Life Sciences Commons^™

A New Species Of Emballonura (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae) From The Dry Regions Of Madagascar, Steven M. Goodman, Scott G. Cardiff, Julie Ranivo, Amy L. Russell, Anne D. Yoder

Amy L. Russell

Adding Ecological Considerations To Environmental Accounting, David A. Bainbridge

David A Bainbridge

Environmental accounting has often neglected ecological costs. These are essential to complete a true cost accounting. Ecological costs are often very large and long term and if they are ignored the costs/benefits of projects are incorrectly calculated.

Characterization Of Wastewater Streams From Bor Site, Zeljko J. Kamberovic

Zeljko J Kamberovic

This paper presents full characterization of wastewater streams within Bor copper mine. Seven different wastewater streams were identified and fully characterized (origin, flow rate, chemical and physical properties) on basis of five year analysis. Taking into consideration chemical composition and flow rate of each wastewater calculations of metal loss through wastewaters was calculated. This characterization is the first step in investigations for best remediation technology of wastewaters all together or individual.

Genetic Divergence In The Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes Auropunctatus), A Widely Distributed Invasive Species, C-G. Thulin, D. Simberloff, A. Barun, Gary Mccracken, M. Pascals, A. Islam

Gary F. McCracken

The combination of founder events, random drift and new selective forces experienced by introduced species typically lowers genetic variation and induces differentiation from the ancestral population. Here, we investigate microsatellite differentiation between introduced and native populations of the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus). Many expectations based on introduction history, such as loss of alleles and relationships among populations, are confirmed. Nevertheless, when applying population assignment methods to our data, we observe a few specimens that are incorrectly assigned and/or appear to have a mixed ancestry, despite estimates of substantial population differentiation. Thus, we suggest that population assignments of individuals ...

How Earth Remote Sensing From The International Space Station Complements Current Satellite‐Based Sensors, Jennifer Gebelein, Dean Eppler

Jennifer Gebelein

The International Space Station (ISS) will provide an Earth‐and space‐observing platform that will support sensors built by 16 different countries and deliver data and images for local, regional and global research. When complete, it will be an exceptional platform for conducting remote sensing of the Earth, astrophysics, and space physics research programmes. Additionally, the ISS will operate as a testbed for engineering studies and complex technological developments that will benefit future Earth‐observing capabilities. ...

Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy Outbreaks At A Southeastern Reservoir, J Fischer, L Lewis-Weis, C Tate, J Gaydos, Richard Gerhold Jr., R Poppenga

Richard W. Gerhold Jr., DVM, MS, PhD

Avian vacuolar myelinopathy (AVM) is a neurologic disease of unknown etiology that affects bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), American coots (Fulica americana), and several species of waterfowl. An unidentified neurotoxin is suspected as the cause of AVM, which has been documented at several reservoirs in the southeastern United States. We conducted diagnostic and epidemiologic studies annually during October-March from 1998-2004 at Clarks Hill/Strom Thurmond Lake on the Georgia/South Carolina border to better understand the disease. Avian vacuolar myelinopathy was confirmed or suspected as the cause of morbidity and mortality of 28 bald eagles, 16 Canada geese (Branta canadensis), six ...

Economic Value Of The Pest Control Service Provided By Brazilian Free-Tailed Bats In South-Central Texas, Gary Mccracken, C. Cleveland, M. Betke, P. Federico, J. Frank, T. Hallam, H. Horn, J. Lopez, R. Medellin, A. Moreno-Valdez, C. Sansone, J. Westbrook, T. Kunz

Gary F. McCracken

Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) form enormous summer breeding colonies, mostly in caves and under bridges, in south-central Texas and northern Mexico. Their prey includes several species of adult insects whose larvae are known to be important agricultural pests, including the corn earworm or cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa zea). We estimate the bats' value as pest control for cotton production in an eight-county region in south-central Texas. Our calculations show an annual value of $741 000 per year, with a range of $121 000–$1 725 000, compared to a $4.6–$6.4 million per year annual cotton harvest.

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Phylogeography Of The Flag Cabrilla Epinephelus Labriformis (Serranidae): Implications For The Biogeography Of The Tropical Eastern Pacific And The Early Stages Of Speciation In A Marine Shore Fish, Mathew T. Craig, Phillip A. Hastings, Daniel J. Pondella Ii, D. Ross Robertson, Jorge A. Rosales-Casián

Daniel Pondella

To examine the role of previously described biogeographical boundaries in shaping phylogeographical relationships within and among two putative eastern Pacific sibling species, the flag cabrilla, Epinephelus labriformis and the Clipperton grouper, Epinephelus clippertonensis (Serranidae).

Bert Bender, Evolution And The Sex Problem (Review), David Depew

David J Depew

No abstract provided.

Littoral Benthic Marcroinvertebrates Under Contrasting Drawdown In A Reservoir And A Natural Lake, Paula Furey, Rick N. Nordin, Asit Mazumder

Paula Furey

No abstract provided.

Linking Bats To Emerging Diseases, M. Fenton, M. Davison, T. Kunz, Gary Mccracken

Gary F. McCracken

DOI: 10.1126/science.311.5764.1098c

Acorn Use As Food, David A. Bainbridge

David A Bainbridge

The acorns from oaks (Quercus) and tan oaks (Lithocarpus) have been used as food for many thousands of years. They occur in the archaeological record of the early town sites in the Zagros Mountains, at Catal Hüyük (6000 BC), and oak trees were carefully inventoried by the Assyrians during the reign of Sargon II. In Europe, Asia, North Africa, the Mid-East, and North America, acorns were once a staple food. They are still a commercial food crop in several countries. Acorns are still harvested and used in several areas of the United States, most notably Southern Arizona and California. There ...

Nest Success Of Mountain Plover Relative To Anthropogenic Edges In Eastern Colorad, Christian Mettenbrink, Victoria Dreitz, Fritz Knopf

Victoria Dreitz

No abstract provided.

Issues In Species Recovery: An Example Based On The Wyoming Toad, Victoria Dreitz

Victoria Dreitz

No abstract provided.

Comparative Efficiency Of Six Stable Fly Traps., David B. Taylor, Dennis R. Berkebile

David B Taylor

Five adhesive traps and the Nzi cloth-target trap were compared to determine their trapping efficiency and biases for stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae). Two confgurations of the BiteFree prototype trap, constructed of polyethylene terephthalate, were most efficient for trapping stable flies, whereas the EZ trap was least efficient. The two Alsynite traps, Broce and Olson, were intermediate to the BiteFree prototype and EZ traps. All adhesive traps collected a ratio of approximately two males for each female. Approximately 50% of the flies collected on the adhesive traps, both male and female, were blood fed, and 20% were vitellogenic ...

Use Of Fatty Acid Profiles To Distinguish Between Selected Game Fish And Farm-Raised Channel Catfish, Randy S. Stahl, Brian S. Dorr, Scott C. Barras, John J. Johnston

Brian S Dorr

No abstract provided.

On The Robustness Of Robustness Checks Of The Environmental Kuznets Curve, Marzio Galeotti, Matteo Manera, Alessandro Lanza

Matteo Manera

Since its first inception in the debate on the relationship between environment and growth in 1992, the Environmental Kuznets Curve has been subject of continuous and intense scrutiny. The literature can be roughly divided in two historical phases. Initially, after the seminal contributions, additional work aimed to extend the investigation to new pollutants and to verify the existence of an inverted-U shape as well as assessing the value of the turning point. The following phase focused instead on the robustness of the empirical relationship, particularly with respect to the omission of relevant explanatory variables other than GDP, alternative datasets, functional ...

Spatial Learning In Dragonflies, Perri K. Eason, Paul Switzer

Paul V. Switzer

No abstract provided.

Channel-Reach Morphology Dependence On Energy, Scale, And Hydroclimatic Processes With Implications For Prediction Using Geospatial Data, Alejandro N. Flores, Brian P. Bledsoe, Christopher O. Cuhaciyan, Ellen E. Wohl

Alejandro N. Flores

Channel types found in mountain drainages occupy characteristic but intergrading ranges of bed slope that reflect a dynamic balance between erosive energy and channel boundary resistance. Using a classification and regression tree (CART) modeling approach, we demonstrate that drainage area scaling of channel slopes provides better discrimination of these forms than slope alone among supply- and capacity-limited sites. Analysis of 270 stream reaches in the western United States exhibiting four common mountain channel types reveals that these types exist within relatively discrete ranges of an index of specific stream power. We also demonstrate associations among regional interannual precipitation variability, discharge ...

The Scent Of Danger: Tetrodotoxin (Ttx) As An Olfactory Cue Of Predation Risk, Richard Zimmer, Daniel Schar, Ryan Ferrer, Patrick Krug, Lee Kats, William Michel

Lee Kats

Larvae of the California newt (Taricha torosa) exhibit striking predator- avoidance behavior, escaping to refuges in response to a chemical cue from cannibalistic adults. In laboratory flow-tank experiments, stream water collected near free-ranging adults induced hiding responses in 100% of the larvae tested. Solutions prepared by bathing adults (in field and laboratory) also evoked strong hiding behaviors. Insensitive to adult feeding status (fed or starved), and clearly not an excretory product, the chemical cue was released from adult skin (i.e., in swabs of adult backs, sides, and bellies). Tetrodotoxin (TTX) was found in skin swabs of adults and in ...

The Relationship Of Soil Province To Molecular Characterization And Phylogenetic Analysis Of Cryptosporidium Parvum Isolated From Calves In Georgia., Debra Miller, M. Mauel, A. Liggett, M. Hines Ii, K. Fraizer, M. Pence, L. Whittington, C. Baldwin

Debra L Miller

Although Cryptosporidium spp. are found throughout the world and in multiple environmental conditions, few data are available that explore the possibility of an association between specific environmental parameters and the species or strain of Cryptosporidium. This study examines the potential association between a particular Cryptosporidium species/strain found in calves and soil provinces in Georgia, USA. Necropsy cases spanning the years 1996-2002 were tested. No significant differences (P=0.962, chi(2) test of homogeneity) between numbers of positive cases were noted among soil provinces. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences for the PCR products revealed sequence similarity of the products ...

Longevity And Breeding Pool Fidelity In The California Newt (Taricha Torosa): A Long-Term Study Using Pit Tagging, T. Watters, Lee Kats

Lee Kats

No abstract provided.

A New Species Of Eleutherocadtylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) From The Eastern Andes Of Central Peru With Comments On Central Peruvian Eleutherodactylus, Edgar Lehr, Mikael Lundberg, Cesar Aguilar, Rudolf Von May

Edgar Lehr

A new species of the Eleutherodactylus nigrovittatus Group is described from five localities, at elevations of 1800-2760 m in cloud forests in the Cordillera Oriental in central Peru (Distrito de Paucartambo, Departamento de Pasco). The new species is assigned to the Eleutherodactylus nigrovittatus Group, and differs from all described species therein by having a combination of smooth skin on the venter, undilated discs on the digits, Finger I and Finger II of variable length (slightly shorter, slightly longer or of equal length), Toe III and Toe V of variable length (slightly shorter, slightly longer or of equal length), and a ...

A New Species Of Glass Frog (Centrolenidae: Cochranella Ocellata Group) From Central Peru, Edgar Lehr, Juan Guayasamin, Daniel Rodriguez, Cesar Aguilar

Edgar Lehr

We describe a new species of Cochranella from the Cordillera de Carpish, Departmento Huánuco, Peru. The new species is placed in the Cochranella ocellata group and can be distinguished from all other species of Cochranella by having: (1) small white and dark purple spots on the dorsum; (2) a snout slightly protruding to truncate in lateral aspect; (3) and basal webbing between Fingers III and IV.

Taxomic Status Of Some Species Of Peruvian Phrynopus (Anura: Leptodactylidae), With The Description Of A New Species From The Andes Of Southern Peru, Edgar Lehr

Edgar Lehr

Based on external morphological and osteological characters, Phrynopus fallaciosus and Phrynopus flavomaculatus are placed in the Eleutherodactylus nigrovittatus Group, and the latter is reported for the first time in Peru (Departmento de Piura). Based on external morphological characters, Phrynopus laplacai is considered to be a junior synonym of P. wettsteini. The type locality of P. wettsteini in Peru is considered as doubtful, and the distribution of the species seems to be restricted to Bolivia. Based on external and internal morphological characters, including comparatively large testes, Phrynopus spectabilis is placed in the synonymy of Pleurodema marmorata. Males of several species of ...

Subcutaneous Haemangiosarcoma In A Cockatiel (Nymphicus Hollandicus)., D. Sledge, Z. Radi, Debra Miller, B. Lynn

Debra L Miller

An ulcerated, 1 x 0.5 cm, subcutaneous mass on the craniolateral aspect of the right tibiotarsus of a 4-year-old male cockatiel was removed. Histologically, the neoplasm was non-encapsulated, infiltrative and composed of irregular vascular channels lined by branching and variably sized spindle-shaped cells with large vesicular nuclei, prominent nucleoli and rare mitoses. Surrounding these vascular channels were fibroblasts and mixed inflammatory cells. Neoplastic cells had diffuse immunoreactivity to factor VIII supporting a diagnosis of haemangiosarcoma.

Functional And Evolutionary Ecology Of Bats, Gary Mccracken

Gary F. McCracken

Every three years a major international conference on bats draws the leading workers in the field to a carefully orchestrated presentation of the research and advances and current state of understanding of bat biology. Bats are the second most populous group of mammalia species, after rodents, and they are probably the most intensively studied group of mammals. Virtually all mammologists and a large proportion of organismic biologists are interested in bats. The earlier two edited books deriving from previous bat research conferences, as well as this one, have been rigorously edited by Tom Kunz and others, with all chapters subjected ...

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus And Puma Lentivirus In Florida Panthers (Puma Concolor Coryi): Epidemiology And Diagnostic Issues., Debra Miller, S. Taylor, D. Rotstein, M. Pough, M. Barr, C. Baldwin, M. Cunningham, M. Roelke, D. Ingram

Debra L Miller

This study documents the seroprevalence of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and puma lentivirus (PLV) in free-ranging and captive Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) (n = 51) and translocated Texas cougars (P. concolor stanleyana) (n = 10) from 1985 to 1998. The sera were tested for anti-FIV antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot tests. The ELISAs were read kinetically (KELA) and the sera were retrospectively examined by PLV peptide ELISA. Eleven panthers and one cougar were positive by KELA; 4 panthers and 4 cougars were equivocal; 35 panthers and 5 cougars were negative; and 1 panther had no data. Seven ...

Ecology Of Marine Fishes : California And Adjacent Waters, Larry Allen, Daniel Pondella, Michael Horn

Daniel Pondella

Fundamental ideas in marine ecology have emerged from the study of marine fishes. This unique, authoritative, and accessible reference, compiled by 35 luminary ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and ichthyologists, provides the first-ever synthesis and interpretation of the large, often daunting, body of information on the ecology of marine fishes. Comprehensive and generously illustrated, this volume focuses on the fauna of the eastern pacific, paying particular attention to the California coast, which is among the most diverse and best studied of all marine ecosystems.

Lipoid Liver Disease And Steatitis In A Captive Sapphire Damsel, Pomacentrus Pavo., Debra Miller, J. Weisman

Debra L Miller

Background. Sapphire damselfish, Pomacentrus pavo (Bloch, 1787) (family Pomacentridae) are reef fish found in tropical and temperate oceans but also are popular aquaria species in commercial and private operations; yet, there remains a paucity of information regarding diseases in this species. Thus, reporting of disease occurrences in this species is vital and serves as a foundation upon which to gather and build our knowledge base for this species. Material and Methods. A captive sapphire damsel presented with severe nonresolving abdominal distension. The fish was humanely euthanized and fixed tissues submitted for routine histological examination. Additionally, special histochemical stains were done ...