per year. It’s not just light and water and nitrogen — it’s variations of each of those things, in different dimensions,” said Clark.

“The approach he’s taken is marvelous. Nobody has looked at biodiversity in this fashion,” said Silander, who was not involved in the study. “He has the data needed to address the different hypotheses.”

Silander said the approach will likely be extended beyond the world of trees. Understanding the essential dynamics of biodiversity could improve ecosystem management, in applications from conservation to farming.

“It’s hard to find a place on Earth that doesn’t have some level of management going on,” said Silander. “We have to understand how species interact.”

“Ecologists spent a lot of time in the 20th century trying to find ways to reduce the complexity of natural systems so that we could understand them,” said Miles Silman, a Wake Forest University ecologist who was not involved in the study. “Clark has shown that the complexity that we were trying to reduce is very likely essential to understanding” biodiversity.

Amazon Rainforest News: Biodiversity Explained by Ignoring the …

By TIMOTHY W. MARTIN

Under a futon in her Charleston, S.C., apartment, Stacy Smith has stashed boxes of soy bars, bags of potato chips, bottles of vitamin water, canned vegetables, soup, barbecue sauce and antibacterial wipes. her bedroom closet is jammed with soda and shampoo, her bookcase with garlic salt and meat marinades.

No, Ms. Smith isn’t stocking up for a hurricane. the 39-year-old’s apartment is stuffed with groceries because she’s one of a growing flock of “extreme couponers.”

These discount devotees have formed vast online communities that collectively unearth and swap digital, mobile-phone and paper coupons. the cleverest shoppers combine dozens of coupons and go from store to store buying items in quantity, getting stuff free of charge.

“If you can get 100 packs of toilet paper for free, you’re going to,” says Erin Libranda, 38. When the resident of Katy, Texas, has amassed enough coupons to buy many months’ supply of eggs, she puts tiny cracks in them, adds lemon juice and freezes them.

Jill Lansky, 34, of Kalamazoo, Mich., likes to amuse friends by opening a cupboard to reveal 150 bottles of Powerade she bought for 25 cents each, thanks to coupons she collected on CouponForum.com.

Jody Wilson, 33, got turned onto the couponing Web site AFullCup.com last March. since then, she’s posted nearly 9,500 messages to the site’s forum. “I became extremely addicted,” says the credit analyst from Battle Creek, Mich. “There’s deal after deal after deal.”

Couponers trade deal information and coupons themselves through cellphones, Twitter, Facebook, and message boards on Web sites like Slickdeals.net and TheKrazyCouponLady.com, motivated as much by competitiveness as by frugality.

Some sites, which tend to make their money from online ads, organize contests to see which member can spend the least cash in a month on essentials. Some couponers brag online about stockpiling free groceries, then selling them at yard sales.

Proud shoppers post photos of themselves posing with their latest hauls. Nathan Engels of Villa Hills, Ky., can’t resist loading up on free products. Mr. Engels recently erected a 6-foot-tall tower featuring the 1,142 packages of Jell-O he had got for nothing. he brags about his jam-packed freezer holding 30 pounds of meat, 50 pounds of cheese and 200 bags of vegetables.

“I’m going to buy as much as I can—I don’t care if it’s a year’s or two-year’s supply,” says Mr. Engels, 28, who is married and has a young daughter.

For decades, shoppers clipped coupons from newspaper circulars, magazines and coupon booklets. Redemptions peaked in the early 1990s, and couponing gradually declined as grocers launched loyalty-card programs that rewarded repeat shoppers with discounts.

But amid the recession last year, the number of coupons redeemed rose 27%, to 3.3 billion from 2.6 billion in 2008, says Inmar Inc., a coupon-processing agent. the year-over-year percentage increase was the largest since Inmar started tracking the statistic more than 20 years ago.

Fueling the increase isn’t the general populace but heavy coupon users, people who redeem 104 or more coupons over six months, according to an August report by the Nielsen Co. These users tend to be females under the age of 54 with college degrees and household incomes above $70,000, Nielsen says.

The upsurge mirrors the growth of Web sites dedicated to couponing. CouponMom.com, which appeals to a broad range of savers, has 2.2 million members, up from one million last January, says site founder Stephanie Nelson, author of the book, “The Coupon Mom’s Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in half.”

Hotcouponworld.com, which has seen its membership grow to 200,000 from 80,000 in the past year, targets couponers who think “there’s an economic value in buying all your peanut butter for the year in one week in September,” says site founder Julie Parrish, 35, of West Linn, Ore. Two years ago, she bought 50 18-ounce jars of Skippy creamy peanut butter for 17 cents each; last September, she paid 35 cents each. at retail, they cost around $3.59.

Ms. Smith, the Charleston woman whose closet doubles as a pantry, says she disliked grocery shopping until she got laid off last year from her clerical job and, to economize, turned to couponing Web sites. On two recent trips to her local supermarket, she says she paid $5 for $78 worth of items, and $2 for $40 worth of goods.

When Ms. Libranda, the Texas shopper, needed 500 coupons for flavored water last summer, she posted a request at Hotcouponworld.com. within days, she had exchanged postage stamps and cereal box tops with half a dozen other members. “We had free water for a long time,” Ms. Libranda says.

All the deal making isn’t great for grocers, some of which have seen their profits squeezed by discounting. Craig Herkert, chief executive of Supervalu Inc., operator of Jewel, Albertson’s and other supermarkets, recently told analysts that shoppers with an eye for discounts were “executing with surgical precision.”

Carrie Petersen of Columbia, Md., says she tries not to abuse discounts. Recently, Ms. Petersen, 38, took 50-cent coupons for meat seasonings to a number of supermarkets that were doubling the coupons’ value. Because the seasonings were already on sale for $1 each, Ms. Petersen got them for nothing.

Instead of scooping piles of packets into her shopping cart, she bought just five at a time at each of the stores she visited. “I never clear the shelf: I don’t think that’s right,” Ms. Peterson says. “I probably only got 30.”

Bringing home huge piles of stuff doesn’t always work out. Julie Felton, a 39-year-old respiratory therapist from San Marcos, Texas, says she was ecstatic when she combined 20 coupons from a retailer and a manufacturer to get $5 bags of dog food for nothing—a six-month supply.

Ms. Felton’s dog didn’t like the food. Neither did her cat, nor the deer that wander into her yard.

She wound up donating it to a local animal shelter.

Printed in the Wall Street Journal, page A1

Hard Times Turn Coupon Clipping Into the Newest Extreme Sport

Cats for Sale! Cheap! Funny picture, huh? not so funny when it’s true. I love my cats. I really do. But sometimes I feel out numbered and out gunned!

I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep last night. too much time in front of the computer makes my hip hurt and yesterday was a long day. so it took a while to get comfortable enough to sleep.

Then the alarm goes off. Wow! I’m thinking I actually slept through the night. Something I just don’t do! until I realize the alarm going off had been reset. not the first time. probably not the last.

I really need to get new alarm clocks. yes, plural. I’m not a morning person and I normally have trouble getting out of bed so I have two alarm clocks. But they’re old. the kind where the buttons are all on top. Itty bitty kitty paws can change the time with little to no effort.

So my alarm went off at 1AM, shortly after I finally fell asleep. Times like those, I’m ready to get rid of my cats–lock, stock and puddy tat!

posted by Shayla Kersten at 7:00 AM

Cats for Sale! Cheap!

1 Comment

*How much grooming is needeed?
*Are they intellingent?
*How much do they cost?
*How high is the energy level and exercise needs?
*What questions should I ask a breeder before I purchase?
*How playful and affectionate are they?
*Would you reccomend them to me if I have a regular sized house and yard, no kids under eight, a person at home all day or most of the time, and that I travel
a lot in planes (to China) and want to take it?
*Do they bark our bite a lot?
You don’t have to answer all of them, I was just thinking about getting one. thanks!!

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Unique Dog Beds for Your Special Pet

Toy dog breeds are one of the most popular types of pets at the moment. but do you know all possible toy dog breeds on the market? Check out this article for some fact.

I have come across a number of people who want to own a dog due their longing to do so, but are hesitant to do so because their homes or living spaces are too small to fit dogs into them. this is a common misbelief, and it is definitely not a rule of thumb rule that you need to have a big living area in order to have a house dog.  Small dogs, which are affectionately known and toy dog breeds, can be housed in smaller homes.

The main point of disagreement on this issue arises when people have no special place for their dogs to sleep in because of the small size of their living areas. Since toy dog breeds are very small, their dog beds can be installed practically anywhere in the house, from the toilet and the kitchen to a small space around your own bed.

Small dogs are very choosy, to say the least. They have their own preferences and once you have realized the fact that you would have to pamper them no matter what may come, you are ready to go in for a toy dog of your choice. Maltese and Pug are two of the most loved toy dog species around. Because toy dogs are cute, are less aggressive than larger dogs and don’t actually grow more than 10-20 pounds at most, they can be taken along with you at functions, gatherings and travel too, which unfortunately, is not the case with some of the larger dog breeds, which are either too aggressive, or do not fit into your cars at all.  Small dog breeds are usually pampered, so they sometimes sleep with you in your bed instead of their own dog bed.

The Welsh corgi is another one of those delectable small dog breeds. this breed is said to be one of the favorite breeds with Queen Elizabeth II. this is definitely one heck of breed for you too, if you want a cute, small and affectionate pup. Pembrokesire and cardigan are two other sub-breeds that the corgi is further divided into, with the Cardigan being the more popular version. both the versions make wonderful pets and are particularly well suited for those people who want a faithful, affectionate and cute companion.

The Lowchen is one of the most expensive small dog breeds. It is a rare breed as well and has a price tag of more than a thousand dollars. The Lowchen is also known as the ‘Lion Dog’, because of the high density of hair all around its body, especially around the face and the forehead, giving it a lion-like appearance. The dog is a lazy variety and is not an exercise freak, like some of the other dogs. It is a dog that needs to be pampered and can have separation anxiety, which might lead to aggressive mood swings and permanent malfunctioning of the dog’s senses as well. It is therefore strongly recommended that you should invest in the Lowchen only if you work from home or you can take your dog along with you to work because the dog just cannot tolerate long hours of separation from one or more of its masters.

Havanese Dog Breed

The Havanese is one of the older dog breeds of the Bichon Family (a group of small dogs that originated from the Mediterranean). During the course of its history the Havanese has been known…..

Yorkie Dogs

The Yorkshire terrier, more popularly known as Yorkie Dogs, belongs to the small dog breeds. They possess long and attractive silk coat which is advisable to be well-kept by brushing on a regular basis.

Miniature Poodle Dog Breed

Dog Breed: Miniature PoodleMotto: see my full profile….

Britney Spears celebrity dog

Posted by: in celebrity dog, chihuahua, small dog breeds, small dog clothes, toy dog, tags: applehead, applehead chihuahua, britney spears, celebrity dog pictures.

Pets

Also, many dogs cannot handle pork products, but conversely, some can (like my own dog). If they can, consider adding small amounts of pork to their diet for added protein. 

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Technorati Tags: best dog breeds for families, dog breeds, non allergic dog breeds, rare dog breeds, Small dog breeds, toy dog breeds

Toy Dog Breeds

A friend of mine recently asked the question, “What breed of dog should I get?”

I spent awhile drafting a response and wanted to save it, so I’m posting it here:

This is actually a really big question, and largely depends on what you want in a dog, and how you want to live your life.

First start with some dog-finder quiz to see what breeds you should look at. this quiz is actually pretty good:
http://www.selectsmart.com/DOG/

Keep in mind though, that if you get a pure breed you can run into some weird (and expensive) issues due to inbreeding. for example, I’ve spent about an extra $3k on my wife’s dog in the last 2 years because of issues that wouldn’t be present in a mutt. But she’s a great dog and totally worth it.

Additionally, a lot of breeds that are really popular don’t necessarily make the best pets:
Labs – Have lots of weird OCD and anxiety issues
Beagles – might be cute while you’re there, but will bay the whole time you’re gone (making some peeved neighbors)
Goldens – can make an impossible-to-clean layer of fine hair on everything
Herding dogs – are so smart that they go crazy if you don’t constantly challenge them mentally
Pits – will eat childrens faces off
…you get the idea.

I have a German Shorthaired-Pointer, and think it’s the best breed in the world. But they do require a lot of attention and exercise. so if you come home from work and don’t want to go running…well, you have to anyway. But if you want a dog that can do well with kids, adults, doesn’t bark much, easy to clean, and can go run alongside you while you’re mountain biking all day, then there’s no breed better.

Mutts are often the best way to go, they need a home, they often are past that annoying (but cute) puppy phase, and they’d be killed if you don’t get them. There’s also some cool DNA tests you can do now to see what breeds your mutt is made of so that you can find out how to best train them.
http://www.biopetvetlab.com/

Finally, every dog is different. you might find a sedate chihuahua, a dumb border collie, or a lazy GSP. find the one that best works for you, love it fully, and train it well and you’ll wonder how you lived your life without one.

What Dog Breed is Best

People pushing for stronger animal cruelty laws in Newfoundland and Labrador have turned to a social networking site to raise support.

St. John’s resident Andrew Hiscock launched a site on Facebook last week called “I support stronger punishments for animal cruelty.”

On the first day it attracted 1,000 members and by Wednesday more than 3,500 people signed up.

Hiscock started the site after hearing about a case in Dunville, Placentia Bay, which involved the neglect of two dogs and a cat. One dog was left tied to an appliance in the kitchen without access to food or water. the dog and cat were found dead while the other dog is receiving medical care.

Someone guilty of cruelty to an animal can be fined up to $500 under the province’s Animal Protection Act if it’s a third offence. the SPCA has been lobbying to get the fine increased – to as high as $10,000.

Hiscock agrees that the current penalties are too light.

“I’m thinking mandatory jail time for anyone who abuses an animal that leads to a death,” he told CBC News. “Much stronger fines. the fines that they have now are laughable. Basically, these aren’t deterrents.”

Hiscock said using a site like Facebook makes it easier to gather support from people who are just as frustrated.

“It’s a way now in the world that we can easily connect, to people who share our beliefs. So, it’s a fantastic way to show our outrage,” he said.

Hiscock said his group would use Facebook support when it writes letters to provincial politicians pushing for stronger sentence and higher fines.

Facebook push for tougher animal abuse law in NL

LONDON – a chip for Spot? In a country where guns are tightly controlled and even carrying a kitchen knife can bring prison time, some thugs use dogs to menace their victims. now the British government is proposing that dog owners be forced to get microchips and take out insurance for their pets.

Postal workers were delighted by the proposal announced Tuesday. but opponents complained it would impose a financial penalty on innocent pet owners — while criminals with violent animals would simply shirk the law.

The plan risks “penalizing millions of law-abiding dog owners with the blunt instrument of a dog tax,” warned opposition lawmaker Nick Herbert.

Home Office Secretary Alan Johnson said there was “no doubt that some people breed and keep dogs for the sole purpose of intimidating others.”

“It is this sort of behavior that we are determined to stop,” he told reporters. use of microchips would help trace the owners of dogs involved in attacks, while insurance would mean that victims of dog attacks are compensated for their injuries, he said.

Hospital admissions and court cases involving dangerous dogs have been on the rise in Britain, a nation whose canine population numbers 8 million. In London, court cases have climbed, from 35 in 2002-2003 to 719 in 2008-2009, according to the Metropolitan Police.

Dog fighting complaints have also soared tenfold since 2004, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which reported 284 cases in 2008. Some 6,000 postal workers are bitten each year.

Dog attacks that have killed at least five children since 2006 have also kept the issue in the headlines. last year, a 4-year-old was mauled to death by a pit bull at his grandmother’s house in northern England and a 3-month-old was killed by a Staffordshire bull terrier and a Jack Russell at his grandmother’s home in South Wales.

Ryan O’Meara, chief editor of K9 Magazine, said the government’s plan would not solve the problem of dangerous dogs attacking humans.

“There is nothing in this that is preventative,” he said. “If you put a chip in a dangerous dog, the bite will hurt you just as much.”

“The focus should be on education, and stopping this at the source — the breeders who supply dangerous dogs,” he said.

Training for owners is essential, said O’Meara, noting that Switzerland requires prospective dog owners to pass a test. “The country says, if you want to own an animal, we will force you to be responsible,” he said.

Still, Britain’s proposal was largely welcomed by animal welfare groups. The RSPCA said it has long supported microchips — primarily as a means of reuniting lost pets with their owners. The devices, about the size of a grain of rice, are painlessly inserted between a dog’s shoulder blades and details about the owner are easily readable by scanners.

While microchips run between $15 (10 pounds) and $52 (35 pounds), insurance is far pricier — and could cost pet owners hundreds of dollars a year, especially for high-risk breeds.

Most pet insurers offer third-party liability insurance wrapped into larger plans that also cover vet fees and emergency care. Petplan, Britain’s largest pet insurer, said that for a Labrador in southeast England, coverage costs $34 (23 pounds) a month and would be pricier in London.

Sanctions imposed on those who refuse to comply weren’t spelled out. It was also unclear when, or even if, the proposed legislation would become law. It must undergo a consultation period — typically 12 weeks — which means it is unlikely to reach Parliament before Britain’s general election, which must be called by June 3.

A host of European countries — including Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Croatia, Italy and Portugal — have introduced mandatory microchips in recent years. Mandatory dog insurance is in place in parts of Switzerland and Germany.

Many Londoners supported the idea of microchips for their pets.

“You can find them easier if they get lost,” said Claire Stringer, 35, a professional dog-walker looking after miniature schnauzer Bibi, who has a microchip.

She also supported making people take out insurance against dogs attacking people or other animals.

“I’ve heard too many dog horror stories where some poor dog has been savaged by a pit bull or a Staff — dogs that don’t like other dogs.”

Fiona Terry, an actor and interior designer carrying bichon frise Pico, also supported microchips.

“Why not? It doesn’t hurt them and it means you can find them if they get lost or stolen,” she said. “If you care about your dog, you want to know where they are.”

She said the problem wasn’t with certain breeds of “dangerous” dog, but with the way the animals were raised.

Still, even fluffy Pico could be a threat, she said.

“I always tell people, don’t touch him, because his first instinct is to protect me. He looks cute, but he is still a dog.”

Associated Press writers Gregory Katz, Jill Lawless and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.

Mandatory insurance proposed for UK dogs

By Richard Luscombe
Last updated at 7:21 PM on 15th October 2009

A woman trucker who swapped two young children she was looking after for a cockatoo and $175 is to face trial.

Donna Greenwell offered the boy aged five and his four-year-old sister to Paul and Brandy Romero after they put their exotic bird up for sale.

The Louisiana couple wanted $1,500 for the cockatoo, but Greenwell contacted them and they agreed to take the children and $175 in cash.

Romero, 45, and his 28-year-old wife have pleaded guilty to two counts of sale of a minor child.

Just trying to help:  Paul and Brandy Romero have pleaded guilty to swapping their pet cockatoo for two children

‘They were unable to have children of their own. they were alsounaware of the exact legal requirements for transferring custody ofminor children,’  said prosecutor Nicole Gil of the Evangeline ParishDistrict Attorney’s Office.

But their five-year prison sentences were suspended after they agreed to testify against Greenwell.

Greenwell is not the children’s mother, but they were living with her with their birth parents’ knowledge, prosecutors said.

‘The Romeros maintain they were simply trying provide a home for two children that were unwanted,’ Gil said.

The court heard that the Romeros were approached by Greenwell after they placed an advertisement to sell  the cockatoo.

Donna Greenwell and a cockatoo like the one she swapped the two children for. the children are being looked after by a foster family and the bird by a vet

They said Greenwell, 53, told them she didn’t  have enough money to buythe exotic bird outright, but could give them the children if theyalso gave her  the money to pay for the legal transfer of  custody.

Greenwell’s lawyer, Steve Sikich, said his client  would plead notguilty to selling children. Her only crime, he said, was trying to find  the best home forthe children after they were abandoned into her care by theirbiological parents.

Timothy Fontenot, a court-appointed attorney who represented Greenwell early on, said that the Romeros gave the bird to Greenwell’s granddaughter and maintained that there was no swap involved.

Authorities said Greenwell was a cattle-hauling truck driver from Pitkin, in central Louisiana, with a criminal history dating back to the 1980s. She remains free on a $100,000 bond.

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I know its fundamentally wrong to sell your offspring, but I have to admit there have been days when I would have swapped the pair of them for a vodka and coke and a mars bar….

- mandy, london, 15/10/2009 16:11

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Some people should not be parents. their children are better off without them.

- Ms D.Lee, Hong Kong, 15/10/2009 15:54

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There were days when I would have swapped my two for a pet – something quieter than a cockatoo though! Seriously though – maybe the people that actually WANTED the children would have been the better parents.
- Kate, Middlestown UK, 15/10/2009 10:35

Yes and they could also have been paedophiles! get a grip.

- julie, essex, 15/10/2009 15:52

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Could we swop Gordon Brown for something ?

- Brian, Bournemouth, 15/10/2009 14:55

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Poor kids. No words at all in this article about the impact on their mental health and emotional well-being. Considering the woman was clearly reluctant to have them and the other people were desperate for children of their own, one can only hope it was a happy change of circumstances but goodness knows what’ll happen to the poor wee loves now. It’s shameful.

- Ren, Birmingham, 15/10/2009 14:34

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I have to agree with Kate, Middlestown. if I was one of those children I’d much rather be in the care of two people who truly wanted me, no matter how dubious the handover process may be. they would surely be better off in the care of the Romeros.

What the childrens’ biological family make of this is anyones guess.

- Catherine, Wakefield, 15/10/2009 14:22

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Couple admit swapping their pet cockatoo for another family'

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Members of a Springville family are due Monday in Concord Town Court to answer animal cruelty charges stemming from the Jan. 14 seizure of a horse and six dogs on their Cattaraugus Creek Road property.

Gloria Johnson will be arraigned on six counts. Johnson’s daughter, Cara Youngs, faces two counts, while Johnson’s son, Cameron Youngs, faces one count. The animals, which reportedly were living in filthy conditions, were taken to the SPCA Serving Erie County’s shelter in the Town of Tonawanda.

The horse arrived in “horrific” condition but is recovering, said Executive Director Barbara Carr. “He’s not out of the woods yet.” The dogs, which had “a variety of medical issues,” are in foster care.

Concord dog control officer Carolyn Robinson filed the cruelty charges.

Family faces charges of animal cruelty