Conservation resource allocation,small population resiliency,and the fallacy of conservation triage

Some conservation prioritization methods are based on the assumption that conservation needs overwhelm current resources and not all species can be conserved; therefore, a conservation triage scheme (i.e., when the system is overwhelmed, species should be divided into three groups based on likelihood of survival, and efforts should be focused on those species in the group with the best survival prospects and reduced or denied to those in the group with no survival prospects and to those in the group not needing special efforts for their conservation) is necessary to guide resource allocation. We argue that this decision-making strategy is not appropriate because resources are not as limited as often assumed, and it is not evident that there are species that cannot be conserved. Small population size alone, for example, does not doom a species to extinction; plants, reptiles, birds, and mammals offer examples. Although resources dedicated to conserving all threatened species are insufficient at present, the world's economic resources are vast, and greater resources could be dedicated toward species conservation. The political framework for species conservation has improved, with initiatives such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and other international agreements, funding mechanisms such as The Global Environment Facility, and the rise of many nongovernmental organizations with nimble, rapid-response small grants programs. For a prioritization system to allow no extinctions, zero extinctions must be an explicit goal of the system. Extinction is not inevitable, and should not be acceptable. A goal of no human-induced extinctions is imperative given the irreversibility of species loss.     

In-situ partitioning of butyltin compounds in estuarine sediments

The in-situ solid/pore-water partitioning of tributyltin (TBT), dibutyltin (DBT) and monobutyltin (MBT) was determined for an estuarine sediment profile collected from a commercial marina. Total butyltin levels exceeded sediment quality guideline values, and were 220-8750 microg/kg for TBT, 150-5450 microg/kg for DBT and 130-4250 microg/kg for MBT. Pore-water butyltin concentrations ranged from 0.05 to 2.35 microg/l for TBT, 0.07-3.25 microg/l for DBT, and 0.05-0.53 microg/l for MBT. The partitioning of butyltin compounds between the sediment solid-phase and pore-water was described by an organic carbon normalised distribution ratio (D(OC)). The observed D(OC) values were similar for TBT, DBT and MBT, and were 10(5)-10(6) l/kg. Values for the Butyltin Degradation Index (BDI) were larger than 1 at depths greater than 10 cm below the sediment/water-column interface. This indicates that substantial TBT degradation has occurred in the sediments, and suggests that natural attenuation may be a viable sediment remediation strategy.     

Conflicting demands on detoxification pathways influence how common brushtail possums choose their diets

Most herbivores eat more and survive better when they have access to a variety of foods. One explanation involves the detoxification of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs). By feeding from a variety of plants that contain different classes of PSMs, animals can use multiple detoxification pathways and presumably consume more food. Although popular, this theory is difficult to test because it requires knowledge of the detoxification pathways of each PSM in the diet. We established that common brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) use various combinations of oxidation, hydrolysis, and conjugation with glucuronic acid (GA) or glycine to detoxify six PSMs. Compared to their ingestion of a single PSM, possums ate more when offered a choice between two diets containing PSMs that require apparently independent detoxification pathways (benzoate and 1,8-cineole, benzoate and p-cymene, benzoate and orcinol, benzoate and salicin, or orcinol and 1,8-cineole). However, possums still did not eat as much of these diets as they did of a basal diet free of PSMs. This suggests that detoxification pathways are never independent, but are separated instead by degrees. In contrast, possums offered a choice of two PSMs that require competing detoxification pathways (1,8-cineole and p-cymene, 1,8-cineole and salicin, or orcinol and salicin) ate no more than when offered diets containing one of the compounds. There was an exception: even though both rutin and orcinol are detoxified via conjugation with GA, the feeding behavior of possums did not suggest competition for detoxification pathways. This implies that the supply of GA is not limiting. This study provides the first convincing evidence that herbivorous mammals can eat more by selecting mixed diets with a diversity of PSMs that make full use of their detoxification potential. It also emphasizes that other behavioral and physiological factors, such as transient food aversions, influence feeding behavior.     

The association of female kin in the arctic ground squirrel Spermophilus parryii

Summary The association of kin in arctic ground squirrels (Spermophilus parryii) was studied near Haines Junction, Yukon Territory, during the summers of 1977, 1978, and 1979. Males dispersed in this population, thus only females were likely to live near relatives.Close female kin (sisters, mothers/daughters) had greater overlap of home ranges and interacted more amicably and less agonistically than did less closely related females. Closely related females clumped their young at emergence, whereas more distantly related females did not; there was little indication of clumping of pre-emerged young. The overlap of home ranges of distant relatives (known genetic relatives that had not associated in a natal burrow) was intermediate to that of close relatives and non-relatives. The types of interactions between distant relatives were more similar to those between non-relatives than between close relatives.I conclude that female arctic ground squirrels exhibit nepotism. Females may benefit from associations with relatives by sharing watching for predators once juveniles become conspicuous. Male arctic ground squirrels commit infanticide and several females may be more effective at protecting their young from infanticidal males than females living alone. I suggest that clumping of young by close relatives may provide a mechanism allowing distantly related females to identify each other.Address for offprint requests     

Invertebrate Morphospecies as Surrogates for Species: A Case Study

Environmental monitoring and conservation evaluation in terrestrial habitats may be enhanced by the use of invertebrate inventories, but taxonomic and logistic constraints frequently encountered during conventional taxonomic treatment have greatly restricted their use. To overcome this problem we suggest that nonspecialists may be used to classify invertebrates to morphospecies without compromising scientific accuracy. To test this proposition, large pitfall and litter samples of ants, beetles, and spiders from four forest types were sorted to morphospecies by a nonspecialist and to species by specialists. These data were used to generate morphospecies and species inventories and to estimate richness (α diversity) and turnover (β diversity), information frequently used in the above activities. Our results show that the estimates of richness of ants and spiders varied little between morphospecies and species inventories. Differences between estimates of beetle richness were largely influenced by errors of identification in two families, Curculionidae and Staphylinidae. But morphospecies and species inventories yielded identical ranking of forest type using richness. Turnover was assessed by sample ordination, which revealed similar clusters regardless of the type of inventory. Analysis of similarities of assemblages of ants and beetles showed significant differences between all forest types. Spider assemblages showed a lower level of discrimination. The assessment of turnover was consistent among inventories but different between the major taxa. Our findings suggest that morphospecies may be used as surrogates for species in some environmental monitoring and conservation, in particular when decisions are guided by estimates of richness and the assessment of turnover.     

Indoor Air Quality at Rural and Urban Sites in Pakistan

In the developing world, the vast majority of people rely on solid biomass fuels for cooking and heating which results in poor indoor air quality. The present study determined indoor air quality in some rural and urban areas of Pakistan. Measurements were made of particulate mass (PM10, PM2.5 and PM1), number concentration and bioaerosols in different micro environments. PM10 concentrations of up to 8,555 μg/m³ were observed inside the kitchens where biofuels were used as energy source. Cleaning and smoking was identified as a major source of indoor particulate pollution and concentrations of more than more than 2,000 μg/m³ were recorded in the living room during these activities. Indoor number concentrations in Lahore were typically greater than those observed outdoors in European cites. At a rural site the highest Colony Forming Units (CFUs) were in the 0.5 μm–2 μm size fraction, while at the urban location CFUs were dominant for 2 μm–16 μm. It was observed that CFUs(Colony Forming Units) counts were higher inside living rooms than kitchens. It is important to note that women and children were exposed to extremely high levels of particulates during cooking. Overall, indoor air quality in Pakistan was poor and there is a dire need to take a serious step to combat with it.