Hematozoa of forest birds in American Samoa - evidence for a diverse, indigenous parasite fauna from the South Pacific

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carter T. Atkinson ◽  
Ruth C. Utzurrum ◽  
Joshua O. Seamon ◽  
Amy F. Savage ◽  
Dennis A. Lapointe
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
American Samoa ◽  
Parasite Fauna ◽  
Forest Birds ◽  
Natural Occurrence ◽  
The South ◽  
Blood Sucking ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After

Introduced avian diseases pose a significant threat to forest birds on isolated island archipelagos, especially where most passerines are endemic and many groups of blood-sucking arthropods are either absent or only recently introduced. We conducted a blood parasite survey of forest birds from the main islands of American Samoa to obtain baseline information about the identity, distribution and prevalence of hematozoan parasites in this island group. We examined Giemsa-stained blood smears from 857 individual birds representing 20 species on Tutuila, Ofu, Olosega, and Ta'u islands. Four hematozoan parasites were identified ? Plasmodium circumflexum (1%, 12/857), Trypanosoma avium (4%,32/857), microfilaria (9%, 76/857), and an Atoxoplasma sp. {<1%, 21857). Infections were found in seven indigenous bird species from the archipelago. Overall prevalence of infection varied significantly among bird species, individual islands, and between Tutuila and the more isolated Manu'a group of islands. Infections with Plasmodium, Trypanosoma, and filarial worms occurred throughout the archipelago, including islands without introduced birds. There was a statistically significant difference in the overall prevalence of infection before and after Hurricane Olaf in February 2005, suggesting that catastrophic hurricanes may influence the dynamics of parasite infections. Given the central location of American Samoa in the South Pacific, it is likely that avian malaria and other hematozoan parasites are indigenous and widespread at least as far as the central South Pacific. Their natural occurrence may provide some immunological protection to indigenous birds in the event that other closely related parasites are accidentally introduced to the region.

scholarly journals Bioacoustic monitoring of New Zealand avifauna before and after aerial 1080 operations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Roald Egbert Harro Bomans
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Conservation Practice ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Mammalian Predators ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Scale Population ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Native Birds

<p>Introduced mammalian predators, namely possums, stoats and rats, are the leading cause of decline in native avifauna in New Zealand. The control of these species is essential to the persistence of native birds. A major component of mammal control in New Zealand is carried out through the aerial distribution of the toxin sodium monofluoroacetate (otherwise known as 1080). The use of this toxin, however, is subject to significant public debate. Many opponents of its use claim that forests will ‘fall silent’ following aerial operations, and that this is evidence of negative impacts on native bird communities. With the continued and likely increased use of this poison, monitoring the outcomes of such pest control operations is necessary to both address these concerns and inform conservation practice. The recent growth in autonomous recording units (ARUs) provides novel opportunities to conduct monitoring using bioacoustics. This thesis used bioacoustic techniques to monitor native bird species over three independent aerial 1080 operations in the Aorangi and Rimutaka Ranges of New Zealand.  In Chapter 2, diurnal bird species were monitored for 10-12 weeks over two independent operations in treatment and non-treatment areas. At the community level, relative to non-treatment areas, the amount of birdsong recorded did not decrease significantly in treatment areas across either of the operations monitored. At the species level, one species, the introduced chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), showed a significant decline in the prevalence of its calls in the treatment areas relative to non-treatment areas. This was observed over one of the two operations monitored. Collectively, these results suggest that diurnal native avifaunal communities do not ‘fall silent’ following aerial 1080 operations.  The quantity of data produced by ARUs can demand labour-intensive manual analysis. Extracting data from recordings using automated detectors is a potential solution to this issue. The creation of such detectors, however, can be subjective, iterative, and time-consuming. In Chapter 3, a process for developing a parsimonious, template-based detector in an efficient, objective manner was developed. Applied to the creation of a detector for morepork (Ninox novaeseelandiae) calls, the method was highly successful as a directed means to achieve parsimony. An initial pool of 187 potential templates was reduced to 42 candidate templates. These were further refined to a 10-template detector capable of making 98.89% of the detections possible with all 42 templates in approximately a quarter of the processing time for the dataset tested. The detector developed had a high precision (0.939) and moderate sensitivity (0.399) with novel recordings, developed for the minimisation of false-positive errors in unsupervised monitoring of broad-scale population trends.  In Chapter 4, this detector was applied to the short-term 10-12 week monitoring of morepork in treatment and non-treatment areas around three independent aerial 1080 operations; and to longer-term four year monitoring in two study areas, one receiving no 1080 treatment, and one receiving two 1080 treatments throughout monitoring. Morepork showed no significant difference in trends of calling prevalence across the three independent operations monitored. Longer-term, a significant quadratic effect of time since 1080 treatment was found, with calling prevalences predicted to increase for 3.5 years following treatment. Collectively, these results suggest a positive effect of aerial 1080 treatment on morepork populations in the lower North Island, and build on the small amount of existing literature regarding the short- and long-term response of this species to aerial 1080 operations.</p>

scholarly journals South Pacific Commission

1963 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 508-509 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South Pacific ◽  
The United States ◽  
American Samoa ◽  
Pacific Islanders ◽  
Pacific Region ◽  
The South ◽  
Agricultural Produce ◽  
Marketing Efficiency ◽  
Changing Role

The fifth South Pacific Conference was held at Utulei village, near Pago Pago, American Samoa, on July 18–27, 1962, under the chairmanship of Mr. Kowles A. Ryerson, Senior Commissioner for the United States on the South Pacific Commission. Topics discussed by the standing committees and in the preliminary sessions of the Conference mainly related to economic and social development and health. Subjects included methods of training Pacific islanders in business methods and practices ways of improving the quality and marketing of agricultural produce and of developing marketing efficiency, the changing role of women in the region, the importance of organized adult eduction schemes, and ways of obtaining a reasonable balance between social advancement and economic development in the South Pacific region. Delegates also reviewed the work of the South Pacific Commission since the last Conference was held in 1959.

scholarly journals Remaking, reweaving and indigenizing curriculum: Lessons from an American Samoa Head Start program

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-55
Author(s):  
Allison Henward ◽  
Mene Tauaa ◽  
Ronald Turituri
Keyword(s):  
Head Start ◽  
Young Children ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
American Samoa ◽  
The South ◽  
Head Start Program ◽  
Head Start Teachers ◽  
Contested Spaces ◽  
The Us ◽  
Curricular Models

Abstract In this paper, we focus on how indigenous Head Start teachers in American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the US located in the South Pacific negotiated imported policy and curricular models that were not always congruent with local, indigenous approaches to educating young children. Here we place our focus on the negotiation of curriculum within these spaces and in doing so, show that through the reweaving of curriculum, western discourses and influences from the US were altered. We conclude with implications for US territories and other contested spaces across the globe.

BOMB-PRODUCED RADIOCARBON ACROSS THE SOUTH PACIFIC GYRE—A NEW RECORD FROM AMERICAN SAMOA WITH UTILITY FOR FISHERIES SCIENCE

Radiocarbon ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Allen H Andrews ◽  
Nancy G Prouty ◽  
Olivia M Cheriton
Keyword(s):  
Water Movement ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
American Samoa ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
The South ◽  
Elemental Ratios ◽  
Ocean Climate ◽  
Fisheries Science ◽  
Seasonal Signals ◽  
South Pacific Gyre

ABSTRACT Coral skeletal structures can provide a robust record of nuclear bomb produced 14C with valuable insight into air-sea exchange processes and water movement with applications to fisheries science. To expand these records in the South Pacific, a coral core from Tutuila Island, American Samoa was dated with density band counting covering a 59-yr period (1953–2012). Seasonal signals in elemental ratios (Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca) and stable carbon (δ13C) values across the coral core corroborated the well-defined annual band structure and highlighted an ocean climate shift from the 1997–1998 El Niño. The American Samoa coral 14C measurements were consistent with other regional records but included some notable differences across the South Pacific Gyre (SPG) at Fiji, Rarotonga, and Easter Island that can be attributed to decadal ocean climate cycles, surface residence times and proximity to the South Equatorial Current. An analysis of the post-peak 14C decline associated with each coral record indicated 14C levels are beginning to merge for the SPG. This observation, coupled with otolith measurements from American Samoa, reinforces the perspective that bomb 14C dating can be performed on fishes and other marine organisms of the region using the post-peak 14C decline to properly inform fisheries management in the South Pacific.

scholarly journals The Impact of Performance Based Budget (Pbb) on Projects Effectiveness, Quality and Sustainability in Fako and Meme Divisions of the South West Region, Cameroon

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 92-107
Author(s):  
Roland A. Anyingang
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
The South ◽  
West Region ◽  
South West ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact ◽  
South West Region

The study examined the impact of performance based budget on projects effectiveness, quality and sustainability in Fako and Meme Divisions of the South West Region, Cameroon. Three specific objectives were formulated to guide this study. The objectives investigated the impact of performance based budget on the effectiveness of projects, the impact of performance based budget on the quality of projects and the impact of performance based budget on the sustainability of projects. Ex-post facto research design was used for this study. The sample of this study was made up 420 respondents comprising of service providers, beneficiaries of the projects and staff of the Regional Delegation of Water and Energy and the Regional Delegation of Public Works in Fako and Meme Divisions. A well validated structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and dependent t-test. Findings revealed that there exist a significant difference in the quality of roads, water and electricity projects before and after implementation of performance based budget with the quality of roads higher after the full implementation than before the implementation of PBB. There exist a significant difference in the effectiveness of road, water and electricity projects before and after implementation of water projects, and there exist a significant difference in the sustainability of road, water and electricity projects before and after implementation of performance based budget. The study recommended that the effectiveness of the budgetary system should be improved so that the quality and sustainability of projects will be obtained.  Moreover, good budget begets good results.    

scholarly journals Bioacoustic monitoring of New Zealand avifauna before and after aerial 1080 operations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Roald Egbert Harro Bomans
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Conservation Practice ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Mammalian Predators ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Scale Population ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Native Birds

<p>Introduced mammalian predators, namely possums, stoats and rats, are the leading cause of decline in native avifauna in New Zealand. The control of these species is essential to the persistence of native birds. A major component of mammal control in New Zealand is carried out through the aerial distribution of the toxin sodium monofluoroacetate (otherwise known as 1080). The use of this toxin, however, is subject to significant public debate. Many opponents of its use claim that forests will ‘fall silent’ following aerial operations, and that this is evidence of negative impacts on native bird communities. With the continued and likely increased use of this poison, monitoring the outcomes of such pest control operations is necessary to both address these concerns and inform conservation practice. The recent growth in autonomous recording units (ARUs) provides novel opportunities to conduct monitoring using bioacoustics. This thesis used bioacoustic techniques to monitor native bird species over three independent aerial 1080 operations in the Aorangi and Rimutaka Ranges of New Zealand.  In Chapter 2, diurnal bird species were monitored for 10-12 weeks over two independent operations in treatment and non-treatment areas. At the community level, relative to non-treatment areas, the amount of birdsong recorded did not decrease significantly in treatment areas across either of the operations monitored. At the species level, one species, the introduced chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), showed a significant decline in the prevalence of its calls in the treatment areas relative to non-treatment areas. This was observed over one of the two operations monitored. Collectively, these results suggest that diurnal native avifaunal communities do not ‘fall silent’ following aerial 1080 operations.  The quantity of data produced by ARUs can demand labour-intensive manual analysis. Extracting data from recordings using automated detectors is a potential solution to this issue. The creation of such detectors, however, can be subjective, iterative, and time-consuming. In Chapter 3, a process for developing a parsimonious, template-based detector in an efficient, objective manner was developed. Applied to the creation of a detector for morepork (Ninox novaeseelandiae) calls, the method was highly successful as a directed means to achieve parsimony. An initial pool of 187 potential templates was reduced to 42 candidate templates. These were further refined to a 10-template detector capable of making 98.89% of the detections possible with all 42 templates in approximately a quarter of the processing time for the dataset tested. The detector developed had a high precision (0.939) and moderate sensitivity (0.399) with novel recordings, developed for the minimisation of false-positive errors in unsupervised monitoring of broad-scale population trends.  In Chapter 4, this detector was applied to the short-term 10-12 week monitoring of morepork in treatment and non-treatment areas around three independent aerial 1080 operations; and to longer-term four year monitoring in two study areas, one receiving no 1080 treatment, and one receiving two 1080 treatments throughout monitoring. Morepork showed no significant difference in trends of calling prevalence across the three independent operations monitored. Longer-term, a significant quadratic effect of time since 1080 treatment was found, with calling prevalences predicted to increase for 3.5 years following treatment. Collectively, these results suggest a positive effect of aerial 1080 treatment on morepork populations in the lower North Island, and build on the small amount of existing literature regarding the short- and long-term response of this species to aerial 1080 operations.</p>

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document