scholarly journals Urban coyotes are genetically distinct from coyotes in natural habitats

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Adducci ◽  
Jeremy Jasperse ◽  
Seth Riley ◽  
Justin Brown ◽  
Rodney Honeycutt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Natural Areas ◽  
Road Density ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Natal Habitat

Abstract Urbanization is increasing throughout the world, transforming natural habitats. Coyotes (Canis latrans) are found in highly urban, suburban, rural and undeveloped mountainous habitats, making them an exemplary model organism to investigate the effects of urbanization on animals. We hypothesized that coyotes in natural habitats are more genetically related to distant coyotes in similar natural habitats and less related to coyotes in urban areas due to natal habitat-biased dispersal. We also hypothesized that increasing urbanization would result in decreased genetic diversity due to habitat fragmentation, dispersal barriers and genetic drift. We analyzed 10 microsatellite genetic markers from 125 individual coyotes sampled across a spectrum of highly urban to highly natural areas in southern California. Most coyotes clustered into four distinct genetic populations, whereas others appeared to have admixed ancestry. Three genetic populations were associated primarily with urban habitats in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. In contrast, the remaining population was associated with more naturally vegetated land near the surrounding mountains. Coyotes living in natural areas formed a genetically distinct cluster despite long geographic distances separating them. Genetic diversity was negatively associated with urban/suburban land cover and local road density, and positively associated with the relative amount of natural vegetation. These results indicate that genetic differentiation and loss of genetic diversity coincided with the extremely rapid expansion of Greater Los Angeles throughout the 1900s. Thus, urbanization reduces gene flow and erodes genetic diversity even in a habitat generalist thought to be minimally impacted by land development.

scholarly journals A Method for Mapping Future Urbanization in the United States

Urban Science ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lahouari Bounoua ◽  
Joseph Nigro ◽  
Kurtis Thome ◽  
Ping Zhang ◽  
Najlaa Fathi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Population Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Urban Land Management

Cities are poised to absorb additional people. Their sustainability, or ability to accommodate a population increase without depleting resources or compromising future growth, depends on whether they harness the efficiency gains from urban land management. Population is often projected as a bulk national number without details about spatial distribution. We use Landsat and population data in a methodology to project and map U.S. urbanization for the year 2020 and document its spatial pattern. This methodology is important to spatially disaggregate projected population and assist land managers to monitor land use, assess infrastructure and distribute resources. We found the U.S. west coast urban areas to have the fastest population growth with relatively small land consumption resulting in future decrease in per capita land use. Except for Miami (FL), most other U.S. large urban areas, especially in the Midwest, are growing spatially faster than their population and inadvertently consuming land needed for ecosystem services. In large cities, such as New York, Chicago, Houston and Miami, land development is expected more in suburban zones than urban cores. In contrast, in Los Angeles land development within the city core is greater than in its suburbs.

scholarly journals Sylvatic Mosquito Diversity in Kenya—Considering Enzootic Ecology of Arboviruses in an Era of Deforestation

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 342
Author(s):  
Gillian Eastwood ◽  
Rosemary C. Sang ◽  
Joel Lutomiah ◽  
Philip Tunge ◽  
Scott C. Weaver
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Anopheles Funestus ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Mosquito Vector ◽  
Vector Species ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Natural Habitats

As new and re-emerging vector-borne diseases are occurring across the world, East Africa represents an interesting location, being the origin of several arboviruses with a history of urbanization and global spread. Rapid expansion of urban populations and alteration of natural habitats creates the opportunity for arboviruses to host-switch from wild, sylvatic hosts or vectors into urban transmission affecting human populations. Although mosquito surveillance regularly takes place in urban areas of Kenya, for example identifying vectors of dengue virus or malaria viruses, little work has been carried out to determine the distribution and abundance of sylvatic vectors. Here, we describe the mosquito vector species and diversity collected at twelve forest habitats of rural Kenya. We conducted arbovirus screening of over 14,082 mosquitoes (47 species, 11 genera) as 1520 pools, and detected seven viruses (six bunyaviruses, and one flavivirus-bunyavirus co-infection) isolated from pools of Aedes dentatus, Anopheles funestus, Culex annulioris, and Cx. vansomereni. Awareness of sylvatic vector species and their location is a critical part of understanding the ecological foci and enzootic cycling of pathogens that may be of concern to public, animal or wildlife health. As natural ecosystems come under anthropogenic pressures, such knowledge can inform us of the One Health potential for spillover or spillback leading to outbreaks, and assist in vector control strategies.

Urbanization and Changes in Cropping Patterns at Kathmandu Valley

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raj Man Shrestha
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Considerable Change ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Leafy Vegetables ◽  
Kathmandu Valley ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Average Growth ◽  
Cropping Patterns ◽  
Agriculture Land

The increase of population in Kathmandu valley is bringing a considerable change in cropping system. Rapid urbanization and introduction of new agriculture technology have encouraged the valley’s farmers to change their cropping patterns from traditional (low value crops) to new crops (high value crops). According to numerous studies made in Nepal, the change is seen considerably in winter crops than in summer crops and the land under cultivation of green leafy vegetables is increasing rapidly in the urban and semi-urban areas. An average growth of population at 3 % in the valley during the period 1951-2001 has resulted in the rapid expansion of area under urban coverage (24.6 % growth per year from 1984 - 2000) has made agriculture land of Katmandu valley to decline per year by 2.04 % (836.27 ha per year). If this trend of decline in agriculture land in Kathmandu valley continues in future too, it is expected that there will be no agriculture land left over by two and half decades in the valley. The planners should take note of this fact that if fertile land of Katmandu valley is to be preserved for agriculture necessary planning is urgently needed. <i>Nepal Journal of Science and Technology</i> Vol. 7, 2006

scholarly journals Cost of groundwater protection: major groundwater basin protection zones in Poland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Krogulec ◽  
Jacek Gurwin ◽  
Mirosław Wąsik
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Groundwater Protection ◽  
Social Economy ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Legal Analysis ◽  
Protection Zones ◽  
Groundwater Basins ◽  
The Cost

AbstractThis paper describes the complex hydrogeological, legal framework and socioeconomic costs of the groundwater protection in major groundwater basins (MGBs) in Poland in accordance with European directives. The hydrogeological criteria developed in Poland for establishing MGBs and the principles of their protection provide more details to the directives that are in force in Europe, which define the general principles for groundwater protection. The procedure of establishing MGB protection zones is connected with a change in local plans and land development and requires an analysis of the cost–benefit relationship in the sphere of social economy in the sector of public economics. The cost assessment was performed on the basis of data from hydrogeological documentations, and the aggregation of subareas to which the same existing and planned development can be attributed. A legal analysis of bans, orders and restrictions together with the identification of the risk of claims in specific hydrogeological and development conditions was a fundamental issue of research. These costs depend on the acreage and land use of the protected area. The unit costs of MGB protection, calculated per 1 km2 of the protection area, for six sample basins were estimated at €120 to €208,000/2 years/1 km2. The highest costs are generated by establishing protection in urban areas, while the lowest costs are generated in forest areas.

scholarly journals Insects in the City: Does Remnant Native Habitat Influence Insect Order Distributions?

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 148
Author(s):  
Mani Shrestha ◽  
Jair E. Garcia ◽  
Freya Thomas ◽  
Scarlett R. Howard ◽  
Justin H. J. Chua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Ecological Value ◽  
Native Habitat ◽  
Insect Order ◽  
Insect Pollinator ◽  
Pollinating Insects ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

There is increasing interest in developing urban design principles that incorporate good ecological management. Research on understanding the distribution and role of beneficial pollinating insects, in particular, is changing our view of the ecological value of cities. With the rapid expansion of the built environment comes a need to understand how insects may be affected in extensive urban areas. We therefore investigated insect pollinator capture rates in a rapidly growing and densely urbanized city (Melbourne, Australia). We identified a remnant native habitat contained within the expansive urban boundary, and established study sites at two nearby populated urban areas. We employed standard pan trap sampling techniques to passively sample insect orders in the different environments. Our results show that, even though the types of taxonomic groups of insects captured are comparable between locations, important pollinators like bees and hoverflies were more frequently captured in the remnant native habitat. By contrast, beetles (Coleoptera) and butterflies/moths (Lepidoptera) were more frequently observed in the urban residential regions. Our results suggest that the maintenance of native habitat zones within cities is likely to be valuable for the conservation of bees and the ecosystem services they provide.

scholarly journals Findings From the Understanding Patterns of Healthy Aging Among Men Who Have Sex With Men Project

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 823-824
Author(s):  
Mark Brennan-Ing ◽  
Michael Plankey ◽  
Deborah Gustafson
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Hiv Status ◽  
Gay Community ◽  
Regulatory Strategies ◽  
Sex With Men

Abstract In 1984, the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) was started to identify factors in the HIV epidemic related to disease risk and treatment progression among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in four urban areas in the US: Baltimore, MD/Washington, D.C.; Chicago, IL; Pittsburgh, PA, and Los Angeles, CA. MACS participants complete biannual study visits involving HIV testing, biometric screenings, and psychosocial data collection. In 2015 a MACS sub-study, the Understanding Patterns of Healthy Aging among MSM Project (HAMSM), was started to better understand resiliencies promoting well-being among MSM age 40 and older, including those with HIV. HAMSM has helped us to understand aging trajectories among MSM, and provides a unique combination of physiological and psychosocial data that can inform efforts to support MSM in healthy aging. This symposium will present emerging findings from the HAMSM study. Our first paper examines the relationships between psychological connection to the gay community (PSOC) and developmental regulatory strategies associated with health behaviors and more positive self-appraisals. The second paper examines how PSOC is related to HIV risk reduction behaviors, and if there are differences in such behaviors based on HIV status. Our third paper considers how self-perceptions of aging (age discrepancy, aging satisfaction) are related to frailty and frailty transitions, and if these relationships differ by HIV status. The final paper examines the relationship of social support to frailty among MSM by HIV status. Implications of these findings for research, policy, and programs targeting MSM will be discussed.

scholarly journals A Quantitative Method for Evaluation of Visual Privacy in Residential Environments

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 272
Author(s):  
He Zheng ◽  
Bo Wu ◽  
Heyi Wei ◽  
Jinbiao Yan ◽  
Jianfeng Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
High Density ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
High Rise ◽  
Visual Exposure ◽  
Building Management ◽  
Visual Privacy ◽  
Building Level

With the rapid expansion of high-rise and high-density buildings in urban areas, visual privacy has become one of the major concerns affecting human environmental quality. Evaluation of residents’ visual exposure to outsiders has attracted more attention in the past decades. This paper presents a quantitative indicator; namely, the Potential Visual Exposure Index (PVEI), to assess visual privacy by introducing the damage of potential visual incursion from public spaces and neighborhoods in high-density residences. The method for computing the PVEI mainly consists of three steps: extracting targets and potential observers in a built environment, conducting intervisibility analysis and identifying visible sightlines, and integrating sightlines from building level and ground level to compute the PVEI value of each building opening. To validate the proposed PVEI, a case study with a sample building located at the center of Kowloon, Hong Kong, was evaluated. The results were in accordance with the common-sense notion that lower floors are subjected to poor visual privacy, and privacy is relatively well-preserved in upper floors in a building. However, residents of middle floors may suffer the worst circumstances with respect to visual privacy. The PVEI can be a useful indicator to assess visual privacy and can provide valuable information in architectural design, hotel room selection, and building management.

Relationships between gregarine infection in damselflies, wetland type, and landscape characteristics

2011 ◽  
Vol 143 (5) ◽  
pp. 460-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia J. Mlynarek ◽  
Daniel G. Bert ◽  
G. Haydeé Peralta-Vázquez ◽  
Joanna A. James ◽  
Mark R. Forbes
Keyword(s):  
Forest Cover ◽  
Road Density ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Artificial Wetlands ◽  
Wetland Type ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Natural Wetlands ◽  
Ischnura Verticalis ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
Wetland Cover

AbstractAlthough human-modified landscapes are characterized by the loss of natural habitats, new habitats also can be created and exploited by many species. The importance of landscape change to invertebrate associations (particularly host-parasite associations) is understudied. Our objective was to determine whether prevalence and intensity of gregarine parasitism in the damselfly Ischnura verticalis (Say) (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) differed between 17 artificial and 7 natural wetlands in landscapes that varied in amount of forest and wetland cover and road density determined at spatial extents of 500m and 1km from each wetland. Wetlands were located in and around Ottawa, Ontario, and Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. Wetland type did not account for significant variation in principal components based on forest and wetland cover and road density at either spatial extent. Gregarine prevalence was higher in damselflies collected from natural wetlands than in those collected from artificial wetlands and was positively associated with increasing forest cover. In contrast, gregarine intensity was inversely related to road density. Our results suggest that parasitism of damselflies by gregarines is associated with wetland type and landscape characteristics, although the mechanisms producing such relationships are unknown.

scholarly journals Influence of Quaternary environmental changes on mole populations inferred from mitochondrial sequences and evolutionary rate estimation

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Azusa Nakamoto ◽  
Masashi Harada ◽  
Reiko Mitsuhashi ◽  
Kimiyuki Tsuchiya ◽  
Alexey P. Kryukov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Population Expansion ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Distribution Analysis ◽  
Land Bridge ◽  
Mismatch Distribution Analysis ◽  
Expansion Event

AbstractQuaternary environmental changes fundamentally influenced the genetic diversity of temperate-zone terrestrial animals, including those in the Japanese Archipelago. The genetic diversity of present-day populations is taxon- and region-specific, but its determinants are poorly understood. Here, we analyzed cytochrome b gene (Cytb) sequences (1140 bp) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to elucidate the factors determining the genetic variation in three species of large moles: Mogera imaizumii and Mogera wogura, which occur in central and southern mainland Japan (Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu), and Mogera robusta, which occurs on the nearby Asian continent. Network construction with the Cytb sequences revealed 10 star-shaped clusters with apparent geographic affinity. Mismatch distribution analysis showed that modes of pairwise nucleotide differences (τ values) were grouped into five classes in terms of the level, implying the occurrence of five stages for rapid expansion. It is conceivable that severe cold periods and subsequent warm periods during the late Quaternary were responsible for the population expansion events. The first and third oldest events included island-derived haplotypes, indicative of the involvement of land bridge formation between remote islands, hence suggesting an association of the ends of the penultimate (PGM, ca. 130,000 years ago) and last (LGM, ca. 15,000 years ago) glacial maxima, respectively. Since the third event was followed by the fourth, it is plausible that the termination of the Younger Dryas and subsequent abrupt warming ca. 11,500 years ago facilitated the fourth expansion event. The second event most likely corresponded to early marine isotope stage (MIS) 3 (ca. 53,000 years ago) when the glaciation and subsequent warming period were predicted to have influenced biodiversity. Utilization of the critical times of 130,000, 53,000, 15,000, and 11,500 years ago as calibration points yielded evolutionary rates of 0.03, 0.045, 0.10 and 0.10 substitutions/site/million years, respectively, showing a time-dependent manner whose pattern was similar to that seen in small rodents reported in our previous studies. The age of the fifth expansion event was calculated to be 5800 years ago with a rate of 0.10 substitutions/site/million years ago during the mid-Holocene, suggestive of the influence of humans or other unspecified reasons, such as the Jomon marine transgression.

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