Biodiversity Commons^™

Solutions Human Centered Approach To Conservation, Illustration Department, History, Philosophy, + The Social Sciences Department

Illustration Course Work & Materials

"These essays were were written and illustrated by students at the Rhode Island school of Design in February, 2021. Their perspectives are entirely personal and reflect their efforts within a 5.5-week fused studio/seminar course that was centered on the Sixth Mass Extinction and how biodiversity is changing because of humans. Discovering that science communication is more than delivering just the facts, students were invited to research a topic of personal interest that is relevant to human impacts on biodiversity. Through analysis of data and other scientific information, each sought to synthesize their research and opinions on their topic through a …

Monitoring For Wolves, Jeff Hansen, Cat Urbigkit

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Gray wolves (Canis lupus) and Mexican wolves (Canis lupus baileyi) once again roam across landscapes where they have been absent for decades (Figure 1). With wolf range expansion comes increased opportunities for conflicts when wolves harass or prey on domestic livestock or other animals. Wolves have relatively high reproductive and dispersal rates but detecting individual animals in low-density populations is difficult without a concerted monitoring effort. In fact, wolf presence in an area often is not known until there is a confirmed livestock depredation. Ranchers and wildlife damage management experts need not wait for livestock depredations to occur before wolves …

Occurrence Of Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) On Birds In Northwestern Lower Michigan, 2011-2019, William C. Scharf, Lisa Aukland, Gary W. Shugart, Sarah A. Hamer

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Abstract

Monitoring tick infestation of wildlife provides baseline tick

occurrence data that may have human or animal health implications. We collected 312 ticks of four species from 5,122 birds of 93 species while monitoring bird migration during 15 fall and spring seasons between 2011 and 2019 in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Twenty-seven of 93 bird species hosted ticks with an overall prevalence (=at least one tick) of 3.6% (185/5,122). Median burden was one tick/per infested bird with a range of 1-16 ticks per infested bird. Tick species collected were primarily Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (Packard) and Ixodes scapularis Say, with …

Habitat Characteristics Of Two Scorpion Species, Liocheles Australasiae (Fabricius, 1775) And Isometrus Maculatus (De Geer, 1778) In Miyako Islands, Japan, Kazusa Kawai

Euscorpius

Scorpion surveys were conducted in the five islands: Miyakojima, Ikemajima, Kurimajima, Irabujima, and Shimojishima (Miyako Islands, part of Nansei/Ryukyu Islands of Japan). Eight individuals of Liocheles australasiae (Hormuridae) and 16 individuals of Isometrus maculatus (Buthidae) were observed in a total of 10 points on four islands, except Ikemajima. The localities of both species are recorded in this survey, focusing on altitude, distance from the nearest coast, and sunlight. The lowest temperatures in the habitat are also examined, and the cold tolerance of the species is discussed.

Picking Up Where The Tmdl Leaves Off: Using The Partnership Wild And Scenic River Framework For Collaborative River Restoration, Alan R. Hunt, Meiyin Wu, Tsung-Ta David Hsu, Nancy Roberts-Lawler, Jessica T. Miller, Alessandra Rossi, Lee Lee

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act protects less than ¼ of a percent of the United States’ river miles, focusing on free-flowing rivers of good water quality with outstandingly remarkable values for recreation, scenery, and other unique river attributes. It predates the enactment of the Clean Water Act, yet includes a clear anti-degradation principle, that pollution should be reduced and eliminated on designated rivers, in cooperation with the federal Environmental Protection Agency and state pollution control agencies. However, the federal Clean Water Act lacks a clear management framework for implementing restoration activities to reduce non-point source pollution, of which …

Observations On The Distribution And Status Of Selected Nebraska Mammals, Zachary P. Roehrs, Russell A. Benedict, Thomas E. Labedz, Hugh H. Genoways

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Information on the distribution and current status of 25 species or subspecies of mammals occurring in Nebraska are presented. The species covered include one shrew, an armadillo, eight bats, 10 rodents (including two subspecies of one species), three carnivores, and one artiodactyl. Distributional information reported includes the first state record for one species (Sorex nanus) and new county records for 18 species. In Nebraska, we know that mammals are shifting their geographic ranges with some extending populations into the state, whereas others are expanding their geographic ranges within the state. The current status of six additional mammalian taxa …

Implications Of Covid-19 On Progress In The Un Conventions On Biodiversity And Climate Change, Andrea Monica D. Ortiz, Alaya M. De Leon, Justine Nicole V. Torres, Cecilia Therese T. Guiao, Antonio Gabriel M. La Viña

Environmental Science Faculty Publications

2020 was to be a landmark year for setting targets to stop biodiversity loss and prevent dangerous climate change. However, COVID-19 has caused delays to the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the 26th COP of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Negotiations on the Global Biodiversity Framework and the second submission of Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement were due to take place at these COPs. There is uncertainty as to how the COVID-19 disruption will affect the negotiations, whether parties will pursue more ambitious actions or take a …

Biodiversity 2050: Can The Convention On Biological Diversity Deliver A World Living In Harmony With Nature?, Michelle Mei Ling Lim

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) ‘2050 Vision’ aims to achieve, by 2050, a world that is ‘living in harmony with nature.’ Yet biodiversity is threatened globally to an extent never before witnessed in human history. The Global Assessment of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES Global Assessment)—the largest ever assessment of the global state of biodiversity and ecosystems services—found that a sustainable global future for people and nature remains possible. However, this can only be achieved if we fundamentally redesign our economic, social, and governance systems. It is almost three decades since the CBD, the …

Taking An Environmental Ethics Perspective To Understand What We Should Expect From Eia In Terms Of Biodiversity Protection, Alan Bond, Jenny Pope, Angus Morrison-Saunders, Francois Retief

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

As a globally mandated decision-support tool, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has the potential to contribute to the protection of biodiversity, which is increasingly under threat because of human activities. Concern over its ability to do this, however, has led to the addition of trade-off rules, Ecosystem Services Assessment (ESA), and biodiversity offsets. But given that EIA is set in a political decision-making context, what is reasonable to expect of EIA? In this paper we seek to explore what level of biodiversity protection we can expect EIA to support (and therefore whether these additions are worthwhile). Our point of departure is …

Scorpions Of The Horn Of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part Xxvi. Records Of Hottentotta Polystictus (Pocock, 1896), With Descriptions Of H. Haudensis Sp. N. And H. Nigrimontanus Sp. N. (Buthidae) From Somaliland, František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe

Euscorpius

The distribution of Hottentotta polystictus (Pocock, 1896) is summarized according to recently confirmed records. Two new species, Hottentotta haudensis sp. n. and H. nigrimontanus sp. n. from the Somaliland, are described, compared with H. polystictus, and fully illustrated with color photos showing their morphology, habitus and collection areas. H. haudensis sp. n. is the smallest known species of the genus Hottentotta Birula, 1908, while H. nigrimontanus sp. n. is larger than H. polystictus.

Spatio-Temporal Variation Patterns Of Bird Community In The Oasis Ecosystem Of The North Of Algerian Sahara, Lasad Chiheb, Bensaci Ettayib, Nouidjem Yassine, Hadjab Ramzi

Journal of Bioresource Management

The spatial and temporal variation patterns of birds were investigated in the Oasis ecosystem of the North of Algeria Sahara. This contribution aimed to investigate the poorly studied bird fauna of Bousaâda oasis. The direct observation method was used for bird counts, adopted only during the breeding period. A total of 53 species of birds from 29 families and 16 orders were assessed in the different habitats of the Oasis (palm, fruit trees and, cultivated crops). The Passeriformes order was the most abundant represented by 35 species and 16 families. The relative abundance and species richness were recorded during our …

Predation Of Ananteris Spp. (Scorpiones: Buthidae) By Ants And A Social Wasp (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Vespidae) In Panama, Central America, Roberto Miranda, Luis F. De Armas, Roberto A. Cambra

Euscorpius

Two events of predation on Ananteris spp. were observed in the Parque Nacional Darién, Darién Province, Panama. The first case involved the social wasp Agelaia centralis (Cameron, 1907) (Vespidae); the second one, a ponerine ant Leptogenys cf. cuneata Lattke, 2011 (Formicidae). This is the first time that predation by a social wasp on a scorpion is observed. They also represent the first recorded predators for Panamanian Ananteris species.

Fetilinia Dentator Gen. Et Sp. N. From Pakistan (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Graeme Lowe, František Kovařík

Euscorpius

We describe from northern Pakistan a new buthid genus Fetilinia gen. n., monotypic with type species F. dentator sp. n., belonging to the Palaearctic ‘Buthus’ group. It bears some similarities to Kraepelinia Vachon, 1974, in having enlarged metasomal dentition, and to Orthochirus Karsch, 1891, and related genera in having a trapezoidal carapace and small abbreviated pedipalps.

Integrated Water Resources Management: A Tool For Sustainable Development, Helene Hanna Jazi Dr.

Future Engineering Journal

The recent trends show a decrease in water supply coupled with water losses due to inefficient management and pollution. The phenomenon is called water scarcity and he’s affecting people’s livelihoods around the world. Many approaches have been investigated through international water conferences and forums to develop tools for sustainable water management. IWRM (Integrated Water Resources Management) is one of the most widely adopted tools focusing on a holistic and participatory approach, involving users, planners and policy makers at all levels. In this study, the key concepts of IWRM and its potential in improving the water sector and inducing sustainable …

3d Model, Hemiscus Guineensis, Shovel-Nosed Frog, Heart, Natasha Vitek, Riley Pena, George Gurgis

Open Educational Resources

Model produced from diceCT data of specimen California Academy of Sciences specimen CAS:Herpetology:258533. Funding for scan came from overt TCN; NSF DBI-1701714; NSF DBI-1702263

Segmentation, mesh generation, and pdf creation by Riley Pena and George Gurgis (Stony Brook University) using Avizo and funded by Stony Brook University Open Educational Resources funding.

CT data available on MorphoSource: https://www.morphosource.org/concern/biological_specimens/000S25029?locale=en

3d Model, Hemiscus Guineensis, Shovel-Nosed Frog, Lungs, Natasha Vitek, Riley Pena, George Gurgis

Open Educational Resources

Model produced from diceCT data of specimen California Academy of Sciences specimen CAS:Herpetology:258533. Funding for scan came from overt TCN; NSF DBI-1701714; NSF DBI-1702263

Segmentation, mesh generation, and pdf creation by Riley Pena and George Gurgis (Stony Brook University) using Avizo and funded by Stony Brook University Open Educational Resources funding.

CT data available on MorphoSource: https://www.morphosource.org/concern/biological_specimens/000S25029?locale=en

3d Model, Phaeochroa Cuvierii, Scaly-Breasted Hummingbird, Lungs, Natasha Vitek, Riley Pena, George Gurgis

Open Educational Resources

Model produced from diceCT data of specimen Carnegie Museum CM A4126. Funding for scan came from overt TCN; NSF DBI-1701714; NSF DBI-1702263

Segmentation, mesh generation, and pdf creation by Riley Pena and George Gurgis (Stony Brook University) using Avizo and funded by Stony Brook University Open Educational Resources funding.

CT data available on MorphoSource: https://www.morphosource.org/concern/biological_specimens/000S25029?locale=en

3d Model, Phaeochroa Cuvierii, Scaly-Breasted Hummingbird, Heart, Natasha Vitek, Riley Pena, George Gurgis

Open Educational Resources

Model produced from diceCT data of specimen Carnegie Museum CM A4126. Funding for scan came from overt TCN; NSF DBI-1701714; NSF DBI-1702263

Segmentation, mesh generation, and pdf creation by Riley Pena and George Gurgis (Stony Brook University) using Avizo and funded by Stony Brook University Open Educational Resources funding.

CT data available on MorphoSource: https://www.morphosource.org/concern/biological_specimens/000S25029?locale=en

Wpa News 116 (2021), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Winter 2021), number 116

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Data Repository For "Use Of Redwood Basal Hollows By Bats: A Focus On The Townsend’S Big-Eared Bat On The North Coast Of California", Amon J. Armstrong

Research Data Sets

Loss of roosting resources, either through disturbance or removal, negatively affects bats. Identifying sensitive species and determining roost requirements are critical components in conserving their habitat. Cavity roosting bats on the North Coast of California are known to use hollows in large redwood trees. In this study, we examined the factors determining the use of basal tree hollows by different bat species at eight redwood forest sites in Del Norte, Humboldt, and Mendocino Counties, California. Bat guano was collected from 179 basal hollow roosts from 2017 to 2018, and guano mass was used as an index of roosting activity. Nine …

Precise Multispecies Agricultural Gas Flux Determined Using Broadband Open-Path Dual-Comb Spectroscopy, D. I. Herman, C. Weerasekara Et Al.

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

No abstract provided.

The Crazy Critter Club - Lesson Plans, Caitlin Flynn Copenhaver, Audrey Anderson

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

This curriculum covers the lesson plans for the 2021 "Cool Critter Club". It is focused on teaching students about animals and the environment, especially at a local level. This club engages students through the use of games, art, and spending time outside.

Rapid Survey Of Anuran Species In Baguio-Benguet Area And Isolation Of Their Fungal Symbionts, Arthien Lovell P. Pelingen, Camille Andrea Flores, Axel John Briz, Roland Hipol, Celia Austria

Biology Faculty Publications

Baguio City is one of the fastest-growing centers of urbanization in the Philippines. As part of the Cordillera Mountain Range, it is a biodiversity hotspot that is largely unexplored. This study is a preliminary investigation using visual encounter surveys of anuran species in various localities of the Baguio-Benguet area (BBA). These include Loakan Airport (LA), Camp John Hay (CJH), and Soroptimist Compound (SC) at the Military Cut Off, all in Baguio; Nangalisan, Tuba (NT), Benguet; and Master’s Garden (MG) at Puguis, La Trinidad, Benguet. We documented three Luzon-endemic species of frogs – namely, Kaloula rigida (Family Microhylidae), Sanguirana luzonensis (Family …

Aquatic Coleoptera Of Northern Negros, Philippines, Marc Ryan Sabordo, Carl Michael Buyco, Gwendalyn Henares, Jessica Pacalioga, Hendrik Freitag

Biology Faculty Publications

The water beetle fauna of northern Negros Island has not been comprehensively studied. In this study, aquatic Coleoptera of northern Negros have been compiled from various collections. Specimens were sampled through manual sampling and light trap. Twenty-six (26) species were recorded including 21 which are Philippine endemics. Nine genera and three known species are recorded for the first time from Negros.. Notes on distribution, ecology and identification are provided. Possible new species, future potential discoveries as well as current significance in terms of conservation are discussed.

Extending Coverage Of Specialized Metabolism In Plant Metabolic Reconstructions, Tristan Contant

Summer Research

• The goal was to extend the coverage of PlantSEED by including more secondary metabolic pathways.
• This involves adopting a more integrative approach that shows regard for the lack of conservation of catalytic domains and the condition-specific considerations for specialized metabolite synthesis.

Stormwater Capture Via Green Infrastructure In The Plaster Creek Watershed, Josian Aardema, Dat Cao, Saul Miranda, Jose Munoz, Daniel Kim, Simon Kok, Delaney Sall, Deanna Geelhoed, David Warners

Summer Research

Calvin University’s campus is located within the Plaster Creek watershed, an area of land that extends from Caledonia to the Grand River near downtown Grand Rapids. All of the water within this region drains into Plaster Creek, which, after many years of neglect and mistreatment, has become one of the most polluted waterways in West Michigan. Plaster Creek Stewards (PCS) aims to restore the local watershed by means of education, research and “on the ground” restoration. The focus of their restoration work is to reduce stormwater runoff containing high amounts of sediment, chemicals, and other pollutants. A variety of green …

Jaguars And Pumas Exhibit Distinct Spatiotemporal Responses To Human Disturbances In Colombia’S Most Imperiled Ecoregion, Joe J. Figel, Sebastián Botero-Cañola, Juan David Sánchez-Londoño, Javier Racero-Casarrubia

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Abstract

Coexistence of sympatric felids is facilitated by mutual avoidance and the partitioning of habitats, prey, and time. Anthropogenic disturbances disrupt this coexistence in fragmented landscapes, potentially triggering cascading influences in ecological communities. We used photographic data from 8,717 trap nights (November 2014–June 2016) at 87 camera trap sites in Colombia’s middle Magdalena River basin to compare spatiotemporal overlap among jaguars (Panthera onca), pumas (Puma concolor), their prey, and humans, at sites of high and low disturbance, as determined by the human influence index. Human disturbance events (e.g. domestic dogs, livestock, and humans, including armed hunters) …

Biodiversity Of Small Mammals And Paleoenvironment Of Transbaikalia And North Mongolia In The Late Pliocene, N. V. Alexeeva, M. A. Erbajeva

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

This paper reports the results of analysis on small mammal faunas dwelling during the Late Pliocene the Transbaikal and Northern Mongolia regions. They were found to share many common species, even though some differences linked with local and regional specifics of the environment are the case. High diversity of small mammal taxa, species richness and their prominent quantity specify the localities of Udunga, Beregovaya and Tologoi in Transbaikal region and in Shamar of Northern Mongolia. The compositions of all faunas point to the existence of the savanna-like landscapes and warm semiarid climate in that period.

Hypsugo Stubbei Sp. Nov., A Novel Cryptic Bat Species Of The Genus Hypsugo (Vespertilionidae, Chiroptera, Mammalia) From Mongolia, Dietrich Dolch, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Annegret Stubbe, Dirk Steinhauser

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

The occurrence of two members of the genus Hypsugo, namely H. alaschanicus and H. savii caucasicus, have been reported for Mongolia in the literature. Due to various taxonomic reassignments within and between genera, the number of records for the genus Hypsugo in Mongolia is quite scarce and sometimes not resolved at species or subspecies level. Despite recognition of the two above-mentioned species, recent reports based on genetic analyses describe only new and further records of H. alaschanicus. Thus, it exists a large uncertainty regarding the occurrence and distribution of H. savii caucasicus in Mongolia. Here, our efforts …

Zur Molekularen Klassifizierung Der Mongolischen Kormorane Phalacrocorax Carbo (Linnaeus, 1758), Lucie Marie Baltz, Michael Stubbe, Davaa Lchagvasuren, Lara-Sophie Dey

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

The cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758) is a common breeding species at lake areas of Mongolia. Although molecular research has been conducted on many colonies worldwide, no studies of the genetic diversity of Mongolian colonies are known to date. In this study, we sequence for the first time a fragment of cytochrome oxidase 1 (CO1) from ten individuals of the 2017 resident population at Telmen-nuur. Here we perform molecular identification and analyze it in the context of existing data from populations studied worldwide. A clear assignment to the species P. carbo could be shown, but no identification on subspecies level …