58 research outputs found
Survival and Growth of American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) hatchlings after artificial incubation and repatriation
Hatchling American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) produced from artificially incubated
wild eggs were returned to their natal areas (repatriated). We compared artificially incubated and
repatriated hatchlings released within and outside the maternal alligator’s home range with naturally
incubated hatchlings captured and released within the maternal alligator’s home range on Lake Apopka,
Lake Griffin, and Orange Lake in Florida. We used probability of recapture and total length at approximately
nine months after hatching as indices of survival and growth rates. Artificially incubated hatchlings released
outside of the maternal alligator’s home range had lower recapture probabilities than either naturally
incubated hatchlings or artificially incubated hatchlings released near the original nest site. Recapture
probabilities of other treatments did not differ significantly. Artificially incubated hatchlings were
approximately 6% shorter than naturally incubated hatchlings at approximately nine months after hatching.
We concluded that repatriation of hatchlings probably would not have long-term effects on populations
because of the resiliency of alligator populations to alterations of early age-class survival and growth rates of
the magnitude that we observed. Repatriation of hatchlings may be an economical alternative to repatriation
of older juveniles for population restoration. However, the location of release may affect subsequent survival
and growth
Alligator Diet in Relation to Alligator Mortality on Lake Griffin, FL
Alligator mississippiensis (American Alligators) demonstrated low hatchrate
success and increased adult mortality on Lake Griffin, FL, between 1998 and
2003. Dying Lake Griffin alligators with symptoms of poor motor coordination were
reported to show specific neurological impairment and brain lesions. Similar lesions
were documented in salmonines that consumed clupeids with high thiaminase levels.
Therefore, we investigated the diet of Lake Griffin alligators and compared it with
alligator diets from two lakes that exhibited relatively low levels of unexplained
alligator mortality to see if consumption of Dorosoma cepedianum (gizzard shad)
could be correlated with patterns of mortality. Shad in both lakes Griffin and Apopka
had high levels of thiaminase and Lake Apopka alligators were consuming greater
amounts of shad relative to Lake Griffin without showing mortality rates similar to
Lake Griffin alligators. Therefore, a relationship between shad consumption alone
and alligator mortality is not supported
Environmental flow requirements of estuaries: providing resilience to current and future climate and direct anthropogenic changes
Estuaries host unique biodiversity and deliver a range of ecosystem services at the interface between catchment and the ocean. They are also among the most degraded ecosystems on Earth. Freshwater flow regimes drive ecological processes contributing to their biodiversity and economic value, but have been modified extensively in many systems by upstream water use. Knowledge of freshwater flow requirements for estuaries (environmental flows or E-flows) lags behind that of rivers and their floodplains. Generalising estuarine E-flows is further complicated by responses that appear to be specific to each system. Here we critically review the E-flow requirements of estuaries to 1) identify the key ecosystem processes (hydrodynamics, salinity regulation, sediment dynamics, nutrient cycling and trophic transfer, and connectivity) modulated by freshwater flow regimes, 2) identify key drivers (rainfall, runoff, temperature, sea level rise and direct anthropogenic) that generate changes to the magnitude, quality and timing of flows, and 3) propose mitigation strategies (e.g., modification of dam operations and habitat restoration) to buffer against the risks of altered freshwater flows and build resilience to direct and indirect anthropogenic disturbances. These strategies support re-establishment of the natural characteristics of freshwater flow regimes which are foundational to healthy estuarine ecosystems
Wrox SharePoint 2010: SharePoint911 three-pack
The Wrox SharePoint 2010 SharePoint911 Three-Pack combines the contents of three full e-books written by the experts from SharePoint911. That's over 1800 pages of hands-on advice from Todd Klindt, Shane Young, Laura Rogers, Randy Drisgill, Jennifer Mason, John Ross, and Larry Riemann, among others. In Beginning SharePoint 2010: Building Business Solutions with SharePoint (ISBN 978-0-470-61789-2) by Amanda Perran, Shane Perran, Jennifer Mason, and Laura Rogers, readers learn the core concepts, terminology, and features of SharePoint 2010. In Profession
Correction to Transport Zonation Limits Coupled Nitrification-Denitrification in Permeable Sediments
- …