The response of female Mountain White-crowned Sparrows to songs from their natal dialect and an alien dialect

Summary Female Mountain White-crowned Sparrows from Colorado were tested in a laboratory playback experiment to determine their response to male songs from their own natal dialect and to those from an alien dialect of the same subspecies, Zonotrichia leucophrys oriantha (Fig. 1). Observations were made on locomotor activity and copulation postures produced during each experimental test session.The subjects gave copulation displays almost exclusively when hearing their natal dialect and new or no displays when hearing the alien dialect (Fig. 2). The birds also exhibited significantly greater locomotor activity when hearing the natal dialect than they did when hearing the alien dialect (Fig. 3).We conclude that females are sensitized by their early song learning experience to be responsive to songs from their natal dialect and virtually sexually unresponsive to songs from an alien dialect. We speculate that the copulation posture given in the experiment implies that females in natural populations would preferably only mate assortatively with males from their natal dialect region.     

Making performance-based chemistry work: how we created comparable data among laboratories as part of a Southern California marine regional assessment

Quality assurance procedures to ensure consistency among chemistry laboratories typically involves the use of standard methods and state certification programs that require laboratories to demonstrate their ability to attain generic performance criteria. To assess whether these procedures are effective for ensuring comparability when processing local samples with potentially complex matrices, seven experienced, state-certified laboratories participated in an intercalibration exercise. Each laboratory was permitted to use their typical methodology for quantifying PAH, PCB and DDT on shared samples collected from Santa Monica Bay and the Palos Verdes Shelf, two sites with a complex mix of constituents. In the initial intercalibration exercise, results from these laboratories differed by as much as an order of magnitude for all three chemical groups. Much, but not all, of the difference was attributable to differences in detection capability. A series of studies was conducted to identify the reasons for the observed differences, which varied among laboratories and included methodological differences, instrument sensitivity differences, and differing interpretations of chromatograms. Following these investigations and resulting modifications to laboratory procedures, the exercise was repeated. The average coefficient of variation among laboratories across all chemical parameters was reduced to less than 30%. Our results suggest that performance-based chemistry can produce comparable results, but the certification processes presently in place that focus on general laboratory procedures and simple matrices are insufficient to achieve comparability.     

Characterization of contaminants in snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) from Canadian Lake Erie Areas of Concern: St. Clair River, Detroit River, and Wheatley Harbour

PCBs, organochlorine pesticides and dioxins/furans in snapping turtle eggs and plasma (Chelydra serpentina) were evaluated at three Areas of Concern (AOCs) on Lake Erie and its connecting channels (St. Clair River, Detroit River, and Wheatley Harbour), as well as two inland reference sites (Algonquin Provincial Park and Tiny Marsh) in 2001-2002. Eggs from the Detroit River and Wheatley Harbour AOCs had the highest levels of p,p'-DDE (24.4 and 57.9 ng/g) and sum PCBs (928.6 and 491.0 ng/g) wet weight, respectively. Contaminant levels in eggs from St. Clair River AOC were generally higher than those from Algonquin Park, but similar to those from Tiny Marsh. Dioxins appeared highest from the Detroit River. The PCB congener pattern in eggs suggested that turtles from the Detroit River and Wheatley Harbour AOCs were exposed to Aroclor 1260. TEQs of sum PCBs in eggs from all AOCs and p,p'-DDE levels in eggs from the Wheatley Harbour and the Detroit River AOCs exceeded the Canadian Environmental Quality Guidelines. Furthermore, sum PCBs in eggs from Detroit River and Wheatley Harbour exceeded partial restriction guidelines for consumption. Although estimated PCB body burdens in muscle tissue of females were well below consumption guidelines, estimated residues in liver and adipose were above guidelines for most sites.     

Environmental contaminants in four eider species from Alaska and arctic Russia

Population declines in four species of eider; common (Somateria mollissima), king (Somateria spectabilis), spectacled (Somateria fischeri) and Steller's (Polysticta stelleri), have raised concerns about exposure to contaminants. Livers and kidney tissues were collected from eiders in Alaska and Russia for organic and elemental analyses. Results showed that organochlorine and many elemental levels were below toxic thresholds; however, in many cases, cadmium, copper, lead and serenium appeared high relative to other waterfowl and may warrant concern. With the exception of lead, local anthropogenic sources for these elements are not known. Although adverse physiological responses have not been documented in eiders, these four elements cannot be ruled out as contaminants of potential concern for some eider species.     

A pragmatic environmental psychology: A metatheoretical inquiry into the work of M. Powell Lawton

Environmental psychology is a field of such great diversity—in topics of interest, research approaches, in disciplinarity—that it often appears to lack coherence, exemplified by its poor fit within paradigmatic frameworks found in academic psychology, resulting in its “outlier” status. This paper explores the work of the environmental gerontologist M. Powell Lawton, as an exemplar of environmental psychology research, suggesting that such a review renders greater insight into the current state of the field than any top-down applied conceptual framework. Themes discussed include Lawton's theoretical perspective on the person, the environment, and the relationship between them, his inquiry at various units of analysis; the type of knowledge valued as evidenced in his work; and his fundamental applied orientation, all of which are reflective of contemporary directions within environmental psychology as a whole. Reviewed is Lawton's final proposal that takes an “epistemologically inclusive” approach, embodying all of the themes above and reflective of inquiry sought within pragmatic psychology. As such, it is argued that environmental psychology may find great affinity with the pragmatic psychology approach currently gaining impetus within applied and clinical psychology.     

The contexts of knowing: natural history of a globally distributed team

The focus of this paper is cognitive convergence in a globally distributed team (GDT), defined as the process by which cognitive structures of distributed team members gradually become more similar over time. To explore the convergence process, we employed a longitudinal, ethnographic research strategy that allowed us to follow a naturally occurring GDT over a 14‐month period, producing a rich case study portraying factors and processes that influence convergence. Confirming previous studies, we find that increases in shared cognition alone are not sufficient to account for performance gains on a GDT. Rather, it may be necessary not only to increase the sharing of cognition, but also to reverse a pattern of increasing divergence that can result from rejection of key knowledge domains. We also found that several factors influence the process of cognitive convergence beyond direct knowledge sharing. These include: separate but parallel or similar learning experiences in a common context; the surfacing of hidden knowledge at remote sites by third‐party mediators or knowledge brokers; and shifts in agent self‐interest that motivate collaboration and trigger the negotiation of task interdependence. Also relevant to cognitive convergence on a GDT is the geographical distribution pattern of people and resources on the ground, and the different ways in which leaders exploit the historical, cultural and linguistic dimensions of such distribution to further their own political agendas. Several propositions related to these observations are suggested. We conclude that GDTs can be effective in bringing together divergent points of view to yield new organizational capabilities, but such benefits require that leaders and members recognize early and explicitly the existence and validity of their differences. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The perceived compatibility of safety and production expectations in hazardous occupations

INTRODUCTION: Safety hazards are unavoidable in many work environments. Employees must be both productive and safe, however, conflicting safety and production demands can negatively affect safety, production, or both. The employee's perception of the compatibility of management's safety and production expectations is a possible predictor of such consequences. This paper defines "safety-production compatibility" and describes how measures of safety-production compatibility, as well as safety pressure and production pressure, were developed. METHOD: We used LISREL structural equation modeling to test the influences of safety-production compatibility, safety pressure, and production pressure on safe work behavior and interference with performing other work tasks. The 239 study participants were workers employed in diverse but hazardous occupations. RESULTS: Pressure to work safely was positively associated with safe work behavior. The perceived compatibility of safety and production demands positively influenced safe work behavior and reduced the interference of safety hazards performing other tasks. Safety-production compatibility was also found to mediate the relationship between trust in management and safe work behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this field study suggest increased compatibility, and thus less conflict, between safety and production demands influences safe work behavior and the interference of safety hazards with performing other work tasks. More broadly, the worker's reaction to multiple work demands is a safety and performance influence. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Safety management efforts that focus only on the hazards fail to eliminate many accidents because accidents arise from many factors including technology, safety climate, social influences, production, and safety demands. This study suggests that workers differ in their perception of the compatibility of safety and production demands. These differences will show up in safe work behavior, influencing the effectiveness of safety management efforts and the trust workers have in management's concern for safety.     

Distribution of foraging habitats of male loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) as revealed by stable isotopes and satellite telemetry

Most studies on the foraging ecology of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) have focused on adult females and juveniles. Little is known about the foraging patterns of adult male loggerheads. We analyzed tissues for carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) from 29 adult male loggerheads tracked with satellite transmitters from one breeding area in Florida, USA, to evaluate their foraging habitats in the Northwest Atlantic (NWA). Our study revealed large variations in δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N and a correlation between both δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N and the latitude to which the loggerheads traveled after the mating season, thus reflecting a geographic pattern in the isotopic signatures. Variation in δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N can be explained by differences in food web baseline isotopic signatures rather than differences in loggerhead trophic levels. Stable isotope analysis may help elucidate residency and migration patterns and identify foraging sea turtle subpopulations in the NWA due to the isotopically distinct habitats used by these highly migratory organisms.     

Molecular phylogenies help resolve taxonomic confusion with Asian <Emphasis Type="Italic">Crassostrea</Emphasis> oyster species

Identification of oyster species is still largely based on phenotypic characters that are highly plastic. Prompted by the proposed introduction of the Asian oyster species Crassostrea ariakensis into the Chesapeake Bay region of the U.S.A., this study uses molecular genetic information to understand the taxonomic framework surrounding C. ariakensis and to confidently distinguish among various sympatric oyster species. Putative samples of C. ariakensis and other species of cupped oysters from across Asia were collected and phylogenetic analyses were conducted on DNA sequences of both nuclear (ITS-1) and mitochondrial (COI) regions. Trees generated based on the two independent molecular datasets were highly congruent, and indicate that many oysters collected for this study as C. ariakensis were originally misidentified. Results also indicate that C. ariakensis, C. hongkongensis and C. nippona are distinct, but closely related species. There is strong support in both analyses for a close relationship between C. gigas and C. sikamea, as well as between C. belcheri and C. gryphoides, and between C. iredalei and C. madrasensis. The parsimony analyses based on these DNA markers, however, did not provide evidence to support C. angulata as a distinct species from C. gigas. Overall, the results emphasize the need for rigorous species identification, and additional extensive and intensive sampling to more accurately determine relationships among Crassostrea species, define their geographic distributions, and establish existing sympatry patterns.     

Network structure and prevalence of Cryptosporidium in Belding’s ground squirrels

Although pathogen transmission dynamics are profoundly affected by population social and spatial structure, few studies have empirically demonstrated the population-level implications of such structure in wildlife. In particular, epidemiological models predict that the extent to which contact patterns are clustered decreases a pathogen’s ability to spread throughout an entire population, but this effect has yet to be demonstrated in a natural population. Here, we use network analysis to examine patterns of transmission of an environmentally transmitted parasite, Cryptosporidium spp., in Belding’s ground squirrels (Spermophilus beldingi). We found that the prevalence of Cryptosporidium was negatively correlated with transitivity, a measure of network clustering, and positively correlated with the percentage of juvenile males. Additionally, network transitivity decreased when there were higher percentages of juvenile males; the exploratory behavior demonstrated by juvenile males may have altered the structure of the network by reducing clustering, and low clustering was associated with high prevalence. We suggest that juvenile males are critical in mediating the ability of Cryptosporidium to spread through colonies, and thus may function as “super-spreaders.” Our results demonstrate the utility of a network approach in quantifying mechanistically how differences in contact patterns may lead to system-level differences in infection patterns.