Copulation behavior and paternity in the chaffinch

Summary We investigated two aspects of sperm competition in a wild population of chaffinches Fringilla coelebs: copulation behavior and genetic parentage determined by DNA fingerprinting. Pairs copulated at a high rate before laying, peaking at 4.4 copulation attempts per hour on day –3 relative to laying, with an average of 207 copulation attempts (83 behaviorally successful) per clutch. Extra-pair copulation attempts (n = 20) made up 7.8% of all copulation attempts that females were involved in. The rate at which pairs copulated was lower during egg-laying, but there was no evidence that this was due to the male of the pair timing copulations to coincide with an insemination window; it was more likely due to the fact that females solicited copulations at a lower rate. Both sexes solicited copulations but males solicited mainly extra-pair copulations. DNA fingerprinting showed that 17.0% of chicks (n = 47) in 23% of broods (n = 13) were fathered by a male other than the one paired to their mother. There was no evidence of intraspecific brood parasitism. In three cases where we were able to identify the father of extra-pair offspring it proved to be a neighboring male.Correspondence to: B.C. Sheldon     

Time pattern of off-site plutonium deposition from rocky flats plant by lake sediment analyses

A sediment core from a lake downwind of the Rocky Flats Plant, where nuclear weapons components are produced, was used to reconstruct a time pattern of off-site plutonium deposition. Core sections were dated by analyses of ¹³⁷Cs, ^239,240Pu, ²³⁸Pu, and ²⁴¹Am fallout from nuclear testing and ²³⁸Pu fallout from a satellite failure. A peak in transuranic concentrations occurred in late 1969 which was attributable to the Plant. This was confirmed by mass isotopic analysis of plutonium isotopes in selected core segments where the global fallout and Plant contributions could be differentiated. The 18 nCi ^239,240Pu per m² from the Plant that had accumulated in the sediment is reasonable when compared to soil analyses.     

Application of a hierarchical framework for assessing environmental impacts of dam operation: changes in streamflow, bed mobility and recruitment of riparian trees in a western North American river

River systems have been altered worldwide by dams and diversions, resulting in a broad array of environmental impacts. The use of a process-based, hierarchical framework for assessing environmental impacts of dams is explored here in terms of a case study of the Kootenai River, western North America. The goal of the case study is to isolate and quantify the relative effects of multiple dams and other river management activities within the study area and to inform potential restoration strategies. In our analysis, first-order impacts describe broad changes in hydrology (determined from local stream gages), second-order impacts quantify resultant changes in channel hydraulics and bed mobility (predicted from a 1D flow model), and third-order impacts describe consequences for recruitment of riparian trees (recruitment box analysis). The study area is a 233km reach bounded by two dams (Libby and Corra Linn). Different times of dam emplacement (1974 and 1938, respectively) allow separation of their relative impacts. Results show significant changes in 1) the timing, magnitude, frequency, duration and rate of change of flows, 2) the spatial and temporal patterns of daily stage fluctuation, unit stream power, shear stress, and bed mobility, and 3) the potential for cottonwood recruitment (Populus spp.). We find that Libby Dam is responsible for the majority of first and second-order impacts, but that both dams diminish cottonwood recruitment; operation of Corra Linn adversely affects recruitment in the lower portion of the study reach by increasing stage recession rates during the seedling establishment period, while operation of Libby Dam affects recruitment in the middle and upper portions of the study reach by changing the timing, magnitude, and duration of flow. We also find that recent experimental flow releases initiated in the 1990s to stimulate recovery of endangered native fish may have fortuitous positive effects on cottonwood recruitment potential in the lower portion of the river. This case study demonstrates how a process-based, hierarchical framework can be used for quantifying environmental impacts of dam operation over space and time, and provides an approach for evaluating alternative management strategies.     

Testing a Scandinavian Biodiversity Assessment Tool in an African Desert Environment

Life cycle assessment-based environmental product declarations (EPDs) require the inclusion of biodiversity impacts across the entire supply chain. The objective of this study is to test the applicability of a Scandinavian biodiversity assessment tool, developed specifically for use with EPD applications, in an African desert environment, linking the industry types power generation and mining. For this purpose, a GIS-based spatial analysis tool—the biotope method—was adapted to a framework approach which allowed the selection of more suitable, site-specific biodiversity indicators. The biotope method provides a step-by-step process of defining system boundaries, mapping biotopes, categorizing biotopes based on site-specific indicators, and evaluating change in biotope status “before” and “after” the impact. The development of site-specific indicators was piloted in this study and determined by the affected ecosystem and the status of knowledge on biodiversity in this geographic area. Thus plants were used as indicators for biodiversity, and red-list status and endemism constituted the prime criteria for conservation value of plants. This in turn represented the key criterion for classifying biotopes. The tested biodiversity assessment tool has potential for application in different environments and operational settings but leaves room for improvement by including secondary impacts in the assessment and using a wider range of taxa for indicators of biodiversity.     

Enhancing older driver safety: A driving survey and evaluation of the CarFit program

Objective

To evaluate CarFit, an educational program designed to promote optimal alignment of driver with vehicle.

Methods

A driving activity survey was sent to 727 randomly selected participants living in retirement communities. Drivers (n = 195) were assigned randomly to CarFit intervention (n = 83, M age = 78.1) or Comparison (n = 112, M age = 79.6) groups. After 6 months, participants completed a post-test of driving activity and CarFit recommendations.

Results

Nonconsenting drivers were older and participated in fewer driving activities. CarFit participation was moderate (71%) with 86% of the participants receiving recommendations. 60% followed the recommendations at the 6-month re-evaluation). The CarFit (67.6%) and Comparison (59.3%) groups reported at least one type of self-regulation of driving activity at baseline. There was no significant change in the driving behaviors at the six-month follow-up.

Conclusion

CarFit was able to detect addressable opportunities that may contribute to the safety of older drivers.

Impact on industry

CarFit recommendations may need stronger reinforcement in order to be enacted by a participant.     

Perceptions of Species Abundance,Distribution, and Diversity: Lessons from Four Decades of Sampling on a Government-Managed Reserve

/ We examined data relative to species abundance, distribution, anddiversity patterns of reptiles and amphibians to determine how perceptionschange over time and with level of sampling effort. Location data werecompiled on more than one million individual captures or observations of 98species during a 44-year study period on the US Department of Energy's(DOE) Savannah River Site National Environmental Research Park (SRS-NERP) inSouth Carolina. We suggest that perceptions of herpetofaunal speciesdiversity are strongly dependent on level of effort and that land managementdecisions based on short-term data bases for some faunal groups could resultin serious errors in environmental management. We provide evidence thatacquiring information on biodiversity distribution patterns is compatiblewith multiyear spatially extensive research programs and also provide aperspective of what might be achieved if long-term, coordinated researchefforts were instituted nationwide.To conduct biotic surveys on government-managed lands, we recommend revisionsin the methods used by government agencies to acquire and report biodiversitydata. We suggest that government and industry employees engaged inbiodiversity survey efforts develop proficiency in field identification forone or more major taxonomic groups and be encouraged to measure the status ofpopulations quantitatively with consistent and reliable methodologies. Wealso suggest that widespread academic cooperation in the dissemination ofinformation on regional patterns of biodiversity could result byestablishment of a peer-reviewed, scientifically rigorous journal concernedwith status and trends of the biota of the United States. KEY WORDS: Abundance; Amphibian; Biodiversity; Distribution; Landmanagement; Reptile     

Determining landscape function and ecosystem dynamics: contribution to ecological restoration in the southern Namib desert

The southern Namib is characterized by high biodiversity, changes in winter and summer rainfall, extreme climatic conditions and associated geomorphologic processes, a paucity of ecological knowledge, and multiple environmental threats posed by conflicting development options. With the long-term view to establish a research initiative focussing on restoration ecology in the southern Namib Desert, this article provides a review of current ecological knowledge and proposes potential research priorities. The aims of a research initiative would be two-fold. On the academic side, understanding processes operating at different scales will be critical to develop methods of ecological restoration suitable for southern Namib ecosystems. On the practical side, the development of appropriate methods will focus on facilitating ecological processes such as restoration of biologically active substrate, natural succession, and concentration of limited resources. The function of landscapes, plant-soil interface, soil-, vegetation- and plant population dynamics will likely provide some of the answers for ecological restoration.     

Intraspecific brood parasitism in the moorhen: parentage and parasite-host relationships determined by DNA fingerprinting

Parasitic female moorhens (Gallinula chloropus) lay from one to six eggs in the nests of conspecific neighbours. DNA fingerprinting was used to show that parasitic eggs could be correctly identified when they appeared in addition to or outside the host’s laying sequence. Moorhen hosts accept all parasitic eggs laid after the 2nd day of their laying period. To understand why moorhen hosts tolerate parasitic eggs, we tested two hypotheses. (1) The quasi-parasitism hypothesis: females lay their eggs in the evening when the host males are normally in attendance at the nest, so host males may allow parasitic females to lay in their nests in exchange for fertilizing their eggs. However, DNA fingerprinting showed that all the parasitic eggs were sired by the parasites’ mates. Parasitic moorhens frequently continue laying a clutch in their own nest, without a break in the laying sequence after a parasitic laying bout. The eggs laid by brood parasites in their own nests were also sired by their own mates. Therefore this hypothesis was rejected. (2) The kin selection hypothesis: if one or both members of the host pair are close relatives of the parasite, the costs of rearing parasitic chicks will be to some degree offset by inclusive fitness benefits. We examined the genetic relationships between parasites and their hosts using DNA fingerprinting and genealogical data. Natal philopatry by both sexes was relatively common in this population, and the probability that a neighbour of either sex was a first-order relative (parent-offspring) was calculated as 0.18. Although first-order relatives were not preferentially chosen as hosts over individuals that were not first-order relatives, even through random host selection there is almost a one-in-five chance that brood parasites in this population are closely related to their hosts. This may facilitate host tolerance of parasitic eggs. Other hypotheses are also discussed. Received: 3 February 1995/Accepted after revision: 27 August 1995     

Incentive compensation as an injurious condition of work: A study of labelling

A recursive causal model is presented in which individual and work factors are hypothesized to be predictive of workers' labelling an incentive compensation program as potentially injurious to their well-being. The individual factors include the dispositional variable, negative affectivity, and financial needs and resources. The work factors consist of prior incentive compensation, experienced job insecurity, and experienced control. The model was tested using questionnaire responses of 165 managers and professionals. While it was found that the overall model did not fit the data that well, negative affectivity was found to be positively associated and experienced control negatively associated with the incentive compensation program being labelled negatively. The somewhat surprising finding that financial needs and resources were not found to be significantly associated with labelling is discussed. The importance of disposition and experienced control for the labelling of potentially threatening or harmful job conditions as well as some hypothesized antecedents of control also are discussed.