This study compared hoverfly communities and foraging patterns between Primley Meadow and Clennon Grassland. There were more hoverflies observed foraging at Primley Meadow. Analysis showed hoverfly abundance was influenced by site, weather conditions, flower diversity, and an interaction between temperature and flower abundance. While both sites had similar hoverfly species richness, patterns of which flowers individual species foraged on differed between the sites. Further research could provide more detailed foraging data and inform grassland management practices.
The velocity of density shifts in bird populations in Finland depends on their migration ecology and body mass. Migratory species showed slower density shifts than partial migrants and resident species, possibly because the latter can better respond to local environmental cues. Lighter species also moved faster than heavier species, which may be related to heavier species having longer generation times and lower reproduction rates. The study found migration ecology and body mass explained the variation in velocity of density shifts in 40 years of bird population data, but breeding habitat did not.
Biodiverse - Rosauer talk @ iEvoBio conference June 2010Dan Rosauer
Biodiverse is a tool for spatial analysis of biodiversity that calculates various biodiversity indices including species richness, endemism, phylogenetic diversity, and beta diversity. It was developed by researchers at UNSW to investigate patterns in Australian plants and animals. Biodiverse allows users to visualize species and phylogeny distributions, calculate biodiversity metrics for areas, cluster areas based on biological similarity, and test significance using randomization procedures. It has been used in studies of Australian flora, frogs, and primates.
SCU Gone Wild is a community science initiative at Santa Clara University that aims to characterize and record biodiversity on campus through citizen science. Students and faculty conduct systematic bird counts at 8 sites across campus that differ in vegetation. Over 50 bird species have been observed so far. The project seeks to influence landscaping decisions based on its findings and contribute to further biodiversity research. Future plans include vegetation analysis, species density studies, and surveys of squirrels and insects. The initiative engages the SCU community in observing and preserving campus wildlife.
Burdened Beast: tracking endangered black rhino (Roan D. Plotz, PhD field con...South African Experience
Roan D. Plotz, a field conservation biologist, has been tracking endangered black rhinos in South Africa. He has received funding from several organizations to study the rhinos at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. Plotz has discussed his research on black and white rhinos in documentaries and publications. His work involves routinely monitoring the rhinos to collect data on their behaviors and threats to their populations.
Dr. Glenn Johnson of SUNY Potsdam conducted a study on chorus frog distribution in St. Lawrence and Jefferson Counties. Students surveyed sites from a 1990s herptofauna atlas study in 2010, recording weather, habitat descriptions, and presence of chorus frogs. The data was mapped along with land use classifications to identify positive and negative sites with 1000m buffers, showing potential conservation areas considering land use within each buffer. This information will help determine chorus frog habitats and guide selection of new survey sites.
66;road mortalities of amphibians hj 22(1)_pp_51-58_ms_11-55[1]Roger Meek
This study monitored amphibian roadkill over six years on low-traffic roads in western France. The common toad and agile frog made up the majority of roadkill at 39% and 25.4% respectively. Roadkill patterns were associated with amphibian migration and habitat near roads. Higher roadkill occurred near woodlands/wetlands and after rainfall, related to migration and foraging behavior. Traffic volume did not correlate with roadkill, but roadkill increased with longer amphibian migration distances.
De alwis, C., Surasinghe, T. D., and Kudavidanage, E. (2006). Diversity of birds in the premises of Sabaragamuwa University, Butthala, Sri Lanka. International Symposium on Issues and Challenges of the 21st Century, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Belihuloya.
SCU Gone Wild is a community science initiative at Santa Clara University (SCU) that aims to record and preserve campus biodiversity through wildlife observations. It encourages the SCU community to engage with the campus landscapes and participate in citizen science projects, vegetation analysis, and bioblitz events. The SCU Campus Bird Project is a more systematic ongoing study that records bird species at eight fixed sites across campus and hopes to influence landscaping decisions based on how vegetation composition affects bird diversity. Preliminary results show the site with greatest tree diversity also had the most bird species observed.
The velocity of density shifts in bird populations in Finland depends on their migration ecology and body mass. Migratory species showed slower density shifts than partial migrants and resident species, possibly because the latter can better respond to local environmental cues. Lighter species also moved faster than heavier species, which may be related to heavier species having longer generation times and lower reproduction rates. The study found migration ecology and body mass explained the variation in velocity of density shifts in 40 years of bird population data, but breeding habitat did not.
Biodiverse - Rosauer talk @ iEvoBio conference June 2010Dan Rosauer
Biodiverse is a tool for spatial analysis of biodiversity that calculates various biodiversity indices including species richness, endemism, phylogenetic diversity, and beta diversity. It was developed by researchers at UNSW to investigate patterns in Australian plants and animals. Biodiverse allows users to visualize species and phylogeny distributions, calculate biodiversity metrics for areas, cluster areas based on biological similarity, and test significance using randomization procedures. It has been used in studies of Australian flora, frogs, and primates.
SCU Gone Wild is a community science initiative at Santa Clara University that aims to characterize and record biodiversity on campus through citizen science. Students and faculty conduct systematic bird counts at 8 sites across campus that differ in vegetation. Over 50 bird species have been observed so far. The project seeks to influence landscaping decisions based on its findings and contribute to further biodiversity research. Future plans include vegetation analysis, species density studies, and surveys of squirrels and insects. The initiative engages the SCU community in observing and preserving campus wildlife.
Burdened Beast: tracking endangered black rhino (Roan D. Plotz, PhD field con...South African Experience
Roan D. Plotz, a field conservation biologist, has been tracking endangered black rhinos in South Africa. He has received funding from several organizations to study the rhinos at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. Plotz has discussed his research on black and white rhinos in documentaries and publications. His work involves routinely monitoring the rhinos to collect data on their behaviors and threats to their populations.
Dr. Glenn Johnson of SUNY Potsdam conducted a study on chorus frog distribution in St. Lawrence and Jefferson Counties. Students surveyed sites from a 1990s herptofauna atlas study in 2010, recording weather, habitat descriptions, and presence of chorus frogs. The data was mapped along with land use classifications to identify positive and negative sites with 1000m buffers, showing potential conservation areas considering land use within each buffer. This information will help determine chorus frog habitats and guide selection of new survey sites.
66;road mortalities of amphibians hj 22(1)_pp_51-58_ms_11-55[1]Roger Meek
This study monitored amphibian roadkill over six years on low-traffic roads in western France. The common toad and agile frog made up the majority of roadkill at 39% and 25.4% respectively. Roadkill patterns were associated with amphibian migration and habitat near roads. Higher roadkill occurred near woodlands/wetlands and after rainfall, related to migration and foraging behavior. Traffic volume did not correlate with roadkill, but roadkill increased with longer amphibian migration distances.
De alwis, C., Surasinghe, T. D., and Kudavidanage, E. (2006). Diversity of birds in the premises of Sabaragamuwa University, Butthala, Sri Lanka. International Symposium on Issues and Challenges of the 21st Century, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Belihuloya.
SCU Gone Wild is a community science initiative at Santa Clara University (SCU) that aims to record and preserve campus biodiversity through wildlife observations. It encourages the SCU community to engage with the campus landscapes and participate in citizen science projects, vegetation analysis, and bioblitz events. The SCU Campus Bird Project is a more systematic ongoing study that records bird species at eight fixed sites across campus and hopes to influence landscaping decisions based on how vegetation composition affects bird diversity. Preliminary results show the site with greatest tree diversity also had the most bird species observed.
Los centros públicos son administrados por el gobierno y no promueven ninguna ideología en particular, respetando las opciones de las familias. Estos centros siguen 4 documentos clave: un proyecto educativo, normas de organización y funcionamiento, un proyecto de gestión, y una programación general anual.
El documento describe los diferentes tipos de tendidos de cama en una unidad de pacientes, incluyendo cama cerrada, cama abierta y cama ocupada. Explica los pasos para cada tipo de tendido, comenzando con colocar la ropa de cama en orden inverso y terminando con acomodar almohadas y mesa de noche. El objetivo es ofrecer comodidad y seguridad al paciente manteniendo estándares de higiene.
Mirco sufre un accidente que le deja ciego y tiene que separarse de sus padres para ser internado en un colegio religioso para ciegos dirigido por un director también ciego. A pesar de las dificultades y el rechazo inicial de sus compañeros, con la ayuda de una grabadora, una niña que se convierte en su amiga y un maestro humanista, Mirco aprende a desarrollar sus otros sentidos y a valerse por sí mismo. Gracias a su tenacidad y afán de aprender, hoy en día Mirco
The study aims to analyze prosocial behavior in chimpanzees using a token exchange paradigm where chimpanzees choose between a red token for a selfish reward or a green token for a prosocial reward shared with another chimpanzee. Factors like social system, token value, and food quality will be examined. The experiments contribute to behavioral primatology, evolutionary psychology, and social psychology.
LA MASSAFRA CHE VOGLIAMO” PROGRAMMA E PROPOSTE PER MASSAFRA 2016-2021Pd Massafra
Noi Giovani Democratici di Massafra vogliamo contribuire a cambiare la nostra città , per questo abbiamo presentato alla coalizione di centrosinistra guidata dal Partito Democratico e al nostro candidato sindaco Ida Cardillo un programma e delle proposte su “LA MASSAFRA CHE VOGLIAMO”. Il programma è disponibile sul sito e sui social network.
Presentiamo alcune proposte su temi a noi cari che permettano di tutelare gli interessi di una particolare fascia sociale: la nostra! Una generazione di cui qualcuno si ricorda solo ogni 5 anni .
Intendiamo con queste brevi proposte disegnare una nuova città , modificando la realtà e proponendo una nuova visione che rendano Massafra una città migliore.
Principi cardine del nostro pensiero:
I GIOVANI AL CENTRO - La città che parla e ascolta. Avvicinare il Comune e i cittadini ,creando servizi pubblici a misura di tutti grazie all’utilizzo delle nuove tecnologie, assicurando trasparenza, efficienza ed efficacia nell’azione amministrativa e garantendo la partecipazione di tutti i cittadini al miglioramento della Pubblica Amministrazione.
CITTÀ INTELLIGENTE - I massafresi meritano una città più̀ vivibile. Investire sull’innovazione come motore dello sviluppo individuale e collettivo, ridisegnando i luoghi dell’incrocio domanda/offerta, recuperando i tessuti produttivi come l’Area Industriale, favorendo il dialogo tra ricerca e industria per orientare le economie della Città verso forme più pulite, ecologiche e ad alto contenuto tecnologico, una città che crea Lavoro e Sviluppo
ACCULTURIAMOCI – Massafra come contenitore di idee e cultura. Desideriamo una città più attenta a temi culturali che, inseriti in un contesto istituzionale, permettano ai giovani di accrescere la propria cultura e partecipare attivamente ad iniziative.
Le tematiche cardine sono LAVORO SOLIDARIETA MOBILITA’ e CULTURA .
Il nostro sogno è una Massafra più semplice, più coraggiosa, più bella, più solidale e più veloce.
Noi Giovani Democratici crediamo che una nuova fase sia possibile che una nuova classe dirigente sia in grado realmente di cambiare questa città e cambiarla in meglio. Siamo convinti che il 5 giugno saremo capaci di voltare pagina, lascando alla spalle un centrodestra fallimentare per poter scrivere nuove pagine di speranza insieme a tutti i massafresi.
Pensiamo che sia finito il tempo del continuo rimandare, della rassegnazione, da oggi e nei prossimi 5 anni Massafra ha una grande occasione per il cambiamento, che va considerata e attuata.
Noi ci siamo , forti delle nostre idee e crediamo fortemente in Massafra , città che guarda al futuro consapevole delle proprie potenzialità!
The concepts behind Blue Ocean Strategy are tangible and well documented. They are relatively easy to understand and apply to innovation processes and business development.
The document discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health. Regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood and cognitive functioning. Exercise boosts blood flow, releases endorphins, and promotes changes in the brain which help enhance one's emotional well-being and mental clarity.
The Whittier College ENVS 396 class sampled arthropods in Zuma Canyon using pitfall traps placed in restored, native, and invaded sites. The invaded site had the greatest number and species richness of arthropods, while the native site had the highest diversity. Restored and native sites did not significantly differ in species richness as hypothesized. However, species richness was highest in the invaded site rather than the native site as predicted.
de Merxem 2009 Importance of floral visitors not predicted by floral syndromesMarinus De Jager
This study examines the pollination of Tritoniopsis revoluta, an iris species with very long corolla tubes conforming to the long-proboscid fly pollination syndrome. The study found that while long-proboscid flies visited one population, fly visitation was largely absent in other populations. Instead, bees were the most frequent visitors and carried pollen, suggesting they could effect pollination. Populations with shorter tubed plants that made nectar more accessible to bees had higher seed set than populations with longer tubes, indicating bees contribute significantly to the plant's fitness despite not fitting the floral syndrome. This challenges the idea that floral syndromes can predict all important pollinators and supports floral morphology being
De Jager 2014 Floral polymorphism and the fitness implications of attracting ...Marinus De Jager
This document summarizes a study investigating the role of pollinators and florivores in maintaining floral polymorphism in the annual daisy Ursinia calenduliflora. The study found that U. calenduliflora exhibits two floral morphs - spotted and spotless - and the distribution of morphs varies spatially. Field observations revealed the bee fly Megapalpus capensis is the dominant visitor, with males preferring the spotted morph. However, female reproductive success did not differ between morphs. The spotted morph suffered greater damage from florivores like monkey beetles. The results suggest pollinators and florivores may exert antagonistic selection maintaining polymorphism, with relative
Insect pollinators and Mango flowers - Presentation from the Darwin Mango Fie...AustralianMangoes
This document summarizes a talk on insect pollinators of mango flowers. It discusses that while honeybees pollinate some crops, wild insects are generally more effective pollinators. It also describes a study in Northern Queensland, Australia that found flies and native bees to be the most frequent visitors and effective pollinators of mango flowers, depositing more pollen. The study looked at visitation rates along transects, single visits to bagged flowers, and pollinator behavior within and between trees. Future research is needed on pollinator life histories and relationships between pollinators and mango yields.
GOOD COPY individual paper, St. Andrews Field CourseRachel Brodie
This document summarizes an experiment that examined the effects of predator interactions between green crabs and dogwhelks on the consumption of blue mussel prey. The experiment tested single-predator treatments of just dogwhelks or just crabs, as well as a multiple-predator treatment with both species present. Results showed that dogwhelk feeding rates decreased significantly in the presence of green crabs, while crab foraging increased when dogwhelks were present. Additionally, significantly more total mussels were consumed in the multiple-predator treatment than in the single-predator treatments. This indicates that the presence of another predator species impacts the feeding behavior and rates of these invertebrate predators.
This document summarizes a capstone project that studied pollinator values at three sites - the DiTullio Homestead, Water Tower Hill, and Roger's Landing. The author recorded plant species and their pollinator values on a scale of 0-3 at each site using 1m x 1m plots. The results provide information on the best pollinator plants and habitats for bees and other insects at each location. The goal was to identify high-value plants suitable for home gardens to attract native pollinators.
Appearance of a Predator Increases the Avoidance Exhibited by SongbirdsAlexis Ernst
This study examined how songbirds respond to the presence of a predator near their food source. The researcher placed a fake owl near a bird feeder in a forest and recorded the number of visits and duration of visits by songbirds both with and without the owl present. The location within the forest did not influence the birds' behavior. However, the presence of the owl significantly decreased the amount of time songbirds spent at the feeder, supporting the hypothesis that predators increase avoidance behaviors in songbirds. This avoidance could decrease the birds' ability to forage and negatively impact their fitness.
Wheat stem sawflies are a major pest for wheat crops, causing over $350 million in damage annually. They lay eggs inside wheat stems, where the larvae feed and cut the stems. Native parasitoid wasps that feed on sawfly larvae can help reduce damage. This study explores using diverse plantings of native wildflowers along wheat field edges to increase parasitoid populations and lifespan through providing nectar, which could help decrease sawfly infestation. Results showed higher sawfly infestation near fallow fields, parasitoids living longer with nectar access, and lower infestation correlated with higher plant diversity along edges.
Shrubs and invasive grass predict lizard occurrence in an arid shrublandAlessandro Filazzola
Filazzola, A., Westphal, M., Powers, M., Liczner, A.R., Johnson, B, & Lortie, C.J.The realized niche of the endangered blunt-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia sila) is determined by interactions between native shrubs and invasive annual grass. ESA 100th Meeting Baltimore.
Los centros públicos son administrados por el gobierno y no promueven ninguna ideología en particular, respetando las opciones de las familias. Estos centros siguen 4 documentos clave: un proyecto educativo, normas de organización y funcionamiento, un proyecto de gestión, y una programación general anual.
El documento describe los diferentes tipos de tendidos de cama en una unidad de pacientes, incluyendo cama cerrada, cama abierta y cama ocupada. Explica los pasos para cada tipo de tendido, comenzando con colocar la ropa de cama en orden inverso y terminando con acomodar almohadas y mesa de noche. El objetivo es ofrecer comodidad y seguridad al paciente manteniendo estándares de higiene.
Mirco sufre un accidente que le deja ciego y tiene que separarse de sus padres para ser internado en un colegio religioso para ciegos dirigido por un director también ciego. A pesar de las dificultades y el rechazo inicial de sus compañeros, con la ayuda de una grabadora, una niña que se convierte en su amiga y un maestro humanista, Mirco aprende a desarrollar sus otros sentidos y a valerse por sí mismo. Gracias a su tenacidad y afán de aprender, hoy en día Mirco
The study aims to analyze prosocial behavior in chimpanzees using a token exchange paradigm where chimpanzees choose between a red token for a selfish reward or a green token for a prosocial reward shared with another chimpanzee. Factors like social system, token value, and food quality will be examined. The experiments contribute to behavioral primatology, evolutionary psychology, and social psychology.
LA MASSAFRA CHE VOGLIAMO” PROGRAMMA E PROPOSTE PER MASSAFRA 2016-2021Pd Massafra
Noi Giovani Democratici di Massafra vogliamo contribuire a cambiare la nostra città , per questo abbiamo presentato alla coalizione di centrosinistra guidata dal Partito Democratico e al nostro candidato sindaco Ida Cardillo un programma e delle proposte su “LA MASSAFRA CHE VOGLIAMO”. Il programma è disponibile sul sito e sui social network.
Presentiamo alcune proposte su temi a noi cari che permettano di tutelare gli interessi di una particolare fascia sociale: la nostra! Una generazione di cui qualcuno si ricorda solo ogni 5 anni .
Intendiamo con queste brevi proposte disegnare una nuova città , modificando la realtà e proponendo una nuova visione che rendano Massafra una città migliore.
Principi cardine del nostro pensiero:
I GIOVANI AL CENTRO - La città che parla e ascolta. Avvicinare il Comune e i cittadini ,creando servizi pubblici a misura di tutti grazie all’utilizzo delle nuove tecnologie, assicurando trasparenza, efficienza ed efficacia nell’azione amministrativa e garantendo la partecipazione di tutti i cittadini al miglioramento della Pubblica Amministrazione.
CITTÀ INTELLIGENTE - I massafresi meritano una città più̀ vivibile. Investire sull’innovazione come motore dello sviluppo individuale e collettivo, ridisegnando i luoghi dell’incrocio domanda/offerta, recuperando i tessuti produttivi come l’Area Industriale, favorendo il dialogo tra ricerca e industria per orientare le economie della Città verso forme più pulite, ecologiche e ad alto contenuto tecnologico, una città che crea Lavoro e Sviluppo
ACCULTURIAMOCI – Massafra come contenitore di idee e cultura. Desideriamo una città più attenta a temi culturali che, inseriti in un contesto istituzionale, permettano ai giovani di accrescere la propria cultura e partecipare attivamente ad iniziative.
Le tematiche cardine sono LAVORO SOLIDARIETA MOBILITA’ e CULTURA .
Il nostro sogno è una Massafra più semplice, più coraggiosa, più bella, più solidale e più veloce.
Noi Giovani Democratici crediamo che una nuova fase sia possibile che una nuova classe dirigente sia in grado realmente di cambiare questa città e cambiarla in meglio. Siamo convinti che il 5 giugno saremo capaci di voltare pagina, lascando alla spalle un centrodestra fallimentare per poter scrivere nuove pagine di speranza insieme a tutti i massafresi.
Pensiamo che sia finito il tempo del continuo rimandare, della rassegnazione, da oggi e nei prossimi 5 anni Massafra ha una grande occasione per il cambiamento, che va considerata e attuata.
Noi ci siamo , forti delle nostre idee e crediamo fortemente in Massafra , città che guarda al futuro consapevole delle proprie potenzialità!
The concepts behind Blue Ocean Strategy are tangible and well documented. They are relatively easy to understand and apply to innovation processes and business development.
The document discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health. Regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood and cognitive functioning. Exercise boosts blood flow, releases endorphins, and promotes changes in the brain which help enhance one's emotional well-being and mental clarity.
The Whittier College ENVS 396 class sampled arthropods in Zuma Canyon using pitfall traps placed in restored, native, and invaded sites. The invaded site had the greatest number and species richness of arthropods, while the native site had the highest diversity. Restored and native sites did not significantly differ in species richness as hypothesized. However, species richness was highest in the invaded site rather than the native site as predicted.
de Merxem 2009 Importance of floral visitors not predicted by floral syndromesMarinus De Jager
This study examines the pollination of Tritoniopsis revoluta, an iris species with very long corolla tubes conforming to the long-proboscid fly pollination syndrome. The study found that while long-proboscid flies visited one population, fly visitation was largely absent in other populations. Instead, bees were the most frequent visitors and carried pollen, suggesting they could effect pollination. Populations with shorter tubed plants that made nectar more accessible to bees had higher seed set than populations with longer tubes, indicating bees contribute significantly to the plant's fitness despite not fitting the floral syndrome. This challenges the idea that floral syndromes can predict all important pollinators and supports floral morphology being
De Jager 2014 Floral polymorphism and the fitness implications of attracting ...Marinus De Jager
This document summarizes a study investigating the role of pollinators and florivores in maintaining floral polymorphism in the annual daisy Ursinia calenduliflora. The study found that U. calenduliflora exhibits two floral morphs - spotted and spotless - and the distribution of morphs varies spatially. Field observations revealed the bee fly Megapalpus capensis is the dominant visitor, with males preferring the spotted morph. However, female reproductive success did not differ between morphs. The spotted morph suffered greater damage from florivores like monkey beetles. The results suggest pollinators and florivores may exert antagonistic selection maintaining polymorphism, with relative
Insect pollinators and Mango flowers - Presentation from the Darwin Mango Fie...AustralianMangoes
This document summarizes a talk on insect pollinators of mango flowers. It discusses that while honeybees pollinate some crops, wild insects are generally more effective pollinators. It also describes a study in Northern Queensland, Australia that found flies and native bees to be the most frequent visitors and effective pollinators of mango flowers, depositing more pollen. The study looked at visitation rates along transects, single visits to bagged flowers, and pollinator behavior within and between trees. Future research is needed on pollinator life histories and relationships between pollinators and mango yields.
GOOD COPY individual paper, St. Andrews Field CourseRachel Brodie
This document summarizes an experiment that examined the effects of predator interactions between green crabs and dogwhelks on the consumption of blue mussel prey. The experiment tested single-predator treatments of just dogwhelks or just crabs, as well as a multiple-predator treatment with both species present. Results showed that dogwhelk feeding rates decreased significantly in the presence of green crabs, while crab foraging increased when dogwhelks were present. Additionally, significantly more total mussels were consumed in the multiple-predator treatment than in the single-predator treatments. This indicates that the presence of another predator species impacts the feeding behavior and rates of these invertebrate predators.
This document summarizes a capstone project that studied pollinator values at three sites - the DiTullio Homestead, Water Tower Hill, and Roger's Landing. The author recorded plant species and their pollinator values on a scale of 0-3 at each site using 1m x 1m plots. The results provide information on the best pollinator plants and habitats for bees and other insects at each location. The goal was to identify high-value plants suitable for home gardens to attract native pollinators.
Appearance of a Predator Increases the Avoidance Exhibited by SongbirdsAlexis Ernst
This study examined how songbirds respond to the presence of a predator near their food source. The researcher placed a fake owl near a bird feeder in a forest and recorded the number of visits and duration of visits by songbirds both with and without the owl present. The location within the forest did not influence the birds' behavior. However, the presence of the owl significantly decreased the amount of time songbirds spent at the feeder, supporting the hypothesis that predators increase avoidance behaviors in songbirds. This avoidance could decrease the birds' ability to forage and negatively impact their fitness.
Wheat stem sawflies are a major pest for wheat crops, causing over $350 million in damage annually. They lay eggs inside wheat stems, where the larvae feed and cut the stems. Native parasitoid wasps that feed on sawfly larvae can help reduce damage. This study explores using diverse plantings of native wildflowers along wheat field edges to increase parasitoid populations and lifespan through providing nectar, which could help decrease sawfly infestation. Results showed higher sawfly infestation near fallow fields, parasitoids living longer with nectar access, and lower infestation correlated with higher plant diversity along edges.
Shrubs and invasive grass predict lizard occurrence in an arid shrublandAlessandro Filazzola
Filazzola, A., Westphal, M., Powers, M., Liczner, A.R., Johnson, B, & Lortie, C.J.The realized niche of the endangered blunt-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia sila) is determined by interactions between native shrubs and invasive annual grass. ESA 100th Meeting Baltimore.
This document provides an overview of a study on the flower preferences of insect pollinators in the UK. It begins with an introduction that describes the history and importance of pollination research, as well as an overview of the main insect pollinator orders - Diptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, and Lepidoptera. The study aims to describe the general flower preferences of these groups and analyze how increasing urbanization impacts insect pollinator abundance. The methodology describes the sampling sites along a suburban-rural gradient and the sampling/identification protocols. Results and discussion sections analyze the data collected on insect and plant groups observed, and preferences within pollinator orders.
An Investigation on the Impact of Plant-Animal Interactions in the Conservati...DrCShanmugaPriya
The Gulf of Mannar is a large shallow bay forming part of the Laccadive Sea in the Indian Ocean. It lies between the southeastern tip of India and the west coast of Sri Lanka. 20 islands are running almost parallel to the coastline of the Gulf of Mannar. Among them, Mandapam group of islands (Hare, Manoli, Manoliputti, Poomarichan, Pullivasal, Krusadai, and Shingle) are one of the richest coastal regions for biodiversity in Asia. An ecological study for the conservation of the biodiversity in these islands was done from the year 2009 to 2010. Each island has its unique characteristics, of biodiversity surrounded by coral reefs. The littoral, mangrove, tidal swamp, dry deciduous and scrubs insular forests of the islands hold a diversified faunal assemblage. The predominant existing plant species of the island are the mangroves (Rhizophora mucronate pair, Avicennia marina (Forssk.)Vierh, Ceriopstagal (perr.)Rabins) and deciduous and scrub species (Pandanus fascicularis, Thespesia populnea, Tamarindus indica, Cordia subcordata, Pithecolobium dulce, Ficus benghalensis, Pleurostylia opposite, Acacia planifrons, Salvadora persica, and Zizyphus nummularia) Pemphis acidula (Lythraceae family of flowering herb) is the note worthy endemic plant species. These floras for their propagation totally depend on the Hymenopteran and Lepidopteran diversity of insects and the sun bird for pollination and Mammals and Aves for seed dispersal. This study on the animal - plant interaction helps a lot in the formulation of action plan for biodiversity conservation in Mandapam group of islands.
The document summarizes baseline ecological surveys conducted in 2014 at the University of Portland's River Campus riparian zone, a former Superfund site undergoing restoration. Surveys inventoried 22 woody plant species (90% in poor health), recorded 139 herbaceous plant species from 42 families including 29% natives, and observed 31 avian species and 3988 invertebrates from 16 orders. Methods were developed to monitor vegetation, birds, and insects to establish baseline data and assess ecological recovery over time. While mainly exotic species were present, several native plants and species were colonizing. Future surveys will compare data to these baselines to evaluate restoration success and riparian habitat recovery.
This document provides an overview of biodiversity, species interactions, and population dynamics. It begins with objectives and a pre-test on key concepts. It then defines biodiversity and explains the importance of species diversity. The main types of species interactions discussed are competition, predation, and symbiotic relationships like parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism. Population dynamics are also covered, including factors that influence population growth and the concept of carrying capacity. The relationship between species and their environment is a central focus.
Fish presence in ponds indirectly facilitates plant reproduction across ecosystem boundaries through a trophic cascade. Fish reduce larval and adult dragonfly abundances near ponds by preying on dragonfly larvae. Fewer adult dragonflies near ponds with fish means less predation on insect pollinators. As a result, pollinators visit plants near ponds with fish more often and the plants are less pollen limited, experiencing greater reproductive success compared to plants near fish-free ponds. The study found evidence of this cross-ecosystem trophic cascade linking aquatic and terrestrial habitats.
Plants and the american pika - Marisa Leungtru-ugc
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1. Assessing the hoverfly populations at Primley
Meadow and Clennon grassland and their
interactions with the wildflower communities
Hannah Sutton1, 2 and Tracey Hamston2
1 University of Plymouth, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK
2Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, Paignton, TQ4 7EU
5. Aims: To compare the hoverfly communities and
foraging patterns of the two grassland sites
Questions:
1. Do the hoverfly communities of calcareous grassland and semi-
improved grassland differ?
2. What are the foraging preferences of the hoverflies present at
the sites?
6. Method: Setting up transects
Hoverfly transects Flower transects
Three 50m transects were set up on each site
Environmental variables were recorded
Record every individual present in the transect
(Tally counter used for flowers)
Identification to genus level Estimated the flowers on flowering
trees like hawthorn
Collection pots used for closer
identification
Photos were taken and wildflower
guides used for identification
Data analysis - Bipartite Package in R
7. Aerial map of the 50m transects
B
A
E
Clennon Grassland
D
C
F
Primley Meadow
8. Results: Numbers of foraging hoverflies
W = 31.5
p-value = 0.002
No.ofhoverfliesforaging
Site
No.ofhoverfliesforaging
Habitat
No significance
p-value = 0.571
9. Results: Clennon Visitation Networks
Many of the interactions were only with one
individual which is reflected in the thickness of
the bands.
PlantSpecies
Hoverfly Species
Total no. of foraging hoverflies = 24
10. Results: Primley Visitation Networks
Total no. of foraging hoverflies = 182
• A Total of 13 different hoverfly species
interaction with 6 flower species.
• Multiple interactions with meadow
buttercup.
• Some hoverfly species were interacting with
5 flower species.
PlantSpecies
Hoverfly Species
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
11. Results: Generalised linear models
Variable Df LRT (χ2) Pr(>Chi) Significance
<none>
Site 1 110.592 < 2.2e-16 High (0***)
Cloud cover (%) 1 92.440 < 2.2e-16 High (0***)
Flower diversity (Simpsons, D) 1 28.164 1.115e-07 High (0***)
Temp:Abun.flowers (Nested) 1 34.941 3.399e-09 High (0***)
Signif. codes: 0 ‘***’ 0.001 ‘**’ 0.01 ‘*’ 0.05 ‘.’ 0.1 ‘ ’ 1
• Likelihood ratio test table
• Compared hoverfly abundance with four variables
• They are all highly significant
• Nested terms – temperature and abundance of flowers
12. Aims: To compare the hoverfly communities and
foraging patterns of the two grassland sites
Questions:
1. Do the hoverfly communities of calcareous grassland and semi-
improved grassland differ?
2. What are the foraging preferences of the hoverflies present at
the sites?
13. Discussion
• As a whole both sites had a similar number of hoverfly species with eight species seen at
both sites.
• Many more foraging individuals at Primley than Clennon.
• Melanogaster sp. frequently fed on buttercup species at Primley, in comparison to
Clennon where only 3/5 foraging individuals fed on buttercup.
• Many of the other species, like Cheilosia sp., were recorded on multiple flowering species
at both sites.
• It seems that the hoverflies vary in their foraging patterns and looks to feed on what is
available and in the case of Primley, the most abundant flower source.
• Looking at hoverfly species diversity other influences could play a part.
14. Further Research
• Setup more or longer transects to get an more even representation.
• Compare to other grassland sites, especially calcareous to see if Clennon is representative
• Could look at specific species and follow individual foraging routes, which would achieve
more detailed data.
• Prolonged data collection period to observe more changes in the flowering communities.
• Further research will be able to highlight the most important flower species for hoverfly
communities which can be taken in consideration when site management is carried out.
I’m Hannah and I have am one of the ecology placement students who has been looking at our hoverfly communities at both reserves over the last six months.
Here are my two sites, Primley Meadow and Clennon Grassland.
They are owned and managed by WWCT and are situated in and around Paignton Zoo.
Both sites are grasslands with Primley being a semi-improved meadow and Clennon being a limestone grassland.
Clennon has a unique flower community with the likes of spurge-laurel being present.
Management takes place at both sites with Primley having a annual hay cut and Clennon with scrub clearance.
There are currently 283 species in the British Isles as of 2015.
Like bumblebees pollen grains will stick to them and get transferred between flowers.
Insectivore larvae, like the one in this picture, will feed on aphids and other plant sucking insects and are great for farming and biological pest control.
They also have short tongues like many of the bumblebees so need to get up close to there food sources, hence the picture on the right where the hoverfly’s face and eyes covered in pollen grains.
They are regularly seen cleaning their faces.
Much less is known about hoverfly foraging preferences than other pollinators such as bees.
We were interested in what species we had on the WWCT sites and how the two sites compared in terms of both species diversity and abundance. As we had no data on hoverfly communities, this study was also useful in developing some baseline data for future research.
The two questions we asked were….
I surveyed two sets of transects at each site one for the hoverflies and the other for the flowers.
Two of the transects were in open grassland and the other along the scrub edge, visualise representation will be shown next.
All possible environmental variables were recorded similar to the butterfly transects – don’t survey in the rain and within a narrow temperature range.
All hoverfly individuals were recorded whether they were foraging, basking or hovering in the transect.
It is near impossible to count every flower on a flowering tree so a estimation was calculated for the abundance.
I used the bipartite package in R to create ecological networks
Transect C & F –Grassland
Transect D – Scrub
The routes were chosen so we had a comparison between an open area of grassland and a scrub line and representation of the site.
Just to note that Clennon is a much smaller site than Primley so naturally the grassland transects were closer together.
A mann-whitney test of the foraging data (only hoverflies actually seen on the flowers) to compare the abundance of foraging individuals at both sites and in both habitats showed that there was…
Significantly more foraging individuals at Primley than Clennon, (24 individuals in comparison with 182 individuals at Primley) however we didn’t find any difference between the grassland and scrub of both site combined. We will be carrying out further data analysis to determine the effects of other variables such as the abundance of particular flowers and environmental factors (temp, wind etc)
On to my Visitation networks….
The data from the hoverfly and flower transects was combined to create an interaction table and network.
These are the results from the calcareous grassland at Clennon
Every time a hoverfly was seen on a particular flower species an interaction was recorded. This chart shows the frequency of those interactions and gives us a summary of the flower preferences of different hoverflies.
Meadow buttercup looked to be the most favoured flower with these two species (point) however we can see that the Marmalade hoverfly preferred bramble (point) and Cheilosia sp. had the strongest interactions with a range of flowers, in particular Smooth hawks beard flower, which is similar to a dandelion flower but smaller in size.
If we want a more detailed picture of the interactions we can create a network.
The black bars represent abundance with hoverflies species on top and flower species at the bottom.
The length of the bar indicates how abundant the species were.
The grey bands show the foraging interactions between the hoverflies and flowers.
Here we are looking at a lot of single or infrequent interactions. We see that different hoverflies feed on different flowers and there is no real dominance of flowering species. There is a slight trend of the more common hoverflies feeding on more species – perhaps more generalist but due to there being few sightings it is difficult to draw firm conclusions.
At Clennon we observed mostly the same hoverfly species but we did record the Marmalade Hoverfly and Rhingia campestris both feeding on bramble.
Here we have the results for Primley.
Many more foraging hoverflies were recorded on this site, 182 individuals in comparison to 24 (semi-improved grassland)
Again the chart shows the strength of the interactions.
The strongest interaction is shown between meadow buttercup and Melanogaster sp.
The network from the Primley data shows a quite different pattern.
The key things to note are the popularity of meadow buttercups which were very abundant - 3552 individual recorded over the data collection period (in contrast to Clennon where only 18 flowering individuals were recorded)
10 of the 13 hoverfly taxa foraged on meadow buttercup, including the less common species like Baccha elongata, which may indicate that the hoverflies were drawn to the more abundance flowering species however more data analysis is required.
Performed a Poisson GLM looking at hoverfly abundance and the influence on four variables on the abundance.
All were significant which gives more areas to focus on in future study.
I nested the variables temperature and abundance of flowers.
This meant that the abundance of flowers influenced the abundance of hoverflies and temperature impacted the flowers.
I also did a binomial GLM looking at hoverfly diversity, however this achieved no significant results
A quick reference back to my questions…..
So lets see if I have answered them…..
14 species at Primley
13 species at Clennon
8 species seen at both sites
Some site specifics were…. Primley = Eristalis sp. & Clennon = Volucella sp. (bumblebee mimic)
The boxplot showed there were more foraging individuals at Primley than Clennon, which you wouldn’t think would be the case with Clennon having 30 flower species recorded and Primley only 18 species. There is topography to take into considered so Clennon is an elevated site which is very exposed and can have high winds. Most of the plants are short in stature and tend to have closed flowers which are not ideal for hoverflies.
Whereas Primley is sheltered in comparison and have tall blooms of flowers and tend to have high abundance of open flowers like meadow buttercup. This is potential why more were foraging at Primley.
Just to highlight some of the key differences between the hoverfly species….
Melanogaster sp. – so many more recorded at Primley they weren’t as common at Clennon.
Differences between species and the sites. With further analysis, we will be able to see whether the environmental variables had an affect on hoverfly and flower abundance at the sites.
The species diversity could be explained by the lack of data and other influences that we didn’t take into account like larval habitats, foraging distances and overwintering habitats.
A few recommendations for future research:
It would be beneficial to setup more or longer transects in Primley, as it is so much larger in size than Clennon which would get an more even representation.
Wider study sample to validate initial findings.
See a wider range of flowers and limited seasonal variation, for example making sure the bramble flowering season was within data collection, it our study bramble flowered later this year and combined with bad weather I only managed to record it for one week at the Clennon site.
Here are my acknowledgments and references and thank you for listening.