897 research outputs found

    The impact of civil war on forest wildlife in West Africa: Mammals in Gola Forest, Sierra Leone

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    Human conflicts may sometimes benefit wildlife by depopulating wilderness areas but there is evidence from Africa that the impacts tend to be negative. The forested states of West Africa have experienced much recent human conflict but there have been no assessments of impacts on the wildlife. We conducted surveys of mammals in the 710-km2 Gola Forest reserves to assess the impact of the 1991-2001 civil war in Sierra Leone. Gola is the most important remaining tract of lowland forest in the country and a key site for the conservation of the highly threatened forests of the Upper Guinea region. We found that Gola has survived well despite being in the heart of the area occupied by the rebels. We recorded 44 species of larger mammal, including 18 threatened, near-threatened and endemic species, accounting for all species recorded in pre-war surveys and adding several more (African buffalo Syncerus caffer nanus and water chevrotain Hyemoschus aquaticus). Populations of primates were healthy with little evidence of decline. Duiker detection rates were low and further work is required to confirm their numbers as they include five species endemic (or near endemic) to the Upper Guinea region, three of which are threatened. However, the population of African forest elephants Loxodonta cyclotis has collapsed, with only a few individuals remaining from c. 110 in the mid 1980s. We conclude that peacetime pressures from the bushmeat trade, clearance for agriculture, logging and mining are likely to be far greater for Gola than the pressures from the civil war

    The neurobiology of Etruscan shrew active touch

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    The Etruscan shrew, Suncus etruscus, is not only the smallest terrestrial mammal, but also one of the fastest and most tactile hunters described to date. The shrew's skeletal muscle consists entirely of fast-twitch types and lacks slow fibres. Etruscan shrews detect, overwhelm, and kill insect prey in large numbers in darkness. The cricket prey is exquisitely mechanosensitive and fast-moving, and is as big as the shrew itself. Experiments with prey replica show that shape cues are both necessary and sufficient for evoking attacks. Shrew attacks are whisker guided by motion- and size-invariant Gestalt-like prey representations. Shrews often attack their prey prior to any signs of evasive manoeuvres. Shrews whisk at frequencies of approximately 14 Hz and can react with latencies as short as 25–30 ms to prey movement. The speed of attacks suggests that shrews identify and classify prey with a single touch. Large parts of the shrew's brain respond to vibrissal touch, which is represented in at least four cortical areas comprising collectively about a third of the cortical volume. Etruscan shrews can enter a torpid state and reduce their body temperature; we observed that cortical response latencies become two to three times longer when body temperature drops from 36°C to 24°C, suggesting that endothermy contributes to the animal's high-speed sensorimotor performance. We argue that small size, high-speed behaviour and extreme dependence on touch are not coincidental, but reflect an evolutionary strategy, in which the metabolic costs of small body size are outweighed by the advantages of being a short-range high-speed touch and kill predator

    The NEBLINE, February 1999

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    Contents: Remembering the 4-H lock-in Reflections of Teen Leadership 1999 Perennial Plant of the Year The garden corner Using garden catalogs A spoonful a day keeps the mole away Mangy squirrels Misplaced wildlife become problems Beginning Beekeeping Workshop Are squirrels using your bird feeders? Try this trash game! It’s fun! Computerized financial record keeping 1999 Integrated Crop Management Winter Programs Lime and other nutrients key to soil fertility Reseeding CRP acres Introduction to precision agriculture Final private pesticide applicator training session Fertilizing trees and shrubs Tractor safety tips (part 2) Battery maintenance tips NEP teaches non-English Families Nutrition Healthy Eating: Bread Pudding with Brandy Apricot Sauce Bake your sweetheart something heart healthy! Focus on Food Family & Community Education: Jean\u27s Journal FCE Notes Household Hints Child care conference 5 steps to deal with anger What motivates children to read Parents Forever Singing important to kids Stress? deep breathing brings relief 4-H Bulletin Board 4-H Leader Training Speech contest Attention 4-H teens Rabbit Clinic and Show 4-H Speech Workshop Character Counts! opportunity Come to the record book workshop 4-H Horse Bits Kiwanis Karnival Learning about space is cool! National Agriculture Week—March 14-20 SNAP: Southeast Nebraska Association of Photographers Recycled products show to be held February 17 Nebraska Pioneer Farm Family Awards—A call for nominations Featured Speaker at Forum, March 9 Do you know someone who wants to start a food manufacturing business? Reduce debt, increase savings Great Plains Music Camp, June 12-1

    X-15, Research at the Edge of Space

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    X-15 project - history, aircraft design, operational systems, & flight progra

    Biological Inventories of Schoodic and Corea Peninsulas, Coastal Maine, 1996

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    This project was designed to complete a preliminary biological inventory of US Navy and Acadia National Park lands on Schoodic and Corea Peninsulas in coastal Maine, with the overall goal of providing the Navy and the National Park Service with natural resource information sufficient for management decisions. In this region, lands administered by these agencies are adjacent to each other and present a unique opportunity to cooperatively assess and manage natural resources. Prior to 1994, basic biological information on the Schoodic Peninsula region was scarce. A preliminary biological inventory was undertaken in 1994, which surveyed amphibians and reptiles, terrestrial mammals, and vascular plants (Mittelhauser, et al. 1995). The present project involved intensive studies of three taxonomic groups not studied in the 1994 survey (bats, landbirds, and bryophyte plants) and follow-up studies of amphibians, terrestrial mammals, and vascular plants. Specific objectives were to: (1) compile species lists for taxa not previously studied; (2) update species and habitat information of taxa studied in 1994; (3) identify federal and state-listed endangered or threatened species and other species of local or state-level management concern; and (4) organize available data for further resource management decisions. The study area included all US Navy lands on Corea Heath and Big Moose Island (approximately 250 hectares) and all Acadia National Park lands on Schoodic Peninsula and Big Moose Island (approximately 800 ha). Corea Heath is designated as a Maine Critical Area, and recognized as a one of the largest and most southerly coastal raised peatlands in North America. The jack pine (Pinus banksiana) stands on Schoodic Peninsula, Big Moose Island, and Corea Heath also are designated Maine Critical Areas. Hence the region is of considerable interest in terms of the biology and conservation of its ecological communities

    Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 56 (09) 2003

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    published or submitted for publicatio

    Trail View: Acadia National Park

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    environmental awareness has become a worldwide subject. recent technological advancements have allowed for viewing various aspects of our world from different perspectives. the objective of the trail view project was to create an interactive website that documents in-depth visual, auditory, and physical information pertaining to acadia national park. the website presents a map feature similar to that of google street view, containing panoramas of acadia\u27s hiking trails. the attributes benefit outdoor enthusiasts and promote education, public awareness, and respect for the environment
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