Field Experiments with a Totem Animal

Author(s):  
Nicolas Langlitz

This chapter follows Tetsuro Matsuzawa and his coworkers to their outdoor laboratory in Bossou, Guinea. Revered as the totem animal of the Manon and deprived of almost all primary rainforest, the Bossou chimpanzees had learned to live on human crops in an agricultural landscape. In contrast to Christophe Boesch's emphasis on so-called wild cultures, Matsuzawa speculated that historically, this chimpanzee community might have learned from the human population how to crack the oil palm nuts that local farmers cultivated. Field experiments allowed the primatologists to study how female immigrants passed on their knowledge of how to crack other kinds of nuts within the group. At this point, Japanese cultural primatology contradicted the Manon's mythological understanding of “their” apes as a bounded community of nonnatural animals. Chimpanzee road crossings provided an opportunity for a natural — or really “naturecultural” — experiment in an anthropogenic environment. Ethnoprimatologists collaborating with Matsuzawa studied the ecological interface between humans and primates and used their insights for conservationist ends. After a political conflict over the protection of a small patch of primary forest on a sacred hill, the Japanese primatologists took over the Manon's position that the livelihood of the Bossou chimpanzees was better served by plantations than by a nature reserve.

Oryx ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 275-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daoying Lan ◽  
Robin Dunbar

AbstractElevational and latitudinal patterns of species richness for birds and mammals were compared with human population density in relation to nature reserve designation in two areas of Yunnan Province, China. Results suggest that species richness is not the same for the two areas. In Gaoligongshan Region, species richness is inversely correlated with elevation and altitude, while reserve designation is positively correlated with elevation and latitude. In Jingdong County, reserve designations are positively correlated with elevation, but species richness shows no clear trends. In general, the present situation is strongly influenced by human activities. It appears that reserve designation is mismatched with species richness in Gaoligongshan Region, while there is a better fit between the two in Jingdong County. In both areas, however, it appeared that reserves were located primarily in order to reduce conflict with humans rather than to maximize conservation of biodiversity, probably because humans were responsible for forest—especially primary forest—destruction and degradation in the low-lying areas.


2021 ◽  
pp. 34-37
Author(s):  
В.К. Сердеров ◽  
Д.В. Сердерова

Большое значение в увеличении продуктивности картофеля имеет внедрение в производство перспективных высокоурожайных сортов и гибридов, приспособленных к местным природно-климатическим условиям возделывания, от чего зависят эффективность отрасли и себестоимость продукции. Цель работы – изучить влияние климатических условий на продуктивность и качественные показатели сортов и гибридов картофеля, а также использование ими благоприятных почвенно-климатических условий высокогорья Республики Дагестан, для размножения и внедрения в производство новых перспективных, высокоурожайных, приспособленных к условиям среды выращивания сортов картофеля с комплексом хозяйственно-ценных признаков. Объектом изучения послужили сорта картофеля раннего, среднераннего и среднего сроков созревания российской, белорусской и иностранной селекции. Полевые опыты закладывали в 2014–2017 годах на высоте 2000–2200 м, на землях горного опорного пункта «Курахский» Курахского района и на равнинной провинции (Прикаспийской низменности) на территории дачного массива «Наука» Махачкалинского района Республики Дагестан. Схема посадки – 70×30 см, повторность – четырехкратная. Технология выращивания картофеля – гребневая. При проведении полевых опытов использовали общепринятые методики. Практически все сорта картофеля, выращенные на равнинной провинции, сформировали высокий урожай в первый год и при дальнейшем размножении в результате развития вирусных болезней резко снизили свои продуктивные качества. Наиболее высокая урожайность в среднем за три года отмечена у сортов Жуковский ранний (20,8 т/га), Импала (20,5 т/га), Невский (17,8 т/га), Предгорный (16,9 т/га) и Удача (16,3 т/га). В свою очередь, горная провинция Дагестана характеризовалась благоприятными почвенно-климатическими условиями для возделывания как продовольственного картофеля, так и для организации первичного семеноводства на безвирусной основе и размножения перспективных сортов этой культуры. В среднем за годы исследований в горной провинции по урожайности выделились сорта Сильвана (37,4 т/га), Удача (37,6 т/га), Рокко (33,3 т/га), Импала (31,7 т/га), Жуковский ранний (29,0 т/га), Предгорный (27,7 т/га) и Примобелла (27,7 т/га), а также гибриды № 12.40/17 (43,1 т/га) и № 13.61/61 (38,8 т/га). The introduction of promising high-yielding varieties and hybrids adapted to the local natural and climatic conditions of cultivation is of great importance in increasing the productivity of potatoes, which determines the efficiency of the industry and the cost of production. The aim of the work is to study the influence of climatic conditions on the productivity and quality indicators of potato varieties and hybrids, as well as their use of favorable soil and climatic conditions in the highlands of the Republic of Dagestan, for breeding and introducing into production new promising, high-yielding, adapted to the growing environment of potato varieties with a complex of economically valuable characteristics. The object of the study was potato varieties of early, mid-early and medium maturation periods of Russian, Belarusian and foreign selection. Field experiments were conducted in 2014–2017 at an altitude of 2000–2200 m, on the lands of the mountain stronghold Kurakhsky of the Kukhar district and on the plain province (the Caspian lowland) on the territory of the suburban area Nauka of the Makhachkala district of the Republic of Dagestan. The landing scheme is 70×30 cm, the repeatability is four times. The technology of growing potatoes is combed. When conducting field experiments, generally accepted methods were used. Almost all potato varieties grown in the lowland province formed a high yield in the first year and, with further propagation, as a result of the development of viral diseases, sharply reduced their productive qualities. The highest yield on average for three years was observed in the varieties Zhukovskiy ranniy (20.8 t/ha), Impala (20.5 t/ha), Nevsky (17.8 t/ha), Predgornyy (16.9 t/ha) and Udacha (16.3 t/ha). In turn, the mountain province of Dagestan was characterized by favorable soil and climatic conditions for the cultivation of both food potatoes, and for the organization of primary seed production on a virus-free basis and the reproduction of promising varieties of this crop. On average, over the years of research in the mountain province, the varieties Silvana (37.4 t/ha), Udacha (37.6 t/ha), Rocco (33.3 t/ha), Impala (31.7 t/ha), Zhukovskiy ranniy (29.0 t/ha), Predgornyy (27.7 t/ha) and Primobella (27.7 t/ha), as well as hybrids No.12.40/17 (43.1 t/ha) and No.13.61/61 (38.8 t/ha) were distinguished by yield.


2015 ◽  
Vol 95 (8) ◽  
pp. 1607-1612 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.S. Mekhova ◽  
P.Y. Dgebuadze ◽  
V.N. Mikheev ◽  
T.A. Britayev

Previous experiments with the comatulid Himerometra robustipinna (Carpenter, 1881) demonstrated intensive host-to-host migration processes for almost all symbiotic species both within host aggregations and among hosts separated by several metres. The aim of this study was to check the ability of symbionts to complete long-distance migrations, by means of two in situ experiments which depopulated the crinoid host. Two different sets of field experiments were set up: exposure of depopulated crinoids (set 1) on stony ‘islands’ isolated from native crinoid assemblages by sandy substrate, and (set 2) in cages suspended in the water column. Hosts from set 1 were exposed for 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks to assess whether substrate has an influence on the symbionts' long-distance migrations. In set 2 cages were exposed for 10–11 days, aiming to check whether symbionts were able to disperse through the water column with currents. These experiments allow the conclusion that post-settled symbionts can actively migrate among their hosts. Symbionts are able to reach their hosts by employing two different ‘transport corridors’, by drifting or swimming in water column, and by moving on the bottom. Comparison of experimental results allows the division of symbionts into two conventional groups according to the dispersal ability of their post-settled stages: (1) species able to complete long-distance migrations, (2) species unable to migrate or having limited dispersal ability. The finding of the free-living shrimp Periclimenes diversipes Kemp, 1922 in set 2 raises the question about the factors that affect such a high degree of specialization of crinoid assemblages.


2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 615-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. McKone ◽  
Jonathan W. Moore ◽  
Christopher W. Harbison ◽  
Ian C. Holmen ◽  
Hillary C. Lyons ◽  
...  

Abstract:Amphibian populations have been declining worldwide, with multiple potential causes. At La Selva field station in north-eastern Costa Rica, previous work has shown that populations of many amphibians have decreased significantly since the 1970s, especially in primary forest. Starting in 1998, we investigated one of the most common frog species at La Selva, the poison-dart frog Oophaga pumilio (= Dendrobates pumilio). In a survey of 50 plots of 100 m2 in 1998, adult frogs were 4.6 times more abundant in secondary forest than in primary forest. Tadpoles were found only in secondary-forest plots. Almost all (89%) of the tadpoles were found in leaf axils of Dieffenbachia spp., which were much more abundant in secondary-forest than in primary-forest plots. The greater abundance of Dieffenbachia spp. in secondary forest was confirmed in a broad survey of ~11 km of trails within La Selva in 2002. When the same trails were resampled in 2012, Dieffenbachia spp. had been extirpated from 72% of the 50-m segments where plants were present in 2002; abundance was greatly reduced in the few trail segments where any Dieffenbachia spp. remained in 2012. The loss of Dieffenbachia spp., especially in secondary forest, removed the species most often used by O. pumilio for tadpole rearing. Based on counts of calling frogs in 2010, there was no difference in O. pumilio abundance in primary versus secondary forest, in striking contrast to multiple earlier surveys that found much greater frog abundance in secondary forest. We propose that the reason for the rapid decline in Dieffenbachia spp. is herbivory by the collared peccary (Pecari tajacu), which has increased in abundance at La Selva in recent years. A likely consequence is continued reduction in O. pumilio populations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Martinez-Gomez ◽  
Federico Abascal ◽  
Irwin Jungreis ◽  
Fernando Pozo ◽  
Manolis Kellis ◽  
...  

Abstract Transposable elements colonize genomes and with time may end up being incorporated into functional regions. SINE Alu elements, which appeared in the primate lineage, are ubiquitous in the human genome and more than a thousand overlap annotated coding exons. Although almost all Alu-derived coding exons appear to be in alternative transcripts, they have been incorporated into the main coding transcript in at least 11 genes. The extent to which Alu regions are incorporated into functional proteins is unclear, but we detected reliable peptide evidence to support the translation to protein of 33 Alu-derived exons. All but one of the Alu elements for which we detected peptides were frame-preserving and there was proportionally seven times more peptide evidence for Alu elements as for other primate exons. Despite this strong evidence for translation to protein we found no evidence of selection, either from cross species alignments or human population variation data, among these Alu-derived exons. Overall, our results confirm that SINE Alu elements have contributed to the expansion of the human proteome, and this contribution appears to be stronger than might be expected over such a relatively short evolutionary timeframe. Despite this, the biological relevance of these modifications remains open to question.


2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 298-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris J. Mahoney ◽  
Christy Shropshire ◽  
Peter H. Sikkema

Eleven field experiments were conducted over a 3-yr period (2010, 2011, and 2012) in conventional- and no-till soybean with a flumioxazin and pyroxasulfone premix. PRE and preplant applications were evaluated for soybean injury, weed control, and yield compared to standard herbicides. Early-season soybean injury from flumioxazin/pyroxasulfone ranged from 1 to 19%; however, by harvest, soybean yields were similar across labeled rates (160 and 200 g ai ha−1), standard treatments, and the nontreated control. Flumioxazin/pyroxasulfone provided excellent control (99 to 100%) of velvetleaf, pigweed species (redroot pigweed and smooth pigweed), and common lambsquarters across almost all rates tested (80 to 480 g ai ha−1). Common ragweed, green foxtail, and giant foxtail control increased with flumioxazin/pyroxasulfone rate. The biologically effective rates varied between tillage systems. The flumioxazin/pyroxasulfone rate required to provide 80% control (R80) of pigweed was 3 and 273 g ai ha−1under conventional- and no-till, respectively. For common ragweed, the R80was 158 g ai ha−1under conventional tillage; yet, under no-till, the rate was nonestimable. The results indicate that flumioxazin/pyroxasulfone can provide effective weed control as a setup for subsequent herbicide applications.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 12008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipankar Lahkar ◽  
M. Firoz Ahmed ◽  
Ramie H. Begum ◽  
Sunit Kumar Das ◽  
Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar ◽  
...  

 Information on the presence and distribution of species is crucial for conservation planning and management within a region.  Documentation of species assemblages in Manas National Park (MNP) in the aftermath of conflict is critical for informed conservation interventions.  For nearly two decades (1990–2010), conservation efforts in MNP were compromised by ethno−political conflict.  We conducted camera trapping surveys of terrestrial mammals across three administrative forest ranges (Panbari, Bansbari and Bhuyanpara) of MNP in 2017.  A systematic survey with 118 trap locations accumulated data over 6,173 trap-days.  We obtained 21,926 photographs of mammals belonging to 13 families and 25 species, of which 13 are threatened.  We calculated photographic capture rate index (PCRI) using independent events.  Trap specific PCRI’s were used to map the spatial variation in capture rates.  We observed variation in capture rate between Bansbari-Bhuyanpara where conflict ended in 2003 and has remained peaceful, and Panbari, a forest range where conflict ended later in 2016.  Our results further indicate lower capture rates of mammalian prey species and small felids, but higher capture rates of four large carnivores in Panbari as opposed to Bansbari-Bhuyanpara.  These results highlighted the fact that despite a history of ethno-political conflict in the region, although almost all mammalian species expected to occur in the park were detected and confirmed, present evidence indicated ethno-political conflict influences the distribution of several key species.  In depth studies assessing mammalian prey densities, distribution and density are required to further understand the effects of conflict. 


Author(s):  
Namrata Kundu ◽  
Gaurav Pant

Coffee is known to be one of the popular beverages today on the globe. Due to its easy availability and preparation, it is consumed by the population of almost all countries. This wonder crop was discovered in the 6th century in Ethiopia. Since then, people have also used various brewing methods to extract hundreds of the bioactive compounds present in these aromatic seeds. No doubt, excessive consumption of the same can be harmful too. As a functional food, coffee is known to have multiple health benefits. Coffee beans contain vitamins, minerals, caffeine, chlorogenic acid, and various other biologically active ingredients. This review briefly describes the major biologically active compounds present in these seeds – caffeine, trigonelline, diterpenes, and chlorogenic acid (CGA). It also aims to describe various bioactive activities such as antioxidant, antiproliferative, antibacterial, antiviral, etc., against variable hallmarks. Thus, explaining different pharmacological effects for the welfare of the human population.


Author(s):  
Jeffry A. Frieden

This chapter surveys US currency policy in the 1890s. The United States was on the gold standard from 1879 until 1933. For almost all that time, US currency policy was politically controversial. The controversy became particularly heated during periods of economic distress, especially in the 1890s. In what is perhaps the most famous modern political conflict over exchange rate policy, the Populist movement launched a concerted attack on the gold standard, which led up to a presidential election fought largely over gold. The rise of the Populist movement came at a pivotal time as the country had matured industrially while remaining predominantly agrarian. The battle of the standards was also a fight over whose vision of society would dominate: the big cities with their booming finance, commerce, and industries, or the countryside with its thriving cotton, tobacco, and wheat farms whose products dominated world markets.


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