Taking a break

Hi Guys,
              I am taking my annual break of one month. I plan to pursue my other two interests that are close to my heart. These are flying and Reiki. I have stopped flying due to exorbitant rates. I have not renewed my flying licence for some time now. A few days back I ran in to a guy who has promised to give me lengthy whirls in his two seater aircraft. I also plan to polish my Reiki and meditation skills. I plan to stay away from internet during this one month. Consequently there won't be any updates during this period.

Estimating body mass of pumas

Estimating body mass of pumas (Puma concolor)

Brian D. Jansen and Jonathan A. Jenks 

Wildlife Research 38(2) 147-151, Published: 20 April 2011

Even though this paper is about estimating body mass of pumas, the facts enumerated here might come in handy for other researchers also

Here Brian D. Jansen and Jonathan A. Jenks from the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, South Dakota State University have attempted to estimate body mass of Pumas from their size.

 In remote and rugged terrain transporting equipment needed to weigh a captured animal is not often a feasible proposition. Here the option is to go in for a workable formula. Formulas have been developed for some species of large ungulates and carnivores. No work has so far been done on Pumas till the researchers here attempted it.

The researchers investigated whether body measurements were related to body mass for pumas, to develop an equation that would accurately estimate body mass of pumas within desired tolerances (~10 kg). 

Multiple regressions were used to determine the relationships between body measurements and body mass for 58 pumas in the Black Hills. The researchers then applied the equation to eight pumas that they captured in areas outside the Black Hills study population.

It was found that a model using body length (cm) and head and chest circumferences (cm) explained 89% of the variation in body mass; sex and age-class information did not contribute significantly to the model. The equation was as follows: body mass (kg) = –61.07 + 0.21 × body length (cm) + 0.56 × head circumference (cm) + 0.83 × chest circumference (cm). The 95% prediction interval for the model was –6.3–6.3 kg. The researchers found the difference between predicted and actual body mass of pumas from other populations was –0.40 kg ± 1.45 (s.e.). The relationship between body measurements and body mass was similar, despite the differences in location and environments

Eco-tourism tips from IUCN

Ecotourism could prove to be a double edged sword if it is not handled judiciously. Several World Heritage sites have suffered from the negative impacts of tourism. A classic case is the Belize Barrier Reef System where uncontrolled lease and development of land for tourism within the site has led to it being included on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2009.

IUCN has come out with ten tips for eco-tourists who want to visit some of the most beautiful natural sites in the world without damaging the environment. The tips accompany a recent report by IUCN, Sustainable tourism in natural World Heritage.

Here are the tips

1.  Visit destinations which have conservation value, such as protected areas, World Heritage sites or areas where nature and culture is a key attraction. Include in your trip visits and activities related to conservation projects. Visitwww.protectedplanet.net

Or take this a step further and plan a “doing” holiday! Many organizations plan expeditions where you can spend time working on a local conservation project.

2.  Travel light: limit the packaging you bring with you. This will become waste in your holiday destination.

3.  Before you travel, learn as much as possible about your destination, about the natural assets, the local people and their culture and any environmental concerns (for example if there is a drought, if forest fires are a major threat ..). This should help to make your journey more enjoyable!

4.  Use reputable local tour operators, preferably those who contribute to conservation themselves. Aim to follow any local codes, for example regarding behaviour or dress if visiting cultural or sacred natural sites.

5.  Pick nature-friendly accommodation: ask hotels if they are truly eco, for example do they have an environmental policy? Have they implemented energy and water saving measures? Do they contribute to local conservation efforts and support local communities?

6. If you can, try to get to your destination by train or coach – you’ll see more of the country you’re travelling in as well as reducing your carbon emissions. Consider also offsetting your travel using a Gold Standard supplier (http://www.cdmgoldstandard.org/GS-Portfolio-Pledgers.287.0.html)

7.  When you’re on holiday, choose wisely what you put on your plate. Choose locally sourced produce that’s in season and be aware that certain Endangered species may be on the menu without your knowledge - ask local conservation organizations for a list of what to look out for.

8.  Many wild plants and animals are in great danger … you can contribute to protecting them by avoiding buying souvenirs made from Endangered species (jewellery made from red coral and turtle carapace,shatoosh and many others). Be careful if you’re bringing plants or seeds back from your travels – check that they couldn’t become invasive species.

9.  Wildlife watching can be an incredible experience… but don't disturb wildlife, for your own safety and theirs!

10.  Maintain a relationship with your new friends in the destination, become a member of local conservation organizations.
 

Reliable tiger counts

Dr Ullas Karanth has published an excellent article titled India's Tiger Counts: The Long March to Reliable Science in "Economic and Political Weekly" dated 30 April 2011.


This article makes a review of tiger counts and makes excellent suggestions for future protocols. The author also makes a fervent plea for public private partnership in tiger counts to make them more reliable.


I believe this article has to be read by all people involved in tiger conservation. So guys here is the link for it.Click HERE

Elephants - Age and enhanced ability to make crucial decisions

Leadership in elephants: the adaptive value of age

Karen McComb, Graeme Shannon,Sarah M. Durant,Katito Sayialel,Rob Slotow,Joyce Poole and Cynthia Moss

Published online before print March 16, 2011, doi:10.1098/rspb.2011.0168 Proc. R. Soc. B

This paper makes very interesting reading.

The value of age is well recognized in human societies. Older individuals with vast and varied experience often emerge as leaders in tasks that call for specialized knowledge. Despite this awareness about what happens in human beings no detailed study has so far been done to find the nexus between age and the ability to make crucial decisions in other cognitively advanced social species.

Here the researchers used a novel playback paradigm to demonstrate that in African elephants (Loxodonta africana), age affects the ability of matriarchs to make ecologically relevant decisions in a domain critical to survival—the assessment of predatory threat. 

The researchers found that while groups consistently adjust their defensive behaviour to the greater threat of three roaring lions versus one, families with younger matriarchs typically under-reacted to roars from male lions despite the severe danger they represent. Sensitivity to this key develops exponentially with matriarch age. It is best developed in the oldest matriarchs, who are likely to have accumulated the most experience.

The researchers say their study provides the first empirical evidence that individuals within a social group may derive significant benefits from the influence of an older leader because of their enhanced ability to make crucial decisions about predatory threat, generating important insights into selection for longevity in cognitively advanced social mammals.

Rapid assessment of historical small-mammal community baselines using skeletal remains

The dead do not lie: using skeletal remains for rapid assessment of historical small-mammal community baselines

Rebecca C. Terry

Published online before print December 23, 2009, doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.1984 Proc. R. Soc. B 22 April 2010 vol. 277 no. 16851193-1201

 Baseline information on the status of ecological communities from before the onset of recent and rapid anthropogenic environmental change is a must for meaningful conservation and restoration efforts. Historical biological survey data that pre-date the onset of intense human activity are scarce

In this paper the authors document that natural accumulations of skeletal remains represent a potential source of high-quality data on the historical composition and structure of small-mammal communities.

To test the power of skeletal remains to reveal baseline shifts ,the researcher employed the design of a natural experiment, comparing two taphonomically similar Great Basin cave localities in areas where anthropogenic land-use practices have diverged within the last century.

The author found relative stasis at the undisturbed site, but document rapid restructuring of the small-mammal community at the site subjected to recent disturbance. The result was validated using historical trapping records to show that dead remains accurately capture both the magnitude and direction of this baseline shift.

The researchers assert, based on her research, that surveys of skeletal remains provide a simple, powerful and rapid alternative approach for gaining insight into the historical structure and dynamics of modern small-mammal communities.

This paper is marked as an open access paper

Risk perception associated with roads

Road proximity and traffic flow perceived as potential predation risks: evidence from the Tibetan antelope in the Kekexili National Nature Reserve, China

Xinming Lian , Tongzuo Zhang , Yifan Cao , Jianping Su  and Simon Thirgood

Wildlife Research 38(2) 141-146, Published: 20 April 2011

Here is an interesting Paper on animal behavior connected with roads.

The risk-disturbance hypothesis says that animals exhibit risk-avoidance behaviours when exposed to human disturbance.  The animals perceive the disturbance as a predatory threat.

In this study the researchers examined whether Tibetan antelopes (Pantholops hodgsoni) exhibit risk-avoidance behaviour with proximity to a major highway and with increasing traffic.

The researchers used focal-animal sampling to observe the behaviour of Tibetan antelopes. The behaviours were categorised as foraging, vigilance, resting, moving, or other associated activity. The time, frequency, and duration of foraging and vigilance were calculated.

It was noted that as distance from the road increased, time spent foraging and foraging duration increased. Foraging frequency, time spent being vigilant and vigilance frequency decreased. The results indicate that that there is a risk perception associated with roads. Tibetan antelopes presented more risk-avoidance behaviours during high-traffic periods compared with low-traffic periods.

The researchers sign off saying  “The consequences of risk-avoidance behaviour should be reflected in wildlife management by considering human disturbance and road design”.

Biodiversity conservation and human welfare – Attempts for tradeoffs

Hard choices: Making trade-offs between biodiversity conservation and human well-being

Thomas O. McShane, Paul D. Hirsch, Tran Chi Trung, Alexander N. Songorwa, Ann Kinzig, Bruno Monteferri, David Mutekanga, Hoang Van Thang, Juan Luis Dammert, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Meredith Welch-Devine, J. Peter Brosius, Peter Coppolillo, Sheila O’Connor

Pages 966-972,  Biological Conservation Volume 144, Issue 3, March 2011

A Win–win solution where biodiversity conservation goes hand in hand with human welfare looks good in theory, but is difficult to practice. The researchers say trade-offs and hard choices are sine qua non in the present scenario.

Even a proper analysis is difficult. The researchers say “social problems – of which conservation is one – can be perceived and understood in a variety of disparate ways, influenced (in part at least) by how people are raised and educated, their life experiences, and the options they have faced.”

Pre-existing assumptions about the “right” approach to conservation often creates a smokescreen It can befuddle important differences in both power and understanding, and can limit the success of policy and programmatic interventions. The new conservation debate challenges conservationists to be explicit about losses, costs, and hard choices so they can be openly discussed and honestly negotiated. Not to do so can lead to unrealized expectations, and ultimately to unresolved conflict.

This paper explores the background and limitations of win–win approaches to conservation and human well-being, discusses the prospect of approaching conservation challenges in terms of trade-offs and hard choices, and presents a set of guiding principles that can serve to orient strategic analysis and communication regarding trade-offs.

An insight in to wallowing in pigs

Review of wallowing in pigs: Description of the behaviour and its motivational basis

 M.B.M. Bracke

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

Volume 132, Issues 1-2, June 2011, Pages 1-13 

 In this paper researcher Dr Marc Bracke from Wageningen University and Research Centre has reviewed the wallowing in pigs and related species. The behaviour is described and it’s motivational basis is examined.

48 papers were identified containing citations about wallowing behaviour in pigs and wild boar. 12 papers contained citations about wallowing in related species

The researchers conclude that wallowing is vital for the animals' well-being.

Dr Bracke says Pigs are genetically related to particularly water-loving animals such as hippos and whales and it seems that this preference to be in shallow water could have been a turning point in the evolution of whales from land-dwelling mammals.

The common perception is that pigs wallow mainly for cooling, sunburn protection and the removal of ecto-parasites. Dr Brake says little scientific evidence exists for other functions other than thermoregulation.

Dre Brake sign off saying “Pigs lack functional sweat glands and wallowing in mud is an effective behavioural control mechanism in pigs to prevent hyperthermia. Wallowing, however, may also serve other functions, e.g. in scent-marking and sexual behaviour. In addition, wallowing in pigs, like dustbathing in poultry, may be indicative of positive welfare and, perhaps, the performance of the behaviour is ‘hardwired’ and rewarding in itself. If so, wallowing could be an important element of a good life in pigs.”

Ecosystem collapse- The importance of regular monitoring

I was fascinated to read in today’s Science daily about ecosystem collapse and how regular monitoring can be used to predict the collapses.

An experiment in Peter Lake, in Wisconsin, US headed by Dr Stephen Carpenter has come up with the finding that ecosystem collapses could be predicted with the right type of monitoring. 


Researchers changed the structure of the food web in Peter Lake, by introducing a predatory fish.

In the food web of the lake insects such as fleas ate tiny water-borne plants, small fish such as golden shiners ate the fleas, and much bigger largemouth bass ate the little fish.

In a matter of three years, the introduced fish was running all over the place. This produced a decline in tiny water plants and an explosion of water fleas.

Sensing the threat from the new predators, the golden shiners of the lake began to spend more time in the shallows. They also went in for shelter under floating logs. Larger fleas moved in and started eating the phytoplankton. Wildly varying numbers of fleas and phytoplankton were seen at different times.

After a series of flip flops by late 2010, the ecosystem appeared to have stabilised its transition from one stable state to another.

The researchers say the change was preceded by signals that could be used to predict similar collapses elsewhere. This is the first time that this phenomenon has been demonstrated experimentally.

The researchers add that that isolating these signals from the ecosystem is not only useful for predicting environmental catastrophes, but they can also be used to determine which habitats are most likely to respond to conservation

Traffic noise and its effect on the foraging efficiency in acoustic predators

Hunting at the highway: traffic noise reduces foraging efficiency in acoustic predators

Björn M. Siemers  and Andrea Schaub

Published online before print November 17, 2010, doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.2262Proc. R. Soc. B 7 June 2011 vol. 278 no. 17121646-1652

The effects of noise on animal communication are well documented, but our knowledge is very limited when it comes to the impact of noise on more complex ecosystem processes, such as predator–prey interactions.

In this paper the researchers show that traffic noise decreases the foraging efficiency of an acoustic predator, the greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis). These bats feed on large, ground-running arthropods that they find by listening to their faint rustling sounds. The researchers measured the bats' foraging performance on a continuous scale of acoustically simulated highway distances.

Successful foraging bouts decreased and search time drastically increased with proximity to the highway. At 7.5 m to the road, search time was increased by a factor of five. The researchers conclude that as most of the bats' preys are predators themselves, the noise impact on the bats' foraging performance will have cascading effects on the food web which in turn will impact the ecosystem stability. These findings apply to other ecologically important acoustic predators like owls. The study provides the empirical basis for quantitative predictions of anthropogenic noise impacts on ecosystem processes.

The researchers sign off saying that that an understanding of the effects of noise emissions and other forms of ‘sensory pollution’ are crucially important for the assessment of environmental impact of human activities.

Protected area impacts on a global scale

Global protected area impacts

Lucas N. Joppa and Alexander Pfaff

Published online before print November 17, 2010, doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.1713

Proc. R. Soc. B 7 June 2011 vol. 278 no. 17121633-1638

In this paper the researchers estimate the impact of PAs on natural land cover in 147 countries by comparing outcomes inside PAs with outcomes outside. This is an open access paper.

 

Protected areas play a very important role in conservation scenario. The authors presume that in future they will play a role in future climate policies too, as global payments may reward local reductions of loss of natural land cover.

The researchers use ‘matching’ (or ‘apples to apples’) principle for land characteristics. This is due to the fact that PAs very often are non-randomly distributed across their national landscapes. They say Protection tends towards land that, if unprotected, is less likely than average to be cleared. The research came up with the fact that for 75 per cent of countries protection does reduce conversion of natural land cover. For approximately 80 per cent of countries, the global results also confirm (following smaller-scale studies) that controlling for land characteristics reduces estimated impact by half or more. This researchers’ say shows the importance of controlling for at least a few key land characteristics. They also show that impacts vary considerably within a country (i.e. across a landscape): protection achieves less on lands far from roads, far from cities and on steeper slopes.

The researchers sign off saying that while planners are, of course, constrained by other conservation priorities and costs they could target higher impacts to earn more global payments for reduced deforestation.

Behavioral ecology is fast becoming a threatened discipline says scientists

Endangered species and a threatened discipline: behavioural ecology

Tim Caro and Paul W. Sherman

Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Volume 26, Issue 3, 111-118, 24 January 2011

In this paper the researchers Tim Caro and Paul W. Sherman give vent to their apprehensions that behavioral ecology is fast becoming a threatened discipline in human-dominated landscapes. They say behavioural ecologists often see little connection between the current conservation crisis and the future of their discipline.  They go on to add that this view is myopic because our abilities to investigate and interpret the adaptive significance and evolutionary histories of behaviours are increasingly being compromised in human-dominated landscapes because of species extinctions, habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, and climate change.

The researchers apprehend that many central issues in behavioural ecology will soon become prohibitively difficult to investigate and interpret, thus impeding the rapid progress that characterizes the field. They advocate that to address these challenges, behavioural ecologists should design studies not only to answer basic scientific questions but also to provide ancillary information for protection and management of their study organisms and habitats, and then share their biological insights with the applied conservation community.

On the whole this paper is very thought provoking.

First empirical evidence to show that rewilding can work

Resurrecting Extinct Interactions with Extant Substitutes

Christine J. Griffiths, Dennis M. Hansen,Carl G. Jones,Nicolas Zuël,Stephen Harris

Current Biology, 21 April 2011

In this paper the researchers say intentional introduction of exotic species is a sure shot way  to fulfill key functions in ecosystems following the loss of recently extinct species. This is the first clear cut evidence to substantiate the hypothesis that exotic species can deliver ecosystem functions of extinct species.

The scene of action is Ile aux Aigrettes, a 25-hectare island off the coast of Mauritius. Ebony ( Diospyros egrettarum )in the island is now critically endangered following intensive logging for firewood. Even though logging was stopped thirty years ago regeneration was far from satisfactory and was taking a nosedive. With the extinction of the island's native giant tortoises, there were no large fruit-eating animals left to disperse the seeds of these critically-endangered trees.

Giant Aldabra tortoises,(Aldabrachelys gigantea) were introduced to reverse the process. The introduced Aldabra tortoises ingested the large fruits and dispersed the ebony seeds. The process of passing through a tortoise's gut gave a further fillip to seed germination. Establishment of new ebony seedlings in the heavily logged parts of the island came in rapidly.

The authors signs off saying “There is increasing evidence that restoration ecologists should be most concerned with the decline of species interactions, rather than species extinctions per se.”

Population variables – A rapid assessment system

A Rapid Method to Estimate Population Variables for African Elephants

Sam M. Ferreira and Rudi J. van Aarde

Journal of Wildlife Management April 2008: Vol. 72, Issue 3, pg(s) 822-829

 Estimation of reproductive and survival parameters for free-ranging animals is of paramount importance. I came across this paper while looking for a rapid assessment method for population variables. The method has the advantage that it is non invasive. The technique was developed by the researchers for free-ranging African savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana africana) based on data at Addo Elephant National Park and Amboseli National Park.

The researchers used published data from 2 populations with known growth rates and birth and survival histories to validate their technique. The technique yielded estimates of age at first and last calving, calving interval, and age-specific survival rates that were similar to those determined during long-term studies at both Addo Elephant National Park and Amboseli National Park. The technique generated population data required to estimate population growth rates.

The researchers conclude that their method may be particularly useful where censuses yield imprecise estimates or where long-term population data are unavailable.

Biological arms race between the cuckoo finch and its host

I was really fascinated to read about the biological arms races between cuckoos and host birds in Africa. The researchers from University of Cambridge say these sometimes take the form of host evolving new, unique egg patterns (or 'signatures') and the parasite evolving new forgeries.
Here is one strategy. Host females lay a different type of egg, with variations in egg colour and pattern. This makes it harder for the cuckoo finch to come out with accurate forgeries. The researchers say these variations seem to act like the complicated markings on a banknote: complex colours and patterns act to make host eggs more difficult to forge by the parasite, just as watermarks act to make banknotes more difficult to forge by counterfeiters.
The researchers say some host species, such as the tawny-flanked prinia, have evolved defences by shifting their own egg appearance away from that of their parasite. The evidence of this can be seen in the evolution of an amazing diversity of prinia egg colours and patterns.
Red-faced cisticolas lay only moderately variable eggs but are very adept in discerning whether an egg is their own or not. They can easily spot even a sophisticated mimic.
The paper makes interesting reading. It gives us a fascinating insider view of evolution and adaptation
The findings are reported in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society of B.


 ‘How to evade a coevolving brood parasite: egg discrimination versus egg variability as host defences’
Claire N. Spottiswoode and Martin Stevens