Response of red deer stags (Cervus elaphus) to playback of harsh versus common roars

Red deer stags (Cervus elaphus) give two distinct types of roars during the breeding season, the “common roar” and the “harsh roar.” Harsh roars are more frequent during contexts of intense competition, and characterized by a set of features that increase their perceptual salience, suggesting that they signal heightened arousal. While common roars have been shown to encode size information and mediate both male competition and female choice, to our knowledge, the specific function of harsh roars during male competition has not yet been studied. Here, we investigate the hypothesis that the specific structure of male harsh roars signals high arousal to competitors. We contrast the behavioral responses of free ranging, harem-holding stags to the playback of harsh roars from an unfamiliar competitor with their response to the playback of common roars from the same animal. We show that males react less strongly to sequences of harsh roars than to sequences of common roars, possibly because they are reluctant to escalate conflicts with highly motivated and threatening unfamiliar males in the absence of visual information. While future work should investigate the response of stags to harsh roars from familiar opponents, our observations remain consistent with the hypothesis that harsh roars may signal motivation during male competition, and illustrate how intrasexual selection can contribute to the diversification of male vocal signals.     

Perceptions of behaviors that cause and mitigate global warming and intentions to perform these behaviors

Individual household and travel behaviors represent a sizeable contribution to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. This paper investigates people's knowledge of these behaviors and perceptions of these behaviors' impact in causing and mitigating climate change. In the present study, a sample of college students were asked to list the behaviors they perform that cause global warming (GW) and the behaviors they could perform to mitigate GW, to rate the impact of the behaviors in terms of their effect on causing or mitigating GW, and to rate their intention to perform each of the behaviors. Results revealed that this sample was well aware of the effect of driving on GW. However, participants underestimated the relative impact of adjusting the thermostat and eating meat on GW and overestimated the impact of littering on causing GW. Although knowledge about GW-mitigating behaviors was not consistently related to behavioral intention, belief that a behavior mitigated GW (whether accurate or not) was strongly related to intention to perform that behavior. Specifically, correlations between belief in the mitigating potential of a behavior and intention were relatively high for adjusting the thermostat, reducing meat consumption, and several behaviors that do not mitigate GW, but were relatively low for reducing driving and not littering. Practical implications and comparisons with previous literature are discussed.     

The Cl-initiated oxidation of CH3C(O)OCH=CH2, CH3C(O)OCH2CH=CH2, and CH2=CHC(O)O(CH2)3CH3 in the troposphere

Background, aim, and scope  

Unsaturated esters are emitted to the atmosphere from biogenic and anthropogenic sources, including those from the polymer industry. Little information exists concerning the atmospheric degradation of unsaturated esters, which are mainly initiated by OH radicals. Limited information is available on the degradation of alkenes by Cl atoms and almost no data exists for the reactions of unsaturated esters with Cl atoms. This data is necessary to assess the impact of such reactions in maritime environments where, under circumstances, OH radical- and Cl atom-initiated oxidation of the compounds can be important. Rate coefficients for the reactions of chlorine atoms with vinyl acetate, allyl acetate, and n-butyl acrylate have been determined at 298 ± 3 K and atmospheric pressure. The kinetic data have been used in combination with that for structurally similar compounds to infer the kinetic contributions from the possible reaction channels to the overall reaction rate.     

Growth trajectories of corallites and ages of polyps in massive colonies of reef-building corals of the genus Porites

Massive colonies of the reef-building coral genus Porites were collected at inshore, midshelf and shelf-edge reefs in the central section of the Great Barrier Reef in November 1987. These colonies were comprised of 4 species: P. lobata, P. lutea, P. solida and P. mayeri. X-radiographs made of skeletal slices cut from the skeletons displayed the annual density-banding pattern characteristic of massive corals, and appeared to show corallites within each slice. The average age of the 36 colonies was 41±12 yr (mean±SD). The images of corallites displayed by the X-radiographs were not images of actual corallites, but approximated the position and size of actual corallites. Consequently, X-radiographs provide information about the formation and growth trajectories of corallites, and about the history of the polyps which deposited the corallites. Individual corallites were always normal to the growth surface. The growth surface of the colonies became bumpy when they reached 50 to 80 mm in height and, as a result, corallites took on a fan-shaped arrangement within a bump. New corallites were initiated at the summit of each bump and grew upwards and outwards. Thus, growth of colonies resulted in corallites becoming increasingly displaced from the summit of a bump. The X-radiographs showed that corallite growth becomes occluded at the bottom of valleys between adjacent bumps. Corallite growth then stops and the associated polyps are probably resorbed. Annual density banding showed that the average age of polyps in these colonies was 2 to 3 yr, average life expectancy 5 yr, and that no polyp was likely to be older than 8 yr. Small but significant variations in polyp longevity between corals from different reefs were probably associated with significant differences in bumpiness of growth surfaces. Even in Porites colonies which have been growing for several centuries, polyp longevity is likely to be 5 yr.     

Conservation planning at the landscape scale: A landscape ecology method for regional land trusts

This paper illustrates a landscape ecology approach for land trusts undertaking conservation at the watershed scale. A conservation plan was created for the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (GTRLC) in the headwaters of Michigan's Manistee River Watershed (USA). Eight conservation drivers were devised to identify Conservation Focus Areas (CFAs) of highest ecological importance. The CFAs were ranked based on ecological importance, feasibility of protection and size. Parcels were ranked, totalling nearly 5000 ha, within the three highest-ranking CFAs in one key county. This approach is useful to land trusts trying to operationalize three distinct goals in conservation planning: to find areas of high ecological importance, to promote the landscape's spatial integrity and to delineate threats to ecological systems and processes.     

Coral calcification: Sources of error in radioisotope techniques

Isotopic exchange occurs between coral skeleton and ⁴⁵Ca⁺⁺ and H¹⁴CO ₃ ^- in seawater. Exchange of ¹⁴C onto skeletons is more rapid than exchange of ⁴⁵Ca⁺⁺. Exchange of ¹⁴C from skeletons to seawater takes place more slowly than exchange of ⁴⁵Ca⁺⁺ to seawater. When living coral is incubated in the dark with radioisotopes for 1 h, the tissues contain considerably more radioactivity than is associated with the skeleton. The tissue radioactivity reflects permeation of tissues and coelenteron by radioactive compounds from the incubation seawater. Addition of alkalis to cardioactive seawater results in a radioactive precipitate, part of which becomes associated with any coral skeleton present, and part of which forms on the wall of the containing vessel. Strong alkali removes biologically-deposited radioisotope from coral skeletons. Deposition, of ¹⁴C from H¹⁴CO ₃ ^- in skeletons of living coral incubated in the dark is greater than in dead coral. The reverse situation occurs with ⁴⁵Ca⁺⁺.     

生态旅游与可持续发展

国际生态旅游学会已经采取了一套标准化措施进行生态旅游指导方针的开发 . 本文介绍了生 态旅游标准的基本概念 ; 生态旅游市场定位之演变 ; 与生态旅游相关的官方政策 ; 以及为当 地居民增加效益的途径 . 总之 , 对旅游产业的可持续性进行世界级定位刚刚开始 , 确保生态 旅游的国际合作正处于初创阶段 .     

Stock discrimination of orange roughy,Hoplostethus atlanticus,by parasite analysis

Seasonal changes of respiratory metabolism and biochemical composition were studied in Actinia equina L. (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) collected in 1982 and 1983 from two shore locations in Spain. Changes of metabolic activity follow closely those of biochemical constituents, particularly carbohydrates and lipids, showing maxima in late fall and spring. Weight dependence, established according to the exponential equation y=a x^b (x=weight), results in virtually isometric relationships for proteins, total lipids and sugars but not glycogen. Allometry for this last compound represents a reduction in glycogen level in connection with size decrease; this weight effect declines when glycogen levels rise, both in field and laboratory fed anemones, thus suggesting a stronger influence of food availability on storage in small anemones.     

Science, Policy, and Stakeholders: Developing a Consensus Science Plan for Amchitka Island, Aleutians, Alaska

With the ending of the Cold War, the US Department of Energy is responsible for the remediation of radioactive waste and disposal of land no longer needed for nuclear material production or related national security missions. The task of characterizing the hazards and risks from radionuclides is necessary for assuring the protection of health of humans and the environment. This is a particularly daunting task for those sites that had underground testing of nuclear weapons, where the radioactive contamination is currently inaccessible. Herein we report on the development of a Science Plan to characterize the physical and biological marine environment around Amchitka Island in the Aleutian chain of Alaska, where three underground nuclear tests were conducted (1965–1971). Information on the ecology, geology, and current radionuclide levels in biota, water, and sediment is necessary for evaluating possible current contamination and to serve as a baseline for developing a plan to ensure human and ecosystem health in perpetuity. Other information required includes identifying the location of the salt water/fresh water interface where migration to the ocean might occur in the future and determining groundwater recharge balances, as well as assessing other physical/geological features of Amchitka near the test sites. The Science Plan is needed to address the confusing and conflicting information available to the public about radionuclide risks from underground nuclear blasts in the late 1960s and early 1970s, as well as the potential for volcanic or seismic activity to disrupt shot cavities or accelerate migration of radionuclides into the sea. Developing a Science Plan involved agreement among regulators and other stakeholders, assignment of the task to the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation, and development of a consensus Science Plan that dealt with contentious scientific issues. Involvement of the regulators (State of Alaska), resource trustees (U S Fish and Wildlife Service), representatives of the Aleut and Pribilof Island communities, and other stakeholders was essential for plan development and approval, although this created tensions because of the different objectives of each group. The complicated process of developing a Science Plan involved iterations and interactions with multiple agencies and organizations, scientists in several disciplines, regulators, and the participation of Aleut people in their home communities, as well as the general public. The importance of including all parties in all phases of the development of the Science Plan was critical to its acceptance by a broad range of regulators, agencies, resource trustees, Aleutian/Pribilof communities, and other stakeholders.