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1.
We describe the development and parameterization of a grid-based model of African savanna vegetation processes. The model
was developed with the objective of exploring elephant effects on the diversity of savanna species and structure, and in this
formulation concentrates on the relative cover of grass and woody plants, the vertical structure of the woody plant community,
and the distribution of these over space. Grid cells are linked by seed dispersal and fire, and environmental variability
is included in the form of stochastic rainfall and fire events. The model was parameterized from an extensive review of the
African savanna literature; when available, parameter values varied widely. The most plausible set of parameters produced
long-term coexistence between woody plants and grass, with the tree–grass balance being more sensitive to changes in parameters
influencing demographic processes and drought incidence and response, while less sensitive to fire regime. There was considerable
diversity in the woody structure of savanna systems within the range of uncertainty in tree growth rate parameters. Thus,
given the paucity of height growth data regarding woody plant species in southern African savannas, managers of natural areas
should be cognizant of different tree species growth and damage response attributes when considering whether to act on perceived
elephant threats to vegetation. 相似文献
2.
Three approaches to using aerial photography are evaluated for searching for open dumps in the state of Indiana. Photography with hand-held cameras from a small airplane proved more effective and flexible than either photo-interpretation of existing air photos or subcontracting to a federal agency for new aerial photography. The rationale for our choice of aerial reconnaissance, other uses of low-level aerial surveillance, the utility of small-format camera aerial photography for environmental analysis, and methods used for locating open dumps are discussed. 相似文献
3.
Although ecologists have long recognized that certain mammalian species exhibit high-amplitude, often multiannual, fluctuations in abundance, their causes have remained poorly understood and the subject of intense debate. A key contention has been the relative role of density-dependent and density-independent processes in governing population dynamics. We applied capture-mark-recapture analysis to 25 years of monthly trapping data from a fluctuating prairie vole Microtus ochrogaster population in Illinois, USA, to estimate realized population growth rates and associated vital rates (survival and recruitment) and modeled them as a function of vole density and density-independent climatic variation. We also tested for phase dependence and seasonality in the effects of the above processes. Variation in the realized population growth rate was best explained by phase-specific changes in vole density lagged by one month and mean monthly temperatures with no time lags. The underlying vital rates, survival and recruitment, were influenced by the additive and interactive effects of phase, vole density, and mean monthly temperatures. Our results are consistent with the observation that large-scale population fluctuations are characterized by phase-specific changes in demographic and physiological characteristics. Our findings also support the growing realization that the interaction between climatic variables and density-dependent factors may be a widespread phenomenon, and they suggest that the direction and magnitude of such interactive effects may be phase specific. We conclude that density-dependent and density-independent climatic variables work in tandem during each phase of density fluctuations to drive the dynamics of fluctuating populations. 相似文献
4.
Wayne M. Getz Dorothea Brückner Thomas R. Parisian 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》1982,10(4):265-270
Summary Experimental hives obtained from cordovan queens that were instrumentally inseminated with semen from one cordovan and one Italian drone were set up and allowed to swarm. Cordovan provides a resessive genetic marker system (cuticle color) so that the workers from the cordovan and Italian male lines are distinguishable. Our results show that these patrilineal worker groups segregate non-randomly during colony fission and this segregation cannot be explained by observed age structure. Evidence of innate kin recognition in bees has been previously established. We argue that kin recognition could be responsible for the observed non-random grouping of kin during swarming. 相似文献
5.
G. Wittemyer W. M. Getz F. Vollrath I. Douglas-Hamilton 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2007,61(12):1919-1931
The structure of dominance relationships among individuals in a population is known to influence their fitness, access to
resources, risk of predation, and even energy budgets. Recent advances in global positioning system radio telemetry provide
data to evaluate the influence of social relationships on population spatial structure and ranging tactics. Using current
models of socio-ecology as a framework, we explore the spatial behaviors relating to the maintenance of transitive (i.e.,
linear) dominance hierarchies between elephant social groups despite the infrequent occurrence of contests over resources
and lack of territorial behavior. Data collected from seven families of different rank demonstrate that dominant groups disproportionately
use preferred habitats, limit their exposure to predation/conflict with humans by avoiding unprotected areas, and expend less
energy than subordinate groups during the dry season. Hence, our data provide strong evidence of rank derived spatial partitioning
in this migratory species. These behaviors, however, were not found during the wet season, indicating that spatial segregation
of elephants is related to resource availability. Our results indicate the importance of protecting preexisting social mechanisms
for mitigating the ecological impacts of high density in this species. This analysis provides an exemplar of how behavioral
research in a socio-ecological framework can serve to identify factors salient to the persistence and management of at risk
species or populations.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. 相似文献
6.
The introduction of chronic, infectious diseases by colonizing populations (invasive or reintroduced) is a serious hazard in conservation biology, threatening the original host and other spillover species. Most research on spatial invasion of diseases has pertained to established host populations, either at steady state or fluctuating through time. Within a colonizing population, however, the spread of disease may be influenced by the expansion process of the population itself. Here we explore the simultaneous expansion of a colonizing population and a chronic, nonlethal disease introduced with it, describing basic patterns in homogeneous and structured landscapes and discussing implications for disease management. We describe expected outcomes of such introductions for three qualitatively distinct cases, depending on the relative velocities at which the population and epidemic expand. (1) If transmissibility is low the disease cannot be sustained, although it may first expand its range somewhat around the point of introduction. (2) If transmissibility is moderate but the wave-front velocity for the population, vp, is higher than that for the disease, vd, the disease wave front lags behind that of the population. (3) A highly transmissible disease, with vd > vp, will invade sufficiently rapidly to track the spread of the host. To test these elementary theoretical predictions, we simulated disease outbreaks in a spatially structured host population occupying a real landscape. We used a spatially explicit, individual-based model of Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) reintroduced in northern Israel, considering a hypothetical introduction of bovine tuberculosis. Basic patterns of disease expansion in this realistic setting were similar to our conceptual predictions for homogeneous landscapes. Landscape heterogeneity, however, induced the establishment of population activity centers and disease foci within them, leading to jagged wave fronts and causing local variation in the relative velocities at which the population and epidemic expanded. Based on predictions from simple theory and simulations of managed outbreaks, we suggest that the relative velocities at which the population and epidemic expand have important implications for the impact of different management strategies. Recognizing which of our three general cases best describes a particular outbreak will aid in planning an efficient strategy to contain the disease. 相似文献
7.
Boettiger AN Wittemyer G Starfield R Volrath F Douglas-Hamilton I Getz WM 《Ecology》2011,92(8):1648-1657
Understanding the environmental factors influencing animal movements is fundamental to theoretical and applied research in the field of movement ecology. Studies relating fine-scale movement paths to spatiotemporally structured landscape data, such as vegetation productivity or human activity, are particularly lacking despite the obvious importance of such information to understanding drivers of animal movement. In part, this may be because few approaches provide the sophistication to characterize the complexity of movement behavior and relate it to diverse, varying environmental stimuli. We overcame this hurdle by applying, for the first time to an ecological question, a finite impulse-response signal-filtering approach to identify human and natural environmental drivers of movements of 13 free-ranging African elephants (Loxodonta africana) from distinct social groups collected over seven years. A minimum mean-square error (MMSE) estimation criterion allowed comparison of the predictive power of landscape and ecological model inputs. We showed that a filter combining vegetation dynamics, human and physical landscape features, and previous movement outperformed simpler filter structures, indicating the importance of both dynamic and static landscape features, as well as habit, on movement decisions taken by elephants. Elephant responses to vegetation productivity indices were not uniform in time or space, indicating that elephant foraging strategies are more complex than simply gravitation toward areas of high productivity. Predictions were most frequently inaccurate outside protected area boundaries near human settlements, suggesting that human activity disrupts typical elephant movement behavior. Successful management strategies at the human-elephant interface, therefore, are likely to be context specific and dynamic. Signal processing provides a promising approach for elucidating environmental factors that drive animal movements over large time and spatial scales. 相似文献
8.
"Working landscapes" is the concept of fostering effective ecosystem stewardship and conservation through active human presence and management and integrating livestock, crop, and timber production with the provision of a broad range of ecosystem services at the landscape scale. Based on a statewide survey of private landowners of "working" forests and rangelands in California, we investigated whether owners who are engaged in commercial livestock or timber production appreciate and manage biodiversity and ecosystem services on their land in different ways than purely residential owners. Both specific uses and management practices, as well as underlying attitudes and motivations toward biodiversity and ecosystem services, were assessed. Correlation analysis showed one bundle of ecosystem goods and services (e.g., livestock, timber, crops, and housing) that is supported by some landowners at the community level. Another closely correlated bundle of biodiversity and ecosystem services includes recreation, hunting/fishing, wildlife habitat, and fire prevention. Producers were more likely to ally with the first bundle and residential owners with the second. The survey further confirmed that cultural ecosystem services and quality-of-life aspects are among the primary amenities that motivate forest and rangeland ownership regardless of ownership type. To live near natural beauty was the most important motive for both landowner groups. Producers were much more active in management for habitat improvement and other environmental goals than residential owners. As the number of production-oriented owners decreases, developing strategies for encouraging environment-positive management by all types of landowners is crucial. 相似文献
9.
Norman P. Getz 《Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995)》2013,63(11):1309-1312
To put waste-to-energy (WTE) in perspective, it is important to see how it measures up environmentally to other power generation utility sources. This paper compares actual WTE facility emissions with those from fossil fuel combustion utility sources. This comparison is made on an electricity production basis, such as a pound of pollutant per megawatt-hour of net electricity generated, for each power generation source. 相似文献
10.
Hypotheses relating the behavior of voles to their population cycles often assume that the rate of social interaction increases
with population density. To test this assumption, we examined the frequency of social interactions in a population of prairie
voles (Microtus ochrogaster) over a 7-year period. In addition, we characterized space use by resident animals, patterns of visitation by nonresidents
to nests, and participants in social interactions. Social groups within the population typically displayed little overlap
in their use of space, even at high population densities. Nevertheless, nonresidents, particularly wandering males, were captured
as visitors at nests. The number of visits per social group did not increase in a simple linear manner with population density
and was particularly variable when there were fewer than 100 animals/ha. At such times, more single females and fewer pairs
received visits from males than expected based on the frequency of occurrence of these groups in the population; a similar
pattern was noted during periods of high population density (≥100 animals/ha) but the comparisons failed to reach statistical
significance. Furthermore, at high population density, more communal groups received visits from females than expected. Patterns
of visitation to communal groups were influenced by the number of adult male residents (winter only), but not by the number
of adult female residents or presence of philopatric female offspring. These data indicate that the frequency of social contact
in prairie voles does not increase linearly with population density and is influenced by the spacing and possible mate-guarding
behavior of resident animals.
Received: 7 January 1998 / Accepted after revision: 16 May 1998 相似文献