Digital Commons Network^™

Current Status Of The Khulan (Equus Hemionus) In The Trans-Altai Gobi, Enkhbileg Dulamtseren, Adiya Yadamjav, Dovchindorj Ganbold, Mijidorj Batmunkh

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Since 1975, 25 wildlife surveys have been conducted in the Trans-Altai Gobi. In this paper we summarize results from the last 11 surveys, conducted between October 2000 and April 2005, and discuss our findings together with results from previous surveys.

Semi-Wild Population Of Kulans In The Bukhara Breeding Centre And Their Co-Habitation With Przewalski’S Horses, Karim Bahloul, Olga B. Pereladova, Natalia V. Soldatova, Ekaterina V. Sidorenko, Antoine J. Sempere

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Asiatic wild asses and Przewalski's horses initially inhabited steppe, semi-desert and desert areas, but Przewalski's horses became extinct in the wild, and kulans are under threat of disappearance. The Bukhara Breeding Centre (Uzbekistan) was created in 1976 for conservation and reintroduction of wild ungulate species. In 1977-1978, five kulans (two males and three females) from Barsa-Kelmes Island on the Aral lake were introduced to the reserve. The group increased to 25-30 animals in 1995-1998, when five Przewalski's horses from Moscow and St. Petersburg zoos were introduced to the same territory. We analyzed the home ranges, preferred habitats and social interactions …

Conceptualizing Wilderness Through Gis, Sarah Stevens

Undergraduate Research Symposium (UGRS)

The word “wilderness” in America is generally identified with pristine places where humans are not among the primary influences on the land and its ecology. The American wilderness ethic creates a strict dichotomy between humans and nature. The Wilderness Preservation Act of 1964 defines wilderness as “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain” (wilderness.net). This statutory definition of wilderness is essentially the functional embodiment of the American wilderness ethic. Wilderness can also be interpreted in ways that incorporate humans as active players in …

Femur-Marrow Fat Of White-Tailed Deer Fawns Killed By Wolves, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

I present marrow fat (MF) data from a large sample of white-tailed deer fawns killed by wolves and a sample of fawns that died by accident in a single area, and I use these data to explore the extent that poor nutritional condition may have predisposed fawns to wolf predation. Percent MF of 110 5–10-month-old white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns killed by wolves (Canis lupus) from November through April 1984–2002 in northeastern Minnesota, USA, was lower than MF for 23 fawns killed by accidents in the same area and period. The MF of both male and …

Habitat And Distribution Of The Ruffed Lemur, "Varecia", North Of The Bay Of Antongil In Northeastern Madagascar, Evon R. Hekkala, Marius Rakotondratsima, Natalie Vasey

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Here we present information on the conservation status of ruffed lemurs (Varecia) north of the Bay of Antongil in northeastern Madagascar. Two contiguous protected areas were recently established that traverse this region via blocks of forest connected by narrow forest corridors: the Masoala National Park, which expands further to the east, and the Makira Protected Area, which expands further to the west and northwest. The two extant ruffed lemurs, Varecia variegata and V. rubra, overlapped in this region historically and, on rare occasions, hybridized. As such, land north of the Bay of Antongil is a critical part …

Research & Action Report, Fall/Winter 2006, Wellesley Centers For Women, Rangita De Silva-De Alwis

Research & Action Report

In this issue:

WCW International Programs Reach East

New Staff Examine Risks, Change, Resilience in Relationships

Critical Mass on Corporate Boards: Why Three or More Women Enhance Governance

Book Review Of Twilight Of The Mammoths: Ice Age Extinctions And The Rewilding Of America By Paul S. Martin, Michael Fosha

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Applying ecological studies to the adaptations of prehistoric human hunter-gatherer groups has greatly increased our abilities to interpret effects of an ever-changing environment and our access to critical resources on these populations. The Pleistocene/Holocene transition, its climate and human genesis in the new world, draws intensive interest from a number of scientific communities. In Twilight of the Mammoths, Paul Martin adds his views, which are of no surprise, on the megafaunal extirpations during a cultural period referred to in North America as Clovis.

Evaluating The Long-Term Metacommunity Dynamics Of Tree Hole Mosquitoes, Alicia M. Ellis, L. Philip Lounibos, Marcel Holyoak

Dartmouth Scholarship

Four different conceptual models of metacommunities have been proposed, termed “patch dynamics,” “species sorting,” “mass effect,” and “neutral.” These models simplify thinking about metacommunities and improve our understanding of the role of spatial dynamics both in structuring communities and in determining local and regional diversity. We tested whether mosquito communities inhabiting water-filled tree holes in southeastern Florida, USA, displayed any of the characteristics and dynamics predicted by the four models. The densities of the five most common species in 3–8 tree holes were monitored every two weeks during 1978–2003. We tested relationships between habitat variables and species densities, spatial synchrony, …

Mother-Young Recognition In An Ungulate Hider Species: A Unidirectional Proce, Marco V.G. Torriani, Elisabetta Vannoni, Alan G. Mcelligott

Veterinary Science and Medicine Collection

Parent‐offspring recognition is usually crucial for survival of young. In mammals, olfaction often only permits identification at short range, and vocalizations are important at longer distances. Following and hiding antipredator strategies found in newborn mammals may also affect parental recognition mechanisms. We investigated mother‐offspring recognition in fallow deer, an ungulate hider species. We analyzed the structure of adult female and fawn contact calls to determine whether they are individually distinctive and tested for mother‐offspring recognition. Only females (and not fawns) have individualized vocalizations, with the fundamental frequency as the most distinctive parameter. Playback experiments showed that fawns can distinguish the …

Examining The Structural Covariates Of Methamphetamine Use: A Social Disorganization Perspective, Justin Smith

Masters Theses

There have been many anecdotal accounts describing the characteristics of individuals involved in methamphetamine use, trafficking and production. However, prior to the current study there was yet to be a macro-level analysis of methamphetamine use. The extant macro-level literature on drug use has suggested that areas with high levels of social disorganization experience high rates of drug use. It was expected that school-districts with low SES and high rates of ethnic heterogeneity, residential instability and family disruption will experience high rates of methamphetamine use. In addition, it was expected that rural school districts would show higher rates than urban and …

The Faculty Notebook, March & May 2006, Provost's Office

Faculty Notebook

The Faculty Notebook is published periodically by the Office of the Provost at Gettysburg College to bring to the attention of the campus community accomplishments and activities of academic interest. Faculty are encouraged to submit materials for consideration for publication to the Associate Provost for Faculty Development. Copies of this publication are available at the Office of the Provost.

Archaeological Testing For The Walker Ranch Park Bridge Project (41bx1271), San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, Barbara A. Meissner

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In April 2006 the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of the University of Texas at San Antonio was contracted by the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of San Antonio to perform subsurface investigations within the boundaries of site 41BX1251, in north-central San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The purpose of the testing was to learn if the concrete abutment of a planned pedestrian bridge over Salado Creek would impact significant archaeological deposits in this site, which is a part of the Walker Ranch National Historic District.

Five shovel tests and one backhoe trench were excavated. The shovel tests were …

The San Gorgonio Wilderness: A History Of Human Presence And Implications For Management, Cynthia Jeanne Holman

Theses Digitization Project

The San Gorgonio Wilderness in Southern California is surrounded on three sides by roads, and receives thousands of visitors each year. Its character as a wilderness is threatened by the large populations of people nearby, as well as the humans who venture into its boundaries. This project outlines the history of human presence in the Wilderness, and describes the impact of that presence. There is a discussion of attempts by various organizations to mitigate that impact, and deal with the increasing numbers of visitors. The project concludes with predictions and suggestions for the future of the San Gorgonio Wilderness.

Early Ontogenetic Diet In Gray Wolves, Canis Lupus, Of Coastal British Columbia, Heather M. Bryan, Chris T. Darimont, Thomas E. Reimchen, Paul C. Paquet

Biogeography and Ecological Opportunity Collection

Within populations, different age classes often consume dissimilar resources, and provisioning of juveniles by adults is one mechanism by which this can occur. Although the diet of Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) has been studied extensively, the diet of pups is largely unknown. We examined faeces deposited by altricial pups and adult providers during the first two months following birth at two den sites over two years on the central coast of British Columbia, Canada. Pups and adult wolves consumed similar species, and Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) constituted most of the diet for both age groups. Pup and adult diet, however, …

Indicators For The Evolution Of The Academic Architecture Library, Jeanne M. Brown

Library Faculty Research

The future is not really something one can predict, which does not, of course, keep us from speculating. In fact, the rapid advance of technology in the last ten years has made talking about the future something of a sport and resulted in "future" becoming code for "changes in technology." The future as determined by technology is not the major thrust of this article, although changes in technology are a given to just about anyone's future. Instead, the future is more broadly considered by looking at what is happening around us and speculating on the implications. This article attempts to …

Grouse News 31-40 (2006-2010), World Pheasant Association, Birdlife International, Iucn Ssc Grouse Specialist Grop

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

Issue 31 (May 2006)

Editorial 2 From the Chair 2 Research Reports Capercaillie as a tool of forest planning and as an indicator of forest environment quality 4 A Study of Caucasian black grouse Tetrao mlokosiewiczi population dispersion confined in Iran 5 A habitat and habitat-connectivity model for capercaillie Tetrao urogallus in the Black Forest as a tool for sustainable conservation planning (a PhD project in progress) 9 Clarifying the Status of the Caucasian black grouse Tetrao mlokosiewiczi – methodical approach 11 Could competition with ungulates be a limiting factor for Cantabrian capercaillie? A new Ph.D. project 15 Current status …

Relation Of Riparian Buffer Strips To In-Stream Habitat, Macroinvertebrates And Fish In A Small Iowa Stream, Jeremy P. Duehr, Michael J. Siepker, Clay L. Pierce, Thomas M. Isenhart

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Macroinvertebrate and fish habitat is often degraded as a result of agriculture. Riparian buffer strips are commonly used to counteract the negative effects of agriculture in headwater streams. We assessed the relation of multi-aged riparian buffer strips to in-stream habitat, macroinvertebrate and fish assemblages in an Iowa stream. In-stream habitat, macroinvertebrates, and fish were sampled from two buffered sites and two unbuffered sites, with the greatest substrate, water depth, and velocity heterogeneity occurring in buffered sites. The highest macroinvertebrate richness (11) as well as fish species richness (14), diversity (1.99) and IBI score (3 7) were found in the site …

Relation Of Riparian Buffer Strips To In-Stream Habitat, Macroinvertebrates And Fish In A Small Iowa Stream, Jeremy P. Duehr, Michael J. Siepker, Clay L. Pierce, Thomas M. Isenhart

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Macroinvertebrate and fish habitat is often degraded as a result of agriculture. Riparian buffer strips are commonly used to counteract the negative effects of agriculture in headwater streams. We assessed the relation of multi-aged riparian buffer strips to in-stream habitat, macroinvertebrate and fish assemblages in an Iowa stream. In-stream habitat, macroinvertebrates, and fish were sampled from two buffered sites and two unbuffered sites, with the greatest substrate, water depth, and velocity heterogeneity occurring in buffered sites. The highest macroinvertebrate richness (11) as well as fish species richness (14), diversity (1.99) and IBI score (37) were found in the site buffered …

A Spatial Analysis Of Obesity In West Virginia, Anura Amarasinghe, Gerard D'Souza, Cheryl Brown, Tatiana Borisova

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

A spatial panel data analysis at the county level examines how individual food consumption, recreational, and lifestyle choices ― against a backdrop of changing demographic, built environment, and policy factors ― leads to obesity. Results suggest that obesity tends to be spatially autocorrelated; in addition to hereditary factors and lifestyle choices, it is also caused by sprawl and lack of land use planning. Policy measures which stimulate educational attainment, poverty alleviation, and promotion of better land use planning and best consumption practices (BCPs) could both reduce obesity and result in sustainable development of regions where obesity is prevalent and the …

The Technical Fix Or The Systemic Solution For Urban Water Quality? A Case Study Of Grassroots Activism On Behalf Of New York City's Drinking Water, Mirele B. Goldsmith

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This case study examines the activities of the Croton Watershed Clean Water Coalition from 1996 until 2004. The Coalition opposed construction of a filtration plant for the Croton water supply. The study traces the Coalition’s campaign against filtration, which took place in the context of the widely heralded New York City Watershed Memorandum of Agreement (1997). Although the Agreement permitted New York City to avoid filtration for its Catskill and Delaware water supplies, plans were laid for filtration of the Croton supply.

My study is informed by political ecology which provides a framework for understanding politics, practices and contradictions involved …

Sinking Poor Decision-Making With Best Practices: A Case Study Of Artificial Reef Decision-Making In The Florida Keys, Thomas Wayne Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The natural reefs of the world are experiencing higher use and pressures, resulting in anthropogenic impacts that are deteriorating many coral stands and creating poor water quality. The Florida Keys rely primarily on the reef system that surrounds the archipelago for their socioeconomic health and successful future. The Florida Keys shares the symbiotic relationship of the terrestrial and marine realms with many other states and countries and the experience of higher demand on the resource. Artificial reefs could provide a substitute to the natural reefs for commercial and recreational users. An increased demand for derelict vessels of the U.S. Navy …

Proximate And Landscape Factors Influence Grassland Bird Distributions, Mary Ann Cunningham, Douglas H. Johnson

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Ecologists increasingly recognize that birds can respond to features well beyond their normal areas of activity, but little is known about the relative importance of landscapes and proximate factors or about the scales of landscapes that influence bird distributions. We examined the influences of tree cover at both proximate and landscape scales on grassland birds, a group of birds of high conservation concern, in the Sheyenne National Grassland in North Dakota, USA. The Grassland contains a diverse array of grassland and woodland habitats. We surveyed breeding birds on 2015 100 m long transect segments during 2002 and 2003. We modeled …

Influences Of Management Regimes On Breeding Bird Densities And Habitat In Mixed-Grass Prairie: An Example From North Dakota, Andrea A. Lueders, Patricia L. Kennedy, Douglas H. Johnson

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

It is well known that North American grassland bird populations appear to be declining (Igl and Johnson 1997, Sauer et al. 2004). Most of these birds breed and winter in North America, so declines are likely associated with continental processes (Knopf 1994). Scientists have also observed parallel declines among species that have overlapping breeding ranges but disparate wintering distributions (Igl and Johnson 1997). These patterns suggest declines may be linked to problems on the breeding grounds.

The Politics Of Hate: Ultranationalist And Fundamentalist Tactics And Goals, Joan Davison

Journal of Hate Studies

Ultranationalist and religious fundamentalist movements frequently use hate to mobilize people. These groups possess a sophisticated understanding of the importance of appealing to the emotions. Leaders often employ xenophobic language intended to inspire fear and justify a defensive reaction. The movements also rely heavily upon symbols, myths, and public events to simplify and communicate the “truths” of their ideologies. The leaders convey messages with tremendous affective appeal. Yet, measures exist to counter and contain the politics of hate. The development of civil society, group rights, a free media, and integrated institutions can contribute to a durable solution in cases of …

Urban Growth And Segregation In The Roanoke, Virginia, Metropolis: The Effects Of Low-Density Development On Low-Income Populations And Racial Minorities, Freed Etienne

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines urban growth patterns in the Roanoke, Virginia, metropolis. It draws on the literature of contemporary human ecology and social area analysis to examine the effects of low-density development on low-income populations and racial minorities. The continuous spread of residential development beyond the boundaries of the central city and older suburbs into more distant, once rural areas is segregating the metropolitan area by race and income. Since the prominence of the so-called "Chicago School" of urban sociology (1913-1940), contemporary urban sociologists have outlined theories and methods to examine how American urban areas have changed and why. This dissertation …

The Relationship Of Crime And Oil Development In The Coastal Regions Of Louisiana, Asha D. Luthra

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project examines the relationship between patterns of crime and the development of the oil and gas extraction industry in the coastal regions of Louisiana. The suggestion of a link between these phenomena has often been made, but little systematic research has been conducted to determine if there is indeed a crime-oil development nexus. Limited previous research has focused primarily on the issue of “boom and bust” cycles on some forms of deviant behavior, but the data and the methods used were inadequate, and thus, the resulting conclusions were often misleading or possibly erroneous. During the course of this project, …

Rural Land-Use Trends In The Conterminous United States, 1950-2000., Kenneth M. Johnson, Daniel G. Brown, Thomas R. Loveland, David M. Theobald

Sociology

In order to understand the magnitude, direction, and geographic distribution of land-use changes, we evaluated land-use trends in U.S. counties during the latter half of the 20th century. Our paper synthesizes the dominant spatial and temporal trends in population, agriculture, and urbanized land uses, using a variety of data sources and an ecoregion classification as a frame of reference. A combination of increasing attractiveness of nonmetropolitan areas in the period 1970–2000, decreasing household size, and decreasing density of settlement has resulted in important trends in the patterns of developed land. By 2000, the area of low-density, exurban development beyond the …

In Situ Examination Of Boldness–Shyness Traits In The Tropical Poeciliid, Brachyraphis Episcopi, Culum Brown, Felicity Jones, Victoria Braithwaite

Sentience Collection

Explaining consistent variation in the behaviour of individuals in terms of personality differences is one of the cornerstones of understanding human behaviour but is seldom discussed in behavioural ecology for fear of invoking anthropomorphism. Recently, however, interest has begun to focus on identifying personality traits in animals and examining their possible evolutionary consequences. One major axis used to define personality traits is the shyness–boldness continuum. We examined boldness in an in situ experiment using fish from eight populations of the poeciliid Brachyraphis episcopi (also referred to as Brachyrhaphis episcopi). Fish from high- and low-predation regions within four streams that run …

Breeding Bird Communities In Riparian Forests Along The Central Platte River, Nebraska, Craig Davis

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

The Platte River has changed from a nearly treeless prairie river to a heavily forested river. These habitat changes have likely benefited many woodland birds, but have harmed other migratory birds such as cranes. In response to this impact on migratory birds, conservation groups implemented a tree-clearing program to enhance habitat for these species. This practice is not without controversy because of concerns about its effect on woodland birds. The goal of this study was to determine the composition and abundance of breeding birds that use these forests and discuss the potential impacts of tree clearing on woodland birds. Surveys …

Update - June 2005, Loma Linda University Center For Christian Bioethics

Update

In this issue:

-- Universal Access to Health Care and Religious Basis of Human Rights