Several Common (several + common)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Effects of landscape composition and substrate availability on saproxylic beetles in boreal forests: a study using experimental logs for monitoring assemblages

ECOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2006
Heloise Gibb
Intensive forestry practises in the Swedish landscape have led to the loss and fragmentation of stable old-growth habitats. We investigated relationships between landscape composition at multiple scales and the composition of saproxylic beetle assemblages in nine clear-cut, mature managed and old-growth spruce-dominated forest stands in the central boreal zone of Sweden. We set out fresh spruce and birch logs and created spruce snags in 2001,2002 to experimentally test the effects of coarse woody debris (CWD) type and forest management on the composition of early and late successional, and red-listed saproxylic beetle assemblages. We examined effects of CWD availability at 100 m, and landscape composition at 1 and 10 km on saproxylic beetle abundances. Additionally, we tested whether assemblage similarity decreased with increasing distance between sites. We collected beetles from the experimental logs using eclector and window traps in four periods during 2003. CWD was measured and landscape composition data was obtained from maps of remotely sensed data. The composition of saproxylic beetles differed among different CWD substrates and between clear-cuts and the older stand types, however differences between mature managed and old-growth forests were significant only for red-listed species. Assemblage similarities for red-listed species on clear-cuts were more different at greater distances apart, indicating that they have more localised distributions. CWD availability within 100 m of the study sites was rarely important in determining the abundance of species, suggesting that early successional saproxylic beetles can disperse further than this distance. At a larger scale, a large area of suitable stand types within both 1 and 10 km resulted in greater abundances in the study sites for several common and habitat-specific species. The availability of suitable habitat at scales of 1,10 km is thus likely to be important in the survival of many saproxylic species in forestry-fragmented areas. [source]


A multi-scale test for dispersal filters in an island plant community

ECOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2005
Kevin C. Burns
Constraints on plant distributions resulting from seed limitation (i.e. dispersal filters) were evaluated on two scales of ecological organization on islands off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. First, island plant communities were separated into groups based on fruit morphology, and patterns in species diversity were compared between fruit-type groups. Second, abundance patterns in several common fleshy-fruited, woody angiosperm species were compared to species-specific patterns in seed dispersal by birds. Results from community-level analyses showed evidence for dispersal filters. Dry-fruited species were rare on islands, despite being common on the mainland. Island plant communities were instead dominated by fleshy-fruited species. Patterns in seed dispersal were consistent with differences in diversity, as birds dispersed thousands of fleshy-fruited seeds out to islands, while dry fruited species showed no evidence of mainland-island dispersal. Results from population-level analyses showed no evidence for dispersal filters. Population sizes of common fleshy-fruited species were unrelated to island isolation, as were rates of seed dispersal. Therefore, island isolation distances were not large enough to impose constraints on species' distributions resulting from seed limitation. Rates of seed dispersal were also unrelated to island area. However, several species increased in abundance with island area, indicating post-dispersal processes also help to shape species distributions. Overall results suggest that seed dispersal processes play an important role in determining the diversity and distribution of plants on islands. At the community-level, dry-fruited species were seed limited and island communities were instead dominated by fleshy-fruited species. At the population-level, common fleshy-fruited species were not seed limited and showed few differences in distribution among islands. Therefore, although evidence for dispersal filters was observed, their effects on plant distributions were scale-dependent. [source]


Microbiological investigation of methane- and hydrocarbon-discharging mud volcanoes in the Carpathian Mountains, Romania

ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2006
Karine Alain
Summary Paclele Mici is a terrestrial mud volcano field located in the Carpathian Mountains (Romania), where thermal alteration of sedimentary organic compounds leads to methane, higher hydrocarbons and other petroleum compounds that are continuously released into the environment. The hydrocarbons represent potential substrates for microorganisms. We studied lipid biomarkers, stable isotope ratios, the effect of substrate (methane, other organic compounds) addition and 16S rRNA genes to gain insights into the hitherto unknown microbial community at this site. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that bacteria were much more abundant than archaea. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rDNA clone sequences indicated the presence of bacterial and archaeal lineages generally associated with the methane cycle (methanogens, aerobic and anaerobic methanotrophs), the sulfur cycle (sulfate reducers), and groups linked to the anaerobic degradation of alkanes or aromatic hydrocarbons. The presence of sulfate reducers, methanogens and methanotrophs in this habitat was also confirmed by concurrent surveys of lipid biomarkers and their isotopic signatures. Incubation experiments with several common and complex substrates revealed the potential of the indigenous microbial community for sulfate reduction, methanogenesis and aerobic methanotrophy. Additionally, consistently to the detection of methane-oxidizing archaea (ANME) and 13C-depleted archaeal lipids, a weak but significant activity of anaerobic methane oxidation was measured by radiotracer techniques and in vitro. This survey is the first to report the presence and activity of ANME in a terrestrial environment. [source]


The Juvenile Drug Court Judge and Lawyer: Four Common Mistakes in Treating Drug Court Adolescents

JUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2000
C.A.C., MICHAEL D. CLARK M.S.W.
ABSTRACT This article will present information gleaned from anecdotal experience of existing juvenile drug treatment courts regarding several common mistakes often made by those new to the drug court. The mistakes discussed include: 1) Believing the work and role responsibilities in a traditional juvenile court will not change significantly when entering a juvenile drug court; 2) Citing the elimination of drug and alcohol use as a final outcome goal when developing the mission statement for a juvenile drug court; 3) Believing that a juvenile drug court ensures accountability by keeping a close eye on participants and setting immediate consequences for any break in program rules; 4) Using vicarious learning to "teach a lesson",making an example of an individual participant who has broken program rules in front of the large group. The goal of this article is not only to raise caution to these pitfalls, but also to help incoming judges and lawyers become aware of the changes that working in a juvenile drug court will demand. [source]


Whole-body corticosteroid and plasma cortisol concentrations in larval and juvenile Atlantic cod Gadus morhua L. following acute stress

AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 13 2006
William King V
Abstract Methods were developed to assess whole-body immunoreactive corticosteroid concentrations (IRC) and plasma levels of cortisol in Atlantic cod subjected to several common, acute stressors. A measurable corticosteroid stress response was observed at the first sampling in whole bodies of 8-day post-hatch (dph) larvae. Two groups of juveniles (,5 and 30 g) were subjected to a 30 s net stressor and whole-body IRC and plasma cortisol levels were determined. Post-stressor IRC in smaller fish rose approximately 14-fold, peaked at 1 h, were sustained for 3,6 h and returned to pre-stressor levels within 24 h. Post-stressor plasma cortisol levels in larger fish rose approximately 18-fold, peaked at 0.5,1 h, were sustained for 1,3 h and then returned to near pre-stressor levels after 24 h. Immunoreactive corticosteroid concentrations appeared to remain elevated longer than plasma cortisol levels suggesting that steroids other than cortisol were contributing to total immunoreactivity in homogenates. Juveniles exposed to either a grading procedure or high density transport had maximal IRC and plasma cortisol levels within 90 min which returned to pre-stressor levels within 24,72 h. A reduction in water salinity (20 g L,1) did not moderate the corticosteroid response in juveniles. The results show that Atlantic cod respond to common, acute stressors in a manner similar to other teleosts. Whole-body homogenates can be used to identify changes in IRC in response to acute stress in cod with the caveat that recovery IRC may differ from plasma cortisol concentrations. [source]