Using Satellite Imagery to Count Nesting Albatross from Space

One fundamental concern in conservation biology is species abundance. For many taxa, however, these data are costly to obtain via direct observation and thus limited in geographic or temporal scope. Very high-resolution satellite imagery provides a means to address these limitations and provide remotely-sensed counts of large, colonial species. We used very high resolution satellite imagery paired with field counts of three species of nesting albatrosses (Phoebastria immutabilis, P. nigripes, P. albatrus) at two sites (Torishima, Japan and Sand Island, Midway Atoll, Hawaii) in the Pacific Ocean to test the ability of satellite image-based counts to predict in-field counts with multiple image and habitat covariates. Albatross were identifiable on Torishima using both WorldView-2 and WorldView-3 platforms and on Sand Island using the WorldView-3 platform. Pan-fused images underestimate ground count by about 31%, when taking into account vegetation cover and sun elevation, and their availability is limited to WorldView-3 imagery. Panchromatic images more accurately model in-field count when taking into account platform, species and vegetation cover with errors of -40-25%. We applied the best-performing, panchromatic model to estimate an inaccessible colony of P. albatrus breeding in the Senkaku Islands, from a single satellite image in 2015. We show the colony has expanded to a minimum of 166 adult birds. We demonstrate that with sufficient calibration, robust, multi-species models can be developed to expand the use of very high-resolution satellite imagery to satisfy monitoring objectives constrained by time, funds, or accessibility

Distinguishing offshore bird hunting from beach scavenging in archaeological contexts: the value of modern beach surveys

Determining whether seabirds recovered from coastal shell middens were obtained via active hunting or scavenging of beached carcasses is a challenge for archaeologists. Traditional methods have included analyzing skeletal part frequencies, abundance, age profiles, and contextual evidence. The assumption has been made, based on limited biological data, that an assemblage of carcasses scavenged from the beach will have more wing elements, and fewer legs and heads. Few studies, however, have embraced modern beaching data to verify this assumption and assess the potential faunal resources available for scavenging. We analyze the skeletal part representation of modern beached birds observed by the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST), comparing the COASST dataset to two idealized hypotheses used by archaeologists: the human scavenging hypothesis (wings only are recovered, while heads and legs are absent) and the human hunting hypothesis (all body parts are found in equal proportions). Finally, we apply these results to analysis of the bird remains from the Minard site (45-GH-15), a late Holocene coastal site in Grays Harbor, Washington. We find that contemporary beached bird data are closer to replicating the human hunting hypothesis as compared to the human scavenging hypothesis, as \u3e75% of the 19,599 carcasses in the COASST dataset had a combination of head, wings and legs. This result, and the similarity in taxonomic distribution between our contemporary beached bird data and Minard assemblage, suggests that indigenous peoples may have used scavenging as a viable means of resource acquisition in the past. Use of contemporaneous beached bird data may provide zooarchaeology with a statistically defensible baseline of information on the phenology, abundance and condition of bird carcasses

The rapid rise of next-generation natural history

Many ecologists have lamented the demise of natural history and have attributed this decline to a misguided view that natural history is outdated and unscientific. Although there is a perception that the focus in ecology and conservation have shifted away from descriptive natural history research and training toward hypothetico-deductive research, we argue that natural history has entered a new phase that we call “next-generation natural history.” This renaissance of natural history is characterized by technological and statistical advances that aid in collecting detailed observations systematically over broad spatial and temporal extents. The technological advances that have increased exponentially in the last decade include electronic sensors such as camera-traps and acoustic recorders, aircraft- and satellite-based remote sensing, animal-borne biologgers, genetics and genomics methods, and community science programs. Advances in statistics and computation have aided in analyzing a growing quantity of observations to reveal patterns in nature. These robust next-generation natural history datasets have transformed the anecdotal perception of natural history observations into systematically collected observations that collectively constitute the foundation for hypothetico-deductive research and can be leveraged and applied to conservation and management. These advances are encouraging scientists to conduct and embrace detailed descriptions of nature that remain a critically important component of the scientific endeavor. Finally, these next-generation natural history observations are engaging scientists and non-scientists alike with new documentations of the wonders of nature. Thus, we celebrate next-generation natural history for encouraging people to experience nature directly

Synthesis and application of sterically flexible and water-soluble phosphine ligands in palladium catalysis

The need for more environmentally benign and sustainable chemical processes is currently a widely recognized motivation in chemical research. One area that has been of particular interest to our research group is the development of biphasic and aqueous phase systems for palladium catalysis. My research at The University of Alabama has focused on the design and synthesis of water-soluble phosphines for application in aqueous and biphasic palladium catalysis. Our group, through collaboration with the Dixon and Rogers groups, seeks also to better understand how phosphine ligand structure influences catalysis in order to design more effective systems. My work began with the study of the influence of flexible, electron-rich phosphine substituents such as the neopentyl and benzyl groups on catalyst activity, particularly for the Suzuki coupling of sterically hindered substrates. I have also synthesized two new water-soluble phosphine ligands that utilize two sterically hindered, electron-rich alkyl groups (di-tert-butyl or di-1-adamantyl) in conjunction with a flexible benzyl moiety, made water soluble through addition of an anionic sulfonate group. Both of the new ligands have shown moderate activity in Suzuki and Sonogashira coupling reactions. Through collaboration with the Hartman group, the ability to recycle a water-solubilized palladium-phosphine catalyst in biphasic microflow systems is being studied. Additionally, work has begun to extend the application of water-soluble phosphine ligands to other palladium catalyzed reactions, such as direct arylations. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Stereospecific Suzuki, Sonogashira, and Negishi Coupling Reactions of <i>N</i>‑Alkoxyimidoyl Iodides and Bromides

A high-yielding stereospecific route to the synthesis of single geometric isomers of diaryl oxime ethers through Suzuki coupling of <i>N</i>-alkoxyimidoyl iodides is described. This reaction occurs with complete retention of the imidoyl halide geometry to give single <i>E</i>- or <i>Z</i>-isomers of diaryl oxime ethers. The Sonogashira coupling of <i>N</i>-alkoxyimidoyl iodides and bromides with a wide variety of terminal alkynes to afford single geometric isomers of aryl alkynyl oxime ethers has also been developed. Several of these reactions proceed through copper-free conditions. The Negishi coupling of <i>N</i>-alkoxyimidoyl halides is introduced. The <i>E</i> and <i>Z</i> configurations of nine Suzuki-coupling products and two Sonogashira-coupling products were confirmed by X-ray crystallography

Stereospecific Suzuki, Sonogashira, and Negishi Coupling Reactions of <i>N</i>‑Alkoxyimidoyl Iodides and Bromides

A high-yielding stereospecific route to the synthesis of single geometric isomers of diaryl oxime ethers through Suzuki coupling of <i>N</i>-alkoxyimidoyl iodides is described. This reaction occurs with complete retention of the imidoyl halide geometry to give single <i>E</i>- or <i>Z</i>-isomers of diaryl oxime ethers. The Sonogashira coupling of <i>N</i>-alkoxyimidoyl iodides and bromides with a wide variety of terminal alkynes to afford single geometric isomers of aryl alkynyl oxime ethers has also been developed. Several of these reactions proceed through copper-free conditions. The Negishi coupling of <i>N</i>-alkoxyimidoyl halides is introduced. The <i>E</i> and <i>Z</i> configurations of nine Suzuki-coupling products and two Sonogashira-coupling products were confirmed by X-ray crystallography