Copper resource appraisal

Data are presented indicating the availability of copper from domestic sources in the US—what quantity can be produced and when and at what price. Included are supply and demand data, production methods and costs, geographic location of deposits in the US, by-product relationships and some problems affecting the industry.     

Host intra-clutch variation,cuckoo egg matching and egg rejection by great reed warblers

Prevailing theory predicts that lower levels of intra-clutch variation in host eggs facilitate the detection of brood parasitism. We assessed egg matching using both human vision and UV-VIS spectrophotometry and then followed the nest fate of great reed warblers naturally parasitised by European cuckoos. Rejection was predicted by the following three variables: matching between cuckoo and host eggs on the main chromatic variable defined by principal components analysis of the egg spectra (which has a strong loading in the UV); the number of host eggs in the nest; and human estimates of intra-clutch variation. The first variable is not correlated to human estimates of matching, which do not predict rejection. In line with another recent study, rejection rates were predicted by higher levels of intra-clutch variation in the host eggs, suggesting that higher rather than lower levels of intra-clutch variation can facilitate the discrimination of cuckoo eggs by hosts. We suggest that the importance of intra-clutch variation is context dependent, with intra-clutch variation being important when there is good matching between the host and the cuckoo eggs. Our results also suggest that both spectrometric and human visual assessments of egg matching and intra-clutch variation are prudent: the former provide the best method of estimating reflectance variation, whereas the latter include some assessment of patterns of maculation.     

Degree of phosphorus saturation thresholds in manure-amended soils of alberta

The risk of P losses from agricultural land to surface and ground water generally increases as the degree of soil P saturation increases. A single-point soil P sorption index (PSI) was validated with adsorption isotherm data for determination of the P sorption status of Alberta soils. Soil P thresholds (change points) were then examined for two agricultural soils after eight annual applications of different rates of cattle manure and for three agricultural soils after one application of different rates of cattle manure. Linear relationships were found between soil-test P (STP) levels up to 1000 mg kg(-1) and desorbed P in the five Alberta soils. Weak linear relationships were also found between STP and runoff dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) in three of these soils. Change points for the degree of P saturation (DPS) were detected in four of the five soils at 3 to 44% for water-extractable P (WEP) and at 11 to 51% for CaCl(2)-extractable P (CaCl(2)-P). Change points were not found for DPS or runoff DRP. Overall DPS thresholds for the five soils combined were 27% for WEP and 44% for CaCl(2)-P at a critical desorbable-P value of 1 mg L(-1). The corresponding STP levels (44 mg kg(-1) for WEP and 71 mg kg(-1) for CaCl(2)-P) are similar to agronomic thresholds for crops grown on Alberta soils. Soluble P losses in overland flow and leaching may be greater in soils with DPS values that exceed these thresholds than in soils with lower DPS values.     

Validation of Satellite Precipitation Adjustment Methodology From Seven Basins in the Continental United States1

Tobin, Kenneth J. and Marvin E. Bennett, 2012. Validation of Satellite Precipitation Adjustment Methodology From Seven Basins in the Continental United States. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(2): 221‐234. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2011.00604.x Abstract: The precipitation science community has expressed concern regarding the ability of satellite‐based precipitation products to accurately capture rainfall values over land. There has been some work that has focused on addressing the deficiencies of satellite precipitation products, particularly on the adjustment of bias. This article outlines a methodology that adjusts satellite products utilizing ground‐based precipitation data. The approach is not a simple bias adjustment, but is a three‐step process that transforms a satellite product based on a ground‐based precipitation product (NEXRAD‐derived Multisensor Precipitation Estimator [MPE] product or rain‐gauge data). The developed methodology was successfully applied to seven moderate‐to‐large sized watersheds from continental United States (CONUS) and northern Mexico over a spectrum of climatic regimes ranging from dry to humid settings. Methodology validation is based on comparison of observed and simulated streamflow generated with SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model using unadjusted and adjusted precipitation products as input. Streamflow comparison is based on mass balance error and Nash‐Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient. Finally, the contribution of how adjustment to correct misses, false alarms, and bias impacts adjusted datasets and the potential impact that the adjustment methodology can have on hydrological applications such as water resource monitoring and flood prediction are explored.     

Moderating effects of political skill,perceived control,and job‐related self‐efficacy on the relationship between negative affectivity and physiological strain

The present study examined whether employees high in negative affectivity (NA) are destined to experience strain at a higher level than those low in NA. We used data collected from 230 employees to investigate the moderating effects of political skill, as a form of interpersonal control, on the relationship between NA and physiological strain. As hypothesized, NA was positively related to physiological strain (i.e., facial muscle tension as measured by electromyography (EMG)), and political skill buffered this effect such that the relationship was weaker among employees who were higher in political skill. Tests of mediated moderation further suggested the means by which political skill moderates the NA/strain relationship; specifically, the results were consistent with the idea that perceived control and, in turn, job‐related efficacy explain the moderating effect of political skill. Strengths and limitations of the study, practical implications, and directions for future research are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Workplace offense and victims' reactions: the effects of victim‐offender (dis)similarity,offense‐type,and cultural differences

This study examined the effects of workplace offenders' characteristics and offense‐type on victims' reactions. Responses from 352 employed graduate students in the U.S. and South Korea to a hypothetical offense incident revealed that employees from the U.S. and Korea differ in their expressed desirability of avoiding, seeking revenge against, and reconciling with an offending coworker depending on the offenders' similarity/dissimilarity to the victim and on the type of offense. As expected, Koreans (but not U.S. Americans) were more likely to avoid and to seek revenge on a coworker whose offensive remark was group‐ rather than personally‐directed. In addition, Koreans were most motivated to reconcile when an offensive remark came from a similar rather than dissimilar coworker and when the offense targeted them personally (not their group). However, U.S. Americans were most motivated to reconcile when an offensive remark came from a similar rather than dissimilar other and when the offense targeted their group (not them personally). Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Long‐distance flights and high‐risk breeding by nomadic waterbirds on desert salt lakes

Understanding and conserving mobile species presents complex challenges, especially for animals in stochastic or changing environments. Nomadic waterbirds must locate temporary water in arid biomes where rainfall is highly unpredictable in space and time. To achieve this they need to travel over vast spatial scales and time arrival to exploit pulses in food resources. How they achieve this is an enduring mystery.  We investigated these challenges in the colonial‐nesting Banded Stilt (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus), a nomadic shorebird of conservation concern. Hitherto, Banded Stilts were hypothesized to have only 1–2 chances to breed during their long lifetime, when flooding rain fills desert salt lakes, triggering mass‐hatching of brine shrimp. Over 6 years, we satellite tagged 57 individuals, conducted 21 aerial surveys to detect nesting colonies on 14 Australian desert salt lakes, and analyzed 3 decades of Landsat and MODIS satellite imagery to quantify salt‐lake flood frequency and extent. Within days of distant inland rainfall, Banded Stilts flew 1,000–2,000 km to reach flooded salt lakes. On arrival, females laid over half their body weight in eggs. We detected nesting episodes across the species’ range at 7 times the frequency reported during the previous 80 years. Nesting colonies of thousands formed following minor floods, yet most were subsequently abandoned when the water rapidly evaporated prior to egg hatching. Satellite imagery revealed twice as many flood events sufficient for breeding‐colony initiation as recorded colonies, suggesting that nesting at remote sites has been underdetected. Individuals took risk on uncertain breeding opportunities by responding to frequent minor flood events between infrequent extensive flooding, exemplifying the extreme adaptability and trade‐offs of species exploiting unstable environments. The conservation challenges of nest predation by overabundant native gulls and anthropogenic modifications to salt lakes filling frequencies require investigation, as do the physiological and navigational mechanisms that enable such extreme strategies.     

Optimal fire histories for biodiversity conservation

Fire is used as a management tool for biodiversity conservation worldwide. A common objective is to avoid population extinctions due to inappropriate fire regimes. However, in many ecosystems, it is unclear what mix of fire histories will achieve this goal. We determined the optimal fire history of a given area for biological conservation with a method that links tools from 3 fields of research: species distribution modeling, composite indices of biodiversity, and decision science. We based our case study on extensive field surveys of birds, reptiles, and mammals in fire‐prone semi‐arid Australia. First, we developed statistical models of species’ responses to fire history. Second, we determined the optimal allocation of successional states in a given area, based on the geometric mean of species relative abundance. Finally, we showed how conservation targets based on this index can be incorporated into a decision‐making framework for fire management. Pyrodiversity per se did not necessarily promote vertebrate biodiversity. Maximizing pyrodiversity by having an even allocation of successional states did not maximize the geometric mean abundance of bird species. Older vegetation was disproportionately important for the conservation of birds, reptiles, and small mammals. Because our method defines fire management objectives based on the habitat requirements of multiple species in the community, it could be used widely to maximize biodiversity in fire‐prone ecosystems. Historiales de Incendios Óptimos para la Conservación de la Biodiversidad