Habitat use byCulicoidesspp.: The role of habitat type and animal use in determining species composition in a Kansas prairie preserve

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Pfannenstiel
Author(s):  
David Genter ◽  
Lee Metzgar

Until recently, little attention has been directed to the bat fauna of GTNP. The role of bats in ecosystems is more significant than previously thought. Also, the public's awareness of bats is growing and as part of routine interpretive needs, the NPS must have factual information on all animals in the Park. A baseline survey was conducted to determine species composition, distribution, abundance, and habitat use of bats in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. The principal objectives are: 1. Obtain information on species occurrence and distribution within the Park; 2. Assess the population status for bat species present; 3. Identify rare species in the Park and identify management needs to ensure the viability of these species in GTNP; and 4. Evaluate potential conflicts with human activities.


2012 ◽  
pp. 66-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. A. Lavrinenko ◽  
O. V. Lavrinenko ◽  
D. V. Dobrynin

The satellite images show that the area of marshes in the Kolokolkova bay was notstable during the period from 1973 up to 2011. Until 2010 it varied from 357 to 636 ha. After a severe storm happened on July 24–25, 2010 the total area of marshes was reduced up to 43–50 ha. The mean value of NDVI for studied marshes, reflecting the green biomass, varied from 0.13 to 0.32 before the storm in 2010, after the storm the NDVI decreased to 0.10, in 2011 — 0.03. A comparative analysis of species composition and structure of plant communities described in 2002 and 2011, allowed to evaluate the vegetation changes of marshes of the different topographic levels. They are fol­lowing: a total destruction of plant communities of the ass. Puccinellietum phryganodis and ass. Caricetum subspathaceae on low and middle marches; increasing role of halophytic species in plant communities of the ass. Caricetum glareosae vic. Calamagrostis deschampsioides subass. typicum on middle marches; some changes in species composition and structure of plant communities of the ass. Caricetum glareosae vic. Calamagrostis deschampsioides subass. festucetosum rubrae on high marches and ass. Parnassio palustris–Salicetum reptantis in transition zone between marches and tundra without changes of their syntaxonomy; a death of moss cover in plant communities of the ass. Caricetum mackenziei var. Warnstorfia exannulata on brackish coastal bogs. The possible reasons of dramatic vegetation dynamics are discussed. The dating of the storm makes it possible to observe the directions and rates of the succession of marches vegetation.


Author(s):  
M.D. Wildsmith ◽  
I.C. Potter ◽  
F.J. Valesini ◽  
M.E. Platell

Benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled seasonally in the subtidal and upper and lower swash zones at two sites in each of six nearshore habitat types on the lower west coast of Australia. The habitat types, which differed mainly in the extent of their exposure to wave activity and whether sea grass and/or nearshore reefs were present, had been distinguished quantitatively using values for a suite of seven statistically-selected enduring environmental characteristics (Valesini et al., 2003). The core samples yielded 121 species representing eight phyla, among which the Polychaeta, Malacostraca and Bivalvia were the most speciose classes, contributing ∼38, 23 and 10%, respectively, to the total number of individuals. The total number of species and mean density of macroinvertebrates at the most protected habitat type (1), i.e. 70 and 209·2 individuals 0·1 m−2, respectively, were far greater than in any other habitat type. Habitat type influenced species composition to a greater extent than either zone or season. Furthermore, the extents of the differences among the species compositions of the six habitat types statistically matched the extents of the differences among the values for the suite of enduring environmental characteristics that distinguished each of those habitat types. Overall, the species composition at habitat type 1 was the most distinct, containing five abundant species of polychaetes that were adapted to deposit-feeding in calm waters with high levels of organic material and which were rare in all other habitat types. In contrast, the fauna at the most exposed habitat type was characterized by four crustacean species and a species of bivalve and polychaete, whose mobility and tough external surface facilitated their survival and feeding in turbulent waters. The zonal differences in faunal compositions among habitat types were greatest in the case of the subtidal zone. The faunal compositions differed among zones and seasons only at the most protected habitat type.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
László Somay ◽  
Viktor Szigeti ◽  
Gergely Boros ◽  
Réka Ádám ◽  
András Báldi

Wood pastures are home to a variety of species, including the dung beetle. Dung beetles are an important functional group in decomposition. Specifically, in terms of livestock manure, they not only contribute to nutrient cycling but are key players in supporting human and animal health. Dung beetles, however, are declining in population, and urgent recommendations are needed to reverse this trend. Recommendations need to be based on solid evidence and specific habitats. Herein, we aimed to investigate the role of an intermediate habitat type between forests and pastures. Wood pastures are key areas for dung beetle conservation. For this reason, we compared dung beetle assemblages among forests, wood pastures, and grasslands. We complemented this with studies on the effects of dung type and season at three Hungarian locations. Pitfall traps baited with cattle, sheep, or horse dung were used in forests, wood pastures, and pasture habitats in spring, summer, and autumn. Dung beetle assemblages of wood pastures showed transient characteristics between forests and pastures regarding their abundance, species richness, Shannon diversity, assemblage composition, and indicator species. We identified a strong effect of season and a weak of dung type. Assemblage composition proved to be the most sensitive measure of differences among habitats. The conservation of dung beetles, and the decomposition services they provide, need continuous livestock grazing to provide fresh dung, as well as the maintenance of wood pastures where dung beetle assemblages typical of forests and pastures can both survive.


Author(s):  
F M Shakirova ◽  
V Z Latypova ◽  
N Yu. Stepanova ◽  
V G Tereshchenko ◽  
O K Anokhina ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Lunney

How people coexist and interact with animals has become an intensely debated issue in recent times, particularly with the rise of the animal protection movement following the publication of Peter Singer’s book Animal Liberation in 1975. This paper discusses some shortcomings of the philosophical positions taken in this complex debate. Singer has helped put animals on a new footing as a group that cannot morally be ignored, but his focus is mainly on individual, familiar animals that are used or abused by humans. The argument of this paper is that the ethics of managing wildlife hinges on a broader view of animals, and their contexts, than is apparent from Singer’s text. Wildlife managers aim to conserve populations of a wide range of species, and their habitats, but some mechanisms for achieving these aims, such as research and the control of invasive animals, are frequently opposed by elements of the animal protection movement. We need to adapt our attitude to animals, particularly wildlife, away from the traditional legacy of a few familiar species to embrace an ethic that is more ecological and relevant to Australian contexts. The case argued here has been to see the critical role of context — geographical, ecological, historical, relational — as a basis for a degree of reconciliation between conservation-oriented wildlife managers and the rising interest in the ethics of animal use. There is much to be gained for zoologists, wildlife managers and conservation biologists by framing key elements of their case in ethical arguments. Conversely, the challenge for those in the animal protection movement is to expand their philosophical ideas to include the ethical imperative of the conservation of populations of wildlife.


2011 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 210-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Halina Kucharczyk ◽  
Paweł Bereś ◽  
Zbigniew Dąbrowski

The Species Composition and Seasonal Dynamics of Thrips (Thysanoptera) Populations on Maize (Zea MaysL.) in Southeastern PolandThrips species composition and seasonal abundance was studied on maize crops during two seasons (2006-2007), in southeastern Poland. Altogether 21 species have been identified, among themFrankliniella tenuicornis(Uzel 1895) andHaplothrips aculeatus(Fabricius 1803) which are a graminicolous species and were eudominants, comprising 96.8% in 2006 and 82.0% in 2007 of all collected specimens. Other species occurred only in low numbers. The frequent and numerous presence ofF. tenuicornisspecies in their immature stages in the samples, confirmed the role of the maize plant as the host.H. aculeatusprobably chose maize as a food source and substitute plant for breeding.


Author(s):  
Rocío Sanhueza ◽  
Wladimir Moya ◽  
Jaime R. Rau

Abstract: The probability of existence or not of local extinctions of six species of carnivorous mammals was analyzed by ordering the species composition in nested subsets in 7 fragments of forest habitats in the Coastal Mountains in the Araucanía Region, in southern Chile. Nested Temperature Calculator (NTC) and BINMATNEST computer programs were used to process the results. The first software provided a temperature in the archipelago of 28.21 degree Celsius, whereas the second program showed a nesting temperature of 16.58 degree Celsius. The computer software used in this study suggest that there is no nesting pattern at the level species composition of carnivorous mammal assemblage in the evaluated area, which may be due to the habitat use characteristics of the different carnivorous mammals studied here.


2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 707-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon A. Tadesse ◽  
Burt P. Kotler

Abstract We studied the habitat use of mountain nyala Tragelaphus buxtoni in the northern edge of the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. The aims of this study were to: (1) measure and quantify habitat-specific stem bite diameters of mountain nyala foraging on common natural plant species in two major habitat types (i.e. grasslands versus woodlands), and (2) quantify the bite rates (number of bites per minute) and the activity time budgets of mountain nyala as functions of habitat type and sex-age category. We randomly laid out three transects in each habitat type. Following each transect, through focal animal observations, we assessed and quantified stem diameters at point of browse (dpb), bite rates, and time budgets of mountain nyala in grasslands versus woodlands. Stem dpb provide a measure of natural giving-up densities (GUDs) and can be used to assess foraging costs and efficiencies, with greater stem dpb corresponding to lower costs and greater efficiencies. The results showed that stem dpb, bite rates, induced vigilance, and proportion of time spent in feeding differed between habitats. In particular, mountain nyala had greater stem dpb, higher bite rates, and spent a greater proportion of their time in feeding and less in induced vigilance in the grasslands. In addition, adult females had the highest bite rates, and the browse species Solanum marginatum had the greatest stem dpb. Generally, grasslands provide the mountain nyala with several advantages over the woodlands, including offering lower foraging costs, greater safety, and more time for foraging. The study advocates how behavioural indicators and natural GUDs are used to examine the habitat use of the endangered mountain nyala through applying non-invasive techniques. We conclude that the resulting measures are helpful for guiding conservation and management efforts and could be applicable to a number of endangered wildlife species including the mountain nyala.


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