Landscape requirements of a primate population in a human-dominated environment

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>As urban and rural land development become widespread features of the global landscape so an understanding of the landscape requirements of displaced and isolated wildlife species becomes increasingly important for conservation planning. In the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, rapid human population growth, and the associated urban and rural land transformation, threatens the sustainability of the local chacma baboon population. Here we analyse spatial data collected from nine of the 12 extant troops to determine their population-level landscape requirements. We use hurdle models to ascertain the key landscape features influencing baboon occurrence and abundance patterns on two hierarchical spatial scales.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both spatial scales produced similar results that were ecologically reliable and interpretable. The models indicated that baboons were more likely to occur, and be more abundant, at low altitudes, on steep slopes and in human-modified habitats. The combination of these landscape variables provides baboons with access to the best quality natural and anthropogenic food sources in close proximity to one another and suitable sleeping sites. Surface water did not emerge as an influential landscape feature presumably as the area is not water stressed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The model results indicate that land development in the Cape Peninsula has pushed baboons into increasingly marginal natural habitat while simultaneously providing them with predictable and easily accessible food sources in human-modified habitats. The resultant spatial competition between humans and baboons explains the high levels of human-baboon conflict and further erosion of the remaining land fragments is predicted to exacerbate competition. This study demonstrates how the quantification of animal landscape requirements can provide a mechanism for identifying priority conservation areas at the human-wildlife interface.</p

Participatory processes build adaptive capacity and agency and can help transform systems : an ASSAR cross-regional insight

The research assessed interpretations of system transformation in climate change and development circles, as well as types of participatory processes, in order to better understand the potential for pathways to adaptation. The scale and speed of climate change events require systemic and behavioural changes that are major departures from current mindsets. Universal principles of social justice, human rights and Sustainable Development Goals could serve as pillars of reference against which to consider the implications of possible transformations. Existing power imbalances in climate governance structures at local to global levels demonstrate that power relations need re-balancing.UK Government’s Department for International Development (DfID

Global warming of 1.5°C and higher brings profound challenges to semi-arid regions : an ASSAR cross-regional insights

This paper, prepared by Adaptation at Scale in Semi-Arid Regions (ASSAR) provides country briefs and embedded links to specific reports on Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Mali, and Ghana in terms of: 1) changes in local temperature, rainfall, and climate extremes, and 2) expected impacts on vulnerable socio-economic sectors, such as agriculture, water, health and fisheries – based on an extensive literature review and subsequent analyses. Semi-arid regions are classified as areas where evapotranspiration exceeds rainfall, and are therefore prone to water scarcity and water stress.UK Government’s Department for International Development (DfID

Vulnerability to groundwater drought in semi-arid areas of western Ahmednagar District, India

This work was carried out under the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA), with financial support from the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DfID) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.When groundwater storage capacities and water-flow potential is low, inconsistent and highly variable, and when these aquifer characteristics intersect with low levels of rainfall and unsustainable water-use patterns, they have the potential to severely cripple agrarian livelihoods and compromise people’s wellbeing. These hardships can be further aggravated by existing social vulnerabilities and inequities, such as those tied to gender, age, socio-economic status and caste. Making matters even worse are market price fluctuations, decreasing land holding sizes due to fragmentation of households, and the high dependence of farmers on loans to meet the increasing input costs of agriculture

Effective adaptation means different things to different people : an ASSAR cross-regional insight : 2014-2018

This Adaptation at Scale in Semi-Arid Regions (ASSAR) research identifies eleven conceptual framings that influence how adaptation effectiveness is defined and measured. Each is distilled into a “principle for effective adaptation” which can be used in designing, funding, implementing and evaluating adaptation actions. The case study of two villages in the Tamil Nadu (India) looks at how expansion of groundwater irrigation has led to dramatic shifts in cropping. A second case study analyzes Namibia’s multi-level governance arrangements through which a National Drought Policy was enacted. These case studies highlight tensions and trade-offs in livelihood choices and outcomes.UK Government’s Department for International Development (DfID

Forward-looking, inclusive governance arrangements across different scales are a critical enabler for adaptation : an ASSAR cross-regional insight

The paper concentrates on issues of governance in semi-arid regions, with a focus on what forms of governance will enable effective adaptation. Adaptation governance remains largely fragmented in semi-arid regions. Finances, knowledge, and human capital are required to support necessarily decentralized government structures. This decentralization needs to focus on socio-cultural and ecological aspects such as local perceptions of risk and resource degradation. In semi-arid regions, traditional and customary institutions can play an important role in natural resource management and adaptation response.UK Government’s Department for International Development (DfID

Using Transformative Scenario Planning to think critically about the future of agriculture and food security in the Upper West Region of Ghana an overview

This work was carried out under the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA), with financial support from the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DfID) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.In West Africa, ASSAR works in the semi-arid and dry sub-humid parts of Ghana and Mali — areas that are increasingly exposed to climatic extremes of droughts, floods and heavy rainfall. These changing conditions impact different people in different ways. For all living here, figuring out how to adapt to these uncertain circumstances is a challenging task that requires input from many different groups

Regulatory module involving FGF13, miR-504, and p53 regulates ribosomal biogenesis and supports cancer cell survival

The microRNA miR-504 targets TP53 mRNA encoding the p53 tumor suppressor. miR-504 resides within the fibroblast growth factor 13 (FGF13) gene, which is overexpressed in various cancers. We report that the FGF13 locus, comprising FGF13 and miR-504, is transcriptionally repressed by p53, defining an additional negative feedback loop in the p53 network. Furthermore, we show that FGF13 1A is a nucleolar protein that represses ribosomal RNA transcription and attenuates protein synthesis. Importantly, in cancer cells expressing high levels of FGF13, the depletion of FGF13 elicits increased proteostasis stress, associated with the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and apoptosis. Notably, stepwise neoplastic transformation is accompanied by a gradual increase in FGF13 expression and increased dependence on FGF13 for survival ("nononcogene addiction"). Moreover, FGF13 overexpression enables cells to cope more effectively with the stress elicited by oncogenic Ras protein. We propose that, in cells in which activated oncogenes drive excessive protein synthesis, FGF13 may favor survival by maintaining translation rates at a level compatible with the protein quality- control capacity of the cell. Thus, FGF13 may serve as an enabler, allowing cancer cells to evade proteostasis stress triggered by oncogene activation

Expected Performance of the ATLAS Experiment - Detector, Trigger and Physics

A detailed study is presented of the expected performance of the ATLAS detector. The reconstruction of tracks, leptons, photons, missing energy and jets is investigated, together with the performance of b-tagging and the trigger. The physics potential for a variety of interesting physics processes, within the Standard Model and beyond, is examined. The study comprises a series of notes based on simulations of the detector and physics processes, with particular emphasis given to the data expected from the first years of operation of the LHC at CERN

Measurement of the inclusive energy spectrum in the very forward direction in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

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