MANAGEMENT OF WOLF POPULATIONS IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE SOUTH PRIARALIE

The article discusses the basic principles of wolf management in the conditions of the Southern Priraralie. The management of wolf populations has its own characteristics. It is very important to know the spatial territorial structure of family-flocking areas. In addition, to have information about the number of indigenous areas occupied by him, the average fertility, mortality and the age structure of his populations. KEYWORDS: regulation, management, poaching, fertility, radio tracking, convention.

A stable home: Autocorrelated Kernel Density Estimated home ranges of the critically endangered Elongated Tortoise

Home range is a fundamental concept in ecology used to describe animal space use over their lifetimes. Numerous studies use a variety of metrics to quantify home range; however, most of these treat spatial data inappropriately. Here we re-analyse a publicly available data-set, collected by the authors of this study, using a relatively novel and appropriate home range metric Autocorrelated Kernel Density Estimators (AKDE). Our data includes the movements of 17 Elongated Tortoises (Indotestudo elongata; 12 females, 5 males) located on average once every three days for an average duration of 353.76 ±33.10 days. We found 14 of 17 individuals appear to be occupying a stable home range (using variograms to determine range residency). We made use of AKDEs bias-mitigating measures to counteract the low effective sample sizes stemming from low temporal resolution radio-tracking data. The average AKDE home range for all 14 individuals with range residency was 44.81 ±10.44 ha. Bayesian Regression Models suggest considerable overlap between male and female home range estimates despite males being physically larger than females in both mass and carapace length. These home range estimates have the added utility of being comparable with other studies, less susceptible to errors from a suboptimal tracking regime, and are optimised with code and data for inclusion in future meta-analyses.

Cathemeral activity by sloths (Bradypus variegatus, Bradypodidae) in Amazonian black-water floodplain forest (igapó)

Both biotic and abiotic factors are important for maintaining the activity cycles of animals, and may determine the most advantageous periods for eating, moving and sleeping. While the solar day-night cycle is among the most central of abiotic variables, a number of species are active both day and night. Three-toed sloth populations (Bradypus, Linnaeus 1758) across the Neotropics show this pattern, with activity occurring at various points across the 24-hour cycle. In the current study, we used radio tracking techniques to investigate the daily temporal patterning of sloth displacement in Amazonian igapó flooded forest, and compared the results with populations studied in other habitats. We conclude that igapó sloths are cathemeral, and discussed that environmental temperature, nutritional needs and the presence of predators may be the main factors influencing their activity pattern.

Analysis of radio occultation data to determine atmospheric profiles and associated uncertainties

<div> <p><span>The analysis of atmospheric radio occultations enables an in-depth investigation of planetary ionosphere and neutral atmospheres, by measuring the radio frequency shift that affects a signal propagating through the medium. A precise characterization of the atmospheric layers requires a thorough processing of the radio tracking data to estimate the thermodynamic properties of the atmosphere and their related uncertainties. </span></p> </div><div> <p><span>A standard procedure to process radio occultation data requires a preliminary knowledge of the spacecraft trajectory. In this work, we present a technique to retrieve refractivity, density, pressure, and temperature profiles with their associated uncertainties through the analysis of raw radio tracking data occulted by the atmosphere. By integrating the algorithm for radio occultation processing with a Precise Orbit Determination (POD) software, an enhanced reconstruction of the spacecraft trajectory is obtained to recover the frequency shift due to the medium refraction. The resulting radio signal is then processed to yield information regarding atmospheric properties. A Monte Carlo simulation algorithm is also included to provide the formal uncertainties of the estimated parameters.</span></p> </div><div> <p><span>We applied this technique to radio occultation profiles of the NASA mission Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). To validate the method, our estimated atmospheric profiles are compared to the numerical predictions of the Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (GRAM) and the Mars Climate Database (MCD). </span></p> </div>

Localization of the Chang’e-5 Lander Using Radio-Tracking and Image-Based Methods

Chang’e-5, China’s first unmanned lunar sample-return mission, was successfully landed in Northern Oceanus Procellarum on 1 December 2020. Determining the lander location precisely and timely is critical for both engineering operations and subsequent scientific research. Localization of the lander was performed using radio-tracking and image-based methods. The lander location was determined to be (51.92°W, 43.06°N) by both methods. Other localization results were compared for cross-validation. The localization results greatly contributed to the planning of the ascender lifting off from the lander and subsequent maneuvers, and they will contribute to scientific analysis of the returned samples and in situ acquired data.

Field studies of a high elevation population of northern Greater glider Petauroides volans minor in the Bluff State Forest, Far North Queensland

ABSTRACT We present the results of field surveys and a radio-tracking study of the Greater glider Petauroides volans minor in the Bluff State Forest, North Queensland. Twenty-three spotlighting transects were surveyed twice in July 2018, mean abundance of P. v. minor was 0.24 ha−1 in wet sclerophyll and 0.38 ha−1 in dry sclerophyll forest. Field observations (n= 330) were collected from nine radio-collared animals across three field sites from July to October 2019. 95% kernel home range estimates varied, ranging from 1.03–11.45 ha. Observations of denning (n=66) across 22 den trees identified that the gliders utilised between 1 and 4 dens during the study. Den trees were predominantly large Blue gum Eucalyptus tereticornis, with Gum-topped box Eucalyptus moluccana, Narrow-leafed ironbark Eucalyptus drepanophylla, Tindale’s stringybark Eucalyptus tindaliae and unidentifiable tree stags were used to lesser extent in one field site. Mean availability of suitable den trees was 2.07±1.12 per ha in Site 1 and 2, and 1.57±1.24 in Site 3. Foraging observations (n=148) were collected, Pink Bloodwood Corymbia intermedia and E. moluccana were the most commonly observed feed trees utilised by the study animals during the tracking period. This study provides baseline data for P. v. minor within high elevation habitat (950 to 1000 m) at its most northern extent. Given the widespread decline of P. volans across much of its range, these data may be used for developing local conservation strategies for the species in North Queensland.