Hasil untuk "General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution"

Amanda K. Martin, George C. Brooks, Houston C. Chandler et al.

Abstract The degradation and loss of suitable breeding habitat can be a major driver of amphibian declines. In the southeastern United States, historical fire suppression resulted in overgrown wetlands (i.e., high shrub and tree cover and low herbaceous ground cover) that no longer serve as suitable breeding sites for specialist amphibians. Over the past 14 years, extensive wetland restoration efforts have been conducted at Eglin Air Force Base (Eglin), located in the Florida Panhandle, to improve Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander (Ambystoma bishopi) breeding habitat. However, the response of salamander populations to these habitat changes has yet to be quantified. Here, we used dynamic, spatially explicit occupancy models to (1) document trends in wetland occupancy by flatwoods salamanders over time, and (2) evaluate the key drivers that influence occupancy. We also provide details of habitat restoration practices in an appendix. Overall, the total acreage of suitable habitat has doubled on Eglin in recent years, resulting in a subsequent tripling of the total number of wetlands occupied by flatwoods salamanders. Specifically, the average number of wetlands with larvae detected each year on Eglin has increased from 2.7 in the 7 years of monitoring before habitat management (2003–2009) to 10.4 within the last 7 years (2018–2024). Furthermore, our results confirm that spatial connectivity among wetlands and the availability of suitable habitat are the best predictors of salamander occupancy. Therefore, conservation and management actions should focus on improving habitat quality, especially in areas with high densities of wetlands.

Bowen Yang, Kaiwei Xu, Kun Tan et al.

Marine soil–structure interfaces are commonly encountered in marine engineering, where they are inevitably subjected to temperature variations and complex stress conditions, including static, dynamic, and creep loads. However, limited studies have addressed the temperature-dependent mechanical behavior of marine soil–structure interfaces under various loading scenarios. This study introduces a self-developed multifunctional large-scale shear apparatus that enables temperature-controlled testing of marine soil interfaces with various structural materials, including concrete, polymer grids, and polymer layers. The apparatus supports static, dynamic, and creep shear testing under precisely controlled thermal conditions. A series of shear tests were conducted on marine soil–concrete, marine soil–polymer grid, and marine soil–polymer layer interfaces to verify the device’s performance. The test results demonstrate that the apparatus can accurately and reliably capture the mechanical responses of marine soil–structure interfaces under different temperatures and loading modes. Furthermore, the results highlight the significant influence of temperature on the shear behavior of these interfaces, emphasizing the necessity of developing such equipment. The findings offer essential insights for the design, evaluation, and long-term stability of marine engineering structures, supporting the development of practical ocean solutions.

Meng Zhang, Meng Zhang, Chao Qi et al.

The utilization of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for depth inversion is crucial for accurate underwater mapping. However, current SAR-based techniques face challenges in segmentation accuracy, which directly affects inversion precision and spatial resolution. Traditional segmentation methods lack efficiency and often result in low-resolution outcomes. To address these issues, we propose a novel SAR water depth inversion method based on variable window sliding segmentation. This method optimizes nearshore image utilization by dynamically adjusting the pixel size and preventing coastline encroachment, leading to more precise swell wavelength measurements. When applied to the eastern sea off Naraha, Japan, our method achieved a minimum mean relative error (MRE) of 9.2% for shallow waters (0 to 20 m depth) and 4.9% for deeper waters (80 to 100 m depth). These results significantly improve upon those of traditional methods, which typically show MREs ranging from 10% to 30%. Additionally, our method achieves a maximum spatial resolution of 5.5 m, a notable advancement in nearshore depth measurement. The study also revealed that different depth ranges and function types, particularly linear and atanh functions, impact measurement performance, demonstrating superior accuracy across multiple metrics.

Santiago Hernández-León, M. Loreto Torreblanca, M. Loreto Torreblanca et al.

The short-term variability of plankton communities in the oceanic realm is still poorly known due to the paucity of high-resolution time-series in the open ocean. Among these few studies, there is compelling evidence of a lunar cycle of epipelagic zooplankton biomass in subtropical waters during the late winter bloom. However, there is few information about lower trophic levels and zooplankton physiological changes related to this lunar cycle. Here, we studied the short-term variability of pico-, nano-, micro-, and mesoplankton in relation to the lunar cycle in subtropical waters. Weekly sampling was carried out at four stations located north of the Canary Islands from November 2010 to June 2011. Zooplankton abundance and biomass, gut fluorescence (GF), electron transfer system (ETS), and aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (AARS) activities were measured before, during, and after the winter vertical mixing in these waters in a wide range of size classes. Chlorophyll a, primary production, and zooplankton biomass were low, showing a rather weak late winter bloom event due to the high temperature and stratification observed. Chlorophyll, nanoplankton, diatoms, and mesozooplankton proxies for grazing (GF), respiration (ETS), and growth (AARS) varied monthly denoting a lunar pattern. Chlorophyll a, nanoplankton, diatoms, and mesozooplankton proxies for grazing and respiration peaked between 4 and 6 days after the new moon, followed by an enhancement of the mesozooplankton index of growth between 8 to 9 days after the new moon. However, mesozooplankton biomass only increased during the productive period when supposedly growth exceeded mortality. Coupled with previous results in pico-, nano-, and microplankton, we suggest that the lunar cycle governs the development of planktonic communities in the high turnover warm subtropical ocean. This study provides further evidence of the match of plankton communities with the predatory cycle exerted by diel vertical migrants, adding essential information to understand the short-term functioning of the open ocean.

موسی عنبری, مرجان خاکساری رنانی

امروزه وجود نابرابری‌های فضایی و فاصله‌های درآمدی و سرمایه‌ای میان نواحی مختلف جامعه، به‌عنوان یکی از موانع مهم توسعۀ پایدار به‌حساب می‌آید. نابرابری‌های میان مناطق کم‌برخوردار (مرزی یا غیرمرزی) و مناطق برخوردار از توسعه، و شکاف‌های شهری ‌ـ ‌روستایی، مهم‌ترین مصداق نابرابری‌های فضایی و منطقه‌ای هستند. این مقاله با روش توصیفی ـ تحلیلی، بر مبنای تحلیل ثانویۀ داده‌های موجود، میزان یکپارچگی یا شکاف مناطق شهری و روستایی ایران را برحسب چهار متغیر مکان‌های استقرار جمعیت، بخش‌های عمدۀ اقتصادی و تولیدی، میزان و توزیع فقر، و شکاف درآمدی و هزینه‌ای در چهار دهۀ اخیر مورد مطالعه قرار داده ‌است. ارزیابی عملکرد نظام برنامه‌ریزی فضایی در کشور نشان می‌دهد این نظام با نوعی رویکرد بخشی و غیرآمایشی، با تأکید بر دو محور «تمرکزگرایی» و «شهرگرایی»، بر نابرابری‌ و فاصلۀ میان مناطق پیرامونی و مناطق مرکزی کشور از یک سو و مناطق شهری و روستایی از سوی دیگر افزوده ‌‌است. طی چهار دهۀ اخیر، نوعی شهرنشینی روزافزون، بی‌رویه و گاهی ناموزون به ‌ضرر پایداری و تعادل جمعیت در مناطق شهری کوچک و مناطق روستایی اتفاق افتاده که لزوماً با ظرفیت‌های منطقه‌ای متناسب نبوده ‌‌است. شهرهای بزرگ جاذب جمعیت کار، نوعی زندگی توأم با فقر را در بخش‌های حاشیه‌ای و روستایی ایجاد کرده ‌‌است. در طی این سال‌ها، با وجود کاهش معنادار فقر مطلق در جامعه، همچنان بار فقر بر دوش روستاییان، آن‌هم بیشتر در مناطق کم‌برخوردار سنگینی می‌کند. شاخص‌های درآمد و هزینه نیز به نفع شهرنشینان بوده‌‌ است. به‌طور‌ کلی داده‌های کلان در کشور نشان می‌دهد هرجا پیوندهای شهری‌ ـ ‌روستایی برقرار و تقویت شده، نابرابری‌های منطقه‌ای و شهری ـ‌ روستایی کاهش یافته ‌است.

Sunit Singh, J. P. Mehta, Amber Srivastava et al.

Alexis Du, Thomas Renault

Social media usage is often cited as a potential driver behind the rising suicide rates. However, distinguishing the causal effect - whether social media increases the risk of suicide - from reverse causality, where individuals already at higher risk of suicide are more likely to use social media, remains a significant challenge. In this paper, we use an instrumental variable approach to study the quasi-exogenous geographical adoption of Twitter and its causal relationship with suicide rates. Our analysis first demonstrates that Twitter's geographical adoption was driven by the presence of certain users at the 2007 SXSW festival, which led to long-term disparities in adoption rates across counties in the United States. Then, using a two-stage least squares (2SLS) regression and controlling for a wide range of geographic, socioeconomic and demographic factors, we find no significant relationship between Twitter adoption and suicide rates.

Linus W. Dietz, Sanja Šćepanović, Ke Zhou et al.

Urban parks are important for public health, but the role of specific spaces, such as playgrounds or lakes, and elements, such as benches or sports equipment, in supporting well-being is not well understood. Based on expert input and a review of the literature, we defined six types of health-related activities: physical, mindfulness, nature appreciation, environmental, social, and cultural. We built a lexicon that links each activity to specific elements and spaces within parks present in OpenStreetMap. Using this data, we scored 23,477 parks across 35 cities worldwide based on their ability to support these activities. We found clear patterns: parks in North America focus more on physical activity, while those in Europe offer more chances to enjoy nature. Parks near city centers support health-promoting activities better than those farther out. Suburban parks in many cities lack the spaces and equipment needed for nature-based, social, and cultural activities. We also found large gaps in park quality between cities. Tokyo and Paris provide more equal access, while Copenhagen and Rio de Janeiro show sharp contrasts. These results can help cities create fairer parks that better support public health.

Fajri Koto, Rahmad Mahendra, Nurul Aisyah et al.

Although commonsense reasoning is greatly shaped by cultural and geographical factors, previous studies have predominantly centered on cultures grounded in the English language, potentially resulting in an Anglocentric bias. In this paper, we introduce IndoCulture, aimed at understanding the influence of geographical factors on language model reasoning ability, with a specific emphasis on the diverse cultures found within eleven Indonesian provinces. In contrast to prior work that has relied on templates (Yin et al., 2022) and online scrapping (Fung et al., 2024), we create IndoCulture by asking local people to manually develop a cultural context and plausible options, across a set of predefined topics. Evaluation of 27 language models reveals several insights: (1) the open-weight Llama-3 is competitive with GPT-4, while other open-weight models struggle, with accuracies below 50%; (2) there is a general pattern of models generally performing better for some provinces, such as Bali and West Java, and less well for others; and (3) the inclusion of location context enhances performance, especially for larger models like GPT-4, emphasizing the significance of geographical context in commonsense reasoning.

Lindsay Glass Campbell, Kelsey A. Anderson, Ruth Marcec‐Greaves

Abstract We present a landmark success of a pilot study in the noninvasive, topical hormonal stimulation of reproduction of salamanders using Texas blind salamanders (Eurycea rathbuni) as a model species. Improved reproduction is a critical milestone in the conservation of imperiled species. Captive reproduction of amphibians is often challenging due to specific and ambiguous environmental cues for each species. The Texas blind salamander is a federally listed troglobitic amphibian found only in the Edwards Aquifer beneath San Marcos, Texas. This species is long‐lived, paedomorphic, and obligately aquatic. As with other cave‐dwelling organisms, Texas blind salamanders exhibits delayed reproductive maturity and low reproductive output. The US Fish & Wildlife San Marcos Aquatic Resources Center maintains a captive assurance population of wild individuals to supplement natural populations in the case of a catastrophic impacts on the wild population. Despite housing this species since the 1980s, unassisted reproductive events remain infrequent and unpredictable. In 2020, we developed the noninvasive use of the topical application of GnRH‐A to stimulate reproduction in 12 females combined with 12 males during a pilot study, that resulted in 11 clutches over a five‐month period. These findings mark a significant increase from normally low production of 4.5 clutches annually (average from 2007 to 2019) and represent a landmark success for captive propagation of this species.

Cynthia R. Smith, Teresa K. Rowles, Forrest M. Gomez et al.

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) disaster resulted in large-scale contamination of bays, sounds, and estuaries in the northern Gulf of Mexico, home to multiple stocks of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Inhalation, aspiration, ingestion, and dermal absorption of oil and its toxic components were all considered possible routes of exposure for dolphins living within the oil spill footprint. To determine if dolphins were adversely impacted, catch-and-release health assessments were performed in heavily-oiled Barataria Bay (BB), Louisiana, and in Sarasota Bay (SB), Florida, a comparison site with no DWH oil contamination. Initial studies were conducted as part of a Natural Resource Damage Assessment (2011-2014) and follow-on studies were performed between 2016-2018 with support from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative. Ultrasound was used to evaluate the dolphins’ pulmonary health, including the presence/absence of pleural effusion, nodules, masses, consolidation, and alveolar interstitial syndrome (AIS). When present, AIS was further graded by severity (mild, moderate, or severe) and distribution. Based on the presence and severity of abnormalities, each dolphin was given an overall lung disease score (normal, mild, moderate, or severe). Normal to mild scores were considered within expected limits for a wild population, therefore the prevalence of normal-mild versus moderate-severe scores was compared between the oiled and unoiled sites. Separate analyses were conducted for dolphins alive in 2010 (and in BB, presumably exposed to DWH oil), and those born after 2010. For the dolphins alive in 2010, temporal trends were also examined using generalized additive models (GAMs). Results showed a strong difference (p=0.000357) in moderate to severe lung disease between the two sites for dolphins alive in 2010, but no significant difference (p=0.6745) between the sites for dolphins born after 2010. In BB dolphins, the prevalence of moderate to severe lung disease did not decrease in the years after the spill, and in fact, potentially worsened (p=0.0644 for trend over years), with the highest prevalence (0.61) being in 2018. Moderate to severe AIS remained a persistent finding in BB dolphins, and several animals had a pattern of AIS that was more severe ventrally than dorsally, with evidence of chronic, progressive disease states.

Lauren E. Oakes, Guillaume Peterson St‐Laurent, Molly S. Cross et al.

Abstract As the need to monitor and evaluate progress on climate change adaptation is increasingly recognized, practitioners may benefit from applying lessons about effective monitoring from the conservation field. This study focuses on monitoring conservation interventions that aim to foster climate change adaptation by assessing: what ways practitioners are adopting best practices from monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in conservation; what practitioners are monitoring in relation to reported outcomes; how monitoring comprehensiveness varies in practice and what factors enable more comprehensive monitoring; and practitioner views on what could improve M&E of adaptation actions. We conducted this study using a portfolio of 76 adaptation projects implemented across the United States and employed a mixed‐methods design that included document analysis, an online survey, and semi‐structured interviews. The majority (84%) of projects reported social outcomes at project completion in addition to ecological outcomes (100%), but monitoring plans focused primarily on ecological and biophysical changes. Only 21% of projects connected monitoring metrics to a theory of change linking actions to expected outcomes. Involvement of an external research partner was identified as a key factor in supporting more comprehensive monitoring efforts. Results provide applied insights for enhancing delivery of social and ecological outcomes from adaptation projects, and suggest research pathways to improve monitoring and effectiveness of climate‐informed conservation.

Cortni Borgerson, Brian L. Fisher, Be Noel Razafindrapaoly et al.

Abstract Forests, and the vertebrate species within them, are irreplaceable sources of food and nutrition for millions of people living in areas of high biodiversity. Unfortunately, many of these forests are being cleared for agriculture, and many animals are threatened with extinction from unsustainable hunting. Forest clearing and the hunting of threatened species are untenable solutions to long‐term food insecurity and adequate nutrition, jeopardizing these species' survival, the healthy functioning of ecosystems, and the cultural identities of local people. Working with communities to develop culturally appropriate ways for people to obtain sustainable and legal sources of food from forests outside of protected areas is a key component of improving both conservation and food security. We tested the feasibility, suitability, and viability of farming an abundant and traditionally eaten forest insect, Zanna tenebrosa (locally known as sakondry), in rural communities whose food security relies heavily on the hunting of threatened vertebrates. We found that the insect is high in macro‐ and micronutrients, and can be cheaply, easily, and sustainably cultivated to sustainably diversify forest food systems without increasing habitat loss. Given the range of Z. tenebrosa, which covers a broad swath of central Africa, increasing production of this native insect may support multipronged agroecological approaches to promoting food security, adequate nutrition, and wildlife conservation.

Luis Malpica‐Cruz, Alicia Abadía‐Cardoso, Marc Aquino‐Baleytó et al.

Ole Nielsen, Thaís C. S. Rodrigues, Vsevolod L. Popov et al.

As part of an ongoing investigation of harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) mortalities within Puget Sound, Washington State, United States, between October 2007 and July 2008, 25 seal cases were submitted for histopathology and ancillary diagnostic testing, including additional attempted virus isolation. In vitro granular and refractile cytopathic effects (CPE) were consistently observed in Vero.DogSLAMtag cells inoculated with tissue homogenates from three seals. Transmission electron microscopy of infected Vero.DogSLAMtag cells revealed cytoplasmic clusters of icosahedral viral particles morphologically consistent with members of the family Reoviridae. The complete genome of a novel species within the genus Orthoreovirus, tentatively named phocid orthoreovirus 1 (PhRV1), was determined by next-generation sequencing and confirmed by rt-PCR in isolates from the three harbor seals. This is the first report of an orthoreovirus infection associated with dead stranded harbor seals. Aside from the CPE and ultrastructural findings, no consistent signalment, gross pathology, histopathology, or ancillary diagnostic findings were identified with PhRV1 infection. Further research is needed to determine the prevalence, tissue tropism, transmission, pathogenicity, zoonotic potential, and host range of orthoreoviruses in pinnipeds. This study demonstrates the value of thorough necropsy investigations and a multidisciplinary team approach to advance our understanding of marine mammal health.

Brett Bochner

The curved spacetime Maxwell equations are applied to the anisotropically expanding Kasner metrics. Using the application of vector identities we derive 2$^\textrm{nd}$-order differential wave equations for the electromagnetic field components; through this explicit derivation, we find that the 2$^\textrm{nd}$-order wave equations are not uncoupled for the various components (as previously assumed), but that gravitationally-induced coupling between the electric and magnetic field components is generated directly by the anisotropy of the expansion. The lack of such coupling terms in the wave equations from several prior studies may indicate a generally incomplete understanding of the evolution of electromagnetic energy in anisotropic cosmologies. Uncoupling the field components requires the derivation of a 4$^\textrm{th}$-order wave equation, which we obtain for Kasner-like metrics with generalized expansion/contraction rate indices. For the axisymmetric Kasner case, $(p_{1}, p_{2}, p_{3}) = (1,0,0)$, we obtain exact field solutions (for general propagation wavevectors), half of which appear not to have been found before in previous studies. For the other axisymmetric Kasner case, $\{p_{1}, p_{2}, p_{3}\} = \{(-1/3),(2/3),(2/3)\}$, we use numerical methods to demonstrate the explicit violation of the geometric optics approximation at early times, showing the physical phase velocity of the wave to be inhibited towards the initial singularity, with $v \rightarrow 0$ as $t \rightarrow 0$.

Nelson Colihueque, Aldo Arriagada, Andrea Fuentes

The Pudu deer (Pudu puda) is endemic to the temperate rainforest of Chile and Argentina and currently faces serious conservation problems related to habitat loss. However, studies undertaken on this species are not sufficient to identify suitable areas for conservation purposes across its distribution range. In order to estimate the current and future distribution of the Pudu deer in southern Chile, we modelled the potential distribution of this species, based on occurrence points taken from seven contiguous provinces of this area using the Maxent modelling method. The Pudu deer distribution covered an estimated area of 17,912 km2(24.1% of the area analysed), using a probability of occurrence above 0.529, according to the threshold that maximises the sum of sensitivity and specificity. In contrast to the Andes mountain range, areas with higher probabilities of occurrence were distributed mainly on the eastern and western slopes of the Coastal Mountain Range, where extensive coverage of native forest persists, as occurs in the provinces of Ranco, Osorno and Llanquihue. Projections to 2070, with global warming scenarios of 2.6 and 8.5 rcp, revealed that large areas will conserve their habitability, especially in the Coastal mountain range. Our results reveal that the Coastal mountain range has a high current and future habitability condition for the Pudu deer, a fact which may have conservation implications for this species.