Life Sciences Commons^™

Class Notes

DePaul Magazine

DePaul alumni share news about their promotions, career moves, weddings, birth announcements, other accomplishments and more with the DePaul community. John Carruthers (CMN MA '09) makes pizzas to support nonprofits. Nyabweza Itaagi (LAS MA '18) helps grow a community-owned agro-eco district with a nature trail in a former rail corridor and conversions of vacant lots into urban farms.

Some Reflections On Developing Trend Of Gravimetry In China, Heping Sun

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

With the development of modern science and technology, gravimetry is growing vigorously and is increasingly becoming an interdisciplinary subject that is closely related to many others such as geology, fundamental physics, geodynamics, hydrology, oceanography, and astronomy. It is now a key subject in giving service to demands in national strategy and fundamental researches in geoscience such as fiducial surveying and mapping, resource exploration, military security, and hazard monitoring. Therefore, owning the core gravimetric techniques is one of the pivots which reflect national core competitiveness. This study first briefly overviews the history and actuality of the growth of gravimetry subject in …

Improve Governance System Of National Parks, Build The World‘S Largest National Park System With High Quality, Baorong Huang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Improving the governance system of national parks is an inevitable requirement for China’s high-quality construction of the world’s largest national park system. This study analyzes the main challenges and problems faced by China’s national park governance based on long-term investigation on national parks and national park system pilot areas. Under the overall logic of modernization of China’s national governance system and governance capabilities, drawing on international experiences in sound governance of regional and watershed public goods and national parks, this study proposes a theoretical framework for establishing a “four in one” national park governance system in China, including a comprehensive …

Experience And Enlightenment Of Eu Natura 2000 Protected Area Network, Ling Tang, Baorong Huang, Tong Jin, Xuetian Hu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The EU Natura 2000 protected area network, covering nearly 19% of the land and 10% of the sea in the EU, has played an important role in protecting biodiversity and enhancing regional socio-economic well-being, and is regarded as the most successful protected area network in the world. Its successful experience is mainly reflected in five aspects. (1) The adoption of regional biodiversity conservation legislation and the promotion of compliance with the law by member countries to promote the construction of the protected area network. (2) The establishment of a decision-making and implementation mechanism that combines the EU resolution process and …

Problems And Suggestions Of Building Scientific Decision-Making And Advisory Mechanism Of National Parks—Governance-Based Perspective, Yu Wei, Duowei Cheng, Yi Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

National parks are multi-factor, multi-functional and multi-dimensional complexes, which makes them difficult to follow the traditional administration and management modes, and need to explore the construction of a modernized governance system. An important step in enhancing the effectiveness of governance is to establish a reasonable, and efficient scientific decision-making and consultation mechanism. China has made remarkable progress in scientific decision-making and consultation in national parks. However, there are still some problems with the national parks’ decision-making process and effectiveness due to vague definition of authority and responsibility, dependence on departmentalized management paths, and inadequate upward and downward transmission of information …

Regime Of National Park Group Based On Protected Area System In Tibetan Plateau, Dong Chen, Yafei Wang, Dengsheng Wu, Jie Fan

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

China’s national park reform has entered a new stage of promoting reform based on the protected area system. The national park team of the second comprehensive scientific investigation and research on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) took the lead in putting forward the construction plan of the TP protected area, which is dominated by national park in area and function. The TP national park group, including “small group” which refer to national park, and “large group” which refer to different protected areas, innovates the long-term mechanism for the construction of national ecological security barriers on TP. The national park group requires …

A Coupled Model Of Population, Poaching, And Economic Dynamics To Assess Rhino Conservation Through Legal Trade, Henry Doyle, Kylie Champagne, Ditto Rajpal, Grace Seebeck, David J. Gerberry

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

Rhinoceros populations in Africa are in peril largely due to the high value of their horns and the poaching that ensues. The strategy of legalizing the international trade of rhino horn is receiving increased support among both the people and government officials in Africa. Many in the international conservation community remain opposed to the idea. The legalization strategy is straightforward in theory: legalizing the trade of rhino horn will introduce a large quantity of horn to the market, the increased supply will lead to lower prices for rhino horn, and lower prices will reduce the overall poaching pressure these animals …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Developing Characteristic Resource Plants To Build A Beautiful China, Lei Shi, Zheng'an Liu, Lijun Wang, Qingyan Shu, Meiyu Sun, Wei Duan, Hui Li

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

It is an important way to solve the contradiction among ecology, production and life in natural protected areas and ecologically fragile region by constructing the three-production integration mode of characteristic resource plants. In order to fully tap and make use of the outstanding characteristics of oil tree peony, wine grape and aromatic plants, this study carried out technology integration of variety screening, planting, harvesting, processing, product research and development, and industrialization demonstration in and around natural protected areas and ecologically fragile region. Through the economic benefits generated, the life of the people in the natural protected areas and ecologically fragile …

An Innovative Restoration Mode “Macrophytes–Fishes–Benthons–Birds” Implemented In Aesthetic Plateau Wetlands, Junxing Yang, Xiaoai Wang, Xiaofu Pan, Yuanwe Zhang, Heqi Wu, Anli Wu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Affected by both increasing human activities and climate change, Yunnan Plateau lakes were faced with threats such as water level decreasing, water-body reducing, and severe pollution. Many indigenous species were endangered or even disappeared. The ecological restorations implemented since 1980s almost all used alien species. As an inevitable result, severe negative impacts from alien species were observed on the Plateau wetland ecosystem and indigenous species. To solve these problems, with the support of relevant projects, an innovative restoration mode mainly with indigenous flag-species “macrophytes – fishes – benthons – birds” was proposed. This innovative mode was implemented respectively in Dianchi …

Innovation And Practice On Biodiversity Conservation In Sanjiangyuan National Park, Xinquan Zhao, Shixiao Xu, Liang Zhao, Tongzuo Zhang, Linyong Hu, Qi Li, Tongqing Guo

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Sanjiangyuan National Park, is one of the first batch of national parks in China, and serves as the largest national park in China. As an important ecological security barrier and a alpine biological germplasm resource base, it has significant conservation value in China and even in the world. Lots of protocols have been taken aiming at ecological tacking protection issues including loss of biodiversity and wildlife habitats, degradation of alpine grassland and overgrazing in Sanjiangyuan National Park. It promotes the implementation of major ecological restoration projects, and has formed the Sanjiangyuan National Park Biodiversity Conservation and Ecological Protection Program with …

Conception On Asian Elephant Ecological Corridor Planning With Implications For Conservation, Xueyou Li, Qiupeng Yu, Zhechang Hu, Xuelong Jiang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

In order to practice the concept of coordinated development of “Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains are Invaluable Assets” and “mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts are part of the community of life”, this study takes “pursuing green development and promoting harmony between humanity and nature” proposed in the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China as the theoretical guidance. With the goal of enhancing ecosystem integrity and connectivity, enhancing population communication, enhancing population viability, and providing a model for the construction of ecological corridors for flagship species, based on the current distribution and …

Book Review: Australian Caves And Karst Systems, John Webb, Susan White, Garry K. Smith, Jo De Waele

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

Impacts Of Forest Fire Carbon Emission And Mitigation Strategies, Zhihua Liu, Hongshi He, Wenru Xu, Yu Liang, Jiaojun Zhu, Geoff G. Wang, Wei Wei, Zifa Wang, Yongming Han

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Between 2000 and 2020, global wildfires contributed to approximately 7.32 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, accounting for about 18.5% of CO2 emissions released from fossil fuels. Forest fires alone contributed to around 20% of these wildfire emissions, approximately 1.5 billion metric tons of CO2. Due to climate change and human activities, carbon emissions from forest fires are on the rise. For example, the 2023 Canadian fires have emitted 1.268 billion metric tons of CO2 up to August 29th. Despite the simultaneous increase in forest area and volume, the frequency and extent of forest fires have significantly decreased …

Research On China’S Marine Protected Areas Policy Based On Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework 2030 Targets, Ke Duan, Xiulin Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at the Conference of Parties (COP15) has set a series of targets, including protecting at least 30% of the oceans by 2030 worldwide. In China, how to build a marine ecological civilization in synergy with the targets has become an important issue. This study analyzes the necessity of accelerating the construction of marine protected areas in China from the perspectives of adapting to international trends, fulfilling the responsibilities of international conventions, safeguarding maritime rights and interests, and implementing the maritime power and strategy. The feasibility …

The Economic Value Of Sea Otters And Recreational Tourism In A California Estuary, Jessica A. Fujii, Charles S. Colgan, Anthony Castelletto, Michelle M. Staedler, Amy G. Wolfrum, Kyle S. Van Houtan

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

The recovery of marine megafauna can lead to improved ecosystem function and services, but not all stakeholders may benefit equally. Quantifying the local economic value of a species’ presence may appeal to broader range of stakeholders when developing conservation strategies. This study aims to examine the economic effect recreational activities can have on a local region, and to determine what role the presence of southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) had on the value visitors placed on the visit and the area’s preservation. We surveyed visitors to Elkhorn Slough, a small estuary in California known for diverse wildlife, …

Thoughts And Suggestions On Oasis Ecological Construction And Agricultural Development In Hexi Corridor, Wenzhi Zhao, Heng Ren, Jun Du, Rong Yang, Qiyue Yang, Hu Liu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Oasisization is an external manifestation of the temporal and spatial evolution of oasis in arid areas, and the regional water carrying capacity is the key to restricting oasis agriculture and ecological protection in arid areas. The Hexi Corridor is not only an important passage from the east to the west in China, but also an important carrier of regional development; it is not only an important ecological barrier in Northwest China, but also a typical irrigated agricultural area. After more than 60 years of construction, the Hexi Corridor has made remarkable achievements in social progress, traffic conditions, ecological construction and …

The Future Of Pandemics: Land Use Controls As Means Of Preventing Zoonotic Disease, Bailey Andree

Pace International Law Review

Zoonotic diseases are increasing in frequency as climate change worsens around the world, with the recent COVID-19 pandemic highlighting the inadequate mechanisms in place to counteract disease spread. This article reviews various zoonotic diseases and their patterns of spread, highlighting land use change as the key driver of disease to demonstrate the need for legal intervention. International land use law is a little-developed subsect of environmental law that holds the key to combating this disease spread, and this article proposes solutions through this legal lens. Land use techniques which may be used to combat disease spread include conservation laws, setback …

The Path To U.S. National Registration Of A Toxic Bait For The Control Of The Small Indian Mongoose, Carmen C. Antaky, Steven C. Hess, Emily W. Ruell, Israel L. Leinbach, Shane R. Siers, Robert T. Sugihara

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata [syn. Herpestes auropunctatus]; mongoose) is a highly invasive species in its introduced range that negatively impacts ecosystems. Mongooses depredate native species, serve as a vector of disease posing a risk to human health, and cause sanitation issues in food processing facilities and public areas. Introduced for biocontrol in the late 1800s in Hawaiʻi and the Caribbean, mongooses currently have well-established populations across multiple islands in both island archipelagos and have invaded numerous other locations throughout the world. The concern of accidental introduction to mongoose-free islands, the difficulty in species detection, and the …

A Trichy Situation, Kathryn Purple

Cumberland Mountain Naturalist

This issue of the Cumberland Mountain Naturalist discusses Dr Kathryn Purple's research concerning Trichomonosis carried by pigeons.

Full Issue, Frank R. Thompson Iii

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

No abstract provided.

The Evolution Of Quail Research: Trends In Themes, Cognitive Extent, And Lexical Diversity, Fidel Hernández

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Language is an interesting characteristic that is unique to humans. Language represents a method of human communication and is believed to reflect a person’s view of reality (Kramsch 2004). The words used by a person or a community provide insight into the ideas, concepts, and worldview held by people (Pennebaker et al. 2003). In science, publications represent a primary form of communication of ideas among scientists. Publications provide a historical record of a discipline and reflect the relative interest of a scientific community in particular concepts during a given era (Kim et al. 2018). Consequently, how word use in publications …

Effects Of Climate Change On Northern Bobwhite Nesting Chronology And Clutch Size, Justin A. Rectenwald, D. Clay Sisson, James A. Martin

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Widespread changes to breeding bird phenology in response to climate change have been apparent in North America for several decades. While the impact of an earlier breeding season may be minimal by itself, changes in community-level interactions can be greatly influenced because of varying responses to climate change in different trophic levels. Climate change has been shown to alter the onset of breeding season and chick survival, and lead to population declines for game birds in high latitudes, at high elevations, and on the periphery of their range. The topic of climate change in relation to northern bobwhite (Colinus …

Examining A Habitat-Weather Threshold For Northern Bobwhite Populations In The Southwestern United States, John T. Edwards, Fidel Hernández, Andrea Montalvo, Masahiro Ohnishi

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

In semiarid portions of the northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite) geographic distribution, weather is a strong driver of interannual abundance. However, the strength of this relationship may depend on habitat amount. Given this habitat–weather dependence, there is likely to be a threshold value for habitat that determines how strongly a bobwhite population responds to weather. Our objective was to evaluate the relationship between habitat amount and the relative influence of weather on bobwhite abundance in Texas and Oklahoma, USA and determine a potential land-cover threshold value. We collected bobwhite abundance and land-cover data from the Breeding Bird …

Climate Impacts On North American Quail, Shelby M. Perry, Erin Moser, Jeffrey G. Whitt, Kelly S. Reyna

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

North America’s quail population trends are often linked to regional climate. Extreme climate events such as severe drought, hard freezes, or excessive winter precipitation can reduce quail populations by as much as 84%. Above-average spring and summer temperatures coincident with drought can reduce the laying season for quail by ≤60 days. Exposure of quail eggs to high temperatures during preincubation can initiate and alter embryonic development. Here, we review the impacts of extreme climate events and a changing climate on the survival, reproduction, and population trends of 6 North American quail species: California quail (Callipepla californica), Gambel’s quail …

Northern Bobwhite Response To Control Of Red Imported Fire Ants In The Gulf Coast Prairie Of Texas, Kelly M. Redmond, Eric D. Grahmann, Fidel Hernández, Leonard A. Brennan, Michael E. Morrow, Timothy Anderson

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

The population decline of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite) on the Texas Gulf Coast Prairie, USA is largely attributed to habitat loss. However, red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) occur throughout the region and are considered a possible contributing factor to the bobwhite decline. The objectives of our study were to determine the influence of red imported fire ants on bobwhites by comparing bobwhite nest success, survival, and density between sites treated with fire ant bait (treatment) and reference (control) sites. Our study was conducted on 3 private ranches in Goliad and Refugio counties, Texas. …

Northern Bobwhite And Fire: A Review And Synthesis, David A. Weber, Evan P. Tanner, Theron M. Terhune Ii, J. Morgan Varner, James A. Martin

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Our understanding of the relationship between northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite) and fire began with Herbert Stoddard’s work in the early 20th century. Research on the topic has continued, but our application of fire is deeply rooted in Stoddard’s work, even as it has become evident that fire regimes must be adapted to variable environmental conditions that are evolving with a changing landscape and climate. A comprehensive review and synthesis of the literature on this topic would help formalize research advancements since Stoddard and identify knowledge gaps for future research. Results from experiments suggest fire creates favorable …

Bobwhite Response To Cattle Grazing In South Texas, Bradley K. Johnston, J. Alfonso Ortega-S., Leonard A. Brennan, Fidel Hernández, Humberto L. Perotto-Baldivieso

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Range management practices to improve habitat for wildlife by reducing brush and increasing herbaceous plants, coupled with reduced stocking rates, can lead to dense stands of dominant grasses, such as four-flower trichloris (Trichloris pluriflora). This monoculture of trichloris creates dense vegetation unsuitable for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite), reduces plant species diversity, and alters ecosystem functions. The objectives of this study are to 1) evaluate the effects of a proper cattle grazing regime to improve bobwhite habitat and 2) develop a management guide documenting how cattle grazing can be used as a tool to reduce …

Northern Bobwhite Response To Vegetation Management And Recovery In South Texas, Rachel A. Smith, Leonard A. Brennan, Humberto L. Perotto-Baldivieso, Fidel Hernández

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

The northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite) requires habitat structure and composition with grass cover for nesting, predator avoidance, and thermal refuge and forb cover for feeding on phytophagous arthropods and seeds. During the past 2 decades, many land managers with interest in promoting quail hunting opportunities have reduced or completely eliminated livestock across South Texas, USA, rangelands. Resting the land from grazing allows vegetation—especially grasses and forbs—to recover and thus provide nesting and foraging habitat for bobwhite and other birds. How bobwhite respond to postgrazing vegetation recovery is of keen interest to rangeland quail managers, but this …

Efficacy Of A Preemergence Herbicide Following Postemergence Control To Reduce Sericea Lespedeza In Old Fields Managed For Northern Bobwhite, Mark A. Turner, Bonner L. Powell, Craig A. Harper

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata; hereafter, sericea) is a nonnative forb that commonly invades sites managed for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite). Sericea can reduce habitat quality for bobwhite as it outcompetes native plants that provide forage and cover. Bobwhite eat sericea seed, but seed are relatively indigestible and may limit nutrition intake and reduce the fecundity rate. Postemergence herbicides, including glyphosate, triclopyr, and fluroxypyr+triclopyr, control standing sericea, but do not provide preemergence control, which would increase long-term control because sericea annually produces large amounts of hard seed with high dormancy rates. Imazapic is labeled to …