Spring Dispersal Patterns of Red-winged Blackbirds, Agelaius phoeniceus, Staging in Eastern South Dakota

Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) are very abundant summer residents throughout the Prairie Pothole Region of central North America. In late summer they assemble in post-breeding flocks that cause significant amounts of agricultural damage, particularly in sunflower fields near natal sites. In April 2001, we aerially color-marked ~370,000 Red-winged Blackbirds near Badger, South Dakota (44°48'N, 97°21'W), to determine if migrants staging here were summer residents in sunflower production areas ~350 km to the northwest. We measured patterns of migratory dispersal by collecting birds in 54 randomly selected blocks in the northcentral U.S. and the Prairie Provinces of Canada. The marked specimens (n = 33) were categorized into three polygons based on analyses of banding and re-sighting data and proximity to concentrated sunflower production. We estimated that 82% of the migrants that had staged in eastern South Dakota resided within or on the periphery of the sunflower growing area. These birds probably stay near their breeding territories until at least late August and cause early damage to sunflower, which comprises the majority of damage. Resident birds in Alberta and most of Saskatchewan (18%) might arrive too late in the damage season to impact the sunflower crop significantly

Using Geographic Information System (GIs) Software to Predict Blackbird Roosting Locations in North Dakota

Cattail stands provide roosting and staging areas for large congregations of blackbirds in North Dakota in late summer and early fall. Since 1991, the U.S. Depamnent of Agriculture, Ammal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services (WS) program has conducted a cattail management program in North Dakota to alleviate blackbird damage to ripening sunflower. To extend the capabilities of the program, a geographical mformation system (GIS) will be incorporated to help WS personnel find blackbird roosts more effectively. We will use the GIs to construct field maps showing the association between areas of moderate to hgh sunilower damage (\u3e5%) and cattail-dominated wetland basins \u3e2 ha. Buffer distances comparable to the distances blackbirds typically travel to forage will be placed around sunflower planting areas susceptible to high damage. This will lrclp WS ynsu~ult.l Cutiw heir eKurh un locating cattail-dominated wetlands that should be enrolled in the management program and improving current and fuhlre blackbird damage management programs

Movements of House Sparrows Captured at an Experimental Grain Station in Fargo, North Dakota

From 2 August through 1 October 1993 we banded and leg flagged 362 house sparrows (126 adults, 236 juveniles) captured in a decoy trap at an experimental grain station on the campus of North Dakota State University, Fargo (NDSU). We documented sightings of leg-flagged birds between 3 August 1993 and 14 December 1994. Over this period, 56 (66%) of the total 76 observations of leg-flagged birds were on the NDSU campus; 21 (28%) of the 76 observations occurred between March and December 1994, a minimum of 5 months after the leg flags were attached and following the 1993-1994 winter. Of the 21 observations in 1994, 16 (76%) occurred on campus. The farthest sighting of a leg-flagged bird was 6.5 km (4 mi.) from the trap site. The data indicated that we captured and marked a localized population. A concerted effort based on trapping could reduce house sparrow damage on the small, experimental plots of cereal grains and sunflower grown at the station

HAS AN INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT APPROACH REDUCED BLACKBIRD DAMAGE TO SUNFLOWER?

Since the mid- 1970s many new and modified damage abatement methods have been used to reduce blackbird damage to ripening sunflower in the northern Great Plains. To assess the overall impact of these techniques, we analyzed the dynamic relationship between breeding blackbird densities and sunflower damage. Breeding density estimates were made at both the regional and county levels, whereas, sunflower damage estimates were made at the county level only. Periodic regional estimates of breeding densities between 1967 and 1998 for red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), common grackles (Quiscalus quiscula), and yellow-headed blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) showed no differences among years. To increase our ability to detect changes in breeding density, we started intensive county-level surveys in 1996. These surveys, in four counties in North Dakota and South Dakota, showed that blackbird densities were greater in 1998 and 1999 than during the previous two years. We surveyed sunflower damage in two of these counties from 1994 to 1998 and found no difference in damage (F= 1.8%) among years. In 1997 and 1998, with the two other counties added to the survey, we found that damage was similar between years, averaging 2.2%. Dollar loss per hectare was trending lower in three of the study counties that had a historical database for comparison. This supports the idea that \u27local\u27 breeding densities are not correlated with damage levels. We will continue to use annual estimates of breeding densities and sunflower damage to assess the effects of an evolving Integrated Pest Management program

Spring Dispersal Patterns of Red-winged Blackbirds, Agelaius phoeniceus, Staging in Eastern South Dakota

Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) are very abundant summer residents throughout the Prairie Pothole Region of central North America. In late summer they assemble in post-breeding flocks that cause significant amounts of agricultural damage, particularly in sunflower fields near natal sites. In April 2001, we aerially color-marked ~370,000 Red-winged Blackbirds near Badger, South Dakota (44°48'N, 97°21'W), to determine if migrants staging here were summer residents in sunflower production areas ~350 km to the northwest. We measured patterns of migratory dispersal by collecting birds in 54 randomly selected blocks in the northcentral U.S. and the Prairie Provinces of Canada. The marked specimens (n = 33) were categorized into three polygons based on analyses of banding and re-sighting data and proximity to concentrated sunflower production. We estimated that 82% of the migrants that had staged in eastern South Dakota resided within or on the periphery of the sunflower growing area. These birds probably stay near their breeding territories until at least late August and cause early damage to sunflower, which comprises the majority of damage. Resident birds in Alberta and most of Saskatchewan (18%) might arrive too late in the damage season to impact the sunflower crop significantly

Grazing Rates of Calanus finmarchicus on Thalassiosira weissflogii Cultured under Different Levels of Ultraviolet Radiation

UVB alters photosynthetic rate, fatty acid profiles and morphological characteristics of phytoplankton. Copepods, important grazers of primary production, select algal cells based upon their size, morphological traits, nutritional status, and motility. We investigated the grazing rates of the copepod Calanus finmarchicus on the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii cultured under 3 levels of ultraviolet radiation (UVR): photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) only (4 kJ-m−2/day), and PAR supplemented with UVR radiation at two intensities (24 kJ-m−2/day and 48 kJ-m−2/day). There was no significant difference in grazing rates between the PAR only treatment and the lower UVR treatment. However, grazing rates were significantly (∼66%) higher for copepods feeding on cells treated with the higher level of UVR. These results suggest that a short-term increase in UVR exposure results in a significant increase in the grazing rate of copepods and, thereby, potentially alters the flow rate of organic matter through this component of the ecosystem

Adiposity and Age Explain Most of the Association between Physical Activity and Fitness in Physically Active Men

BACKGROUND: To determine if there is an association between physical activity assessed by the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: One hundred and eighty-two young males (age range: 20-55 years) completed the short form of the IPAQ to assess physical activity. Body composition (dual-energy X-Ray absorptiometry), muscular fitness (static and dynamic muscle force and power, vertical jump height, running speed [30 m sprint], anaerobic capacity [300 m running test]) and cardiorespiratory fitness (estimated VO(2)max: 20 m shuttle run test) were also determined in all subjects. Activity-related energy expenditure of moderate and vigorous intensity (EEPA(moderate) and EEPA(vigorous), respectively) was inversely associated with indices of adiposity (r = -0.21 to -0.37, P<0.05). Cardiorespiratory fitness (VO(2)max) was positively associated with LogEEPA(moderate) (r = 0.26, P<0.05) and LogEEPA(vigorous) (r = 0.27). However, no association between VO(2)max with LogEEPA(moderate), LogEPPA(vigorous) and LogEEPA(total) was observed after adjusting for the percentage of body fat. Multiple stepwise regression analysis to predict VO(2)max from LogEEPA(walking), LogEEPA(moderate), LogEEPA(vigorous), LogEEPA(total), age and percentage of body fat (%fat) showed that the %fat alone explained 62% of the variance in VO(2)max and that the age added another 10%, while the other variables did not add predictive value to the model [VO(2)max  = 129.6-(25.1× Log %fat) - (34.0× Log age); SEE: 4.3 ml.kg(-1). min(-1); R(2) = 0.72 (P<0.05)]. No positive association between muscular fitness-related variables and physical activity was observed, even after adjusting for body fat or body fat and age. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Adiposity and age are the strongest predictors of VO(2)max in healthy men. The energy expended in moderate and vigorous physical activities is inversely associated with adiposity. Muscular fitness does not appear to be associated with physical activity as assessed by the IPAQ

Neurostimulatory and ablative treatment options in major depressive disorder: a systematic review

Introduction Major depressive disorder is one of the most disabling and common diagnoses amongst psychiatric disorders, with a current worldwide prevalence of 5-10% of the general population and up to 20-25% for the lifetime period. Historical perspective Nowadays, conventional treatment includes psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy; however, more than 60% of the treated patients respond unsatisfactorily, and almost one fifth becomes refractory to these therapies at long-term follow-up. Nonpharmacological techniques Growing social incapacity and economic burdens make the medical community strive for better therapies, with fewer complications. Various nonpharmacological techniques like electroconvulsive therapy, vagus nerve stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, lesion surgery, and deep brain stimulation have been developed for this purpose. Discussion We reviewed the literature from the beginning of the twentieth century until July 2009 and described the early clinical effects and main reported complications of these methods. © The Author(s) 2010.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Do herbivorous minnows have “plug-flow reactor” guts? Evidence from digestive enzyme activities, gastrointestinal fermentation, and luminal nutrient concentrations

Few investigations have empirically analyzed fish gut function in the context of chemical reactor models. In this study, digestive enzyme activities, levels of gastrointestinal fermentation products [short chain fatty acids (SCFA)], luminal nutrient concentrations, and the mass of gut contents were measured along the digestive tract in herbivorous and carnivorous minnows to ascertain whether their guts function as “plug-flow reactors” (PFRs). Four of the species, Campostoma anomalum, C. ornatum, C. oligolepis, and C. pauciradii, are members of a monophyletic herbivorous clade, whereas the fifth species, Nocomis micropogon, is a carnivore from an adjacent carnivorous clade. In the context of a PFR model, the activities of amylase, trypsin and lipase, and the concentrations of glucose, protein, and lipid were predicted to decrease moving from the proximal to the distal intestine. I found support for this as these enzyme activities and nutrient concentrations generally decreased moving distally along the intestine of the four Campostoma species. Furthermore, gut content mass and the low SCFA concentrations did not change (increase or decrease) along the gut of any species. Combined with a previous investigation suggesting that species of Campostoma have rapid gut throughput rates, the data presented here generally support Campostoma as having guts that function as PFRs. The carnivorous N. micropogon showed some differences in the measured parameters, which were interpreted in the contexts of intake and retention time to suggest that PFR function breaks down in this carnivorous species

Phylogenetic relationships in southern African Bryde's whales inferred from mitochondrial DNA : further support for subspecies delineation between the two allopatric populations

Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni) are medium-sized balaenopterids with tropical and subtropical distribution. There is confusion about the number of species, subspecies and populations of Bryde’s whale found globally. Two eco-types occur off South Africa, the inshore and offshore forms, but with unknown relationship between them. Using the mtDNA control region we investigated the phylogenetic relationship of these populations to each other and other Bryde’s whale populations. Skin, baleen and bone samples were collected from biopsy-sampled individuals, strandings and museum collections. 97 sequences of 674 bp (bp) length were compared with published sequences of Bryde’s whales (n = 6) and two similar species, Omura’s (B. omurai) and sei (B. borealis) whales (n = 3). We found eight haplotypes from the study samples: H1–H4 formed a distinct, sister clade to pelagic populations of Bryde’s whales (B. brydei) from the South Pacific, North Pacific and Eastern Indian Ocean. H5–H8 were included in the pelagic clade. H1–H4 represented samples from within the distributional range of the inshore form. Pairwise comparisons of the percentage of nucleotide differences between sequences revealed that inshore haplotypes differed from published sequences of B. edeni by 4.7–5.5% and from B. brydei by 1.8–2.1%. Ten fixed differences between inshore and offshore sequences supported 100% diagnosability as subspecies. Phylogenetic analyses grouped the South African populations within the Bryde’s-sei whale clade and excluded B. edeni. Our data, combined with morphological and ecological evidence from previous studies, support subspecific classification of both South African forms under B. brydei and complete separation from B. edeni.PostprintPeer reviewe