Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 14 May 2003 to 15 May 2003 (#2003-129)
There are 17 messages totalling 1425 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Biologist/Ecologist vacancy, Baton Rouge, LA
2. Rare species Environmental Review Position Massachusetts
3. contents of forthcoming issues of Journal of Ecology
4. Job Opportunity: Ecological Genetics
5. New York City BioBlitz...
6. Chihuahuan Desert Full-time Field Technician Wanted
7. Wildlife course in South Africa
8. Meeting: 14th Regional Meeting of the Society for the Conservation and
Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB)
9. (ECOLOG) Viva la BioBlitz ! (4)
10. marking jumping slugs - suggestions?
11. International Sustainable Development Studies Institute
12. Jumping slugs are real
13. Plant growth questions (responses!)
14. IBRCS / NEON updates online from AIBS: NEON video & roundtable
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 14 May 2003 22:17:42 -0500
From: James Henderson <isoetes@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Biologist/Ecologist vacancy, Baton Rouge, LA
Greetings,
My company has the following Biologist/Ecologist vacancy at our Baton
Rouge, Louisiana office.
Cheers,
James Henderson
Natural Resource Specialist
Gulf South Research Corporation
P.O. Box 83564
Baton Rouge, LA 70884
isoetes@earthlink.net
james@gsrcorp.com
(225) 757-8088 (O) / (225) 761-8077 (F)
http://www.gsrcorp.com
http://www.ranger146.com
http://www.protectedspeciesconsulting.com
Gulf South Research Corporation (GSRC), a woman-owned, small business,
environmental consulting firm, seeks a Biologist/Ecologist for our Baton
Rouge, Louisiana office. The ideal candidate will have a BS or MS degree
in an area of the natural resources field plus 8 to 10 years of
experience in wetland ecology/delineation, National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA), and natural resources. The successful candidate must be
capable of managing multiple clients/projects, be willing to travel in
and outside of Louisiana, and work on a variety of projects and tasks.
Experience identifying southern and southwestern US flora, conducting
Phase 1 environmental assessments, Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP),
or Biological Assessments & Evaluations is a plus. The position will
require both office and field work.
GSRC team members have directed multidisciplinary planning projects in
over 30 states and the Caribbean, and North Pacific Islands. In turn,
the team has gained valuable hands-on knowledge of Federal and state
regulations and guidelines as well as a wide variety of ecosystems.
GSRC has Indefinite Delivery Contracts, as prime and subcontractor, and
Sole Source contracts with numerous Federal and state agencies. Most
importantly, the vast majority of GSRC's clients are repeat clients.
This is evidence of their continual satisfaction with the GSRC team's
work pattern of flexibility, responsiveness and production of
high-quality documents.
GSRC offers a competitive salary and full benefits package. Interested
candidates should submit resume and references to:
Gulf South Research Corporation
P.O. Box 83564
Baton Rouge, LA 70884-3564
or by email on Microsoft Word format to:
james@gsrcorp.com
Our web site may be viewed at http://www.gsrcorp.com.
Position is open until filled.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 07:45:28 -0400
From: "Swain, Pat (FWE)" <Pat.Swain@STATE.MA.US>
Subject: Rare species Environmental Review Position Massachusetts
The Environmental Reviewer Position for the Massachusetts Natural
Heritage & Endangered Species Program, Division of Fisheries & Wildlife
has been posted on the state website. http://ceo.hrd.state.ma.us/
To find the position search by location: Westborough or agency:
Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Environmental Law Enforcement.
The application deadline is May 26, 2003. The person in the position
reviews filings that occur within areas around known rare species
occurrences, and applies the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act as
appropriate to protect the rare species.
This position was advertised during the winter, but the hiring freeze
wasn't lifted. We've been assured that the position really will be
filled this time. Despite the short time frame, as far as I know this is
a true open posting with the intent to hire the best available
candidate.
Please pass this along to anyone that may be interested.
Pat
-------------------------------------------
Patricia Swain, Ph.D.
Plant Community Ecologist
Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program
Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife
1 Rabbit Hill
Westborough, MA 01581
508-792-7270 ext. 160 fax 508-792-7821
http://www.state.ma.us/dfwele/dfw/nhesp
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 14:07:48 +0100
From: Lindsay Haddon <lindsay@BRITISHECOLOGICALSOCIETY.ORG>
Subject: contents of forthcoming issues of Journal of Ecology
Journal of Ecology
**ONLINE SUBMISSION AVAILABLE NOW**
In order to streamline the review process further, Journal of Ecology
has implemented a fully web-based system for submission and review of
manuscripts.
Please see 'Author Guidelines' at
http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journals/jec/
before proceding to
http://britishecologicalsociety.manuscriptcentral.com/
--------------------
Volume 91, issue 3 (June 2003)
CONTENTS
ESSAY REVIEW
Forecasting plant migration rates: managing uncertainty for risk
assessment
S I Higgins, J S Clark, R Nathan, T Hovestadt, F Schurr, J
Fragoso, M Aguiar, E Ribbens and S Lavorel
STANDARD PAPERS
Plasticity of growth characteristics in wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum)
in response to fertiliser addition
I A M Elberse, J van Damme and P van Tienderen
Spatial ecology of a small desert shrub on adjacent geological
substrates
H J Schenk, C Holzapfel, J G Hamilton and B H Mahall
Dispersal and gene flow of Populus nigra along a dynamic river system
E Imbert and F Lefevre
Simulated growth of Betula pubescens and Molinea caerulea on
ombrotrophic bogs: effects of high atmospheric nitrogen deposition
levels
H B M Tomassen, A J P Smolders, L P M Lamers and J Roelofs
Resprouting of the mediterranean type shrub, Erica australis, with
modified lignotuber carbohydrate content
A Cruz, B Perez and J M Moreno
High hybrid fitness at seed and seedling life history stages in
Louisiana irises
J A Johnston, M L Arnold and L A Donovan
Comparative growth analysis of tropical forest and savanna woody plants
using phylogentically-independent contrasts
W A Hoffman and A C Franco
Diversity effects on productivity in different light and fertility
environments: an experiment with communities of annual plants
J R Fridley
Microhabitat influences physiology, growth and survival responses to
resource pulses in Cryptantha flava
M S Peek and I N Forseth
Drought in a Bornean everwet forest
M Potts
Root competition can cause a decline in diversity with increased
productivity
T K Rajaniemi, V J Allison and D Goldberg
Effects of mineral and nutrient input on mire bio-geochemistry in two
geographical regions
L Bragazza, R Gerdol and H Rydin
Linking patterns of pollination success, seed dispersal and recruitment
in Rhamnus ludovici-slavatoris in two types of habitat
A Traveset, J Gulias, N Riera and M Mus
FORUM
Probing the primacy of the patch: what makes a metapopulation?
J Pannell and D Obbard
-------------------
Forthcoming papers
Issue 91/4:August 2003 (probable contents)
Directional self/nonself discrimination in roots
O Falik, P Reides, M Gersani and A Novoplansky
Lack of relationship between below ground competition and allocation to
roots in 10 grassland species
J F Cahill
The effects of spatial pattern of nutrient supply on yield structure and
mortality in plant populations
K J Day, M J Hutchings and E John
Response of forest plant species to past land use in Europe and America:
a life-history trait-based approach
K Verheyen, O Honnay, G Motzkin, M Hermy and D Foster
Spatial patterns of maternal lineages and clones of Galium odoratum in a
large ancient woodland
B Ziegenhagen, V Kuhlenkamp, I Schulze, A Ulrich and M Wulf
Habitat fragmentation affects the common wetland specialist Primula
farinosa in NE-Switzerland
J Lienert and M Fischer
Effects of genetic variation on the response of Succisa pratensis to
eutrophication and acidification
P Vergeer, R Rengelink, N J Ouborg and J Roelofs
Subaqueous mating opportunities and fertilization success in a
widespread marine angiosperm, Zostera marina
T Reusch
Facilitated invasion by hybridization of Sarcocornia species in a
salt-marsh succession
M E Figueroa, J M Castillo, S Redondo, T Luque, E M Castellanos, C J
Luque, A E Rubio-Casal and A J Davy
Plant amino acid uptake, soluble N turnover and microbial N capture in
soils of
a grazed arctic salt marsh
H A L Henry and R L Jefferies
Goose herbivory and the dynamics of nitrogen movememt in an Arctic salt
marsh: a parameterized model with alternate stable states
N A Walker, D J Wilson, H A L Henry and R L Jefferies
Community assembly along proglacial chronosequences in the high arctic:
vegetation and soil development in north west Svalbard
I D Hodkinson, S J Coulson and N Webb
Luxury consumption: a possible competitive strategy in above-belowground
carbon allocation for slow growing arctic vegetation
M T van Wijk, M Williams, L Gough, S E Hobbie and G R Shaver
Seed dispersal by Cebus monkeys: implications for the dispersal
limitation of
tropical trees
E Wehncke, S P Hubbell, R B Foster and J W Dalling
Long-term canopy dynamics analysed by aerial photographs in a temperate
old-growth evergreen broad leaved forest
T Fujita, A Itaya, M Miura, S-I Yamamoto and T Manabe
<javascript:%20void(window.open('main.html?mode=view_for_review&man_hash
=c7f8f79ed3fce42696d69974874adfa2&sessionid=edf720910adff018e5fd7c214d33
22cf','','toolbar=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,location=no,%20width=6
30,%20height=500'))> Asymmetric competition and the evolution of
propagule size
M A Rodriguez-Girones, H Sandsten, L Santamaria
-------------------------------------------
Executive Editor:
Anthony J. Davy (a.davy@uea.ac.uk)
Managing Editor:
Lindsay Haddon (lindsay@ecology.demon.co.uk)
Editorial Office:
Journal of Ecology
British Ecological Society
26 Blades Court
Deodar Road
London SW15 2NU
UK
Phone: +44 (0) 208 871 9797
Fax: +44 (0) 208 871 9779
Websites
Information on the journal is now available from its homepages on the
British Ecological Society (
<http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/publications/journals/ecology>
www.britishecologicalsociety.org/publications/journals/ecology) and
Blackwell Science (www.blackwellpublishing.com/journals/jec/) websites.
The BES site describes the journal's editorial policy and procedures
but, before submitting a paper, authors should consult the most recent
version of the Instructions to Authors on the Blackwell Publishing site.
The BES site should be consulted for the index to Biological Flora
accounts and the probable contents of forthcoming issues.
A selection of recent papers is available to download free of charge via
the Publishers website, as is Supplementary material associated with
published articles (formerly known as the Journal of Ecology archive)
-see the appropriate Table of Contents (for the most recent papers, use
the URL given in the printed version). Readers having difficulty
accessing a particular entry should contact the editorial office.
See www.blackwell-synergy.com <http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/> (fo
electronic versions, volume 86-present) and www.j
<http://www.jstor.org/> stor.org (for the JSTOR journal archive,
covering volumes 1-87).
--------------------------------------------------------
Message sent by
Lindsay Haddon
Managing Editor, Journal of Ecology
British Ecological Society,
26, Blades Court, Deodar Road
Putney, London SW15 2NU, UK.
e-mail:Lindsay@BritishEcologicalSociety.org
phone: 0208-871-9797
fax: 0208-871-9779
The British Ecological Society is a limited company, registered in
England No. 1522897 and a Registered Charity No. 281213. VAT
registration No 199992863. Information and advice given to members or
others by or on behalf of the Society is given on the basis that no
liability attaches to the Society, its Council Members, Officers or
representatives in respect thereof.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 07:19:44 -0600
From: Steven Travis <steven_travis@USGS.GOV>
Subject: Job Opportunity: Ecological Genetics
An Equal Opportunity Employer
We promote a drug-free work environment. Women, minorities, and the
disabled are encouraged to apply.
To learn more about the technical service contracts with Johnson Controls
Inc.,
as well as review other job opportunities, please visit us at
www.jcws-est.com!
Position Announcement
Posting Date:
01 Apr 03
Closing Date:
15 Jun 03
Relocation: No
Salary:
General Biologist I
Background: Johnson Controls Inc. has an excellent opportunity for a
full-time General Biologist I to perform contract work for the USGS-BRD
National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, Louisiana (
http://www.nwrc.nbs.gov). The National Wetlands Research Center is a
source and clearinghouse of science information about wetlands in the
United States and the world for fellow agencies, private entities,
academia, and the public at large. Federal staff members obtain and
provide this information by performing original scientific research and
developing research results into literature and technological tools. In
turn, the information is distributed through a variety of means. As the
on-sight technical services contractor, JCWS supports the mission and
research efforts of the NWRC by hiring and managing qualified individuals
in a broad range of technical disciplines to support long and near-term
research projects.
Position Description: In general, this individual shall set-up, monitor,
and maintain experiments in the field; conduct routine laboratory and
greenhouse experiments; collect, measure, record, and analyze biological
data; summarize field and experimental data in tabular, graphic, or
narrative form; enter data into analytical computer programs; assist senior
biologists or scientists in analyzing results; and maintain, operate, and
calibrate field and data-collecting equipment, including boats up to 25 ft
and airboats. Specific job responsibilities will include:
Perform general laboratory chemistry of weighing out chemicals, preparing
solutions based on molarity, pH, concentrations or volume dilutions, etc.,
and proper use of glassware, including clean-up and storage.
Perform processing of samples in the laboratory, including the grinding of
plant and animal samples in a tissue homogenizer or under liquid nitrogen,
and the chemical extraction of DNA.
Perform genetic analyses using DNA sequencing and DNA fingerprinting
techniques such as microsatellite and amplified fragment length
polymorphism analysis. Make gel buffers, make agarose and polyacrylamide
gels, load samples, run gels, stain gels, and dry gels for autoradiography.
Operate a capillary-based automated DNA sequencer.
Execute simple programs (provided by the task manager) designed to analyze
biological and genetic data, produce statistical output, generate graphs
and produce summarization reports of the laboratory data.
Assist in the analysis and interpretation of data as well as the
dissemination of research results. Present research findings at meetings,
write drafts of research reports and publications, and prepare multimedia
products.
Make occasional presentations at local schools, NWRC, or other institutions
outlining the type of research being conducted, information on the results
being observed, and the levels of education required for this type of
profession.
Requirements: The position requires a bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in
biology or zoology, ecology, botany, wildlife, and/or fisheries biology and
knowledge of biological sampling techniques. The individual shall have the
ability to work independently within established guidelines and operational
procedures to ensure uniform data collection between field personnel and
succeeding years of data collection and sampling. Experience in data entry
and knowledge of PC-based computer systems is required.
Benefits: Johnson Controls offers an excellent benefits package including
healthcare, dental, vision, matching 401(k) and other employee selected
options.
Individuals with the above skills and experience are requested to submit
resumes (including name, address, and phone numbers) for consideration to:
Johnson Controls World Services Inc.
National Wetland Research Center
700 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette, LA 70506
Fax: (337)266-8595, E-mail: gerald.c.horak@jci.com
Please send letters, faxes, or e-mail messages only
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 10:26:42 -0400
From: mike aliotta <bornxeyed@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Subject: Re: New York City BioBlitz...
I have serious concerns about, perhaps, hundreds of "scientists" trampling
through Central Park, collecting and disturbing the flora and fauna for
what is, predominately, a media event with no real scientific
purpose. While it may be scientifically interesting to census the
biological communities that
are Central Park, a 24 hour blitzkrieg is obviously not the way to
undertake as serious study. Is this how one would census the NJ Pine
Barrens, the Florida Everglades or the Brazilian rainforest, even if one
had an adequate number of scientists to do so?
Count me out, with prejudice,
Mike Aliotta
At 05:07 PM 5/14/03, Ron Gill wrote:
>Upcoming BioBlitz Event in New York City!
>
>Central Park BioBlitz
>
>A 24-Hour Inventory of All Living Organisms
>
>Noon on Friday, June 27 - Noon on Saturday, June 28, 2003
>
>In celebration of Central Park's 150th anniversary, a BioBlitz is being
>held in one of the world's most famous parks. Although this is a 24-hou
>event, scientists and other interested naturalists can still be a part o
>this event by volunteering as little as a few hours of their time. This
>will be a great opportunity to raise awareness of biodiversity in a very
>popular urban destination. Additional information and registration
>(deadline is June 1) is available at:
>
>http://www.nycbioblitz.org
>
>A PDF flyer for the event can also be downloaded from the web site. If
ou
>have any other questions about this BioBlitz, please feel free to contac
>us. Please also pass this message along to any other scientists that yo
>think may be interested in this event.
>
>Thanks!
>
>Central Park BioBlitz
>The Explorers Club
>46 East 70th Street
>New York, NY 10023
>(212) 628- 8383
>bioblitz@explorers.org
>http://www.nycbioblitz.org
>
>
>The Central Park BioBlitz is being organized by The Explorers Club in
>cooperation with the following organizations:
>
>The Brooklyn Botanic Garden
>The Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of
>Natural History
>The Central Park Conservancy
>The New York City Audubon Society
>The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
>The NYS Biodiversity Research Institute at the New York State Museum
>The Wildlife Conservation Society
>The Wildlife Trust
>
>Microsoft Corporation is sponsoring the BioBlitz and providing cutting e
ge
>software and hardware for the scientists to use in collecting their
>specimens and data.
>
>Ron Gill
>NYS Biodiversity Research Institute
>New York State Museum
>CEC 3140
>Albany, NY 12230-0001
>518-486-4845
>fax: 518-486-2034
>email: bri@mail.nysed.gov
>http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/bri
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 10:40:59 -0400
From: Laura Myers <lamyers@NMSU.EDU>
Subject: Chihuahuan Desert Full-time Field Technician Wanted
POSITION AVAILABLE: Research Assistant, Grade 15, $23,481.00 annually.
Jornada Experimental Range, NMSU College of Agriculture and Home Economics,
Las Cruces, NM.
NOTE: Position is contingent upon continued funding. Offer of employment is
contingent upon verification of individual's eligibility of employment in
the United States.
Qualifications: B.S. or B.A. in environmental sciences or equivalent
degree. Knowledge of Chihuahuan Desert flora required; demonstrated
botanical expertise (including grasses) in other ecosystem and willingness
to learn local flora may be substituted. Prefer previous monitoring and/or
field research experience. GIS and/or soil or microbiology and/or chemistry
lab experience are desirable. Experience with Excel and/or SigmaPlot are
highly desirable, but not required. Valid U.S. Drivers License and good
driving record are required.
Duties: Position will involve up to 50% of the time in the field sampling
vegetation and soils and running rainfall simulation on small plots.
Position will also involve up to 50% of the time indoors processing soil
samples and entering soil and vegetation data. Position is with the Jornada
Experimental Range for research and monitoring projects in support of the
development and implementation of ecologically-based management systems for
arid and semi-arid lands. Study sites are located in southern New Mexico
and surrounding states. Position will include extensive travel throughout
the region and long hours in the field. Field conditions will range from
hot (over 100 degrees) to cold (less than 30 degrees) and windy. Position
with also include laboratory work, data entry and error-checking, and data
manipulation.
Benefits: Group medical and hospital insurance, group life insurance, long-
term disability insurance, state and educational retirement, worker's
compensation, sick leave, annual leave and unemployment compensation.
Submit letter of application, resume, transcripts and names, addresses and
phone numbers of three references to:
Laura M. Myers
Jornada Experimental Range
Box 30003, MSC 3JER, NMSU
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8003
Telephone: 505-646-8033
email: lamyers@nmsu.edu
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 10:59:25 EDT
From: "Werner Dörgeloh (Cary, NC)" <WGDorgeloh@AOL.COM>
Subject: Wildlife course in South Africa
Are you looking for adventure and excitement during the summer vacation?
Participate in a wildlife course in South Africa and earn credits with the=2
International Universities Program 2003 of EcoLife Expeditions
Who we are: Ecolife Expeditions offer a unique program in wildlife managemen
t=20
and conservation education. It is a joint venture with the Centre for=20
Wildlife Management, of the University of Pretoria. Your guides and=20
instructors will be from the University of Pretoria's Centre for Wildlife=20
Management.=20
Who can participate: Our program is open to students and professionals in=20
wildlife biology, wildlife management, conservation, ecology, or ecotourism.
Course outline:
=20
* Wildlife Management Techniques, including Game Capture
* Sustainable Resource Utilization
* Ecosystem and Biodiversity Conservation
* Reserve and Resort Management
* African Local Community Cultures and Conservation Perspectives
* African Tourism Principles and Historical Sites
Date: The next full course is being offered from 20 June to 19 July 2003.=20
Costs: $2600 for the full course.
Course options: Full Course (28 Days, 8 Credits), integrates an Ecosystems=2
Management and a People in Conservation course.
Note: Short courses are also offered in November and December 2003 for $1400
=20
each. Full and short courses are offered on a regular basis each year.
University credits: Earn university credits from the University of Pretoria=
0
while experiencing the wild African bush. You will receive a certificate upo
n=20
completion of the course.=20
For more information, please contact your coordinator in the USA:
=20
Dr Werner D=F6rgeloh (practiced wildlife management in SA for 15 years)
309 ParkMeadow Dr
Cary NC 27519
Tel. (919) 303-1664 (p)
WGDorgeloh@aol.com
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 11:32:49 -0400
From: David Inouye <di5@UMAIL.UMD.EDU>
Subject: Meeting: 14th Regional Meeting of the Society for the Conservation
nd
Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB)
14th Regional Meeting of the Society for the Conservation and Study of
Caribbean Birds (SCSCB).
Monday July 21 - Friday July 25, 2003 (inclusive)
The Tobago Hilton, Tobago
Theme: "Birds - Winged Ambassadors for Caribbean Conservation"
The Society for the Study and Conservation of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB) is
please to invite you to participate in its 14th regional meeting.
The conference will consist of symposia, workshops, and roundtables,
contributed oral presentations, and poster sessions. Several interesting
workshops are planned, including: an all day avitourism workshop to focus
on the development of avitourism products and how to make it a successful
business; an workshop on invasive species in the Caribbean that will
develop a regional approach to this critical issue; and an workshop on the
conflicts between birds and agriculture that will bring renowned biologist,
Dr. Enrique Bucher to offer solutions. Lastly, Ornithologist, Richard
Ffrench, author of the field guide, Birds of Trinidad and Tobago, will
actively participatie in this Conference's events. For registration
information, please contact Carolyn Wardle at cwardle@batelnet.bs
A very special post-meeting field trip is offered to the Asa Wright Nature
Center, Trinidad, from Saturday July 26th to Monday July 28th for meeting
registrants only. Early registration is recommended for this trip due to
limited space and flights.
The general information, details of the plenary talks, registration forms,
and the post-conference trip information, etc., are available at the
society's website at:
http:/www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET/SCSCB
Further details regarding submissions for oral presentations and/or
workshops can be obtained by contacting Dr. Jerome Jackson, Chair of the
Scientific Program Committee, jjackson@fgcu.edu.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 10:11:14 -0600
From: Dave Whitacre <dwhitacre@PEREGRINEFUND.ORG>
Subject: (ECOLOG) Viva la BioBlitz !
Mike Aliotta expressed concerns about a mob of "scientists" trampling =
through Central Park as part of the "BioBlitz" (see below).
I think that the potential good that could be done by raising awareness =
about "the rest of the biota" (rotifers, insects, nematodes, =
cool-looking beetles, fungi---you name it---so long as it is not =
well-known charismatic fauna such as mammals and birds.....potentially =
FAR outweighs any minor damage done by trampling, turning over logs, =
etc.
I think it is a fair parallel to ask----where would we be if Roger Tory =
Peterson had not invented the "field guide" concept? Where would funding =
for conservation in this country be if not for the millions of nature =
enthusiasts spawned, or at least fostered, by the tradition of birding =
made possible by field guides?=20
If one inner city kid, looking over someone's shoulder, is given a =
glimpse at his or her first exotic, bizarre, completely unanticipated =
"space alien" creature, right there in Central Park----and thus gains a =
new-found appreciation for the riches of life on the planet....the harm =
done by the event will be more than offset.
I say, viva la Bioblitz! Lets have more, elsewhere!
David Whitacre
The Peregrine Fund
5668 West Flying Hawk Lane
Boise, Idaho 83709
((Quote from Mike Aliotta:
I have serious concerns about, perhaps, hundreds of "scientists" =
trampling
through Central Park, collecting and disturbing the flora and fauna for
what is, predominately, a media event with no real scientific
purpose. While it may be scientifically interesting to census the
biological communities that
are Central Park, a 24 hour blitzkrieg is obviously not the way to
undertake as serious study. Is this how one would census the NJ Pine
Barrens, the Florida Everglades or the Brazilian rainforest, even if one
had an adequate number of scientists to do so?
Count me out, with prejudice,
Mike Aliotta
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 09:32:22 -0700
From: Juliann Aukema <aukemaj@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: marking jumping slugs - suggestions?
Hello.
I'm trying to identify individual juvenile jumping
slugs in the lab. No,the problem is not that they jump
away when I try to mark them!
At the moment, the slugs are 5-10mm when
completely stretched out. I tried putting a tiny dab
of fingernail polish on the exposed part of the shell
(about .5-2 mm) after gently drying it with paper
towel or light wipes. This was not difficult under a
dissecting scope and seemed to work well for several
hours. However, by the morning, all the markings had
vanished.
I saw a paper describing a freeze-branding marking
technique for banana slugs, but those slugs are many
times larger than the ones I'm working with.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Juliann
jaukema@fs.fed.us
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.
http://search.yahoo.com
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 14:14:38 -0400
From: David Inouye <di5@UMAIL.UMD.EDU>
Subject: International Sustainable Development Studies Institute
Dear Colleagues:
ISDSI is exploring collaboration with a select number of schools in the US
for its "People, the Environment and Development Program." Our field based
study program of the cultures and ecologies of SE Asia is unique, and an
excellent opportunity for students wishing to study and understand the
interactions of people and the environment within which they live.
Currently, students from any school in the US can apply through Kalamazoo
College's program. In order to accommodate more students, we are exploring
collaboration with other schools with a strong interest in issues related
to our programs-immersive cross-cultural learning, sustainable development
studies, ecological economics, environmental studies, and other topics.
Collaborating schools would be able to directly enroll students in our
programs, have a say in course development, and participate in other ways
(including faculty field visits, etc.). We are interested in finding out
from you schools or programs you think might be interested in perusing this
sort of program for their students. We would welcome your input and ideas.
For further information, please see our website at
http://www.isdsi.org. It has been revised to reflect the courses for the
Fall '03 semester, and contains additional information on our expedition
field courses.
Thank you.
Mark Ritchie
Director, ISDSI
--
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark A. Ritchie, Ph.D. <markr@pobox.com>
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Director
International Sustainable Development Studies Institute
"Developing committed leaders for a sustainable future"
http://www.isdsi.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Sociology
Kalamazoo College
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Faculty of Economics, Chiang Mai University
Chiang Mai, 50200 THAILAND
---------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 11:38:39 -0700
From: Juliann Aukema <aukemaj@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Jumping slugs are real
Okay, I walked into that one. Very briefly:
Yes jumping slugs are for real.
There are 7 species - 3 small (< 25 mm) and 4
large (40-80 mm) - all in the genus Hemphilia. Because
they seem to require certain attributes of older
forests, but little is known about them, several
species of jumping slugs are in the 'survey and
manage' category under the Northwest Forest Plan (i.e.
there is some money to study them).
Jumping slugs aren't going to win any high jump
contests, but they do have a predator defense
mechanism in which they rapidly twist the tail (kind
of like a collembola), break the slimy surface tension
and may roll off a log or at least startle the
predator.
An excellent popular article with nice pictures
of the slugs, including the defensive tail
corkscrewing, just came out in the spring 2003 issue
of Wings (from the Xerces Society).
Leonard, William and Kristiina Ovaska. 2003.
Jumping-Slugs! Wings. Spring 2003:9-13,17.
If you're really interested, the authors would
probably send you a pdf (I have contact info if you
need it).
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.
http://search.yahoo.com
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 14:43:50 -0400
From: mike aliotta <bornxeyed@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Subject: Re: (ECOLOG) Viva la BioBlitz !
At 12:11 PM 5/15/03, Dave Whitacre wrote:
>If one inner city kid, looking over someone's shoulder, is given a =
>glimpse at his or her first exotic, bizarre, completely unanticipated =
>"space alien" creature, right there in Central Park----and thus gains a
>new-found appreciation for the riches of life on the planet....the harm
>done by the event will be more than offset.
>
That is utterly ridiculous. "One inner city kid ..." at the price of
trampled flowers, trodden meadows, disturbed "inner city" fauna. I get the
impression that Mr. Whiteacre has never been to Central Park. Yes, it is
"trampled" by thousands of New Yorkers a day but they mainly stay on the
paved paths and the mowed lawns. Merely walking off paths is pretty much
frowned upon and their conservation as undisturbed area is taken pretty
seriously by the NYC Park's Dept., but isn't that where the " 'space alien'
creature(s)" will most likely be found. They certainly won't be found
sitting in the middle of the Great Lawn or the Sheep's Meadow reading the
Times and waiting for lunch to end.
Considering that Central Park is completely surrounded by blocks of
concrete jungle and two rivers I doubt that anything more exotic than could
be found in ANY city park will be found. If "space alien creatures" is
what this is all about NYC would be better served by surveying the streets
of Brooklyn for the spore of the Asian Longhorn Beetle, a recently imported
invasive species, which is devastating the tree populations of that borough.
Mr. Whiteacre, sitting in his bucolic suburb, romanticizes the experience
of digging through the brush for some rare and previously unobserved
species but the potential cost to the park's fragile urban ecosystems,
inflicted by zealous amateurs caught up in a "feeding frenzy" of corporate
sponsored "exploration", is most likely not worth what will be found or
the scientific value of such a hurried and uncoordinated "whole park survey.
But hey, it'll give Microsoft a lot of good free press and let everyone
play with some nifty new hardware and software and isn't that really what
counts.
Mike Aliotta
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 15:53:52 -0400
From: "David M. Lawrence" <dave@FUZZO.COM>
Subject: Re: (ECOLOG) Viva la BioBlitz !
I suggest Aliotta step out of his ivory tower and spend more time with the
apparently insignificant (to him), uninformed minions who rarely get the
opportunity to witness nature in an urban setting. The environmental damage
will be minimal if not nonexistent, but the educational payoff will likely
be priceless.
Dave
------------------------------------------------------
David M. Lawrence | Home: (804) 559-9786
7471 Brook Way Court | Fax: (804) 559-9787
Mechanicsville, VA 23111 | Email: dave@fuzzo.com
USA | http: http://fuzzo.com
------------------------------------------------------
"We have met the enemy and he is us." -- Pogo
"No trespassing
4/17 of a haiku" -- Richard Brautigan
-----Original Message-----
From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
[mailto:ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of mike aliotta
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2003 2:44 PM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: (ECOLOG) Viva la BioBlitz !
At 12:11 PM 5/15/03, Dave Whitacre wrote:
>If one inner city kid, looking over someone's shoulder, is given a =
>glimpse at his or her first exotic, bizarre, completely unanticipated =
>"space alien" creature, right there in Central Park----and thus gains a
>new-found appreciation for the riches of life on the planet....the harm
>done by the event will be more than offset.
>
That is utterly ridiculous. "One inner city kid ..." at the price of
trampled flowers, trodden meadows, disturbed "inner city" fauna. I get the
impression that Mr. Whiteacre has never been to Central Park. Yes, it is
"trampled" by thousands of New Yorkers a day but they mainly stay on the
paved paths and the mowed lawns. Merely walking off paths is pretty much
frowned upon and their conservation as undisturbed area is taken pretty
seriously by the NYC Park's Dept., but isn't that where the " 'space alien'
creature(s)" will most likely be found. They certainly won't be found
sitting in the middle of the Great Lawn or the Sheep's Meadow reading the
Times and waiting for lunch to end.
Considering that Central Park is completely surrounded by blocks of
concrete jungle and two rivers I doubt that anything more exotic than could
be found in ANY city park will be found. If "space alien creatures" is
what this is all about NYC would be better served by surveying the streets
of Brooklyn for the spore of the Asian Longhorn Beetle, a recently imported
invasive species, which is devastating the tree populations of that borough.
Mr. Whiteacre, sitting in his bucolic suburb, romanticizes the experience
of digging through the brush for some rare and previously unobserved
species but the potential cost to the park's fragile urban ecosystems,
inflicted by zealous amateurs caught up in a "feeding frenzy" of corporate
sponsored "exploration", is most likely not worth what will be found or
the scientific value of such a hurried and uncoordinated "whole park
survey."
But hey, it'll give Microsoft a lot of good free press and let everyone
play with some nifty new hardware and software and isn't that really what
counts.
Mike Aliotta
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 12:28:23 -0700
From: Jonathan Greenberg <greenberg@UCDAVIS.EDU>
Subject: Plant growth questions (responses!)
I got a lot of responses to my question about shrinking DBH values in a
resampling of a tree plot after 5 years. There were quite a few emails
about hydric stress on plants, a lot of suggestions about what to do with
the data (most people said to not throw it away, although there was at least
one email that suggested I get rid of extreme shrinkage). Deborah Clark's
work at La Selva was often suggested as a good reference for these issues.
All responses not sent to the listserv are below... Thanks!
***
Good question for the list !
I do not think you can "ignore" these negative values. At the very least I
would report all your measurements and use these apparent mass loss values
to estimate errors associated with measurement (which would then be at
least as large as your largest negative growth increment). (So, a
positive growth increment of the same magnitude as your largest negative
increment would also be reported with an error term indicating it is no
different from zero.)
That said, I would not be entirely comfortable assuming a value represents
measurement error simply because I could not come up with a mechanism to
explain the patterns I observed. If asked to estimate errors associated
with dbh measurements before looking at your data, what would you have
estimated? Would your estimated errors have been comparable to those
needed to explain negative dbh increments? Did you (or could you in the
future) go back to some of your trees on successive days during a single
measurement campaign to get an experimentally-based estimate of error
associated with the technique? Perhaps you could even do this with a
similar sort of tree closer to home.)
***
As wood dries, it shrinks. Generally, shrinkage is minimal longitudinally
and can be significant radially. In cut wood (i.e., dimension lumber) this
shrinkage can be calculated and some wood structures are engineered to
accommodate radial shrinkage. Shrinkage is higher in species with higher
moisture content. Willow and cottonwood shrink more than maple, for example.
The cracks and checks one commonly sees in timbers is the result of internal
stress caused by shrinkage as wood dries. In theory, standing trees could
lose diameter with fluctuations in moisture content. I would look for a
relationship between DBH loss and rainfall, wood moisture, soil moisture, or
season.
***
In the tropical dry forest of Guanica, Puerto Rico, it was found that trees
could "lose" and "gain" DBH as they shrank and swelled depending on their
water status. Maybe if your study trees were measured at different times of
the year, or if moisture conditions were different from one year to the
next, the trees could lose DBH. Unfortunately, I do not think that the
shrinking of trees in the Guanica dry forest was ever published, so I can
not provide a solid reference.
***
check out work by Deborah David Clark. She recently gave a talk at our
University and they have found for their trees in La Selva, Costa Rica,
that some have negative growth (I believe lose dbh) in some years. The
gist of her talk and their working hypothesis is that yearly fluctuations
in temp, particularly hotter than normal years are responsible and that
the steady gains in temp due to global warming may have drastic
consequences for adult tree survivorship in tropical areas.
***
Many tropical trees vary their dbh seasonally because
of stem water storage. It is not really negative
growth, these are just fluctuations superimposed over
growth patterns. I would wait until they are on the
positive phase (wet season?) to measure dbh.
***
If the DBH loss is not too high, it could be due to hydric stress. Maybe you
can find something about that in the publications of Guillermo Goldstein.
***
I can't difinitively tell the you the reason but trees do shrink in dbh.
I have worked with two sets of 10,000 trees in floodplain forest in
South Carolina and a fairly high fraction shrink. I have had several
small trees with smooth bark consistently shrink 1 mm every 6-10 years
for 22 years (measured 10 cm below a permanent tag). The best
explanation I can come up with is that the bark gets compressed or
sloughs off. Vines are even more likely to shrink, I believe it due to
a high frequency of stem rot/hollow vines/incomplete cambium/low
resistance to decay.
***
Rick Condit at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama has
dealt with these kinds of questions. In some of his publications, he talks
about how he deals with negative change in diameter.
See:
Condit, R., S. P. Hubbell, and R. B. Foster. 1993. Identifying fast-growing
native trees from the neotropics using data from a large, permanent census
plot. Forest Ecology and Management 62:123-143.
Condit, R., S. P. Hubbell, and R. B. Foster. 1993. Mortality and growth of a
commercial hardwood 'el cativo' Prioria copaifera, in Panama. Forest Ecology
and Management 62:107-122.)
In general, he keeps negative values but discards plants that shrank by more
than 5% of their initial diameter or grew by more than 75 mm/year.
***
Are you saying that you measured individual trees and individually they
sometimes have smaller dbh? Or that as a group you are recording a
smaller mean dbh? Assuming the latter, this can be seen when there is
lower survival in a particular cohort. If there is a loss of larger
individuals, the mean goes down. The only time I have heard of smaller
diameter in woody vegetation on an individual basis was in drought
situations where the trees were under severe water stress, but I think
it's only transient. Curious situation.
***
I experienced the same "negative" growth in some tropical trees that I
measured over a several year period in Brazil. While I, too, assumed that
I had made measuring errors in spite of my attempts to measure these trees
in the same place (a designated distance down from two nails placed on
opposite sides of the tree), I have heard that the flux in diameter of
tropical trees according to climatic conditions may be greater in some
cases than the actual real growth increment. What I have been told is that
the best way to get real diameter growth data in a relatively short period
of time (several years) is to use dendrometer bands. These can give you
highly accurate measurements of the exact same spot and can be checked for
variation on a diurnal, monthly, or yearly basis.
***
is the bark of these tree "flaky"? Field worker
might have measured DBH with excess bark at the first
measurement but removed it in the second pass.
If this hypothesis is verified, you can remove the
negative increments since they are measurement errors
and not a feature of the species.
***
Joe O'Brien has a long term data set measuring dbh over short
intervals at La Selva Biological Station, and if I remember correctly
finds loss in dbh related to water stress.
***
dbh can vary with water content. As
an example, small changes in dbh can
be detected over diurnal periods
as evapotranspiration exceeds water
uptake rates during days, and uptake
exceeds evapotranspiration at night.
In a drier year, dbh for a tree could
possibly be smaller compared to a
previous, wetter year.
***
Could change in water status do this? Not that its directly relevant, but
lower vertebrates can shrink. I recall seeing a title on this topic, and
recently I watched a Gambusia in my fish tank shrink over a period of months
when it was in a harried social position. I didn't take measurements, but I
am certain it shrunk noticeably in length as well as girth.
***
David and Deborah Clark at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica have
been measuring tropical trees for many years and have developed methods to
increase their accuracies in their methods and calculations. You may find
looking at their work useful.
***
Don't remove your negative values, otherwise you will overestimate the
growth of your stands. Negative values appear because growth may be slow and
an error is associated with each of your DBH measurement.
***
While I don't have an answer to your question, I'm very interested in the
answers you get... I did some work a few years back using band dendrometers
to measure tree growth in New England, and always had a tough time trying to
come up with an explanation for "negative" tree growth. Obviously
fluctuating water levels in the cambium, particularly in thick-barked trees
could create some short term change, but over the long term, I had trouble
coming up with an answer. If you don't post your answers to the listserv,
I'd appreciate you forwarding them my way, at least for curiosity's sake...
***
Jonathan, what is the moisture regime like at the site where you are
monitoring tree DBH. I measure hundreds of trees a year. The trees in our
wetland sites shrink and swell (or at least the bark does) to some degree
dependant on the amount of water present.
Trees can also start to shrink if there is some other impact to their growth
requirements like soil loss, nutrient removal, or excess nutrients.
***
If you were using dendrometer bands then a "loss" of dbh can be due to
changes in the water status of the stems. E.g., the stems store water and
during dry times they can become somewhat dehydrated, which could result
in an apparent dbh loss. With dbh tapes I'm sure you can have the same
problem, but it seems that there is also additional sources of error
(e.g., making repeated measurements that aren't always in the same
location on the stem).
***
This question has perplexed me also. I work in a cloud forest in
Guatemala. In 1996 I established permanent plots and measured the DBH
of all trees greater than 5 cm in the plot. In 2002, I returned to the
plot and re-measured the same trees. Although the average DBH increased
for all the trees increased, 25 trees had a greater DBH in 1996 than
2002. Trees are living organisms, and the trunk does expand and
contract with moisture conditions.
I just submitted a manuscript to Biotropica in March, and it is
currently being reviewed. We'll see if it gets accepted considering
that people assume that if the DBH of a tree shrank, there must have
been measurement errors. If you are interested in seeing the
unpublished manuscript, I can send it to you. Below are some references
that contain information on errors in measuring tree growth and some
references in which the scientists actually found evidence of tree
shrinkage and no growth:
Burslem, D. F. R. P., T. C. Whitmore, and N. Denmark. 1998. A
thirty-year record of forest dynamics from Kolombangara, Solomon
Islands. In F. Dallmeier and J. A. Comiskey (Eds.). Forest biodiversity
research, monitoring and modeling: conceptual background and Old World
case studies. Parthenon Publishing Group, New York, New York.
Clark, D. A., and D. B. Clark. 1992. Life history diversity of canopy
and emergent trees in a Neotropical rain forest. Ecol. Monog. 62(3):
315-344.
***
Trees shrink and swell in diameter depending on their water status.
Shrinkage also occurs on a daily basis, and there is apparently some effect
of temperature. Such changes of plant part diameter are well documented. TT
Kozlowski reported both original data and at least one summary paper or
book. One place to start is Kozlowski et al. 1991. Physiological ecology
of woody plants. p. 179-181, and ch. 7, and probably some other spots.
Look at "shrinkage" in the index.
Maybe your trees were droughted the second time you measured and not the
first??
***
This is apparently fairly common in dry forest trees in the dry season
(Murphy & Lugo found this is their DBH monitoring of dry forest trees in
Puerto Rico, and I have seen references to it elsewhere, though I cannot
recall where just now). I suspect you would find this elsewhere in the
seasonal tropics. As far as I know, it is probably due to xylem
tension.
***
I live in the North Cascades in Washington State, where the rainfall varies
from 1.4 to 3.6 meters per year. The variation depends on local topography,
elevation, and prevalent wind direction. 3m of rain is plenty wet, but in
this end of the woods it's not unusual, and this is where much North
American lumber originates.
I would look for a relationship with seasonal variation of rainfall rather
than total annual rainfall.
Regarding references, the Western Wood Products Association in Portland OR
publishes a wood design manual for use by engineers in designing wood
structures. That's the only one that comes to mind, however, I'm going back
to my undergrad days in structural engineering and it's been a while.
If I recall correctly, wood at the fiber saturation point is around 30%
moisture content. Cured wood is about 19%, and dry wood in buildings is at
around 10%. Douglas-fir, for example, shrinks about 3% radially for every
10% drop in moisture.
***
If the errors are 10s of cms then I'd have thought it must be a
problem from the measurements or transcribing the data. Problems
can obviously arise if stems break and then resprout, or get badly
damaged for some reason, but its clear in the field if that happens.
Published suggestions say that up to around -0.4 cm per year, (D.
Sheil, Forest Ecology and Management 17:11-34) is a reasonable
lower limit for what to expect from normal measurement errors and
variation in stem hydration. Simialr problems occur to different
extents with many of our plots. Deleting these problematic records
is one solution. However, that leads to stand-level growth being
underestimated, and that is important for us. So, for our 'problem'
trees we estimate growth based on the median growth rate from
the 'good' records in the plot, for three size classes (10-20, 20-40
or 40+ cm). If, overall, its just a few trees, then its not a big
problem.
***
--j
--
Jonathan Greenberg
Graduate Group in Ecology, U.C. Davis
http://www.cstars.ucdavis.edu/~jongreen
http://www.cstars.ucdavis.edu
AIM: jgrn307 or jgrn3007
MSN: jgrn307@msn.com or jgrn3007@msn.com
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 17:31:19 -0400
From: "Richard O'Grady, Exec. Director, AIBS, 202-628-1500 x 258"
<rogrady@AIBS.ORG>
Subject: IBRCS / NEON updates online from AIBS: NEON video & roundtable
IBRCS / NEON updates now online at http://ibrcs.aibs.org from the American
Institute of Biological Sceinces, May 15, 2003:
1.
The NEON video, previously available only as a CD (6m 14s). Originally
developed by the Ecological Society of America.
2.
AIBS national roundtable "Sensing the Environment: The Future of
Environmental Observatory Networks," National Press Club, Washington DC,
March 25, 2003.
This roundtable accompanied the release of the IBRCS white paper,
"Rationale, Blueprint, and Expectations for the National Ecological
Observatory Network." The program included talks by Kent Holsinger, Jim
Reichman, Cindy Kolar, and John Aber, as well as discussion with the
audience. The Organization of Biological Field Stations, the Ecological
Society of America, and the Association of Ecosystem Research Centers
cosponsored the event.
The online media presentation includes streaming audio and video display of
the speakers, synchronized display of accompanying slides, a crawling
transcript, and a convenient method of navigation between slides and talks.
1h 49m (including follow-up discussion). Windows Media Player and free
login required.
------------ Subscribe to the IBRCS mailing list at http://ibrcs.aibs.org
. Contact: jgoldman@aibs.org --------------
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 16:24:29 -0500
From: Dave McNeely <dlmcneely@LUNET.EDU>
Subject: Re: (ECOLOG) Viva la BioBlitz !
Can we please be civil in this dialogue?
Bioblitz is not newly conceived for Central Park, and though I have not
participated in one, I understand that responsible professionals are
involved, including personnel from such organizations as the American Museum
of Natural History and the various universities in the area involved.
Universities sometimes compete for richness of campus biota surveys.
I encourage questions and pleasantness. Disagree -- sure, this is a forum.
Please don't come to blows.
Dave McNeely
----- Original Message -----
From: "mike aliotta" <bornxeyed@BELLSOUTH.NET>
To: <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2003 1:43 PM
Subject: Re: (ECOLOG) Viva la BioBlitz !
> At 12:11 PM 5/15/03, Dave Whitacre wrote:
>
> >If one inner city kid, looking over someone's shoulder, is given a
> >glimpse at his or her first exotic, bizarre, completely unanticipat
d =
> >"space alien" creature, right there in Central Park----and thus gai
s a =
> >new-found appreciation for the riches of life on the planet....the
arm =
> >done by the event will be more than offset.
> >
>
> That is utterly ridiculous. "One inner city kid ..." at the price of
> trampled flowers, trodden meadows, disturbed "inner city" fauna. I get
the
> impression that Mr. Whiteacre has never been to Central Park. Yes, it
s
> "trampled" by thousands of New Yorkers a day but they mainly stay on th
> paved paths and the mowed lawns. Merely walking off paths is pretty mu
h
> frowned upon and their conservation as undisturbed area is taken pretty
> seriously by the NYC Park's Dept., but isn't that where the " 'space
alien'
> creature(s)" will most likely be found. They certainly won't be found
> sitting in the middle of the Great Lawn or the Sheep's Meadow reading t
e
> Times and waiting for lunch to end.
>
> Considering that Central Park is completely surrounded by blocks of
> concrete jungle and two rivers I doubt that anything more exotic than
could
> be found in ANY city park will be found. If "space alien creatures" i
> what this is all about NYC would be better served by surveying the stre
ts
> of Brooklyn for the spore of the Asian Longhorn Beetle, a recently
imported
> invasive species, which is devastating the tree populations of that
borough.
>
> Mr. Whiteacre, sitting in his bucolic suburb, romanticizes the experie
ce
> of digging through the brush for some rare and previously unobserved
> species but the potential cost to the park's fragile urban ecosystems,
> inflicted by zealous amateurs caught up in a "feeding frenzy" of corpor
te
> sponsored "exploration", is most likely not worth what will be found o
> the scientific value of such a hurried and uncoordinated "whole park
survey."
>
> But hey, it'll give Microsoft a lot of good free press and let everyone
> play with some nifty new hardware and software and isn't that really wh
t
> counts.
>
>
> Mike Aliotta
------------------------------
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 15 May 2003 to 16 May 2003 (#2003-130)
There are 3 messages totalling 274 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. beetle, bat, and grasshopper web sites
2. News: Reports Explore Greenhouse Gas Reduction Policies
3. Fw: Mesoamerica Burning
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 21:35:09 -0400
From: David Inouye <inouye@umd.edu>
Subject: beetle, bat, and grasshopper web sites
1. Explore Cornell: Beetle Science [Macromedia Flash Player, QuickTime]
http://explore.cornell.edu/scene.cfm?scene=Beetle%20Science
You don't have to be a coleopterist to enjoy this eye-catching Web site from
Cornell University's Department of Entomology. Beetle Science is an
excellent showcase for this amazingly diverse and abundant order of insects
and related Cornell projects. The Web site offers a number of fun multimedia
features, such as a collection of beautiful carbon dust illustrations and
rotatable images of beetle specimens from the university's Insect
Collection. Visitors may also view an interactive timeline of efforts to
control the invasive Asian Longhorned Beetle, or take a virtual tour of two
beetle research labs. These and other well-designed features make this a
great site for the beetle novice as well as the seasoned expert. [RS]
2. University of Bristol: Bat Ecology and Acoustics Lab [wav]
http://www.bio.bris.ac.uk/research/bats/calls/
This Web site contains audio clips of bat echolocation calls from the Bat
Ecology and Acoustics Lab at the University of Bristol. The calls,
representing 15 species of bats found in Britain, are time-expanded
recordings detectable to the human ear. To hear the entire repertoire of
calls for each species, users must download the files and open them with a
sound analysis program such as Gram (program link provided). Otherwise, a
selection of calls for each species may be heard using any program that
recognizes WAV files. The site also provides a text file describing in
detail how the echolocation calls were recorded. Anyone is welcome to
download the calls for noncommercial purposes; bat biologists and non-
experts alike should find this Web site interesting. [RS]
23. Grasshoppers: Their Biology, Identification, and Management [pdf]
http://www.sidney.ars.usda.gov/grasshopper/index.htm
The US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service and Agricultural Research Service provides this detailed extension
resource on the biology, identification, and management of grasshoppers.
Identification tools, species fact sheets, an integrated pest management
handbook are available. Recent additions include a guide to the grasshoppers
of New Mexico and a 2003 grasshopper hazard map, among others. [RS]
>From The NSDL Scout Report for the Life Sciences, Copyright Internet Sc
ut
Project 1994-2003. http://scout.wisc.edu/
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 17:26:44 -0700
From: Ashwani Vasishth <vasishth@USC.EDU>
Subject: News: Reports Explore Greenhouse Gas Reduction Policies
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2003/2003-05-15-11.asp
A New Roadmap for U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reductions
WASHINGTON, DC, May 15, 2003 (ENS) - The Bush administration may be
steadfast against adopting any mandatory greenhouse gas emissions program,
but there is increasing interest among some in the U.S. Congress for
policies that would force the nation responsible for one quarter of the
world's greenhouse gases to curb its emissions.
And it is this discussion that the Pew Center on Global Climate Change
<http://www.pewclimate.org/> hopes to influence with two new reports
released today that analyze the best options available to tailor a
mandatory greenhouse gas emissions program for the United States.
"We are not at the point where Congress is going to pass a mandatory
program, but there is growing interest," said Eileen Claussen, president
of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, an independent, nonprofit and
nonpartisan organization. "We are at the very beginning of the debate on
how to do this and that makes these reports extremely timely."
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, in particular carbon dioxide, is a
tricky issue for American politicians. The Bush administration withdrew
the nation's support for the Kyoto Protocol - the United Nations accord on
greenhouse gas emissions - and refuses to commit to anything but voluntary
measures to cut emissions of gases that most believe are contributing to
global warming.
Illustration Omitted:
Most scientists are convinced that greenhouse gas emissions are
causing the planet's climate to change. (Photo courtesy the David Suzuki
Foundation)
The administration's hostility for mandatory greenhouse gas reductions
comes against a backdrop of rising U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, which
increased some 12 percent between 1990 and 2001 and are expected to
increase another 12 percent by 2012. Rather than seek straight reductions
of greenhouse gas emissions, the Bush administration is focused on
reducing the nation's greenhouse gas intensity - the rate of emissions to
economic output.
But many believe these efforts will do nothing to alleviate a growing
problem and contend that mandatory measures are necessary. The reports
released by the Pew Center indicate that emissions trading programs that
have worked for other pollutants, such as acid rain, offer low cost
mechanisms that could cut greenhouse gas emissions.
One report analyzes the lessons of emissions trading and the second
provides an evaluation of multiple options for program design.
Emissions trading has a 40 year history in the United States and there is
now ample evidence the theory behind the concept is valid, explained Denny
Ellerman, coauthor of "Emissions Trading in the U.S.: Experience, Lessons,
and Considerations for Greenhouse Gases."
<http://www.pewclimate.org/projects/emissions_trading.cfm>
Ellerman, a senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
and his coauthors reviewed the experience with six emissions trading
programs and drew general lessons for the development of greenhouse gas
reduction programs.
The primary attraction of emissions trading, Ellerman explained, is that a
well designed program can provide a framework to meet emissions reduction
goals at the lowest possible cost.
By giving emissions sources flexibility to find and apply the lowest cost
solutions to reduce pollution, such a program gives incentives for those
with low cost compliance options to reduce emissions more than they would
under command and control regulation.
The trading of emissions credits provides further incentives and
encourages both low cost and high cost compliance sources to achieve
emissions reductions.
In their report, the authors detail that these programs have been
successful in the major objective of lowering the cost of meeting
emissions reductions goals and have enhanced - not compromised - the
achievement of environmental goals.
Emissions trading programs have worked best when allowances or credits are
clearly defined and when there is "an unquestioned ability to trade,"
Ellerman said.
"Case by case certification of trades greatly diminishes emissions
trading," he explained.
The report concludes that banking - allowing sources to reduce emissions
early and accumulate credits or allowances for compliance in future
periods - has played an important role in improving the economic and
environmental performance of these programs.
The matter of the initial allocation of credits is the "most contentious
and difficult issue," for trading programs, Ellerman said, but the report
finds that these concerns can be addressed without impairing the cost
savings from trading or the environmental performance of the program.
The report concludes that emissions trading seems well suited to
addressing greenhouse gas emissions because the costs of reducing
emissions varies widely and these pollutants are long lasting and affect
areas far from where they are emitted.
Opt in or voluntary features have a role that merits their inclusion in
greenhouse gas emissions trading programs, according to the authors, but
this should be determined by weighing the cost savings benefits against
the emissions increasing potential.
Illustration Omitted:
President George W. Bush favors voluntary measures to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. (Photo by Paul Morse courtesy the White House)
The second report, "Designing a Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program
for the U.S." <http://www.pewclimate.org/projects/USgas.cfm>examines t
ree
options: a cap and trade program; a greenhouse gas tax; and sectoral
hybrid programs.
There are several types of cap and trade programs worth considering,
explained coauthor Robert Nordhaus, a lawyer who specializes in federal
electric, natural gas and environmental regulation.
A conventional program sets a cap on emissions and allocates tradeable
permits equal to the cap, whereas a "downstream" cap and trade program
applies to sources of greenhouse gas emissions and requires them to
surrender allowances equal to their emissions.
Third, an "upstream" cap and trade program applies to fuel suppliers and
requires them to surrender allowances equivalent to the carbon content of
fossil fuels they distribute.
The authors find that a downstream cap and trade program would be
"unadministrable" and that a standalone large source cap and trade program
would have to be coupled with a program to cover other sectors.
They contend that an economy wide upstream cap and trade program "may be
the best one if it can be put in place." But this approach would drive up
the costs of gasoline and home heating fuels, the authors explain, and
could be a political dead end.
"New taxes is the third rail of American politics and if there is a fourth
rail, it is higher energy costs and this combines both," explained
Nordhaus.
A greenhouse gas tax is also politically unfeasible, Nordhaus said, but
the sectoral hybrid approach could work in the United States.
This consists of a large source downstream program coupled with product
efficiency standards, a combination that addresses emissions from sources
such as automobiles and appliances that could not feasibly be covered by a
downstream cap and trade program.
Building on existing standards programs, the authors explain, such a
hybrid program could attain coverage of about 80 percent of the U.S.
energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.
It could prove more costly than other efforts, but it "may score better on
political acceptability because it constrains domestic greenhouse gas
emissions while largely shielding consumers from fuel price increases."
Nordhaus said the European Union is working on this kind of a program and
he believes the administrative complexity is overshadowed because it is
"more politically appealable."
* * *
Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2003. All Rights Reserved.
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------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 21:52:58 -0400
From: Karen Claxon <kclaxon@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Fw: Mesoamerica Burning
----- Original Message -----
From: "NASA Science News" <snglist@snglist.msfc.nasa.gov>
To: "NASA Science News" <snglist@snglist.msfc.nasa.gov>
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2003 4:12 PM
Subject: Mesoamerica Burning
NASA Science News for May 16, 2003
With help from NASA scientists and satellites, Central American
governments are piecing together a "bio-corridor" of protected lands
stretching from Mexico to South America. They hope the sprawling
preserve
will help their people and the environment flourish together.
FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/16may_biocorridors.htm?list80134
------------------------------
End of ECOLOG-L Digest - 15 May 2003 to 16 May 2003 (#2003-130)
***************************************************************
˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙
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