Life Sciences Commons^™

Slate-Throated Redstarts (Myioborus Miniatus) Breeding In Maderas Del Carmen, Coahuila, Mexico, John Mccormack

John E. McCormack

The breeding range of the slate-throated redstart (Myioborus miniatus) stretches from South America to Mexico, where it extends northward along the Sierra Madre Oriental to southeastern Coahuila and along the Sierra Madre Occidental to southern Chihuahua and Sonora. We report the discovery of slate-throated redstarts breeding in the Maderas del Carmen mountains in Coahuila. This represents a range extension of approximately 400 km and is, to our knowledge, the northernmost breeding record for this species.

Taxomic Status Atelophryniscus Chrysophorus Mccranie, Wilson And Williams, 1989, (Anura Bufonidae) Inferred From Phylogeny, Edgar Lehr, Jennifer Pramuk

Edgar Lehr

The family Bufonidae is nearly cosmopolitan in distribution and contains 33 genera. The monotypic bufonid genus Atelophryniscus was described relatively recently from Honduras. This taxon was distinguished from Buto on the basis of its unusual gastromyzophorus tadpole. Stream-dwelling gastromyzophorus tadpoles are atypical within Bufonidae and when Atelophryniscus was described, this type of tadpole was unknown among members of the genus Buto. To investigate the phylogenetic placement of this taxon, we analyzed 83 previously published morphological characters for a sampling of Old and New World bufonids and included newly coded data. The data indicate that (1) there are no autapomorphies supporting …

Analysis Of Andes Frogs (Phrynopus, Leptodactylidae, Anura) Phylogeny Based On 12s And 16s Mitochondrial Rdna Sequences, Edgar Lehr, Guido Fritzsche, Anke Muller

Edgar Lehr

South American leptodactylid frogs of the genus Phrynopus occur in cloud-forest, páramo, subpáramo and puna habitats (1000–4400 m elevation) from Colombia to Bolivia. Currently, there are 34 described species; however, many additional species new to science have been reported from Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. The phylogeny of the species-diverse Phrynopus is unknown and the position of the genus within Leptodactylidae is poorly understood. We present the results of a phylogenetic study based on 12S and 16S mitochondrial rDNA. Fifteen species of Phrynopus from Bolivia to Ecuador are included, along with several other genera of Leptodactylidae and representatives of other frog …

A New Species Of Bufo (Anura Bufonidae) From Andean Peru, Edgar Lehr, Jennifer Pramuk, Mikael Lundberg

Edgar Lehr

A new species of Bufo tentatively assigned to the Bulo veraguensis group is described from forests near Paucartambo de Pasco, Peru, at elevations of 2600-3000 m in the Cordillera Oriental of central Peru. The new species differs from all known bufonids by having numerous large glands with many keratinous tips on the dorsum, large glands on the tibia and forearm, and two large dorsal glands lying between the parotoids. The new species is most similar to Bufa chavin. Both species are compared to each other and B. veraguensis with respect to external characters and skull osteology. The tadpole and call …

Barriers And Flow As Limiting Factors In The Spread Of An Invasive Crayfish (Procambarus Clarkii) In Southern California Streams, Jacob Kerby, Seth Riley, Lee Kats, Paul Wilson

Lee Kats

Invasive crayfish are a major threat to stream ecosystems, yet research has seldom identified successful ways of preventing their spread. Thirty-two stream sections were surveyed during 2000 and 2001 in the Santa Monica Mountains of southern California to determine the distribution of the invasive crayfish Procambarus clarkii. Streams with large barriers (waterfalls, culverts) often did not have crayfish present upstream of barriers. A mark-recapture study indicated that P. clarkii moved both up and downstream between pools, but that barriers significantly reduced movement between pools. Seasonal high flow velocities likely increase passive movement downstream and reduce movement upstream. Results indicate that …

The Reef Fish Assemblage Of The Outer Los Angeles Federal Breakwater, 2002–2003, John Froeschke, Larry Allen, Daniel Pondella

Daniel Pondella

The conspicuous and cryptic fish assemblage of the Los Angeles Federal Breakwater was assessed from 2002 to 2003. Thirty-five species were observed or collected during the study period. The assemblage of cryptic fishes was composed primarily of a mix of Oregonian and San Diegan, species including snubnose sculpin (Orthonopias triacis), coralline sculpin (Artedius corallinus) and blackeye goby (Rhinogobiops nicholsii). The species composition of conspicuous fishes was approximately equal between taxa from these two provinces. Blacksmith (Chromis punctipinnis), black perch (Embiotoca jacksoni) and kelp bass (Paralabrax clathratus) dominated the assemblage of conspicuous fishes. Species composition reflects the localized cool temperature regime …

Three New Species Of Phyrnopus From Central Peru (Amphibia Anura: Leptodactylidae), Edgar Lehr, Mikael Lundberg, Cesar Aguilar

Edgar Lehr

Three new species of Phrynopus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) are described from cloud forest and puna habitats in central Peruvian Departamento de Pasco between 3600 and 4390 m elevation, the latter is the highest known elevation of the genus. The new species have first finger shorter than second, vomerine teeth absent, and tympanic membrane and tympanic annulus absent, but differ in snout-vent length, skin texture, and coloration. Currently 37 species of Phrynopus are described, 26 (70.3%) of which are endemic to Peru.

A New Species Of The Eleutherodactylus Nigrovittatus Group (Anura: Leptodactylidae) From Andean Peru, Edgar Lehr

Edgar Lehr

No abstract provided.

A Multidimensional Approach For Detecting Species Patterns In Malagasy Vertebrates, Anne D. Yoder, Link E. Olson, Carol Hanley, Kellie L. Heckman, Rodin Rasoloarison, Amy L. Russell, Julie Ranivo, Voahangy Soarimalala, K. Praveen Karanth, Achille P. Raselimanana, Steven M. Goodman

Amy L. Russell

Biogeography Of The Nearshore Rocky-Reef Fishes At The Southern And Baja California Islands, Daniel Pondella, Brooke Gintert, Jana Cobb, Larry Allen

Daniel Pondella

No abstract provided.

National Park Service Southwest Alaska National Parks Visitor Impact Monitoring: Phase 1 Report, Christopher Monz, P. D'Luhosch

Christopher Monz

No abstract provided.

Evidence For A General Species-Time-Area Relationship, Peter B. Adler, Ethan P. White, William K. Lauenroth, Dawn M. Kaufman, Andrew Rassweiler, James A. Rusak

Ethan P White

The species–area relationship (SAR) plays a central role in biodiversity research, and recent work has increased awareness of its temporal analogue, the species– time relationship (STR). Here we provide evidence for a general species–time–area relationship (STAR), in which species number is a function of the area and time span of sampling, as well as their interaction. For eight assemblages, ranging from lake zooplankton to desert rodents, this model outperformed a sampling-based model and two simpler models in which area and time had independent effects. In every case, the interaction term was negative, meaning that rates of species accumulation in space …

Periodic Selection And Ecological Diversity In Bacteria, Frederick Cohan

Frederick M. Cohan

No abstract provided.

Houses Of Straw, David A. Bainbridge

David A Bainbridge

Straw bale building offers high performance at a low cost. Bale building, developed on the grasslands of Nebraska at turn of the last century, has been rediscovered. High insulation values and high interior thermal mass make straw bales a good choice for passive solar design.

The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker In Mississippi?, Stephen J. Dinsmore

Stephen J Dinsmore

In April the environmental community received a real surprise--the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, long thought to be extinct, had apparently been rediscovered in Arkansas! As the news unfolded, the world learned that a team of researchers had been tracking at least one woodpecker, a lone male, for more than a year in the Cache River region of east-central Arkansas. The rediscovery of a bird presumed extinct for more than 60 years subsequently galvanized the environmental community and garnered much-needed support for the preservation of the Southeast's remaining old growth bottomland forests and endangered species recovery.

Waterfowl Abundance And Distribution In The Mississippi Delta, Stephen J. Dinsmore, Aaron T. Pearse, Richard M. Kaminski, Kenneth J. Reinecke

Stephen J Dinsmore

During mornings of empty skies, a duck hunter has plenty of time to ponder the question, "Where are all the ducks?" Invariable, the distraught hunter arrives at an unhappy conclusion: the ducks are not going to show up, so they must be elsewhere. The typical progression of an unsuccessful morning of hunting leads to multiple explanations as to why there weren't any ducks, such as mild winter temperatures in and north of Mississippi, not enough rain to attract ducks, too much rain and the ducks are scattered, the region doesn't have enough food to attract and hold ducks, the ducks …

Who Believes What? Clearing Up Confusion Over Intelligent Design And Young-Earth Creationism, Marcus R. Ross

Marcus R. Ross

The question of what differentiates young-Earth creationism (YEC) from Intelligent Design (ID) has resulted in inaccurate and confusing terminology, and hinders both understanding and dialogue. Though both YEC and ID groups have drawn distinctions between themselves, previous attempts to classify design-based positions on origins have been unable to adequately resolve their relationships. The Nested Hierarchy of Design, a multiple-character classification system, categorizes teleological positions according to the strength of claims regarding the reality, detectability, source, method, and timing of design, and results in an accurate and robust classification of numerous positions. This method avoids the philosophical and theological pitfalls of …

Evidence For A General Species-Time-Area Relationship, Peter B. Adler

Peter B. Adler

The species–area relationship (SAR) plays a central role in biodiversity research, and recent work has increased awareness of its temporal analogue, the species– time relationship (STR). Here we provide evidence for a general species–time–area relationship (STAR), in which species number is a function of the area and time span of sampling, as well as their interaction. For eight assemblages, ranging from lake zooplankton to desert rodents, this model outperformed a sampling-based model and two simpler models in which area and time had independent effects. In every case, the interaction term was negative, meaning that rates of species accumulation in space …

Assessing Cultural And Ecological Variation In Ethnobiological Research: The Importance Of Gender, Jeanine M. Pfeiffer

Jeanine M. Pfeiffer

Contending that a significant portion of current ethnobiological research continues to overlook cultural variation in traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and practice, this paper explores the potential impacts of gender-imbalanced research on data collection, hypothesis testing, and the formulation and application of ethnobiological inventories and theories. A multidisciplinary review of over 220 studies addresses commonly held stereotypes underlying gender-imbalanced field research and demonstrates the need for more inclusive, finely-tuned studies which disaggregate indigenous knowledge and practice by gender. The paper outlines factors underlying gender-based spatial and temporal variation in ecosystem exposure and traditional ecological knowledge in rural societies worldwide, and discusses …

Presence And Colonization Of Placobdella On Two Species Of Freshwater Turtles (Graptemys Geographica And Sternotherus Odoratus), Travis Ryan

Travis J. Ryan

It is generally accepted that bottom-dwelling turtles have a higher ectoparasite load than turtles that bask aerially because of effects of desiccation on ectoparasites, especially with regard to leeches. We compared number of leeches (primarily Placobdella parasitica) on field-caught Common Musk Turtles (Stemotherus odoratus) and Common Map Turtles (Graptemys geographica). The bottom-dwelling species S. odoratus had more than 20 times the number of leeches than the aerial-basking species G. geographica. We then exposed cleaned (leech-free) turtles to leeches in mesocosms (cattle tanks) to measure the rate of colonization. In this experiment, S. odoratus had more than four times the number …

The Atlas Mountains, Not The Strait Of Gibraltar, As A Biogeographic Barrier For Mauremys Leprosa (Reptilia: Testudines), Edgar Lehr, Uwe Fritz, Guido Fritzsch, Jean-Marc Ducotterd, Anke Muller

Edgar Lehr

Sequence data of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of stripe-necked terrapins (Mauremys leprosa) have been compared from localities north and south of the Atlas Mts . (Ceuta; Morocco) and from Donana National Park (Spain). A low maximum sequence divergence (approximately I %) corresponds to two major clades; one is re presented by localities to the north of the Atlas Mts. and in Dofiana National Park and the other by localities to the south of the Atlas Mts. Differentiation between populations north and south of the Atlas Mts. is much more pronounced than that found between samples from each side of …

Resurrection Of The Stenocercus Torquatus Boulenger, A Spiny-Tailed Iguanid Lizard (Squamata: Iguania) From Peru, Edgar Lehr, Mikael Lundberg, Omar Torres-Carvajal

Edgar Lehr

We resurrect and redescribe Stenocercus torquatus from the Andes of central Peru in departamentos JUnln and Pasco at elevations between 800 and 1800 m. This species was erroneously synonymized with Stenocercus crassicaudatus, which occurs allopatrically in the Andes of southeastern Peru, departamento Cusco. In addition to several scale counts, Stenocercus torquatus differs from S. crassicaudatus in having a black antehumeral collar, two black transverse bands anterior to the antehumeral collar, a shorter tail, the ability to change color, and an arboreal life-style.

Effects Of Urbanization On The Distribution And Abundance Of Amphibians And Invasive Species In Southern California Streams, Seth Riley, Gary Busteed, Lee Kats, Thomas Vandergon, Lena Lee, Rosi Dagit, Jacob Kerby, Robert Fisher, Raymond Sauvajot

Lee Kats

Urbanization negatively affects natural ecosystems in many ways, and aquatic systems in particular. Urbanization is also cited as one of the potential contributors to recent dramatic declines in amphibian populations. From 2000 to 2002 we determined the distribution and abundance of native amphibians and ex- otic predators and characterized stream habitat and invertebrate communities in 35 streams in an urbanized landscape north of Los Angeles (U.S.A.). We measured watershed development as the percentage of area within each watershed occupied by urban land uses. Streams in more developed watersheds often had exotic crayfish ( Procambarus clarkii) and fish, and had fewer …

Microbial Diversity In Hot Spring Cyanobacterial Mats: Pattern And Prediction, Frederick M. Cohan, D. M. Ward

Frederick M. Cohan

No abstract provided.

Genetic Variation And Migration In The Mexican Free-Tailed Bat (Tadarida Brasiliensis Mexicana), Amy L. Russell, R. A. Medellín, G. F. Mccracken

Amy L. Russell

Which Species Concept For Bacteria?—An E-Debate, S. Godreuil, Frederick M. Cohan, H. Shah, M. Tibayrenc

Frederick M. Cohan

No abstract provided.

Seedling Survival And Growth Of Three Native Species In Pastures: Implications For Dry Forest Rehabilitation, Heather P. Griscom, P.M.S. Ashton, G.P. Berlyn

Heather P. Griscom

No abstract provided.

Bearing The Costs Of Human-Wildlife Conflict: The Challenges Of Compensation Schemes, Philip J. Nyhus, Steve A. Osofsky, Paul Ferraro, H Fischer, Francine Madden

Philip J. Nyhus

No abstract provided.

Conservation And Development Interventions At The Wildlife-Livestock Interface, Steven A. Osofsky, Sarah Cleaveland, William B. Karesh, Michael D. Kock, Philip J. Nyhus, Lisa Starr, Angela Yang

Philip J. Nyhus

No abstract provided.

Darwinisms’S Multiple Ontologies, David J. Depew

David J Depew

No abstract provided.