UNH Today

Species Lines Blur Between Two Sparrows in New England’s Tidal Marshes

Among birds, the line between species is often blurry. Some closely related species interbreed where their ranges overlap, producing hybrid offspring that can backcross with either parent species, until a whole population of mixed-species birds forms in the area and creates what’s known as a “hybrid zone.†In the coastal marshes of New England, this has been happening between two sparrows— the Saltmarsh Sparrow and Nelson’s Sparrow.

UNH Research: New England Lakes Recovering Rapidly From Acid Rain

For more than 40 years, policy makers have been working to reduce acid rain, a serious environmental problem that can devastateÌılakes, streams, and forests and the plants and animals that live in these ecosystems. Now new research funded by theÌıÌıat theÌıÌıindicates that lakes in New England and the Adirondack Mountains are recovering rapidly from the effects of acid rain.