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Ecosystems are valuable as well as aesthetic. The natural functions of ecosystems can have profound effects on the economy, and human and wildlife health. The aggregate value of these 'ecosystem services' may far exceed the economic value derived from resource extraction or industrial development, especially when considering the costs of restoring ecosystems. There is increasing interest, therefore, in monitoring and protecting ecosystems, and accounting for the biodiversity and services they provide. In 2010, Canada undertook a review of ecosystem status and trends that identified the regions and ecosystems where management is most urgently needed. The authors concluded that more large-scale, long-term, standardized, and spatially complete information is needed for effective monitoring and management. Satellite-based earth observation (EO) tools were seen as a means of addressing this information need. In a separate exercise, a list of priority questions for conservation policy and management at a national level was produced: the resolution of three-quarters of those questions appears to depend on EO tools to a significant or critical extent. Canada has a long and successful history in all aspects of earth observation, placing it amongst the leaders in the international remote sensing community. Whereas the need for measuring ecosystem services to humans and wildlife is increasingly important, the challenges for doing so are increasingly significant and the technology required is increasingly complex. Overcoming these challenges is necessary to address emerging conservation priorities including measurement of ecosystem attributes to support habitat conservation for Species at Risk, measuring functional capacity of ecosystems to mitigate effects of climate change, monitoring and mitigating effects of resource extraction, and supporting industrial development in Canada's north. Addressing emerging priorities requires dialogue among ecologists and decision makers, coordinated at regional and national scales, and requires drawing on the best EO technologies and infrastructure available. This review highlights the urgency of a coordinated approach for innovative applications of EO tools toward conservation and discusses some of the key elements that might be included and opportunities and challenges that might be encountered, by such an approach. Key words: ecosystem monitoring, ecosystem services, ecosystem function, earth observation, remote sensing, Canada. Les ecosystemes sont utiles et esthetiques. Les fonctions naturelles des ecosystemes peuvent exercer de profonds effets sur l'economie ainsi que sur la sante humaine et faunique. La valeur agregee des services rendus par ces ecosystemes depasse largement la valeur economique provenant de l'extraction des ressources ou du developpement industriel, surtout lorsque l'on considere les couts pour la restauration des ecosystemes. On observe consequemment un interet croissant pour le suivi et la protection des ecosystemes, ainsi que pour la prise en compte de la biodiversite et des services qu'ils rendent. En 2010, le Canada a entrepris une revue de l'etat des ecosystemes et des tendances identifiant les regions et les ecosystemes ou le besoin en amenagement devient le plus urgent. Les auteurs concluent que pour assurer le suivi et l'amenagement efficace, on doit reunir plus d'information standardisee et complete dans l'espace, a grande echelle et a long terme. Les outils d'observation de la terre par satellite (EO) apparaissent comme le moyen pour combler ce besoin d'information. Dans un exercice distinct, les auteurs ont produit une liste de questions prioritaires pour les politiques de conservation et l'amenagement a l'echelle nationale : il semble que la reponse a trois quarts de ces questions depende des outils EO de facon significative ou critique. Le Canada possede une longue histoire de succes dans tous les aspects de l'observation de la terre, le situant parmi les meneurs mondiaux de la communaute internationale en teledetection. Alors que le besoin de mesurer les services des ecosystemes pour les humains et pour la faune devient de plus en plus important, les defis pour le rencontrer deviennent de plus en plus significatifs et les technologies necessaires se complexifient. Il est necessaire de surmonter ces defis afin de faire face aux priorites emergentes de conservation: mesure des caracteristiques des ecosystemes pour supporter la conservation des especes a risque; mesure de la capacite fonctionnelle des ecosystemes a mitiger les effets de l'extraction des ressources; et, support au developpement industriel du Nord canadien. Rencontrer les priorites emergentes requiert un dialogue entre les ecologistes et les decideurs, coordonne a l'echelle regionale aussi bien que nationale, et necessite une planification sur les meilleures technologies et infrastructures EO disponibles. Cette revue souligne l'urgence d'une approche coordonnee pour assurer des applications innovantes des outils EO en vue de la conservation et discute certains elements cles qui pourraient etre inclus ainsi que les opportunites et les defis qu'on pourrait rencontrer, en prenant une telle approche. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: suivi des ecosystemes, sevices des ecosystemes, fonction des ecosystemes, observation de la terre, teledetection, Canada., Status, trends, and management of Canadian ecosystems Ecosystems are often described in terms of their composition (e.g., what species and what landscape components are present), configuration (e.g., how things are [...]

Abstract: Many animals respond behaviourally to the infective stages of parasites, but the efficacy of such responses in reducing risk of parasitism often is not established. It was found that [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.03.009 Byline: Arash Rashed, Christopher D. Beatty, Mark R. Forbes, Thomas N. Sherratt Abstract: Although most of the studies on the evolution of mimicry and warning signals in insects have considered birds as the main predators, predation by other taxonomic groups, such as insects, may far exceed avian predation at some localities. However, few studies have investigated the possibility that insect predators might facilitate selection for warning colours and mimicry in other insects. We experimentally evaluated whether prey size and/or wasp-like colours and patterns were important in deterring attacks by dragonflies, using pairwise and single presentations of both natural and artificial prey in the field. Dragonflies were more likely to attack smaller natural prey and smaller artificial prey. However, dragonflies showed no differences between attacks on prey with wasp-like colours and patterns and those on the same-sized prey that were nonmimetic. Moreover, dragonflies avoided attacking both mock-painted and black-painted wasps entirely. Overall, we found no evidence to support the hypothesis that wasp-like warning signals protect small insect prey from attack by dragonflies, although size seems to be an important cue in dragonfly prey choice. Author Affiliation: Department of Biology, Carleton University, Canada Article History: Received 26 October 2004; Revised 16 January 2005; Accepted 4 March 2005 Article Note: (miscellaneous) MS. number: A10029

A study to evaluate whether prey size and/or wasp-like colours and patterns were important in deterring attacks by dragonflies with pairwise and single presentation of both natural and artificial prey in the field was performed. The results indicate that the dragonfly were more likely to attack smaller natural prey and smaller artificial prey but showed no difference between attacks on prey with wasp-like colours and patterns and those on the same-sized prey that were nonmimetic.

Coenagrinid damselflies were studied to determine sexual differences in coloration.