Estimate of the Ipswich Sparrow population on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, in 1998, using a random-transect survey design

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. 771-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J Smith ◽  
Zoe Lucas ◽  
Wayne T Stobo
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Patch Size ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Bird Population ◽  
Passerculus Sandwichensis ◽  
The Status ◽  
Survey Estimates ◽  
Statistical Survey

The Ipswich Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis princeps) population on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, has been designated as "vulnerable" by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). Previous surveys of this population during the nesting season have varied in coverage and the rigour of statistical-survey design. In 1998 we surveyed the population using a stratified random-transect design. Estimated total numbers (±SE) were obtained along with confidence intervals calculated using bootstrap methods. The precision of our survey estimates would permit detection of population differences on the order of 20%. Higher densities of birds were observed in areas with heath, grass (fescue), and beach grass and pea vegetation types than in areas with other vegetation types. However, densities within these favoured vegetation types were constant with increasing transect length, which appears to be contrary to patterns expected from using published models of the effects of breeding habitat patch size on bird population density. Topographical constraints characteristic of Sable Island may impose limits on the birds' territorial boundaries and constrain density, independently of patch size.

scholarly journals Impact of survey design changes on stock assessment advice: sea scallops

2013 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 320-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Smith ◽  
Brad Hubley
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Error Component ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Observation Error ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Process Error ◽  
Survey Estimates ◽  
Sea Scallops

Abstract Smith, S. J., and Hubley, B. 2014. Impact of survey design changes on stock assessment advice: sea scallops. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 71: 320–327. Annual surveys of marine resources are used to monitor changes in population composition and abundance. Improvements in the performance and coverage of these surveys can readily be evaluated for the surveys themselves but should also be considered in the context of the stock assessment models that use the estimates from these surveys. For those surveys based on a probability design, improvements in the probability design are usually evaluated with respect to the resultant increase in precision of the survey estimates. Survey precision estimates can be included in many stock assessment models as observation error, as long as the process error component of the model is also identified. Advice on catch levels for sea scallop populations (Placopecten magellanicus) around Nova Scotia is developed using a Bayesian state space assessment model in which both observation and process error terms have been defined. Information on survey estimates of precision are included in the observation error component of the assessment model and the impacts of changes in survey precision on the provision of advice can be evaluated in terms of reference points and management advice. The sensitivity of stock assessment advice to changes in the level of precision of survey estimates was evaluated for three scallop fisheries around Nova Scotia. The results indicated that the impact of the changes depended upon the degree of concurrence between the annual changes in biomass as observed from the survey and those predicted by the model.

Setting the standard for healthy eating: Continuous quality improvement for health promotion at Nova Scotia Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-55
Author(s):  
Laura J. Kennedy ◽  
Nathan G. A. Taylor ◽  
Taylor Nicholson ◽  
Emily Jago ◽  
Brenda L. MacDonald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Continuous Quality Improvement ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Quality Improvement Process ◽  
Continuous Quality ◽  
The Status ◽  
Collaborative Efforts

Healthcare organizations engage in continuous quality improvement to improve performance and value-for-performance, but the pathway to change is often rooted in challenging the way things are “normally” done. In an effort to propel system-wide change to support healthy eating, Nova Scotia Health developed and implemented a healthy eating policy as a benchmark to create a food environment supportive of health. This article describes the healthy eating policy and its role as a benchmark in the quality improvement process. The policy, rooted in health promotion, sets a standard for healthy eating and applies to stakeholders both inside and outside of health. We explain how the policy offers nutrition but also cultural benchmarks around healthy eating, bringing practitioners throughout Nova Scotia Health together and sustaining collaborative efforts to improve upon the status quo.

DETERMINANTS OF SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF NON- GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS HEALTH PROJECTS IN KIBERA INFORMAL SETTLEMENT, KENYA

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Patrick Odongo ◽  
Dr Kepha Ombui
Keyword(s):  
Community Participation ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Informal Settlement ◽  
Resource Mobilization ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Project Control ◽  
Communication Plan ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
The Status

Purpose: The current study sought to establish determinants of successful implementation of non-government organization health projects in Kibera informal settlement. The study sought to establish how community participation, resource mobilization, communication and project control determines successful implementation of health projects for NGOs operating in Kibera informal settlement.Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive survey design and 116 questionnaires were issued but only 92 questionnaires were received which represented a 79% response rate.Results: The results of the study revealed that resource mobilization, communication and project control positively and significantly determined successful implementation of health projects by Non-Governmental organizations in Kibera as shown by r=0.443, r=0.511 and r=0.798 respectively while community participation negatively determined the implementation success of the projects (r= -0.078).Recommendations: The study recommends that NGOs implementing health projects in Kibera should focus on mobilizing resources since the practice contributes to successful implementation of the projects. NGOs can achieve this by actively engaging sponsors, conducting harambees, networking and presenting grant proposals to prospective financiers to solicit resources for implementing the health projects. Additionally, the study recommends that NGOs implementing health projects in Kibera should focus on project communication since the practice contributes to successful implementation of the projects. NGOs can achieve this by establishing a concise project communication plan, and through continuous communication with project teams and stakeholders on matters concerning the progress of the project. The study further recommends that NGOs implementing health projects in Kibera should focus on project control since the practice contributes to successful implementation of the projects.NGOs can achieve this by using project management information systems in designing and controlling health projects, conducting a variance analysis on the progress of the project and by providing updates on the status of the project to the relevant stakeholders. 

Ecological thresholds and the status of fire-sensitive vegetation in western Arnhem Land, northern Australia: implications for management

2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew C. Edwards ◽  
Jeremy Russell-Smith
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Ecological Thresholds ◽  
Arnhem Land ◽  
The Status

The paper examines the application of the ecological thresholds concept to fire management issues concerning fire-sensitive vegetation types associated with the remote, biodiversity-rich, sandstone Arnhem Plateau, in western Arnhem Land, monsoonal northern Australia. In the absence of detailed assessments of fire regime impacts on component biota such as exist for adjoining Nitmiluk and World Heritage Kakadu National Parks, the paper builds on validated 16-year fire history and vegetation structural mapping products derived principally from Landsat-scale imagery, to apply critical ecological thresholds criteria as defined by fire regime parameters for assessing the status of fire-sensitive habitat and species elements. Assembled data indicate that the 24 000 km2 study region today experiences fire regimes characterised generally by high annual frequencies (mean = 36.6%) of large (>10 km2) fires that occur mostly in the late dry season under severe fire-weather conditions. Collectively, such conditions substantially exceed defined ecological thresholds for significant proportions of fire-sensitive indicator rain forest and heath vegetation types, and the long-lived obligate seeder conifer tree species, Callitris intratropica. Thresholds criteria are recognised as an effective tool for informing ecological fire management in a variety of geographic settings.

scholarly journals An Exploratory Study of Students’ Indiscipline at Islamic University in Uganda

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-95
Author(s):  
Amina Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Survey Design ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Law Faculty ◽  
The Status ◽  
School Rules ◽  
The Common ◽  
Faculty Of Education ◽  
The University ◽  
Academic Year

The study explored the common students’ indiscipline at Islamic University in Uganda. The study was quantitative and a cross-sectional survey design was used. The population of the study was 3,486 registered students in the academic year 2019/2020. They were selected from the Faculty of Education, Faculty of Management Studies, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Social Sciences, and Faculty of Science. A sample of 265 respondents was selected for the study using proportionate and random sampling. The mean score was computed to analyse the data. To conclude, the point range of the arithmetic mean was considered. The study found that the common indiscipline among learners in IUIU included disrespect to teachers and school rules and regulations, theft, and irregular attendance. The study recommended IUIU administration improves staff remuneration to change the status of the teachers. Furthermore, the administration needs to tighten security in the university and residents need to take care of their property to avoid theft. The researcher also recommended that a study should be carried out to find out the cause of students’ irregular attendance

The Status of Moose in Nova Scotia

1968 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 325
Author(s):  
Edmund S. Telfer
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
The Status

scholarly journals Mitochondrial DNA Variation, Species Limits, and Rapid Evolution of Plumage Coloration and Size in the Savannah Sparrow

The Condor ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 107 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert M. Zink ◽  
James D. Rising ◽  
Steve Mockford ◽  
Andrew G. Horn ◽  
Jonathan M. Wright ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
San Diego ◽  
Baja California ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Plumage Coloration ◽  
Phylogeographic Structure ◽  
Species Status ◽  
Passerculus Sandwichensis ◽  
Savannah Sparrows

Abstract We compared sequences from two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes (ND2, ND3) in Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis; n = 112) sampled from Baja California (five sites), coastal Sonora and the continental range (eight sites). Populations from Baja California, San Diego and Sonora formed a clade within which there was no phylogeographic structure; this clade merits species status (Passerculus rostratus). The other clade, consisting of phenotypically “typical” savannah sparrows, should be classified as P. sandwichensis. Among the typical sparrows, there was no phylogeographic structure, although two major clades were discovered. Representatives of each of the two main clades occurred at most sampling localities, excluding Suisan Bay, California and Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. Haplotypes found on Sable Island, representing the “Ipswich Sparrow,” were not distinctive, thereby failing to support species status for this taxon. On Isla San Benito, a single haplotype was found, which also occurred in other Mexican localities. The results for Sable Island and Isla San Benito show that size and plumage coloration can evolve rapidly. Variación en ADN Mitocondrial, Límites entre Especies y Evolución Rápida de la Coloración del Plumaje y el Tamaño en Passerculus sandwichensis Resumen. En este estudio comparamos secuencias de dos genes mitocondriales (ND2 y ND3) entre individuos de la especie Passerculus sandwichensis (n = 112) muestreados en Baja California (5 sitios), la costa de Sonora y el rango de distribución continental (8 sitios). Las poblaciones de Baja California, San Diego y Sonora formaron un clado, al interior del cual no existió estructura filogeográfica; este clado merece estatus de especie (Passerculus rostratus). El otro clado, conformado por individuos fenotípicamente “típicos”, debe clasificarse como P. sandwichensis. Entre los individuos típicos no existió estructura filogeográfica, aunque se descubrieron dos clados principales. Individuos representativos de cada uno de estos dos clados se encontraron en la mayoría de las localidades, excepto Suisan Bay, California y Sable Island, Nova Scotia. Los haplotipos encontrados en Sable Island, correspondientes al “gorrión de Ipswich” no fueron distintivos, lo que no apoya el estatus de especie para este taxón. En Isla San Benito se encontró un solo halpotipo, el cual también se encontraba en otras localidades mexicanas. Los resultados de Sable Island e Isla San Benito muestran que el tamaño y la coloración del plumaje pueden evolucionar rápidamente.

scholarly journals Movements of the Eastern Ribbonsnake (Thamnophis sauritus) in Nova Scotia

2016 ◽  
Vol 129 (4) ◽  
pp. 379
Author(s):  
T. L. Imlay ◽  
J. Saroli ◽  
T. B. Herman ◽  
S. W. Mockford
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Daily Movement ◽  
The Status ◽  
Best Fit

The disjunct Eastern Ribbonsnake (Thamnophis sauritus) population in southwest Nova Scotia is listed as “threatened” by the committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. A study of the movements of the species at two lakeshore locations known to support a high density of Eastern Ribbonsnakes was undertaken in 2007 and 2008. Average seasonal movements at both sites ranged from 17 m to 84 m for juvenile snakes and 21 m to 130 m for adults; one neonate was recaptured during the study after travelling 32 m. The maximum distance travelled by an individual snake was 391 m in one season. The best-fit model to explain differences in daily movement patterns included year (P = 0.041), indicating that there is annual variation in the movements of this species. Low recapture rates precluded accurate estimates of home-range size, which varied roughly from 0.16 ha to 0.78 ha. Both movements and home ranges were larger than previously documented in Nova Scotia, but maximum distances travelled were consistent with a previous study in Michigan. Most documented movements were along the lakeshore within contiguous, suitable habitat. More work is needed to understand the frequency of large movements and triggers that initiate movements, e.g., changes in water levels, habitat suitability, or prey availability.

Effects of social behaviour on patch utilization by sheep in a complex vegetation mosaic

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 ◽  
pp. 63-63
Author(s):  
A. M. Sibbald ◽  
S. P. Oom ◽  
R. J. Hooper ◽  
R. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Small Groups ◽  
Patch Size ◽  
Calluna Vulgaris ◽  
Heterogeneous Environments ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Vegetation Mosaics ◽  
Vegetation Patches ◽  
Vegetation Mosaic

In heterogeneous environments, such as complex vegetation mosaics, there is likely to be a dynamic interaction between the spatial pattern of the vegetation and the distribution of the animals grazing there. Preferences for particular vegetation types will influence where animals choose to feed and, in turn, changes to the vegetation caused by damage from grazing and trampling will affect the dynamics of the mosaic. Social interactions, amongst highly social grazers such as sheep, can also affect the distribution of the animals, depending on the relationship between the dimensions of vegetation patches and the characteristic spacing of the animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between patch utilization and patch size for small groups of Scottish Blackface sheep foraging in a natural heather (Calluna vulgaris ) and grass mosaic.

scholarly journals The benefits of using topographic features to predict climate-resilient habitat for migratory forest landbirds: An example for the Rusty Blackbird, Olive-sided Flycatcher, and Canada Warbler

The Condor ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Bale ◽  
Karen F Beazley ◽  
Alana Westwood ◽  
Peter Bush
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Species Distribution ◽  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Important Predictor ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Topographic Features ◽  
Precipitation Regimes ◽  
Rusty Blackbird

Abstract Maintaining a functionally connected network of high-quality habitat is one of the most effective responses to biodiversity loss. However, the spatial distribution of suitable habitat may shift over time in response to climate change. Taxa such as migratory forest landbirds are already undergoing climate-driven range shifts. Therefore, patches of climate-resilient habitat (also known as “climate refugia”) are especially valuable from a conservation perspective. Here, we performed maximum entropy (Maxent) species distribution modeling to predict suitable and potentially climate-resilient habitat in Nova Scotia, Canada, for 3 migratory forest landbirds: Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus), Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi), and Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis). We used a reverse stepwise elimination technique to identify covariates that influence habitat suitability for the target species at broad scales, including abiotic (topographic control of moisture and nutrient accumulation) and biotic (forest characteristics) covariates. As topography should be relatively unaffected by a changing climate and helps regulate the structure and composition of forest habitat, we posit that the inclusion of appropriate topographic features may support the identification of climate-resilient habitat. Of all covariates, depth to water table was the most important predictor of relative habitat suitability for the Rusty Blackbird and Canada Warbler, with both species showing a strong association with wet areas. Mean canopy height was the most important predictor for the Olive-sided Flycatcher, whereby the species was associated with taller trees. Our models, which comprise the finest-scale species distribution models available for these species in this region, further indicated that, for all species, habitat (1) remains relatively abundant and well distributed in Nova Scotia and (2) is often located in wet lowlands (a climate-resilient topographic landform). These findings suggest that opportunities remain to conserve breeding habitat for these species despite changing temperature and precipitation regimes.

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