scholarly journals Monitoring Selected Species of Mammals in Grand Teton National Park From 1999 Through 2003

Author(s):  
Brian Miller ◽  
Hank Harlow

Understanding abundance, distribution, habitat choice, and ecological interactions of mammalian species can promote management decisions that benefit overall ecosystem health. Monitoring programs that build an ecological model of the landscape, and assess the trends in relation to biotic and abiotic changes, are essential to adaptive management, yet are seldom a standard part of management activities (Sinclair 1991; Noss and Cooperrider 1994; Lancia et al. 1996; Noss et al.1996). Monitoring implies a repeated assessment of status. In other words, the single year is placed into a larger context (Thompson et al. 1998). Indeed, a conservation plan requires a long-term obligation to standardized ecological monitoring so that actions can be adjusted according to new information (Noss et al. 1996). Over the long term, this standardized monitoring plan will provide information on small and medium-sized mammals that will (1) assess species use of habitat, (2) monitor changes in species composition as a result of environmental change, and (3) analyze the impact of wolf (Canis lupus) colonization on the mammal (and plant) community. If data become tight enough, we could formulate a predictive model for mammal and habitat relationships. The abundance and diversity of mammals can be greatly affected by a number of factors. These include plant productivity (Hunter and Price 1994; Krebs et al. 1995; Polis and Strong 1996), climate (Pinter 1996; Hoogland 1995; Post et al. 1999), natural disturbance (Pickett and White 1985), disease (Dobson and May 1986), environmental change (Lancia et al. 1996; Thompson et al. 1998), and changes in numbers of large predators (McLaren and Peterson 1994; Terborgh et al. 1999; 2001; Crooks and Soule 1999; Crete 1999; Oksanen and Oksanen 2000; Miller et al. 2001).

Author(s):  
Brian Miller ◽  
Hank Harlow

Studies that investigate community relationships among mammals typically require large temporal and areal scales (Krebs et al. 1995; Estes 1996; Terborgh et al. 1999). Despite the difficulties presented by larger scales, such studies are valuable to decision-makers (Sinclair 1991; Smith et al. 1999). Understanding abundance, distribution, habitat choice, and ecological interactions of mammalian species can promote management decisions that benefit overall ecosystem health. Monitoring programs that build an ecological model of the landscape, and assess the trends in relation to biotic and abiotic changes, are essential to adaptive management, yet are seldom a standard part of management activities (Sinclair 1991; Noss and Cooperrider 1994; Lancia et al. 1996; Noss et al. 1996). Indeed, a conservation plan requires a long­term obligation to standardized ecological monitoring so that actions can be adjusted according to new information (Noss et al. 1996). Over the long term, this standardized monitoring plan will provide information on small and medium-sized mammals that will (1) assess species use of habitat, (2) monitor changes in species composition as a result of environmental change, (3) produce predictive models of small and medium­sized mammal distribution based on vegetation type, and (4) analyze the impact of wolf (Canis lupus) colonization on the mammal (and plant) community. Such standardized monitoring techniques for mammal communities have not been done in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The abundance and diversity of mammals can be greatly affected by a number of factors. These include plant productivity (Hunter and Price 1994; Krebs et al. 1995; Polis and Strong 1996), climate (Pinter 1996; Hoogland 1995; Post et al. 1999), natural disturbance (Pickett and White 1985), disease (Dobson and May 1986), and expected or unexpected environmental change (Lancia et al. 1996; Thompson et al. 1998).


2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Eby ◽  
Anna Mosser ◽  
Ali Swanson ◽  
Craig Packer ◽  
Mark Ritchie

Abstract Carnivores play a central role in ecosystem processes by exerting top-down control, while fire exerts bottom-up control in ecosystems throughout the world, yet, little is known about how fire affects short-term carnivore distributions across the landscape. Through the use of a long-term data set we investigated the distribution of lions, during the daytime, in relation to burned areas in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. We found that lions avoid burned areas despite the fact that herbivores, their prey, are attracted to burned areas. Prey attraction, however, likely results from the reduction in cover caused by burning, that may thereby decrease lion hunting success. Lions also do not preferentially utilize the edges of burned areas over unburned areas despite the possibility that edges would combine the benefit of cover with proximity to abundant prey. Despite the fact that lions avoid burned areas, lion territory size and reproductive success were not affected by the proportion of the territory burned each year. Therefore, burning does not seem to reduce lion fitness perhaps because of the heterogeneity of burned areas across the landscape or because it is possible that when hunting at night lions visit burned areas despite their daytime avoidance of these areas.


2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristiano Leite Parente ◽  
Janaína Pauline de Araújo ◽  
Maria Elisabeth de Araújo

New information about the effects of seismic surveys on cetaceans is causing increasing concern about the impact of this type of activity on marine life. The effects described include behavioral responses and changes in vocalization patterns, diversion of migratory routes, damage to the auditory system, and an increase in strandings. Although such effects could affect the diversity of species in areas where seismic research has been carried out, there is no scientific information on this subject. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between seismic surveys, oceanographic data and diversity of cetaceans recorded in Brazil following the stepping up of seismic survey activities between 1999 and 2004. The study is based on oceanographic data from the Pilot Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic (PIRATA Project), sightings made during seismic surveys, progress reports from Brazilian research projects to the International Whaling Commission, Brazilian seismic survey reports available at the Escritório de Licenciamento de Petróleo e Nuclear of the Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis (ELPN-Ibama) and complementary data from the webpage of the Agencia Nacional de Petróleo e Gás Natural (ANP). The results suggest a decrease in the diversity of species in the face of an increase in the number of seismic surveys during the years 2000 and 2001, even though there was no significant change in oceanographic patterns in this period, and that a relationship exists between diversity of cetaceans and intensity of seismic surveys between 1999 and 2004. It is recommended that data collection be improved in order to evaluate this hypothesis properly. The results suggest that species diversity might be used as a long-term indicator of the impact of seismic surveys on cetaceans.


2014 ◽  
Vol 170 (5) ◽  
pp. 791-797 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Delemer ◽  
Ph Chanson ◽  
L Foubert ◽  
F Borson-Chazot ◽  
O Chabre ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThe complex management of acromegaly has transformed this disease into a chronic condition, with the risk of patients being lost to follow-up. The objective of this study was to estimate the proportion of acromegalic patients lost to follow-up in France and to determine the impact that abandoning follow-up has on the disease and its management.DesignACROSPECT was a French national, multicentre, cross-sectional, observational study.MethodsAcromegalic patients were considered lost to follow-up if no new information had been entered in their hospital records during the previous 2 years. They were traced where possible, and data were collected by means of a recall visit or questionnaire.ResultsIn the study population, 21% of the 2392 acromegalic patients initially followed in 25 tertiary endocrinology centres were lost to follow-up. At their last follow-up visit, 30% were uncontrolled, 33% were receiving medical therapy and 53% had residual tumour. Of the 362 traced, 62 had died and 77% were receiving follow-up elsewhere; the leading reason for abandoning follow-up was that they had not been informed that it was necessary. Our analysis of the questionnaires suggests that they were not receiving optimal follow-up.ConclusionsThis study underlines the need to better inform acromegalic patients of the need for long-term follow-up, the absence of which could be detrimental to patients' health, and to develop shared care for what must now be regarded as a chronic disease.


2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 463-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanne A. Ferreira ◽  
Eduardo Nakano-Oliveira ◽  
Artur Andriolo ◽  
Gelson Genaro

Abstract The presence of domestic cats in natural areas is considered one of the main reasons for species loss, especially on islands and among native small non-volant mammals, birds and reptiles. However, in this study, we detected values opposite to those expected for species richness, abundance, and diversity among different areas when considering the presence or absence and density of these felines. We also observed that in the evaluated environments, prey availability did not influence consumption of small mammal species. Our results reinforce the theory of domestic cats’ behaviour as being opportunistic and generalist predators. In addition, we only recorded the presence of exotic species in the faeces of cats; that is, we did not capture exotic species in the traps. The close relationship between these exotic species and anthropogenic environments indicates that felines are likely hunting in areas close to the homes where they live. Assessing the impact of predation by domestic cats on native fauna is important for the development and implementation of strategic resource management and to minimize long-term impacts.


2011 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beat Meier ◽  
Anja König ◽  
Samuel Parak ◽  
Katharina Henke

This study investigates the impact of thought suppression over a 1-week interval. In two experiments with 80 university students each, we used the think/no-think paradigm in which participants initially learn a list of word pairs (cue-target associations). Then they were presented with some of the cue words again and should either respond with the target word or avoid thinking about it. In the final test phase, their memory for the initially learned cue-target pairs was tested. In Experiment 1, type of memory test was manipulated (i.e., direct vs. indirect). In Experiment 2, type of no-think instructions was manipulated (i.e., suppress vs. substitute). Overall, our results showed poorer memory for no-think and control items compared to think items across all experiments and conditions. Critically, however, more no-think than control items were remembered after the 1-week interval in the direct, but not in the indirect test (Experiment 1) and with thought suppression, but not thought substitution instructions (Experiment 2). We suggest that during thought suppression a brief reactivation of the learned association may lead to reconsolidation of the memory trace and hence to better retrieval of suppressed than control items in the long term.


2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Garate-Serafini ◽  
Jose Mendez ◽  
Patty Arriaga ◽  
Larry Labiak ◽  
Carol Reynolds

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