Word: speciesism
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
The California condor, the Maryland darter, the Florida panther and other animals struggling to survive are not the only endangered species. Largely because of man's encroachment, many, perhaps dozens of American plant species are disappearing each year. Indeed, botanists estimate that some 3,000 of the 22,000 species...
Through a network of 18 affiliated botanical gardens and horticultural research facilities in 14 states, the center this summer coordinated the collection of 92 threatened species, including such exotic plants as the pygmy fringe tree and Gray's lily. It plans to at least double that number next year and...
As added insurance, the center will stockpile seeds of some of the species at the Department of Agriculture's Fort Collins, Colo., seed-storage facility. That way, says Frank Thibodeau, the center's scientific director, "despite power losses, hurricanes, fires or any other natural disaster that could befall a greenhouse...
By growing these rare plants, the center expects eventually to reintroduce some into their natural habitats and to satisfy the needs of both researchers and collectors. The collectors, oddly enough, have contributed to the near extinction of several species. One victim is the Knowlton cactus, the first endangered species cataloged...
Then, too, some of the plants may have as yet undiscovered characteristics important to agriculture: for example, resistance to disease or drought. Using new recombinant DNA techniques, scientists look forward to identifying the genes that confer these traits and transferring them from wild plants to crop plants. By preserving the...