Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Survey Sites (survey + site)
Selected AbstractsAngler awareness of aquatic nuisance species and potential transport mechanismsFISHERIES MANAGEMENT & ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2009K. K. GATES Abstract, The role anglers play in transporting aquatic nuisance species (ANS) is important in managing infestations and preventing introductions. The objectives of this study were to: (1) quantify angler movement patterns in southwestern Montana, ANS awareness and equipment cleaning practices; and (2) quantify the amount of soil transported on boots and waders. Mean distance travelled by residents from their home to the survey site was 115 km (±17, 95% CI). Mean distance travelled by non-residents was 1738 km (±74). Fifty-one percent of residents and 49% of non-residents reported occasionally, rarely or never cleaning their boots and waders between uses. Mean weight of soil carried on one boot leg was 8.39 g (±1.50). Movement and equipment cleaning practices of anglers in southwestern Montana suggest that future control of ANS dispersal may require restricting the use of felt-soled wading boots, requiring river-specific wading equipment or providing cleaning stations and requiring their use. [source] Survey-gap analysis in expeditionary research: where do we go from here?BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 4 2005V. A. FUNK Research expeditions into remote areas to collect biological specimens provide vital information for understanding biodiversity. However, major expeditions to little-known areas are expensive and time consuming, time is short, and well-trained people are difficult to find. In addition, processing the collections and obtaining accurate identifications takes time and money. In order to get the maximum return for the investment, we need to determine the location of the collecting expeditions carefully. In this study we used environmental variables and information on existing collecting localities to help determine the sites of future expeditions. Results from other studies were used to aid in the selection of the environmental variables, including variables relating to temperature, rainfall, lithology and distance between sites. A survey gap analysis tool based on ,ED complementarity' was employed to select the sites that would most likely contribute the most new taxa. The tool does not evaluate how well collected a previously visited site survey site might be; however, collecting effort was estimated based on species accumulation curves. We used the number of collections and/or number of species at each collecting site to eliminate those we deemed poorly collected. Plants, birds, and insects from Guyana were examined using the survey gap analysis tool, and sites for future collecting expeditions were determined. The south-east section of Guyana had virtually no collecting information available. It has been inaccessible for many years for political reasons and as a result, eight of the first ten sites selected were in that area. In order to evaluate the remainder of the country, and because there are no immediate plans by the Government of Guyana to open that area to exploration, that section of the country was not included in the remainder of the study. The range of the ED complementarity values dropped sharply after the first ten sites were selected. For plants, the group for which we had the most records, areas selected included several localities in the Pakaraima Mountains, the border with the south-east, and one site in the north-west. For birds, a moderately collected group, the strongest need was in the north-west followed by the east. Insects had the smallest data set and the largest range of ED complementarity values; the results gave strong emphasis to the southern parts of the country, but most of the locations appeared to be equidistant from one another, most likely because of insufficient data. Results demonstrate that the use of a survey gap analysis tool designed to solve a locational problem using continuous environmental data can help maximize our resources for gathering new information on biodiversity. © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005, 85, 549,567. [source] Ecological niche modelling as a technique for assessing threats and setting conservation priorities for Asian slow lorises (Primates: Nycticebus)DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 2 2009J. S. Thorn ABSTRACT Aim, Data on geographical ranges are essential when defining the conservation status of a species, and in evaluating levels of human disturbance. Where locality data are deficient, presence-only ecological niche modelling (ENM) can provide insights into a species' potential distribution, and can aid in conservation planning. Presence-only ENM is especially important for rare, cryptic and nocturnal species, where absence is difficult to define. Here we applied ENM to carry out an anthropogenic risk assessment and set conservation priorities for three threatened species of Asian slow loris (Primates: Nycticebus). Location, Borneo, Java and Sumatra, Southeast Asia. Methods, Distribution models were built using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) ENM. We input 20 environmental variables comprising temperature, precipitation and altitude, along with species locality data. We clipped predicted distributions to forest cover and altitudinal data to generate remnant distributions. These were then applied to protected area (PA) and human land-use data, using specific criteria to define low-, medium- or high-risk areas. These data were analysed to pinpoint priority study sites, suitable reintroduction zones and protected area extensions. Results, A jackknife validation method indicated highly significant models for all three species with small sample sizes (n = 10 to 23 occurrences). The distribution models represented high habitat suitability within each species' geographical range. High-risk areas were most prevalent for the Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus) on Java, with the highest proportion of low-risk areas for the Bornean slow loris (N. menagensis) on Borneo. Eighteen PA extensions and 23 priority survey sites were identified across the study region. Main conclusions, Discriminating areas of high habitat suitability lays the foundations for planning field studies and conservation initiatives. This study highlights potential reintroduction zones that will minimize anthropogenic threats to animals that are released. These data reiterate the conclusion of previous research, showing MaxEnt is a viable technique for modelling species distributions with small sample sizes. [source] Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon residues in the sediments of a dune lake as a result of power boatingLAKES & RESERVOIRS: RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2001Thorsten D. Mosisch Abstract The potential chemical effects of motorized recreational activities (power boating, water skiing, jet skiing) on Brown Lake, an Australian perched, acid dune lake, were investigated. The objective of this study was to identify and quantify polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds (PAHs) that may have accumulated in the water and/or the organic bottom sediments of the test lake as a result of the operation of powered recreational watercraft, and to evaluate any risk to aquatic biota. To achieve this, a detailed sampling and analysis programme of the lake water and sediments was implemented. Basic water quality, ionic and nutrient data gave no indication of any deterioration in the water quality of the lake, which was attributable to human usage in general or motorized recreational activities in particular. However, analysis of samples taken from the organic bottom sediments of the lake revealed the presence of 10 PAH, including benzo(a)pyrene, chrysene, fluoranthene, phenanthrene and pyrene, which are known to be indicative of fossil fuel combustion processes. Three PAH compounds were found at all survey sites: benzo(a)pyrene (in 46% of samples), fluoranthene (in 53% of samples) and pyrene (in 44% of samples). Results of the analyses were compared with values from published guidelines for residues in freshwaters and sediments, as well as with previous studies dealing with the effects of fossil fuel combustion products on lakes. The highest PAH concentrations in sediments were recorded for benzo(a)pyrene, with three values (830, 955 and 1070 ,g kg,1 dryweight) exceeding the upper threshold recommended in the draft Canadian freshwater sediment quality guidelines. Benzo(a)pyrene also exceeded the lower Canadian sediment threshold in 51 (40%) samples. These results indicate a significant level of chemical contamination of Brown Lake as a consequence of four decades of motorized recreational activities and present a significant risk to aquatic biota, particularly benthic and littoral invertebrates associated with the contaminated sediments. [source] Vegetation correlates of gibbon density in the peat-swamp forest of the Sabangau catchment, Central Kalimantan, IndonesiaAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 7 2010Marie Hamard Abstract Understanding the complex relationship between primates and their habitats is essential for effective conservation plans. Peat-swamp forest has recently been recognized as an important habitat for the Southern Bornean gibbon (Hylobates albibarbis), but information is scarce on the factors that link gibbon density to characteristics of this unique ecosystem. Our aims in this study were firstly to estimate gibbon density in different forest subtypes in a newly protected, secondary peat-swamp forest in the Sabangau Catchment, Indonesia, and secondly to identify which vegetation characteristics correlate with gibbon density. Data collection was conducted in a 37.1,km2 area, using auditory sampling methods and vegetation "speed plotting". Gibbon densities varied between survey sites from 1.39 to 3.92,groups/km2. Canopy cover, tree height, density of large trees and food availability were significantly correlated with gibbon density, identifying the preservation of tall trees and good canopy cover as a conservation priority for the gibbon population in the Sabangau forest. This survey indicates that selective logging, which specifically targets large trees and disrupts canopy cover, is likely to have adverse effects on gibbon populations in peat-swamp forests, and calls for greater protection of these little studied ecosystems. Am. J. Primatol. 72:607,616, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Impacts of grazing, selective logging and hyper-aggressors on diurnal bird fauna in intact forest landscapes of the Brigalow Belt, QueenslandAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2009TERESA J. EYRE Abstract The impact of forest management on diurnal bird assemblages and abundance was investigated in contiguous tracts of eucalypt forest in the Brigalow Belt Bioregion, south central Queensland. Sites were located across three levels of livestock grazing intensity and three levels of selective logging intensity within the most extensive habitat type, Corymbia citriodora -dominant forest. We recorded a high rate of incidence and large numbers of the hyper-aggressive noisy miner Manorina melanocephala (Passeriformes: Meliphagidae) at the majority of our survey sites, a phenomenon rarely reported in non-cleared landscapes. As shown by numerous studies in fragmented landscapes, the distribution of this species in our study had a substantial negative effect upon the distribution of small passerine species. Noisy miners exerted the strongest influence upon small passerine abundance, and masked any forest management effects. However, key habitat features important for small passerines were identified, including a relatively high density of large trees and stems in the midstorey. Selective logging appeared to exert a minimal effect upon noisy miner abundance, whereas grazing intensity had a profound, positive influence. Noisy miners were most abundant in intensively grazed forest with minimal midstorey and a low volume of coarse woody debris. Higher road density in the forest landscape also corresponded with increased numbers of noisy miners. Reduction in grazing pressure in Brigalow Belt forests has the potential to benefit small passerine assemblages across large areas through moderating noisy miner abundance. The strong relationship between noisy miners and small passerines suggests that noisy miner abundance could act as an easily measured indicator of forest condition, potentially contributing to monitoring of forest management outcomes. [source] | |||||||||||||