Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 7 Feb 2001 to 8 Feb 2001
There are 9 messages totalling 638 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Help with statistical analysis of foliar injury due to ozone (2)
2. Responses to Definitions of "vulnerability" in the ecological literatur
(2)
3. JOB: INVASIVE SPECIES EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
4. Other Listservers?????
5. ECOLOG: Acid mine drainage and other acid drainage mechanisms of
biological and other environmental/geological "buffering" activity or l
ck
thereof
6. grad student positions
7. seabird ectoparasites
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2001 22:49:15 -0500
From: Paul L Mosquin <mosquin@STAT.PSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Help with statistical analysis of foliar injury due to ozone
>Dear All -
> I have an experimental design whose analysis I need help with. Let m
>outline the situation briefly.
> 1. We are measuring foliar injury from ozone (using a rating scale,
.e.,
> 1=no injury, 2=0 to 5%, 3=6-20%, etc.
> Modified Horsfall-Barratt scale for those interested)
> 2. Our plants are tall milkweed, which has up to 14 pairs of opposit
ly
>placed leaves (most commonly 7 in
> the understory). We number leaves 1 for oldest to 14 for younges
.
> 3. We measure every leaf on up to 100 plants. We do this about every
two
>weeks, but for now I'm
> only interested in the last assessment of the year. I know about
>repeated measures analyses
> if we want to look at earlier assessments.
>My questions are:
> 1. How do we assess total plant injury status? Sum the injury rating
for
>each leaf and then divide by number of leaves (average rating/leaf)?
>Any restrictions on analyzing rating scale data? I know how to check
>for normality and to transform if not normally distributed.
I'm not familiar with this type of data, but I'm guessing that it was
discretized for practical reasons (i.e. it is hard to measure percentages
exactly in the field).
It seems like a direct average would be misleading. That is (1+2+3)/3
=2 is really something like (0+2.5+14)/3=5.5, which would score as a 3
if observed on a single leaf. How about a median?
> 2. What statistical restrictions are there if we want to compare inj
ry
>ratings by leaf position (age).
> Are the leaves of a pair independent of each other or not?
An rxr chi-squared test for independence where r in the
number of ratings seems appropriate.
> Do we average leaves in a pair, which bothers me, because often one
>leaf of a pair will be uninjured, and the other almost completely
>senescent (Why? We don't know).
Again averaging does not seem good, especially when averaging the two
extremes on the scale. Would a crude conversion back to
the original scale (of percents or proportions) be better?.
> Certainly, leaves of different ages are not entirely independent of eac
> other either, so how would we assess if leaf age (position) affects inj
ry
rating?
Another chi-squared test of independence. It would be rxc where r is number
of
ratings, c=14 is number of leaf positions.
Good luck,
Paul Mosquin
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2001 21:14:14 -0800
From: Kimberly Bonine <bonine@PANGEA.STANFORD.EDU>
Subject: Responses to Definitions of "vulnerability" in the ecological
literature
Hello All,
Thank you to all who responded to my query concerning definitions of
vulnerability in the ecological literature. Below is my original email and
the compilation of responses. I included all of the responses, so please
forgive repetition of those that were already posted directly to the listser
.
Regards,
Kim Bonine
Hello all,
A colleague is seeking examples from the ecological literature (broadly
defined) in which ecologists discuss "vulnerability" of an ecosystem (or
parts of ecosystems), particularly references that provide explicit
definitions for "vulnerability." Cases in which multiple potential
stressors are considered; discussions of how vulnerability may be a
function of scale, diversity or other factors; and papers that address
prediction of ecosystem response to stress (as opposed to analysis of
causes for observed changes) would be especially interesting. It has been
fairly easy to find uses of "resilience," "resistance," and
"stability"--including the use of these terms to get at the concept of
ecosystem "vulnerability" from the other side, so to speak--have been
relatively easy to find, but discussions that focus explicitly on
"vulnerability" have proven elusive.
Please post responses directly to Kim Bonine
<bonine@pangea.stanford.edu>. Of course, a compiled set of responses
ill
be posted to the listserv, or if the resulting file is too large, a notice
of availability will be posted so that those interested may request a copy.
RESPONSE #1
>Not sure if it exactly what you want, but try my [Stuart Weiss] Cars,
>Cows, checkerspot butterflies in the Dec 1999 Conservation Biology. It
>deals with vulnerability of the serpentine grassland ecosystem to nitrog
n
>depostion from smog.
>
RESPONSE #2
>I believe that this is a semantics issue as resilience and resitance are
>somewhat synonymous with vulnerability. The term may be considered vagu
>by technical standards, which could explain its absence in ecological
>literature. An ecosystem that lacks both resistance and resilience woul
>certainly be vulnerable to perturbations. The other problem is that the
e
>terms interact with the type of ecosystem, as well as the type and intes
ty
>of the disturbance or insult applied. A forest ecosystem where the
>dominant species has evolved adaptations to fire would be resistant of
>course to fires, but not to say landslides or shopping malls. Wetlands
ay
>be resistant to pollutants and perhaps fire as well but not to drought o
>drainage.
>
>My suggestion would be to conduct a search using a good boolean search
>engine like, Agricola, with the specific ecosystem and disturbance of
>interest. You have probably already thought of this, but I don't know o
>any better method. If you find one please let me know.
>
>You might also try searching the keyword "keystone species" which may
>provide insight to the vulnerability of a specific system.
>
>Good Luck!
>
RESPONSE #3
We have a clear notion of what population vulnerability means -- see the
extinction literature. Moreover we can make sense of the stability of
two species systems as long as they are deterministic or if
stochasticity is small.
The efforts to make sense of ecosystem stability or vulnerability
include
1) focused, but perhaps too narrowly so -- such as Robert May 1974,
Stability and Complexity in Model Ecosystems
2) confused but with lots of ideas -- such as Stuart Pimm 1991, The
Balance of Nature?
3) eclectic, suggesting chance, spatial dynamics and who knows what --
such as collections like
Robert Ricklefs and Dolph Schluter 1993, Species Diversity in
Ecological Communities
There is no consensus on what the essence of an ecosystem is or even
whether 'ecosystem' is any more than a convenient slang for 'that
collection of things I want to talk about'. If you can decide what
features of an ecosystem you care about the most -- certain species, the
total number of species, the biomass, the consistency of certain
population numbers -- then you can define vulnerability. Most ecosystems
are losing species due to local extinctions, gaining others through
colonizationa and speciation, and in some flux as environmental and
demographic stochasticity not to mention chaotic dynamics influence the
composition of the ecosystem. So if you want to preserve some thing or
to lower its vulnerability, you have to decide what the thing is you
care about.
RESPONSE #4
I saw Eric's post and have one lead - I don't know if this is exactly what
you are looking for but.... check out these web sites - the EPA has a
program that rates watersheds for their vulnerability for water quality
problems. They call it "Index of Watershed Indicators".
http://www.epa.gov/iwi/states/MN/ - this is what they came up with for
Minnesota
http://www.epa.gov/iwi/help/fig1b.html - this site has the criteria used to
assess vulnerability
RESPONSE #5
>See:
>
>http://www.co.pima.az.us/cmo/sdcp/sdcp2/reports/scigis/vulsp/
>
>Pima County, Arizona
>Determining Vulnerable Species in Pima County, AZ
>
>I believe there's a definition there. Unfortunately, I can't clip and
>copy it. My browser seems to be in a mood today.
Kimberly Bonine (650) 723-4854
Center for Environmental Science and Policy bonine@pangea.stanford.ed
Institute for International Studies
Encina E411
Stanford, CA 94305-6055
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2001 10:08:32 EST
From: Kendra Cipollini <kcipollini@TNC.ORG>
Subject: JOB: INVASIVE SPECIES EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
JOB DESCRIPTION
TITLE: Executive Director, Invasive Species Initiative
LOCATION: Arlington, VA
SUPERVISOR: Director of Government Relations
CLOSING DATE: February 23, 2001
SUMMARY OF POSITION:
The Executive Director is responsible for leading an organization-wide
initiative to 1) generate major new public and private funding to address t
e
threat to biodiversity posed by invasive alien species, and 2) enable all u
its
of The Nature Conservancy to address this threat using public policy, resea
ch,
communications and the best management practices available. S/He also devel
ps
and maintains partnerships with U.S. and international efforts to prevent a
d
abate invasive species impacts on biodiversity, and organizes a coalition o
business, government, and conservation interests to elevate the political
profile of this issue. The Executive Director will recruit and supervise a
small professional staff, including a Coalition Director, a Liaison with th
National Invasive Species Council and the Global Invasive Species Programme
a
development officer, and administrative support, and will work with a board
of
senior staff from the Conservancy's U.S. and International Programs and
Conservation Science, Gov
ernment Relations, and Marketing Departments to implement policy, funding,
research, technical support, and communications strategies identified in a
recently-developed business plan for this initiative. This position is a
full-time exempt position supervised by the Director of Government Relation
.
DUTIES:
1. Lead and coordinate the development and implementation of programs across
the
Conservancy's domestic U.S. and international programs to put into operatio
the strategies outlined in the Invasive Species Business Plan.
2. Raise and allocate the funding necessary to carry out the five-year Invas
ve
Species Initiative (estimated need is $10 million), and establish budgets a
d
ongoing financial support for the program beyond this start-up phase. This
fundraising is conducted with the assistance of the Conservancy's Marketing
Department, the Initiative's board, and collaborating field programs. Work
with the Initiative board to allocate raised funds to priority projects.
3. Recruit and supervise staff to carry out the centralized functions of the
business plan, and work with relevant department heads to build field progr
m
staff capacity for invasive species management.
4. Increase the effectiveness of governmental programs by promoting the
implementation of the U.S. National Invasive Species Management Plan (NISC)
and
the Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP) as the "umbrella" strategies f
r
U.S. and international efforts. As part of this strategy, establish a new
coalition of business and other interests potent in moving Congress, federa
agencies, and other key players toward meaningful action. Work with agenc
es
and elected officials to strengthen and secure funds for relevant programs
f
key governmental agencies.
5. Work with TNC's Wildland Invasive Species Program to build the invasive
species management capacity of TNC and other natural resource managers in
priority landscapes for biodiversity conservation by forging new partnershi
s
between TNC and federal, state, and county government programs to provide
technical assistance, developing model projects and training programs, and
collaborating with the field to raise funds for model projects.
6. Work with TNC's Applied Research Program to develop critical partnerships
with the research community, philanthropic organizations and individuals, a
d
federal funding agencies. Through these partnerships, invest strategically
in
new research to fill the enormous gaps in our practical knowledge of invasi
e
species management.
7. Work with TNC's Marketing Division to develop and implement a public-priv
te
communications campaign that conveys the urgency of the issue and the promi
e
of real progress through practical action.
8. Develop and implement meaningful performance measures for the Invasive
Species Initiative. Use these measures to track accomplishments and, where
necessary, work with the Initiative board to make mid-course corrections to
the
business plan.
ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Advanced degree in natural sciences or public policy or related fields, w
th
a demonstrated understanding of the invasive species threat to biological
diversity or a demonstrated ability to quickly develop this understanding.
2. Proven success in planning and implementing large scale projects and
strategies, utilizing analytical, strategic, and systematic thinking.
3. Proven success in working with government and private sector leaders to
garner support for major programs.
4. Demonstrated ability in major gift fund raising, marketing and developing
significant public sources of support.
5. Exceptional leadership and communications skills, and a successful record
of
hiring and motivating strong staff to achieve results. Experience successf
lly
leading teams linked by common purpose rather than by lines of authority or
supervisory structure to accomplish major results.
6. A strong belief in the mission and values of The Nature Conservancy.
The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Send cover letter and resume by February 23 to:
Executive Director Search Committee
The Nature Conservancy
217 Pine Street, Ste. 1100
Seattle, WA 98101
*****************************
Kendra A. Cipollini, Ph.D.
Agnes Andreae Director of Conservation Science
The Nature Conservancy
Ohio Conservation Science Office
Wright State University
Department of Biological Sciences
3640 Colonel Glenn Highway
Dayton, OH 45435
937-775-2301 (WSU Office) or 614-717-2770 (TNC Office)
FAX: 937-775-3320 (WSU FAX) or 614-717-2777 (TNC FAX
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2001 15:06:33 -0500
From: Wright Gwyn <environment@FORESTPARK.ORG>
Subject: Other Listservers?????
I am currently exploring different environmental opportunities and would =
like suggestions as to various listservers that may focus more on my =
experiences and background. It seems this server focuses more on research =
and scientific studies, university faculty positions, post-graduate =
opportunities, internships, conferences and paper proposals, etc. All =
very interesting but..........
My experiences focus more on the administration and management, program =
development and evaluation, environmental education, outdoor adventure, =
and interpersonal communication side of things. These experiences were =
with a wide range of age groups, ethnic backgrounds, and educational needs =
and occurred in a number of different settings--a traditional public =
secondary school, a medium-size university, museum outreach programs, =
seminars/workshops, a therapeutic wilderness program, community-sponsored =
camps, and community government.
This is the first time I've tried this route, so any help you can give me =
is much appreciative.
Thanking you in advance.
WG
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2001 14:16:12 -0500
From: Paul L Mosquin <mosquin@STAT.PSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Help with statistical analysis of foliar injury due to ozone
More commments on chi-square tests:
Better it seems would be chi-square goodness of fit tests with symmetry assu
ed
for pairs of leaves. If c is the number of leaf positions (14), and r is
the number of rating scales then the data might be grouped into c
contingency tables, each of size rxr. Note that the counts for each
table would be fixed. Tests could then be set up in a nested way:
Hypothesis parameters
(a)no position, no pair effect r-1
(b)position, but no pair effect (r-1)*c
(c)no position, pair effect (r*(r+1)/2-1)
(d)position and pair effect (r*(r+1)/2-1)*c
a is nested in b and c and d. b is nested in d. c is nested in d.
Testing in this way would be to assume that collapsing over individual is ok
As usual, it is more complicated than at first sight...
Paul
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2001 14:22:01 -0800
From: Wayne Tyson <landrest@UTM.NET>
Subject: Re: ECOLOG: Acid mine drainage and other acid drainage mechanisms o
biological and other environmental/geological "buffering" activity
r
lack thereof
Sorry I wasn't clear. The effectiveness and efficiency of treating AMD
with "constructed wetlands" or other means of bioremediation is the
question. I just haven't been keeping up with "the literature" for some
time and need help sorting out fable from fact in the claims made by
practitioners (and researchers?).
Some specific questions:
1. By what mechanisms do plants (examples?) affect soil water (including
wetland and aquatic) pH, particularly increasing it, and how effective are
they in the context of AMD treatment? How acid can the water be before
bioremediation becomes an ineffective treatment option? Please discuss
sequential treatment and issues of self-sufficiency versus long-term
maintenance requirements.
2. Do hyperaccumulators reach a maximum and then cease being effective at
removing, say heavy metals? Are such metals reintroduced in problematic
quantities/rates when plants or plant parts die? "Is harvesting" of
hyperaccumulators necessary in a properly designed bioremediation
project? How does one determine/predict the point/period at which
harvesting is necessary?
3. How much of this knowledge is demonstrated and published on and how
much is supposition?
There are other questions, of course, but I hope this will stimulate a
healthy discussion that will describe the state of the art and science of
phytoremediation.
Best,
WT
At 01:23 PM 02/07/2001 -0500, travis wrote:
>We here at Virgnia Tech work with AMD but I have trouble understanding w
at
>you are asking.
>
>
>T
>
>At 08:30 PM 2/6/2001 -0800, you wrote:
> >How well has this issue been sorted out? By whom? Published and
> >unpublished sources? Recent developments?
> >
> >Best,
> >WT
> >
>Travis Schmidt
>Environmental Toxicology Lab
>Biology Department
>Virginia Tech
>2119 Derring Hall
>Blacksburg, VA 24061
>(540)231-9071
>fax (540)231-9307
>http://128.173.184.249/cherry/default.html
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2001 16:52:32 -0800
From: Wayne Tyson <landrest@UTM.NET>
Subject: Re: Responses to Definitions of "vulnerability" in the ecological
literature
Please see my [[insertions]] and respond
At 09:14 PM 02/07/2001 -0800, Kimberly Bonine wrote:
>[clip] concerning definitions of vulnerability in the ecological
>literature. Below is [clip] the compilation of responses.
[clip]
>RESPONSE #3
>[1]We have a clear notion of what population vulnerability means -- see
>the extinction literature.
[[Clear. But complete? If one of the applications of the study of
ecosystems is managing its degradation by acts that are clearly out of the
realm of the energy/nutrient cycle, i.e. anthropogenic effects) is not at
least a common-sense notion of trends essential for prediction and action
to adjust for said effects?]]
>[2] Moreover we can make sense of the stability of two species systems a
>long as they are deterministic or if stochasticity is small.
[[This statement recognizes that subsets exist. See item 3.]]
>[clip]
>
>[3] There is no consensus on what the essence of an ecosystem is or even
>whether 'ecosystem' is any more than a convenient slang for 'that
>collection of things I want to talk about'.
[[If subsets exist, then are they not legitimate centers of study? Is
that, then, "convenient slang?" Is there an implication that what is true
for subsets is true for every other subset and the whole? Please bear in
mind that we are talking about "essences" here, which I take to be
principles at least, or "laws" at best. Is not the distinction between
what can be universally applied and what is related only to a subset
(composed of any number of further subsets, ad infinitum) crucial for
understanding the difference? Science and non-science?]]
>3a. If you can decide what
>features of an ecosystem you care about the most -- certain species, the
>total number of species, the biomass, the consistency of certain
>population numbers -- then you can define vulnerability.
[[What do you do if you don't know what elements or subsets of the
ecosystem are vulnerable? Is "defining what you want to talk about" good
science or bias-loaded and repeatable only if the same assumptions (biases)
are used in repeat investigations?]]
>Most ecosystems
>are losing species due to local extinctions, gaining others through
>colonizationa and speciation, and in some flux as environmental and
>demographic stochasticity not to mention chaotic dynamics influence the
>composition of the ecosystem. So if you want to preserve some thing or
>to lower its vulnerability, you have to decide what the thing is you
>care about.
[[Please see previous insertion. Please note that I have nothing against
"common sense," but when presumption decides the scope of the study, how do
you make sure you know "what you are walling in and what you are walling
out" as Robert Frost might put it?]]
Respectfully submitted,
WT
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2001 19:31:01 -0700
From: "Graumlich, Lisa" <lisa@MONTANA.EDU>
Subject: grad student positions
<<apologies for cross-listing>>
Graduate Research Assistantships
Mountain Research Center
Montana State University
Bozeman, MT
The Mountain Research Center (MRC) is inviting applications for two fully
funded graduate research assistantships. The MRC develops, synthesizes, and
disseminates knowledge on the natural and socio-economic processes
influencing mountain ecosystems. In addressing the impact of human
activities on mountain systems, the MRC focuses on how global changes are
manifest at regional scales. Faculty and graduate students associated with
the MRC conduct research and educational activities in the Greater
Yellowstone Ecosystem as well as in mountains around the world. For more
information, please consult http://mountains.montana.edu. Graduate students
associated with the MRC can pursue degrees in several departments, including
Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Ecology, and Earth Sciences
(Geology and Geography). For more information about these positions, please
contact Dr. Lisa Graumlich (lisa@montana.edu; 406-994-5320).
Dendroclimatology Position: Research objectives: characterize climatic
variability at Glacier National Park (Montana) using tree-ring records;
relate long-term climatic trends to observed trends in alpine glaciers and
alpine treeline. Funding: two years funding for GRA salary plus field work.
Potential for continued funding is high. Collaboration: This project is a
collaboration between the MRC and Dr. Dan Fagre of the USGS Northern Rocky
Mountain Research Center (http://nrmsc.usgs.gov/research/global.htm).
Desired qualifications: undergraduate degree in a natural science, strong
undergraduate record, experience in dendroclimatic research, excellent
physical condition, and experience working at high-elevation in remote
wilderness settings.
Fire Ecology Position: Research objectives: characterize the factors that
control the frequency, severity, and spread of natural fires across Northern
Rocky Mountain landscapes and how have these factors changed during the past
100 years; address how management activities have affected natural fire
regimes in wildland ecosystems. Funding: two years funding for GRA salary
plus field work. Potential for continued funding is high. Collaboration:
this project is a collaboration between the MRC and Drs. David Parsons and
Carol Miller of the USFS Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute (
http://www.wilderness.net/leopold/research.htm#nat_dist). Desired
qualifications: undergraduate degree in a natural science, strong
undergraduate record, experience in fire history research, excellent
physical condition, and experience working in remote wilderness settings.
Application Procedure.
Send a cover letter detailing qualifications and interest with specific
reference to one or both positions, along with 2 letters of recommendation,
to:
Lisa J. Graumlich
Director, Mountain Research Center
PO Box 173490; 106 AJM Johnson Hall
Montana State University
Bozeman MT 59717
Phone: 406-994-5320; FAX 406-994-5122; lisa@montana.edu
Email applications are encouraged.
Applicants are urged to complete a pre-application to the graduate program
at Land Resources and Environmental Sciences
(http://landresources.montana.edu/Degrees.htm).
Screening of applications begins immediately and continues until a suitable
candidate is hired. Priority will be given to applications received by
March 15, 2000.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2001 18:13:48 -0800
From: paul oconnor <pablo_oconnor@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: seabird ectoparasites
Talofa,
Looking for some assistance with a recent collection.
Am interested in identifying ectoparasites(?) I've
collected from a near-fledging 'Tahiti petrel' on Ta'u
Island in the Samoa archipelgo.
Does anyone know of a proper contact?
Best wishes,
Paul O'Connor
=====
"blue....are the life-giving waters, taken for granted...
they quietly understand." -jimi hendrix
><> ><> ><>
><> \ | / ><>
______________\|/_____________\|/__
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail - only $35
a year! http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/
------------------------------
End of ECOLOG-L Digest - 7 Feb 2001 to 8 Feb 2001
*************************************************
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ
Thanks to discussion with TVR, I have decided to put a link to back files of the discussion group. This months back files.
The link to complete archives is available elsewhere.
This text was originally an e-mail. It was converted using a program
RUPANTAR- a simple e-mail-to-html converter.
(c)Kolatkar Milind. kmilind@ces.iisc.ernet.in