scholarly journals Identification of priority shorebird conservation areas in the Caribbean

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9831
Author(s):  
Jessica R. Cañizares ◽  
J. Michael Reed
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Reserve Network ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Charadrius Wilsonia ◽  
Himantopus Mexicanus ◽  
Del Rio

Despite being geographically central to the Atlantic Americas Flyway for migratory birds, the Caribbean is often overlooked or underappreciated when addressing the conservation of North American shorebirds. To our knowledge, this is the first Caribbean-wide assessment of shorebird use in the region. We analyzed 211,013 shorebird species observations in the insular Caribbean from 2010–2019, representing 78,794 eBird checklists and cumulative total of 2.1 million shorebirds of 45 species. We conclude that priority areas for shorebird conservation include Humedal Sur de Pinar del Río (Humedal Sur de Los Palacios) in Cuba, and Monte Cristi in the Dominican Republic as they each likely support more than 20,000 shorebirds annually, and they host large abundances of geographic populations for particular taxa. Specifically, the former site hosts >10% of Short-billed Dowitchers (Limnodromus griseus griseus/hendersoni), and >1% of Black-bellied Plovers (Pluvialis squatarola cynosurae) and Wilson’s Plovers (Charadrius wilsonia wilsonia), while the latter site supports large numbers of Black-necked Stilts (Himantopus mexicanus). We also identified at least 15 additional sites that likely cross the 1% population threshold for one or more shorebird taxa. These sites may qualify for special international designations such as Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas or as part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network; 11 of the 17 sites we identified do not hold either of these titles. Data on subspecific or geographic distributions of three species, Snowy Plover (C. nivosus), Black-necked Stilt, and Killdeer (C. vociferous), are insufficient to reveal if the sites with the highest abundances were mostly comprised of Caribbean populations or migrants, but the limited information suggests that they also likely exceed 1% thresholds on several islands. Based on our results, we recommend more extensive systematic surveys of shorebirds in the Caribbean, including research on turnover rates and movements between islands, as well as assimilation of shorebird survey data not yet included in the eBird portal.

A Precolumbian Presence of Venetian Glass Trade Beads in Arctic Alaska

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Michael L. Kunz ◽  
Robin O. Mills
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Activation Analysis ◽  
Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
Eastern Coast ◽  
Great Lakes Region ◽  
Late Prehistoric ◽  
Bering Strait ◽  
Eurasian Continent ◽  
Arctic Alaska ◽  
The Caribbean

Excavation at three Late Prehistoric Eskimo sites in arctic Alaska has revealed the presence of Venetian glass trade beads in radiocarbon-dated contexts that predate Columbus's discovery of the Western Hemisphere. The bead variety, commonly known as “Early Blue” and “Ichtucknee Plain,” has been confirmed by expert examination and comparative Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA). The beads are present in sites throughout the Caribbean, the eastern coast of Central and North America, and the eastern Great Lakes region, where they are commonly found in sites dating between approximately AD 1550 and 1750, although a diminishing presence continues into the early 1800s. Beads of this variety have not previously been reported from Alaska. Ascribed to Venetian production by their precolumbian age, the beads challenge the currently accepted chronology for the development of their production methodology, availability, and presence in the Americas. In the absence of trans-Atlantic communication, the most likely route these beads traveled from Europe to northwestern Alaska is across Eurasia and over the Bering Strait. This is the first documented instance of the presence of indubitable European materials in prehistoric sites in the Western Hemisphere as the result of overland transport across the Eurasian continent.

The Nature of the South

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Lyman Bushman
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
North America ◽  
Temperature Gradient ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
The South ◽  
The North ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Plantation Agriculture ◽  
Southern Colonies

Plantation agriculture in the western hemisphere extended from Brazil northward through the Caribbean to the northern boundary of Maryland. This geography created a line in North America noted by seventeenth-century imperial economists. The southern colonies produced crops needed in the home land making the South far more valuable to the empire than the North. Plantation agriculture stopped at the Maryland-Pennsylvania border because the climate made slavery impractical north of that line. Only farmers who produced valuable exports could afford the price of slaves. Tobacco, though it could be grown in the North, was not commercially feasible there. The growing season had to be long enough to get a crop in the ground while also planting corn for subsistence, allow the tobacco to mature, and harvest it before the first frost. Tobacco was practical within the zone of the 180-day growing season whose isotherm outlines the areas where slavery flourished. Within this zone, the ground could be worked all but a month or two in winter, giving slaves plenty to do. Cattle could also forage for themselves, reducing the need for hay. Southern farmers could devote themselves to provisions and market crops, increasing their wealth substantially compared to the North where haying occupied much of the summer. Differing agro-systems developed along a temperature gradient running from North to South with contrasting crops and labor systems attached to each.

The Cat’s-Paw

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Mexico City ◽  
New World ◽  
The United States ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
Sovereign State ◽  
The Family ◽  
Napoleon Iii ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Death Knell

In the decades before the Civil War many Southerners argued that their slaveholding region should expand territorially beyond the boundaries of the United States into Latin America and the Caribbean, especially Cuba. Instead, during the Civil War the Confederacy renounced the capture any new territory in the Americas. Historians have neglected to explain fully the South’s failure to to fulfill its prewar ambitions to expand territorially in the New World after secession. Patrick J. Kelly argues that examining the Southern rebellion from the perspective of Mexico City, Havana, London and Paris reveals the stark geopolitical realities facing the Confederate nation in the New World. Instead of dominating the New World, the Southern rebellion served as a pawn, especially to the French Emperor Napoleon III, in hemispheric affairs. Ultimately, the Confederacy proved too weak internationally to to capture any new hemispheric territory or gain the foreign recognition it sought in order to operate as a sovereign state in the family of nations. In an ironic twist, instead of insuring the future of Southern slavery, secession marked the death knell of the South’s dream of creating an empire for slavery in the Western Hemisphere.

scholarly journals Fall Migration Routes, Timing, and Wintering Sites of North American Ospreys as Determined by Satellite Telemetry

The Condor ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 715-724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark S. Martell ◽  
Charles J. Henny ◽  
Peter E. Nye ◽  
Matthew J. Solensky
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
El Salvador ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Satellite Telemetry ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pandion Haliaetus ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Del Rio

Abstract Satellite telemetry was used to determine fall migratory movements of Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) breeding in the United States. Study areas were established along the lower Columbia River between Oregon and Washington; in north-central Minnesota; on Shelter Island, New York; and in southern New Jersey. Seventy-four adults (25 males, 49 females) were tracked from 1995 through 1999. Migration routes differed among populations but not by sex. Western Ospreys migrated through California and to a lesser degree other western states and wintered in Mexico (88%), El Salvador (6%), and Honduras (6%) (25.9°N to 13.0°N and 108.3°W to 87.3°W). Minnesota Ospreys migrated along three routes: (1) through the Central U.S. and then along the east coast of Mexico, (2) along the Mississippi River Valley, then across the Gulf of Mexico, or (3) through the southeastern U.S., then across the Caribbean. East Coast birds migrated along the eastern seaboard of the U.S., through Florida, and across the Caribbean. Midwestern birds wintered from Mexico south to Bolivia (22.35°N to 13.64°S, and 91.75°W to 61.76°W), while East Coast birds wintered from Florida to as far south as Brazil (27.48°N to 18.5°S and 80.4°W to 57.29°W). Dates of departure from breeding areas differed significantly between sexes and geographic regions, with females leaving earlier than males. Western birds traveled a shorter distance than either midwestern or eastern Ospreys. Females traveled farther than males from the same population, which resulted in females typically wintering south of males. Rutas de Migración Otoñales, Coordinación y Sitios de Invernada de Pandion haliaetus Determinados por Telemetría Satelital Resumen. Se utilizó telemetría satelital para determinar los movimientos de migración de otoño de individuos de Pandion haliaetus que nidifican en los Estados Unidos. Las áreas de estudio se establecieron a lo largo del Río Columbia entre Oregon y Washington; en el centro-norte de Minnesota; en la Isla Shelter, Nueva York; y en el sur de Nueva Jersey. Setenta y cuatro adultos (25 machos, 49 hembras) fueron seguidos mediante telemetría desde 1995 hasta 1999. Las rutas de migración se diferenciaron entre poblaciones pero no entre sexos. Los individuos de P. haliaetus del oeste, migraron a través de California y en menor grado a través de otros estados del oeste e invernaron en México (88%), El Salvador (6%) y Honduras (6%) (25.9°N a 13.0°N y 108.3°O a 87.3°O). Las aves de Minnesota migraron a lo largo de tres rutas: (1) a través del los E.E.U.U. centrales y luego a lo largo de la costa este de México, (2) a lo largo del valle del Río Mississippi y luego a través del Golfo de México, o (3) a través del sur de los E.E.U.U. y luego a través del Caribe. Las aves de la costa este, migraron a lo largo de la costa este de los E.E.U.U., por Florida y a través del Caribe. Las aves del medio-oeste, invernaron desde México hacia el sur hasta Bolivia (22.35°N a 13.64°S, y 91.75°O a 61.76°O), mientras que las aves de la costa este invernaron desde Florida hasta tan al sur como Brasil (27.48°N a 18.5°S y 80.4°O a 57.29°O). Las fechas de partida desde las áreas de nidificación difirieron significativamente entre sexos y regiones geográficas, partiendo las hembras antes que los machos. Las aves del oeste viajaron distancias más cortas que las aves del medio-oeste y del este. Considerando una misma población, las hembras viajaron más lejos que los machos, lo que resultó en que las hembras invernaron típicamente más al sur que los machos.

scholarly journals Two Newly Described Begomoviruses of Macroptilium lathyroides and Common Bean

2003 ◽  
Vol 93 (7) ◽  
pp. 774-783 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Idris ◽  
E. Hiebert ◽  
J. Bird ◽  
J. K. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Common Bean ◽  
Mosaic Virus ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
Yellow Mosaic Virus ◽  
Nucleotide Identity ◽  
Caribbean Region ◽  
Golden Yellow ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Macroptilium Lathyroides

Macroptilium lathyroides, a perennial weed in the Caribbean region and Central America, is a host of Macroptilium yellow mosaic Florida virus (MaYMFV) and Macroptilium mosaic Puerto Rico virus (MaMPRV). The genomes of MaYMFV and MaMPRV were cloned from M. lathyroides and/or field-infected bean and the DNA sequences were determined. Cloned A and B components for both viruses were infectious when inoculated to M. lathyroides and common bean. Comparison of the DNA sequences for cloned A and B components with well-studied begomovirus indicated that MaMPRV (bean and M. lathyroides) and MaYMFV (M. lathyroides) are unique, previously undescribed begomo-viruses from the Western Hemisphere. Phylogenetic analysis of viral A components indicated that the closest relative of MaYMFV are members of the Bean golden yellow mosaic virus (BGYMV) group, at 76 to 78% nucleotide identity, whereas the closest relative for the A component of MaMPRV was Rhynchosia golden mosaic virus at 78% nucleotide identity. In contrast, BGYMV is the closest relative for the B component of both MaYMFV and MaMPRV, with which they share ≈68.0 and ≈72% identity, respectively. The incongruent taxonomic placement for the bipartite components for MaMPRV indicates that they did not evolve entirely along a common path. MaYMFV and MaMPRV caused distinctive symptoms in bean and M. lathyroides and were transmissible by the whitefly vector and by grafting; however, only MaYMFV was mechanically transmissible. The experimental host range for the two viruses was similar and included species within the families Fabaceae and Malvaceae, but only MaYMFV infected Malva parviflora and soybean. These results collectively indicate that MaMPRV and MaYMFV are new, previously undescribed species of the BGYMV group, a clade previously known to contain only strains and isolates of BGYMV from the Caribbean region that infect Phaseolus spp. Both MaYMFV and MaMPRV may pose an economic threat to bean production in the region.

scholarly journals Continent-wide variation in feather colour of a migratory songbird in relation to body condition and moulting locality

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Ryan Norris ◽  
Peter P Marra ◽  
T Kurt Kyser ◽  
Laurene M Ratcliffe ◽  
Robert Montgomerie
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Carotenoid Content ◽  
Wintering Grounds ◽  
Previous Season ◽  
Yellow Orange ◽  
Orange Colour ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Migratory Songbird ◽  
Colour Signals

Understanding the causes of variation in feather colour in free-living migratory birds has been challenging owing to our inability to track individuals during the moulting period when colours are acquired. Using stable-hydrogen isotopes to estimate moulting locality, we show that the carotenoid-based yellow–orange colour of American redstart ( Setophaga ruticilla ) tail feathers sampled on the wintering grounds in Central America and the Caribbean is related to the location where feathers were grown the previous season across North America. Males that moulted at southerly latitudes were more likely to grow yellowish feathers compared with males that moulted more orange–red feathers further north. Independent samples obtained on both the breeding and the wintering grounds showed that red chroma—an index of carotenoid content—was not related to the mean daily feather growth rate, suggesting that condition during moult did not influence feather colour. Thus, our results support the hypothesis that feather colour is influenced by ecological conditions at the locations where the birds moulted. We suggest that these colour signals may be influenced by geographical variation in diet related to the availability of carotenoids.

scholarly journals Annual and Seasonal Variation in Shorebird Abundance in the St. Lawrence River Estuary during Fall Migration

2018 ◽  
Vol 131 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yves Turcotte ◽  
Jean-Francois Lamarre ◽  
Joel Bety
Keyword(s):  
General Trend ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
Ecological Value ◽  
Reserve Network ◽  
Semipalmated Sandpiper ◽  
Peak Abundance ◽  
Effective Conservation ◽  
St Lawrence River

Many north American shorebird populations are declining. it is therefore urgent to identify major sites used during their annual cycle to achieve effective conservation measures. our objective was to expand some aspects of the knowledge base needed to assess the ecological value of the St. Lawrence River Estuary for shorebird conservation. Here, we present the results of the most intensive shorebird survey ever conducted in the St. Lawrence River Estuary during fall migration. Surveys were conducted between St-Jean-Port-Joli and St-Simon-sur-Mer, Quebec, Canada, in 2011 and 2012, from late June/early July through late november, corresponding to the migration period of all species potentially present in the study area. The Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) was one of the two most abundant species during both years of our study (most abundant species, followed by Dunlin [Calidris alpina] and Black-bellied Plover [Pluvialis squatarola] in 2011; second to Blackbellied Plover in 2012). Considering the entire shorebird community, abundance of individuals peaked in early September. Peak abundance occurred earlier for adults than for juveniles. For most species, juveniles largely outnumbered adults. Juveniles were relatively less abundant in 2012 than in 2011. This reflected a general trend observed in northeastern north America between those years, suggesting a lower breeding success in 2012. Given its importance as a staging site for juvenile birds (study area used annually by up to a few hundred thousand shorebirds) and therein, its conservation value, we recommend that the St. Lawrence River Estuary should be included within the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve network.

scholarly journals Impact of the Atlantic Warm Pool on the Summer Climate of the Western Hemisphere

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (20) ◽  
pp. 5021-5040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunzai Wang ◽  
Sang-ki Lee ◽  
David B. Enfield
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Moisture Transport ◽  
Caribbean Sea ◽  
Warm Pool ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
Trade Winds ◽  
The North ◽  
Atlantic Warm Pool ◽  
Tropical North Atlantic ◽  
The Caribbean

Abstract The Atlantic warm pool (AWP) is a large body of warm water that comprises the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the western tropical North Atlantic. Located to its northeastern side is the North Atlantic subtropical high (NASH), which produces the tropical easterly trade winds. The easterly trade winds carry moisture from the tropical North Atlantic into the Caribbean Sea, where the flow intensifies, forming the Caribbean low-level jet (CLLJ). The CLLJ then splits into two branches: one turning northward and connecting with the Great Plains low-level jet (GPLLJ), and the other continuing westward across Central America into the eastern North Pacific. The easterly CLLJ and its westward moisture transport are maximized in the summer and winter, whereas they are minimized in the fall and spring. This semiannual feature results from the semiannual variation of sea level pressure in the Caribbean region owing to the westward extension and eastward retreat of the NASH. The NCAR Community Atmospheric Model and observational data are used to investigate the impact of the climatological annual mean AWP on the summer climate of the Western Hemisphere. Two groups of the model ensemble runs with and without the AWP are performed and compared. The model results show that the effect of the AWP is to weaken the summertime NASH, especially at its southwestern edge. The AWP also strengthens the summertime continental low over the North American monsoon region. In response to these pressure changes, the CLLJ and its moisture transport are weakened, but its semiannual feature does not disappear. The weakening of the easterly CLLJ increases (decreases) moisture convergence to its upstream (downstream) and thus enhances (suppresses) rainfall in the Caribbean Sea (in the far eastern Pacific west of Central America). Model runs show that the AWP’s effect is to always weaken the southerly GPLLJ. However, the AWP strengthens the GPLLJ’s northward moisture transport in the summer because the AWP-induced increase of specific humidity overcomes the weakening of southerly wind, and vice versa in the fall. Finally, the AWP reduces the tropospheric vertical wind shear in the main development region that favors hurricane formation and development during August–October.

scholarly journals Assessment of the Potential Year-Round Establishment of Soybean Rust Throughout the World

Plant Disease ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 88 (5) ◽  
pp. 523-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Pivonia ◽  
X. B. Yang
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
The United States ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
Central China ◽  
Soybean Rust ◽  
Soybean Industry ◽  
Seasonal Epidemics ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
The U.S

Soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi Sydow) has been known to occur in eastern Asia and Aus-tralia for decades. In recent years, the disease entered Africa and South America and has spread rapidly in these continents. It has become a concern to the U.S. soybean industry. To assess the threat of soybean rust, we used a modeling approach to determine the potential geographical zones where the fungus might overwinter and serve as source areas for seasonal epidemics. Long-term meteorological averages were used to assess the temperature stresses by using CLIMEX, and the dry stress with an algorithm developed in this study. Integration of stresses was used to predict the likelihood of survival of the rust in a defined location. Our results suggest that the new soybean rust invasions in Africa and South America occurred in the areas where the fungus might persist year-round. The main regions where rust has not been reported but might overwinter are located in the western hemisphere, including northern South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, southern Texas, and Florida. Southeastern China and neighboring areas are suggested as the primary regions where initial spores for soybean rust epidemics in central China are produced. If the disease is to establish in the United States, it is likely to be restricted to parts of Florida and southern Texas during the winter in the frost-free areas or areas where the fungus could overcome short periods of below-freezing temperatures. Occurrence of rust epidemics within the U.S. soybean belt would depend on south-to-north dispersal of uredospores.

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