Examining the relationship between local extinction risk and position in range

Over half of globally threatened animal species have experienced rapid geographic range loss. Identifying the parts of species’ distributions most vulnerable to local extinction would benefit conservation planning. However, previous studies give little consensus on whether ranges decline to the core or edge. We built on previous work by using empirical data to examine the position of recent local extinctions within species’ geographic ranges, address range position as a continuum, and explore the influence of environmental factors. We aggregated point‐locality data for 125 Galliform species from across the Palearctic and Indo‐Malaya into equal‐area half‐degree grid cells and used a multispecies dynamic Bayesian occupancy model to estimate rates of local extinctions. Our model provides a novel approach to identify loss of populations from within species ranges. We investigated the relationship between extinction rates and distance from range edge by examining whether patterns were consistent across biogeographic realm and different categories of land use. In the Palearctic, local extinctions occurred closer to the range edge than range core in both unconverted and human‐dominated landscapes. In Indo‐Malaya, no pattern was found for unconverted landscapes, but in human‐dominated landscapes extinctions tended to occur closer to the core than the edge. Our results suggest that local and regional factors override general spatial patterns of recent local extinction within species’ ranges and highlight the difficulty of predicting the parts of a species’ distribution most vulnerable to threat.     

Assessment of the phototoxicity of weathered Alaska North Slope crude oil to juvenile pink salmon

Petroleum products are known to have greater toxicity to the translucent embryos and larvae of aquatic organisms in the presence of ultraviolet radiation (UV) compared to toxicity determined in tests performed under standard laboratory lighting with minimal UV. This study assessed the acute phototoxicity of the water accommodated fractions of weathered Alaska North Slope crude oil (ANS) to juvenile pink salmon, which are a heavily pigmented life stage. Fish in the highest ANS treatments exhibited melanosis, less mobility, reduced startle response, erratic swimming, and loss of equilibrium. Gills from fish exposed to ANS had elevated levels of hydroperoxides in oil-only, UV-only, and oil+UV treatments compared to control fish, which was indicative of increased lipid peroxidation in gill tissue. Under the test conditions of moderate salinity, low UV and high short-term oil exposure there were no indications of photoenhanced toxicity as assessed by elevation of mortality, behavioral impairment, or gill lipid peroxidation in oil+UV treatments. The results of this study suggest that pink salmon may be at less risk from photoenhanced toxicity compared to the translucent early-life stages of several other Alaska species.     

Biased parental investment and reproductive success in Gabbra pastoralists

Demographic data from 848 Gabbra households are used to examine the relationships between herd size and reproductive success in relation to sex, in a traditional, pastoralist population. The number of camels in the household herd has a significant positive effect on the reproductive success of both men and women, although the effect of wealth is greater for men, as predicted from evolutionary theory. The greater the number of elder brothers a man has, the lower his reproductive success, as a result of a smaller initial herd and a later age at marriage. This is not true for women –number of elder sisters does not have a measurable effect on a woman’s fertility, although it does have a small, negative effect on the size of her dowry. These results are interpreted as competition between same-sex siblings for parental investment, in the form of their father’s herd, which is more intense between sons than daughters as parental investments are greatest in males. Received: 30 June 1995/Accepted after revision: 23 October 1995     

Great tits choose between food and proximity to a mate

Summary These experiments test for time of day differences in the attentiveness of territorial, paired, male and female great tits (Parus major) to their mates, by requiring them to choose between feeding and being in sight of their partner. There was a strong time of day effect favouring proximity to a mate early in the day for both males and females. A difference in male and female behaviour that would have suggested that this was male mate guarding was not found. Three independent measures show that this temporal effect is not owing to foraging being more important in the afternoon. There was a significant within-pair correlation in the strength of this proximity effect, which was strongest early in the day. Possible functional explanations are discussed. When females moved out of sight of males, male vocal behaviour increased and this increase was much greater when females moved out of sight earlier in the day than later on. These effects were not observed among females. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that male mate guarding is most important early in the day.     

Predicting coral bleaching in response to environmental stressors using 8 years of global-scale data

Coral reefs have experienced extensive mortality over the past few decades as a result of temperature-induced mass bleaching events. There is an increasing realization that other environmental factors, including water mixing, solar radiation, water depth, and water clarity, interact with temperature to either exacerbate bleaching or protect coral from mass bleaching. The relative contribution of these factors to variability in mass bleaching at a global scale has not been quantified, but can provide insights when making large-scale predictions of mass bleaching events. Using data from 708 bleaching surveys across the globe, a framework was developed to predict the probability of moderate or severe bleaching as a function of key environmental variables derived from global-scale remote-sensing data. The ability of models to explain spatial and temporal variability in mass bleaching events was quantified. Results indicated approximately 20% improved accuracy of predictions of bleaching when solar radiation and water mixing, in addition to elevated temperature, were incorporated into models, but predictive accuracy was variable among regions. Results provide insights into the effects of environmental parameters on bleaching at a global scale.     

Methods to estimate solar radiation dosimetry in coral reefs using remote sensed, modeled, and in situ data

Solar irradiance has been increasingly recognized as an important determinant of bleaching in coral reefs, but measurements of solar radiation exposure within coral reefs have been relatively limited. Solar radiation dosimetry within multiple coral reef areas of South Florida was assessed using remote sensed, modeled, and measured values during a minor bleaching event during August 2005. Coral reefs in the Dry Tortugas and Upper Keys had similar diffuse downwelling attenuation coefficients (Kd, m(-1)), whereas Kd values were significantly greater in the Middle and Lower Keys. Mean 1% attenuation depths varied by reef region for ultraviolet B (UVB; 9.7 to 20 m), ultraviolet A (UVA; 22 to 40 m) and visible (27 to 43 m) solar radiation. Solar irradiances determined from remote sensed data were significantly correlated with measured values, but were generally overestimated at the depth of corals. Solar irradiances modeled using an atmospheric radiative transfer model parameterized with site specific approximations of cloud cover showed close agreement with measured values. Estimated daily doses (W h/m(2)) of UVB (0.01-19), UVA (2-360) and visible (29-1,653) solar radiation varied with coral depth (2 to 24 m) and meteorological conditions. These results indicate large variation in solar radiation dosimetry within coral reefs that may be estimated with reasonable accuracy using regional Kd measurements and radiative transfer modeling.     

评估斑马鱼胚胎毒性试验在农药危害筛选中的应用

考虑到人类社会中大量使用化学物质,想要准确有效地评估这些化学物质对人类和生态受体的潜在风险,研发有效的手段和方法是至关重要的。鱼胚胎急性毒性试验是其中一种工具,已表现出与幼鱼急性毒性标准试验的预测结果高度吻合,而幼鱼试验对资源消耗更多。然而,也有证据表明,对于某些类型的化学物质,包括神经毒素,鱼类胚胎的敏感性低于幼鱼。本文利用已发表的斑马鱼胚胎毒性数据,与3种常用检测用鱼幼鱼(虹鳟鱼、蓝鳃太阳鱼、羊鲷)的半致死浓度50%(LC₅₀)数据进行比较,研究了鱼类胚胎对农药危害评估的效用。在将农药视为单因素的情况下,斑马鱼胚胎和幼鱼毒性数据相关性较差,差异显著(r²=0.28;p2=0.64;p 精选自Glaberman, S., Padilla, S. and Barron, M. G. (2017), Evaluating the zebrafish embryo toxicity test for pesticide hazard screening. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 36: 1221–1226. doi: 10.1002/etc.3641
详情请见http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/etc.3641/full
     

Environmental release of dioxins from reservoir sources during beach nourishment programs

In late 1990s, USEPA/FDA made an important connection regarding the presence of elevated levels of dioxins (e.g., 1500 ng kg⁻¹ TEQ) in ball clays mined in Mississippi (USA) from a geological deposit dated to ∼40 million years (Mississippi Embayment) that stretches over several states (northern part of Mississippi to Kentucky) and levels of dioxins in selected animal food sources. Following a recent beach nourishment program along the mid-Atlantic coast of the US, a number of dark gray, blue tinted nuggets of varying sizes were found on beach strands and near the shoreline. Using the presence of these balls of clay (shape, color, and knowledge regarding their use in pottery) on the beach, together with our direct experience analyzing ball clays for dioxins, we made a possible association between these clays and elevated dioxins. Concerns regarding the potential of nourishment programs to cause severe damage to our beaches drove us to test the dioxin content of nourishment exposed clays. A number of the nuggets, along with freshly dredged and deposited sand (collected the morning after nourishment) with the same coloration, and others (sun-bleached), collected approximately 2 weeks after the completion of the nourishment efforts, were analyzed for the presence of PCDD/Fs, PCBs, and selected semi-volatile chlorinated organics. The clay PCDD/F WHO2005-TEQs (dry weight; ND = DL; EMPC = EMPC) ranged from 0.41 to 5.78 ng kg⁻¹ with an average of 2.64 ng kg⁻¹, whereas the sand sample’s TEQs ranged from 0.18 to 0.31 ng kg⁻¹ PCDD/F WHO-2005, with an average of 0.22 ng kg⁻¹. The average total tetra- through octachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin concentration was 2700 ng kg⁻¹ (with a maximum of 5800 ng kg⁻¹) for the clays and 8.5 ng kg⁻¹ (with a maximum of 16.8 ng kg⁻¹) for the sand samples. The congener 2,3,7,8-TCDD (TEF = 1) was detected in half of the clay samples (0.11-0.77 ng kg⁻¹). All of the clay and sand samples displayed an unambiguous and dominating 1,4,6,9-chlorination pattern across homolog groups. No other chlorinated aromatics were detected above background levels. The observations, along with the absence or an extremely low level of polychlorinated dibenzofurans, together with the mineralogical analysis, supports the conclusion that off-shore dredging activities are reaching reservoir sources containing dioxin-tainted, smectic/kaolinite clay minerals. Subsequent beach erosion provides additional environmental releases over time, as buried balls of clay from previous nourishment efforts become exposed.     

Managing Protected Woodlands: Fuelwood Collection and Law Enforcement in Lake Malawi National Park

Abstract: We examined the decisions women make in their collection of fuelwood within a protected area in Malawi. We used law enforcement data and behavioral observations of fuelwood harvesting practices to examine the risk of detection and penalties posed by law enforcement activities. Our results indicate that, at their current levels, law enforcement patrols have little effect on wood collection practices. The low risk of detection and light penalties appear to favor illegal wood collection, which is practiced by the majority of women. Alternative strategies should be pursued to enhance the conservation of the woodland and its management as a fuelwood resource for local communities.