4 research outputs found
An annotated bird checklist for Gam island, Raja Ampat, including field notes on species monitoring and conservation
Species checklists are a fundamental component of biodiversity research. They foster understanding of species distributions and habitat preferences, thus reducing gaps of knowledge in geographical occurrences of species. Especially in light of the limited availability of data on species distributions for Tanah Papua, an increasing scientific focus on the region is crucial to foster and refine the knowledge of species occurrences and to inform potential conservation planning. Despite a strong focus on conservation of Raja AmpatÂŽs marine areas, surprisingly few studies have focused on the terrestrial biodiversity of the archipelago. As a consequence, detailed species checklists are largely missing. Here, we provide a preliminary bird species checklist for the island of Gam and its surrounding islands, located in the central Raja Ampat archipelago. During nine sampling periods between 2013 and 2019, we recorded 132 bird species in six distinct habitat types. Of the detected species, six are considered threatened by IUCN Red List criteria. We further recorded three new species for Gam Island, thereby expanding their known extent of occurrence
âThese Trees Have Stories to Tellâ: Linking DĂ«nesÇ«ÌĆınĂ© Oral History of Caribou Use with Trample Scar Frequency on Black Spruce Roots at Éedacho KuĂ©
For thousands of years Éedacho KuĂ© (Artillery Lake, Northwest Territories) has been a key water crossing site for barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus). Human disturbance of barren-ground caribou habitat in northern Canada has emerged as an important focus of study in the last decade; particularly in the Bathurst range of the Northwest Territories where caribou populations have declined by more than 95% since the 1980s. Guided by local Indigenous leaders and Elders, a collaborative research project was developed with the DĂ«nesÇ«ÌĆınĂ© people of ĆutsĂ«l Kâe DĂ«ne First Nation (2012 â 14). This paper describes linkages between knowledge derived from DĂ«nesÇ«ÌĆınĂ© oral history and quantitative dendroecological analysis of trample scars on black spruce (Picea mariana) root samples collected at Éedacho KuĂ© to provide a better understanding of caribou use at this location. Findings from oral histories and dendroecology analysis were consistent with one another and with previous dendroecology study in the region, although some discrepancies were detected in data from 1995 â 2006 that require further study to elucidate. Key findings include relatively low caribou use at Éedacho KuĂ© during the 1930s and late 1960s, with use increasing into the 1970s and peaking in the late 1980s, as well as Elder and hunter reports of no caribou in some years between 2005 and 2012. This work addresses a gap in scientific data about barren-ground caribou movements at Éedacho KuĂ© prior to satellite collar use in 1996 and corroborates previously documented oral histories about the enduring value of Éedacho KuĂ© as critical habitat to barren-ground caribou. Given the drastic decline of the Bathurst caribou over the last two decades, more research is needed to understand movements and their relationship to population dynamics. In this context, the research approach described in this paper could be used as an example of how to meaningfully bring together place-based Indigenous knowledge and science in addressing an urgent issue of Arctic sustainability. Â
 Depuis des milliers dâannĂ©es, Éedacho KuĂ© (lac Artillery, Territoires du Nord-Ouest) sert dâimportant point de franchissement de cours dâeau pour le caribou de la toundra (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus). La perturbation anthropique de lâhabitat du caribou de la toundra dans le Nord canadien a fait lâobjet dâĂ©tudes importantes ces dix derniĂšres annĂ©es, plus particuliĂšrement dans lâaire de rĂ©partition de Bathurst, dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest, oĂč les populations de caribous ont chutĂ© de plus de 95 % depuis les annĂ©es 1980. Un projet de recherche collaborative guidĂ© par des chefs et des aĂźnĂ©s autochtones locaux a Ă©tĂ© conçu en consultation avec le peuple DĂ«nesÇ«ÌĆınĂ© de la PremiĂšre Nation ĆutsĂ«l Kâe DĂ«ne (2012 â 2014). Cet article dĂ©crit les liens entre les connaissances dĂ©rivĂ©es de lâhistoire orale des DĂ«nesÇ«ÌĆınĂ©s et lâanalyse dendroĂ©cologique quantitative des cicatrices de piĂ©tinement se trouvant sur les Ă©chantillons de racines dâĂ©pinettes noires (Picea mariana) prĂ©levĂ©s Ă Éedacho KuĂ© afin de mieux comprendre lâutilisation de ce lieu par les caribous. Les constatations dĂ©coulant de lâhistoire orale et de lâanalyse dendroĂ©cologique concordaient ensemble ainsi quâavec une Ă©tude dendroĂ©cologique antĂ©rieure de la rĂ©gion, bien que certains Ă©carts aient Ă©tĂ© dĂ©celĂ©s dans les donnĂ©es de 1995 Ă 2006, Ă©carts qui se doivent dâĂȘtre Ă©tudiĂ©s afin dâĂȘtre Ă©lucidĂ©s. Parmi les principales constatations, notons lâutilisation relativement faible de Éedacho KuĂ© par les caribous pendant les annĂ©es 1930 et la fin des annĂ©es 1960, une utilisation accrue dans les annĂ©es 1970 ayant atteint un sommet vers la fin des annĂ©es 1980, ainsi que le signalement de lâabsence de caribous par les aĂźnĂ©s et les chasseurs au cours de certaines annĂ©es entre 2005 et 2012. Notre recherche comble un manque de donnĂ©es scientifiques relativement aux dĂ©placements du caribou de la toundra Ă Éedacho KuĂ© avant que les colliers Ă©metteurs Ă transmission par satellite ne commencent Ă ĂȘtre employĂ©s en 1996. Elle corrobore lâhistoire orale documentĂ©e prĂ©cĂ©demment au sujet de la valeur durable de ?edacho KuĂ© en tant quâhabitat critique du caribou de la toundra. En raison de la chute importante de la population du caribou de Bathurst ces deux derniĂšres dĂ©cennies, de plus amples recherches sâimposent afin de comprendre les dĂ©placements et leur lien avec la dynamique de la population. Dans ce contexte, la dĂ©marche de recherche dĂ©crite dans cet article pourrait servir dâexemple montrant comment concilier les connaissances autochtones dâun endroit avec la science pour faire face Ă un enjeu urgent de durabilitĂ© de lâArctique.
Prey tracking and predator avoidance in a Neotropical moist forest: a camera-trapping approach
Whether prey species avoid predators and predator species track prey is a poorly understood aspect of predatorâprey interactions, given measuring prey tracking by predators and predator avoidance by prey is challenging. A common approach to study these interactions among mammals in field situations is to monitor the spatial proximity of animals at fixed times, using GPS tags fitted to individuals. However, this method is invasive and only allows tracking of a subset of individuals. Here, we use an alternative, noninvasive camera-trapping approach to monitor temporal proximity of predator and prey animals. We deployed camera traps at fixed locations on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, where the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is the principal mammalian predator, and tested two hypotheses: (1) prey animals avoid ocelots; and (2) ocelots track prey. We quantified temporal proximity of predators and prey by fitting parametric survival models to the time intervals between subsequent prey and predator captures by camera traps, and then compared the observed intervals to random permutations that retained the spatiotemporal distribution of animal activity. We found that time until a prey animal appeared at a location was significantly longer than expected by chance if an ocelot had passed, and that the time until an ocelot appeared at a location was significantly shorter than expected by chance after prey passage. These findings are indirect evidence for both predator avoidance and prey tracking in this system. Our results show that predator avoidance and prey tracking influence predator and prey distribution over time in a field setting. Moreover, this study demonstrates that camera trapping is a viable and noninvasive alternative to GPS tracking for studying certain predatorâprey interactions
Intrauterine growth restriction induces skin inflammation, increases TSLP and impairs epidermal barrier function
Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and low birth weight are risk factors for childhood asthma. Atopic march describes the progression from early dermatitis to asthma during life. Since inflammatory signaling is linked to increased airway resistance and lung remodeling in rats after IUGR, we queried if these findings are related to skin inflammatory response. Firstly, we induced IUGR in Wistar rats by isocaloric protein restriction during gestation. IUGR rats showed lower body weight at postnatal day 1 (P1), catch-up growth at P21, and similar body weight like controls at P90. At P1 and P90, mRNA of inflammatory as well as fibrotic markers and number of skin immune cells (macrophages) were increased after IUGR. Skin thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) mRNA at P1 and serum TSLP at P1 and P21 were elevated in IUGR. Moreover, IUGR impaired transepidermal water loss at P21 and P90. IUGR induced higher. Secondly, the increase of TEWL after Oxazolone treatment as a model of atopic dermatitis (AD) was greater in IUGR than in Co. Our data demonstrate an early inflammatory skin response, which is linked to persistent macrophage infiltration in the skin and impaired epidermal barrier function after IUGR. These findings coupled with elevated TSLP could underlie atopic diseases in rats after IUGR. Key messages center dot The present study shows that IUGR increases macrophage infiltration and induces an inflammatory and fibrotic gene expression pattern in the skin of newborn rats. center dot Early postnatal inflammatory response in the skin after IUGR is followed by impaired epidermal barrier function later in life. center dot IUGR aggravates transepidermal water loss in an experimental atopic dermatitis model, possibly through elevated TSLP in skin and serum. center dot Early anti-inflammatory treatment and targeting TSLP signaling could offer novel avenues for early prevention of atopic disorders and late asthma in high-risk infants