scholarly journals Tracking the decline of weasels in North America

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254387
Author(s):  
David Jachowski ◽  
Roland Kays ◽  
Andrew Butler ◽  
Anne M. Hoylman ◽  
Matthew E. Gompper
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Species Of Conservation Concern ◽  
Mustela Nivalis ◽  
Trail Camera ◽  
The Status ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
And Shifts

Small carnivores are of increasing conservation concern globally, including those formerly thought to be widespread and abundant. Three weasel species (Mustela nivalis, M. frenata, and M. erminea) are distributed across most of North America, yet several recent studies have reported difficulty detecting weasels within their historical range and several states have revised the status of weasels to that of species of conservation concern. To investigate the status and trends of weasels across the United States (US) and Canada, we analyzed four separate datasets: historical harvests, museum collections, citizen scientist observations (iNaturalist), and a recent US-wide trail camera survey. We observed 87–94% declines in weasel harvest across North America over the past 60 years. Declining trapper numbers and shifts in trapping practices likely partially explain the decline in harvest. Nonetheless, after accounting for trapper effort and pelt price, we still detected a significant decline in weasel harvest for 15 of 22 evaluated states and provinces. Comparisons of recent and historical museum and observational records suggest relatively consistent distributions for M. erminea, but a current range gap of >1000 km between two distinct populations of M. nivalis. We observed a dramatic drop-off in M. frenata records since 2000 in portions of its central, Great Lakes, and southern distribution, despite extensive sampling effort. In 2019, systematic trail camera surveys at 1509 sites in 50 US states detected weasels at 14 sites, all of which were above 40o latitude. While none of these datasets are individually conclusive, they collectively support the hypothesis that weasel populations have declined in North America and highlight the need for improved methods for detecting and monitoring weasels. By identifying population declines for small carnivores that were formerly abundant across North America, our findings echo recent calls to expand investigations into the conservation need of small carnivores globally.

scholarly journals White-nose syndrome-related changes to Mid-Atlantic bat communities across an urban-to-rural gradient

BMC Zoology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Deeley ◽  
Joshua B. Johnson ◽  
W. Mark Ford ◽  
J. Edward Gates
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
National Capital Region ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Species Of Conservation Concern ◽  
National Capital ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Bat Conservation ◽  
Conservation Concern

Abstract Background White-nose Syndrome (WNS) has reduced the abundance of many bat species within the United States’ Mid-Atlantic region. To determine changes within the National Park Service National Capital Region (NCR) bat communities, we surveyed the area with mist netting and active acoustic sampling (2016–2018) and compared findings to pre-WNS (2003–2004) data. Results The results indicated the continued presence of the threatened Myotis septentrionalis (Northern Long-eared bat) and species of conservation concern, including Perimyotis subflavus (Tri-colored bat), Myotis leibii (Eastern Small-footed bat) and Myotis lucifugus (Little Brown bat). However, we documented a significant reduction in the abundance and distribution of M. lucifugus and P. subflavus, a decrease in the distribution of M. septentrionalis, and an increase in the abundance of Eptesicus fuscus (Big Brown bat). Conclusions Documented post-WNS M. septentrionalis recruitment suggests that portions of the NCR may be important bat conservation areas. Decreases in distribution and abundance of P. subflavus and M. lucifugus indicate probable extirpation from many previously occupied portions of the region.

Taxonomic studies on the genus Atrichum in North America

1969 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert R. Ireland
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
North America ◽  
North American ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
The United States ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Taxonomic Study ◽  
Chromosome Counts ◽  
The Status ◽  
Taxonomic Studies

A taxonomic study was made of several North American taxa in the genus Atrichum. The primary emphasis was on the Canadian taxa and a key to the six species (A. altecristatum, A. angustatum, A. crispum, A. oerstedianum, A. selwynii, A. undulatum) and one variety (A. undulatum var. gracilisetum) of the country is presented. Atrichum oerstedianum, which has been confused with A. undulatum, is added to the moss flora of the United States and Canada. The distribution of A. crispum is clarified and a detailed study of the species revealed new morphological characters that are useful to distinguish it. A variety of A. undulatum, the var. altecristatum, is raised to the rank of a species and morphological and distributional data are given to support the status of A. selwynii as a distinct species. The first chromosome counts are reported for A. selwynii (n = 7) and A. altecristatum (n = 14). Detailed descriptions are provided for A. altecristatum, A. crispum, A. oerstedianum, and A. selwynii.

scholarly journals When to switch from simple random to probability-based sampling in mapping and monitoring of rare habitats and species?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olav Skarpaas ◽  
Einar Heegard ◽  
Erik Framstad ◽  
Rune Halvorsen
Keyword(s):  
Random Sampling ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Simple Random Sample ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Species Of Conservation Concern ◽  
Target Prevalence ◽  
Predicted Probability ◽  
Conservation Concern

Many habitats and species of conservation concern are too rare to be adequately represented in a simple random sample of observation units, e.g., for monitoring purposes. Here, we explore possibilities and limitations of a promising alternative approach, probability-based sampling, by which the probability of being sampled is a function of the predicted probability of occurrence in a potential sampling unit. We compare probability-based vs. random sampling for rare and common target phenomena by simulating variables at three nested sample levels allowing investigation of, e.g., presence or absence of a habitat, presence or abundance of a species in the habitat, and properties of this species, and by deriving theoretical limits for the different sampling designs based on a priori knowledge of the properties of the system. We show that the lower limit for target prevalence, allowing for reliable estimation of its properties, can be expressed as a function of the acceptable precision, the sampling effort and variable parameters. The simulations confirm these theoretically derived lower prevalence limits. As expected, lower demands on precision and higher sampling effort allow investigation of rarer and less predictable phenomena. Probability-based sampling gives sufficiently precise estimates for phenomena with prevalence several orders of magnitude lower than simple random sampling, as well as more precise estimates for common phenomena. This suggests a substantial unrealized potential for the use of probability-based sampling in biodiversity and conservation studies. We demonstrate how our results can be applied in sampling design for veteran oaks with many rare and threatened beetles.

Local trends in abundance of migratory bats across 20 years

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana M Green ◽  
Liam P McGuire ◽  
Mark C Vanderwel ◽  
Craig K R Willis ◽  
Matthew J Noakes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Declines ◽  
Lasiurus Cinereus ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Species Of Conservation Concern ◽  
Scale Population ◽  
Time Of Year ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
Relative Change ◽  
Lasionycteris Noctivagans ◽  
Annual Mortality

Abstract Hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus) and silver-haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans) are species of conservation concern because of the documented annual mortality that occurs at wind energy facilities. Several recent studies have predicted continental-scale declines of hoary bat populations due to interactions with wind turbines. We predicted a decrease in captures at a summer site over 20 years where researchers have captured bats using generally consistent methods. We developed a hierarchical Bayesian model to estimate the relative change in the expected number of captures while controlling for time of year, temperature, and netting effort. We found no decrease in the number of captures for either species. We suggest that the lack of decrease observed at our study site may be a result of compensatory immigration, despite potential broader-scale population declines.

The Approach of the Fiqh Council of North America towards Identity Problems of Contemporary Muslim Minorities

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 44-63
Author(s):  
Sümeyra Yakar ◽  
Emine Enise Yakar
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
The United States ◽  
American Identity ◽  
Muslim Country ◽  
Muslim Americans ◽  
Muslim Identity ◽  
Contemporary World ◽  
The Status ◽  
Permanent Settlement ◽  
Identity Crises

Abstract The status of being a Muslim minority in a non-Muslim country has obtained public and international attention with the consequence of globalization and immigration in the contemporary world. The increasing rate of immigration to the United States after the 1980s resulted in a new identity that mainly includes two main ingredients: Muslim identity and American identity. Especially, the following generation of the first immigrants has unexpectedly confronted the issue of an identity crisis ensuing from the simultaneous belonging to American and Muslim identities. With permanent settlement and acquiring American citizenship, Muslim Americans have shouldered dual responsibilities and duties. Occasionally, the dual identity of Muslim Americans has resulted in clashes between the religious and citizenship responsibilities. The Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA), a voluntarily established fatwā institution, tries to find Islamic legal solutions to that of American Muslims’ paradoxical predicaments. In the light of particular fatwās (legal opinion) issued by the FCNA, this paper will analyse how the identity crises of Muslim Americans are resolved; which Islamic legal methodologies are predominantly deployed to obliterate the mundane and religious paradoxes of those Muslim Americans; and whether the preponderance is given to American identity or Muslim identity by the FCNA.

The importance of representative inventories for lichen conservation assessments: the case of Cladonia norvegica and C. parasitica

2009 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piret LÕHMUS ◽  
Asko LÕHMUS
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Balanced Design ◽  
Species Of Conservation Concern ◽  
The Status ◽  
Population Sizes ◽  
Conservation Assessments ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
Diverse Data ◽  
Lichen Conservation ◽  
Made In

AbstractConservation assessments of lichens have usually been based on scattered and methodologically diverse data. We illustrate the contribution of standardized inventories to conventional data sources by assessing the status of two conspicuous epixylic Cladonia species of conservation concern in Estonia. A time-limited inventory of all lichen species was carried out in 92 stands (2 ha each) in a balanced design of forests and clear-cuts. Cladonia parasitica (previously considered Regionally Extinct) was present in 13 stands with a total of 33 individual records, almost exclusively in dry boreal old-growth forests and clear-cuts. Thirty-six records of C. norvegica (previously six records) were made in 17 stands, most frequently in mature meso-eutrophic forests. On average, 1·5 hours of inventory were needed to discover C. parasitica in a stand, and 2 hours for C. norvegica. The scarcity of old records was probably due to the low local abundance of the species, their habitats being unpopular among lichenologists and expenditure of too short an inventory time in the field. Using habitat and frequency data, we estimate that the national population sizes of the species clearly exceed those set as IUCN criteria for species at risk. The key issue is the expected trend in substratum abundance, which suggests C. parasitica to be Near Threatened. We recommend stratified random sampling as an efficient method to collect quantitative information for lichen flora assessments.

High density and survival of a native small carnivore, the Florida spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius ambarvalis), in south-central Florida

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen N Harris ◽  
Jennifer L Froehly ◽  
Stephen L Glass ◽  
Christina L Hannon ◽  
Erin L Hewett Ragheb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Decline ◽  
Density Estimates ◽  
Mark Recapture ◽  
Survival Estimate ◽  
Central Florida ◽  
South Central ◽  
Species Of Conservation Concern ◽  
The Status ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
Spilogale Putorius

Abstract The eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) is a species of conservation concern across much of its range and has experienced a population decline since the 1940s. Little is known about the Florida spotted skunk (S. p. ambarvalis), a subspecies endemic to peninsular Florida, but previous studies and the frequency of incidental observations suggest that populations of this subspecies might be more abundant than the two eastern spotted skunk subspecies that occur elsewhere. To better understand the status and demography of the Florida spotted skunk, we assessed the density and survival of a population occurring predominantly in dry prairie habitat in south-central Florida. To obtain density estimates, we trapped spotted skunks on a mark–recapture grid over 11 independent 4-day trapping sessions from 2016 to 2018. To obtain survival estimates, we monitored weekly survival of 38 radiocollared spotted skunks (20 collared initially in 2016 and 18 collared initially in 2017) from February 2016 to August 2017. We captured a minimum of 91 unique spotted skunks on 404 occasions on the mark–recapture grid and our density estimates ranged from 6.52 ± 2.93 skunks/km2 to 23.29 ± 7.65 skunks/km2, depending on trapping session, but seasonal differences in density were not significant. The sex ratio of spotted skunks at our site was 1.0M:3.8F. Mean annual survival for all spotted skunks was 0.714 (0.503–0.925, 95% CI), and sex, season, and year did not have significant effects on survival. This survival estimate is the highest reported thus far for any skunk species. Collectively, the density and survival estimates from our study are higher than those of many other mephitids and mustelids of similar size, and these findings reinforce the value of studying locally abundant populations of small carnivores to better inform the conservation, management, and potential restoration of these species in the future.

scholarly journals Long-term patterns of cave-exiting activity of hibernating bats in western North America

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jericho C. Whiting ◽  
Bill Doering ◽  
Ken Aho ◽  
Jason Rich
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Barometric Pressure ◽  
Western North America ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Corynorhinus Townsendii ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Species Of Conservation Concern ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
Low Wind Speeds

AbstractUnderstanding frequency and variation of cave-exiting activity after arousal from torpor of hibernating bats is important for bat ecology and conservation, especially considering white-nose syndrome. In winter from 2011 to 2018, we acoustically monitored, and counted in hibernacula, two species of conservation concern—western small-footed myotis (Myotis ciliolabrum) and Townsend’s big-eared bats (Corynorhinus townsendii)—in 9 caves located in important habitat for these species in western North America. We investigated if cave-exiting activity differed by species, cave, number of hibernating bats, moon phase, and weather variables. Both species exited hibernacula during all winter months, but most activity occurred in March followed by November. Although we counted almost 15 times more Townsend’s big-eared bats during hibernacula surveys, we documented western small-footed myotis exiting caves 3 times more than Townsend’s big-eared bats. Cave-exiting activity increased with increasing number of hibernating bats, but more so for western small-footed myotis. Both species of bats were active during warm weather and low wind speeds. Western small-footed myotis were more active during colder temperatures, higher wind speeds, and greater change in barometric pressure than Townsend’s big-eared bats. Our results provide a long-term dataset of cave-exiting activity after arousal from torpor during hibernation for these species before the arrival of white-nose syndrome.

Multicultural Assessment of Personality and Psychopathology in the United States: Still Art, Not Yet Science, and Controversial

1998 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard H. Dana
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Racial Identity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Therapeutic Assessment ◽  
Culturally Competent ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
The Status ◽  
Training Research ◽  
Multicultural Assessment ◽  
Personality Description

This paper describes the status of multicultural assessment training, research, and practice in the United States. Racism, politicization of issues, and demands for equity in assessment of psychopathology and personality description have created a climate of controversy. Some sources of bias provide an introduction to major assessment issues including service delivery, moderator variables, modifications of standard tests, development of culture-specific tests, personality theory and cultural/racial identity description, cultural formulations for psychiatric diagnosis, and use of findings, particularly in therapeutic assessment. An assessment-intervention model summarizes this paper and suggests dimensions that compel practitioners to ask questions meriting research attention and providing avenues for developments of culturally competent practice.

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