Fault bars and stable isotope signatures reveal effects of severe weather stressors on fledgling sparrows

In August 2013, we observed a high incidence (44%) of synchronous fault bars across the rectrices of juvenile Grasshopper Sparrows (Ammodrammus savannarum) captured near El Reno, Oklahoma. Earlier that year, on May 31, the site was struck by a severe storm which rained hailstones exceeding 5.5 cm diameter and spawned an historic 4.2 km-wide tornado <8 km to the south of the site. An assessment of Grasshopper Sparrow nesting phenology indicated that a large number of nestlings were likely growing tail feathers when the storm hit. To assess the nature of the fault bars, we measured δ15N and δ13C stable isotope ratios within four 0.25-0.40 mg feather sections taken from the distal end of a tail feather from 18 juveniles captured at the site in August. The fault bar, if present, was contained within only one section. Fault bars were located at various positions on the distal half of feathers, and fault bar width significantly increased as a function of distance from the tip (i.e., age at formation). After correcting for consistent, natural δ15N variation across sections, we found that feather sections containing or located immediately proximal to fault bars showed significantly higher δ15N than sections from the same feathers located distal to or further from the fault bar region. We also observed significantly higher δ13C but lower δ15N in the feathers of juveniles with fault bars compared to normal appearing juveniles. Our findings support the hypothesis that an abrupt environmental stressor affected Grasshopper Sparrow chicks of various ages, and caused short term catabolism of muscle tissue that resulted in a spike in δ15N deposited into growing feathers. Furthermore, higher δ15N and lower δ13C among juveniles lacking fault bars suggested a seasonal change in diet consistent with these individuals hatching after the May 31 storm. Severe weather events may represent major stressors to ground-nesting birds, and we recommend exploiting opportunities to study the effects of severe weather as part of ongoing research efforts.

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Quasi-Real Time Monitoring of Lightning and Weather in the Philippines and Western North Pacific for the Severe Weather Intensity Prediction

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-13950 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mitsuteru Sato ◽

Yukihiro Takahashi ◽

Hisayuki Kubota ◽

Akira Noda ◽

Junichi Hamada ◽

...

Keyword(s):

International Cooperation ◽

Tropical Cyclones ◽

Science And Technology ◽

The Philippines ◽

Severe Weather ◽

Current Status ◽

Short Term ◽

Japan International Cooperation Agency ◽

Weather Events ◽

Metro Manila

<p>As many severe weather events, such as torrential rainfall, tropical cyclones, tornados, and downbursts, are closely related to lightning activities, a continuous monitoring of thunderstorms is a key component for the prediction of the severe weather intensity development and for mitigating the natural disasters caused by these severe weather events. &#160;The integration of lightning data has the high potential contributing to short term forecasts of thunderstorms, further meteorological studies, and supplement disaster risk response strategies. &#160;This presents the activities and current status of the Understanding Lightning and Thunderstorm (ULAT) project, which is led by Hokkaido University and other Japanese institutes and Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in the Philippines supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). &#160;The ULAT Project is aimed at the following: a) establishment of a dense network of lightning and weather detectors in Metro Manila and nearby municipalities in order to provide thunderstorm &#8220;now-casting&#8221; and supplement weather-related research and disaster response studies and strategies; b) establishment of a ground receiving station for the direct reception of the satellite imagery and utilization of existing ground receiving facilities in order to develop effective observation methods by comparing 3D structures of thunderclouds from satellite images with lightning/precipitation data; c) establishment of a methodology for short term forecasts; and d) development of software for sharing information on short term forecast weather to concerned agencies. &#160;Especially for the purpose a), we have developed new lightning and weather observation systems, called as P-POTEKA and V-POTEKA. &#160;These systems can be automatically operated without any daily maintenance. &#160;So far, we have installed 35 P-POTEKA systems in Metro Manila and 7 and 4 V-POTEKA systems in the Philippines and in Indonesia, Palau, Guam, and Okinawa in Japan, respectively. &#160;At the presentation, we will show the updated status of this project and will show the initial results derived from the cross correlation analyses between lightning activities monitored by V-POTEKA systems and the intensity developments of tropical cyclones.</p><p>(This research is supported by Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS), funded by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) / Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).)</p>

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Pallid bands in feathers and associated stable isotope signatures reveal effects of severe weather stressors on fledgling sparrows

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.814 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. e814 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jeremy D. Ross ◽

Jeffrey F. Kelly ◽

Eli S. Bridge ◽

Michael H. Engel ◽

Dan L. Reinking ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotope ◽

Severe Weather ◽

Stable Isotope Signatures

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Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Antipsychotic Therapy in the Elderly Patients with Dementia

Psychiatry ◽

10.30629/2618-6667-2020-18-4-6-15 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 6-15

Author(s):

I. V. Kolykhalov

Keyword(s):

Neuropsychiatric Symptoms ◽

The Elderly ◽

Psychotic Symptoms ◽

Mixed Dementia ◽

Short Term ◽

Antipsychotic Therapy ◽

Dementia Patients ◽

Frequency Of Use ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

High Incidence

The objective of the study was to investigate syndromal-nosological specificities of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) and the frequency of use of antipsychotics in patients with various types of dementias, institutionalized to geriatric units of mental hospitals.Patients and methods: a total of 106 in-patients of three psychogeriatric units were examined. The median age of patients is 75 years [69; 80].The diagnostic distribution of patients at the time of the examination was as follows: in 33 subjects (31.1%) Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was diagnosed, in 25 (23.6%) - mixed dementia (MD), in 32 (30.2%) - vascular dementia (VD) and in 16 (15.1%) patients had dementia of complex origin (DCO).Results: a high incidence (54.7%) of NPS was found in patients with dementia of various origins. The greatest number of patients with behavioral and psychotic symptoms was found in AD and MD. The proportion of dementia patients with such disorders in each of these types of dementia is about 70%, while in CGD and VD, the proportion of patients with NPS is noticeably smaller (30% and 40%, respectively). For the treatment of NPS, antipsychotics were most often prescribed, but their use caused adverse events (AEs) in 1/3 of cases. Patients with VD are most susceptible to the development of AE, and AD patients are the least susceptible.Conclusion: the study showed that NPS are one of the important components of dementia, regardless of the nosology and stage of the disease. The treatment of NPS in dementia is particularly challenging because, although the symptoms cause significant distress, there are currently no effective alternative therapies. The risk of AE can be minimized by carefully considering the indications for prescribing antipsychotics and their short-term use, regular monitoring of the patient’s condition, and educating caregivers.

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Diet of Leptobotia elongata revealed by stomach content analysis and inferred from stable isotope signatures

Environmental Biology of Fishes ◽

10.1007/s10641-015-0414-4 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 98 (8) ◽

pp. 1965-1978 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

L. Li ◽

Q. Wei Wei ◽

J. Ming Wu ◽

H. Zhang ◽

Y. Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Content Analysis ◽

Stable Isotope ◽

Stomach Content ◽

Stomach Content Analysis ◽

Stable Isotope Signatures

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Spatial variations in the warming trend and the transition to more severe weather in midlatitudes

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-80701-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Francisco Estrada ◽

Dukpa Kim ◽

Pierre Perron

Keyword(s):

Radiative Forcing ◽

Warming Trend ◽

Severe Weather ◽

Montreal Protocol ◽

The Arctic ◽

Extreme Weather Events ◽

Jet Stream ◽

Atmospheric Blocking ◽

Regional Warming ◽

Weather Events

AbstractDue to various feedback processes called Arctic amplification, the high-latitudes’ response to increases in radiative forcing is much larger than elsewhere in the world, with a warming more than twice the global average. Since the 1990’s, this rapid warming of the Arctic was accompanied by no-warming or cooling over midlatitudes in the Northern Hemisphere in winter (the hiatus). The decrease in the thermal contrast between Arctic and midlatitudes has been connected to extreme weather events in midlatitudes via, e.g., shifts in the jet stream towards the equator and increases in the probability of high-latitude atmospheric blocking. Here we present an observational attribution study showing the spatial structure of the response to changes in radiative forcing. The results also connect the hiatus with diminished contrast between temperatures over regions in the Arctic and midlatitudes. Recent changes in these regional warming trends are linked to international actions such as the Montreal Protocol, and illustrate how changes in radiative forcing can trigger unexpected responses from the climate system. The lesson for climate policy is that human intervention with the climate is already large enough that even if stabilization was attained, impacts from an adjusting climate are to be expected.

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