Instantaneous energetics of puma kills reveal advantage of felid sneak attacks

Science ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 346 (6205) ◽  
pp. 81-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terrie M. Williams ◽  
Lisa Wolfe ◽  
Tracy Davis ◽  
Traci Kendall ◽  
Beau Richter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prey Size ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Radio Tracking ◽  
Energetic Costs ◽  
Powerful Approach ◽  
Overall Dynamic Body Acceleration ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Species Movement

Pumas (Puma concolor) live in diverse, often rugged, complex habitats. The energy they expend for hunting must account for this complexity but is difficult to measure for this and other large, cryptic carnivores. We developed and deployed a physiological SMART (species movement, acceleration, and radio tracking) collar that used accelerometry to continuously monitor energetics, movements, and behavior of free-ranging pumas. This felid species displayed marked individuality in predatory activities, ranging from low-cost sit-and-wait behaviors to constant movements with energetic costs averaging 2.3 times those predicted for running mammals. Pumas reduce these costs by remaining cryptic and precisely matching maximum pouncing force (overall dynamic body acceleration = 5.3 to 16.1g) to prey size. Such instantaneous energetics help to explain why most felids stalk and pounce, and their analysis represents a powerful approach for accurately forecasting resource demands required for survival by large, mobile predators.

Radio-tracking of Peromyscus leucopus

1977 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 465-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Mineau ◽  
Dale Madison
Keyword(s):  
Peromyscus Leucopus ◽  
Mature Male ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Radio Tracking ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Radio Transmitters ◽  
Range Overlap ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Sexually Mature

Miniature radio transmitters and 'local' triangulation methods were used to monitor the movements of free-ranging Peromyscus leucopus. A sexually mature male and female were studied in detail during two sessions within a 6-week period. Positions were recorded on 107 occasions, giving home ranges of 1.26 ha for the male and 0.91 ha for the female. Extensive home range overlap, correspondence in patterns of movement, the bearing of a litter by the female, and the lack of other adults in the study area indicate pair activity. The equipment and methods described will enable more thorough studies of the ecology and behavior of small, highly mobile rodent species in the future.

Using Binding Communication to Promote Conservation Among Hotel Guests

2015 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lohyd Terrier ◽  
Benedicte Marfaing
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
Communication Model ◽  
Classical Communication ◽  
Persuasive Message ◽  
Sustainable Behavior ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Attitudes And Behavior

This research applies the binding communication model to the sustainable communication strategies implemented in most hotels. The binding communication model links a persuasive message with the implementation of a low-cost commitment to strengthen the link between the attitudes and behavior of those receiving the message. We compared the effectiveness of a classical communication strategy (n = 86) with that of a binding communication strategy (n = 101) to encourage guests to choose sustainable behavior. Our results show that using the binding communication strategy generates significantly more sustainable behavior in guests than using the classical communication strategy. We discuss our results and suggest future avenues of research.

scholarly journals Genetically Engineered Proteins to Improve Biomass Conversion: New Advances and Challenges for Tailoring Biocatalysts

Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (16) ◽  
pp. 2879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Ferreira Ribeiro ◽  
Vanesa Amarelle ◽  
Luana de Fátima Alves ◽  
Guilherme Marcelino Viana de Siqueira ◽  
Gabriel Lencioni Lovate ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Engineering ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Biomass Conversion ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Catalytic Performance ◽  
Genetically Engineered ◽  
Production Lines ◽  
Current Application ◽  
Powerful Approach

Protein engineering emerged as a powerful approach to generate more robust and efficient biocatalysts for bio-based economy applications, an alternative to ecologically toxic chemistries that rely on petroleum. On the quest for environmentally friendly technologies, sustainable and low-cost resources such as lignocellulosic plant-derived biomass are being used for the production of biofuels and fine chemicals. Since most of the enzymes used in the biorefinery industry act in suboptimal conditions, modification of their catalytic properties through protein rational design and in vitro evolution techniques allows the improvement of enzymatic parameters such as specificity, activity, efficiency, secretability, and stability, leading to better yields in the production lines. This review focuses on the current application of protein engineering techniques for improving the catalytic performance of enzymes used to break down lignocellulosic polymers. We discuss the use of both classical and modern methods reported in the literature in the last five years that allowed the boosting of biocatalysts for biomass degradation.

scholarly journals Feline Foamy Virus is Highly Prevalent in Free-Ranging Puma concolor from Colorado, Florida and Southern California

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah R. Kechejian ◽  
Nick Dannemiller ◽  
Simona Kraberger ◽  
Carmen Ledesma-Feliciano ◽  
Jennifer Malmberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern California ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Foamy Virus ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Significant Risk Factor ◽  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Free Ranging

Feline foamy virus (FFV) is a retrovirus that has been detected in multiple feline species, including domestic cats (Felis catus) and pumas (Puma concolor). FFV results in persistent infection but is generally thought to be apathogenic. Sero-prevalence in domestic cat populations has been documented in several countries, but the extent of viral infections in nondomestic felids has not been reported. In this study, we screened sera from 348 individual pumas from Colorado, Southern California and Florida for FFV exposure by assessing sero-reactivity using an FFV anti-Gag ELISA. We documented a sero-prevalence of 78.6% across all sampled subpopulations, representing 69.1% in Southern California, 77.3% in Colorado, and 83.5% in Florida. Age was a significant risk factor for FFV infection when analyzing the combined populations. This high prevalence in geographically distinct populations reveals widespread exposure of puma to FFV and suggests efficient shedding and transmission in wild populations.

scholarly journals Evidence Confirms the Presence of Cougars (Puma concolor) in Ontario, Canada

2011 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick Rosatte
Keyword(s):  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Unknown Origin ◽  
Class 1 ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Hair Dna ◽  
Standing Question

A study was initiated to collect and collate evidence to resolve the long-standing question of whether free-ranging Cougars (Puma concolor) exist on the Ontario landscape. A total of 497 pieces of evidence confirmed that Cougars were present in Ontario during the period 1991 to 2010. That evidence included 21 pieces of class 1 evidence (scat, hair, DNA, tracks, photographs of a Cougar), 13 class 2 sightings (by qualified observers such as biologists), and 463 class 3 sightings (credible sightings by unqualified observers). The evidence presented in this paper indicates the presence in Ontario of free-ranging Cougars of unknown origin.

The cold shoulder: free-ranging snowshoe hares maintain a low cost of living in cold climates

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (10) ◽  
pp. 956-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Sheriff ◽  
J. R. Speakman ◽  
L. Kuchel ◽  
S. Boutin ◽  
M. M. Humphries
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
High Latitude ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Resting Metabolic Rate ◽  
Mean Field ◽  
Resource Scarcity ◽  
Doubly Labelled Water ◽  
Snowshoe Hares ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
The Relationship

The hypothesis that cold air temperatures (Ta) constrain the metabolic diversity of high-latitude endotherms is based on the observation among birds and mammals that mean field metabolic rate (FMR) increases, whereas the variability of FMR decreases, from the warm tropics to the cold poles. However, there is a paucity of FMR measurements from above 60° latitude and below 0 °C. We measured the daily energy expenditure of a high-latitude population of free-ranging snowshoe hares ( Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777) in Yukon, Canada, in winter (Ta-mean = –16.4 °C) and in autumn (Ta-mean = 0.5 °C). Doubly labelled water measures of FMR were approximately 20% lower in winter than in autumn, and were a similar, low multiple of resting metabolic rate in both seasons (2.04 and 1.94, respectively). The mass-corrected FMR of snowshoe hares in winter was only half the value predicted by extrapolating the relationship between FMR and Ta > 0 to –16.4 °C. These results contribute to an emerging pattern of a reversal in the relationship between FMR and Ta in free-ranging mammals from negative above 0 °C to positive below 0 °C. We refer to the positive, low Ta portion of this relationship as the cold shoulder, and suggest that it may reflect the general necessity for free-ranging mammals to use behavioural and (or) physiological means to conserve energy during long winters when cold conditions coincide with resource scarcity.

scholarly journals Notoedric Mange in Two Free-ranging Mountain Lions (Puma concolor)

2007 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 274-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco A. Uzal ◽  
Robin S. Houston ◽  
Seth P. D. Riley ◽  
Robert Poppenga ◽  
Jenee Odani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Mountain Lions ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Notoedric Mange

Combining sensor monitoring and ethnography to evaluate household latrine usage in rural India

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 426-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen O'Reilly ◽  
Elizabeth Louis ◽  
Evan Thomas ◽  
Antara Sinha
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Rural India ◽  
State University ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Ethnographic Interviews ◽  
Portland State University ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Sensor Monitoring

This paper advances research on methods used to evaluate sanitation usage and behavior. The research used quantitative and qualitative methods to contribute to new understanding of sanitation practices and meanings in rural India. We estimated latrine usage behavior through ethnographic interviews and sensor monitoring, specifically the latest generation of infrared toilet sensors, Portland State University Passive Latrine Use Monitors (PLUMs). Two hundred and fifty-eight rural households in West Bengal (WB) and Himachal Pradesh, India, participated in the study by allowing PLUMs to be installed in their houses for a minimum of 6 days. Six hundred interviews were taken in these households, and in others, where sensors had not been installed. Ethnographic and observational methods were used to capture the different defecation habits and their meanings in the two study sites. Those data framed the analysis of the PLUM raw data for each location. PLUMs provided reliable, quantitative verification. Interviews elicited unique information and proved essential to understanding and maximizing the PLUM data set. The combined methodological approach produced key findings that latrines in rural WB were used only for defecation, and that low cost, pit latrines were being used sustainably in both study areas.

scholarly journals A Low-Cost Technique for Radio-Tracking Wildlife Using a Small Standard Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junior A. Tremblay ◽  
André Desrochers ◽  
Yves Aubry ◽  
Paul Pace ◽  
David M. Bird
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Radio Tracking ◽  
Aerial Vehicle
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document