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At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources

Variation in active and passive resource inputs to experimental pools: mechanisms and possible consequences for food webs

1. Cross-ecosystem movements of resources, including detritus, nutrients and living prey, can strongly influence food web dynamics in recipient habitats. Variation in resource inputs is thought to be driven by factors external to the recipient habitat (e.g. donor habitat productivity and boundary conditions). However, inputs of or by ‘active’ living resources may be strongly influenced by recipient habitat quality when organisms exhibit behavioural habitat selection when crossing ecosystem boundaries. 2. To examine whether behavioural responses to recipient habitat quality alter the relative inputs of ‘active’ living and ‘passive’ detrital resources to recipient food webs, we manipulated the presence of caged predatory fish and measured biomass, energy and organic content of inputs to outdoor experimental pools of adult aquatic insects, frog eggs, terrestrial plant matter and terrestrial arthropods. 3. Caged fish reduced the biomass, energy and organic matter donated to pools by tree frog eggs by ∼70%, but did not alter insect colonisation or passive allochthonous inputs of terrestrial arthropods and plant material. Terrestrial plant matter and adult aquatic insects provided the most energy and organic matter inputs to the pools (40–50%), while terrestrial arthropods provided the least (7%). Inputs of frog egg were relatively small but varied considerably among pools and over time (3%, range = 0–20%). Absolute and proportional amounts varied by input type. 4. Aquatic predators can strongly affect the magnitude of active, but not passive, inputs and that the effect of recipient habitat quality on active inputs is variable. Furthermore, some active inputs (i.e. aquatic insect colonists) can provide similar amounts of energy and organic matter as passive inputs of terrestrial plant matter, which are well known to be important. Because inputs differ in quality and the trophic level they subsidise, proportional changes in input type could have strong effects on recipient food webs. 5. Cross-ecosystem resource inputs have previously been characterised as donor-controlled. However, control by the recipient food web could lead to greater feedback between resource flow and consumer dynamics than has been appreciated so far.

Freshwater Biology

Mathematical modelling of anisotropy of illite-rich shale

The estimation of illite-rich shale anisotropy to account for the alignment of clays and gas- or brine-filled cracks is presented via mathematical modelling. Such estimation requires analysis to interpret the dominance of one effect over another. This knowledge can help to evaluate the permeability in the unconventional reservoir, stress orientation, and the seal capacity for the conventional reservoir. Effective media modelling is used to predict the elastic properties of the illite-rich shale and to identify the dominant contributions to the shale anisotropy. We consider two principal reasons of the shale anisotropy: orientation of clay platelets and orientation of fluid-filled cracks. In reality, both of these two factors affect the shale anisotropy. The goal of this study is, first, to separately analyse the effect of these two factors to reveal the specific features in P- and S-wave velocity behaviour typical of each of the factors, and, then, consider a combined effect of the factors when the cracks are horizontally or vertically aligned. To do this, we construct four models of shale. The behaviour of P- and S-wave velocities is analysed when gas- and water-filled cracks embedded in a host matrix are randomly oriented, or horizontally or vertically aligned. The host matrix can be either isotropic or anisotropic (of VTI symmetry). In such a modelling, we use published data on mineralogy and clay platelet alignment along with other micromechanical measurements. In the model, where the host matrix is isotropic, the presence of a singularity point (when the difference V S1 - V S2 changes its sign) in shear wave velocities is an indicator of brine-filled aligned cracks. In the model with the VTI host matrix and horizontally aligned cracks filled with gas, an increase in their volume concentration leads to that the azimuth at which the singularity is observed moves toward the symmetry axis. In this case, if the clay content is small (around 20 per cent), the singularity point may even vanish. The Thomsen parameters are helpful in fluid type indication in shale. An indicator of gas-filled aligned cracks is ?? > ??. If aligned cracks in illite-rich shale are brine-filled, ?? < ??. Negative value of ?? indicates brine-filled cracks in illite-rich shale. A shale with brine-filled cracks exhibits higher V p /V s ratio in the vertical direction as compared to the gas-filled shale. A disorientation of clay platelets and brine-filled cracks may lead to that the singularity point is absent for brine-saturated shale as well. In this case one can also observe ?? > ?? and decreased values of V p /V s in the vertical direction as in the case of gas-filled cracks. In the presence of vertically aligned cracks, shales exhibit distinctly revealed features of orthorhombic symmetry. The results have important applications where seismic measurements are applied to predict the maturity state of the shale. ?? 2009 The Authors Journal compilation ?? 2009 RAS.

Conference Paper

Microhabitat use and seasonal movements of hatchery-reared and wild shortnose sturgeon in the Savannah River, South Carolina--Georgia

Radio and acoustic telemetry were used to monitor the seasonal movement of hatchery-reared and wild shortnose sturgeon (622-927 mm total length) in the Savannah River. Diploid, and sterile hatchery-reared shortnose sturgeon, and wild shortnose sturgeon showed apparent similar seasonal patterns of movement within the river. We were unable to detect any significant differences in the seasonal mean river location, minimum daily distance moved, absolute distance moved, displacement or mean territory size among treatments. Fish moved throughout the brackish and freshwater interface area of the Savannah River during the summer months. Coinciding with decreasing fall temperatures, fish of all treatment groups moved downriver into brackish areas of the upper estuary, residing in the Front, Middle, and Back Rivers, where they remained through winter. Upriver movements of some hatchery-reared and wild groups began in early February as river temperatures began to increase. Shortnose sturgeon from each group selected apparent similar thermal, salinity and water depth conditions throughout the year. Hatchery-reared fish may be useful as surrogates for wild fish in behavioural studies. Triploid or surgically-sterilized fish may be used in situ behavioural studies where genetic contamination is a concern. It may be possible to monitor habitats used by released hatchery-reared fish to locate or verify remnant populations of rare or endangered species in systems where they are thought to be extirpated.

Journal of Applied Ichthyology

Elevational speciation in action? Restricted gene flow associated with adaptive divergence across an altitudinal gradient

Evolutionary theory predicts that divergent selection pressures across elevational gradients could cause adaptive divergence and reproductive isolation in the process of ecological speciation. Although there is substantial evidence for adaptive divergence across elevation, there is less evidence that this restricts gene flow. Previous work in the boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata) has demonstrated adaptive divergence in morphological, life history and physiological traits across an elevational gradient from approximately 1500&ndash;3000 m in the Colorado Front Range, USA. We tested whether this adaptive divergence is associated with restricted gene flow across elevation &ndash; as would be expected if incipient speciation were occurring &ndash; and, if so, whether behavioural isolation contributes to reproductive isolation. Our analysis of 12 microsatellite loci in 797 frogs from 53 populations revealed restricted gene flow across elevation, even after controlling for geographic distance and topography. Calls also varied significantly across elevation in dominant frequency, pulse number and pulse duration, which was partly, but not entirely, due to variation in body size and temperature across elevation. However, call variation did not result in strong behavioural isolation: in phonotaxis experiments, low-elevation females tended to prefer an average low-elevation call over a high-elevation call, and vice versa for high-elevation females, but this trend was not statistically significant. In summary, our results show that adaptive divergence across elevation restricts gene flow in P. maculata, but the mechanisms for this potential incipient speciation remain open.

Colorado

American eels produce and release bile acids that vary across life stage

The American eel ( Anguilla rostrata ) is an imperilled fish hypothesized to use conspecific cues, in part, to coordinate long‐distance migration during their multistage life history. Here, holding water and tissue from multiple American eel life stages was collected and analysed for the presence, profile and concentration of bile acids. Distinct bile acid profiles were identified in glass, elver, yellow eel and silver eel holding waters using ultraperformance liquid chromatography high‐resolution mass spectrometry and principal component analysis. Taurochenodeoxycholic acid, taurodeoxycholic acid, cholic acid, deoxycholic acid, taurolithocholic acid and taurocholic acid were detected in whole tissue of American glass eels and elvers, and in liver, intestine and gallbladder samples of late‐stage yellow eels. Bile acids were not a major component of silver eel washings or tissue. This study is novel because little was previously known about bile acids produced and emitted into the environment by American eels. Future behavioural studies could evaluate whether any bile acids produced by American eels influence conspecific migratory behaviour.

Journal of Fish Biology

The American black bear (Ursus americanus) as an apex predator: Investigating the ecological role of the world’s most abundant large carnivore

Introduction American black bears ( Ursus americanus ) have been documented to have top-down effects, both consumptive (through predation) and nonconsumptive (through fear effects). However, their behavioural and dietary adaptability has led to uncertainty about the conditions under which these may occur. Objectives We aimed to (1) investigate when, where, and how often black bears influence lower trophic levels, and (2) critically assess the experimental design of such studies to determine trends and biases. Methods We conducted a systematic literature search and used linear mixed-effects models to assess the relationships among prey age class, the presence of other large carnivores, and the percentage of ungulate mortality due to black bears. We also summarised the measured effects of black bears on other carnivores and the results of any experimental studies. Results We found a strong negative relationship between puma presence and the percentage of ungulate mortality due to black bears, but only in areas with at least one other large carnivore (e.g., wolves). Among 16 studies of black bears' impacts on other carnivores, most documented negative behavioural effects. While only 5% of studies had strong experimental design, bear removal consistently increased juvenile ungulate survival. Discussion and Synthesis Our findings highlight black bears' strong top-down effects, resembling or exceeding those of other large carnivores. These effects were greatest when no other large carnivores were present, but as highly effective kleptoparasites, black bears can alter the feeding habits of other large carnivores. Thus, we argue that ‘apex’ is a conditional state, not a species-wide status.

Mammal Review

Parasite transmission in social interacting hosts: Monogenean epidemics in guppies

Background Infection incidence increases with the average number of contacts between susceptible and infected individuals. Contact rates are normally assumed to increase linearly with host density. However, social species seek out each other at low density and saturate their contact rates at high densities. Although predicting epidemic behaviour requires knowing how contact rates scale with host density, few empirical studies have investigated the effect of host density. Also, most theory assumes each host has an equal probability of transmitting parasites, even though individual parasite load and infection duration can vary. To our knowledge, the relative importance of characteristics of the primary infected host vs. the susceptible population has never been tested experimentally. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we examine epidemics using a common ectoparasite, Gyrodactylus turnbulli infecting its guppy host ( Poecilia reticulata ). Hosts were maintained at different densities (3, 6, 12 and 24 fish in 40 L aquaria), and we monitored gyrodactylids both at a population and individual host level. Although parasite population size increased with host density, the probability of an epidemic did not. Epidemics were more likely when the primary infected fish had a high mean intensity and duration of infection. Epidemics only occurred if the primary infected host experienced more than 23 worm days. Female guppies contracted infections sooner than males, probably because females have a higher propensity for shoaling. Conclusions/Significance These findings suggest that in social hosts like guppies, the frequency of social contact largely governs disease epidemics independent of host density.

PLoS ONE

Minimising visitor impacts to protected areas: The efficacy of low impact education programmes

Protected area managers, tourism providers, and other organisations commonly employ education programmes to address visitation-related impairment of natural and cultural resources, social conditions, and neighbouring communities. These programmes have different names (Leave No Trace, Codes of Conduct, Environmental Guidelines for Tourists) but share common objectives: to sustain opportunities for high quality visitor experiences while avoiding or minimising associated negative impacts to protected area resources, visitor experiences, and park neighbours. Theoretical and empirical research studies in the United States are reviewed to evaluate the efficacy of educational efforts that seek to encourage adoption of low impact behaviours. Findings reveal that most of the visitor education efforts evaluated did effectively alter visitor knowledge, behaviour and/or resource and social conditions in the intended direction. These findings, including discussions of message content, delivery, audience characteristics and theoretical grounding, provide insights for improving the efficacy of future educational efforts.

Journal of Sustainable Tourism

Anthropogenic edge effects in habitat selection by sun bears in a protected area

Wildlife populations in southeast Asia are increasingly experiencing a broad array of anthropogenic threats, and mammalian carnivores are particularly vulnerable. Populations of the Malayan sun bear Helarctos malayanus are estimated to have declined by 30% over the last 30 years from forest conversion to industrial plantations and mortality associated with human–bear conflicts and illegal wildlife trade. However, the effects of industrial plantations on habitat selection and activity patterns of mammals that live at the protected area-plantation interface, including sun bears, are not well known. We investigated habitat selection and activity patterns of sun bears in Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Sabah, Malaysia. We deployed 83 remote camera sites to record sun bear detections during two sampling periods (2012–2013 and 2017). We used generalized linear models to examine relationships between sun bear presence and site covariates representing physical, environmental and anthropogenic elements of the landscape. Relative probability of sun bear presence was positively associated with distance to roads and elevation. Because most roads were on the reserve boundary and often associated with oil palm plantations, proximity to roads likely served as a surrogate measure of human accessibility and activity in peripheral areas of the reserve. Supporting that interpretation, sun bears close to the reserve boundary were primarily active at night, whereas daytime activity was more common for bears in the interior. Our findings indicate that sun bears alter behaviour and habitat selection likely in response to anthropogenic activities at the edges of Tabin Wildlife Reserve (112 200 ha). Because the ratio of edge to interior increases steeply with declining habitat area, smaller protected areas bordered by plantations are predicted to have greater impacts on sun bear behaviour and, potentially, population persistence. Effective conservation actions may benefit from management to improve the security of edge habitats for sun bears and other vulnerable species.

Tabin Wildlife Reserve

Videographic evidence of endangered species depredation by feral cat

Feral cats (Felis cafus) have long been implicated as nest predators of endangered 'Ua'u (Hawaiian Petrel; Pterodroma sandwichensis) on Hawaii Island, but until recently, visual confirmation has been limited by available technology. 'Ua'u nest out of view, deep inside small cavities, on alpine lava flows. During the breeding seasons of 2007 and 2008, we monitored known burrows within Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Digital infrared video cameras assisted in determining the breeding behaviour and nesting success at the most isolated of burrows. With 7 cameras, we collected a total of 819 videos and 89 still photographs of adult and nestling 'Ua'u at 14 burrows. Videos also confirmed the presence of rats (Rattus spp.) at 2 burrows, 'Ōmao (Myadestes obscurus) at 8 burrows, and feral cats at 6 burrows. A sequence of videos showed a feral cat taking a downy 'Ua'u chick from its burrow, representing the first direct evidence of 'Ua'u depredation by feral cat in Hawai'i. This technique provides greater understanding of feral cat behaviour in 'Ua'u colonies, which may assist in the development of more targeted management strategies to reduce nest predation on endangered insular bird species.

Pacific Conservation Biology

Daytime avoidance of chemosensory alarm cues by adult sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus )

Sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ) avoid damage-released and predator chemosensory cues at night, but their response to these cues during the day is unknown. Here, we explored (i) whether sea lamprey avoid these cues during the day and (ii) the effect of water temperature on the avoidance of chemosensory alarm cues in two diurnal laboratory experiments. We hypothesized that daytime activity would be temperature-dependent and that only sea lamprey vulnerable to predation (i.e., not hiding) would behaviourally respond to chemosensory alarm cues. Ten groups of ten sea lamprey were exposed to one of a variety of potential chemosensory cues. The experiments were conducted over a range of temperatures to quantify the effect of temperature on avoidance behaviour. Consistent with our hypothesis, a higher proportion of animals were active during daytime as water temperature increased. Moving sea lamprey showed an avoidance response to 2-phenylethylamine (a compound found in mammalian urine) and human saliva once water temperatures had risen to mean (&plusmn;SD) = 13.7 (&plusmn;1.4) &deg;C. Resting and hiding sea lamprey did not show an avoidance response to any of the experimental stimuli.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

Observations of wing-feather molt and summer feeding ecology of Steller's Eiders at Nelson Lagoon, Alaska

The population size, moult chronology, food habits, and feeding behaviour of Steller's Eiders Polysticta stelleri were studied at Nelson Lagoon, Alaska from May to October 1977. Sub-adults were flightless from late July to late August and the adult males were flightless from late August to mid September. Adult females were rarely flightless at Nelson Lagoon but commonly flightless at Izembek Bay. Steller's Eiders ate primarily bivalve mollusca and amphipod crustacea, with Mytilus edulis and Anisogammarus pugettensis the most important foods. Eiders took amphipoda prior to the wing-feather moult, bivalves during the wing-feather moult, and both types of invertebrates after the wing-feather moult. Steller's Eiders fed primarily at the low tide by diving (flock-feeding) or head-dipping, both during the day and at night. There was no difference in feeding behaviour between ages or sexes. Eiders fed almost exclusively by diving after the wing-feather moult and apparently fed more as the season progressed.

Alaska

Preface

Despite more than 50 years of research into the human dimensions of recreational f isheries, there is no textbook to present the theoretical grounding, operationalisation, and interpretation of the most elemental social components involved in fisheries management – namely, outcomes and trade-offs, behaviours (and antecedents or predictors of it), and the relationships among actors (fishers, f isher groups, managers, and management organisations). The objective of this edited volume is to reduce this knowledge gap. The book comprises four parts: (I) recreational fisheries as social-ecological systems, (II) disciplinary views of f ishers’ behaviours and outcomes, (III) engagement of fishers to support effective social science, and (IV) interdisciplinary integration for recreational fisheries management. Part I provides the general motivation for an interdisciplinary approach to understand recreational fisheries as coupled systems. Part II provides the foundations of various social science disciplines and highlights linkages and differences in the underlying theories and concepts used. Part III describes various qualitative and quantitative methods to study the social aspects of recreational fisheries in more detail, and Part IV suggests approaches to achieve standardisation and integration of different data streams, including how to link social and ecological data. The book chapters have been written by leading scholars of recreational fisheries science, involving social and economic scientists, political ecologists, and fisheries ecologists with a tradition in either applying human dimensions or working towards integration.

Book chapter

Optimal use of resources structures home ranges and spatial distribution of black bears

Research has shown that territories of animals are economical. Home ranges should be similarly efficient with respect to spatially distributed resources and this should structure their distribution on a landscape, although neither has been demonstrated empirically. To test these hypotheses, we used home range models that optimize resource use according to resource-maximizing and area-minimizing strategies to evaluate the home ranges of female black bears, Ursus americanus, living in the southern Appalachian Mountains. We tested general predictions of our models using 104 home ranges of adult female bears studied in the Pisgah Bear Sanctuary, North Carolina, U.S.A., from 1981 to 2001. We also used our models to estimate home ranges for each real home range under a variety of strategies and constraints and compared similarity of simulated to real home ranges. We found that home ranges of female bears were efficient with respect to the spatial distribution of resources and were best explained by an area-minimizing strategy with moderate resource thresholds and low levels of resource depression. Although resource depression probably influenced the spatial distribution of home ranges on the landscape, levels of resource depression were too low to quantify accurately. Home ranges of lactating females had higher resource thresholds and were more susceptible to resource depression than those of breeding females. We conclude that home ranges of animals, like territories, are economical with respect to resources, and that resource depression may be the mechanism behind ideal free or ideal preemptive distributions on complex, heterogeneous landscapes. ?? 2007 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Animal Behaviour

Cooperation and competition: nepotistic tolerance and intrasexual aggression in western bluebird winter groups

Two hypothesized benefits of delayed dispersal are access to resources and prolonged brood care (or??parental nepotism). Resource abundance (mistletoe wealth) is a key factor influencing whether sons stay home in western bluebirds, Sialia mexicana, but nepotism is also observed. Western bluebird sons commonly remain in their family groups throughout the winter, whereas daughters usually disperse before winter. Because pairing often takes place in winter groups, with newly formed pairs settling on exclusive all-purpose territories in spring, selection for sexual competition and nepotism co-occur and may simultaneously influence patterns of aggression within groups. We measured aggression at mealworm feeder stations, finding evidence of (1) intrasexual aggression against unrelated group members by experienced breeders of both sexes and (2) nepotism towards sons and daughters by experienced breeder females but not by experienced breeder males. Females showed much higher levels of aggression towards same-sex immigrants than males did. Experienced breeder males did not evict their sons from the natal territory, but they were 12 times more aggressive towards sons than breeder females were towards daughters. They were also equally aggressive towards sons and immigrant males, suggesting that local breeding competition and the benefits of intrasexual dominance counter the benefits of paternal nepotism towards sons. ?? 2009 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Animal Behaviour

Impacts of experimentally increased foraging effort on the family: offspring sex matters

We examined how short-term impacts of experimentally increased foraging effort by one parent reverberate around the family in a monomorphic seabird (little auk, Alle alle), and whether these effects depend on offspring sex. In many species, more effort is required to rear sons successfully than daughters. However, undernourishment may have stronger adverse consequences for male offspring, which could result in a lower fitness benefit of additional parental effort when rearing a son. We tested two alternative hypotheses concerning the responses of partners to handicapping parents via feather clipping: partners rearing a son are (1) more willing or able to compensate for the reduced contribution of their mate, or (2) less willing or able to compensate, compared to those rearing a daughter. Hypothesis 1 predicts that sons will be no more adversely affected than daughters, and the impact on parents will be greater when rearing a son. Hypothesis 2 predicts that sons will be more adversely affected than daughters, and parents raising a son less affected. Although experimental chicks of both sexes fledged in poorer condition than controls, sons attained higher mass and more rapid growth than daughters in both groups. Clipped parents lost a similar proportion of their initial mass regardless of chick sex, whereas partners of clipped birds lost more mass when rearing a son. These results support hypothesis 1: impacts of increased foraging effort by one parent were felt by offspring, regardless of their sex, and by the partners of manipulated birds, particularly when the offspring was male. ?? 2009 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Animal Behaviour

Within-group relatedness and patterns of reproductive sharing and cooperation in the tropical chestnut-crested yuhina

In cooperatively breeding animals, genetic relatedness among group members often determines the extent of reproductive sharing, cooperation and competition within a group. Studies of species for which cooperative behaviour is not entirely based on kinship are key for understanding the benefits favouring the evolution and maintenance of cooperative breeding among nonrelatives. In the cooperatively breeding chestnut-crested yuhina, Yuhina everetti , a songbird endemic to Borneo, we tested whether unrelated helpers are more likely to gain parentage than are related helpers consistent with the hypothesis that inbreeding risk constrains reproduction by related helpers. We also examined whether related or unrelated helpers provision broods more because of differences in their potential indirect or direct fitness benefits of helping. Kin structure of breeding groups (breeding pair and up to eight helpers of both sexes, median = 2 helpers, 96% of 57 pairs had helpers) based on genetic analysis was mixed; 48% of 76 breeder/helper dyads were first-order (26%) or second-order (22%) relatives of one or both members of the breeding pair, and 52% were nonrelatives. Only unrelated male and female helpers gained parentage, and helpers did not differ in their provisioning rate according to their relatedness to the broods. We documented quasi-parasitism or co-breeding by female helpers in 14% of 29 broods and extrapair paternity by male helpers in 21% of 47 broods. This rate of extrapair paternity is relatively high among the few tropical species examined but fit with predictions for mixed-kin groups where inbreeding is avoided. These findings support the emerging pattern for cooperative breeding in birds with mixed-kin groups, wherein unrelated helpers are more likely to gain parentage than are related helpers and helping effort is not necessarily predicted by kinship.

Animal Behaviour

Cultural change in the songs of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from Tonga

Some humpback whales migrate annually from Antarctic feeding grounds to the seas around the Tongan Islands to give birth and mate. The Tongan humpbacks are considered part of Southern Hemisphere Group V that splits during migration, some swimming to Eastern Australia and others to various Polynesian Islands. During this time long complex songs are produced. The song is thought to be a male breeding display and may serve either as an intra-sexual or an inter-sexual signal or both. It is in a constant state of change that occurs every season. Since these changes are directional they cannot be described by drift, and singers incorporate changes as they occur, thus song must be shared through cultural transmission. This investigation describes the cultural changes that occurred in 158 songs recorded from Tongan humpbacks through the 1990s. The rate of change differed within years, some themes were retained for as much as five years and others were lost after only two years. The farther apart the years the less similar are the songs, as in the humpback songs of the Northern Hemisphere. The largest number of changes seems to have occurred in the early 1990s where all themes seemed to have been lost and new ones originated. What initiates these changes remains speculative, but we assess some hypotheses in relation to humpback whale behaviour and cultural transmission in avian song. ?? Koninklijke Brill NV, 2005.

Behaviour