Summer foraging patterns and diet selection of muskrats inhabiting a fen wetland

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 1163-1167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Lacki ◽  
William T. Peneston ◽  
Kenneth B. Adams ◽  
F. Daniel Vogt ◽  
Joseph C. Houppert
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Feeding Activity ◽  
Typha Latifolia ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Foraging Patterns ◽  
Dietary Preference ◽  
Sampling Locations ◽  
Foraging Movements

Foraging patterns, dietary preference, and diet quality of muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) were studied at an alkaline fen in northern New York, from May 1985 to August 1986. Cattail (Typha latifolia) was the most prominent plant food item in the diet of muskrats. Feedbed surveys indicated that muskrat foraging bouts decreased from the lakeshore denning area with distance into the fen. This pattern of reduced feeding activity was associated with declines in both open water travel routes (i.e., sluiceways) and cattail biomass. Muskrats preferentially selected the core of the cattails. Tissue assays showed core tissue to contain low amounts of lignin and only moderate levels of cellulose, suggesting that muskrats were selecting the plant part most easily digested. Nitrogen and phosphorus levels in cattail samples from all sampling locations in the fen were similar, suggesting that muskrats concentrated their foraging movements for reasons other than maximizing diet quality. These data suggest that predator avoidance behavior strongly influenced muskrat foraging movements, and that muskrats attempted to maximize feeding efficiency within the constraint of access to available open water escape routes.

scholarly journals High net CO<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> release at a eutrophic shallow lake on a formerly drained fen

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 3051-3070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Franz ◽  
Franziska Koebsch ◽  
Eric Larmanou ◽  
Jürgen Augustin ◽  
Torsten Sachs
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Shallow Lake ◽  
Typha Latifolia ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Emergent Vegetation ◽  
Lake Ecosystem ◽  
Co2 Uptake ◽  
Mild Winter ◽  
Ch4 Emissions ◽  
Northeastern Germany

Abstract. Drained peatlands often act as carbon dioxide (CO2) hotspots. Raising the groundwater table is expected to reduce their CO2 contribution to the atmosphere and revitalise their function as carbon (C) sink in the long term. Without strict water management rewetting often results in partial flooding and the formation of spatially heterogeneous, nutrient-rich shallow lakes. Uncertainties remain as to when the intended effect of rewetting is achieved, as this specific ecosystem type has hardly been investigated in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) exchange. In most cases of rewetting, methane (CH4) emissions increase under anoxic conditions due to a higher water table and in terms of global warming potential (GWP) outperform the shift towards CO2 uptake, at least in the short term.Based on eddy covariance measurements we studied the ecosystem–atmosphere exchange of CH4 and CO2 at a shallow lake situated on a former fen grassland in northeastern Germany. The lake evolved shortly after flooding, 9 years previous to our investigation period. The ecosystem consists of two main surface types: open water (inhabited by submerged and floating vegetation) and emergent vegetation (particularly including the eulittoral zone of the lake, dominated by Typha latifolia). To determine the individual contribution of the two main surface types to the net CO2 and CH4 exchange of the whole lake ecosystem, we combined footprint analysis with CH4 modelling and net ecosystem exchange partitioning.The CH4 and CO2 dynamics were strikingly different between open water and emergent vegetation. Net CH4 emissions from the open water area were around 4-fold higher than from emergent vegetation stands, accounting for 53 and 13 g CH4 m−2 a−1 respectively. In addition, both surface types were net CO2 sources with 158 and 750 g CO2 m−2 a−1 respectively. Unusual meteorological conditions in terms of a warm and dry summer and a mild winter might have facilitated high respiration rates. In sum, even after 9 years of rewetting the lake ecosystem exhibited a considerable C loss and global warming impact, the latter mainly driven by high CH4 emissions. We assume the eutrophic conditions in combination with permanent high inundation as major reasons for the unfavourable GHG balance.

scholarly journals Acculturation and Diet Among Chinese American Immigrants in New York City

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey Kirshner ◽  
Stella S Yi ◽  
Judith Wylie-Rosett ◽  
Nirupa R Matthan ◽  
Jeannette M Beasley
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
York City ◽  
Chinese American ◽  
Processed Meat ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Unit Increase ◽  
Chinese American Immigrants ◽  
Red And Processed Meat

ABSTRACT Background There are limited data on the social and cultural determinants of dietary intake in Chinese Americans. Over 560,000 New York City residents are Chinese American, and there has been a growing trend over the past 30 y of permanent migration from China to the USA. Objectives The purpose of this secondary data analysis is to describe associations between diet, measured by self-report, and diet quality, with level of acculturation in a cross-sectional sample of urban-dwelling Chinese American immigrants. Methods This was a cross-sectional study involving 2071 foreign-born Chinese American adults. Acculturation was assessed using the Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation Scale, diet using a Chinese-adapted FFQ, and diet quality using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI). Multivariable regression was used to assess associations between ethnic (ESI; Chinese) and dominant (DSI; American) society immersion scores with self-reported dietary measures. Results No significant associations were found between acculturation and overall AHEI score. Higher ESI and DSI scores were associated with higher vegetable, fruit, and nut/legume scores; a higher DSI score only was associated with higher whole grain and PUFA scores. A 1-unit increase in the ESI score was associated with a 0.005 (P = 0.009) lower red and processed meat component score, whereas a 1-unit increase in DSI score was associated with a 0.01 (P = 0.025) higher red and processed meat component score. Conclusions Assessment of acculturation level may help to tailor dietary strategies that are appropriate to what Chinese American immigrant communities are consuming to more effectively decrease the risk of chronic disease.

scholarly journals Foraging movements are density-independent among straw-coloured fruit bats

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 200274
Author(s):  
María C. Calderón-Capote ◽  
Dina K. N. Dechmann ◽  
Jakob Fahr ◽  
Martin Wikelski ◽  
Roland Kays ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intraspecific Competition ◽  
Colony Size ◽  
Resource Depletion ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Foraging Patterns ◽  
Fruit Bat ◽  
Foraging Movements ◽  
Productive Landscapes ◽  
Eidolon Helvum

Intraspecific competition in large aggregations of animals should generate density-dependent effects on foraging patterns. To test how large differences in colony size affect foraging movements, we tracked seasonal movements of the African straw-coloured fruit bat ( Eidolon helvum ) from four colonies that range from 4000 up to 10 million animals. Contrary to initial predictions, we found that mean distance flown per night (9–99 km), number of nightly foraging sites (2–3) and foraging and commuting times were largely independent of colony size. Bats showed classic central-place foraging and typically returned to the same day roost each night. However, roost switching was evident among individuals in three of the four colonies especially towards the onset of migration. The relatively consistent foraging patterns across seasons and colonies indicate that these bats seek out roosts close to highly productive landscapes. Once foraging effort starts to increase due to local resource depletion they migrate to landscapes with seasonally increasing resources. This minimizes high intraspecific competition and may help to explain why long-distance migration, otherwise rare in bats, evolved in this highly gregarious species.

Diet Quality of Farm and Nonfarm Households in the First Half of the Twentieth Century: The Roles of Technological Change and Women’s Work

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 705-731
Author(s):  
Cathleen Zick ◽  
Anna Birtulescu
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Multivariate Analyses ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Household Technology ◽  
Meal Preparation ◽  
Upstate New York ◽  
Strong Positive Association

ABSTRACTIn recent decades, dramatic increases in Americans’ obesity rates have led some nutrition activists to call for a return to the dietary norms of earlier times when homemakers spent more time in meal preparation. Using archival data from unique survey records gathered in Upstate New York in 1936 and 1952, we provide descriptive information on the quality of the diets using measures of the variety of foods served and a modified version of U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Eating Index. Our multivariate analyses focus in on the relationships between diet quality and sociodemographics, homemakers’ time use, and household technology. We conclude that the typical Upstate New York diet of the 1930s was not of high quality, but improvements had occurred by the early 1950s. Our multivariate analyses reveal that access to modern kitchen technology had a strong, positive association with diet quality while homemakers’ time devoted to food-related activities was only weakly linked.

scholarly journals Long-term trends of nitrogen and phosphorus mass balances on New York State dairy farms

2015 ◽  
Vol 98 (10) ◽  
pp. 7052-7070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Cela ◽  
Quirine M. Ketterings ◽  
Karl Czymmek ◽  
Melanie Soberon ◽  
Caroline Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York State ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
York State ◽  
Long Term Trends

Temporal and Spatial Dynamics in Riverbed Chemistry: The Influence of Flow and Sediment Composition

1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (10) ◽  
pp. 2128-2140 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Chambers ◽  
E. E. Prepas ◽  
K. Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Discharge Rate ◽  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Size Composition ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Sediment Composition ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Nutrient Pool ◽  
Fine Sediments

To characterize the nutrient pool in the riverbed of an unregulated river in western Canada and identify factors controlling spatial and temporal variability, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in open water, porewater, and sediment-exchangeable pools were monitored in the Pembina River, Alberta, at three sites that differed in sediment composition (cobble, sand, and fine sediments). Comparison of porewater chemistry for three years showed that interannual variation was related to discharge rate (22, 87, and 68 m3/s for May–November 1988, 1989, and 1990, respectively) and changes in the size composition of the bottom sediments. However, within-year variations in riverbed chemistry were not correlated with either flow or current velocity. These results suggest that large-scale interannual changes in flow act as a set-point mechanism, defining the particle size composition and chemistry of the riverbed; flow changes of short duration had no predictable effect on riverbed chemistry. Our finding on the highly dynamic nature of riverbed chemistry has important implications for benthic productivity and elemental fluxes between surface waters and the riverbed because dramatic changes in riverbed chemistry can occur in the span of a year even without a flushing scour.

Upper Susquehanna watershed and New York State improvements in nitrogen and phosphorus mass balances of dairy farms

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Cela ◽  
Q.M. Ketterings ◽  
M. Soberon ◽  
C. Rasmussen ◽  
K.J. Czymmek
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York State ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
York State
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