Improving ungulate habitat in a region undergoing rapid energy development: consequences for songbirds and small mammals

2014 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.Habitat manipulation intended to mitigate the impact of energy development on game animals is well underway in the western U.S. Yet, the consequences of these actions for other species are not well understood. A habitat manipulation experiment was established in the Piceance Basin, a region of Colorado undergoing rapid energy development, to evaluate alternative methods (i.e. chaining, hydro-axe, and roller-chop treatments) for reducing pinyon-juniper woodlands to promote mule deer habitat. I use this experimental design to additionally test the initial effects of these treatments on birds and small mammals, and to evaluate selection of habitat components in treatments by birds and small mammals. I found lower bird species occupancy in all treatment plots compared to control plots; however the strength of this response varied by bird guild. I found a positive relationship between bird species occupancy and percent tree cover and a negative relationship between bird species occupancy and percent grass and forb cover. I found no evidence of differences in small mammal species occupancy or density between controls and treatments. I found a positive relationship between small mammal species occupancy and percent grass and forb cover. Species richness did not significantly differ between control and treatment plots for birds or small mammals. My approach and research findings can be used to inform habitat management and multiple-species conservation objectives in pinyon-juniper and sage-steppe ecosystems undergoing energy development. Specifically, I have identified that recently developed roller-chop and hydro-axe treatments have similar impacts to woodland bird guilds as traditional chaining treatments. I have also identified species that are sensitive to habitat mitigation treatments, and thus should be monitored if woodland reduction continues to be used as a habitat mitigation strategy. Since all bird guilds were positively associated with tree cover, woodland reduction strategies that promote landscape heterogeneity by leaving standing trees to provide structure for birds may have fewer impacts than those that clear large contiguous patches of woodland. This approach has the potential to increase the conservation value of habitat mitigation treatments for pinyon-juniper obligates as well as shrubland and grassland species

Addressing the Gender Gap in Distinguished Speakers at Professional Ecology Conferences

Keynote and plenary speakers at professional conferences serve as highly visible role models for early-career scientists and provide recognition of scientific excellence. This recognition may be particularly important for women, who are underrepresented in senior positions in the biological sciences. To evaluate whether conferences fulfill this potential, we examined distinguished speakers at North American ecology conferences between 2000 and 2015 and compared these data with the percentage of women ecologists at diverse career stages. We found that 15%–35% (x = 28%, n = 809) of the distinguished speakers were women, which is significantly lower than the percentage of female ecology graduate students (x = 55%, n = 26,802) but consistent with the percentage of women in assistant- and associate-faculty positions. We recommend that conference organizers institute policies to enhance speaker gender balance, to provide support for speakers with family responsibilities, and to actively monitor gender-related trends in their societies to achieve the equitable representation of women in distinguished speaking roles

Addressing the Gender Gap in Distinguished Speakers at Professional Ecology Conferences

Keynote and plenary speakers at professional conferences serve as highly visible role models for early-career scientists and provide recognition of scientific excellence. This recognition may be particularly important for women, who are underrepresented in senior positions in the biological sciences. To evaluate whether conferences fulfill this potential, we examined distinguished speakers at North American ecology conferences between 2000 and 2015 and compared these data with the percentage of women ecologists at diverse career stages. We found that 15%–35% (x = 28%, n = 809) of the distinguished speakers were women, which is significantly lower than the percentage of female ecology graduate students (x = 55%, n = 26,802) but consistent with the percentage of women in assistant- and associate-faculty positions. We recommend that conference organizers institute policies to enhance speaker gender balance, to provide support for speakers with family responsibilities, and to actively monitor gender-related trends in their societies to achieve the equitable representation of women in distinguished speaking roles

Expanding NEON biodiversity surveys with new instrumentation and machine learning approaches

A core goal of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is to measure changes in biodiversity across the 30-yr horizon of the network. In contrast to NEON’s extensive use of automated instruments to collect environmental data, NEON’s biodiversity surveys are almost entirely conducted using traditional human-centric field methods. We believe that the combination of instrumentation for remote data collection and machine learning models to process such data represents an important opportunity for NEON to expand the scope, scale, and usability of its biodiversity data collection while potentially reducing long-term costs. In this manuscript, we first review the current status of instrument-based biodiversity surveys within the NEON project and previous research at the intersection of biodiversity, instrumentation, and machine learning at NEON sites. We then survey methods that have been developed at other locations but could potentially be employed at NEON sites in future. Finally, we expand on these ideas in five case studies that we believe suggest particularly fruitful future paths for automated biodiversity measurement at NEON sites: acoustic recorders for sound-producing taxa, camera traps for medium and large mammals, hydroacoustic and remote imagery for aquatic diversity, expanded remote and ground-based measurements for plant biodiversity, and laboratory-based imaging for physical specimens and samples in the NEON biorepository. Through its data science-literate staff and user community, NEON has a unique role to play in supporting the growth of such automated biodiversity survey methods, as well as demonstrating their ability to help answer key ecological questions that cannot be answered at the more limited spatiotemporal scales of human-driven surveys

Withdrawal of mechanical ventilation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients: a multicenter Italian survey

Background: Law 219/2017 was approved in Italy in December 2017, after a years-long debate on the autonomy of healthcare choices. This Law, for the first time in Italian legislation, guarantees the patient's right to request for withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments, including mechanical ventilation (MV). Objective: To investigate the current status of MV withdrawal in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients in Italy and to assess the impact of Law 219/2017 on this practice. Methods: We conducted a Web-based survey, addressed to Italian neurologists with expertise in ALS care, and members of the Motor Neuron Disease Study Group of the Italian Society of Neurology. Results: Out of 40 ALS Italian centers, 34 (85.0%) responded to the survey. Law 219/2017 was followed by an increasing trend in MV withdrawals, and a significant increase of neurologists involved in this procedure (p 0.004). However, variations across Italian ALS centers were observed, regarding the inconsistent involvement of community health services and palliative care (PC) services, and the intervention and composition of the multidisciplinary team. Conclusions: Law 219/2017 has had a positive impact on the practice of MV withdrawal in ALS patients in Italy. The recent growing public attention on end-of-life care choices, along with the cultural and social changes in Italy, requires further regulatory frameworks that strengthen tools for self-determination, increased investment of resources in community and PC health services, and practical recommendations and guidelines for health workers involved

The Silent Epidemic of Diabetic Ketoacidosis at Diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes in Children and Adolescents in Italy During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020

To compare the frequency of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at diagnosis of type 1 diabetes in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 with the frequency of DKA during 2017-2019

Harnessing the NEON data revolution to advance open environmental science with a diverse and data-capable community

It is a critical time to reflect on the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) science to date as well as envision what research can be done right now with NEON (and other) data and what training is needed to enable a diverse user community. NEON became fully operational in May 2019 and has pivoted from planning and construction to operation and maintenance. In this overview, the history of and foundational thinking around NEON are discussed. A framework of open science is described with a discussion of how NEON can be situated as part of a larger data constellation—across existing networks and different suites of ecological measurements and sensors. Next, a synthesis of early NEON science, based on >100 existing publications, funded proposal efforts, and emergent science at the very first NEON Science Summit (hosted by Earth Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder in October 2019) is provided. Key questions that the ecology community will address with NEON data in the next 10 yr are outlined, from understanding drivers of biodiversity across spatial and temporal scales to defining complex feedback mechanisms in human–environmental systems. Last, the essential elements needed to engage and support a diverse and inclusive NEON user community are highlighted: training resources and tools that are openly available, funding for broad community engagement initiatives, and a mechanism to share and advertise those opportunities. NEON users require both the skills to work with NEON data and the ecological or environmental science domain knowledge to understand and interpret them. This paper synthesizes early directions in the community’s use of NEON data, and opportunities for the next 10 yr of NEON operations in emergent science themes, open science best practices, education and training, and community building

Restoring island birds and seed dispersal in New Zealand's fenced mainland island sanctuaries

2018 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.Island ecosystems are global biodiversity hotspots, but many island species face population declines and extinction. These losses are mainly driven by invasive mammals that consume or compete with native animals and degrade their habitats. The decline of island animal populations may also impact ecosystem processes that depend on them, e.g. seed dispersal, pollination, and nutrient cycling. The island nation of New Zealand has pioneered a unique solution – fenced mainland island sanctuaries – which exclude invasive mammals from natural habitats and provide opportunities to restore native birds and other wildlife. Yet, critics question whether sanctuaries, which are costly and require continuous maintenance, effectively conserve birds and ecosystems, given minimal research on sanctuary project outcomes. I assessed if sanctuaries are an effective conservation tool for restoring birds and seed dispersal in New Zealand. I compared bird population densities and bird-mediated seed dispersal in three fenced sanctuary sites to three paired reference sites (with minimal mammal control). From January-April 2016 and 2017, I set seed traps to measure dispersed-seed abundance, conducted focal tree observations to determine foraging rates for six tree species, and used distance sampling-based point counts to survey birds at randomly placed sampling locations within each site. I supplemented my bird surveys with a paired acoustic sampling method that uses acoustic recorders to increase survey sample size when estimating population densities with distance sampling. I tested the effectiveness of paired acoustic sampling for monitoring New Zealand forest bird populations by assessing whether density estimates from acoustic data were biased relative to densities estimated from human point counts, and by assessing whether the paired acoustic sampling method corrects bias from acoustic data, when present. Thus, the objectives of this dissertation were to assess 1) whether audio data could be used to estimate population densities for New Zealand forest birds (Chapter 1), 2) whether fenced mainland island sanctuaries increase the density of native or introduced bird species relative to unprotected areas in New Zealand (Chapter 2), and 3) whether sanctuaries enhance bird-mediated seed dispersal (foraging rates and dispersed-seed abundance) relative to unprotected areas (Chapter 3). I found that acoustic recorders underestimated bird population densities for four bird species but incorporating statistical offsets from the paired sampling method in generalized linear mixed models corrected the bias for all four species. Across both years, I found 0.27 to 9.00 more birds/ha on average for nine of twelve native bird species (including seven frugivores) in sanctuaries compared to unprotected sites, and no difference in mean population densities for three introduced bird species (two frugivores) and three biogeographically recent native species (one frugivore). Mean foraging rates and dispersed seed counts were also higher (0.1-0.6 more fruits consumed/observation period; 2-22 more seeds dispersed/plot) in sanctuary sites for several native tree species. Frugivore density, or both frugivore density and fruit abundance were significant positive predictors of foraging rates and dispersed seed counts for most tree species. Finally, native bird densities were correlated with foraging rates and dispersed seed counts for most tree species, but introduced bird densities were rarely correlated with foraging or dispersed seed counts. Thus, higher densities of native frugivorous birds in sanctuary sites appears to have resulted in increased fruit removal and dispersed seed counts for several native tree species. My study is one of the first to demonstrate that fenced mainland island sanctuaries, which require a substantial investment of conservation funds, are meeting ecological objectives. Furthermore, I demonstrate that paired acoustic sampling can be used to produce unbiased population density estimates from acoustic data, relative to human point counts, which holds great promise for increasing the scope and efficiency of bird population monitoring in New Zealand. I show that sanctuaries increase bird population densities for several native bird species and have no effect on introduced and biogeographically recent native species. These findings support predictions made over a decade ago on the potential 'winners' and 'losers' of mammal eradication and offer evidence that fenced sanctuaries effectively conserve New Zealand's native bird populations. By increasing bird densities and seed dispersal, fenced mainland island sanctuaries could be a viable tool for restoring other island and mainland ecosystems under threat from invasive mammals

New Zealand's eco-sanctuaries restore native bird diversity and seed dispersal

Many birds on islands are threatened by invasive mammal predators. In New Zealand, conservation organizations have constructed a network of ‘mammal-free sanctuaries,’ which exclude invasive mammals with predator-proof fencing and provide opportunities to conserve native birds. We assessed the effectiveness of these sanctuaries for restoring bird communities and bird-mediated seed dispersal. We compared the density and diversity of birds, foraging rates, and the densities of bird-dispersed seeds between mammal-free sanctuaries and paired unprotected sites. We found 0.5-4.0 times higher densities of native bird species, higher bird diversity, higher foraging rates, and higher densities of bird-dispersed seeds in sanctuaries compared to unprotected sites