Infection risk varies within urbanized landscapes: the case of coyotes and heartworm

Abstract Background Urbanization can have profound effects on ecological interactions. For host–pathogen interactions, differences have been detected between urban and non-urban landscapes. However, host–pathogen interactions may also differ within highly heterogeneous, urbanized landscapes. Methods We investigated differences in infection risk (i.e., probability of infection) within urbanized landscapes using the coyote (Canis latrans) and mosquito-borne nematode, Dirofilaria immitis (the causative agent for canine heartworm), as a case study. We focused on a coyote population in Chicago for which extensive behavioral and heartworm infection data has been collected between 2001 and 2016. Our objectives were to: (i) determine how onset and duration of the heartworm transmission season varied over the 16-year period and across the urban–suburban gradient; and (ii) investigate how heartworm infection risk in coyotes varied over the years, across the urban–suburban gradient, by coyote characteristics (e.g., age, sex, resident status), and coyote use of the urbanized landscape (e.g., use of urban areas, mosquito habitats). Results While onset of the heartworm transmission season differed neither by year nor across the urban–suburban gradient, it was longer closer to the core of Chicago. Of the 315 coyotes sampled, 31.1% were infected with D. immitis. Older coyotes and coyotes sampled in later years (i.e., 2012–2016) were more likely to have heartworm. While coyote location in the urban–suburban gradient was not a significant predictor of infection, the proportion of urban land in coyote home ranges was. Importantly, the size and direction of this association varied by age class. For adults and pups, infection risk declined with urbanization, whereas for subadults it increased. Further, models had a higher predictive power when focusing on resident coyotes (and excluding transient coyotes). The proportion of mosquito habitat in coyote home ranges was not a significant predictor of infection. Conclusions Our findings suggest that urbanization may affect host exposure to vectors of D. immitis, that risk of infection can vary within urbanized landscapes, and that urbanization–wildlife infection associations may only be detected for animals with certain characteristics (e.g., age class and resident status). Graphical abstract

Download Full-text

GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IN PERI-URBAN LANDSCAPES - CASE STUDY FROM POLISH METROPOLITAN AREAS

Annals of the Polish Association of Agricultural and Agribusiness Economists ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0015.5962 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol XXIII (4) ◽

pp. 168-180

Author(s):

Wojciech Sroka ◽

Łukasz Paluch

Keyword(s):

Cultural Values ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Open Space ◽

Metropolitan Areas ◽

Research Literature ◽

Urban Landscapes ◽

Urban Green Spaces ◽

Agricultural Areas

The research literature emphasizes that the dynamic development of peri-urban areas more and more often results in changes in green infrastructure potential, manifested in gradual limitation of open space, decrease in its biodiversity and loss of natural and cultural values. The aim of the study is to identify and evaluate the changes in the structure of the green infrastructure of selected urban and peri-urban areas in Poland. To accomplish this aim, the authors stated a hypothesis that changes in green infrastructure potential depend on the location of municipalities in relation to dynamically growing cities. The research conducted partially confirmed the research hypothesis stated in the study. In core cities and municipalities located up to 25 km from cities, the decrease in agricultural areas is faster at a statistically significant level, and in cities the value of the indicator illustrating the ratio of urban green spaces to developed areas decreases. The potential of the other green infrastructure elements shows growth tendencies and is not related to location.

Download Full-text

Pluvial flooding in urban areas: Parsimonious hazard mapping for a case study in Berlin, Germany

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-5322 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Omar Seleem ◽

Maik Heistermann ◽

Axel Bronstert

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Flood Hazard ◽

Computational Cost ◽

Hazard Mapping ◽

Urban Landscapes ◽

Runoff Generation ◽

Flow Paths ◽

Digital Elevation ◽

Pluvial Flooding

<p>Urban pluvial floods are increasingly recognized as a ubiquitous hazard. They are caused by short and intense rainfall, followed by rapid runoff concentration. But while flood hazard maps for rivers have been widely implemented under the EU Flood Directive, corresponding efforts for pluvial flooding are rare, yet: pluvial floods are not to the existence of a river channel. They could occur anywhere, subject to the existence of minimal areas for surface runoff generation and concentration. That concentration could be dominated by small features of urban landscapes, which makes identification of flow paths uncertain even with highly-resolved digital elevation models (DEM) and full hydrodynamic simulations (which are computationally expensive). At the same time, sub-surface sewer and drainage systems &#8211; an additional complication in an already complex environment &#8211; will typically be subject to overcharge for extremely heavy rainfall events. That, however, allows us to focus on the surface in order to assess the hazard from such events. In the present study, we present a low-(computational)-cost approach to identify areas at risk of pluvial flooding. Common GIS operations are used to detect flood-prone depressions from a high-resolution 1m x 1m DEM, identify contributing watersheds, and represent runoff concentration by a fill-spill-merge approach. The approach is applied to a study area in Berlin, which has been repeatedly subject to pluvial flooding in the past years.</p>

Download Full-text

Landscape Perception in Peri-Urban Areas: an Expert-Based Methodological Approach

Landscape Online ◽

10.3097/lo.201975 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 75 ◽

pp. 1-22 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Eva J. Rodríguez Romero ◽

Carlota Sáenz De Tejada Granados ◽

Rocío Santo-Tomás Muro

Keyword(s):

Urban Studies ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Field Work ◽

Urban Landscapes ◽

Local Approach ◽

Landscape Perception ◽

Large Cities ◽

The City

While there is general consensus on the importance of landscape perception in urban studies, there is still a need to broaden the toolkit for researchers and practitioners to document, analyse and interpret these inputs, in line with the postulates of the European Landscape Convention and overcoming conventional formats based on descriptions and static photography. This becomes particularly pertinent in the peri-urban landscapes of large cities, bearers of the relations and contradictions between urban growth, resource consumption and landscape protection, and especially vulnerable to tabula rasa approaches. We case study the surrounding landscapes of Madrid at a metropolitan scale, addressing the gap between scopes and scales of recent landscape reports and focusing on two elements connecting (visually, or physically) the city with its commuting zone: lookouts and roads. An expert-based methodology presents the criteria for their selection and a description of desk and field work. A sample for each local approach is further developed to exemplify the application, combining cartography, 3D modelling, visual basins, on-site photography and interpretive drawings. This results in a multifaceted vision of how the city and its hinterland is perceived, illustrating both outstanding and everyday landscapes and how they interweave in a continuous experience.

Download Full-text

Exposure to anthropogenic activities and age class mediate mesocarnivore habitat selection in a human-dominated landscape

10.21203/rs.3.rs-213810/v2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Laurel Serieys ◽

Jacqueline M Bishop ◽

Matthew S Rogan ◽

Justine A Smith ◽

Jusin P Suraci ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Behavioral Plasticity ◽

Animal Movement ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Wildlife Habitat ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Age Class ◽

Close Proximity ◽

Wildlife Populations

Abstract Wildlife populations are increasingly challenged by human activities that disrupt landscape connectivity, animal movement, population dynamics and population persistence. Yet modified habitats may provide resource subsidies for generalist species resulting in increased selection of disturbed areas. Understanding how species adjust their space use and activity in human-modified landscapes is fundamental to conserving wildlife populations globally. To test three competing hypotheses explaining spatiotemporal responses to human activity, we investigated coarse (3 hour)- and fine (20 minute)- scale habitat selection, activity patterns, and measured home ranges in a human-dominated landscape. We GPS-collared 25 adults and subadult caracals (Caracal caracal) from three contiguous subpopulations in urban and wildland-dominated regions. Caracals in the wildland-dominated region avoided proximity to urban areas while caracals in the urban-dominated region selected for close proximity to urban areas. Selection responses for vegetative cover, freshwater, vineyards, the coast, and burned areas was dependent on age class, diel period, and whether individuals were in close proximity to urban areas. Large home ranges demonstrated habitat selection results were not a result of limited landscape use. Caracals did not shift their temporal activity to avoid humans, but selected for closer proximity to urban areas at night, suggesting they seek spatial refugia during the day. Behavioral plasticity whereby individuals seek out spatial refugia promotes the coexistence of this carnivore in a human-dominated landscape. These data are essential to our understanding of what is viable wildlife habitat to a generalist mesocarnivore and provide opportunities to guide land acquisition and conservation by local management agencies.

Download Full-text

Factors Affecting Financial Literacy of Vietnamese Adults: A Case Study for Hanoi and Nghe An

VNU Journal of Science Economics and Business ◽

10.25073/2588-1108/vnueab.4084 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Tue Nguyen Dang

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Multiple Regression ◽

Financial Literacy ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Logistic Models ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Financial Behaviors ◽

Financial Decisions ◽

Literacy Level

This research examines the factors affecting the financial literacy of Vietnamese adults. Using a sample of 266 observations of adults in 2 big cities in Vietnam (Hanoi and Vinh in Nghe An Province), the author evaluates the literacy level of adults in these urban areas. The financial literacy of the interviewed people is low. The multiple regression results show that lower financial literacy levels associate with higher age and married status and higher financial literacy levels associate with higher education, more family members, the person making financial decisions and the person attending a useful financial course. This research also explores the association between financial literacy and financial behaviors of individuals employing logistic models. It is found that higher financial literacy associates with less probability of overspending and higher probability of saving money and careful spending. Higher financial literacy is also found to associate with higher probability of opening a savings account and making various investments.

Download Full-text