Is Superiority A Necessary Aspect Of Cruelty?,
2018
University of Birmingham, UK
Is Superiority A Necessary Aspect Of Cruelty?, William H. Edmondson
Animal Sentience
Chapman & Huffman argue that humans inflict cruelty without apparent concern because of their categorization of the victims as inferior. The supposed inferiority of non-human animals can be argued against on the basis of documentation and analysis of behaviour. Humans continue to inflict cruelty on their own and other species. It is not obvious that a sense of superiority is a necessary aspect of cruel behaviour. Nor is it obvious that further enlightenment regarding the cognitive status of non-humans will diminish cruelty.
What Sets Us Apart Could Be Our Salvation,
2018
University of Sydney, Australia
What Sets Us Apart Could Be Our Salvation, Anne Fawcett, Paul Mcgreevy
Animal Sentience
We agree with Chapman & Huffman that human capacities are often assumed to be unique — or attempts are made to demonstrate uniqueness scientifically — in order to justify the exploitation of animals and ecosystems. To extend the argument that human exceptionalism is against our interests, we recommend adopting the One Welfare framework, according to which animal welfare, environmental sustainability and human wellbeing are inseparably linked. Let us distinguish ourselves from other animals by resisting our short- and mid-term Darwinian inclinations, consuming less, reproducing less, and striving for a much longer-term biological fitness for us all.
Avian Community Responses To Bison Grazing In North American Intermountain Grasslands,
2018
University of Montana, Missoula
Avian Community Responses To Bison Grazing In North American Intermountain Grasslands, Danielle A. Fagre
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Grassland and shrubland songbird species are a guild of conservation concern in North America. Many of these species have experienced severe population declines, due to habitat loss and land use change. This makes the conservation and management of remaining habitat of crucial importance for this guild. Grazing by large herbivores is an ecosystem process in grassland systems, and in North America, one of the major historic grazers was the Plains bison (Bison bison). Bison are considered ecosystem engineers, because they modify habitat to be more or less suitable for other species, such as grassland and shrubland songbirds. Bison …
Bottom-Up And Top-Down Controls On Food Webs In Headwater Streams,
2018
University of Montana
Bottom-Up And Top-Down Controls On Food Webs In Headwater Streams, Miriam O. Bayer
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Headwater streams account for 70% of stream channel length in the USA and are important as hotspots of nutrient uptake and native biodiversity. Biofilm, the mixed auto- and heterotrophic microbial community covering stream substrates, is where the majority of nutrient processing occurs, and forms the base of stream food webs, particularly in heavily shaded, oligotrophic streams. Both bottom-up (e.g., nutrients, light) and top-down (i.e., consumption) processes are known to affect periphyton, the autotrophic component of biofilm, but little is known about what controls the biofilm community as a whole. Top-down effects are common in streams, where fish are often the …
Persistence Of Stream Restoration With Large Wood, Redwood National And State Parks, California,
2018
Cal Poly Humboldt
Persistence Of Stream Restoration With Large Wood, Redwood National And State Parks, California, Diedra L. Rodriguez
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
The conservation and recovery of anadromous salmonids (Oncorhynchus sp.) depend on stream restoration and protection of freshwater habitats. In-stream large wood dictates channel morphology, increases retention of terrestrial inputs such as organic matter, nutrients and sediment, and enhances the quality of fish habitat. Historic land use/land cover changes have resulted in aquatic systems devoid of large wood. Restoration by placement of large wood jams is intended to restore physical and biological processes. An important question for scientists and restoration managers, in addition to the initial effectiveness of restoration, is the persistence and fate of large wood installations. In this …
A Comparison Of Community Structure In Regulated And Unregulated Reaches In The Upper Eel River, California,
2018
Cal Poly Humboldt
A Comparison Of Community Structure In Regulated And Unregulated Reaches In The Upper Eel River, California, Lara Stephanie Jansen
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Flow regulation of rivers by impoundments and diversions can reduce hydrological variability. As a result, densities of algae and benthic macroinvertebrates often increase, but many sensitive taxa are lost, causing shifts across the food web. In Northern California, dams that reduce winter peak floods can result in the primary consumer community becoming dominated by grazers that are relatively invulnerable to predation, which can reduce the amount of energy transferred up the trophic levels. The steeper slope of the spring hydrograph recession limb downstream of a dam can also greatly impact instream diversity of periphyton, invertebrates and fish. The dam and …
The National Wildlife Strike Database:
A Scientific Foundation To Enhance Aviation Safety,
2018
US Department of Agriculture
The National Wildlife Strike Database: A Scientific Foundation To Enhance Aviation Safety, Richard A. Dolbeer, Michael J. Begier, John R. Weller
United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) National Wildlife Strike Database (NWSD) documents reports of civil aircraft collisions with wildlife in USA. The NWSD has been managed by the Wildlife Services Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture through an interagency agreement since its inception. Although the NWSD includes about 170,000 reports of civil aircraft collisions with wildlife (97% birds) from 1990-2015 (14,000 in 2015), the overriding focus has been the quality control of data entered for over 90 variables ranging from species and numbers of wildlife struck, location and time of day, phase and height of flight, aircraft type, components …
To Live And Fly In La: Using Bird Strike And Management Program Information To Improve Safety At Airports In The Los Angeles Basin,
2018
USDA APHIS Wildlife Services
To Live And Fly In La: Using Bird Strike And Management Program Information To Improve Safety At Airports In The Los Angeles Basin, Todd J. Pitlik, Elizabeth Hermann, Eric Peralta, Brian E. Washburn
United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications
Wildlife-aircraft collisions (wildlife strikes) pose a serious safety risk to aircraft. Wildlife strikes can be evaluated at different levels, include efforts to examine these problems at the national, regional, or state level, or for an individual airport. Similarly, wildlife strikes involving individual wildlife species or guilds can be examined at varying scales. Although wildlife strike analyses at the national, regional, or species/guild level are valuable, airport-specific analyses are essential for the effective implementation and evaluation of integrated wildlife damage management programs as these actions are conducted at the airport level. The species that present hazards to safe aircraft operations varies …
Chesapeake Bay Nutria Eradication Project: 2017 Update,
2018
USDA APHIS Wildlife Services
Chesapeake Bay Nutria Eradication Project: 2017 Update, Margaret Pepper, Kevin Sullivan, Robert Colona, Jonathan Mcknight
United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications
Nutria, a semi-aquatic, South American rodent, was introduced to Maryland during the early 1940s. Originally brought to the area for fur farms, the market never established and animals were released or escaped. Nutria thrived, destroying coastal wetlands which resulted in negative environmental and economic impacts to the Chesapeake Bay region. To preserve and protect valuable wetland resources, the Chesapeake Bay Nutria Eradication Project (CBNEP) was established in 2002 through a partnership between the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and many state agencies and non-governmental organizations. Since …
Anticoagulant Rodenticide Residues In Game Animals In California,
2018
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Anticoagulant Rodenticide Residues In Game Animals In California, Stella C. Mcmillin, Robert H. Poppenga, Shannon C. Chandler, Deana L. Clifford
United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications
Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) are used to control rodents around homes, buildings, and in agriculture. They have been found widely in predatory and scavenging wildlife as a result of secondary exposure and less commonly in herbivores and omnivores from primary exposure. While predators and scavengers have been monitored for AR exposure, very little information is available about AR residues in edible muscle tissue of game animals. Game animals may be exposed to ARs through direct consumption of bait, ingestion of contaminated food or vegetation, or consumption of contaminated prey items. Carcasses of three species of game animals (black bear, wild pigs, …
Omnivore Density Affects Community Structure Through Multiple Trophic Cascades,
2018
Murray State University
Omnivore Density Affects Community Structure Through Multiple Trophic Cascades, Donald J. Benkendorf
Murray State Theses and Dissertations
Omnivores can dampen trophic cascades by feeding at multiple trophic levels, yet few studies have evaluated how intraspecific variation influences the effect of omnivores on community structure. The Speckled Dace (Rhinichthys osculus) is an omnivorous cyprinid that consumes algae and invertebrates and is abundant throughout the western United States. I sought to identify the effects of size and size structure on top-down control by dace and learn how these effects scaled with density. Dace were manipulated in a mesocosm experiment and resulting changes in invertebrate and algal communities and measures of ecosystem function were monitored. Omnivores affected experimental …
Expanding Greenland Seagrass Meadows Contribute New Sediment Carbon Sinks,
2018
Edith Cowan University
Expanding Greenland Seagrass Meadows Contribute New Sediment Carbon Sinks, Núria Marbà, Dorte Krause-Jensen, Pere Masque´, Carlos M. Duarte
Research outputs 2014 to 2021
The loss of natural carbon sinks, such as seagrass meadows, contributes to grenhouse gas emissions and, thus, global warming. Whereas seagrass meadows are declining in temperate and tropical regions, they are expected to expand into the Arctic with future warming. Using paleoreconstruction of carbon burial and sources of organic carbon to shallow coastal sediments of three Greenland seagrass (Zostera marina) meadows of contrasting density and age, we test the hypothesis that Arctic seagrass meadows are expanding along with the associated sediment carbon sinks. We show that sediments accreted before 1900 were highly 13C depleted, indicative of low inputs of seagrass …
Organic Carbon Sequestration And Storage In Vegetated Coastal Habitats Along The Western Coast Of The Arabian Gulf,
2018
Edith Cowan University, Australia
Organic Carbon Sequestration And Storage In Vegetated Coastal Habitats Along The Western Coast Of The Arabian Gulf, M Cusack, V Saderne, A Arias-Ortiz, Pere Masque, P K. Krishnakumar, L Rabaoui, M A. Qusem, P Prihartato, R A. Loughland, A A. Elyas, C M. Duarte
Research outputs 2014 to 2021
Certain coastal ecosystems such as mangrove, saltmarsh and seagrass habitats have been identified as significant natural carbon sinks, through the sequestration and storage of carbon in their biomass and sediments, collectively known as 'blue carbon' ecosystems. These ecosystems can often thrive in extreme environments where terrestrial systems otherwise survive at the limit of their existence, such as in arid and desert regions of the globe. To further our understanding of the capability of blue carbon ecosystems to sequester and store carbon in such extreme climates, we measured carbon sediment stocks in 25 sites along the Western Arabian Gulf coast. While …
Trophic Interactions And Niche Partitioning Within A Post-White-Nose Syndrome Temperate Bat Community,
2018
Murray State University
Trophic Interactions And Niche Partitioning Within A Post-White-Nose Syndrome Temperate Bat Community, Macy Kailing
Murray State Theses and Dissertations
The decline of cave-dwelling bats since the introduction of white-nose syndrome (WNS) to North America changed the way communities interact. Disease-mediated competition at the community level can influence the ability of imperiled species to recover because of competitive exclusion. In western Kentucky, tri-colored bats, Perimyotis subflavus, which are susceptible to WNS severely declined following WNS occurrence. During that same period, evening bats, Nycticeius humeralis, which are not susceptible to WNS increased markedly. To investigate the influence of WNS on community structure, the diets of sympatric tri-colored and evening bats were assessed. Guano was collected from evening (n=37) and …
Predator Presence And Size Variation Alters Community Structure Through Multiple Trophic Cascades,
2018
Murray State University
Predator Presence And Size Variation Alters Community Structure Through Multiple Trophic Cascades, Robin Baker, Howard Whiteman Ph.D.
Murray State Theses and Dissertations
Predation plays a crucial role in shaping community structure and can initiate trophic cascades that can alter abundances across adjacent trophic levels. Recent research has suggested that variation among individual predators may have stronger effects on ecological dynamics than previously appreciated. Intraspecific variation within predators could lead to differential levels of top-down control with implications for trophic cascade strength. In this experiment, we manipulated the body size variation of predatory mole salamanders (Ambystoma talpoideum) within experimental mesocosms and monitored a suite of abiotic and biotic response variables. We predicted that predator populations with increased body size variation would …
Ecological Implications Of Foraging And Life-History In Three Cold-Adapted Species,
2018
Michigan Technological University
Ecological Implications Of Foraging And Life-History In Three Cold-Adapted Species, Andrew Von Duyke
Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports
This research investigates the ecology of: ringed seals (Pusa hispida), moose (Alces alces), and bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus). Each of these species draws upon specialized strategies to meet the physical demands of life in their extreme environments. However, they are currently experiencing unprecedented changes in their habitats. This work adds to what is known about the behavior, physiology, and population dynamics of cold-adapted species—providing insights of value for an improved understanding of foraging and life-history theory, and informing conservation and ecosystem monitoring efforts. Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction to the scope of work …
Learning To Live With Wolves: Community-Based Conservation In The Blackfoot Valley Of Montana,
2017
University of Montana
Learning To Live With Wolves: Community-Based Conservation In The Blackfoot Valley Of Montana, Seth M. Wilson, Elizabeth H. Bradley, Gregory A. Neudecker
Human–Wildlife Interactions
We built on the existing capacity of a nongovernmental organization called the Blackfoot Challenge to proactively address wolf (Canis lupus)-livestock conflicts in the Blackfoot Valley of Montana. Beginning in 2007, wolves started rapidly recolonizing the valley, raising concerns among livestock producers. We built on an existing program to mitigate conflicts associated with an expanding grizzly bear population and worked within the community to build a similar program to reduce wolf conflicts using an integrative, multi-method approach. Efforts to engage the community included one-on-one meetings, workshops, field tours, and regular group meetings as well as opportunities to participate in …
Seasonal Resource Selection And Habitat Treatment Use By A Fringe Population Of Greater Sage-Grouse,
2017
Utah State University
Seasonal Resource Selection And Habitat Treatment Use By A Fringe Population Of Greater Sage-Grouse, Rhett Boswell
All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023
Movement and habitat selection by Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus uropasianus) is of great interest to wildlife managers tasked with applying conservation measures for this iconic western species. Current technology has created small and lightweight GPS (Global Positioning Systems) transmitters that can be attached to sage-grouse. Using GIS software and statistical programs such as Program R, land managers can analyze GPS location data to assess how sage-grouse are geospatially interacting with their habitats. Within the Panguitch Sage-Grouse Management Area (SGMA) thousands of acres of land have been restored or manipulated to enhance sage-grouse habitat; this usually involves removal of pinyon pine …
Organizational Effects Of Defeminizing Toxicants: Lessons Learned From An Environmental Sentinel Organism, The Fathead Minnow.,
2017
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Organizational Effects Of Defeminizing Toxicants: Lessons Learned From An Environmental Sentinel Organism, The Fathead Minnow., Jonathan Ali
Theses & Dissertations
Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are chemicals that interfere with hormone function and are increasingly detected in aquatic environments, where they elicit adverse effects from exposed organisms. The toxicological effects of EDCs can be described as either activational (reversible) or organizational (irreversible), where the latter are associated with adverse outcomes in reproductive performance of adult fish. However, few studies have investigated the organizational impacts of anti-estrogenic or “defeminizing” EDCs, e.g. agrichemicals or pharmacological agents, in an environmentally-relevant or “sentinel” species. The objective of this study was to investigate the impacts of early-life EDC-initiated changes in estrogenic gene expression on organizational effects …
Evaluation Of Cadmium Bioaccumulaiton Of Periphyton And Aquatic Invertebrates Within Tributaries Of The Buffalo National River,
2017
Arkansas State University
Evaluation Of Cadmium Bioaccumulaiton Of Periphyton And Aquatic Invertebrates Within Tributaries Of The Buffalo National River, Jacob Rollins Mccauley
Student Theses and Dissertations
The Rush Mining District, located along the Buffalo River in Arkansas, has a significant history of metal-mining operations. The tails and spoils of these operations deposit heavy amounts of raw ore into streams, including the deposition of cadmium, a minor constituent. Periphyton and invertebrate samples from two creeks within the Rush Mining District were measured for cadmium. Additionally, two creeks with no history of mining were sampled. Periphyton samples from mining sites had significantly higher concentrations of cadmium than samples collected at control sites. Invertebrate samples were classified into trophic levels before analysis. Invertebrate samples collected at treatment sites only …
