Contact calls in woodpeckers are individually distinctive, show significant sex differences and enable mate recognition

Vocal communication of woodpeckers has been relatively little studied so far, mostly because majority of species use drumming to communicate. Our recent study on the Middle Spotted Woodpecker revealed that a call which is specific for floaters is individually distinctive and functions as a vocal signature of unpaired individuals. The aim of the current study is to investigate whether a contact call of paired territory owners of the same species enables discrimination of individuals and their sex. Acoustic analyses revealed that the call is individually distinctive and experimental approach confirmed that woodpeckers are able to distinguish between a contact call of their partner and a stranger. We also found that the contact call shows significant sex differences. Interestingly, the acoustic parameter enabling sex identification is different than the parameters coding individual variability of the call. The design of a call so that its first part would code the identity of an individual and the second part would code its sex presents an effective and fine-tuned communication system. The results of our study also suggest that the contact call of paired Middle Spotted Woodpeckers may be useful for conservation biologists as a tool supporting other census methods.

Seasonal Trends in Operative Pediatric Supracondylar Humerus and Femoral Shaft Fractures at a Pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center

Background: Supracondylar humerus (SCHF) and femoral shaft (FSF) fractures are two common injuries at pediatric trauma centers. While anecdotally we see an increase in injuries with warmer weather, the purpose of this study was to objectively describe the seasonal variation in these operative fractures, and their relative burden on hospital census. Methods: We performed an IRB-approved, retrospective review of 1626 SCHF and 601 FSF treated operatively from 2013-2018 at a single level 1 pediatric trauma center. Dates of injury were categorized with hospital census information, and temperature and precipitation data were obtained through the National Weather Service. Results: For every 10º F increase in temperature, there was a 5% increased likelihood of FSF (p=0.048) and a 26% increased likelihood of SCHF (p=<0.0001). FSF were less likely to occur on weekdays than weekends (OR 0.59, p<0.0001) and less likely to occur on days with precipitation (OR 0.41, p= 0.03). SCHF demonstrated no significant weekly or precipitation-related trends. SCHF represent a significantly larger burden on orthopedic volume during summer months. The ratio of operative FSF relative to the total orthopedic volume per month did not correlate with season. Conclusions: As often anecdotally reported, SCHF volumes mirror temperature variations annually. FSF appear to have more complex trends, with increased incidence on weekends regardless of season. Geographic variation in weather contributes strongly to pediatric trauma volume, and the ability to forecast a hospital system’s operative fracture volume allows for responsible resource allocation during key periods. Level of Evidence: Retrospective case series, Level IV

The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in the Ukrainian Polissia: state of population and conservation issues

The issue of survey, monitoring, and protection of the lynx in the Ukrainian Polissia based on the results of research carried out in 2013–2021 is considered. European census methods do not include the identification of traces of territorial individuals and of those that disperse. Lynx family groups living along the border or at the border of land users should be accounted for 50 % of the established number, so that there is no double counting. The use of photo traps to identify lynx individuals in the wild and then to establish the total lynx population is less effective and more costly than traditional trace-based techniques. Even in the absence of snow, repeated surveys on trails (five visits to the territory with intervals of at least a week), it is possible to establish the presence of almost all individuals of the lynx in the selected area. The reasons for the decline in the number of species in 2015–2017 from 80–100 to 40 individuals and the prospects for effective management of the Polissia population in the future are considered. The number of lynx in 2015–2017 in the Ukrainian Polissia decreased significantly and was at a minimum level for a short time. Since 2018, there has been a gradual increase in the number, especially rapid in the period 2019–2021. The decline in the number of the species in 2015–2017 indicates the need to create a national lynx action plan in Ukraine. The presence of a strong Baltic lynx population north of the Ukrainian Polissia, specifics of territorial distribution of forests, river network, forestless territories, including the Ovruch-Slovenian ridge, create clear eco-corridors in the Ukrainian Polissia for such forest-dwelling species as the lynx. As of 2021, fluctuations in predator-prey systems (wolf, lynx vs deer, wild boar, beaver) have apparently stopped and a new dynamic equilibrium has been established between these species. The lynx has recently proved that it is able to survive even in an anthropogenically altered landscape with a relatively high level of economic activity, which allows the well-being of the population of this species to be predicted in Ukraine.

Combining Methods to Better Estimate Total Fish Richness on Temperate Reefs: The Case of a Mediterranean Coralligenous Cliff

Coralligenous habitat is considered as one of the most important special habitat types in the Mediterranean; however, due to its inaccessibility, little is known about it, although it is considered as one of the Mediterranean’s richest habitats in terms of species. Due to a low number of studies, it was presumed that the richness of coralligenous fish assemblages is underestimated using traditional visual census methods which are not applicable to the deep, steep, and vertical slopes of coralligenous cliffs and do not capture exhaustively cryptobenthic species commonly found in this habitat. This paper aims at producing a more complete assessment of fish assemblages on a coralligenous cliff by combining different methods, particularly the deep vertical transect visual census and square with anesthetics method. A total of 76 fish species were recorded on a single coralligenous cliff, supporting the opinion that coralligenous cliffs are important Mediterranean biodiversity hotspots. The analysis of species traits between species recorded by the different methods showed how complementary they are to better describe species compositions. Hence, the result of this study demonstrates that the combined use of methods is essential for a more exhaustive description of the whole fish community structure and for accurate estimates of the abundance and diversity patterns, particularly in complex habitats such as coralligenous cliffs.

ANALYSIS OF THE PERFORMANCE DETERMINANTS OF THE ALLIANCE STRATEGY EMPIRICAL STUDY ON LEARNING GUIDANCE IN DKI JAKARTA

The alliance strategy is one solution to the speed of competition in the business or business world. Strategic alliances are cooperative strategies in the form of partnerships that help unify each party's strengths to mutually benefit in the form of benefits and long-term competitiveness in the market. The alliance's strategy can be assessed as successful or not by measuring the strategic alliance's performance because the most commonly used alliance measure is performance. Whether or not an alliance strategy adopted by a company is healthy is to evaluate its alliance strategy's implementation. This research was conducted using non-sampling or census methods as many as 132 (one hundred and thirty-two) branches in DKI Jakarta in one of the companies in the education sector originating from Japan and developing an alliance strategy in Indonesia. Data collection was carried out using a questionnaire and met with the owners or direct branch leaders. From this study, it is concluded that Goodwill trust, Competence Trust, and Tangible & Intangible Resources Sharing positively influence the performance of the alliance strategy. Also, Tangible & Intangible Resources Sharing as an intervening variable can mediate the relationship between Goodwill trust and Competence Trust on the alliance's strategy's performance.

Deep Neural Network Analysis for Environmental Study of Coral Reefs in the Gulf of Eilat (Aqaba)

Coral reefs are undergoing a severe decline due to ocean acidification, seawater warming and anthropogenic eutrophication. We demonstrate the applicability of Deep Learning (DL) for following these changes. We examined the distribution and frequency appearance of the eleven most common coral species at four sites in the Gulf of Eilat. We compared deep learning with conventional census methods. The methods used in this research were natural sampling units via photographing the coral reef, line transects for estimating the cover percentage at the four test sites and deep convolutional neural networks, which proved to be an efficient sparse classification for coral species using the supervised deep learning method. The main research goal was to identify the common coral species at four test sites in the Gulf of Eilat, using DL to detect differences in coral cover and species composition among the sites, and relate these to ecological characteristics, such as depth and anthropogenic disturbance. The use of this method will produce a vital database to follow changes over time in coral reefs, identify trend lines and recommend remediation measures accordingly. We outline future monitoring needs and the corresponding system developments required to meet these.