Impact of Women's Harvest Practices on Pandanus guillaumetii in Madagascar's Lowland Rainforests1

Impact of Women's Harvest Practices onPandanus guillaumetiiin Madagascar's Lowland Rainforests.Pandanus guillaumetii B.C. Stone is endemic to the east coast rainforests of Madagascar. The plant is an important non-timber forest product (NTFP) for the local population living near these forests, and its leaves are collected by women to be woven into mats. These mats have economic value and are also used for daily activities. At present, little is known about how local harvesting practices impact this plant species. In this study, we describe women's local harvest practices and quantify their impact on the P. guillaumetii population. We carried out plant inventories as well as interviews and participatory observations with local people harvesting P. guillaumetii in two villages with different population densities in the Manompana region. Inventories were conducted at varying distances from the villages in order to better understand the influence of human pressure on the plant population. The results suggest that local communities apply practices that tend to minimize the harvest impact on the plant. Harvesting seems to have no effect on the actual density of P. guillaumetii. However, the availability of plants with leaves of sufficient quality for mat production is influenced by human pressure. Considering the decreasing number of plants suitable for handicraft, we assume that their availability in the long term may not fulfill the needs of the local peopl

The importance of agroforestry hay and walnut production in the walnut-fruit forests of southern Kyrgyzstan

Walnut-fruit forests (WFF) in Kyrgyzstan are biodiversity hotspots, provide important ecosystem services, and are of economic value yet currently suffer from a lack of sustainable management. We analysed current agroforestry practices through a series of interviews with farmers and reviewed the input-output data for 5years of hay and walnut production for three case studies. The interviews showed that hay-making and walnut collection are the primary agroforestry practices in the WFF and have clear economic importance. Walnut in particular is a source of additional income for farmers and hay-making activities are strongly influenced by the need to winter cattle in these regions. The low reliability of interview data limited the planned analysis of profitability of case studies. Walnut production, however, is difficult to calculate because it is highly dependent on weather conditions and cropping practices between walnut trees (Juglans regia L.). This study highlights the need for improved agroforestry technologies in the WFF and identifies potential means for a sustainable, multi-purpose management of the WFF with a special focus on income generatio

Yearly Variations in GCM Concentrations in Female Mountain Hares (Lepus timidus) and the Effect of Pregnancy

The measurement of glucocorticoid metabolites (GCMs) in faeces has become a widely used and effective tool for evaluating the amount of stress experienced by animals. However, the potential sampling bias resulting from an oversampling of individuals in different states of pregnancy has rarely been investigated. In this study, we validate a noninvasive method for measuring gestagen metabolites in female mountain hares (Lepus timidus) under controlled conditions. We also measured the concentration of gestagen metabolites of females in a free-ranging population during the early breeding and post-breeding periods from 2014 to 2019. We found significant yearly variations in gestagen metabolites, which were related to the condition of the females due to the snow cover duration before and at the start of the reproduction period. GCMs were significantly influenced by the gestagen metabolite levels. These results are important for improving the interpretation of GCM concentrations in free-ranging populations during the breeding and reproductive periods

Wanderlust – Erfahrungen aus vier Jahrzehnten «Rehkitzmarkierung Schweiz» 1971–2013

Die Markierung von Wildtieren ermöglicht einen Einblick in das Leben der markierten Individuen. In einer im Januar 2015 an der Universität Zürich abgeschlossenen Masterarbeit wurde das Wanderverhalten von 2619 meist als Rehkitz markierten Tieren untersucht, um habitat- undindividuenspezifische Unterschiede sowie möglicheWanderrouten zu bestimmen. Die gewonnenen Ergebnisse zeigen, wie die langjährigen Markierungstätigkeiten Hinweise für das Rehmanagement liefern können

How genetic data improve the interpretation of results of faecal glucocorticoid metabolite measurements in a free-living population

<div><p>Measurement of glucocorticoid metabolites (GCM) in faeces has become a widely used and effective tool for evaluating the amount of stress experienced by animals. However, the potential sampling bias resulting from an oversampling of individuals when collecting “anonymous” (unknown sex or individual) faeces has rarely been investigated. We used non-invasive genetic sampling (NIGS) to investigate potential interpretation errors of GCM measurements in a free-living population of mountain hares during the mating and post-reproductive periods. Genetic data improved the interpretation of results of faecal GCM measurements. In general GCM concentrations were influenced by season. However, genetic information revealed that it was sex-dependent. Within the mating period, females had higher GCM levels than males, but individual differences were more expressed in males. In the post-reproductive period, GCM concentrations were neither influenced by sex nor individual. We also identified potential pitfalls in the interpretation of anonymous faecal samples by individual differences in GCM concentrations and resampling rates. Our study showed that sex- and individual-dependent GCM levels led to a misinterpretation of GCM values when collecting “anonymous” faeces. To accurately evaluate the amount of stress experienced by free-living animals using faecal GCM measurements, we recommend documenting individuals and their sex of the sampled population. In stress-sensitive and elusive species, such documentation can be achieved by using NIGS and for diurnal animals with sexual and individual variation in appearance or marked individuals, it can be provided by a detailed field protocol.</p></div

The distribution of mountain hares in Europe [28], and the location of the study area in the Swiss National Park (grey region) in Switzerland.

<p>The distribution of mountain hares in Europe [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0183718#pone.0183718.ref028" target="_blank">28</a>], and the location of the study area in the Swiss National Park (grey region) in Switzerland.</p

Verlierer des Klimawandels

Wenn sich das Klima erwärmt, werden die Lebensräume für den Schneehasen in den Alpen kleiner und sie werden weiter voneinander entfernt liegen. Damit dürften die Bestände schrumpfen, legen neue Modellberechnungen nahe

Origin (based on NIGS) of multiple faecal samples (N = 176) collected in the Swiss National Park during the mating and post-reproductive periods (2014 and 2015).

<p>Origin (based on NIGS) of multiple faecal samples (N = 176) collected in the Swiss National Park during the mating and post-reproductive periods (2014 and 2015).</p

The importance of agroforestry hay and walnut production in the walnut-fruit forests of southern Kyrgyzstan

ISSN:0167-4366ISSN:1572-968