The Biogeography of Globally Threatened Seabirds and Island Conservation Opportunities

Seabirds are the most threatened group of marine animals; 29% of species are at some risk of extinction. Significant threats to seabirds occur on islands where they breed, but in many cases, effective island conservation can mitigate these threats. To guide island‐based seabird conservation actions, we identified all islands with extant or extirpated populations of the 98 globally threatened seabird species, as recognized on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, and quantified the presence of threatening invasive species, protected areas, and human populations. We matched these results with island attributes to highlight feasible island conservation opportunities. We identified 1362 threatened breeding seabird populations on 968 islands. On 803 (83%) of these islands, we identified threatening invasive species (20%), incomplete protected area coverage (23%), or both (40%). Most islands with threatened seabirds are amenable to island‐wide conservation action because they are small (57% were <1 km²), uninhabited (74%), and occur in high‐ or middle‐income countries (96%). Collectively these attributes make islands with threatened seabirds a rare opportunity for effective conservation at scale. La Biogeografía de Aves Marinas Amenazadas Globalmente y las Oportunidades de Conservación en Islas     

Taxonomic Uncertainty and the Loss of Biodiversity on Christmas Island,Indian Ocean

The taxonomic uniqueness of island populations is often uncertain which hinders effective prioritization for conservation. The Christmas Island shrew (Crocidura attenuata trichura) is the only member of the highly speciose eutherian family Soricidae recorded from Australia. It is currently classified as a subspecies of the Asian gray or long‐tailed shrew (C. attenuata), although it was originally described as a subspecies of the southeast Asian white‐toothed shrew (C. fuliginosa). The Christmas Island shrew is currently listed as endangered and has not been recorded in the wild since 1984–1985, when 2 specimens were collected after an 80‐year absence. We aimed to obtain DNA sequence data for cytochrome b (cytb) from Christmas Island shrew museum specimens to determine their taxonomic affinities and to confirm the identity of the 1980s specimens. The Cytb sequences from 5, 1898 specimens and a 1985 specimen were identical. In addition, the Christmas Island shrew cytb sequence was divergent at the species level from all available Crocidura cytb sequences. Rather than a population of a widespread species, current evidence suggests the Christmas Island shrew is a critically endangered endemic species, C. trichura, and a high priority for conservation. As the decisions typically required to save declining species can be delayed or deferred if the taxonomic status of the population in question is uncertain, it is hoped that the history of the Christmas Island shrew will encourage the clarification of taxonomy to be seen as an important first step in initiating informed and effective conservation action.     

Effects of Wind Energy Development on Nesting Ecology of Greater Prairie‐Chickens in Fragmented Grasslands

Wind energy is targeted to meet 20% of U.S. energy needs by 2030, but new sites for development of renewable energy may overlap with important habitats of declining populations of grassland birds. Greater Prairie‐Chickens (Tympanuchus cupido) are an obligate grassland bird species predicted to respond negatively to energy development. We used a modified before–after control–impact design to test for impacts of a wind energy development on the reproductive ecology of prairie‐chickens in a 5‐year study. We located 59 and 185 nests before and after development, respectively, of a 201 MW wind energy facility in Greater Prairie‐Chicken nesting habitat and assessed nest site selection and nest survival relative to proximity to wind energy infrastructure and habitat conditions. Proximity to turbines did not negatively affect nest site selection (β = 0.03, 95% CI = ?1.2–1.3) or nest survival (β = ?0.3, 95% CI = ?0.6–0.1). Instead, nest site selection and survival were strongly related to vegetative cover and other local conditions determined by management for cattle production. Integration of our project results with previous reports of behavioral avoidance of oil and gas facilities by other species of prairie grouse suggests new avenues for research to mitigate impacts of energy development. Efectos del Desarrollo de la Energía Eólica sobre la Ecología de Anidación de Gallinas de la Gran Pradera en Pastizales Fragmentados     

Estimation of Body‐Size Traits by Photogrammetry in Large Mammals to Inform Conservation

Abstract: Photography, including remote imagery and camera traps, has contributed substantially to conservation. However, the potential to use photography to understand demography and inform policy is limited. To have practical value, remote assessments must be reasonably accurate and widely deployable. Prior efforts to develop noninvasive methods of estimating trait size have been motivated by a desire to answer evolutionary questions, measure physiological growth, or, in the case of illegal trade, assess economics of horn sizes; but rarely have such methods been directed at conservation. Here I demonstrate a simple, noninvasive photographic technique and address how knowledge of values of individual‐specific metrics bears on conservation policy. I used 10 years of data on juvenile moose (Alces alces) to examine whether body size and probability of survival are positively correlated in cold climates. I investigated whether the presence of mothers improved juvenile survival. The posited latter relation is relevant to policy because harvest of adult females has been permitted in some Canadian and American jurisdictions under the assumption that probability of survival of young is independent of maternal presence. The accuracy of estimates of head sizes made from photographs exceeded 98%. The estimates revealed that overwinter juvenile survival had no relation to the juvenile's estimated mass (p < 0.64) and was more strongly associated with maternal presence (p < 0.02) than winter snow depth (p < 0.18). These findings highlight the effects on survival of a social dynamic (the mother‐young association) rather than body size and suggest a change in harvest policy will increase survival. Furthermore, photographic imaging of growth of individual juvenile muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) over 3 Arctic winters revealed annual variability in size, which supports the idea that noninvasive monitoring may allow one to detect how some environmental conditions ultimately affect body growth.     

Strictly protected areas are not necessarily more effective than areas in which multiple human uses are permitted

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies protected areas into six categories, ranging from strict nature reserves to areas where multiple human uses are permitted. In the past, many researchers have questioned the effectiveness of multiple-use areas, fueling an unresolved debate regarding their conservation value. The literature so far has been inconclusive: although several studies have found that strictly protected areas are more effective, others have found the opposite, and yet others that the two types do not differ. To help resolve this debate, we reviewed the literature on protected areas and conducted our own analysis using > 19 000 terrestrial protected areas worldwide. We found that the differences between strictly protected areas and areas in which multiple human uses are permitted are often small and not statistically significant. Although the effectiveness of protected areas worldwide varies, other factors, besides their assigned IUCN category, are likely to be driving this pattern.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01426-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Data quality evaluation and calibration of on-road remote sensing systems based on exhaust plumes

In recent years, with rapid increases in the number of vehicles in China, the contribution of vehicle exhaust emissions to air pollution has become increasingly prominent. To achieve the precise control of emissions, on-road remote sensing (RS) technology has been developed and applied for law enforcement and supervision. However, data quality is still an existing issue affecting the development and application of RS. In this study, the RS data from a cross-road RS system used at a single site (from 2012 to 2015) were collected, the data screening process was reviewed, the issues with data quality were summarized, a new method of data screening and calibration was proposed, and the effectiveness of the improved data quality control methods was finally evaluated. The results showed that this method reduces the skewness and kurtosis of the data distribution by up to nearly 67%, which restores the actual characteristics of exhaust diffusion and is conducive to the identification of actual clean and high-emission vehicles. The annual variability of emission factors of nitric oxide decreases by 60% – on average – eliminating the annual drift of fleet emissions and improving data reliability.     

某型飞机全尺寸雷达罩静强度分析与试验验证

目的考核某型飞机全尺寸雷达罩的静强度,验证其计算模型的准确性。方法采用有限元计算和静力试验相结合的方法,对某型飞机全尺寸雷达罩的承载能力进行研究与试验验证。根据雷达罩的结构特点和载荷分布情况建立有限元计算模型,进行应力应变计算与强度校核,得到了雷达罩的应力应变云图。在此基础上,选用最严重载荷工况对雷达罩的承载能力进行试验验证。通过试验总体方案设计及加载实施方案优化设计,采用矢量加载技术和软硬结合的加载方式对雷达罩施加拉压载荷,保证各加载点的载荷均与所在表面的法向相同,与雷达罩实际受载情况一致。结果雷达罩的应力水平较低,承载能力较高;试验实测应力结果与理论计算结果有偏差,但应力分布规律合理,与理论分析计算结果的趋势基本一致;静力试验结果证明雷达罩及其与机身连接结构能够满足静强度设计要求。结论雷达罩静力试验测得的应变数据与有限元计算结果吻合较好,雷达罩本体及其与机身的连接结构满足强度设计要求。     

基于DALYs的北京市大气PM2.5载带苯并[a]芘疾病负旦研究

苯并[a]芘(BaP)是一类兼具强致癌性和非致癌毒性的物质,可随PM_(2.5)经呼吸途径进入人体而威胁健康.本文采集2016年北京城区监测点PM_(2.5)样品并采用气相色谱质谱联用仪测定其载带BaP浓度.通过BaP的流行病学及动物毒理学数据的检索和分析,确定BaP呼吸暴露的致癌和非致癌毒效应评价终点及其剂量效应关系.运用伤残调整生命年(DALYs)指标估算了呼吸途径人群PM_(2.5)载带BaP暴露导致的疾病负担.结果显示北京市BaP导致总疾病负担为431.36 DALYs·a~(-1),每千人DALYs为0.03 a~(-1).其中非致癌效应的疾病负担为1.98 DALYs·a~(-1),致癌效应为429.39 DALYs·a~(-1).不同毒效应的疾病负担排序为:癌症(99.54%)发育毒性(0.41%)生殖毒性(0.04%).不同季节的疾病负担贡献差异较大.北京市BaP暴露导致疾病负担的主要贡献季节为冬季,疾病负担贡献的顺序为冬季(88.01%)秋季(4.91%)春季(4.34%)夏季(2.74%).