Most Likely Bridges as Roosting Habitat for Bats: Study for Iowa

Author(s):  
Basak Aldemir Bektas ◽  
Zachary Hans ◽  
Brent Phares ◽  
Emmanuel Nketah ◽  
Joe Carey ◽  
...  

Bats play an important role in the natural balance of many ecosystems. There has been a growing concern about the bat population in the United States, mainly because of white-nose syndrome (WNS). The primary objective of this work was to better understand what types of bridges are the most likely to be used by bats as roosting locations. In one of the most comprehensive studies in the United States to date, 517 structures in the state of Iowa were inspected for evidence of bat roosting. Logistic regression models were fitted to identify structure, land cover distribution, and predicted bat species distribution characteristics that increase the probability of bat roosting. The final model indicated that probability of bat roosting on bridges increases under the following conditions: structures are prestressed concrete continuous, prestressed concrete or steel continuous; increased superstructure height above ground; increased superstructure depth; increased wetland coverage within a 0.1-mile radius of the structure; and increased number of potential bat species present at the location. The findings show that bridge characteristics, combined with land cover and bat species distribution data, are significant for higher probabilities of bat roosting. This information can be useful to transportation agencies as they plan bridge maintenance and renewal and can also help conservation efforts targeted toward bats. It is thought that the integration of objective, geospatial land cover data with potential bat presence data, and estimation of quantitative and relative influence of variables on probability of bat roosting are unique to this study.

2003 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiqiang Gao ◽  
Jiyuan Liu ◽  
Xiangzheng Deng

Plant Disease ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 102 (5) ◽  
pp. 955-963
Author(s):  
Brijesh B. Karakkat ◽  
Vonte L. Jackson ◽  
Paul L. Koch

Crown rust (caused by Puccinia coronata) and stem rust (caused by P. graminis) are two common and destructive diseases of turfgrass in the United States. Crown rust has been associated with perennial ryegrass and stem rust with Kentucky bluegrass when identified based solely on fungal morphology. However, recent studies using molecular identification methods have indicated the host–pathogen relationship of rusts on turf to be more complex. Our primary objective was to quickly and accurately identify P. coronata and P. graminis in symptomatic turfgrass leaves over 3 years on turfgrass samples from across the Midwestern United States. Between 2013 and 2015, 413 samples of symptomatic cool-season turfgrass from Wisconsin and surrounding states were screened using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Of these samples, 396 were Kentucky bluegrass and 17% of them contained P. coronata, 69% contained P. graminis, and 13% contained both P. coronata and P. graminis. In addition, both year and location effects were observed on the distribution of Puccinia spp. collected annually from two locations in southern Wisconsin. This research supports previous conclusions that have identified variability among P. graminis and P. coronata host relationships on turfgrass, and further demonstrates that rust fungal populations on Kentucky bluegrass may not be consistent between locations in the same year or over multiple years at the same location. The increasing evidence of variation in the turfgrass rust populations will likely affect future rust management and turfgrass breeding efforts.


Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5040 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-288
Author(s):  
XIN ZHAO ◽  
DANDAN FENG ◽  
YUNTAO LI ◽  
HAOYU LIU

Based on the geographic distribution database of the Orthoptera Species File, the diversity and distribution of the superfamily Grylloidea in the Nearctic region was studied using the statistics and Sorensen dissimilarity coefficient. A total of 164 species or subspecies belonging to 4 families, 9 subfamilies and 27 genera were recorded from this region; among which Gryllidae (93, 56.70%), followed by Trigonidiidae (44, 26.83%), Mogoplistidae (25, 15.24%), and Phalangopsidae (2, 1.22%). The diversity exhibits an asymmetric distribution pattern, with the southeastern coastal plain, the Interior Plateau and Piedmont of the United States was the most abundant. At the same time, the regional similarity of species distribution was analyzed, and the Nearctic was divided into four subregions: Boreal & Arctic zone of North America, Eastern temperate North America, Northeast temperate North America, and Southern North America & western temperate North America.  


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew C. Wozniak ◽  
Allison Steiner

Abstract. We develop a prognostic model of Pollen Emissions for Climate Models (PECM) for use within regional and global climate models to simulate pollen counts over the seasonal cycle based on geography, vegetation type and meteorological parameters. Using modern surface pollen count data, empirical relationships between prior-year annual average temperature and pollen season start dates and end dates are developed for deciduous broadleaf trees (Acer, Alnus, Betula, Fraxinus, Morus, Platanus, Populus, Quercus, Ulmus), evergreen needleleaf trees (Cupressaceae, Pinaceae), grasses (Poaceae; C3, C4), and ragweed (Ambrosia). This regression model explains as much as 57 % of the variance in pollen phenological dates, and it is used to create a climate-flexible phenology that can be used to study the response of wind-driven pollen emissions to climate change. The emissions model is evaluated in a regional climate model (RegCM4) over the continental United States by prescribing an emission potential from PECM and transporting pollen as aerosol tracers. We evaluate two different pollen emissions scenarios in the model: (1) using a taxa-specific land cover database, phenology and emission potential, and (2) a PFT-based land cover, phenology and emission potential. The resulting surface concentrations for both simulations are evaluated against observed surface pollen counts in five climatic subregions. Given prescribed pollen emissions, the RegCM4 simulates observed concentrations within an order of magnitude, although the performance of the simulations in any subregion is strongly related to the land cover representation and the number of observation sites used to create the empirical phenological relationship. The taxa-based model provides a better representation of the phenology of tree-based pollen counts than the PFT-based model, however we note that the PFT-based version provides a useful and climate-flexible emissions model for the general representation of the pollen phenology over the United States.


1939 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. O. Brew

The third Peabody Museum Awatovi expedition, under the direction of the writer began work on July 12, 1937, and remained in the field until November 5, 1937. The explorations and excavations were carried on under permission of the United States Department of the Interior. The continuation of these studies was made possible by the contributions of Mr. and Mrs. William H. Claflin, Jr., Mr. Henry S. Morgan, Mr. and Mrs. Philip Allen, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Emerson, and the Peabody Museum. Its primary objective was the securing of information relative to the post-Spanish period of Awatovi.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Furst ◽  
Nicholas J. Mynarski ◽  
Kenneth L. McCall ◽  
Brian J. Piper

AbstractObjectiveMethadone is an evidence based treatment for opioid use disorder and is also employed for acute pain. The primary objective of this study was to explore methadone distribution patterns between the years 2017 and 2019 across the United States (US). This study builds upon previous literature that has analyzed prior years of US distribution patterns, and further outlines regional and state specific methadone trends.MethodsThe Drug Enforcement Administration’s Automated Reports and Consolidated Ordering System (ARCOS) was used to acquire the number of narcotic treatment programs (NTPs) per state and methadone distribution weight in grams. Methadone distribution by weight, corrected for state populations, and number of NTPs were compared from 2017 to 2019 between states, within regions, and nationally.ResultsBetween 2017 and 2019, the national distribution of methadone increased 12.30% for NTPs but decreased 34.57% for pain, for a total increase of 2.66%. While all states saw a decrease in distribution for pain, when compared regionally, the Northeast showed a significantly smaller decrease than all other regions. Additionally, the majority of states experienced an increase in distribution for NTPs and most states demonstrated a relatively stable or increasing number of NTPs, with an 11.49% increase in NTPs nationally. The number of NTPs per 100K in 2019 ranged from 2.08 in Rhode Island to 0.00 in Wyoming.ConclusionAlthough methadone distribution for OUD was increasing in the US, there were pronounced regional disparities.


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