Partial Sequence and Characterization of a Growth Hormone Gene of the Red Drum (Sciaenops Ocellatus).

A growth hormone (GH) gene was isolated from nuclear DNA of the red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). Synthetic oligonucleotides were synthesized based on published cDNA sequences of other perciform fishes. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methodology was employed to amplify a nucleotide sequence extending from the 5\sp\prime end of intron I to 15 bases upstream of the 3\sp\prime end of exon VI of the GH gene. Amplified DNA was cloned into a phagemid sequencing vector. Clones were sequenced. Computer analysis of sequence data was used to determine the internal gene arrangement of exons and introns. Homologies of the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences with published GH sequences were determined. The GH nucleotide sequence was examined for the presence of regulatory elements. The red drum GH gene is comprised of six exons and five introns, an arrangement like that of the salmonid GH genes but unlike the five exon, four intron arrangement of carp (Cyprinus carpio) and mammalian GH genes. Protein coding regions of the red drum GH gene show a high degree of homology with GH cDNA sequences of other perciform fishes. The 3\sp\prime terminus of exon V of the red drum GH gene shows an 86% similarity with a region of exon V of the human chorionic somatomammotropin gene. A putative glucocorticoid receptor element is present in intron I of the red drum GH gene

Tourism and Recreation in a Warmer Indiana: A Report from the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment

Indiana’s climate and geography make it an attractive place for outdoor tourism and recreation. Many months of each year are ideal for boating, fishing, swimming, hiking, camping, and taking in outdoor sporting events or festivals. But the world’s climate is changing, and Indiana’s is no exception. Temperature increases already seen over the last hundred years will accelerate, potentially through the end of this century, and precipitation patterns will change. Those changes will affect the many facets of tourism and recreation throughout the state, including the types of tourism the state can offer, the timing of events, and the quality of visitor experiences. Climate change will have significant impacts on many sectors, including health, urban spaces, aquatic ecosystems, and forests – to name a few. All of these sectors are tied to the state’s tourism, recreation, and hospitality industries, which rely on natural and human-built systems to create successful visitor experiences. This report from the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment (IN CCIA) uses climate projections for the state to explore likely impacts for Indiana’s tourism and recreation industries

An assessment of the potential impacts of climate change on the freshwater habitats of Indiana, U.S.A.

Recent climate-driven, physico-chemical changes documented in aquatic systems throughout the world are expected to intensify in the future. Specifically, changes in key environmental attributes of aquatic systems, such as water quantity, clarity, temperatures, ice cover, seasonal flow regimes, external loading, and oxygen content, will undoubtedly have a broad set of direct and indirect ecological consequences. Some anticipated impacts may be similar across different aquatic ecosystems, while others may be system-specific. Here, we review the potential effects of climatic changes for different freshwater habitats within the state of Indiana, USA, a Midwestern state with diverse land and water features. Given this heterogeneity and that the state is among the southernmost states of the US Midwest, evaluation of freshwater habitats of Indiana provides a useful perspective on potential impacts of climate change. In our study, we first review expected or anticipated changes to physico-chemical and habitat conditions in wetlands, lotic systems, small glacial lakes and Lake Michigan. We then highlight anticipated responses of select aquatic biota to these changes. We describe how climatic changes may interact with other anthropogenic stressors affecting freshwater habitats and consider the potential for evolutionary adaptation of freshwater aquatic organisms to mediate any responses. Given anticipated changes, we suggest aquatic ecosystem managers take a precautionary approach broadly applicable in temperate regions to (a) conserve a diversity of aquatic habitats, (b) enhance species diversity and both inter- and intra-population genetic variation, and (c) limit stressors which may exacerbate the risk of decline for aquatic biota

Aquatic Ecosystems in a Shifting Indiana Climate: A Report from the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment

Indiana is home to many types of aquatic ecosystems, including lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands and temporary (ephemeral) pools, which provide habitats for a wide range of plants and animals. These ecosystems will experience changes in water quantity, water temperature, ice cover, water clarity and oxygen content as the state’s temperature and rainfall patterns shift. The plants and animals living in these aquatic ecosystems will undergo changes that will vary based on the species and the specific places they inhabit. It is challenging to know precisely how organisms will respond to changes in climate. Effects on one species create a difficult-to-predict chain reaction that potentially influences other species in the same ecosystem. Some organisms will adapt and evolve to survive, or even thrive, as the climate changes, but they will have to adjust to more than just the changes in climate. They will also respond to changes in a wide variety of other environmental factors that affect them, including invasive species, habitat destruction, contaminants, nutrient runoff, and land management decisions. While these complicated interactions make it challenging to predict the long-term fate of Indiana’s aquatic species, enough is known about climate-related stressors to help managers develop strategies to avoid the most critical outcomes, hopefully avoiding species loss. This report from the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment (IN CCIA) uses climate projections for the state to explore the potential threats to Indiana’s aquatic ecosystems and describes potential management implications and opportunities

Early growth performance of salal (Gaultheria shallon) from various North American west-coast locations

Salal is a native perennial evergreen shrub occurring from the panhandle of Alaska along the entire coast of British Columbia to southern California. In the North American west coast industrial forest it is considered a weed because it is a persistent, serious competitor with coniferous species. Intraspecific genotypic and phenotypic diversity of salal is not well known despite of its ecological and economic significance. A morphometric analyses within and among populations was performed in a statistically appropriate manner. Two-year-old container grown seedlings of 24 collections of salal from throughout the natural area of distribution in western North America were planted in a randomized complete blocks design (6 blocks) on a cleared 0.7 ha plot on Vancouver Island. Each of the 24 seedlots was planted once in each block with 24 plants per seedlot in April 1990. Shoot height and the number of buds prior to planting, the plant spatial volume (product of plant height and plant width on two perpendicular axes) in 1992 and 1993, the relative growth increment (1992-1993) and the number of dead plants in 1992 and 1993 were subjected to analysis of variance. No differences among seedlots were detected for the relative growth increment and the number of dead plants in 1992 and 1993. Conversely, shoot height and the number of buds prior to planting as well as the plant volume in 1992 and 1993 showed statistically significant seedlot effects. Cluster analysis of these effects revealed greatest differences in plant response among the eastern- and southernmost collection and the remainder of the collections; i.e. three geographical races of salal may exist.Potentiel de croissance initiale du Salal (Gaultheria shallon) de diverses régions de la côte ouest de l'Amérique du Nord. Le Salal est un arbuste autochtone pérenne à feuilles persistantes réparti depuis la péninsule de l'Alaska tout au long de la côte de la Colombie Britannique jusqu'au sud de la Californie. Dans les forêts industrielles de la côte ouest de l'Amérique du Nord, il est considéré comme une mauvaise herbe parce qu'il est persistant et un compétiteur sérieux des espèces de conifères. La diversité intra spécifique génotypique et phénotypique du Salal n'est pas bien connue malgré son importance écologique et économique. Une analyse morphométrique parmi ses populations a été réalisée selon les règles statistiques. Des semis de 2 ans, ayant poussé en conteneurs, provenant de 24 collections de Salal originaires des diverses régions naturelles de l'ouest de l'Amérique du Nord ont été plantés selon un dispositif complet à blocs randomisés (6 blocs) dans une parcelle nettoyée de 0,7 ha sur l'Ile de Vancouver. Les 24 lots de semis ont été plantés dans chacun des blocs en 1990. La hauteur de la pousse et le nombre de bourgeons avant plantation, le volume spatial (produits de la hauteur du plant par sa largeur sur 2 axes perpendiculaires) en 1992 et 1993, l'accroissement relatif (1992-1993) et le nombre de plants morts en 1992 et 1993 ont fait l'objet d'une analyse de variance. Il n'y a pas de différence significative pour l'accroissement relatif et le nombre de plants morts en 1992 et 1993. Par contre, la hauteur de la pousse et le nombre de bourgeons avant plantation, de même que le volume spatial des plants en 1992 et 1993, montrent des différences significatives selon les origines des plants. Une analyse de groupe sur ces effets révèle une plus grande différence de réponse parmi les collections les plus à l'est et au sud par rapport aux autres origines ; c'est-à-dire qu'il pourrait y avoir 3 races géographiques de Salal

Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment: Tourism and Outdoor Recreation

Climate change has been described as the primary challenge facing the global tourism industry. It will have wide ranging impacts, both at the destination and operational level. In this report, we will summarize and synthesize the best available research around climate change for tourism in the state of Indiana