The Reliability and Effectiveness of a Radar-Based Animal Detection System

This document contains data on the reliability and effectiveness of an animal detection system along U.S. Hwy 95 near Bonners Ferry, Idaho. The system uses a Doppler radar to detect large mammals (e.g., deer and elk) when they approach the highway. The system met most of the suggested minimum norms for reliability. The total time the warning signs were activated was at most 90 seconds per hour, and likely substantially less. Animal detection systems are designed to detect an approaching animal. After an animal has been detected, warning signs are activated which allow drivers to respond. Results showed that 58.1–67.9% of deer were detected sufficiently early for northbound drivers, and 70.4–85% of deer were detected sufficiently early for southbound drivers. The effect of the activated warning signs on vehicle speed was greatest when road conditions were challenging (e.g., freezing temperatures and snow- and ice-covered road surface) and when visibility was low (night). In summer, there was no measurable benefit of activated warning signs, at least not as far as vehicle speed is concerned. Depending on the conditions in autumn and winter, the activated warning signs resulted in a speed reduction of 0.69 to 4.43 miles per hour. The report includes practical recommendations for operation and maintenance of the system and suggestions for potential future research

A Conserved KIN17 Curved DNA-Binding Domain Protein Assembles with SQUAMOSA PROMOTER-BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE7 to Adapt Arabidopsis Growth and Development to Limiting Copper Availability

Proper copper (Cu) homeostasis is required by living organisms to maintain essential cellular functions. In the model plant Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), the SQUAMOSA PROMOTER-BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE7 (SPL7) transcription factor participates in reprogramming global gene expression during Cu insufficiency in order to improve the metal uptake and prioritize its distribution to Cu proteins of major importance. As a consequence, spl7 null mutants show morphological and physiological disorders during Cu-limited growth, resulting in lower fresh weight, reduced root elongation, and chlorosis. On the other hand, the Arabidopsis KIN17 homolog belongs to a well-conserved family of essential eukaryotic nuclear proteins known to be stress activated and involved in DNA and possibly RNA metabolism in mammals. In the study presented here, we uncovered that Arabidopsis KIN17 participates in promoting the Cu deficiency response by means of a direct interaction with SPL7. Moreover, the double mutant kin17-1 spl7-2 displays an enhanced Cu-dependent phenotype involving growth arrest, oxidative stress, floral bud abortion, and pollen inviability. Taken together, the data presented here provide evidence for SPL7 and KIN17 protein interaction as a point of convergence in response to both Cu deficiency and oxidative stress

Effectiveness of Chain Link Turtle Fence and Culverts in Reducing Turtle Mortality and Providing Connectivity along U.S. Hwy 83, Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska, USA

We evaluated the effectiveness of existing turtle fences through collecting and analyzing turtle mortality data along U.S. Hwy 83, in and around Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska, USA. We also investigated the level of connectivity for turtles provided through the culverts that were originally designed to pass water through a capture-mark-recapture experiment. While fenced valley sections had 33.1% fewer turtle observations than unfenced valley sections, the difference was not significant. However, we think that the effectiveness of the fence can be improved through fence repairs, other modifications of the fences, vegetation maintenance, and extending the length of the fences. Four of the five turtle species present in the study area used the culverts: common snapping turtle, painted turtle, Blanding’s turtle, and yellow mud turtle. However, we did not record ornate box turtle using the culverts. The culverts appear to have only provided marginal connectivity (7%) for the turtles that were interested in crossing the highway between 7 June and 30 September 2016. Assuming all turtles that passed the culverts in this period were originally marked, connectivity was still only 44%. We suggest implementing safe crossing opportunities (i.e. culverts or bridges) specifically designed for turtles, locating the culverts and bridges at intervals based on the home range size of the turtles, and maintaining the vegetation at the culverts and bridges so that they do not block turtle access to the crossings

Evaluation of wildlife Guards at Access Roads

The reconstruction of 90.6 km of U.S. Highway 93 from Evaro to Polson, MT on the Flathead Indian Reservation includes 41 fish and wildlife crossing structures and 13.4 km of road with wildlife fencing. These measures are aimed at reducing wildlife–vehicle collisions, while allowing wildlife to cross the road. In fenced road sections, gaps for side roads are mitigated by wildlife guards (similar to cattle guards). We focused on a 1-km fenced section where animals can either cross the road using five crossing structures (4 culverts, 1 bridge), or they can access the road through two guards on the east side and cross using jump-outs, i.e., earthen ramps that allow animals in fenced areas to jump down to safety, on the west side. We monitored wildlife movements with cameras at the two guards and in one large crossing structure adjacent to a guard. We investigated how effective these guards are in keeping deer (Odocoileus spp.) from accessing the road. We also compared movements across a guard to those through a crossing structure. The guards were 85 percent or more effective in keeping deer from accessing the road, and 93.5 percent of deer used the crossing structure instead of an adjacent guard when crossing the road. Though the guards were not an absolute barrier to deer, the results indicated that deer were substantially discouraged from crossing the guards, and the vast majority crossed the road using the crossing structure rather than the guard, indicating that guards are an effective means of mitigation

The Copper-microRNA Pathway Is Integrated with Developmental and Environmental Stress Responses in Arabidopsis thaliana

As an essential nutrient, copper (Cu) scarcity causes a decrease in agricultural production. Cu deficiency responses include the induction of several microRNAs, known as Cu-miRNAs, which are responsible for degrading mRNAs from abundant and dispensable cuproproteins to economize copper when scarce. Cu-miRNAs, such as miR398 and miR408 are conserved, as well as the signal transduction pathway to induce them under Cu deficiency. The Arabidopsis thaliana SQUAMOSA-PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) family member SPL7 binds to the cis-regulatory motifs present in the promoter regions of genes expressed under Cu deficiency, including Cu-miRNAs. The expression of several other SPL transcription factor family members is regulated by miR156. This regulatory miR156-SPL module plays a crucial role in developmental phase transitions while integrating internal and external cues. Here, we show that Cu deficiency also affects miR156 expression and that SPL3 overexpressing plants, resistant to miR156 regulation, show a severe decrease in SPL7-mediated Cu deficiency responses. These include the expression of Cu-miRNAs and their targets and is probably due to competition between SPL7 and miR156-regulated SPL3 in binding to cis-regulatory elements in Cu-miRNA promoters. Thus, the conserved SPL7-mediated Cu-miRNA pathway could generally be affected by the miR156-SPL module, thereby underscoring the integration of the Cu-miRNA pathway with developmental and environmental stress responses in Arabidopsis thaliana.</i