Hypelasma salevensis (FAVRE, 1913) from the Upper Kimmeridgian of the French Jura, and the Origin of the Rudist Family Requieniidae

The requieniid rudist species ‘Matheronia’ salevensis FAVRE, first described from the Tithonian of Mont Saleve, eastern France, is transferred to the genus Hypelasma PAQUIER, which is distinguished from Matheronia by possession of a posterior myophoral ledge in the left (attached) valve. Diminutive specimens from the Upper Kimmeridgian of the southern Jura are described and placed in this species. Hence, Hypelasma salevensis (FAVRE) is the stratigraphically oldest known member of the Family Requieniidae. It may also provide another example of phyletic size increase among rudists. Revised diagnoses are given for the family, genus and species. The main distinction between the requieniids and the diceratids, from among which they arose, concerns the angle between the coiling axis of the left valve and the commissural plane. In diceratids, this angle is large, such that the often sub-equal umbones tend to twist outwards from the commissural plane, so avoiding mutual interference. In requieniids, by contrast, this angle is small, such that the prominent umbo of the left valve tends to coil across the commissural plane in trochospiral to helicospiral fashion, while that of the right valve is suppressed in compensation, producing an exogyriform morphology. The requieniid modification of growth geometry, already present in H. salevensis, generated an extended basal surface on the flattened anterior wall of the left valve, implying specialized adaptation of these rudists as frictional or attached clingers. Requieniid ancestry should be sought among species of the pre-existing diceratid genera Epidiceras or Plesiodiceras, which also attached by the left valve. Although Plesiodiceras is favoured by its already more or less operculiform right valve and relatively small size, the derived condition of its posterior myophoral organisation is problematical. However, its juvenile shell shows some similarity of external form to H. salevensis, suggesting the possibility of paedomorphic evolution

Incremental role of male circumcision on a generalised HIV epidemic through its protective effect against other sexually transmitted infections: from efficacy to effectiveness to population-level impact.

The protection of MC against STI contributes little to the overall effect of MC on HIV. Additional work is needed to determine whether, and under what conditions, the protective effect of MC efficacy against STIs can have a significant incremental benefit on the HIV epidemic

Habitat Selection of American Woodcock and Its Implications for Habitat Management Where Young Forests are Rare

American woodcock (Scolopax minor; hereafter woodcock) habitat use or selection has been studied extensively since the mid-1960s; most such studies, however, have taken place when and where young forest habitat selected by woodcock was relatively common. Woodcock population declines have been mostly attributed to loss of young forest vegetation types throughout the species’ range. Thus, understanding woodcock habitat selection and the benefits of habitat management in areas where young forests are rare is important in conserving woodcock and other wildlife that uses young forest. We conducted studies of male radio-tagged woodcock in Rhode Island, USA, when and where the extent of upland young forests in non-coastal areas comprised only 1.4% of the land area and was decreasing by ≥1.5% per year. We determined habitat selection of woodcock, then used the derived resource selection function to assess potential benefits of certain forest management scenarios for male woodcock and non-target birds. Landscapes comprising deciduous wetland forests, wetland young forests with nearby agricultural openings, or patches of upland young forest received relatively high use by woodcock. After integrating habitat management scenarios into GIS, our derived resource selection function suggested that creating fewer, larger patches of upland young forest and herbaceous forest openings may be less beneficial than creating more smaller patches. Openings with early-successional forest were an important component of woodcock habitat because they provided safe nighttime roost sites where mammalian predators were less active. These openings also provided habitat for a more diverse bird assemblage than unmanaged forests. Active habitat management is required to conserve woodcock populations in many landscapes, and managers should highlight the benefits of woodcock habitat management for non-target wildlife

Mobilizing Private Landowners to Create American Woodcock Habitat: Lessons Learned in Rhode Island, USA

Engaging private landowners in the conservation of American woodcock (Scolopax minor; hereafter, woodcock) in the northeastern United States is important because most forests in the region are privately owned. For this reason, a consortium of conservation agencies in the region has been encouraging private landowners to create young forest vegetation types. This study summarizes the achievements and lessons learned through 3 components of a collaborative outreach program as practiced in Rhode Island, USA since 2008: 1) providing technical and financial assistance to private landowners to support woodcock habitat creation, 2) developing a woodcock management demonstration area in the Great Swamp Wildlife Management Area to support research and landowner trainings, and 3) conducting research on landowner involvement in the creation of young forest. We found that the financial and technical assistance was an important factor motivating private landowners to create young forest. Furthermore, response to a follow-up questionnaire after our trainings was encouraging; 83% of the participants followed up with forest management on their own properties, and creation of young forest was the most common activity. The woodcock demonstration area strongly supported the training programs by allowing landowners to see regenerating clearcuts of 4 different ages in close proximity, and it was used as a research site to determine how woodcock selected certain-aged young forest patches. Our spatial analysis confirmed that the extent of young forest created in Rhode Island during the 7 years after 2004 was almost double the extent created during the previous 7 years, and that private landowners created more habitat than either government agencies or nongovernment organizations. We conclude that private landowners can play an important role in the conservation of woodcock, and recommend an expanded outreach program to mobilize them