A Behaviorally Explicit Demographic Model Integrating Habitat Selection and Population Dynamics in California Sea Lions

Abstract: Although there has been a call for the integration of behavioral ecology and conservation biology, there are few tools currently available to achieve this integration. Explicitly including information about behavioral strategies in population viability analyses may enhance the ability of conservation biologists to understand and estimate patterns of extinction risk. Nevertheless, most behavioral‐based PVA approaches require detailed individual‐based data that are rarely available for imperiled species. We present a mechanistic approach that incorporates spatial and demographic consequences of behavioral strategies into population models used for conservation. We developed a stage‐structured matrix model that includes the costs and benefits of movement associated with 2 habitat‐selection strategies (philopatry and direct assessment). Using a life table for California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), we explored the sensitivity of model predictions to the inclusion of these behavioral parameters. Including behavioral information dramatically changed predicted population sizes, model dynamics, and the expected distribution of individuals among sites. Estimated population sizes projected in 100 years diverged up to 1 order of magnitude among scenarios that assumed different movement behavior. Scenarios also exhibited different model dynamics that ranged from stable equilibria to cycles or extinction. These results suggest that inclusion of behavioral data in viability models may improve estimates of extinction risk for imperiled species. Our approach provides a simple method for incorporating spatial and demographic consequences of behavioral strategies into population models and may be easily extended to other species and behaviors to understand the mechanisms of population dynamics for imperiled populations.     

Effects of Population Size on Singing Behavior of a Rare Duetting Songbird

Although the genetic and ecological effects of population declines in endangered species have been well studied, little is known of the social consequences. Changes in signaling behavior may result in disrupted communication and affect both reproductive and conflict‐resolution activities. The North Island Kōkako (Callaeas wilsoni) is an endangered, duetting (i.e., alternating, coordinated singing by mated pairs) songbird endemic to New Zealand temperate rain forests. Scattered populations (approximately 1500 individuals in 13 surviving and 11 translocated populations) in isolated conservation areas of different sizes have been rescued from extirpation and are currently recovering. We examined key song attributes of the Kōkako to assess whether population size or growth rate are related to song complexity, the reduction of which may compromise effective communication. We analyzed song repertoire size and phrase‐type sharing (i.e., Jaccard index of similarity), vocal performance (singing rates, song switching rates, and diversity of phrase types), and song syntactical characteristics (i.e., unpredictability in sequences of phrase types) in surviving and translocated populations (populations of approximately 19–250 territorial individuals). Population size was positively correlated with a population's song repertoire, song diversity, and switching of song phrase types and negatively correlated with shared phrase types and variation in syntactical structure of songs. Population growth rate correlated positively with pair repertoire size, population repertoire size, and singing rates during song bouts. As for solo‐singing species in fragmented landscapes, songs in the fragmented populations of Kōkako appear to be undergoing microevolution as occurs in island colonization events. Our results suggest that vocal changes in small populations could affect population establishment and growth, particularly in multiple‐source translocations. We believe measurement of vocal behavior could be used as a supplement to periodic population censuses to allow more frequent monitoring of population size. Efectos de la Conducta de Canto sobre el Tamaño Poblacional de una Ave Canora Rara     

炼油厂行为安全体系实施和维护

本文是以价值为中心基于小组的行为安全体系在炼油厂实施的案例跟踪调查研究。员工安全小组定义了炼油厂安全价值和并制定了用于指导体系设计和实施的相关原则。行为安全体系包括:(a)安全评估;(b)安全相关价值和相关实践的说明;(c)程序设计和执行概观;(d)安全观察培训;(e)反馈、认可和庆典;(f)程序维护。20年来的数据统计及分析,印证行为安全体系对记录在案、工时损失等安全事件及相关直接成本具有长期效应。行为安全体系实施的8年中,记录在案安全事件降低81%,工时损失的案例减少了79%,年工人赔偿成本下降97%。本文纳入对炼油厂副总裁的采访内容,主要是为读者展示行为安全体系对炼油厂安全文化的影响。     

Edge Effects and Isolation: Red-Backed Voles Revisited

Abstract:  We examined demographic responses of California red-backed voles ( Clethrionomys californicus ) to forest fragmentation in southwestern Oregon at sites where this species has previously shown negative responses to fragmentation. Voles were captured in live traps and released. Voles were rarely caught in clearcuts surrounding 11 forest fragments, but relative vole density did not decrease from the forest-fragment interiors to edges. The first result agrees with previous findings at these sites 6 years earlier, but the latter result does not. There was no evidence that vole response to edge changes with fragment age. Two years of intensive mark-recapture efforts at two forest-fragment sites and two unfragmented (control) sites did not show negative effects of fragmentation on vole survival, an important demographic rate. Vole capture probabilities varied greatly across space and time on these four sites, which may explain the differences in vole responses to edge seen between this and the previous study. These results suggest that reliable appraisal of edge effects may be difficult for many species on small fragments because the data necessary to apply population estimators require great efforts to obtain and the use of indices leads to a confounding of detection probabilities with demographic change.     

Screening of a potential leafhopper attractants and their applications in tea plantations

Abstract

Pheromones can be used as leafhopper attractants. However, commercial pheromone products, such as the Ingle lure, have certain limitations, including poor persistence in the field. In this study, (E)-2-hexenal, (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, (E)-ocimene, linalool, and geraniol were selected and behaviorally tested as potential leafhopper attractants. Y-tube olfactometer tests showed that the C2 formulation was more effective than other formulations. In tea field trials, the number of leafhoppers caught by sticky board traps baited with C2 lures was greater than that caught by treatment. The number of leafhoppers attracted by the C2 lures was greater than that attracted by the commercial Ingle lures. Additionally, the total amount of active C2 components on lures was greater than that of the active components on the lure after 14 days. Thus, the results indicated that the C2 formulation may attract leafhoppers and have a greater persistence than other formulations in tea field.     

基于重要生态节点独流减河流域生态廊道构建

河道、湿地、湖库和河口等生态节点是区域生物多样性保护的重要景观要素,而生态廊道是连接这些重要生态节点的"桥梁"和"纽带".针对中尺度流域景观破碎化问题,以天津市独流减河流域为例,在景观生态学理论指导下,借助GIS与RS技术,基于"河道-湿地-湖库-河口"等重要生态节点,重点考虑景观类型和人类活动干扰的影响,利用最小累积阻力模型构建生态廊道,识别生态节点与生态断裂点,并对其空间结构进行定量化分析,进而规划设计了研究区的生态框架.结果表明:①45条生态廊道的网络连接度评价指标——α指数（网络环度）、β指数（节点连接率）和γ指数（连接度）分别为0.32、1.56、0.56,说明廊道网络具有较高的连通性和复杂度,有利于生态流的顺畅流动.②共识别26个生态节点和35个生态断裂点,明确了研究区需重点保护建设和修复改善的关键点（区）的地理位置.③廊道最佳宽度为30~60 m,空间配置以草地、林地和水域等重要景观类型为主,约占70.63%~78.97%,能够为物种提供高质量的栖息地和迁移通道.④廊道网络中河流廊道为主要廊道类型,其长度约占廊道总长度的51.19%,具有丰富的水资源和植被种类,所构建的"一轴两心九带"的生态框架具有重要的生态服务功能.研究显示,基于重要生态节点构建生态廊道和生态框架能够提高独流减河流域的景观连接度,对该流域的生态安全格局规划和生态工程建设具有重要参考价值.      

Mathematical Methods for Spatially Cohesive Reserve Design

The problem of designing spatially cohesive nature reserve systems that meet biodiversity objectives is formulated as a nonlinear integer programming problem. The multiobjective function minimises a combination of boundary length, area and failed representation of the biological attributes we are trying to conserve. The task is to reserve a subset of sites that best meet this objective. We use data on the distribution of habitats in the Northern Territory, Australia, to show how simulated annealing and a greedy heuristic algorithm can be used to generate good solutions to such large reserve design problems, and to compare the effectiveness of these methods.     

Designing a conservation reserve network with minimal fragmentation: A linear integer programming approach

In the biological conservation literature, the optimum reserve site selection problem has often been addressed by using the prototype set covering and maximal covering formulations, assuming that representation of species is the only criterion in site selection. This approach usually results in a small but highly fragmented reserve, which is not useful for practical conservation planning. To improve the chances of species' persistence, it may be desirable to reduce habitat fragmentation. This paper presents a linear integer programming formulation to minimize spatial gaps between selected sites in a reserve network, which is applied to a data set on breeding birds. The authors express their willingness to share the database used in this study. Those readers who wish to have access to the data may contact Robert A. Briers at r.briers@napier.ac.uk.     

Rain-out investigation: Initial droplet size measurement

Droplet size distribution inside water flashing jets and corresponding rain-out fraction were measured. Mass distribution showed that a few droplets are ‘large’ (d>150 μm) and count for more than 85% of the liquid mass in the jet because of their large individual mass. This could be due to incomplete thermal fragmentation. It could explain the rain-out falling near the orifice or pipe exit.     

Connectivity in an Agricultural Landscape as Reflected by Interpond Movements of a Freshwater Turtle

Abstract:  Connectivity is a measure of how landscape features facilitate movement and thus is an important factor in species persistence in a fragmented landscape. The scarcity of empirical studies that directly quantify species movement and determine subsequent effects on population density have, however, limited the utility of connectivity measures in conservation planning. We undertook a 4-year study to calculate connectivity based on observed movement rates and movement probabilities for five age-sex classes of painted turtles ( Chrysemys picta ) inhabiting a pond complex in an agricultural landscape in northern Virginia (U.S.A.). We determined which variables influenced connectivity and the relationship between connectivity and subpopulation density. Interpatch distance and quality of habitat patches influenced connectivity but characteristics of the intervening matrix did not. Adult female turtles were more influenced by the habitat quality of recipient ponds than other age-sex classes. The importance of connectivity on spatial population dynamics was most apparent during a drought. Population density and connectivity were low for one pond in a wet year but dramatically increased as other ponds dried. Connectivity is an important component of species persistence in a heterogeneous landscape and is strongly dependent on the movement behavior of the species. Connectivity may reflect active selection or avoidance of particular habitat patches. The influence of habitat quality on connectivity has often been ignored, but our findings highlight its importance. Conservation planners seeking to incorporate connectivity measures into reserve design should not ignore behavior in favor of purely structural estimates of connectivity.