College News

Antarctica

Learning from the past — behavior of the Antarctic Ice Sheet

Researchers at the University of Maine wanted to know how the Antarctic ice sheet reacts to climate change. To find out, they dove into the past to learn how the ice sheet behaved during the last glaciation, when the glacier achieved its greatest extent and what factors contributed to its ultimate retreat. In order to […]

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mosquito fish

Female invaders are ecologically stronger than males

Males and females of many species are often visibly different from one another. Scientists call these differences ‘sexual dimorphism’ and it has been studied extensively by evolutionary biologists all of the way back to Charles Darwin. But what is not yet clearly understood is how these differences impact an entire ecosystem.

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eel research

Graduate student studies dams, impact on American Eel

The American eel, Anguilla rostrata, is one of three species of freshwater eels found around the globe and is the only species found in North America. According to the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, the species has survived multiple ice ages and is considered to have the broadest diversity of habitats of any fish species […]

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underwater image

Human-marine environment interactions crux of DMC director’s study

Heather Leslie, director of the University of Maine Darling Marine Center, is leading a research project to deepen her interdisciplinary investigations of ecological and human dimensions of small-scale fisheries in Mexico’s Baja peninsula. A $1.79 million award from the National Science Foundation’s Coupled Natural and Human (CNH) Systems Program funds the three-year project. “My studies […]

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shrimp

Researcher finds it takes guts to locate elusive shrimp

Rachel Lasley-Rasher wanted to learn more about highly mobile shrimp that are important food for baleen whales and commercial fish along the continental shelf from Cape Hatteras to Nova Scotia. Because of their significance in the marine food web, she said a better understanding of shrimp migration patterns could fill knowledge gaps and help predict […]

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salamander

Science magazine publishes feature on Calhoun, vernal pool conservation

Science magazine published a feature article on Aram Calhoun, a professor of wetland ecology at the University of Maine, and her efforts to protect vernal pools. Calhoun is leading an innovative effort to overcome two of the tougher challenges in conservation biology in the United States: protecting vernal pools that are critical to the survival […]

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grains

Researchers receive $1 million to boost organic grain production in Maine

Researchers at the University of Maine have received a $1 million federal grant from the U.S Department of Agriculture to continue their efforts in boosting organic grain production in northern New England. “We are very excited by this new USDA award in that it recognizes the impact of the work we’ve done with farmers, millers […]

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