4,045 research outputs found
Legal and policy options to minimize adverse effects of mosquito control pesticides on Florida's saltwater fisheries
Get PDFThis report examines the regulation of mosquito control activities in Florida and makes
legal and institutional recommendations to improve protection of non-target estuarine and marine
organisms.
Some of the more important recommendations for modification of mosquito control in
Florida include: clarification of ambiguous mosquito control pesticide labels; strengthening of
surveillance and reporting requirements; strengthening of enforcement efforts and authority;
increased use of Integrated Pest Management techniques; development of alternatives to
pesticides; increased research to assess the effects of pesticides on non-target organisms;
increased funding, particularly for public education, research, and enforcement; utilization of
administrative and judicial remedies if warranted; and public education. (132pp.
Microgeographic Variation in Response of Red-Eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) Embryos to Similar Incubation Environments
Get PDFWe examined site-specific variation in the response of red-eared slider (Trachemys elegans) embryos exposed to similar incubation environments, and collected at five nearby sites central Illinois. Overall, site was not a significant source of variance in change in egg mass during bation, in hatchling wet mass, and in hatchling carapace length. However, site was a significant source variance in incubation period. Nonetheless, significant site-specific differences in each trait were in pairwise comparisons. The actual difference between extremes was small. Eggs from the site longest incubation period also gained the most water during incubation. Our study has important cations for future studies of geographic variation in the physiological response of embryos to incubation environments. Comparisons between eggs and embryos from geographically distant sites would benefit inclusion of as many clutches as possible. Larger numbers of clutches reduce the possibility that ferences between geographically distant regions are due to maternal differences rather than region-differences. Studies comparing embryonic responses from geographically distant regions would be strengthened by including turtles from as many local collecting sites for each region as possible. Sampling site per region may be inadequate because any geographic variation in embryonic response could well be due to undetected local site-specific differences
FLORA AND VEGETATION OF CONEFLOWER GLACIAL DRIFT HILL PRAIRIE NATURAL AREA, MOULTRIE COUNTY, ILLINOIS
Get PDFThe vascular flora of Coneflower Glacial Drift Hill Prairie Natural Area in Moultrie County, east-central Illinois, was studied during the growing seasons of 2002 and 2003. The prairie is located on a steep SW-facing hillside of the Cerro Gordo Glacial Moraine, overlooking the Kaskaskia River Valley and Lake Shelbyville. The flora was documented by general reconnaissance, and the structure of the vegetation was sampled in September 2003 using 0.25 m2 plots placed along two transects. The site supported 164 vascular plant species (including one named hybrid). The native grasses with the highest importance values were Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem) and Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem). Important forbs included Euphorbia cora/lata (flowering spurge), Helicmthus divaricatus (woodland sunflower), Ratibida pinna/a (drooping coneflower), and Comandra umbe/lma (false toadflax). Exotic species were represented by 28 taxa, 16.4% of the flora. The community had a Floristic Quality Index of 38.82, indicating a site of statewide significance
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