Monitoring ecosystems the high-tech way

can simulate what's going to happen."

This modeling has already contributed to a better understanding of the environment--the island is home to more herbivores than previously thought, for example.

When tracking creatures, radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology has been helping researchers, too. Post-doctoral researcher Robin Freeman has been monitoring the vulnerable habitat and habits of a population of manx shearwater seabirds off the coast of England. His team has used RFID tags to create a sensor network that, in combination with a GPS system, allows them to track their comings and goings, their weight, and, over time, their presence in the eco-system, according to Freeman.

"Now we can get real-time information," Freemand said. "They're also programmed to be intelligent, so we can remotely reconfigure them, too. Before we had to go sticking our hands in their burrows (to adjust the tag settings) and risk getting bitten."