Shrubsteppe Bird Response to Habitat and Landscape Variables in Eastern Washington, U.S.A.

Abstract: The landscape of the intermountain west has changed dramatically in the last 150 years, particularly in the state of Washington, where over half the native shrubsteppe ecosystem has been converted to agricultural lands, resulting in a fragmented landscape with few extensive tracts of shrubsteppe. We examined the historical and current distribution of shrubsteppe on different soil types in eastern Washington, and we censused bird communities at 78 sites in shrubsteppe from 1991 to 1993. We compared abundance of species among soil types and range conditions and developed models of species occurrence using site-specific vegetation and landscape variables. The pattern of shrubsteppe conversion has resulted in a disproportionate loss of deep soil communities. Eight bird species showed strong relationships with soil type and three with range condition. These associations likely resulted from the influence of soil type and range history on the vegetation of these communities. Brewer's Sparrows (  Spizella breweri ) and Sage Sparrows ( Amphispiza belli ) reached their highest abundances in deep, loamy soils, whereas Loggerhead Shrikes (   Lanius ludovicianus ) were most abundant in deep, sandy soils. Sage Sparrows occurred more frequently in landscapes dominated by shrubsteppe, indicating a negative relationship with fragmentation. Our results suggest that fragmentation of shrubsteppe and the pattern of agricultural conversion among soil types have had detrimental effects on numerous shrubsteppe species. The landscape for species with an affinity for deep, loamy soil communities has changed considerably more than the overall loss of shrubsteppe would indicate. Conservation practices that emphasize retention of shrubsteppe communities on deep soils and that reduce further fragmentation will be critical to the maintenance of avian biological diversity in this system.     

Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) Mortality in Crab Pots

The entrapment of diamondback terrapins (  Malaclemys terrapin) in crab pots frequently results in drowning and death of the trapped turtles. We determined the rate of capture, size, sex, and age of terrapins captured, and the potential impact crab pot mortality has on local terrapin populations. We estimated terrapin capture rates of 0.17 terrapins/pot/day in shallow water areas of Chesapeake Bay (Maryland, USA). The sex ratio of terrapins caught in crab pots was 3:2 male biased because female terrapins become too large to enter crab pots by the time they reach 8 years of age. Males, however, remain vulnerable to entrapment throughout their life. Our estimates of capture rates and local population size suggest that 15–78% of a local population may be captured in a single year. As a consequence, crab pots may be the major reason terrapins are extirpated in coastal, shallow water areas with heavy crab pot fisheries. Additionally, the selective removal of males may also contribute to female-biased sex ratios observed in this diamondback terrapin population. We developed and tested a modified crab pot that increases terrapin survival and does not reduce the number of crabs caught. Our modified crab pot maintained permanent access to air and prevented the drowning of terrapins. Additionally, our modified crab pot caught more crabs than standard commercial crab pots, suggesting that the modified crab pot could be a viable alternative to standard traps that result in terrapin mortality.     

从《老子想尔注》看早期道教构建理想社会的初步尝试

《老子想尔注》认为实现理想社会的前提条件是"尊道"。道不仅是一个哲学概念,在这里被发挥成至高无上的太上老君,成为理想社会的掌控者。《老子想尔注》理想社会的理论在批判现实问题的基础上展开论述,主要讨论了君臣关系、伦理道德和贫富差异等。维系理想社会秩序的手段是道诫,道诫超越法律,内涵丰富。     

A Framework to Evaluate Ecological and Social Outcomes of Collaborative Management: Lessons from Implementation with a Northern Arizona Collaborative Group

As collaborative groups gain popularity as an alternative means for addressing conflict over management of public lands, the need for methods to evaluate their effectiveness in achieving ecological and social goals increases. However, frameworks that examine both effectiveness of the collaborative process and its outcomes are poorly developed or altogether lacking. This paper presents and evaluates the utility of the holistic ecosystem health indicator (HEHI), a framework that integrates multiple ecological and socioeconomic criteria to evaluate management effectiveness of collaborative processes. Through the development and application of the HEHI to a collaborative in northern Arizona, the Diablo Trust, we present the opportunities and challenges in using this framework to evaluate the ecological and social outcomes of collaborative adaptive management. Baseline results from the first application of the HEHI are presented as an illustration of its potential as a co-adaptive management tool. We discuss lessons learned from the process of selecting indicators and potential issues to their long-term implementation. Finally, we provide recommendations for applying this framework to monitoring and adaptive management in the context of collaborative management.     

ISO 14001 and solid waste generation rates in US manufacturing organizations: an analysis of relationship

The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of ISO 14001 and other significant factors on solid waste generation rates of organizations. The research is based on a survey conducted on a random sample of industrial companies that operate in United States. The paper reveals that companies’ solid waste generation rates are significantly reduced by certification and identifies several factors of ISO 14001 that are most significant in terms of solid waste reduction. The paper also reveals that solid waste disposal costs are also significant and influence the solid waste generation of industrial companies.     

Pattern-oriented modeling of bird foraging and pest control in coffee farms

We develop a model of how land use and habitat diversity affect migratory bird populations and their ability to suppress an insect pest on Jamaican coffee farms. Bird foraging—choosing which habitat patch and prey to use as prey abundance changes over space and time—is the key process driving this system. Following the “pattern-oriented” modeling strategy, we identified nine observed patterns that characterize the real system's dynamics. The model was designed so that these patterns could potentially emerge from it. The resulting model is individual-based, has fine spatial and temporal resolutions, represents very simply the supply of the pest insect and other arthropod food in six habitat types, and includes foraging habitat selection as the only adaptive behavior of birds. Although there is an extensive heritage of bird foraging theory in ecology, most of it addresses only the individual level and is too simple for our context. We used pattern-oriented modeling to develop and test foraging theory for this across-scale problem: rules for individual bird foraging that cause the model to reproduce a variety of patterns observed at the system level. Four alternative foraging theories were contrasted by how well they caused the model to reproduce the nine characteristic patterns. Four of these patterns were clearly reproduced with the “null” theory that birds select habitat randomly. A version of classical theory in which birds stay in a patch until food is depleted to some threshold caused the model to reproduce five patterns; this theory caused lower, not higher, use of habitat experiencing an outbreak of prey insects. Assuming that birds select the nearby patch providing highest intake rate caused the model to reproduce all but one pattern, whereas assuming birds select the highest-intake patch over a large radius produced an unrealistic distribution of movement distances. The pattern reproduced under none of the theories, a negative relation between bird density and distance to trees, appears to result from a process not in the model: birds return to trees at night to roost. We conclude that a foraging model for small insectivorous birds in diverse habitat should assume birds can sense higher food supply but over short, not long, distances.     

Monitoring acoustically tagged king prawns <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penaeus</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Melicertus</Emphasis>) <Emphasis Type="Italic">plebejus</Emphasis> in an estuarine lagoon

Fine-scale movement patterns in penaeid prawns are rarely observed in situ, but are essential in understanding habitat use, foraging, and anti-predator behaviour. Acoustic telemetry was applied to examine the activity, space utilization, and habitat use of the eastern king prawn Penaeus (Melicertus) plebejus, at small temporal and spatial scales. Tracking of sub-adult P. plebejus (n = 9) in Wallagoot Lake (36.789°S, 149.959°E; 23 April–12 May 2009) and calculation of a minimum activity index (MAI) revealed high variation in activity rates across diel periods and in different habitats. Elevated activity rates and movement indicated foraging in unvegetated habitats during the night. Areas within the 95 and 50% space utilization contours averaged 2,654.1 ± 502.0 and 379.9 ± 103.9 m², respectively, and there was a significant negative relationship between these areas and prawn activity rates in unvegetated habitats. This study provides the first estimates of prawn activity rates and space utilization in the field. Application of acoustic telemetry can increase knowledge of prawn movements and their interactions with other marine species in different habitats.     

Laboratory and field evidence of sex-biased movement in the invasive round goby

Activity levels are modulated by trade-offs between reducing predation risk and the need to move in order to find food or mates. Because these trade-offs affect males and females differently, many species show sex-specific movement, dispersal patterns, and spatial navigation capacities, with the sex that gains the most from territory ownership often dispersing less. Unlike mammals and birds, sex differences in movement among fishes remain poorly studied, and the connections between tests of movement propensity in the laboratory and in the field are rarely made. Here, we examine the differences in movement between male and female round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in both laboratory and field settings. This fish species is invasive in North America and currently undergoing further range expansions. In the laboratory, round goby males were more active and explored a novel environment more readily than did females. A large-scale mark–recapture study in Lake Ontario over two years revealed that males moved more than females between years, but there were no within-year sex differences. Thus, round goby display male-biased movement patterns, providing a comparison point to dispersal patterns in other taxa. Understanding sex-specific movement of round goby in the field will also help predict dispersal and population dynamics, both in areas where round goby have already become established and where they are continuing to invade.