Gardeners who use pesticides (杀虫剂) are contributing to the decreasing population of British songbirds, a study suggests. Researchers have advocated stopping using poisonous chemicals in gardens in order to reduce the loss of birds and adopt wildlife-friendly practices instead. The results of the University of Sussex study, which researchers call the first of its kind, were published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

The study, which examined information on pesticide use and garden management from 615 garden owners in Britain, found 32 percent of gardens used pesticides, and the number of house sparrows was 25% lower when glyphosate-based herbicides was used regularly. Slug pellets (鼻涕虫杀虫剂) also seemed to have an impact on bird sightings; in gardens where Slug pellets were used, house sparrow numbers were down by almost 40%.

Prof. Dave Goulson, of the school of life sciences at the University of Sussex, said, “The UK has 22 million gardens, which collectively could be a fantastic shelter for wildlife, but not if they are overly tidy and sprayed with poisons. We just don’t need pesticides in our gardens. Many towns around the world are now pesticide free. We should simply ban the use of these poisons in cities, following the example of France.” The Royal Horticultural Society, the UK’s leading gardening charity, said the use of pesticides and herbicides should be avoided if possible and they should only be used, if ever, in small and targeted applications.

The research also found that those who adopted wildlife-friendly practices such as planting native bushes and flowers, or digging a wildlife pond, saw more birds than those who did not. Cannelle Tassin de Montaigu, a PhD researcher within the school of life sciences and an author of the study, said, “It’s encouraging to find that simple measures, such as planting native bushes and trees and creating a pond, together with avoiding the use of pesticides, really make a measurable difference to the number of birds you will see in your garden.”

A number of programs on websites have begun using personality tests to pair pets with owners, for example, PawsLikeMe, a website described by a co-founder as “eHarmony for people and pets.”

The human-animal matchmaking business may sound fanciful, but it mirrors a renewed scientific interest in animal personality. Having moved beyond the fear of anthropomorphism (拟人论) associated with researchers like Jane Goodall, who was laughed at for “inventing” personality traits (特征) for chimps in the 1950s and 1960s, scientists are actively exploring animal personality’s implications for everything from daily care to evolution. As John Shivik, the author of Mousy Cats and Sheepish Coyotes, points out, a species’ survival depends on diversity, including that of personality: “If you don’t have variation, you will go extinct,” he says, noting that traits that are advantageous in one situation may not be in another. Boldness (冒失), for example, might be beneficial when food is lacking, but less helpful at other times. In one study, scientists assessed how bold or shy captive (被俘的) foxes were, and then set them free into the wild. After six months, only bold foxes had died, perhaps because they were more likely to take risks.

Some studies show that the better pet owners and zookeepers understand an individual animal, the better they can tailor care to it. One study, for example, notes that shy cats can benefit from extra hiding places, while relatively extroverted cats may need more toys and more playtime with other animals.

Still other research supports the idea of matching pet and owner personalities. In 2011, an Oklahoma State University researcher surveyed the traits and preferences of dogs and their owners, then asked the owners to report how satisfied they were with their pet. Some factors (因素) that foretold a happy match were unsurprising -- a shared love of running outside, say. Others were a little more unusual. Owners who agreed with the statement “When I am feeling anxious, I am likely to tear up something” and the statement “My dog tears up pillows and other things” were among the most likely to have happy human-dog marriages.

With dogs as with people, there’s someone for everyone.

Scientists say seagrasses can be a valuable tool in fighting climate change. But many of these plants are being harmed as mining and fishing pollute the seawater.

In March, scientists went on an expedition (考察) to an area in the Indian Ocean thought to contain the largest field of underwater seagrass in the world. The team collected data to learn more about what affects the health of seagrasses.

Studies have shown that a big benefit seagrasses bring is that it can store up to two times the amount of carbon that forests do. If seagrasses can stay heathy and grow, they can remove carbon dioxide, or CO₂, from the environment. CO₂ is one kind of greenhouse gas that scientists have linked to rising temperatures in Earth’s atmosphere.

The Indian Ocean expedition, led by environmental group Greenpeace, traveled to Saya de Malha near the island nation of Seychelles. The field of seagrass at Saya de Malha is about the size of the European nation of Switzerland. Because the area is far from coastlines, it has stayed well protected from pollution and digging activities that can harm sea life. The seagrasses are also closer to the surface, meaning they take in more sunlight. This environment provides shelter and rich feeding grounds for thousands of different living things in the ocean.

Among those taking part in the expedition were scientists from Britain’s Exeter University. They say they were able to collect some of the firsthand field data on the area’s wildlife, including its little-studied seagrass beds. The team gathered up pieces of grass floating in the water to examine later in the laboratory. It isn’t yet known how much carbon is being stored in Saya de Malha. But experts estimate that worldwide, the root systems of seagrasses trap more than 10 percent of the carbon buried in oceans sediment (沉积物) per year. Therefore, the carbon-storing abilities of seagrass have massive implications (影响) for worldwide efforts to limit climate change.

This year, Seychelles began looking at its coastal seagrass carbon supply for the first time. And at least 10 countries have said seagrasses would play a part in their climate action plans.