Farancia

Number of Pages: 2Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Observations on Amphibians and Reptiles in Burned and Unburned Forests on the Upper Coastal Plain of Virginia

I evaluate the results of a short-term study on the effects of prescribed burning on terrestrial amphibians and reptiles on Fort A.P. Hill, Caroline County, Virginia. Six species of amphibians and reptiles were observed in unburned sites and eight species were observed in burned sites. More individual amphibians (46) were observed in unburned stands than in burned stands (15). Adults of two species (Bufo americanus, Plethodon cinereus) were found dead under logs in the still smoldering prescribed burn. The results of this study suggest that prescribed burning may have some negative effects on amphibians and reptiles. Because the literature on this subject from eastern North America is contradictory, it is premature to make broad scale geographic generalizations. More studies with replications are needed to provide evidence that prescribed burning is harmful to terrestrial amphibians and reptiles in the mid-Atlantic region

Amphibian and Small Mammal Assemblages in a Northern Virginia Forest Before and After Defoliation by Gypsy Moths (Lymantria dispar)

The introduced European gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) caused substantial defoliation and mortality of oak trees along the North Fork of Quantico Creek in Prince William Forest Park, Prince William County, Virginia, U.S.A., in 1989 and the early 1990s. Results of a drift fence/pitfall study conducted in 1988 were compared to those obtained from the same technique in the same areas in 1993 to elucidate whether the amphibian and small mammal assemblages had changed over time. Number of Lithobates sylvaticus increased significantly in 1993, but the numbers of Lithobates clamitans and Plethodon cinereus were significantly higher in 1988. Total numbers of amphibians caught in both years was similar. Two species of salamanders caught in 1988 were not caught in 1993, and one salamander and one frog caught in 1993 were absent in 1988. Total numbers of small mammals caught in 1993 were significantly greater than in 1988. The increase was due to greater numbers of Blarina brevicauda and Sorex longirostris. The hypothesis that no significant differences in amphibian and small mammal species richness and relative abundance before and after gypsy moth defoliation hypothesis was not supported by the results of this study

Effects of gender role on the judgment of masculine signs

Masculinity is a multi-dimensional, fairly pliable construct that some scholars approach from a biological perspective, others approach from a social constructionist perspective, and others approach from a unifying perspective. Part of the environment that informs the meaning of masculinity to a given culture is the mass media. This study takes the constructivist theoretical perspective, which attempts to explain the activation of schemata. The schematic process for this study concerns how people perceive, process, and judge masculine signs. This study seeks to explain gender role orientation’s influences on the development of schemata for masculinity as evidenced by differences in assessments of differing masculine images. Participants (N = 747) rated their own sex role orientation and then assessed the sex role orientation and evaluated the masculine imagery. The results of this experiment reveal that gender role has a limited effect on schematic development for masculinity. Though gender role affects how we perceive our world, the extent to which it influences that perception is smaller than expected. Directions for future research are also offered

Magnetic fields catalyze massive black hole formation and growth

Large-scale magnetic fields in the nuclear regions of protogalaxies can trigger the formation and early growth of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) by direct collapse and boosted accretion. Turbulence associated with gravitational infall and star formation can drive the rms field strength toward equipartition with the mean gas kinetic energy; this field has a generic tendency to self-organize into large, coherent structures. If the poloidal component of the field (relative to the rotational axis of a star-forming disc) becomes organized on scales $\lesssim r$ and attains an energy of order a few percent of the turbulent energy in the disc, then dynamo effects are expected to generate magnetic torques capable of boosting the inflow speed and thickening the disk. The accretion flow can transport matter toward the center of mass at a rate adequate to create and grow a massive direct-collapse black hole (DCBH) seed and fuel the subsequent AGN at a high rate, without becoming gravitationally unstable. Fragmentation and star formation are thus suppressed and do not necessarily deplete the mass supply for the accretion flow, in contrast to prevailing models for growing and fueling SMBHs through disc accretion.Comment: 6 pages, no figures, submitted to Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letter

Ecology of Freshwater Turtles in Back Bay, Virginia

The freshwater turtle community of Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park is comprised of seven species: Clemmys guttata, Chrysemys picta, Chelydra serpentina, Kinosternon subrubrum, Pseudemys rubrivenfris, Terrapene carolina, and Trachemys scripta. Resource partitioning in this community is accomplished by habitat selection and dietary differences. Three species exhibit strong female biased sexual size dimorphism and one species strong male biased sexual size dimorphism; three species do not exhibit strong size dimorphism. Nesting occurs from about late-May through June and probably longer. Clutch size ranges from a low of three in the smallest species (Kinosternon subrubrum) to a high of 55 in the largest species (Chelydra serpentina). Trapping success varied seasonally and annually. Freshwater turtles play important ecological roles in wetland ecosystems and every effort should be made to insure the continued viability of all populations

The Amphibians and Reptiles of Back Bay, Virginia

(First Paragraph) Past authors who documented the distributions of eastern North American amphibians and reptiles illustrated the southeastern corner of Virginia as the northern limit of distribution for many species (Conant 1958, 1975; Martof et al. 1980). These maps were not sufficiently detailed to allow resolution of specific areas; the entire region was completely shaded

Advertisement Call and Distribution of the Treefrogs Hyla chrysoscelis and Hyla versicolor in Virginia

The gray treefrog complex consists of two sibling species that are indistinguishable morphologically, the diploid Hyla chrysoscelis and the tetraploid Hyla versicolor. Identification is possible in the field only by audio recognition of male advertisement call trill rates (pulses/second). During 1979-1983 we evaluated taped calls of these two species taken from 89 populations from throughout Virginia to map their respective ranges and to evaluate differences in call parameters. Hyla chrysoscelis occurs in the Coastal Plain, eastern and southern Piedmont, and in southwestern Virginia. Hyla versicoloroccurs in the Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Ridge and Valley regions south to Wythe and Tazewell counties. Sympatric sites occur in several locations in the Piedmont and both species are syntopic in several of them. Male trill rates are significantly related to Ambient and body temperatures. Rates produced by male H. chrysoscelis (\u3e31/s) are twice as fast as that for H. versicolor (\u3c30/s); they did not overlap in our samples at any temperature. Trill rates and call duration in southwestern Virginia populations of H. chrysoscelis differed significantly from those in eastern populations when adjusted for ambient temperature. Adjusted trill rate and duration in H. Chrysoscelis populations in sympatry with H. versicolor were not significantly different from allopatric populations but were for H. versicolor

A Baseline Assessment of Furbearers on the Upper Coastal Plain of Virginia

We assessed the status of furbearing mammals on Fort A.P. Hill, Caroline County, Virginia during the 1998-1999 trapping season with the cooperation of local licensed trappers. Our analyses were based on 345 captures representing of 10 mammal species, ranging from one bobcat (Lynx rufus) to 157 beavers (Castor canadensis). Mean number of captures per 100 trap nights was 17.0. Captures varied from 11.9 to 17.9 per 100 trap nights for conibear traps and 9.7 to 18.3 per 100 trap nights for leg-hold traps. External measurements of six species were similar to those reported for other populations in the region. We suggest that valuable insights into the ecology and trends of furbearer populations can be obtained from studies conducted on government installations such as Fort A. P. Hill. Management plans that include evaluations of infectious disease reservoirs and transmission and impacts of furbearers on wetlands, other wildlife, and human activities would aid in long-term evaluation of these mammals from ecosystem and health perspectives