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Conservation Maven
149 posts
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- March 12, 2010
- 06:00 AM
- 19 views
The challenge of managing disease in wildlife: the case of elk in Yellowstone
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
The disease brucellosis is surging in free-ranging elk populations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem according to a new study in the journal Ecological Applications.
Furthermore, efforts to address the problem by reducing the density of elk populations through increased hunting or introduction of natural predators will be difficult given the matrix of private and public lands where elk aggregate.... Read more »
Cross, P., Cole, E., Dobson, A., Edwards, W., Hamlin, K., Luikart, G., Middleton, A., Scurlock, B., & White, P. (2010) Probable causes of increasing brucellosis in free-ranging elk of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Ecological Applications, 20(1), 278-288. DOI: 10.1890/08-2062.1
- March 11, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 23 views
Profiting from invasive plants: the challenge of controlling the horticultural industry
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
... Read more »
Drew, J., Anderson, N., & Andow, D. (2010) Conundrums of a complex vector for invasive species control: a detailed examination of the horticultural industry. Biological Invasions. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-010-9689-8
- March 11, 2010
- 05:00 AM
- 20 views
Delimiting the boundaries of a species invasion (with no prior info)
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
When it comes to successfully controlling invasive species, managers face the critically important step of figuring out the extent of the invasion. Researchers have developed and tested an innovative approach for accomplishing this challenging task...... Read more »
Leung, B., Cacho, O., & Spring, D. (2010) Searching for non-indigenous species: rapidly delimiting the invasion boundary. Diversity and Distributions. DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2010.00653.x
- March 10, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 27 views
The impact of snorkeling on fish and macroalgae communities
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
A new study on snorkelers in the Mediterranean sea finds a rare piece of good news about human impacts on the marine environment.
Joachim Clauedet and fellow researchers looked at snorkeling within the Cerbère Banyuls Natural Marine Reserve in the French Mediterranean and found that the activity had no observable effect on the structure of fish or macroalgae communities.... Read more »
Claudet, J., Lenfant, P., & Schrimm, M. (2010) Snorkelers impact on fish communities and algae in a temperate marine protected area. Biodiversity and Conservation. DOI: 10.1007/s10531-010-9794-0
- March 9, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 24 views
Evaluating protected areas in China and North Korea
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
... Read more »
Tang, L., Shao, G., Piao, Z., Dai, L., Jenkins, M., Wang, S., Wu, G., Wu, J., & Zhao, J. (2010) Forest degradation deepens around and within protected areas in East Asia. Biological Conservation. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2010.01.024
- March 9, 2010
- 05:00 AM
- 27 views
Automating bird surveys with remote sensors
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
Researchers have developed and tested an automated system for remotely surveying birds based on their vocalizations. The system involves using pole-mounted, remote sensors to collect ongoing acoustic data...... Read more »
Kasten, E., McKinley, P., & Gage, S. (2010) Ensemble Extraction for Classification and Detection of Bird Species☆. Ecological Informatics. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2010.02.003
- March 8, 2010
- 04:00 AM
- 30 views
Protecting Europe's last, old-growth forests
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
Whenever I think of old-growth forests, I envision the redwoods of Northern California or the Amazon region of South America - not the continent of Europe where forest destruction and intensive management have been widespread for millennia. However, in parts of Europe, areas of virgin forest still exist - mostly in Russia, but also in other countries, as well.
A new study in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation reflects a growing effort to identify and protect these remnant old-growth fo........ Read more »
Veen, P., Fanta, J., Raev, I., Biriş, I., Smidt, J., & Maes, B. (2010) Virgin forests in Romania and Bulgaria: results of two national inventory projects and their implications for protection. Biodiversity and Conservation. DOI: 10.1007/s10531-010-9804-2
- March 5, 2010
- 06:00 AM
- 44 views
Can marine reserves boost fish populations outside their borders?
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
A new study shows that higher fish reproduction inside marine reserves is likely to benefit fisheries outside, as ocean currents carry the tiny, young fish to surrounding waters.
However, the study also indicates that if the young, exported from marine reserves, disperse across large areas it may be extremely difficult to detect a boost to fisheries.... Read more »
Pelc, R., Warner, R., Gaines, S., & Paris, C. (2010) Marine Reserves Special Feature: Detecting larval export from marine reserves. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0907368107
- March 4, 2010
- 12:06 PM
- 41 views
An innovative approach for monitoring tidal wetland restoration success
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
Researchers from the US Geological Survey at the San Francisco Bay Estuary Station have created a new, cost-effect, and more accurate method for measuring early sediment accretion in restored, tidal marshes.
Their innovative method involves using sound waves to determine water depth. The echosounder system is mounted onto a shallow draft kayak and includes an acoustic profiler, GPS unit, and laptop computer.... Read more »
Takekawa, J., Woo, I., Athearn, N., Demers, S., Gardiner, R., Perry, W., Ganju, N., Shellenbarger, G., & Schoellhamer, D. (2010) Measuring sediment accretion in early tidal marsh restoration. Wetlands Ecology and Management. DOI: 10.1007/s11273-009-9170-6
- March 4, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 52 views
Quantifying open space loss from urban sprawl
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
... Read more »
McDonald, R., Forman, R., & Kareiva, P. (2010) Open Space Loss and Land Inequality in United States' Cities, 1990–2000. PLoS ONE, 5(3). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0009509
- March 3, 2010
- 05:00 AM
- 45 views
Using GPS to remotely observe wildlife behavior
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
GPS plays an important role in wildlife conservation by enabling managers to track the movements of animals. But sometimes wildlife biologists want to know more than just where an animal is located at any given time - sometimes they also want to know what an animal is actually doing...... Read more »
Löttker, P., Rummel, A., Traube, M., Stache, A., Šustr, P., Müller, J., & Heurich, M. (2009) New Possibilities of Observing Animal Behaviour from a Distance Using Activity Sensors in Gps-Collars: An Attempt to Calibrate Remotely Collected Activity Data with Direct Behavioural Observations in Red Deer . Wildlife Biology, 15(4), 425-434. DOI: 10.2981/08-014
- March 2, 2010
- 05:00 AM
- 35 views
Plant a tree to save a fish: riparian woodlands as stream temperature regulators
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
... Read more »
Broadmeadow, S., Jones, J., Langford, T., Shaw, P., & Nisbet, T. (2010) The influence of riparian shade on lowland stream water temperatures in southern England and their viability for brown trout. River Research and Applications. DOI: 10.1002/rra.1354
- March 1, 2010
- 07:00 AM
- 54 views
Not all species are created equal (in the eyes of scientific study)
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
Not all species are equally important in the eyes of scientific research. As a new paper in the journal Conservation Biology shows, some types of species are much more commonly studied than others.... Read more »
TRIMBLE, M., & VAN AARDE, R. (2010) Species Inequality in Scientific Study. Conservation Biology. DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2010.01453.x
- February 26, 2010
- 05:00 AM
- 40 views
Popular herbicide can be a secret killer of fish
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
The chemical glyphosphate has emerged as the most widely used herbicide in the world. As a new study suggests, the popular herbicide may have unexpected negative impacts on fish by making them more vulnerable to disease...... Read more »
Kelly, D., Poulin, R., Tompkins, D., & Townsend, C. (2010) Synergistic effects of glyphosate formulation and parasite infection on fish malformations and survival. Journal of Applied Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01791.x
- February 25, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 50 views
Can biomanipulation of the sea rescue a collapsed fishery?
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
The cod stock in the Baltic Sea collapsed in the 1990s because of overfishing and climate change, and this once-valuable fishery has not yet recovered. Could intensified harvesting of sprat—a small fish that eats cod eggs and competes with young cod for planktonic food—be the solution to restore cod, as some people suggest? ... Read more »
Lindegren, M., Möllmann, C., & Hansson, L. (2010) Biomanipulation - a tool in Marine Ecosystem Management and Restoration?. Ecological Applications, 2147483647. DOI: 10.1890/09-0754
- February 25, 2010
- 05:00 AM
- 40 views
Study finds post-restoration wetland succession highly variable
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
A new study from researchers at the University of Illinois has looked at wetland restoration projects across the state and found that successional trends vary substantially from one site to another. The study findings have implications for the Clean Water Act and its ability to meet its mandate of enforcing no net-loss of wetland area or function in the United States...... Read more »
Matthews, J., & Endress, A. (2010) Rate of succession in restored wetlands and the role of site context. Applied Vegetation Science. DOI: 10.1111/j.1654-109X.2010.01076.x
- February 24, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 53 views
Does land conservation reduce the local housing supply?
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
A new study wades into the contentious debate about whether land protection negatively affects the housing supply for local communities.
Pro-development advocates have argued that land conservation removes properties from the pool of potential residential housing and therefore drives up home prices. Some studies have found empirical support for this argument.
However new research from scientists at Stanford University and the Nature Conservancy finds that conservation efforts in the suburb........ Read more »
Denning, C., Mcdonald, R., & Christensen, J. (2010) Did land protection in Silicon Valley reduce the housing stock?. Biological Conservation. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2010.01.025
- February 24, 2010
- 05:00 AM
- 69 views
When wildlife avoids perfectly good habitat: the perceptual trap
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
What should we do when perfectly good habitat exists but certain species of wildlife decide to avoid it anyway? Researchers from the University of Oklahoma grapple with this potential mismatch between wildlife perception and habitat quality - a phenomenon they call the "Perceptual Trap."... Read more »
Patten, M., & Kelly, J. (2010) Habitat selection and the perceptual trap. Ecological Applications, 2147483647. DOI: 10.1890/09-2370
- February 23, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 52 views
The impact of seismic oil exploration on rainforest wildlife
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
... Read more »
Rabanal, L., Kuehl, H., Mundry, R., Robbins, M., & Boesch, C. (2010) Oil prospecting and its impact on large rainforest mammals in Loango National Park, Gabon. Biological Conservation. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2010.01.017
- February 23, 2010
- 05:00 AM
- 61 views
Creating vegetation barriers to block the spread of invasive species
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
A new study in the journal Biological Invasions shows that land managers may be able to contain highly invasive annual plants like by establishing barriers of perennial bunchgrasses to block the spread...... Read more »
Davies, K., Nafus, A., & Sheley, R. (2010) Non-native competitive perennial grass impedes the spread of an invasive annual grass. Biological Invasions. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-010-9710-2
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