Citizen Science and Its Contribution to the Conservation of Sacramento Valley Red Foxes in California

<p>Red foxes found in the Sacramento Valley of California, referred to as SV red foxes throughout this thesis, were assumed to be of non-native ancestry until recent genetic testing confirmed their historical link to the area. The development of an effective conservation strategy for SV red foxes is currently underway, but was initially hindered by the lack of details regarding habitat requirements, occupancy patterns, and population sizes. In 2007, the University of California, Davis launched a fox reporting website for the public to document any fox sightings. Researchers actively pursued the public fox sighting reports from 2007-2009 and found 51 active red fox dens, 48 of which were native SV red fox dens, throughout the Sacramento Valley based on the locations provided in the reports. The objectives of my research are to answer the following questions: (1) What can the data provided in the previously obtained fox sighting reports reveal about the website trends and fox ecology? (2) What types of relationships occur between the public and the SV red fox research efforts, and how can the participants’ experience be improved to ensure long-term participation? (3) Can a recently developed presence-only SV habitat model be used as a filter for future incoming reports, and what are the relationships between the reports with a high probability of fox presence and its associate report components? In chapter one, I assess how effective the public sighting reports (n= 248) were in: assisting researchers with locating SV red fox dens, providing information about habitat preferences of the SV red foxes, and supplying insights of the website. The results showed that the distance from Yolo County, where the highest amount of SV red fox dens is located and where the initial study was conducted, can explain 38% of the variation in the quantity of reports collected from the website. In chapter two, I administered an online survey to the residents of the Sacramento Valley to gauge their outlook on SV red foxes and their opinions of the fox reporting website. The survey respondents included both previous website visitors and new website visitors. I summarized the responses (n= 310 total, n= 210 complete) and ran a series of statistical analyses to evaluate the social characteristics of the participants utilizing the website. Overall, the majority of participants responded positively to the website, declaring it interesting and helpful. However, there is a low rate of return visitors. The main users of the fox sighting website are older participants and/or participants with a higher level of education. In the third chapter of this research, I overlaid the fox sighting report locations onto the SV habitat model using ERSI® ArcMap v 10.0 and coded them for habitat suitability values. Analysing previously obtained fox sighting reports provided the necessary insight to define the criteria for the data filter. By implementing a habitat model filter at moderate habitat suitability levels, researchers can reduce the time it takes them to validate the public data received. However, a coinciding filter recording distribution frequency for report locations should also be implemented to compensate for dens located in low habitat suitability levels. Prior to this research, the data collected from the public had never been evaluated for purposes other than locating potential SV red foxes. By reviewing feedback from the participants, I was able to characterise the participants using the fox reporting website and assess their general SV red fox knowledge. The findings of my research also lead to insights about SV red fox ecology. However, the major finding in this research shows that the majority of local citizens participating in this study indicated awareness of SV red foxes nativity and endangerment. The methods used in my research can be applied to other citizen science projects, to improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of collecting data.</p>

Citizen Science and Its Contribution to the Conservation of Sacramento Valley Red Foxes in California

<p>Red foxes found in the Sacramento Valley of California, referred to as SV red foxes throughout this thesis, were assumed to be of non-native ancestry until recent genetic testing confirmed their historical link to the area. The development of an effective conservation strategy for SV red foxes is currently underway, but was initially hindered by the lack of details regarding habitat requirements, occupancy patterns, and population sizes. In 2007, the University of California, Davis launched a fox reporting website for the public to document any fox sightings. Researchers actively pursued the public fox sighting reports from 2007-2009 and found 51 active red fox dens, 48 of which were native SV red fox dens, throughout the Sacramento Valley based on the locations provided in the reports. The objectives of my research are to answer the following questions: (1) What can the data provided in the previously obtained fox sighting reports reveal about the website trends and fox ecology? (2) What types of relationships occur between the public and the SV red fox research efforts, and how can the participants’ experience be improved to ensure long-term participation? (3) Can a recently developed presence-only SV habitat model be used as a filter for future incoming reports, and what are the relationships between the reports with a high probability of fox presence and its associate report components? In chapter one, I assess how effective the public sighting reports (n= 248) were in: assisting researchers with locating SV red fox dens, providing information about habitat preferences of the SV red foxes, and supplying insights of the website. The results showed that the distance from Yolo County, where the highest amount of SV red fox dens is located and where the initial study was conducted, can explain 38% of the variation in the quantity of reports collected from the website. In chapter two, I administered an online survey to the residents of the Sacramento Valley to gauge their outlook on SV red foxes and their opinions of the fox reporting website. The survey respondents included both previous website visitors and new website visitors. I summarized the responses (n= 310 total, n= 210 complete) and ran a series of statistical analyses to evaluate the social characteristics of the participants utilizing the website. Overall, the majority of participants responded positively to the website, declaring it interesting and helpful. However, there is a low rate of return visitors. The main users of the fox sighting website are older participants and/or participants with a higher level of education. In the third chapter of this research, I overlaid the fox sighting report locations onto the SV habitat model using ERSI® ArcMap v 10.0 and coded them for habitat suitability values. Analysing previously obtained fox sighting reports provided the necessary insight to define the criteria for the data filter. By implementing a habitat model filter at moderate habitat suitability levels, researchers can reduce the time it takes them to validate the public data received. However, a coinciding filter recording distribution frequency for report locations should also be implemented to compensate for dens located in low habitat suitability levels. Prior to this research, the data collected from the public had never been evaluated for purposes other than locating potential SV red foxes. By reviewing feedback from the participants, I was able to characterise the participants using the fox reporting website and assess their general SV red fox knowledge. The findings of my research also lead to insights about SV red fox ecology. However, the major finding in this research shows that the majority of local citizens participating in this study indicated awareness of SV red foxes nativity and endangerment. The methods used in my research can be applied to other citizen science projects, to improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of collecting data.</p>

Updated range metrics and a global population estimate for the Critically Endangered Philippine Eagle using a spatial ensemble habitat model

Many range-restricted taxa are currently experiencing severe population declines yet lack fundamental biological information regarding distribution and population size. Establishing baseline estimates for both these key biological parameters is however critical for directing long-term monitoring and conservation planning for at-risk range-restricted species. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List uses three spatial range metrics that define species distributions and inform extinction risk assessments: extent of occurrence (EOO), area of occupancy (AOO) and area of habitat (AOH). However, calculating all three metrics using standard IUCN approaches relies on a geographically representative sample of locations, which for rare species is often spatially biased. Here, we apply model-based interpolation using an ensemble Species Distribution Model (SDM), correlating occurrences with remote-sensing derived environmental covariates, to calculate IUCN range metrics and a global population estimate for the Critically Endangered Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi). Our ensemble averaged SDM had high predictive accuracy and was able to identify key areas of Philippine Eagle habitat across the species global range. We estimated an AOH = 49,426 km2 and from this metric calculated a maximum EOO = 609,697 km2 and a minimum EOO = 273,794 km2, with an AOO = 54,695 occupied cells. Based on inferred habitat from the AOH metric and territorial habitat area from home range estimates, we provide an updated global population estimate of 677 breeding pairs (range: 549-772 pairs), or 1354 mature individuals, across the entire Philippine Eagle range. We demonstrate that even when occurrence sampling is geographically biased, robust habitat models can be built which enable quantification of IUCN range metrics and a baseline population size estimate. In the absence of adequate location data for many rare and threatened taxa, our method is a promising spatial modelling tool with widespread applications, in particular for island endemics facing high extinction risk.

Habitat Preference Modeling of Prehistoric Giant Shark Megalodon During Miocene in Bentang Formation of West Java Coast

In the Miocene era about 20 million years ago, the South Coast of West Java was a sea and habitat for marine organisms including giant sharks Megalodon measuring about 18 meters long. This study aimed to model the habitat preference of the prehistoric gigantic shark Otodus megalodon population based on the fossil record. From fossil teeth, it revealed that the rock layer where the teeth found was Bentang formation from Miocene era. Many fossils of Megalodon had been unearthed from Bentang formation which is part of the South Coast of West Java. The habitat model was developed using the Sea Level Rise Inundation Tool of ArcGIS to estimate the sea depth and Megalodon’s habitat during the Miocene. The length of the teeth of O. megalodon found was ranged from 13 to 19 cm, indicating the presence of juvenile and adult O. megalodon. Based on the model, in the Miocene era, half of West Java was a sea with a depth ranging from 0 to 200 meters. At that time, it was estimated that juvenile O. megalodon occupied waters with a depth of 0-40 meters with an area of 1365 km2. Meanwhile, adult O. megalodon prefers a depth of 80-160 m and the frequency of habitat use increases at a depth of 200 m. The declining population of O. megalodon is associated with climate change and declining prey populations.

Habitat Mapping for Ecosystem-Based Management of Deep-Sea Mining

Spatial considerations are important at multiple stages in the development of a deep-sea mining (DSM) project, from resource definition, to identification of preservation and management zones within a contract area, to planning of suitable ecological strata for baseline studies and impact assessment, to mine planning and adaptive management. Large investments are made to collect remote sensing data early in exploration to support geological resource studies, but environmental considerations are often instigated at later stages of exploration and can become disconnected from spatial frameworks. We outline a process of harmonizing the environmental and geological aspects of DSM project development by incorporating a habitat approach early in the development cycle. This habitat approach supports ecosystem-based management, which is a central requirement of environmental assessments. Geostatistical techniques are described that are used alongside a hierarchical classification scheme to describe and map geoforms and substrates. This foundational habitat model can form the basis of spatially explicit ecosystem models and can inform sampling design and spatial planning at critical junctures of a project development, ensuring that sampling campaigns are connected by an ecosystem logic early in the cycle. We provide an example application from the NORI-D polymetallic nodule exploration contract area in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.

Evaluation of By-Pass Fishway Operation for Attraction Efficiency Based on GPS Drifter Field Experiments

The attraction efficiency of a by-pass fishway installed at Gangjeong-Goryeong Weir on the Nakdong River in South Korea was evaluated according to flow rate variation of the main channel. Optimal flow rate that achieved the maximum value of attraction efficiency at the fishway entrance was also determined. The weir can adjust the flow rate of the main channel and the fishway by operating sluice gates. The weighted usable area (WUA) calculated on the basis of habitat suitability criteria (HSC) for target species using River2D (a two-dimensional physical habitat model) was regarded as an indicator of attraction efficiency. The simulated velocity field by River2D was validated by virtue of measured data acquired from GPS drifter field experiments. Additionally, monthly fish monitoring data obtained with a fish trap served as supporting data to confirm the validity of the estimated attraction efficiency. The monitoring results revealed that the fishway attraction efficiency was the highest during the spawning season (from April to June). The target fish used the fishway most frequently in April. However, many other fish species used the fishway in June. Simulation results revealed that the flow rate of the main channel at the weir should be maintained at 190 m3/s in order to most effectively attract the target fish species into the fishway entrance. Managing the optimal flow rate by operating the sluice gate is especially important during the spawning season of the target fish to facilitate upstream and downstream migration.

Predicting Macroinvertebrate Responses to Water Abstraction in Alpine Streams

Exploitation of hydropower potential in alpine areas undermines the ecological integrity of rivers. Damming and water abstraction substantially alter the physical habitat template of rivers, with strong repercussions on aquatic communities and their resources. Tools are needed to predict and manage the consequences of these alterations on the structure and functioning of macroinvertebrate communities and resource availability in alpine streams. We developed habitat preference models for taxa, functional feeding guilds, and organic resources to quantify the effects of discharge alteration on macroinvertebrate communities in two alpine streams. Our physical habitat model related an indirect measure of bottom hydraulic forces (FST hemispheres) to the distribution of macroinvertebrate taxa and their resources. We observed that flow-dependent habitat availability for macroinvertebrate communities generally decreased with increasing water abstraction. We were able to relate these changes to near-bed hydraulic conditions. Our results suggest, however, the existence of upper discharge thresholds delimiting optimal habitat conditions for taxa. In contrast, we found weak effects of near-bed hydraulic conditions on resource distribution. Overall, our findings contribute towards predicting the impacts of water abstraction on macroinvertebrate communities in small alpine streams and the benefits of baseflow restoration.

Establishment of Fungal Decomposition Model Based on OLS and Logistic Model

By using the OLS model, an equation for the rate of decomposing wood by a variety of fungi was established. We analyzed the effects of various fungi in the experimental data under different temperature and humidity. Based on the growth performance of different fungi at different temperatures and humidity, we use the method of systematic cluster to divide the fungi into 5 categories, and introduce competition levels as the viability of different species of fungi. We have established a logistic model that introduces competition levels to obtain a fungal habitat model. The fungal habitat model includes predictions about the relative advantages and disadvantages for each species and combinations of species likely to persist, and do so for different environments including arid, semi-arid, temperate, arboreal, and tropical rain forests.

The Importance of Including Water Temperature Simulations in a 2D Fish Habitat Model for the St. Lawrence River

Extreme climatic conditions likely caused a massive fish mortality during the summer of 2001 in the St. Lawrence River. To corroborate this hypothesis, we used a physical habitat simulation approach incorporating hydraulic and water temperature models. Spawning Habitat Suitability Indices (HSI) for common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were developed using fuzzy logic and applied to the model outputs to estimate habitat weighted usable area during the event. The results revealed that areas suitable for common carp spawning (HSI > 0.3) were severely reduced by high water temperatures, which exceeded 28 °C during the mortality event. During the mortality event, the amount of suitable habitat was reduced to <200 ha/day, representing less than 15% of the maximum potential suitable habitat in the study reach. In addition, the availability of cooler habitats that could have been used as thermal refuges was also reduced. These results indicate that the high water temperature in spawning areas and reduced accessibility to thermal refuge habitats exposed the carp to substantial physiological and environmental stress. The high water temperatures were highly detrimental to the fish and eventually led to the observed mortalities. This study demonstrates the importance of including water temperature in habitat suitability models.