Microdots could help combat poaching
October 14th, 2011 - 3:33 pm ICT by IANSSydney, Oct 14 (IANS) Microdots, originally developed to track stolen cars, will now help track wasps the same way. The method could prove helpful in tracking elephant tusks and rhinoceros horns and combating poaching, say researchers.
The plastic microdots are as tiny as a dot and contain a personalised code which can be read under a magnifier.
Michael Whitehead from the Australian National University’s School of Biology, examining the parasitoid thynnine wasp’s role in orchid pollination, found available tracking methods of no use.
“So my brother and I came up with the idea to test out microdots as a tracking system,” said Whitehead, reports the journal Agricultural and Forest Entomology.
To test the method, the research team captured wasps and attached coded microdots to their backs with liquid paper or nail polish before releasing them, according to a School of Biology statement.
After being recaptured, 84 percent of tagged wasps retained a legible microdot, proving the method to be effective and durable.
“The method also opens the door to a whole range of applications beyond research, ranging from tracing oysters stolen from oyster farms to tracking elephant tusks and rhinoceros horns to combat poaching,” Whitehead said.
- Fossilized fig wasp hasn't changed for over 34 million years - Jun 16, 2010
- East Asia drives trade in wildlife parts, says report - Jul 28, 2011
- Sexual deception in orchids explained - Dec 18, 2009
- Interpol seizes two tonnes of elephant ivory - Jun 20, 2012
- Conservation efforts help increase Nepal's rhino population - Apr 26, 2011
- Parasitic wasps' genome sequencing paves way for improved pest control - Jan 15, 2010
- Scientists sequence genome of three species of parasitoid wasps - Feb 18, 2010
- Ivory poachers shot dead in Kenya - Apr 22, 2012
- Four rhino poachers killed in gunfight in Kaziranga - May 21, 2010
- New scent created by breeding orchid species to trick male bees - Apr 22, 2010
- Tiny wasps provide hope for vanishing species - Jan 11, 2010
- Indian-American jeweller pleads guilty to illegal ivory sales? - Jul 13, 2012
- Kenya seizes Nigeria-bound 600 kg illegal ivory - Jun 23, 2012
- One-horned rhino killed in Kaziranga park - Oct 28, 2010
- Fig wasps transporting pollen 10 times further than any other insect - Nov 10, 2009
Tags: biology, brother, cars, elephant, elephant tusks, legible, liquid paper, michael whitehead, microdots, nail polish, orchid pollination, oyster farms, oysters, parasitoid, personalised code, rhinoceros, rhinoceros horns, sydney, wasp, wasps