Search

Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) are secondary cavity nesters that use natural cavities and artificial nest boxes, the latter of which has been attributed to the recovery of populations across the southeastern US. Continual use of these boxes results in a buildup of bacteria, parasites, and other pathogens. To avoid the accumulation of these deleterious organisms, best management practices include the occasional removal of old nesting material (i.e., wood shavings) and replacement with fresh wood shavings. No studies have been performed on the effects of shaving material on nest box selection, nest success, and bacterial growth. We monitored 142 and 111 nest boxes in Florida and Georgia, USA, respectively, and filled a random sample with aspen or cedar shavings. We then swabbed the surface of 144 and 150 eggs during 2020 and 2021, respectively, to screen for culturable bacteria. We detected no effect of shaving type on nest box selection, nest success, or egg surface bacterial growth. We found 3-8 bacterial colony types (1-123 colony-forming units [CFU]/box) and 1-8 bacterial colony types (3-382 CFU/box) among the Georgia and Florida samples, respectively. We detected no effect from shaving type on Wood Duck reproduction or bacterial growth in the sampled nest boxes. We concluded that both shaving types are suitable nesting materials for box-nesting Wood Duck populations and the continued use of either would be a reasonable decision for managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether or where to draw subspecies' taxonomic boundaries is much more than an esoteric argument. Subspecific taxonomies and associated geographic ranges have important conservation and management implications because the Endangered Species Act (ESA) protects distinct populations segments below the species level. Genomic data can help resolve taxonomic disputes and assist with conservation policy; however, because subspecific lineages often exhibit gene flow, genomic lineages for subspecific taxa are rarely distinct. We used genomic data from the eastern pinesnake (Pituophis melanoleucus) to determine the geographic range of the morphologically variable Florida pinesnake (P. m. mugitus), which is petitioned for listing under the ESA. The overall genomic pattern of the eastern pinesnake is one of admixture, and there are gradual differences over the wide range of the species. But there still are discernable areas of genetic differentiation that correspond to the morphologically defined Florida pinesnake, and other subspecies. This pattern of admixture should be expected for subspecies. We propose that boundaries for the Florida pinesnake should maximize the species redundancy, resilience, and representation based on genomic data. We also propose best practices for managers and policymakers interpreting genomic data of subspecies, given that the genomic cutoffs will rarely be truly distinct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article will examine Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994) within the context of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's notions of the "assemblage," complex multiplicities that are composed of disparate elements to produce specific effects. It will be argued that Tarantino consistently demonstrates a preoccupation with meta, postmodernist filmmaking, illustrated through nonlinear narrative strategies. When examined in tandem, both films share numerous elements which can be understood as "rhizomatic" connections that form the foundation of Tarantino's singular practice that continues to fascinate and influence to this day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charismatic indicator species, which are defined by their sensitivity to ecosystem degradation and attractive traits, are often reintroduced or monitored in restoration projects to evaluate whether desired ecosystem structure and function has been restored and to attract public support for restoration projects. Hymenocallis coronaria is a charismatic and imperiled aquatic plant endemic to southeast U.S. fall line streams. Known for its blooms and sensitivity to flow modification, it provides an opportunity to incorporate the reintroduction of a charismatic indicator species into stream restoration projects. The goal of our research was to provide restoration practitioners with experimentally derived H. coronaria reestablishment best practices by investigating the effects of life stage and outplanting technique on establishment success, with additional considerations given to treatment efficiency. We used binomial generalized linear models to analyze H. coronaria establishment from experimental reestablishment efforts in a free‐flowing segment of Stevens Creek, South Carolina. Model selection showed a strong interaction effect between life stage and outplanting technique and that technique is more important than life stage. Interpretation of our top model indicated that the wedge technique was the most successful and that wedging spring bulbs was significantly more successful than wedging other life stages. However, we recommend that practitioners wedge seedlings or broadcast seeds into existing shoal crevices because of efficiency. Our best practices reflect the need to align reestablishment efforts with H. coronaria's life history to maximize efficiency and suggest that H. coronaria has utility as an indicator species for restored flow regimes of southeast U.S. fall line streams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The predominance of the left hemisphere in language comprehension and production is well established. More recently, the right hemisphere's contribution to language has been examined. Clinical, behavioral, and neuroimaging research support the right hemisphere's involvement in metaphor processing. But, there is disagreement about whether metaphors, in and of themselves, engage the right hemisphere or if other factors that vary between metaphors and literal language elicit right hemisphere engagement. It is important to disambiguate these issues to improve our basic knowledge of figurative language processing, to more precisely define how the right hemisphere supports language, and to facilitate our ability to understand and treat language impairments. Here we investigated the role of the right hemisphere in language comprehension with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) by manipulating familiarity in both literal and metaphoric sentences. In an event-related design, participants viewed English sentences that appeared every 4.5-9s, and to which they made a pleasantness judgment. All sentences elicited activation in traditional language brain regions including left inferior frontal gyrus, left anterior inferior temporal and left posterior middle temporal gyri. Overall, metaphors and novel stimuli elicited activation in bilateral inferior frontal gyri and left temporal regions. Additionally, metaphors elicited greater activation than literal sentences in right temporal pole. Although our results are partially consistent with the graded salience hypothesis and the coarse coding hypothesis, the right hemisphere's sensitivity to familiar metaphors suggests that right hemisphere recruitment is most influenced by semantic integration demands. (Contains 3 tables and 4 figures.)

Screen Production Research (SPR) is a developing field within the academy. SPR blends theoretical and practical methodologies to produce creative outputs, such as films, scripts, multimedia projects, etc. as research. This article will review my short documentary work with an emphasis on the most recent project, Glass Shards (2020). All of these creative projects will be contextualised within SPR frameworks to highlight the successes and challenges of lo/no-budget 'Do-It-Yourself' (DIY) filmmaking. Discussion of my previous films, Portrait of an Artist: Alice France (Co-Director Kim Ayres, 2014) and Artefact 93 (2019), will serve as critical reflections on specific practices that fed into the creation of Glass Shards. This latest project began as a traditional music documentary exploring local experimental musician Oliver Stewart and his songwriting talents. However, as filming progressed, new themes and complexities emerged that reshaped the final result. By examining the various filmmaking processes (pre-production, principal photography, and post-production), this article will review notions of identity, mental health, and performativity that developed throughout filming which, arguably, pushed the boundaries of music documentary. Effectively, through post-textual analysis, it will be contented that spontaneity and collaboration foster a creative environment that enhances the final outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid global change has increased interest in developing ways to identify suitable refugia for species of conservation concern. Correlative and mechanistic species distribution models (SDMs) represent two approaches to generate spatially‐explicit estimates of climate vulnerability. Correlative SDMs generate distributions using statistical associations between environmental variables and species presence data. In contrast, mechanistic SDMs use physiological traits and tolerances to identify areas that meet the conditions required for growth, survival and reproduction. Correlative approaches assume modeled environmental variables influence species distributions directly or indirectly; however, the mechanisms underlying these associations are rarely verified empirically. We compared habitat suitability predictions between a correlative‐only SDM, a mechanistic SDM and a correlative framework that incorporated mechanistic layers ('hybrid models'). Our comparison focused on green salamanders Aneides aeneus, a priority amphibian threatened by climate change throughout their disjunct range. We developed mechanistic SDMs using experiments to measure the thermal sensitivity of resistance to water loss (ri) and metabolism. Under current climate conditions, correlative‐only, hybrid and mechanistic SDMs predicted similar overlap in habitat suitability; however, mechanistic SDMs predicted habitat suitability to extend into regions without green salamanders but known to harbor many lungless salamanders. Under future warming scenarios, habitat suitability depended on climate scenario and SDM type. Correlative and hybrid models predicted a 42% reduction or 260% increase in area considered to be suitable depending on the climate scenario. In mechanistic SDMs, energetically suitable habitat declined with both climate scenarios and was driven by the thermal sensitivity of ri. Our study indicates that correlative‐only and hybrid approaches produce similar predictions of habitat suitability; however, discrepancies can arise for species that do not occupy their entire fundamental niche, which may hold consequences of conservation planning of threatened species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a selection of works by filmmaker Mark Cousins, arguably an under-examined figure with regard to film studies. It is contended that Cousins has fashioned a distinctive approach to the essay film. Adopting a "psychogeographical" perspective, this article will analyse What is this Film Called Love? (2012), Here Be Dragons (2013), and Life May Be (co-directed by Mania Akbari, 2014), all of which feature Cousins as a central figure and active participant on screen. In essence, each film is a documented dérive, a practice pioneered and developed by the Situationist International that locates intersections between specific locations and their psychological impact on the "self". It is posited that Cousins "Do-It-Yourself" practices rupture many conventions of filmmaking, producing a singular body of work in contemporary cinema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Fire Ecology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Raptor Research is the property of Raptor Research Foundation and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Paul Thomas Anderson's early work up to and including There Will Be Blood (2007) are examples of incoherent, postmodern cinema. Anderson's formative years produced four critically acclaimed features, Hard Eight (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999), and Punch-Drunk Love (2002), all of which presented related themes and aesthetics. Though There Will Be Blood does depict a complex father-son relationship similar to that found in Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, and Magnolia, the film is stylistically a radical departure for Anderson. While certain experimentation occurred in Punch-Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood is the start of the next phase of Anderson's career, one which reflects a meditative sensibility. For instance, in place of kinetic cinematography, rapid cutting, and multiple narratives are longer takes, extended tracking shots, and a leisurely editing style. Finally, contextualizing Anderson's career within the era of "Indiewood," a fusion of studio and independent filmmaking, key visual techniques employed during his early work emphasize the shift in his aesthetics, highlighting a singular, postmodern voice in Hollywood cinema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization is among the largest threats to wildlife populations through factors such as fragmentation, isolation, and habitat destruction. Urban open spaces, such as parks and golf courses, have the potential to provide wildlife with suitable habitat within an urbanized matrix. These refugia may be particularly important for amphibians, which represent one of the most endangered and least vagile vertebrate groups on earth. During the spring and summer of 2018, we conducted surveys to determine the presence of anurans at 51 wetland sites within the Piedmont ecoregion of South Carolina. Nearly one-third of these wetlands were located within urban open spaces, one-third in low development areas, and one-third in highly developed areas. Impervious surface and total road length surrounding the wetlands were measured at two scales, a core habitat scale (300 m) and average maximum migration scale (750 m), and we measured several within-wetland habitat variables. Urban Open Space wetlands had levels of surrounding impervious surface similar to High Urbanization wetlands at the larger scale and were intermediate between Low and High Urbanization wetlands at the smaller scale. The total length of road segments occurring within buffers (at both scales) surrounding our study wetlands was higher for Urban Open Space compared to Low and High Urbanization sites. Among the within-wetland variables measured, Low Urbanization sites had higher canopy cover and were more likely to have a terrestrial buffer zone relative to the other categories. Species richness decreased significantly as total road length increased among all wetlands. Wetland category was not a significant driver explaining species richness, but β-diversity was more variable among Urban Open Space wetlands than either Low or High Urbanization wetlands. Urban Open Space wetlands did not appear to increase suitability for anurans relative to High Urbanization wetlands. Urban Open Space wetlands had higher variability in species composition, which was perhaps attributable to the diversity among sites represented in the Urban Open Space category. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the factors that determine the spatial distribution of biodiversity is a major focus of ecological research. These factors vary with scale from interspecific interactions to global climatic cycles. Wetlands are important biodiversity hotspots and contributors of ecosystem services, but the association between proportional wetland cover and species richness has shown mixed results. It is not well known as to what extent there is a relationship between proportional wetland cover and species richness, especially at the sub-continental scale. We used the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) to model wetland cover for the conterminous United States and the National Land Cover Database to estimate wetland change between 2001 and 2011. We used a Bayesian spatial Poisson model to estimate a spatially varying coefficient surface describing the effect of proportional wetland cover on the distribution of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles and the cumulative distribution of terrestrial endemic species. Species richness and wetland cover were significantly correlated, and this relationship varied both spatially and by taxonomic group. Rather than a continental-scale association, however, we found that this relationship changed more closely among ecoregions. The species richness of each of the five groups was positively associated with wetland cover in some or all of the Great Plains; additionally, a positive association was found for mammals in the Southeastern Plains and Piedmont of the eastern U.S. Model results indicated negative association especially in the Cold Deserts and Northern Lakes & Forests of Minnesota and Wisconsin, though these varied greatly between groups. Our results highlight the need for wetland conservation initiatives that focus efforts at the level II and III ecoregional scale rather than along political boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Avian Conservation & Ecology is the property of Resilience Alliance and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The southern Appalachian Mountains have experienced rapid human population growth rates since the 1980s. Land used practices are shifting from rural to residential. The majority of development has been low density, and is often near biologically diverse areas such as National Forests and National Parks. The long-term effects of urbanization in the southeastern Appalachian Mountains are not clearly understood and even less is known with respect to stream salamander response to urbanization. In order to determine the temporal influence of exurban housing on southern Appalachian streams we sampled 27 first- and second-order streams in watersheds containing exurban developments ranging in age from 4 to 44 years, along with eight forested streams, over the course of two summers. We sought to determine if the relative age of an exurban development related to occupancy and abundance of southern Appalachian stream salamanders. Age of exurban development and other watershed scale variables were not top predictors of salamander assemblages, while local site variables such as salinity and undercut banks predicted the abundance of several species of salamander. Our results suggest local habitat improvements can be used to better conserve salamanders and stream ecosystems in an increasingly urbanized region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent work has suggested that conservation efforts such as restoration ecology and invasive species eradication are largely value-driven pursuits. Concurrently, changes to global climate are forcing ecologists to consider if and how collections of species will migrate, and whether or not we should be assisting such movements. Herein, we propose a philosophical framework which addresses these issues by utilizing ecological and evolutionary interrelationships to delineate individual ecological communities. Specifically, our Evolutionary Community Concept (ECC) recognizes unique collections of species that interact and have co-evolved in a given geographic area. We argue this concept has implications for a number of contemporary global conservation issues. Specifically, our framework allows us to establish a biological and science-driven context for making decisions regarding the restoration of systems and the removal of exotic species. The ECC also has implications for how we view shifts in species assemblages due to climate change and it advances our understanding of various ecological concepts, such as resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species distribution models have been applied across a wide range of spatial scales to generate information for conservation planning. Understanding how well models transfer through space and time is important to promote effective species-habitat conservation. Here, we assess model transferability in coastal tidal marshes of the southeastern United States using count data of a widespread marsh bird: the Clapper Rail (Rallus crepitans). We developed species-habitat models at a state level in both South Carolina and Georgia, and then assessed how well top models from each state predicted abundance in the other state. Internally (locally) validated models performed well with reasonable fit (SC: R2 = 0.35, GA: R2 = 0.14), and high significance (P = 0.0005); however, both models performed poorly when predicting abundance from the other state (R2 = 0.03 and 0.003). To assess the consequences of this lack of transferability, we applied the South Carolina- and Georgia-derived parameter estimates to habitat features in South Carolina and identified the top 25% of tidal marsh habitat that each model predicted within the state. There was minimal overlap between model habitat quality predictions (<5%). Our results address the predictive power and uncertainties that arise from using habitat associations and climate models to predict species distributions or abundance in locations without training data. We discuss potential reasons model transferability was not successful and address the need for better regional datasets and the importance of intraspecific variability in response to environmental gradients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foraging theory suggests organisms increase their fitness through dietary and energetic choices. In nature, organisms choose to consume balanced optimal diets but as exotic plants invade ecosystems, new foraging options become available. Often these plants have different traits and can negatively affect fitness of foragers by lowering survival or growth due to toxicity. Wetland habitats are highly susceptible to plant invasions which can have negative effects on nutrient cycling. The purpose of this study was to examine whether invasion of purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) alters tadpole foraging preference thus potentially impacting their survivorship and fitness. We designed a common garden experiment and utilized stable isotopic signatures to investigate the contribution of purple loosestrife and native hardwood detritus to larval wood frog (Rana sylvatica) and southern leopard frog (Rana sphenocephala) diets. Tadpoles derived a higher percentage of resources from purple loosestrife compared to native hardwood detritus when presented with both options, despite its high concentration of toxic secondary compounds. It is unknown if tadpoles can detect competing fitness signals that may be associated with higher nutrient and toxicity levels in purple loosestrife. Discovering the presence or absence of such signals will promote a greater understanding of selective foraging in changing environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-site experiments have demonstrated detritus quality in wetlands can have strongly negative, neutral, and even positive influences on wildlife. However, an examination of the influence of detritus quality across several regions is lacking and can provide information on whether impacts from variation in detritus quality are consistent across species with wide ranges. To address this gap in regional studies we examined effects of emergent and allochthonous detritus of different nutrient qualities on amphibians and assessed a mechanism that may contribute to potential impacts. We used aquatic mesocosms to raise wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) from two regions of the United States with whole plants from purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), leaf litter from native hardwood trees, and a mixture of both. We examined several metrics of amphibian fitness and life history, including survival, number of days to metamorphosis, and size at metamorphosis. Further, we quantified whether the effects of detritus type could translate to variation in anuran biomass or standing stock of nitrogen or phosphorus export. Our results show detritus with high nutrient quality (purple loosestrife) negatively influenced survival of wood frogs, but increased size of metamorphic individuals in two different regions of the United States. Despite the decrease in survival, the increase in size of post-metamorphic anurans raised with high quality detritus resulted in anuran biomass and standing stock of N and P export being similar across treatments at both locations. These results further demonstrate the role of plant quality in shaping wetland ecosystem dynamics, and represent the first demonstration that effects are consistent within species across ecoregional boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]