Birds, Bats and Minds. Tales of a Revolutionary Scientist: Donald R. Griffin. Volume Two

In this three-volume biography, we revisit the life and accomplishments of the revolutionary scientist, Donald R. Griffin. He encountered a lifetime of initial hostile resistance to his ideas and studies; now they are largely accepted. He and a colleague discovered the phenomenon of echolocation used by bats to navigate and capture insects, proposed that birds navigate guided by such cues as the sun and stars, and suggested that animals are likely aware, thinking and feeling beings. Forty interviews with his colleagues and friends help us understand the young emerging scientist and the mature researcher. We learn about his and others’ research up to the present times. We gain insights into his thinking and the rigors and delights of fieldwork. Efforts to promote animal well-being intrinsically depend upon the insights from his groundbreaking ideas. In Volume two, Griffin leaves the hostile environment at Harvard to accept an invitation to establish a new institute of animal behavior studies at the Rockefeller University (RU), and helps establish a field station. He entices the ornithologist Peter Marler to join him. During his studies of puzzling fishing bats at the tropical research station in Trinidad, Griffin meets and later marries the noted marine scientist Jocelyn Crane, who manages the station with famed naturalist William Beebe. Griffin pursues ground-breaking research with bats and, using radar tracking, of migrating birds across the sea. Detailed descriptions are provided of the findings regarding bats and their use of echolocating signals. The innovative work of numerous RU animal behavior researchers is described as is the harsh and strenuous work of field research and the thrill and joy in the scientists’ discoveries.https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/ebooks/1032/thumbnail.jp

Effects of LED lighting on terrestrial wildlife

1. Systematic Map of Effects of Light from LEDs at Night on Terrestrial Wildlife 2. Relative Importance of Intensity and Spectrum of Artificial Light at Night in Disrupting Behavior of a Nocturnal Rodent 3. A Database of Species Visual Responses to the Spectral Distribution of Light 4. Assessing and Mitigating Taxon-Specific Light Pollution Impacts from Roadway Lighting Projects 5. Guidance for Evaluating and Mitigating Impacts to Sensitive Species from Artificial Light at Night in Caltrans Project

Sunshine and sport in Florida and the West Indies.

Detailed account of the author\u27s sport fishing trip to Florida and the West Indies during the early 1900\u27s.https://stars.library.ucf.edu/floridaheritage/1090/thumbnail.jp

Rank and inheritance in a facultatively eusocial hover wasp.

In each L. flavolineata colony only one 'dominant' female reproduces at a given time, but all of the females, apparently, have the potential to achieve dominant status. I provide detailed census data, which shows that the majority of wasps inherit dominance in an age-based manner, i.e. the oldest individual becomes the dominant when the previous dominant dies. However, I also provide evidence of 'cheats' that achieve dominance before older individuals. Focusing upon 'cheating' individuals, I look at their relative size and genetic relatedness in relation to their nestmates to provide clues as to how they are able to 'queue-jump'. This study reveals that queue jumpers tend to be the sisters of wasps they jump in the queue yet queue jumpers are generally no larger than the rest of their nestmates. I then proceed to look at the prior foraging effort of queue jumpers before the queue jump took place. I conclude that queue jumping is an opportunist act performed when the dominant shows cues as to the imminent arrival of her death. I provide data regarding the general genetic structure of L. flavolineata colonies, focusing particularly upon the relatedness of the dominant to subordinate ranks. This study reveals no correlation between rank and relatedness to the dominant. Finally, I look at foraging effort and how it corresponds to rank and group size. Cant and Field (2001) have developed a Kin Selection model in which they predict the optimum levels of foraging effort for a subordinate individual according to its rank and the group size of its nest. L. flavolineata is a suitable species upon which to test this model as rank is revealed to be independent of relatedness to the Dominant. The results shown here are in good agreement with the predictions of the Kin Selection model

Road Verges for Bumblebee Conservation: A Green Infrastructure Opportunity or an Ecological Trap?

My thesis discusses the potential of road verges as a tool for bumblebee conservation, focusing on Bombus terrestris and roadsides within the UK. Chapter 1 is an extensive literature review on the topic of road verges as a tool for pollinator conservation. The benefits and drawbacks of roadsides are thoroughly discussed, highlighting areas requiring further investigation. The concept of, and how verges may represent, ecological traps is also covered. Chapter 2 addresses how distance from a major road impacts the development of B. terrestris colonies. The reproductive success of colonies located on the verge is compared to those positioned in the surrounding landscape. The results are discussed in the context of bumblebee conservation, and the importance of large-scale ecologically realistic field studies is highlighted. Chapter 3 investigates the impacts of two common roadside metals (copper and cadmium) on the development of B. terrestris micro-colonies. Micro-colonies were exposed to different levels of metal contamination via a pollen or nectar source. The main findings are presented, with emphasis on the future of the transport sector. Chapter 4 explores the pollen collection of B. terrestris colonies located on verges compared to those in the surrounding landscape. Pollen loads collected from foraging workers from colonies either on the roadside or in the surrounding area were identified using microscopy. Flowers visited by bumblebees were compared to floral resources within the landscape, and the potential for roadsides as a viable forage source for bumblebees is discussed in depth. I conclude with a summary of all three data chapters, highlighting the knowledge gaps which have been addressed. Areas of research still requiring further investigation are discussed along with conservation applications/recommendations identified by my thesis. The future of the transport industry and the likely impacts this will have on pollinator conservation along verges is also discussed

Safety in bear country

Safety in Bear Country tells the story of Serena Palmer’s twenty-second year. At a time when she thought she would be making a living in Toronto as an artist and as an independent adult, the economic times and her emotionally fragile state due to the demise of a romantic relationship, prove obstructive. Instead, she lives in the basement of her parents’ home and works for the town’s largest employer, a mental institution. Here she embarks on an internal quest for meaning and a truer understanding of love. Specifically, as the novel’s action shifts through Australia and then to Northern Canada, ending with her near-death and shamanistic spiritual transcendence, Serena explores the contradictions that exist between love and fear: in order to ever fully love, one must make oneself vulnerable at the deepest level. And, in order to ever make oneself vulnerable, one must conquer fear. In this way, fear and love are inextricably connected. Here in lies the irony of the title: Safety in Bear Country