The Role of Sea-Whip Coral (Leptogorgia sp.) as Habitat of Temperate Near-Shore Fish of Gulf of Mexico Jetties

Many fish species use intercoastal jetties throughout their life cycle to migrate to and from the ocean into bays and estuaries. During migration, fish may encounter rock, algae, sand, sea-grass, and coral. Anecdotal information indicates that some migrating fish of intercoastal jetties preferentially select colonies of gorgonian coral (Leptogorgia spp.) vs. any other habitat when encountering a predator.  Since very little information exists regarding Leptogorgia, we focused our study in determining the importance of such coral as fish habitat.  Stationary field sampling was conducted seasonally to determine the abundance of these coral, the type of migrating fish, and the habitat they associated with.  Mesocosm studies were then conducted to determine whether Leptogorgia habitats are important to fish in the presence or absence of a predator.  Five different habitats were compared (rock, algae, sand, Leptogorgia, and seagrass) and 6 species of fish (sergeant major, pinfish, mangrove snapper, spotfin mojarra, pigfish, and red drum). In the field study component, more than 600 colonies of Leptogorgia were observed and 17 different fish species.  The most commonly observed fish were sergeant major, pinfish, mangrove snapper, and spotfin mojarra, however, sergeant majors were the most abundant species using coral as habitat.  The use of mesocosms showed that all fish species significantly selected for structured habitat over non-structured habitat (e.g. sand), but that the fish commonly called ‘sergeant major’ significantly (ANOVA; p ≤ 0.001) selected for Leptogorgia.

Watershed-Scale Stream Restoration Experimental Design: Rigorous Tools to Obtain Definitive Results

Despite significant investments in watershed-scale restoration projects, evaluation and documentation of their impacts is often limited by inadequate experimental design. This project aimed to strengthen study designs by quantifying and elucidating sources of error in paired-watershed experiments and evaluating the statistical tools that detect and quantify population-level changes from watershed-scale restoration. Meta-analysis of 32 BACI experiments revealed that synchrony between paired-populations was both weak ( ρ~̵̅ = 0.18) and unrelated to the primary experimental error (r = 0.01), the degree to which paired-populations vary independently in time ( independent variance). Instead, it was found that the sum of the paired-population temporal variances ( total variance), accounted for 91% of the variability that controls statistical power. These findings demonstrate that 1) synchrony in paired-populations does not influence the primary error in BACI field experiments and 2) the magnitude of temporal fluctuations is primarily responsible for this error. The second study component, hypothetical BACI simulations, mathematically relates spatial, temporal and sampling errors to the independent variance and power. Design guidance based on these findings are provided to ensure that future restoration experiments have maximum probability of detecting a present restoration impact. We recommend planners quantify error sources directly from pilot studies and apply the tools provided by this research to estimate statistical power in their monitoring designs. Lastly, we propose a paired-reach design which provides a powerful platform to conduct replicated local-scale restoration experiments, which can build understanding of restoration-ecological mechanisms.

EXPERIMENT D‘ – SERIOUS GAME FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCES. CONCEPT, CONTENT, AND EXPERIENCES

The paper presents an intercultural serious game ‘Experiment D’, which was developed in a cooperation between the junior professor of Intercultural Competence (Chemnitz University of Technology) and the chair of Social Work Management (FHD Dresden – University of Applied Sciences). The game was successfully tested and assessed in the summer term 2017 and 2018. The main plot consists of a communicative negotiation and strategic handling of a complex situation at university that involves various stakeholders, both within and without it. The game fosters cultural awareness and self-reflection, appreciation of and a creative approach towards diversity, as well as general communicative, social, and team competences. Since it does not require any specialised prior knowledge, ‘Experiment D’ potentially addresses students of all disciplines. The participants of the two test sessions were students of the study fields MERGE Technologies for Resource Efficiency (study component “Soft Skills”, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering) and Intercultural Communication and Competence (compulsory study component Intercultural Learning, Faculty of Humanities) at the Chemnitz University of Technology. Ethnicity, nationality, first language(s), degree of proficiency in English and German, and academic background were all factors that engendered a highly diverse game setting. Aside from the concept of the game, as well as its methodology and didactics, the paper also discusses the results of its assessment.

Metals in the drinking water of First Nations across Canada

Objectives The First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study (FNFNES), a community-based participatory research project, measured the levels of metals of health concern and the levels of metals that have operational guidance (OG) and aesthetic objectives (AO) in drinking water of First Nations (FN) south of the 60th parallel. Methods Both stagnant (first draw) and flushed tap water samples were collected from participating households in 91 FN representing 11 ecozones. The concentrations of metals were quantified and compared to Health Canada’s Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (GCDWQ). Results In total, 1516 FN households participated in this study component. Exceedances of the 2019 GCDWQ for the health-based maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) were found for five metals: lead 8.4% of households (first draw), manganese 4.0%, uranium 1.6%, aluminum 1.3%, and copper 0.2% (flushed). Flushing taps resulted in a decrease to 0.7% of households exceeding the lead MAC. Exceedances of the current OG for aluminum were found in 14.2% and the exceedances of the proposed OG were found in 18.1% of households (flushed). Exceedances of the AO (flushed) were as follows: manganese 12.8%, sodium 5.1%, iron 3.5%, and copper 0.4%. Results of the study were compared to provincial surveys where the data were available. Taste and colour were reported to be the main reasons for limiting the use of tap water. Conclusion Overall, the quality of drinking water with respect to trace metals of human health concern is satisfactory. However, elevated lead levels were found in some FN communities. Until appropriate action can take place, it was recommended to flush the water before use to reduce the lead levels.

Supplemental information for "Effectiveness of Cover Crops on Water Pollutant Reduction from Agricultural Areas"

<p>The Supplemental Material provides additional information that may not have explicitly been referenced in the associated article. These additional data add substance to the discussion and are intended to add transparency. The dataset is in spreadsheet form and includes U.S.-specific studies reporting total nitrogen, nitrate, total phosphorus, phosphate, and sediment or erosion concentrations or losses from control and cover crop field plot studies. Where pertinent data were not reported in tabular format, DataThief software was used. Some aggregation was done on these data to appropriately bin them into grass, legume, brassica, and mixed categories, based on the type of cover crop evaluated. Further loss reduction calculations were done based on reported concentrations or losses from the literature reviewed in a site-year approach, where possible. Because of this, the resulting percent loss reductions reported here may be slightly different from those reported in the original source.</p> <p><br></p><p>Further, each study was aggregated to a study component average (e.g., legume treatment, which may have included more than one type of legume) in an attempt to represent the study findings while reducing the variability associated with the site-year approach. These data were used to develop a series of correlations to evaluate trends associated with cover crop use in the U.S. to support Conservation Practice Standard 340. Data not reported by a given study were left blank, and calculations based on missing data were represented with #N/A.</p>

Supplemental information for "Effectiveness of Cover Crops on Water Pollutant Reduction from Agricultural Areas"

<p>The Supplemental Material provides additional information that may not have explicitly been referenced in the associated article. These additional data add substance to the discussion and are intended to add transparency. The dataset is in spreadsheet form and includes U.S.-specific studies reporting total nitrogen, nitrate, total phosphorus, phosphate, and sediment or erosion concentrations or losses from control and cover crop field plot studies. Where pertinent data were not reported in tabular format, DataThief software was used. Some aggregation was done on these data to appropriately bin them into grass, legume, brassica, and mixed categories, based on the type of cover crop evaluated. Further loss reduction calculations were done based on reported concentrations or losses from the literature reviewed in a site-year approach, where possible. Because of this, the resulting percent loss reductions reported here may be slightly different from those reported in the original source.</p> <p><br></p><p>Further, each study was aggregated to a study component average (e.g., legume treatment, which may have included more than one type of legume) in an attempt to represent the study findings while reducing the variability associated with the site-year approach. These data were used to develop a series of correlations to evaluate trends associated with cover crop use in the U.S. to support Conservation Practice Standard 340. Data not reported by a given study were left blank, and calculations based on missing data were represented with #N/A.</p>

RETRACTED: Potential effects of elevated temperature on seasonal movements in slipper lobsters, Scyllarides latus (Latreille, 1803), in the eastern Mediterranean

Retraction of: Mediterranean Marine Science http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/mms.22074, published online 13 July 2020Editor note: The authors are retracting this article.In the article, Potential effects of elevated temperature on seasonal movements in slipper lobsters, Scyllarides latus (Latreille, 1803), in the eastern Mediterranean (Vol. 21, 2020, https://doi.org/10.12681/mms.22074), authors J. Goldstein and E. Spanier have made an honest error in the inaccurate interpretation of their special scientific permit that afforded them the opportunity to collect wild-caught animals in the field and release them in their study area, in the marine reserve where this work was conducted. More specifically, the study component that refers to the ‘field tagging study’, was carried out without the full scope of permitting guidance unbeknownst to the authors. Dr. R. Yahel and E. Miller, Marine Ecologists of the Israeli National Park Authority (INPA), have pointed this out and have since requested that the article be removed given that the application of the special use permit was misinterpreted and not exercised in an appropriate manner. The authors were also not able to forward the INPA with the field’s raw data that have been lost since this field study was carried out over eight years ago. The authors were not aware of this discrepancy at the time the field study was carried out, but they have agreed to remove the article out of respect and admiration of the INPA and the continued protection and conservation of the Mediterranean slipper lobster in coastal Israeli waters. However, this action of retraction does not change the overall outcome of the paper’s finding including the study design, analyses, scientific integrity, or overall conclusions. The authors will plan on publishing the laboratory-based portion of this study as a stand-alone manuscript at a future date.

A Fully Integrated Approach to Blended Language Learning

In the face of increasing demand for greater continuity and flexibility in language learning, online learning has gradually established itself as an important complement to face-to-face (F2F) language instruction. Typically, the resulting blend focuses on the two central learning modes, i.e., F2F and online; however, it leaves out the self-study component based on sources that do not form an integral part of the online component. Recognising the importance of the latter, Whittaker (2014) defines blended language learning as a blend of F2F, online, and self-study components. Drawing on this three-modal approach, the present paper first outlines two language courses designed and delivered by the author of the paper. Next, it analyses students’ feedback on their experience with blended learning collected via an end-of-course questionnaire including multiple-choice statements, five-point Likert scale statements, and open-ended questions. The sample included fifty-two students, most of whom reported a positive experience, especially with the F2F component.

“RIPSSL”: A New Reflective Inquiry Protocol to Lift the Lid on Students’ Significant Extra-Curricular Learning Outcomes from Study Abroad

Education abroad generally has no overarching curriculum outside the formal study component. This paper presents the Reflective Inquiry Protocol for Surfacing Significant Learning (RIPSSL), a new approach for understanding and articulating significant learning from education abroad. Tests of RIPSSL show education abroad students use it to move beyond “it was great” when considering learning from their experiences. Our findings are important for educators and students as they work to recognize and articulate the value of education abroad. RIPSSL provides a reflective educational approach to evidence learning from life experiences by surfacing students’ significant learning in their own words.