An Automated Data Logger for Simultaneously Recording Amphibian Vocalizations with Weather Variables

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 117 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. D. Meek
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Barometric Pressure ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Data Logger ◽  
Weather Variables ◽  
Multiple Factors ◽  
Calling Behaviour ◽  
Data Loggers

Understanding the environmental triggers for the calling behaviour of fauna is an important element of biological and ecological knowledge necessary for devising better monitoring and management strategies for wildlife. Amphibians calling is seasonal and in Australia, mostly limited to Spring-Summer (October-March). An investigation was instigated following numerous records of the Sphagnum Frog Philoria sphagnicola calling during periods outside (July) of the standard survey season (August-December). In response to this observation, a data logger was designed and programmed to detect only the calls of P. sphagnicola. At hourly intervals, the data logger recorded the number of frog calls, mean ambient temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, water temperature and barometric pressure. This device differs from data loggers used in other anuran studies in its capacity to record only those calls of the species that it is programmed to detect. Furthermore, the data logger simultaneously records vital environmental variables that are important in trying to decipher the single or multiple factors that may stimulate calling behaviour.

scholarly journals Transport of broilers: load microclimate during Brazilian summer

2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
José A. D. Barbosa Filho ◽  
Marília L. V. Queiroz ◽  
Daniel de F. Brasil ◽  
Frederico M. C. Vieira ◽  
Iran J. O. Silva
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Ordinary Kriging ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Continuous Monitoring ◽  
Kriging Method ◽  
Comfort Index ◽  
Data Loggers

The objective of this study was to characterize the microclimatic profile of broiler transport trucks under commercial conditions, in the summer, by continuous monitoring of environmental variables (temperature and air relative humidity). Three loads were monitored from farm to slaughterhouse, considering factors such as distance and day periods (morning, afternoon, and night). To obtain the profile of the environmental variables during journey, data loggers, that determined the microclimate to which birds were submitted, were installed in the trucks; data loggers also allowed visualization of the Enthalpy Comfort Index (ECI) so that load regions could be classified according to heat comfort limits for 6-week old poultries. Temperature, relative humidity, and ECI in the truck were analyzed, using geostatistics, by the ordinary kriging method. The afternoon was the most critical period, and truck central and rear regions were most problematic for chickens, thus most susceptible to losses.

scholarly journals Analysis of Variability in Curing Conditions and Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamines Within Barns of Dark Air-Cured Tobacco

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-14
Author(s):  
Mitchell D. Richmond ◽  
Robert C. Pearce ◽  
Ben M. Goff ◽  
William A. Bailey
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Temperature Data ◽  
Individual Data ◽  
Data Logger ◽  
Curing Conditions ◽  
3 Dimensional ◽  
Data Loggers ◽  
Variety Selection ◽  
Tobacco Specific Nitrosamines

Significant variability in cured-leaf tobacco-specific nitrosamine (TSNA) content is commonly observed when sampling within dark air-curing barns. This variability may be due to inconsistency in the curing environment within different areas of the barn. A study was initiated in 2012, through support from a CORESTA Study Grant, to evaluate if cured-leaf TSNA content is related to microenvironmental conditions in the barn. Low-converter (TRsc) and high-converter (TRHC) selections of TR Madole dark tobacco were air cured in barns near Princeton and Lexington, KY. Temperature and relative humidity were measured with data loggers placed at 27 different locations within each barn for the duration of curing. There were no significant effects of individual data logger placement in either variety selection on hours above 24°C temperature, hours above 80% relative humidity, or TSNA; therefore, we investigated these data within the 3-dimensional aspects of tier, room, and bent within each barn. There were various effects of tier, room, and bent on temperature, relative humidity, and TSNA. Temperature data followed an understandable pattern across tiers in the barn within each year and location; however, relative humidity and TSNA were more difficult to characterize adequately. There was a significant relationship between hours above 24°C and TSNA, but not hours above 80% relative humidity. This study has shown that the effect of within-barn position on TSNA cannot be easily predicted.

Effects of environmental variables on the calling behaviour of Northern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates pipiens) in Alberta, Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-169
Author(s):  
M.D. Sommers ◽  
L.A. Randall ◽  
R.M.R. Barclay
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Leopard Frog ◽  
Lithobates Pipiens ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Leopard Frogs ◽  
Calling Behaviour ◽  
Calling Activity

Breeding behaviour of Temperate Zone amphibians is influenced by environmental variables, but the initiation of calling (phenology) and influences on calling activity may vary with species and region. We investigated the influence of the timing of ice melt, water temperature, and photoperiod on the breeding phenology of the Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens (Schreber, 1782)) in southern Alberta, Canada, using automated recording units. We also examined the influence of wind speed, relative humidity, water temperature, and time of day on calling activity. The initiation of calling varied by 13 days at our three sites, suggesting that calling was influenced more by water temperature and timing of ice melt than photoperiod. Calling was first observed 8–11 days after ice melt at water temperatures of 7.5–8 °C at our sites. No calling was detected at water temperature <5 °C. We recorded nocturnal and diurnal calling at all sites; >50% of calling was diurnal, even on days with warm overnight temperatures. Calling activity was influenced by time of day, water temperature, wind, and relative humidity. Our results suggest that date of initiation of calling varies considerably among breeding ponds and that the time of day of peak calling varies with both site and water temperature.

Evaluation of the Environmental Bias on Accelerometer-Measured Total Daily Activity Counts and Owner Survey Responses in Dogs with Osteoarthritis

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (06) ◽  
pp. 385-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Katz ◽  
Ruth Scott ◽  
Christopher Thomson ◽  
Eileen Mesa ◽  
Richard Evans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Daily Activity ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Brief Pain Inventory ◽  
Barometric Pressure ◽  
Pain Severity ◽  
Total Precipitation ◽  
Average Temperature

Abstract Objective To determine if environmental variables affect the average daily activity counts (AC) of dogs with osteoarthritis (OA) and/or owners’ perception of their dog’s clinical signs or quality of life. Methods The AC and Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI) owner questionnaires of 62 dogs with OA were compared with daily environmental variables including the following: average temperature (°C), high temperature (°C), low temperature (°C), relative humidity (%), total precipitation (mm), average barometric pressure (hPa) and total daylight hours. Results Daily AC significantly correlated with average temperature and total daylight hours, but average temperature and total daylight hours accounted for less than 1% of variation in AC. No other significant relationships were found between daily AC and daily high temperature, low temperature, relative humidity, total precipitation or average barometric pressure. No statistical relationship was found between daily AC and the CBPI, nor between environmental variables and the CBPI. Canine Brief Pain Inventory scores for pain severity and pain interference decreased significantly over the test period. Clinical Significance The relationship between daily AC and average temperature and total daylight hours was significant, but unlikely to be clinically significant. Thus, environmental variables do not appear to have a clinically relevant bias on AC or owner CBPI questionnaires. The decrease over time in CBPI pain severity and pain interference values suggests owners completing the CBPI in this study were influenced by a caregiver placebo effect.

scholarly journals Thermolabile drug storage in an ambulatory setting

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando do Pazo-Oubiña ◽  
Bartomeu Alorda-Ladaria ◽  
Ana Gomez-Lobon ◽  
Bàrbara Boyeras-Vallespir ◽  
María Margalida Santandreu-Estelrich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Statistical Treatment ◽  
Storage Conditions ◽  
Ambulatory Setting ◽  
Temperature Record ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Data Logger ◽  
Data Loggers ◽  
Ambulatory Patients ◽  
Clinical Consequences

AbstractMore thermolabile drugs are becoming available, and in most cases, these medications are dispensed to ambulatory patients. However, there is no regulation once medications are dispensed to patients and little is known with regard to what happens during transport and home storage. Previous studies suggest that these drugs are improperly stored. The present study was designed to determine the storage conditions of thermolabile drugs once they are dispensed to the patient in the Hospital Pharmacy Department. This is a prospective observational study to assess the temperature profile of 7 thermolabile drugs once they are dispensed to ambulatory patients at a tertiary care hospital. A data logger was added to the medication packaging. Temperature was considered inappropriate if one of the following circumstances were met: any temperature record less than or equal to 0 °C or over 25 °C; temperatures between 0–2 or 8–25 °C for a continuous period over 30 min. The time series of temperature measurements obtained from each data logger were analyzed as statistically independent variables. The data shown did not undergo any statistical treatment and must be considered directly related to thermal measurements. One hundred and fourteen patients were included and 107 patients were available for the analysis. On the whole, a mean of 50.6 days (SD 18.3) were measured and the mean temperature was 6.88 °C (SD 2.93). Three data loggers (2.8%) maintained all the measurements between 2 and 8 °C with less than 3 continuous data (< 30 min) out of this range but no data over 25 °C or below or equal to 0 °C. 28 (26.2%) data loggers had at least one measurement below zero, 1 data logger had a measurement greater than 25 °C and 75 (70.1%) were between 0 and 2 °C and/or between 8 and 25 °C for more than 30 min. In conclusion, once dispensed to patients, most thermolabile drugs are improperly stored. Future studies should focus on clinical consequences and possible solutions.

Investigating the species-specific association between anuran calling phenology and air temperature

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Wong
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Interspecific Variation ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Anuran Species ◽  
Calling Behaviour ◽  
Survival And Development ◽  
Species Specific

Climate change has been associated in phenological shifts for a variety of taxa. Amphibians, specifically the order Anura (frogs and toads), are considered particularly vulnerable due to their sensitivity to anthropogenic and environmental change. Previous research has documented shifts in the timing of anuran breeding that can be attributed, in part, to climate change, with potential implications for reproduction, survival, and development. This study aims to investigate how air temperature is associated with anuran calling phenology. I will examine the temporal trends in spring and summer air temperature in a lake in northern Ontario, Canada. and quantify seasonal patterns of calling anuran species using acoustic monitoring over a four-month period. I predict that there will be interspecific variation in peak calling associated with air temperature. Additionally, I expect to find asymmetrical association between air temperature and anuran species’ calling behaviour – wherein prolonged breeding species will have a larger optimal temperature range for calling compared to explosive breeding species. The findings of this research will aid in future conservation and provide insight for management strategies of anurans in Canada in response to anticipated climate warming.

Integrating indigenous ecological knowledge and customary sea tenure with marine and social science for conservation of bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) in the Roviana Lagoon, Solomon Islands

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
SHANKAR ASWANI ◽  
RICHARD J. HAMILTON
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Solomon Islands ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Lunar Periodicity ◽  
The People ◽  
Indigenous Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Sea Tenure ◽  
Bolbometopon Muricatum

Indigenous ecological knowledge and customary sea tenure may be integrated with marine and social science to conserve the bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) in the Roviana Lagoon, Western Solomon Islands. Three aspects of indigenous ecological knowledge in Roviana were identified as most relevant for the management and conservation of bumphead parrotfish, and studied through a combination of marine science and anthropological methods. These were (1) local claims that fishing pressure has had a significant impact on bumphead parrotfish populations in the Roviana Lagoon; (2) the claim that only small bumphead parrotfish were ever seen or captured in the inner lagoon and that very small fish were restricted to specific shallow inner-lagoon nursery regions; and (3) assertions made by local divers that bumphead parrotfish predominantly aggregated at night around the new moon period and that catches were highest at that time. The research supported claims (1) and (2), but did not support proposition (3). Although the people of the Roviana Lagoon had similar conceptions about their entitlement rights to sea space, there were marked differences among regional villages in their opinions regarding governance and actual operational rules of management in the Lagoon. Contemporary differences in management strategies resulted from people's historical and spatial patterns of settlement across the landscape and adjoining seascapes, and the attendant impact of these patterns on property relations. This was crucial in distinguishing between those villages that held secure tenure over their contiguous sea estates from those that did not. Indigenous ecological knowledge served to (1) verify that the bumphead parrotfish was a species in urgent need of protection; (2) explain how different habitats structured the size distribution of bumphead parrotfish; (3) identify sensitive locations and habitats in need of protection; and (4) explain the effect of lunar periodicity on bumphead parrotfish behaviour and catch rates. Secure customary sea tenure identified locations best suited to bumphead parrotfish management programmes, with a greater likelihood for local participation and programme success. The information was used to establish two marine protected areas in the region for bumphead parrotfish conservation.

scholarly journals Monitoring tidal hydrology in coastal wetlands with the Mini Buoy: applications for mangrove restoration

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thorsten Balke ◽  
Alejandra Vovides ◽  
Christian Schwarz ◽  
Gail L. Chmura ◽  
Cai Ladd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Concept Design ◽  
Data Logger ◽  
Mangrove Restoration ◽  
Restoration Planning ◽  
In Situ Data ◽  
Data Loggers ◽  
Intertidal Wetlands ◽  
Tidal Hydrology

Abstract. Acquiring in-situ data of tidal flooding is key for the successful restoration planning of intertidal wetlands such as salt marshes and mangroves. However, monitoring spatially explicit inundation time series and tidal currents can be costly and technically challenging. With the increasing availability of low-cost sensors and data loggers, customized solutions can now be designed to monitor intertidal hydrodynamics with direct applications for restoration and management. In this study, we present the design, calibration, and application of the Mini Buoy, a low-cost bottom-mounted float containing an acceleration data logger for monitoring tidal inundation characteristics and current velocities derived from single-axis equilibrium acceleration (i.e. logger tilt). The acceleration output of the Mini Buoys was calibrated against water-level and current velocity data in the hypertidal Bay of Fundy, Canada, and in a tidally reconnected former aquaculture pond complex in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Key parameters, such as submersion time and current velocities during submergence can be determined over several months using the Mini Buoy. An open-source application was developed to generate ecologically meaningful hydrological information from the Mini Buoy data for mangrove restoration planning. We present this specific SE Asian mangrove restoration application alongside a flexible concept design for the Mini Buoy to be customized for research and management of intertidal wetlands worldwide.

scholarly journals Monitoring tidal hydrology in coastal wetlands with the “Mini Buoy”: applications for mangrove restoration

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 1229-1244
Author(s):  
Thorsten Balke ◽  
Alejandra Vovides ◽  
Christian Schwarz ◽  
Gail L. Chmura ◽  
Cai Ladd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Concept Design ◽  
Data Logger ◽  
Mangrove Restoration ◽  
Restoration Planning ◽  
In Situ Data ◽  
Data Loggers ◽  
Intertidal Wetlands ◽  
Tidal Hydrology

Abstract. Acquiring in situ data of tidal flooding is key for the successful restoration planning of intertidal wetlands such as salt marshes and mangroves. However, monitoring spatially explicit inundation time series and tidal currents can be costly and technically challenging. With the increasing availability of low-cost sensors and data loggers, customized solutions can now be designed to monitor intertidal hydrodynamics with direct applications for restoration and management. In this study, we present the design, calibration, and application of the “Mini Buoy”, a low-cost underwater float containing an acceleration data logger for monitoring tidal inundation characteristics and current velocities derived from single-axis equilibrium acceleration (i.e. logger tilt). The acceleration output of the Mini Buoys was calibrated against water-level and current-velocity data in the hypertidal Bay of Fundy, Canada, and in a tidally reconnected former aquaculture pond complex in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Key parameters, such as submersion time and current velocities during submergence, can be determined over several months using the Mini Buoy. An open-source application was developed to generate ecologically meaningful hydrological information from the Mini Buoy data for mangrove restoration planning. We present this specific SE Asian mangrove restoration application alongside a flexible concept design for the Mini Buoy to be customized for research and management of intertidal wetlands worldwide.

scholarly journals Integrating local social-ecological knowledge to prioritise invasive species management

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hernán Cáceres-Escobar ◽  
Katrina J Davis ◽  
Scott C Atkinson ◽  
Hugh P Possingham ◽  
Salit Kark
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Local Knowledge ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Invasive Species Management ◽  
Management Scenarios ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Species Management

There is a lot of uncertainty about how we pick the best invasive species management strategies to improve the environment, local economy, and human well-being, as invasive species management involves complex and multidimensional challenges. Invasive species management on inhabited islands is especially challenging, often due to perceived socio-political risks and unexpected technical difficulties. Failing to incorporate local knowledge and local perspectives in the early stages of planning can compromise the ability of decision-makers to achieve long-lasting conservation outcomes. Hence, including local knowledge and accounting for subjective stakeholder perceptions is essential for invasive species management, yet this often remains unaddressed. To address this gap, we present an application of invasive species management based on structured decision-making, and the resource allocation tool INFFER, on Minjerribah-North Stradbroke Island (Australia). We assessed the cost-effectiveness of six management scenarios, co-developed with local land managers and community groups, aimed at preserving the environmental and cultural significance of the island by eradicating European red foxes and feral cats. We further conducted a survey eliciting local stakeholders’ perspectives regarding the significance of the Island, their perception of the benefits of the proposed management scenarios, funding requirements, technical feasibility of implementation, and socio-political risk. We found that the best decisions when the budget is low are less cost-effective than when the budget is high. The best strategy focusses on control of European red fox on Minjerribah. However, our results also highlight the need for more research on feral cat management. This work demonstrates how to use a structured decision support tool, like INFFER, to assess contesting management strategies, this is particularly important when stakeholders’ perceptions regarding management outcomes are heterogeneous and uncertain.

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