Knowledge gain and behavioral change in citizen-science programs

Citizen-science programs are often touted as useful for advancing conservation literacy, scientific knowledge, and increasing scientific-reasoning skills among the public. Guidelines for collaboration among scientists and the public are lacking and the extent to which these citizen-science initiatives change behavior is relatively unstudied. Over two years, we studied 82 participants in a three-day program that included education about non-native invasive plants and collection of data on the occurrence of those plants. Volunteers were given background knowledge about invasive plant ecology and trained on a specific protocol for collecting invasive plant data. They then collected data and later gathered as a group to analyze data and discuss responsible environmental behavior with respect to invasive plants. We tested whether participants without experience in plant identification and with little knowledge of invasive plants increased their knowledge of invasive species ecology, participation increased knowledge of scientific methods, and participation affected behavior. Knowledge of invasive plants increased on average 24%, but participation was insufficient to increase understanding of how scientific research is conducted. Participants reported increased ability to recognize invasive plants and increased awareness of effects of invasive plants on the environment, but this translated into little change in behavior regarding invasive plants. Potential conflicts between scientific goals, educational goals, and the motivation of participants must be considered during program design.     

Chromium transport, oxidation, and adsorption in manganese-coated sand

We examine how the processes of advection, dispersion, oxidation-reduction, and adsorption combine to affect the transport of chromium through columns packed with pyrolusite (beta-MnO2)-coated sand. We find that beta-MnO2 effectively oxidizes Cr(III) to Cr(VI) and that the extent of oxidation is sensitive to changes in pH, pore water velocity, and influent concentrations of Cr(III). Cr(III) oxidation rates, although initially high, decline well before the supply of beta-MnO2 is depleted, suggesting that a reaction product inhibits the conversion of Cr(III) to Cr(VI). Rate-limited reactions govern the weak adsorption of each chromium species, with Cr(III) adsorption varying directly with pH and Cr(VI) adsorption varying inversely with pH. The breakthrough data on chromium transport can be matched closely by calculations of a simple model that accounts for (1) advective-dispersive transport of Cr(III), Cr(VI), and dissolved oxygen, (2) first-order kinetics adsorption of the reduced and oxidized chromium species, and (3) nonlinear rate-limited oxidation of Cr(III) to Cr(VI). Our work supplements the limited database on the transport of redox-sensitive metals in porous media and provides a means for quantifying the coupled processes that contribute to this transport.     

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Analysis of Gulf of Mexico bottlenose dolphins for organochlorine pesticides and PCBs

Organochlorine concentrations were determined in blubber samples from 33 Tursiops truncatus stranded on the Texas and Florida coastlines. All tissues had measurable concentrations of 4,4'-DDE (0.18-70.7 microg/g lipid weight) and SigmaPCB (4.1-149 microg/g lipid weight). Pesticide and PCB concentrations were similar to those reported in Tursiops truncatus from the Atlantic coast of the United States and the southeast coast of Africa. Organochlorine concentrations were highest in mature males, and differences in the SigmaPCB/SigmaDDT ratios between mature and immature males suggests a recent decrease in DDT uptake, related to the commercial DDT ban in the US in 1971, as well as dietary differences between younger and older animals. Analysis of a female and her calf indicate that females reduce their own organochlorine body burden through transplacental transfer. However, no reduction of some higher molecular weight PCBs was found. Transplacental transfer rates of 5.1% for SigmaDDT and 3.7% for SigmaPCB were determined based on a stranded female and her full term, unborn calf. Predictions of uptake and depuration rates of organochlorines based on gender in Tursiops truncatus agree with clearance rates from previous studies.     

Effects of age and food availability on diel vertical migration of Calanus pacificus

Age-specific differences in diel vertical migration behavior of Calanus pacificus were investigated in a 58 d (30 April–26 June, 1981) experiment in the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Deep Tank, La Jolla, California, USA; the experiment spanned three successive generations of copepods. The onset of vertical migration behavior occurred in the first feeding stage, Nauplius III. The amplitude of vertical migration gradually increased with age, becoming maximal in the late copepodite stages. Night depths remained constant with age while daytime depths increased. The migratory behavior of late copepodite stages was influenced by food availability. When phytoplankton was abundant and individual ingestion rates were high, copepodites performed high-amplitude migrations. As food availability declined, however, and the competition for food increased, migration amplitudes decreased and then ceased altogether so that copepodites remained in the relatively food-rich surface waters at all times. We suggest that hunger is the primary factor controlling vertical migration behavior.     

Optical characterization of primary productivity across a coastal front

Methods for the remote estimation of phytoplankton biomass and production rates using multiplatform sampling strategies are essential for the better understanding of oceanic bio-geochemical cycles. Recent advances in remote sensing of ocean color have made synoptic estimation of phytoplankton biomass attainable. While considerable success has been achieved in the estimation of plant biomass, the synoptic estimation of phytoplankton rates of production has been inadequate. Rapid shipboard estimates of the vertical distribution of primary productivity, on mesoscale spatial scales and event-time scales, are needed to provide both surface validation and data for the development of bio-optical models linking production to the optical characteristics of the water column. This study details the primary productivity and optical properties of a frontal region in July 1985 along 35°50N in the Southern California Bight which is shown to be consistent with the concurrent high-performance liquid-chromatography pigment-analysis. We describe here a quasi-synoptic shipboard bio-optical sampling strategy across a frontal region as an example of time-corrected data for assessing phytoplankton production in highly variable ocean regions.     

Modeling freshwater fish distributions using multiscale landscape data: A case study of six narrow range endemics

Species distribution models (SDMs) have become integral tools in scientific research and conservation planning. Despite progress in the assessment of various statistical models for use in SDMs, little has been done in way of evaluating appropriate ecological models. In this paper, we evaluate the multiscale filter framework as a suitable theoretical model for predicting freshwater fish distributions in the upper Green River system (Ohio River drainage), USA. The spatial distributions of six fishes with contrasting biogeographies were modeled using boosted regression trees and multiscale landscape data. Species biogeography did not appear to affect predictive performance and all models performed well statistically with receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (AUC) ranging from 0.87 to 0.98. Predictive maps show accurate estimations of ranges for five of six species based on historical collections. The relative influence of each type of environmental feature and spatial scale varied markedly with between species. A hierarchical effect was detected for narrowly distributed species. These species were highly influenced by soil composition at larger spatial scales and land use/land cover (LULC) patterns at more proximal scales. Conversely, LULC pattern was the most influential feature for widely distributed at all spatial scales. Using multiscale data capable of capturing hierarchical landscape influences allowed production of accurate predictive models and provided further insight into factors controlling freshwater fish distributions.     

Quantifying species recovery and conservation success to develop an IUCN Green List of Species

Stopping declines in biodiversity is critically important, but it is only a first step toward achieving more ambitious conservation goals. The absence of an objective and practical definition of species recovery that is applicable across taxonomic groups leads to inconsistent targets in recovery plans and frustrates reporting and maximization of conservation impact. We devised a framework for comprehensively assessing species recovery and conservation success. We propose a definition of a fully recovered species that emphasizes viability, ecological functionality, and representation; and use counterfactual approaches to quantify degree of recovery. This allowed us to calculate a set of 4 conservation metrics that demonstrate impacts of conservation efforts to date (conservation legacy); identify dependence of a species on conservation actions (conservation dependence); quantify expected gains resulting from conservation action in the medium term (conservation gain); and specify requirements to achieve maximum plausible recovery over the long term (recovery potential). These metrics can incentivize the establishment and achievement of ambitious conservation targets. We illustrate their use by applying the framework to a vertebrate, an invertebrate, and a woody and an herbaceous plant. Our approach is a preliminary framework for an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List of Species, which was mandated by a resolution of IUCN members in 2012. Although there are several challenges in applying our proposed framework to a wide range of species, we believe its further development, implementation, and integration with the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species will help catalyze a positive and ambitious vision for conservation that will drive sustained conservation action.     

Quantifying population substructure: extending the graph-theoretic approach

Among the few universal themes in ecology is that resources, energy, and organisms themselves, are patchily distributed. This patchy distribution imposes a need for some level of dispersal or connectivity among spatially separate patches in order to allow organisms to acquire sufficient resources for survival. To date, general patterns of connectivity have not emerged. This is, in part, because different species respond to different scales of patchiness. I propose an extension of the graph-theoretic approach to control for such differences and reveal potential generalities about how natural populations are organized. Using statistical methods and simple applications of graph theory, continuum percolation, and metapopulation models, I demonstrate a pattern of hierarchical clustering among populations in both a plant-pathogen system at an extent of 1000 m and gene flow in a salamander species across a subcontinental range. Results suggest that some patches or populations have a disproportionately high importance to the maintenance of overall connectivity in the system within and across scales.