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Mountains National Park (mountain + national_park)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Life Sciences	83%

Kinds of Mountains National Park

mahale mountain national park

Selected Abstracts

Rapid plant diversity assessment using a pixel nested plot design: A case study in Beaver Meadows, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 4 2007
Mohammed A. Kalkhan
ABSTRACT Geospatial statistical modelling and thematic maps have recently emerged as effective tools for the management of natural areas at the landscape scale. Traditional methods for the collection of field data pertaining to questions of landscape were developed without consideration for the parameters of these applications. We introduce an alternative field sampling design based on smaller unbiased random plot and subplot locations called the pixel nested plot (PNP). We demonstrate the applicability of the PNP design of 15 m × 15 m to assess patterns of plant diversity and species richness across the landscape at Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), Colorado, USA in a time (cost)-efficient manner for field data collection. Our results produced comparable results to a previous study in the Beaver Meadow study (BMS) area within RMNP, where there was a demonstrated focus of plant diversity. Our study used the smaller PNP sampling design for field data collection which could be linked to geospatial information data and could be used for landscape-scale analyses and assessment applications. In 2003, we established 61 PNP in the eastern region of RMNP. We present a comparison between this approach using a sub-sample of 19 PNP from this data set and 20 of Modified Whittaker nested plots (MWNP) of 20 m × 50 m that were collected in the BMS area. The PNP captured 266 unique plant species while the MWNP captured 275 unique species. Based on a comparison of PNP and MWNP in the Beaver Meadows area, RMNP, the PNP required less time and area sampled to achieve a similar number of species sampled. Using the PNP approach for data collection can facilitate the ecological monitoring of these vulnerable areas at the landscape scale in a time- and therefore cost-effective manner. [source]

Effect of basin physical characteristics on solute fluxes in nine alpine/subalpine basins, Colorado, USA,

HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 14 2001
Julie K. Sueker
Abstract Alpine/subalpine basins may exhibit substantial variability in solute fluxes despite many apparent similarities in basin characteristics. An evaluation of controls on spatial patterns in solute fluxes may allow development of predictive tools for assessing basin sensitivity to outside perturbations such as climate change or deposition of atmospheric pollutants. Relationships between basin physical characteristics, determined from geographical information system (GIS) tools, and solute fluxes and mineral weathering rates were explored for nine alpine/subalpine basins in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, using correlation analyses for 1993 and 1994 data. Stream-water nitrate fluxes were correlated positively with basin characteristics associated with the talus environment; i.e., the fractional amounts of steep slopes (, 30°), unvegetated terrain and young debris (primarily Holocene till) in the basins, and were correlated negatively with fractional amounts of subalpine meadow terrain. Correlations with nitrate indicate the importance of the talus environment in promoting nitrate flux and the mitigating effect of areas with established vegetation, such as subalpine meadows. Total mineral weathering rates for the basins ranged from about 300 to 600 mol ha,1 year,1. Oligoclase weathering accounted for 30 to 73% of the total mineral weathering flux, and was positively correlated with the amount of old debris (primarily Pleistocene glacial till) in the basins. Although calcite is found in trace amounts in bedrock, calcite weathering accounted for up to 44% of the total mineral weathering flux. Calcite was strongly correlated with steep slope, unvegetated terrain, and young debris,probably because physical weathering in steep-gradient areas exposes fresh mineral surfaces that contain calcite for chemical weathering. Oligoclase and calcite weathering are the dominant sources of alkalinity in the basins. However, atmospherically deposited acids consume much of the alkalinity generated by weathering of calcite and other minerals in the talus environment. Published in 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Landing distance in a synchronic North American firefly

PHYSIOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 2 2008
JONATHAN COPELAND
Abstract The flash communication system of Photinus carolinus in Great Smoky Mountain National Park (Tennessee) is characterized by male firefly synchrony. Photinus carolinus males signal a conspecific female with synchronic trains of flashes. A solitary responding female attracts several males, which is not common in North American rover fireflies. The female and the group of males that she attracts are called a cluster. It is hypothesized that the first male attracted to the female would land closer to the female than would additional males because there would be less tendency for visual confusion. This hypothesis is explored under controlled conditions by replacing the responsive female with an appropriately flashing light-emitting diode (LED) located in the center of a flat target area. When infra-red videography is used to measure the first male and the additional males' landing distances from the counterfeit female (LED), most fireflies land within 15 cm of the target LED, and the first male does not land closer than the additional males. It is suggested that cluster formation is a by-product of male synchrony and is facilitated by the tendency of males to land near, but not on, females. [source]

Leaf Processing by Wild Chimpanzees: Physically Defended Leaves Reveal Complex Manual Skills

ETHOLOGY, Issue 8 2002
Nadia Corp
The manual processing of eight species of leaf was investigated in the M-group chimpanzees of Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania. Leaf species varied in the extent to which physical defences made consumption difficult. In all, 96 distinct techniques for leaf processing were identified, but two species with defended leaves (Ficus asperifolia and F. exasperata) required 2.5 as many techniques as did any of the six undefended species. Moreover, chimpanzees made more multiple leaf detachments, and made more subsequent modifications of the leaves, when dealing with the leaves of these two Ficus species, compared with the undefended leaf species. This greater complexity was associated with evidence of flexible, hierarchical organization of the process: iteration of modules consisting of several processing elements, facultative omission of modules, or substitutions of alternative modules. Comparison with data from mountain gorillas is made, and is consistent with similar cognitive architecture in the two species. We consider that, not only is hierarchical organization currently associated with mechanical difficulty in food processing, but that over evolutionary time-scales difficulties in food processing may have selected for cognitive advance. [source]

Comparison of frog assemblages between urban and non-urban habitats in the upper Blue Mountains of Australia

FRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 12 2008
ALAN LANE
Summary 1. World wide, and in Australia, many frog populations have declined over the last two decades. The present study was undertaken to determine whether urbanization has affected frog diversity and abundance. 2. Five urban sites were paired with non-urban sites. Urban sites were in Katoomba and Blackheath, and were subject to physical environmental disturbance and impacted by storm water pollution due to urban runoff. Non-urban sites were in the Blue Mountains National Park and were effectively subject to no human impact. 3. Water quality at urban sites was typical of sites polluted with sewage, while non-urban sites exhibited water quality typical of ,pristine' natural bushland streams. 4. Six species were found at urban sites (Litoria peronii, Litoria dentata, Litoria verreauxii, Limnodynastes dumerilii, Limnodynastes peronii, Crinia signifera), with up to four species present at a site. Only one species (C. signifera) was recorded at non-urban sites, and frogs were absent from most non-urban sites. 5. The situation in non-urban sites mirrors the trend of decline observed in other montane regions. Surprisingly, frog abundance and diversity were higher in urban habitats, running counter to this trend. 6. We hypothesize that the salts, detergents and other chemicals in urban wastewaters provide frogs with a level of protection against disease, particularly chytridiomycosis. [source]

Competition between domestic dogs and Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) in the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

AFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2010
A. Atickem
Abstract The potential effects of the domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) on the Endangered Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) through exploitative and interference competition were studied in the Web Valley of Bale Mountains national park between November 2001 and February 2003. All dogs were owned in the study area and no feral dogs were reported or observed during the research period. The diet of domestic dogs was dominated by barley husks and human faeces which contributed 45% and 20.7% of the total 382 meals observed during focal watch observations. Analysis of dog faeces provided similar results with barley husks, human faeces and animal carcasses occurring in 86.8%, 21.4% and 19.4% of the 1200 faecal samples analysed. Both focal watch and faecal analyses revealed that rodents contributed only a very small proportion of the diet of dogs accounting for only 4.2% of the focal watch and 2.8% of the faecal analysis of roaming dogs. As Ethiopian wolves fed almost exclusively on rodent year round, no significant exploitative competition between dogs and wolves were assessed. Only small proportion of the domestic dogs roamed in the Ethiopian wolf range and interference competition did not appear to be a serious threat for the Ethiopian wolf. Résumé De novembre 2001 à février 2003, on a étudié les effets potentiels des chiens domestiques (Canis familiaris) sur le loup d'Ethiopie (Canis simensis) qui est en danger, en raison d'une compétition par exploitation alimentaire ou par interférences, dans la Vallée de Web, dans le Parc National des montagnes de Bale. Tous les chiens de l'étude avaient un propriétaire, et nous n'avons ni rapporté ni observé de chien féral pendant cette période. Le régime alimentaire des chiens comprenait principalement de la balle d'orge et des excréments humains qui composaient respectivement 45% et 20,7% du total des 382 repas observés pendant des observations focalisées. L'analyse des excréments de chiens donne des résultats semblables : la balle d'orge, les excréments humains et les carcasses d'animaux sont présents dans 86,8%, 21,4% et 19,4% des 1 200 échantillons fécaux analysés. Et les observations focalisées et les analyses des crottes ont révélé que les rongeurs ne composent qu'une toute petite proportion du régime des chiens, avec 4,2% des observations et 2,8% des analyses fécales des chiens errant en liberté. Comme les loups d'Ethiopie se nourrissent toute l'année presque exclusivement de rongeurs, nous avons estimé qu'il n'y avait aucune compétition par exploitation significative entre les chiens et les loups. Seule une petite proportion de chiens circulent dans l'aire de distribution du loup d'Ethiopie, et la compétition par interférence a semblé ne pas constituer une menace sérieuse pour le loup d'Ethiopie. [source]

Population status, structure and activity patterns of the Bohor reedbuck Redunca redunca in the north of the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

AFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2010
Bezawork Afework
Abstract The Bohor reedbucks Redunca redunca (Pallas, 1767) were studied in the Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP), Ethiopia to assess their population ecology and activity patterns. The total count method was used to assess population size. Activity patterns of a herd were studied with five minutes recording intervals. There were 406 Bohor reedbucks in the study area of which 96.8% (n = 393) was confined to the Gaysay-Adelay area. The population was female-biased. Excluding juveniles, 57.1% (n = 232) was females and 33.5% (n = 136) was males. More adults (71.7%, n = 291) were observed than sub-adults (18.9%, n = 77) and juveniles (9.4%, n = 38). The herd size of Bohor reedbucks varied from 3 to 5. Herds were seen in aggregations of up to 59 individuals during the dry season in swamp grassland habitat. The maximum number observed in such aggregations during the wet season was 38. The diurnal activity pattern showed feeding peaks early in the morning and late in the afternoon, with resting during the mid-day. Two feeding peaks were observed in the nocturnal activity phase: one during dusk and the other around midnight. In contradiction to the general concept of occurrence of smaller herds during the dry season, the Bohor reedbucks aggregate in swamps during the dry season. They were also active during night and day time. Résumé On a étudié les reduncas Redunca redunca (Pallas, 1767) dans le Parc National des Bale Mountains (BMNP), en Ethiopie, pour connaître l'écologie et le schéma des activités de leur population. On a utilisé la méthode des comptages totaux pour évaluer la taille de la population. On a étudié le schéma des activités d'une harde en rapportant les observations à intervalles de cinq minutes. Il y avait 406 reduncas dans l'aire étudiée; 96,8% (n = 393) d'entre eux étaient confinés dans la région Gaysay-Adalay. La population était biaisée en faveur des femelles. Si l'on exclut les juvéniles, 57,1% (n = 232) étaient des femelles et de 33,5% (n = 136) étaient des mâles. On a observé plus d'adultes (71,7%, n = 291) que de subadultes (18,9%, n = 77) et de juvéniles (9,4%, n = 38). La taille d'une harde de reduncas variait de 3 à 5 individus. On a observé des agrégats de hardes allant jusqu'à 59 individus en saison sèche, dans la prairie marécageuse. Le plus grand agrégat de ce genre observé en saison des pluies comptait 38 individus. Le schéma d'activité diurne présentait des pics de nourrissage tôt le matin et en fin d'après-midi, et du repos pendant la mi-journée. On a observé deux pics de nourrissage pendant la phase d'activité nocturne : une au crépuscule et l'autre autour de minuit. Contrairement à l'idée générale selon laquelle les plus petites hardes s'observent pendant la saison sèche, les reduncas se rassemblent dans les marais pendant cette saison. Ils sont aussi actifs le jour et la nuit. [source]

Human,gelada baboon conflict in and around the Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

AFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
Mesele Yihune
Abstract The degree of conflict between gelada baboons and local communities in and around the Simien Mountains National Park was investigated and possible solutions for the existing problems are suggested. The study was carried out from September, 2005 to March, 2006 by means of questionnaire survey, direct observations on crop damage by gelada baboon and using faecal dropping analysis. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and responses were compared using chi-squared test and one-way ANOVA. Logistic regression model was used to determine factors that caused crop damage. The average annual crop loss by gelada baboon per household was 117 ± 10 kg. There was a positive correlation (r = 0.43, P < 0.001) between the type of crop grown and the type of crop damaged. Among the respondents, 47.3% reported serious loss of barley by gelada baboons. Analysis from the faecal droppings showed that 18% of the samples constituted barley although the extent of damage varied from village to village. Among the respondents, 60.3% cultivated only barley because of the cold weather and the type of soil in the study area. Distance from the Park and the frequency of crop damage were negatively correlated (,0.57, P < 0.001). Although farmers utilized various methods to protect their farms against gelada baboons, the most prominent method was direct watching (48.3%). To minimize the existing problems, local residents and the Park authorities should work together to identify alternative crops and land-use patterns that might not attract gelada baboons. Résumé Nous avons étudié l'importance des conflits entre les babouins geladas et les communautés locales dans et autour du Parc National des Simien Mountains, et nous suggérons d'éventuelles solutions pour les régler. L'étude a eu lieu de septembre 2005 à mars 2006, sous la forme d'une enquête par questionnaire, d'observations directes des dommages causés aux cultures par les geladas et d'analyses des excréments. Les données furent analysées au moyen de statistiques descriptives, et les réponses furent comparées par un test en ,² et une ANOVA à une voie. Un modèle de régression logistique fut utilisé pour déterminer les facteurs qui causent les dommages aux récoltes. La perte annuelle moyenne attribuée aux babouins était de 117 ± par ménage. Il y avait une corrélation positive (r = 0.43, P < 0.001) entre le type de culture pratiqué et celui qui était endommagé. 47.3% des participants à l'enquête ont rapporté de graves pertes d'orge à cause des babouins geladas. L'analyse des excréments a révélé que 18% des échantillons étaient composés d'orge mais la gravité des dommages variait d'un village à l'autre. 60.3% des participants ne cultivaient que de l'orge en raison du climat froid et du type de sol dans la zone étudiée. La distance par rapport au parc et la fréquence des dommages étaient négativement liées (,0.57, P < 0.001). Bien que les fermiers utilisent plusieurs méthodes pour protéger leurs fermes contre les geladas, la plus importante était de les surveiller directement (48.3%). Afin de minimiser les problèmes actuels, les résidants et les autorités du parc devraient travailler ensemble pour identifier des cultures alternatives et des schémas d'utilisation des sols qui puissent ne plus attirer les babouins. [source]

A new cost-distance model for human accessibility and an evaluation of accessibility bias in permanent vegetation plots in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA

JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 6 2009
R. Todd Jobe
Abstract Question: Can a new cost-distance model help us to evaluate the potential for accessibility bias in ecological observations? How much accessibility bias is present in the vegetation monitoring plots accumulated over the last three decades in Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Location: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee, USA. Methods: Distance, slope, stream crossings, and vegetation density were incorporated into a least-cost model of energetic expenditure for human access to locations. Results: Estimated round-trip energy costs for the park ranged from 0 to 1.62 × 105 J kg,1. The estimated round-trip energetic expenditure for the surveys ranged from 53 to 1.51 × 105 J kg,1. Their distribution was more accessible than the random expectation. Ten (17%) of the vegetation types in the park are significantly under-sampled relative to their area, and 16 (29%) are over-sampled. Plots in 18 of the 40 vegetation types exhibited a significant positive correlation with accessibility. Conclusions: The least-cost model is an improvement over previous attempts to quantify accessibility. The bias in plot locations suggests using a least-cost model to test for bias in cases in which human accessibility is confounded with other sources of ecosystem variation. [source]

Relatedness in wild chimpanzees: Influence of paternity, male philopatry, and demographic factors

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 3 2008
Eiji Inoue
Abstract In chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), high-ranking males are expected to have high reproductive success and females typically emigrate upon reaching maturity. Although high average relatedness among males in the same social groups has been assumed, previous reports have indicated that relatedness among males is not necessarily significantly higher than that among females. The paternity of 11 offspring and the relatedness of 50 individuals in the M group of chimpanzees at Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania, were investigated using DNA analyses. We determined the fathers of 10 offspring. Two different alpha males sired a total of five offspring, whereas the other males had low reproductive success. The proportion of paternal half-sibling pairs among the 10 offspring was 15.6%. The average relatedness among mature males was significantly higher than that among mature females. The existence of an old male and the long tenure of one alpha male may have contributed to this significant difference. The average dyadic relatedness among mature natal individuals was significantly higher than that in natal-immigrant pairs in which the individuals came from different groups. The average relatedness among immigrant females was similar to that in pairs of natal and immigrant females, suggesting that the immigrants came from various groups. Thus, female transfer acts to maintain low average relatedness within the group. A comparison of our results to those from other study sites suggests that although the average relatedness among adult males does not reach the level of half-siblings, under some circumstances it can exceed the relatedness of females. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Phylogeography of the Angolan black and white colobus monkey, Colobus angolesnsis palliatus, in Kenya and Tanzania

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 8 2010
Monica M. McDonald
Abstract Little is known about genetic variation in the 6,8 subspecies of Colobus angolensis, currently distinguished by pelage differences. We present a comparative genetic analysis of one of these subspecies, C. a. palliatus, in Kenya and Tanzania that assesses evolutionary relationships and patterns of mitochondrial genetic diversity in 103 individuals across its geographic range. Fecal samples from approximately 156 individuals were collected in four localities: (1) Diani Forest, Kenya; (2) Shimoni, Kenya; (3) Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Eastern Arc Mountains, Tanzania; and (4) Mount Rungwe, Southern Highlands, Tanzania. These samples represent at least six groups, with 5,15 samples from each. Comparative sequence analysis of a 1,795 base pair mtDNA fragment revealed 19 unique haplotypes in four populations. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that sampled Kenyan haplotypes are paraphyletic, with one Kenyan haplotype basal to all other sampled haplotypes. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) suggests high levels of genetic variation among populations (,ST 0.72, P<0.001). Genetic data are concordant with a subspecies level differentiation between C. a. palliatus populations in Kenya and those in Central and southern Tanzania, as earlier suggested based on pelage differences. This study highlights the evolutionary distinctiveness of Kenyan populations of C. a. palliatus relative to Tanzanian populations. Although C. a. palliatus habitat in Tanzania is currently better protected than in Kenya, our results suggest Kenyan and Tanzanian populations should be considered distinct units, and the protection of C. a. palliatus habitat in Kenya, as well as habitat connectivity between Kenyan populations, should be prioritized for conservation and management. Am. J. Primatol. 72:715,724, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Fecal bacterial diversity of human-habituated wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) at Mahale Mountains National Park, Western Tanzania

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 7 2010
Brian A. Szekely
Abstract Although the intestinal flora of chimpanzees has not been studied, insight into this dynamic environment can be obtained through studies on their feces. We analyzed fecal samples from human-habituated, wild chimpanzees at Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania, and compared microbial community profiles to determine if members of the same social group were similar. Between July and December 2007, we collected fresh fecal samples from 12 individuals: four juveniles, four adolescents, and four adults, including three parent,offspring pairs. Each sample was analyzed using Terminal-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism of amplified 16S rRNA genes. Twelve different profiles were generated, having between 1 and 15 Terminal-Restriction Fragments (T-RFs). Overall, a total of 23 different T-RFs were produced. Putative assignments of T-RFs corresponded to the phyla Firmicutes (Clostridia, Bacilli, and Lactobacilli), Bacteroidetes, Tenericutes (Mollicutes Class), Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria, as well as to uncultured or unidentified organisms. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes phyla and Mollicutes Class were the most commonly assigned in 11, 8, and 8 of the samples, respectively, with this being the first report of Mollicutes in wild chimpanzees. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) revealed clustering of nine samples, and 80.5% of the diversity was accounted for by three samples. Morisita indices of community similarity ranged between 0.00 and 0.89, with dissimiliarity (<0.5) between most samples when compared two at a time. Our findings suggest that, although phylotypes are common among individuals, profiles among members of the same social group are host-specific. We conclude that factors other than social group, such as kinship and age, may influence fecal bacterial profiles of wild chimpanzees, and recommend that additional studies be conducted. Am. J. Primatol. 72:566,574, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]