Effects of roads on wildlife in an intensively modified landscape

This paper examines the ecological impacts arising from road networks and the potential ameliorating effects of roadside habitat in a highly modified landscape. A U.K. focus has been adopted to illustrate the effects of roads in a landscape with a long history of land use and intensive land management where the impacts and the potential for improvement are considerable. The impacts of roads in the ecological landscape include habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation. These interrupt and modify natural processes altering community structures and in the longer term, population dynamics. The large number of fauna fatalities each year from road traffic accidents is also of concern. Road verges can however also provide habitat opportunities and restore connectivity in an otherwise fragmented landscape offering potential to offset some of the adverse impacts of the existing road network. This review demonstrates that roads can present both ecological costs and ecological benefits although currently there is insufficient evidence to confirm some of the key theories which relate to the impact of the barrier effects (at population level) or the value of road verges as ecological corridors. In the absence of complete information the full extent of the problems and opportunities cannot be gauged and every effort should be made therefore to enhance the habitat adjacent to existing roads and to constrain further fragmentation caused by the development of the existing road network. Where further construction is unavoidable conditions should be enforced to prevent roads from reducing further the remaining habitats of conservation value and the connectivity between such habitats

Range expansion of the Red-billed Quelea, Quelea quelea, into the Western Cape, South Africa

The red-billed quelea, Quelea quelea, is a serious problem bird of cultivated grain throughout Africa. It has expanded its range in different parts of southern Africa. Recent sightings over the last seven years in the Western Cape indicate that this species is appearing more frequently here. If queleas do become established in the Western Cape as a breeding species, this could have a serious impact on the economy of the wheat farmers

Cradle Song (March 12-13, 1965)

Program for Cradle Song (March 12-13, 1965)

User experiences of digital prostheses in daily functioning in people with an amputation of thumb or finger

Study Design Qualitative research design using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to interpret users’ experiences with digital prostheses. Background Digital prostheses are rarely used, and little is known about the experiences of traumatic finger amputees with digital prostheses. When advising patients regarding digital prostheses, it is crucial for professionals to understand users experiences of wearing a digital prosthesis and the meaning attached to wearing a digital prosthesis. Purpose of study The aim of this study was to explore and understand users experiences of wearing a digital prostheses in daily functioning. Methods Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded, and transcribed. The written interview texts were analysed following Interpretative phenomenological analysis guidelines. Results Four participants were interviewed. They experienced the prostheses as valuable additions to their daily functioning. Three different themes relating to wearing and using digital prostheses emerged from in-depth analysis of the data: How the prosthesis supporting them regaining a ‘grip’ on life, reduced overload on unaffected side and restored body image. Conclusions This study provides a deeper understanding of the experiences of people with digital amputations who use prostheses. Most importantly, that a prosthesis is of crucial importance for participants to be able to act independently and autonomously as well as to participate in family, work and social environments. This insight will help practitioners when considering, with clients the most appropriate digital prosthesis to meet their goals

Global review of quantitative studies of primary moult of birds using the Underhill-Zucchini moult model

Knowledge about the timing of moult and how it fits into the annual cycle, along with breeding and, in some cases migration, is an important component of understanding the life history of birds. In comparison with breeding and migration, there is a lack of knowledge about the moult of birds. Primary moult can be quantified using models such as the Underhill-Zucchini moult model. Studies that included estimates of primary moult parameters (duration, mean start date and standard deviation of mean start date) obtained using the Underhill-Zucchini moult model were compiled from the literature to generate a moult analysis database. These parameters provide information about the timing of moult, how it fits into the annual cycle and how synchronised moult is in the population. Relationships between the estimated moult parameters and a series of explanatory variables were explored. Critical gaps in our understanding of primary moult were revealed. The available data are taxonomically biased towards Charadriiformes and Passeriformes and there are substantial gaps in coverage across the phylogenetic tree. There are severe biases in the global distribution of moult studies across continents, with Africa having almost half of all applications of the moult model. Latitude emerged as an important explanatory variable but there are latitudinal gaps in the data, especially from the Tropic of Capricorn extending to 40°N and in the far northern and far southern hemispheres. Citizen scientists, both bird ringers and photographers, have a key role to play in helping to fill these data gaps. An emerging pattern in the available data is that the timing of primary moult is more synchronised in populations in far northern and far southern latitudes than in temperate or tropical zones, but more data in the far south is needed to confirm this. Timing of moult shows great variability in the tropics and sub-tropical regions of the southern hemisphere. In species that undertake an annual sequential moult, larger birds take longer to moult than smaller birds, but the allometric relationship is not tight. Migrants appear to be more synchronised in their moult than residents

The Origin of Nonradiative Heating/momentum in Hot Stars

The origin of nonradiative heating and momentum in the atmospheres of stars is studied. The similarities and differences between what occurs in the hot stars and what occurs in cool stars are emphasized. Key points in the theory are reviewed. Areas requiring new study are indicated

NEST DENSITIES OF THE WANDERING ALBATROSS DIOMEDEA EXULANS AT THE PRINCE EDWARD ISLANDS, ESTIMATED USING GPS

Hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers provide opportunities for detailed and rapid mapping of features, including biological ones, further enhanced by the removal during 2000 of “selective availability”. GPS was used to map, describe and compare nest densities within wandering albatross Diomedea exulans colonies at subantarctic Marion and Prince Edward islands. On Prince Edward Island, the coordinates of 1 061 wandering albatross nests were determined and, on Marion Island, 1 779 nests. For describing nest densities of wandering albatrosses, a 50-m grid is recommended, at which scale, the densest area of Prince Edward Island was in Albatross Valley, where the area of the colony was 46 ha and nest density was 22.3 nests ha-1. For Marion Island, the total area of the wandering albatross colonies was 306 ha and the nest density was 5.8 nests ha-1. In the three study colonies there (Macaroni Bay, 28 nests; Sealer\'s Beach, 117 nests; Goney Plain, 140 nests), the density statistics did not differ greatly from the overall densities on the island, with overall mean densities of 4.9, 5.7 and 8.0 birds ha-1 respectively. Although comparisons with nest densities at other breeding colonies are uncertain because of differing methods of computing them, the nest densities in Albatross Valley lie within the reported ranges for other colonies of great albatrosses.Afr. J. mar. Sci. 25: 529–53

The SABAP2 legacy: A review of the history and use of data generated by a long-running citizen science project

Significance:• The Second Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP2) – initiated in 2007 – is one of the region’s longest-running citizen science programmes and collects spatial and temporal data on birds. • Data from the project are publicly available and used extensively by environmental impact assessment practitioners, conservationists, authors, protected area managers, scientists and the general public.• The project is the template for other established projects that now operate across the continent, collectively now falling under the ‘African Bird Atlas Project’ umbrella.• We show that since the initiation of SABAP2, there has been a three-fold increase in publications, with over 150 papers that can be attributed to SABAP2. • The contribution of citizen scientists to the published scientific domain has been enormous

FIRST BREEDING RECORDS OF KELP GULLS LARUS DOMINICANUS VETULA AT ROBBEN ISLAND, WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA

The first recorded breeding of kelp gulls Larus dominicanus vetula on Robben Island, Western Cape, South Africa, took place in 2000, when five nests were recorded. In 2001, there were 15 nests and 29 fledglings. The initiation of breeding by kelp gulls on Robben Island is likely a response to the reduction of disturbance since the Robben Island Museum took control of the island. Afr. J. mar. Sci. 25: 391–39

The seminal legacy of the Southern African Bird Atlas Project

The first Southern African Bird Atlas Project was launched in 1986 and gathered bird distribution data from six countries of southern Africa. The project culminated with the publication of The Atlas of Southern African Birds in 1997. The database generated by the project, seven million bird distribution records, has been widely used by four groups: environmental consultants (for example, to locate electricity transmission lines), conservationists (planning conservation strategies), research scientists (especially macro-ecologists and biogeographers) and birders (ecotourism materials). By 2007, the database had spawned 50 research publications and eight Ph.D.s and master's degrees. These products are a tribute to the more than 5000 'citizen scientists', who gathered the bulk of the data. The atlas concept has been extended to frogs, reptiles, spiders and butterflies; a second bird atlas started in 2007 and will, for example, facilitate knowledge of the impact of environmental change on birds. The South African National Biodiversity Institute is playing a lead role in initiating these new projects