Jennifer Marohasy

Last Wednesday was the launch of a new initiative between the University of Queensland and the Institute of Public Affairs for environmental research.
There is some reporting of the program in today’s The Australian newspaper under the title ‘Climate Sceptic’s $350,000 grant to uni has no strings attached’. [I have received comment that the article [...]

I must confess that I really can’t remember when I first came to believe that Green Tree Ants, presented in the previous entry, farmed aphids concealed under frass. However, I am always willing to learn, so thank you Jennifer for the correction.
Under higher magnification a cotton-like covering becomes more apparent, which reminded me of [...]

Green tree ants Oecophylla smaragdina farm aphids for their honeydew. They are occasionally referred to as weaver ants because they form large leafy nests bound with silk. Through amazing co-operative strength, they form strings of hundreds of ants anchored at each end only, to forcibly move small branches into position. Other ants [...]

Destruction of mangrove forests in Burma left coastal areas exposed to the devastating force of the weekend’s cyclone, a top politician suggests.
ASEAN secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said coastal developments had resulted in mangroves, which act as a natural defence against storms, being lost.
BBC News website: Mangrove loss ‘left Burma exposed’
Former vice president tells NPR’s ‘Fresh [...]