The ecology of quaternary mammals in the Urals

Special aspects of solving certain key problems in the ecology of Quaternary mammals using materials from the Ural region are considered. Possibilities and limitations accounted for by specific features of the region are analyzed. The nature of “mixed” (mammoth, tundra-steppe, hyperborean) faunas and their diversity are considered in the context of questions related to trends in the dynamics of range boundaries and relative abundance of different mammal species during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene.     

Specific Features of the Formation of Animal Species Communities in Technogenic and Urbanized Landscapes

The formation of the species composition and specific functional, physiological, and phenotypic features of populations in technogenic and urbanized areas was studied by analyzing murine rodents, amphibians, and soil invertebrates. It is shown that, against the background of decreasing total abundance and biomass of animals, their formerly continuous ranges become mosaic, with the locally increasing animal density and heterogeneity and specific population dynamics. Species diversity decreases; however, species alien to the natural ecosystems of the given territory appear. Changes in the strategies of reproduction and food resource use were revealed in the species communities of small mammals and amphibians.     

Bushmeat consumption and its implications for wildlife conservation in the semi-arid region of Brazil

Hunting plays an important socioeconomic role in the semi-arid region of Brazil, by supplying meat and other products. Nevertheless, there is a lack of information on which species are most used by the local populations and what are the implications for conservation of exploited animals. This paper explores the bushmeat consumption in the Brazilian Caatinga region, where wild animals comprise an important protein source. A questionnaire was used to gather information from hunters, and the consumption of bushmeat by their families was monitored. Interviews revealed that 58 vertebrate species could potentially be consumed as bushmeat, but the samples provided by the monitored families comprised only 28 species. Birds were the animals most consumed, followed by mammals, although the biomass of both groups was similar. The consumption of bushmeat was not correlated with hunters’ socioeconomic data (income, age or schooling). Hunters recognized that the populations of some game species appeared to be declining, showing that bushmeat consumption, together with the cultural, economic and social aspects of the human populations involved in hunting, should be considered when discussing the conservation of animal resources in the Caatinga region.     

Spatial Distribution of Sables in the Middle Ob Region

Results of stationary studies on the spatial location of sables (Martes zibellinaL.) belonging to different age and sex groups are summarized. Mapping the sites where 388 animals were taken, it was found that young animals tended to live near floodplains; adult animals, on watersheds. Analysis of sables taken by commercial hunters (n= 1833) made it possible to estimate the age composition and the degree and spatial distribution of the hunting pressure on sable populations in three areas of the Ob region. The spatial separation of young and reproductive animals is interpreted as a group adaptive response to the specific distribution pattern of different habitats typical of this species and to the pattern of animal elimination. It is proposed to use the specific pattern of animal distribution for maintaining the size of the population that is subject to hunting. Specifically, reserve (reproductive) territories should be organized in watershed areas.     

Effect of selected environmental factors on hunting methods and hunting success in the lesser spotted eagle <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aquila pomarina</Emphasis> in North-Eastern Poland

Hunting methods and hunting success and their associations with some environmental factors were studied in Lesser Spotted Eagle. Birds hunted mostly by patrol-flights (73.6%), secondary by perchhunting (23.8%). In the morning-noon period birds hunted using patrol flights more frequently than in the afternoon, while in the afternoon they more often used perch-hunting. Average hunting success reached 24% (n = 37), but it was much greater on freshly mown meadows.     

Anishnaabe Aki: an indigenous perspective on the global threat of invasive species

Conservation discourses tend to portray invasive species as biological entities temporally connected to colonial timelines, using terms such as “alien”, “colonizing”, “colonial”, and “native”. This focus on a colonial timeline emerges from scientific publications within conservation biology and invasion ecology and is enacted through invasive species management by state and NGO actors. Colonialism is influential for indigenous nations in myriad ways, but in what ways do indigenous understandings of invasive species engage with colonialism? We conducted ethnographic research with indigenous Anishnaabe communities to learn about the ways Anishnaabe people conceptualize invasive species as a phenomenon in the world and were gifted with three primary insights. First, Anishnaabe regard plants, like all beings, as persons that assemble into nations more so than “species”. The arrival of new plant nations is viewed by some Anishnaabe as a natural form of migration. The second insight highlights the importance of actively discovering the purpose of new species, sometimes with the assistance of animal teachers. Lastly, while Anishnaabe describe invasive species as phenomenologically entangled with colonialism, the multiple ways Anishnaabe people think about invasive species provide alternatives to native–non-native binaries that dominate much of the scientific discourse.     

Small mammals in the diets of the Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) and Short-eared Owl (A. flammeus) in the south of Western Siberia

Diets of the Long-eared and Short-eared Owls, closely related species with overlapping ranges, have been studied in the south of Western Siberia (the Baraba Lowland) by analyzing bone remains in pellets. The results show that both species in the south of the Baraba Lowland employ similar strategies of food resource use, which, however, differ in some aspects. In the Short-eared Owl, the hunting range is apparently more restricted. During the nesting period, these birds occupy relatively moist habitats along riverbanks and protect their hunting grounds. The Long-eared Owl nests in mainly mesic habitats, in forest outliers, and can supplement its diet with shrews (Sorex) and steppe rodent species. The diets of both species largely consist of murine rodent species that are dominant or subdominant in the small mammal community of the Baraba forest-steppe. Seasonal and interannual variations in the food spectra of both species have been revealed.     

Beasts,Burgers, and Hummers: Meat and the Crisis of Masculinity in Contemporary Television Advertisements

This paper examines three recent television advertisements that symbolically link meat not only with masculinity, but specifically with the “crisis in masculinity.” Using an ecofeminist lens, I engage in an intersectional analysis of these advertisements to demonstrate how they articulate the eating of meat with primitive masculinities as a response to perceived threats to hegemonic masculinity. These advertisements demonstrate that scholars interested in the status of masculinity must pay attention to the “threats” to masculinity posed by environmental and animal rights movements, and that scholars interested in environmental movements must pay attention to the role of masculinity in resisting moves toward sustainability. This analysis demonstrates the utility of ecofeminism in understanding the relationship between hegemonic masculinity and environmentalism while also pointing to the need for ecofeminism to continue to explore the implications of intersectionality for ecofeminist theory and criticism.     

The impacts of herbivory on vegetation in Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana: 1967–2001

Browsing and grazing pressure on vegetation in the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana was analyzed using remotely sensed imagery comprising CORONA photographs of 1967 and Landsat TM and Landsat ETM imagery of 1989 and 1994 and 2001, respectively. Comparison of temporal variations in the spatial distributions of different vegetation types and changes in the abundance of selected wildlife species demonstrate a persistent decrease in capacity of the environment to support wild animals, due to increasing abundance of poorly preferred browse species and increasing scarcity of favored varieties. Given the long-term direction of change showing continued deterioration of habitat conditions and the limited prospects for reversal of this trend, it is apparent that there is immediate need to realign wildlife management strategies in ways that can enhance the sustainability of wildlife and the supporting environment.     

太湖介形类动物丰度与生物量

2004年9月~2005年8月对太湖介形类动物进行了季节性调查分析,结果表明：太湖中共有15种介形类动物,其年均丰度为1 590 ind/m2,年均生物量为46 495 μg(dwt)/m2,丰度和生物量在9个湖区的分布状态相似,受介形类自身食性及行为方式的影响,高丰度和高生物量主要出现在夏秋两季的太湖东半部分（包括东太湖、东部沿岸带和贡湖）。9个湖区中,除梅梁湖和贡湖外,其它几个湖区中介形类丰度和生物量的周年变化规律较为一致,而太湖中终年出现物种克氏瘤丽星介（〖WTBX〗Physocypria kraepelini〖WTBZ〗）、豆形豆形玻璃介（〖WTBX〗Fabaeformiscandona〖WTBZ〗 cf. 〖WTBX〗fabaeformis）和塔尔薄丽星介（Dolerocypria taalensis〖WTBZ〗）的自身繁殖力是造成梅梁湖和贡湖中介形类丰度和生物量间存在差异的主要原因,但两湖区中介形类丰度和生物量在整个太湖中所占比重有限,所以不影响太湖总体介形类季节变化趋势,四个季节中介形类的丰度和生物量均值总体呈现出秋＞夏＞冬＞春的规律。在15个物种中克氏瘤丽星介和豆形豆形玻璃介的丰度和生物量最高,所以两者为太湖介形类的建群种。介形类丰度、生物量与环境因子间的相关关系分析结果显示,水体中的植被密度、透明度、温度和溶氧量对介形类丰度和生物量分布和变化的影响较其它环境因子大,但因季节不同而有所变化。     

“A Short Burst of Inconsequential Information:” Networked Rhetorics,Avian Consciousness,and Bioegalitarianism

This essay uses the concept of “avian consciousness” to reconsider assumptions about human communication and theorize networked rhetorics. By adopting an ornithomorphic frame, I critically read Don DeLillo's The Body Artist as an exploration of overlaps between human and avian consciousness. I then argue that avian consciousness provides a richer metaphor for understanding networked rhetorics than autistic consciousness, which is an increasingly dominant trope for explaining interaction with digitally networked media. I explore how Twitter, explicitly modeled on avian communication, can be understood as circulating information in ways analogous to the contact and assembly calls of birds. The essay concludes by noting that seeing avian features in human communication diminishes the perceived gap between human and nonhuman animal, holding out hope for a more bioegalitarian relationship between species.     

Changes in the numbers of predatory mammals in the Middle Urals caused by anthropogenic factors

Degradation of fur hunting in the mid-1990s allowed the impact of hunting on some species of predatory mammals to be estimated. The numbers of sables, martens, foxes, and lynx were demonstrated to slowly decrease in the period of intense hunting; after pelt trade ceased, the numbers of sables, martens, and foxes increased by a factor of three within 15 years. Ermines and Siberian weasels had not experienced a substantial hunting pressure; changes in their numbers were caused by other factors.     

后现代旅游理念下的乡村旅游产品开发——以长沙县开慧镇为例

后现代旅游理念源于后现代主义思潮,是一种新型的旅游观。在回顾国内外相关文献基础上,采用实地研究与问卷调查方法,以长沙县开慧镇为例进行了实证研究。研究发现：（1）后现代旅游是对现代旅游的继承性发展,后现代旅游需求是多样、复杂、甚至矛盾的,目前很难统一界定;（2）总体来看,后现代旅游产品开发应该秉持绿色自然、情感体验、个性本我、健康公平等理念;（3）开慧镇乡村旅游资源丰富,但现有产品开发存在游客参与度不高,消费水平偏低,产品认知程度不一,新媒体营销收效甚微等问题;（4）探索性地设立了由13个影响因子组成的指标体系,依据对游客的重要性程度将权重划分为高、中、低3个层级,并以此作为产品开发的参照;（5）提出了加强“大地艺术类”“儿童旅游类”“农家体验类”“户外休闲类”4类后现代乡村旅游产品开发的建议。今后,有必要加强对“后现代”或“跨现代”背景下的乡村旅游研究。     

The role of the red fox as a predator of species of human concern in a mediterranean rural habitat: A case Study

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is generally considered a pest species, especially in rural habitats where it is perceived as a predator of livestock and game species. In many countries, population-control programs are carried out to prevent predation on species of human concern. However, most of these programs occur without an analysis of the real fox impact. This study analyzed the diet of red foxes inhabiting a farmland area characterized by the presence of both free-ranging livestock and game species. We analyzed a total of 147 scats belonging to 32 food samples. Invertebrates represented the main food category (recorded on 66% of food samples), followed by fruit and small mammals, both recorded on 59% of food samples. The seasonal variation of the diet matched the availability of food resources, as demonstrated by the outcome of small mammal trapping activity in the area. The livestock consumption regarded almost exclusively carrions, since only hair of adult sheep were recorded with high frequency. Wild boar hair were found in two food samples, lamb and hare hair were found in only one. Our study showed an easy protocol to assess the role of red fox as a predator of livestock and game species before planning management actions. In the analyzed farmland, for instance, a population-control program should not be justified despite the presence of lambs, piglets, hares and pheasants.     

The State of the Mammal Community of Boreal Forest Ecosystems in the Vicinity of a Nickel-Smelting Plant

The effect of industrial air pollution on natural small mammal populations has been studied in the northern taiga subzone of the boreal forest zone. The results of long-term monitoring have been used to demonstrate the possibility of predicting changes in the main population and community characteristics of the animal species studied as dependent on the degree of anthropogenic impact.     

Effect of insolation and overhead canopy on macrozoobenthos of tropical freshwater ponds

Distribution and abundance of macrozoobenthic species were investigated in open and shaded sites of tropical freshwater pond ecosystems in Kolkata. Water temperature of open sites was higher than the shaded sites but transparency value was lower at the lighted sites presumably related with the production of phytoplankton in the presence of sunlight. Diversity of species was recorded highest (26 species) along with total benthos density (5999 no/m²) at slightly illuminated open site. Mean biomass was also highest at the slightly illuminated open site. Total benthos density of macrozoobenthos was lower at the fully shaded and fully lighted sites. The greater occurrence and abundance of most macrozoobenthic species-including total benthos density and biomass at the slightly illuminated open site was probably associated with microhabitat suitability supported by moderate presence of macrophytes. Higher quality food (algae and algal detritus) and thermal suitability as well as phototactic attraction of motile epibenthic gastropods and other organisms contribute to the greater abundance and production of biomass at this site.     

Small mammals in undisturbed and restored tundra biogeocenoses

Small mammal communities have been studied in undisturbed and restored zonal biogeocenoses in the southern subzone of eastern European tundras. The results show that the consequences of anthropogenic disturbances to the environment have an adverse effect on parameters of abundance, spatial distribution, and population dynamics of species comprising zonal communities. Soil and plant components of the disturbed biogeocenosis recover more rapidly than its small mammal community.     

Naming,Mourning, and the Work of Earthly Coexistence

Setting out from Jacques Derrida’s assertion that every act of naming is “a foreshadowing of mourning” ([2008. The animal that therefore I am. (M.-L. Mallet, Ed., D. Wills, Trans.). New York, NY: Fordham University Press], p. 20), this paper argues that the work of earthly coexistence is underwritten by the intertwined practices of naming and mourning. The paper demonstrates that names provide access to and shape our perceptions of earthly entities; that the act of naming prepares us for the work of mourning; that the proper names given to endlings provide poignant points of access to species on the edge of extinction; that species names disclose species as such and, thus, enable us to grieve not just particular living organisms but entire ways of life; and that the name given to the current geological epoch, the “anthropocene,” simultaneously reflects and engenders a mode of awareness which enables us to relinquish those ways of being human that no longer seem sustainable and carry forth those that promise to enrich earthly coexistence.     

China’s Grain for Green policy and farm dynamics: simulating household land-use responses

Analyzing the interaction between environmental policies and farmers’ responses to them is an important dimension to understand regional agro-ecosystem sustainability. We examine land-use outcomes of perhaps the largest government-planned rural reforestation program in the history of humankind, China’s “Grain for Green” (GFG) policy from 1999 to 2006. Specifically, we simulate household responses to the GFG policy in Western China’s Shaanxi Province, a region experiencing acute climate and land change-related environmental degradation. We develop a “farmer group decision-making model” to simulate the probability of land-use change. Elevation, slope, and farm household characteristics emerge as key factors influencing farmers’ land-use decisions and subsequent land-use patterns. Land reversion and abandonment in the study area have been significantly affected by the GFG program. Policy recommendations suggest potential avenues to enhance the effectiveness of the GFG program and to improve the efficient use of under-used farmland. Results may help inform the Chinese government as it crafts policy guiding a coupled rural migration and reforestation program of unprecedented scale.     

江西省乡村休闲旅游地类型划分与空间格局研究

乡村休闲旅游地的多样化协调发展有助于优化乡村休闲旅游的空间格局。以江西省为案例地,选取312个乡村休闲旅游地为研究对象,借助Arc-GIS10.2空间分析工具,运用地理集中指数、变异系数和核密度分析、栅格分析、缓冲分析等研究方法探索了乡村休闲旅游地类型与空间分布格局及其影响因素。研究发现:(1)江西省乡村休闲旅游地类型多样,主要可划分为生态观光类、休闲度假类、农事体验类、农业科技类、乡土文化类和特色村镇类6大类型;(2)江西乡村休闲旅游地整体上呈现出"人"字型结构的集聚分布特征及"傍水"、"亲景"、"沿路"、"环城"的整体分布特征;(3)6大类型乡村休闲旅游地均为集聚分布,但集聚状况具有明显差异,其中乡土文化类集聚程度最高,农业科技类最弱;(4)发达的河流湖泊水系、高星级景区的建设、交通路网的可达性、城市客源和乡村休闲旅游政策的支持对江西乡村休闲旅游地的空间分布产生了重要的影响。基于研究结论,为优化江西乡村休闲旅游地空间布局及未来乡村休闲旅游发展提出了相应的对策与建议。