Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Interagency Science And Research: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Interagency Science and Research Strategy

• Meetings were held with the SNAP Recreation Team and the SNAP Cultural Resources Team to request assistance in the development of the science strategy. Draft versions of interagency goals, subgoals, science questions, and associated tasks were given to each team for review and input.
• Plans were prepared for the peer review of science proposals submitted for consideration as Conservations Initiatives in SNPLMA Round 9.
• Proceedings of the natural resources management workshop held on September 13 were completed and sent to the Science & Research Team for review by members.
• An important focus of the Science and Research Team was the …

Distribution And Habitats Of Mosquito Larvae In The Kingdom Of Tonga, Jon S. Harding, Culum Brown, Felicity Jones, Russell Taylor

Ecology Collection

Mosquitoes are a significant pest and human health issue in the Kingdom of Tonga. The occurrence of species and habitats used by mosquito larvae were investigated to determine the potential for control through larval habitat management. Forty-two sites, including 22 villages and 20 farm plantations on the six islands of Tongatapu, Pangaimotu, Vava’u, Pangaimotu (Vava’u group), ‘Utungake and Nuku, were surveyed in April 2006. A total of eight mosquito species were collected: Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus), Ae. horrescens (Edwards), Ae. nocturnus (Theobold), Ae. tongae (Edwards), Culex albinervis (Edwards), Cx. annulirostris (Skuse), Cx. quinquefasciatus (Say) and Cx. sitiens (Wiedemann). Several species were …

Concurrent Panel Session 1: Environmental Sustainability And Las Vegas, Dale A. Devitt, David E. James, Patricia Mulroy, Alan O'Neill, Thomas C. Piechota, Doug Selby, Krystyna Anne Stave, Michael Yackira, Bruce Turner

Shaping the Future of Southern Nevada: Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability

Moderator: Dr. Stan Smith, UNLV School of Life Sciences Scribe: Crystal Jackson, UNLV Department of Sociology Conference white paper & Full summary of panel session, 6 pages

Physiological Constraints On Contest Behaviour, Mark Briffa, Lynne U. Sneddon

Sentience Collection

1. Contests may involve injurious fighting, other types of direct physical aggression and communication. They occur over ownership access to mates and other resources that may increase an individual’s attractiveness and its chance of survival. Traits that enhance resource holding potential may be the result of sexual selection, natural selection or a combination of both.
2. Agonistic behaviours are expected to be demanding to perform and costly in terms of changes in physiological state. The ability to meet the physiological costs may determine contest outcomes and constrain the intensity of agonistic activities.
3. The energetic costs have been investigated in a broad range …

Resilience In Ecology And Belief, Ram Ranjan

Ram Ranjan

TThis paper explores the crucial linkage between societal risk perception and the survival of threatened ecosystems exhibiting non-linear stock dynamics. Perception of risk over specie’s importance and over its survival chances may be subject to resilience and therefore may differ from actual risks. Whereas, ecosystems stand a better chance of survival if they aren’t stressed beyond their resilience thresholds. When an ecosystem’s sustainability and the subjective perception of risks of their loss are both influenced by the stock of a common natural resource, several resource management outcomes are possible, not all of which may ensure the sustainability of the ecosystem. …

Observing Panda Play: Implications For Zoo Programming And Conservation Efforts, Sarah M. Bexell, Olga S. Jarrett, Luo Lan, Hu Yan, Estelle A. Sandhaus, Zhang Zhihe, Terry L. Maple

Zoos and Aquariums Collection

This study explores the effects of visitor observation of giant panda play on visitor concern for endangered species and satisfaction with seeing giant pandas. A total of 335 visitors to three institutions that house giant pandas participated in the study. These institutions are: the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, and the Chengdu Zoo, in China; and Zoo Atlanta in the U.S. After viewing the giant pandas, visitors were interviewed on whether they ever observed a panda play session, whether they observed panda play on the day of the visit, whether they wanted additional information on panda protection, and …

Water Walls: An Effective Option For High Performance Buildings, David A. Bainbridge

David A Bainbridge

Water wall thermal mass has been proven over the last 40 years on a wide range of residential and commercial projects in temperate and cold climates. It provides better thermal comfort and more efficient energy transfer at reasonable cost.

Achieving Economic And Ecological Resilience Through Natural Resource Management, Ram Ranjan

Ram Ranjan

Historically, the subsistence based lifestyles of small scale economies (SSEs) have avoided pushing the stock of their natural resources beyond thresholds where their resilience could be lost. However, rising frequencies of natural disasters coupled with a growing outside influence from the developed economies are increasingly putting pressure on the economic and natural resources of these societies. This paper explores the nature and role of inter-linkages between ecological and economic resilience in SSEs towards maintaining long term sustainability in the face of these external influences. It is shown that initial conditions associated with the stock of natural and physical capital could …

Editor's Note, Padraig O'Malley

New England Journal of Public Policy

This issue of the New England Journal of Public Policy that deals with issues of climate change, oil, and water and the interconnection of the three with the future of the planet.

Initially our topic was conceived as “Oil & Water” only. We planned to present the proceedings of an Institute for Global Leadership symposium held at Tufts University in 2005. There was then still a debate about global warming, although the Kyoto Treaty was in place. But without the world’s preeminent manufacturer of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the United States (20 percent of the total emissions with 5 percent …

Modeling Habitat And Environmental Factors Affecting Mosquito Abundance In Chesapeake, Virginia, Alan Scott Bellows

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The models I present in this dissertation were designed to enable mosquito control agencies in the mid-Atlantic region that oversee large jurisdictions to rapidly track the spatial and temporal distributions of mosquito species, especially those species known to be vectors of eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile virus. I was able to keep these models streamlined, user-friendly, and not cost-prohibitive using empirically based digital data to analyze mosquito-abundance patterns in real landscapes.

This research is presented in three major chapters: (II) a series of semi-static habitat suitability indices (HSI) grounded on well-documented associations between mosquito abundance and environmental variables, (III) …

Animal Welfare Perspectives On Recreational Angling, Steven J. Cooke, Lynne U. Sneddon

Animal Welfare Collection

Fish captured by recreational anglers are often released either voluntarily or because of harvest regulations in a process called ‘‘catch-and-release’’. Catch-and-release angling is thought to be beneficial for the conservation of fish stocks based on the premise that most of the fish that are released survive. However, expanding interest in animal welfare has promoted debate regarding the ethics of catch-and-release angling. There is a growing recognition that fish can consciously experience nociception and that they have some capacity to experience pain and fear. Indeed, empirical anatomical, physiological, and behavioural evidence supports the notion that fish could experience these two forms …

Changes In Nitrogen Cycling During The Past Century In A Northern Hardwood Forest, Kendra K. Mclauchlan, Joseph M. Craine, W. Wyatt Oswald, Peter R. Leavitt, Gene E. Likens

Dartmouth Scholarship

Nitrogen (N) availability, defined here as the supply of N to terrestrial plants and soil microorganisms relative to their N demands, limits the productivity of many temperate zone forests and in part determines ecosystem carbon (C) content. Despite multidecadal monitoring of N in streams, the long-term record of N availability in forests of the northeastern United States is largely unknown. Therefore, although these forests have been receiving anthropogenic N deposition for the past few decades, it is still uncertain whether terrestrial N availability has changed during this time and, subsequently, whether forest ecosystems have responded to increased N deposition. Here, …

Shark Bay Prawn And Scallop Fisheries. Draft Review Report, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries management papers

In recent times, the Department of Fisheries has received representations from both sectors about the ongoing interaction of the fisheries and their respective management settings. As a result, a decision was made to comprehensively review the fisheries, taking into account matters of fishery sustainability and gear interactions, together with industry economics and market considerations. The review has also addressed research requirements to ensure an appropriate scientific basis for decision-making into the future.

Patterns Of Ecosystem Fragmentation In Jabal Al-Akhdar, Libya: A Look At Landscape Ecology (In Arabic) , Mansour M. Elbabour

Mansour M Elbabour

Abstract Landscape fragmentation is a growing problem throughout the region of Jabal al-Akhdar in northeastern Libya where forest fragmentation has been a common occurrence in the past few decades. A greater part of the surviving shrub cover in the upper and lower terraces of Jabal al-Akhdar and their escarpments consist of isolated patches and disconnected corridors. The primary cause of fragmentation is agricultural development, especially clearing the land for dry farming. This paper presents some of the principles of landscape ecology as they pertain to the management of natural resources. A further aim is to enhance public awareness of the …

Interagency Science And Research: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending March 31, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Interagency Science and Research Strategy

• Completed a beta-test of a science proposal review process with the assistance of four external reviewers.
• Participated in workshop entitled “Biological Soil Crusts: Ecology and Management.
• Completed review of the interagency Chesapeake Bay Program science strategy and added this information to the Science Strategy Database.
• Completed a preliminary review of agency science delivery capabilities.

Using Libqual+® To Inform Strategic Planning, Bradford Dennis, Barbara J. Cockrell

Barbara J Cockrell

Western Michigan University Libraries used qualitative and quantitative analysis of their 2004 LibQual+ data to identify needed improvements in service, information control and library as place dimensions. The LibQual+ data set was sufficiently large to allow SPSS analysis by user groups and by discipline. Interpretation and comparison of the data were facilitated by converting the desired, minimum and perceived values into a more tractable composite score. User comments, that are part of this survey, were analyzed using ATLAS.ti. Through an ongoing process of examination, refinement and interpretation of the available information, goals were defined, objectives developed and actions were instigated …

Plan Of Management For The Kalbarri Blue Holes Fish Habitat Protection Area, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries management papers

The FHPA has been declared to protect and conserve an example of a near-shore reef community. In order to achieve this aim, and encourage the appreciation and conservation of fish, a number of management strategies have been identified which restrict recreational and commercial fishing. The FHPA is approximately 420 metres long and approximately 130 metres wide at the southern end and 140 metres wide at the northern end.

Preserving The Chesapeake: Law, Ecology, And The Bay, Hon. Gerald L. Baliles

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Land Cover Classification And Economic Assessment Of Citrus Groves Using Remote Sensing, Jennifer Gebelein

Jennifer Gebelein

The citrus industry has the second largest impact on Florida's economy, following tourism. Estimation of citrus area coverage and annual forecasts of Florida's citrus production are currently dependent on labor-intensive interpretation of aerial photographs. Remotely sensed data from satellites has been widely applied in agricultural yield estimation and cropland management. Satellite data can potentially be obtained throughout the year, making it especially suitable for the detection of land cover change in agriculture and ...

Does Increasing Biology Teacher Knowledge Of Evolution And The Nature Of Science Lead To Greater Advocacy For The Teaching Of Evolution In Schools?, Ross Nehm, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

This study investigated whether or not an increase in secondary science teacher knowledge about evolution and the nature of science gained from completing a graduate-level evolution course was associated with greater preference for the teaching of evolution in schools. Forty-four precertified secondary biology teachers participated in a 14-week intervention designed to address documented misconceptions identified by a precourse instrument. The course produced statistically significant gains in teacher knowledge of evolution and the nature of science and a significant decrease in misconceptions about evolution and natural selection. Nevertheless, teachers' postcourse preference positions remained unchanged; the majority of science teachers still preferred …

Tackling Biocomplexity With Meta-Models For Species Risk Assessment, Philip J. Nyhus, Robert C. Lacy, Francis R. Westley, Philip S. Miller, Harrie Harrie Vredenburg, Paul C. Paquet, John Pollak

Faculty Scholarship

We describe results of a multi-year effort to strengthen consideration of the human dimension into endangered species risk assessments and to strengthen research capacity to understand biodiversity risk assessment in the context of coupled human-natural systems. A core group of social and biological scientists have worked with a network of more than 50 individuals from four countries to develop a conceptual framework illustrating how human-mediated processes influence biological systems and to develop tools to gather, translate, and incorporate these data into existing simulation models. A central theme of our research focused on (1) the difficulties often encountered in identifying and …

How Animals Communicate Quality Of Life: The Qualitative Assessment Of Behaviour, F. Wemelsfelder

Sentience Collection

The notion ‘quality of life’ (QoL) suggests that welfare in animals encompasses more than just an absence of suffering; it concerns the quality of an animal’s entire relationship with its environment, of how it lives its life. Judgements of such quality are based on the integration of perceived details of how animals behave over time in different contexts. The scientific status of such judgements has long been ambiguous, but in recent decades has begun to be addressed by animal scientists. This paper starts with a brief review of qualitative approaches to the study of animal behaviour, which tend to address …

Critter Psychology: On The Possibility Of Nonhuman Animal Folk Psychology, Kristin Andrews

Psychology Collection

No abstract provided.

Stable Isotopic Niche Predicts Fitness Of Prey In A Wolf–Deer System, C. T. Darimont, P. C. Paquet, T. E. Reimchen

Evolutionary Biology Collection

Interindividual variation in niche presents a potentially central object on which natural selection can act. This may have important evolutionary implications because habitat use governs a suite of selective forces encountered by foragers. In a free‐living native black‐tailed deer, Odocoileus hemionus, population from coastal British Columbia, we used stable isotope analysis to identify individual variation in foraging niche and investigated its relationship to fitness. Using an intragenerational comparison of surviving and nonsurviving O. hemionus over 2 years of predation by wolves, Canis lupus, we detected resource‐specific fitness. Individuals with isotopic signatures that suggested they foraged primarily in cedar ( …

The Demographics Of The U.S. Equine Population, Emily R. Kilby

State of the Animals 2007

In this demographic examination of America’s equine population, the numbers clearly show upward trends in all things equestrian over the past fifty years. Will that trajectory continue, adding year after year to the current ten million population, or will loss of open spaces turn the tide as it limits horse housing and riding room? Will ownership patterns undergo fundamental changes when population density, land costs, and escalating environmental controls eliminate the “backyard”- keeping concept and make suburban boarding stables untenable? Will horse production expenses rise in the face of land pressures to the point that equestrian involvement, now a highly …

Free-Roaming Dogs In Developing Countries: The Benefits Of Capture, Neuter, And Return Programs, Jennifer Jackman, Andrew N. Rowan

State of the Animals 2007

This chapter provides an overview of animal welfare and public health problems associated with free-roaming dog populations and strategies to resolve these problems. Placing CNR programs in the context of earlier dog and rabies control methods, the chapter explores CNR’s potential to overcome some of the shortcomings of earlier approaches and to improve animal welfare, reduce dog population growth, and prevent the spread of rabies and other canine-transmitted diseases. Constraints and current debates on current implementation of CNR programs are also examined.

Wild Neighbors : The Humane Approach To Living With Wildlife, John Hadidian

Wild Neighbors provides practical, humane, and effective advice on how to share living space with 35 of the most common species, from alligators to woodpeckers, found in the lower 48 states. Advice focuses on how to: properly and accurately define a wildlife problem; determine what type of animal is causing it; identify the damage; effectively take action for a humane and permanent solution; and proactively avoid future conflicts. This long-awaited, new and expanded edition provides invaluable information to any homeowner who seeks to live in harmony with the wildlife in his backyard and in his community.

Annual Arctic Wolf Pack Size Related To Arctic Hare Numbers, L. David Mech

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

During the summers of 2000 through 2006, I counted arctic wolf (Canis lupus arctos) pups and adults in a pack, arctic hares (Lepus arcticus) along a 9 km index route in the area, and muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) in a 250 km² part of the area near Eureka (80° N, 86° W), Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. Adult wolf numbers did not correlate with muskox numbers, but they were positively related (r² = 0.89; p < 0.01) to an arctic hare index. This is the first report relating wolf numbers to non-ungulate prey.

Pendant les étés 2000 à 2006, j’ai compté les jeunes loups arctiques et les adultes (Canis lupus arctos …

Quo Vadis Equus Hemionus Hemionus In Mongolia?, Annegret Stubbe, Michael Stubbe, O. Shagdarsuren, Ravčigijn Samjaa, Nayamsuren Batsaikhan

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

Caused in studies on biodiversity in the South Gobi we were confronted with the human impact on animal communities and endangered animal species, especially the Asiatic wild ass. So was born the idea to organize an international conference with the aim to actualize the status of Equus hemionus in Central Asia and to find ways for better conservation of this species and its habitats. A short review is given on historical exploration, decreasing area and population number of the Dschiggetai. Today the range of the nominate form of Equus hemionus is located in the Gobi region of southern Mongolia/northern China …

Quo Vadis Equus Hemionus Hemionus In Mongolia?, Annegret Stubbe, Michael Stubbe, O. Shagdarsuren, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Ravčigijn Samjaa

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

Inspired by studies on biodiversity in the South Gobi we were confronted with the human impact on animal communities and endangered animal species, especially the Asiatic wild ass. So the idea was born to organize an international conference with the aim to actualize the status of Equus hemionus in Central Asia and to find ways for better conservation of this species and its habitats. A short review is given on historical exploration, decreasing area and population number of the Dschiggetai. Today the range of the nominate form of Equus hemionus is located in the Gobi region of southern Mongolia/northern China …