Assessment of Public Knowledge and Willingness to Pay for Recovery of an Endangered Songbird,the Golden-Cheeked Warbler

Ecological economics assigns value to resources. Valuation can be difficult when the resource is a species, particularly one that does not directly impact humans. The endangered golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) is a songbird that breeds exclusively in central Texas. Using a door-to-door survey design, we investigated knowledge and willingness to pay for golden-cheeked warbler recovery actions in Austin, Texas, a city attempting to balance human population growth with conservation of several endangered species. Approximately half of respondents had knowledge of this species; of those 80% knew it was endangered. Seventy-four percent of respondents believed the species held value, and most regarded that value as existence-based. The mean willingness to pay was $21.47 per person annually over a 5-year period, including individuals not willing to pay. Our study indicated the public values the warbler, and is willing to provide monetary support for recovery and conservation efforts.     

Ebstein anomaly in a meerkat (Suricata suricatta).

An 8-yr-old male meerkat (Suricata suricatta) presented with sudden lethargy. A globular-shaped heart associated with pleural effusion on chest thoracic radiographs was consistent with congestive heart failure, and echocardiography was performed under general anesthesia. It revealed an Ebstein anomaly, with mild pericardial effusion and marked right heart enlargement. The animal was treated with imidapril chlorydrate. After 4 mo of treatment, thoracic radiographs still showed right-sided cardiomegaly; however, the animal appeared clinically normal.     

Amphibian and reptile community response to coarse woody debris manipulations in upland loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) forests

Coarse woody debris (CWD) has been identified as a key microhabitat component for groups that are moisture and temperature sensitive such as amphibians and reptiles. However, few experimental manipulations have quantitatively assessed amphibian and reptile response to varying CWD volumes within forested environments. We assessed amphibian and reptile response to large-scale, CWD manipulation within managed loblolly pine stands in the southeastern Coastal Plain of the United States from 1998 to 2005. Our study consisted of two treatment phases: Phase I treatments included downed CWD removal (removal of all downed CWD), all CWD removal (removal of all downed and standing CWD), pre-treatment snag, and control; Phase II treatments included downed CWD addition (downed CWD volume increased 5-fold), snag addition (standing CWD volume increased 10-fold), all CWD removal (all CWD removed), and control. Amphibian and anuran capture rates were greater in control than all CWD removal plots during study Phase I. In Phase II, reptile diversity and richness were greater in downed CWD addition and all CWD removal than snag addition treatments. Capture rate of Rana sphenocephala was greater in all CWD removal treatment than downed CWD addition treatment. The dominant amphibian and snake species captured are adapted to burrowing in sandy soil or taking refuge under leaf litter. Amphibian and reptile species endemic to upland southeastern Coastal Plain pine forests may not have evolved to rely on CWD because the humid climate and short fire return interval have resulted in historically low volumes of CWD.     

The development of size variation in Dover sole,Solea solea and turbot,Scophthalmus maximus: genetic variability between different geographical and among year class farmed strains

Growth and variation in size of turbot and sole larvae originating from different genetic sources were compared at different stocking densities, including genetically based information that might lead to a better knowledge of heterogeneity in cultivated populations. There was no effect of density on growth rate in either species. However, between the two sole batches there was an earlier metamorphosis of faster growing fish from Norway. In sole groups after metamorphosis, variation was stable and therefore no development of size variation was observed. There was no density effect on size variation within turbot batches before, or after metamorphosis. Spreading rate and growth rate were positively correlated in sole larvae indicating that growth of the smaller fish was not equal to the larger ones, but size variation followed a different pattern in turbot. No evidence for either overall significant heterozygosity excess, or deficiency was evidenced in the farmed strains of either species . However, significant differences between farmed populations in terms of genetic variability (θ) were reported, which was rather attributed to within differentiation than between strains. One could safely argue that different strains of Dover sole originated from different genetic sources (factorial analysis). Moreover, when the analysis was extended to individual loci to assess whether specific loci had any consistently larger, or smaller effect on heterozygosity, locus specific significant trends were discerned in turbot. A positive Heterozygosity Fitness (growth rate) Correlation (HFC) suggests that heterozygotes reported enhanced growth rates compared with homozygous ones in flatfish larvae, thus special precautions should be taken into account whenever different genetic structure patterns emerge, because of various flatfish broodstock geographical origin and year class samples.     

Citrus rootstock and carbon dioxide enriched irrigation influence on seedling emergence,growth, and nutrient content 1

Seeds of Carrizo citrange (Citrus senensis (L.) Osb. X Poncirus trifolliata (L.), Cleopatra mandarin (C. reticulata Blanco), Sour orange (C. aurantium L.), and Rough lemon (C. Union (Buna f.) were sown in trays, irrigated without or with enriched Carbon dioxide (CO₂) (1,362 mg L^‐1) and evaluated for seedling emergence, growth, and nutrient contents. Rough lemon had a faster rate and higher percent emergence than the other rootstocks. Carrizo citrange had thicker stem diameters and taller seedlings than other rootstocks. Cleopatra mandarin had the smallest seedling shoot and root weights and larger shootrroot ratios than Rough lemon and Sour orange. Carrizo citrange and Cleopatra mandarin had higher leaf chlorophyll‐a and total chlorophyll content than Rough lemon or Sour orange. Carbon dioxide enriched irrigation had no effects on emergence or seedling growth variables except lower root weight. Lower media pH (6.90 versus 5.65), attributed to CO₂ enriched irrigation, may have adversely affected root growth as compared to shoot characteristics. Leaf nutrient contents generally differed between rootstocks but were not affected by CO₂ enriched water except for higher Zn and lower Mn contents. These results indicate that citrus seedling emergence, subsequent growth and leaf nutrient content differred between rootstocks but there are no beneficial effect from CO₂ enriched irrigation.     

Analysis of multienvironment trials (MET) in the sugarcane breeding program of Réunion Island

The sugarcane variety development program on Réunion Island is dedicated to an industry that encompasses numerous different agroclimatic production zones. The objective of this study is to characterize in detail the final selection stage of this program, consisting of multienvironment trials (MET) at seven representative locations, considering the genotypic response in terms of tonnes of cane per hectare (TCH), estimable recoverable sugar (ERS), fiber content (FIB), and an economic index (EI). Data from four recent variety series tested between one and three crop years were used. Each trait revealed a significant genotype × location (GL) interaction, always higher than the genotype × crop year (GC) interaction, indicating that testing genotypes across locations is more important than testing for ratooning ability. Broad-sense heritability (H) at MET level was relatively high for FIB compared with EI, while ERS and TCH exhibited intermediate H values. Genotype main effect plus genotype × environment (GGE) biplot analysis applied to a balanced set of genotypes tested over two crop years across all environments permitted reliable visualization at a glance of (i) the level of proximity between genotypes or environments, and (ii) the performance of varieties in each environment and their stability across all of them. No redundancy between any pair of environments was found for the most important selection trait (EI). These results confirm the relevance of a selection strategy firstly oriented toward selecting sugarcane genotypes for local adaptations with the objective of enhancing the mean productivity of the whole cane industry.     

Quantification of mitral valve regurgitation in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease by use of the proximal isovelocity surface area method

OBJECTIVE: To determine the within-day and between-day variability of regurgitant fraction (RF) assessed by use of the proximal isovelocity surface area (PISA) method in awake dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease (MVD), measure RF in dogs with MVD, and assess the correlation between RF and several clinical and Doppler echocardiographic variables. DESIGN: Prospective study. ANIMALS: 6 MVD-affected dogs with no clinical signs and 67 dogs with MVD of differing severity (International Small Animal Cardiac Health Council [ISACHC] classification). PROCEDURES: The 6 dogs were used to determine the repeatability and reproducibility of the PISA method, and RF was then assessed in 67 dogs of various ISACHC classes. Mitral valve regurgitation was also assessed from the maximum area of regurgitant jet signal-to-left atrium area (ARJ/LAA) ratio determined via color Doppler echocardiographic mapping. RESULTS: Within- and between-day coefficients of variation of RF were 8% and 11%, respectively. Regurgitation fraction was significantly correlated with ISACHC classification and heart murmur grade and was higher in ISACHC class III dogs (mean +/- SD, 72.8 +/- 9.5%) than class II (57.9 +/- 20.1%) or I (40.7 +/- 19.2%) dogs. Regurgitation fraction and left atriumto-aorta ratio, fractional shortening, systolic pulmonary arterial pressure, and ARJ/LAA ratio were significantly correlated. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested that RF is a repeatable and reproducible variable for noninvasive quantitative evaluation of mitral valve regurgitation in awake dogs. Regurgitation fraction also correlated well with disease severity. It appears that this Doppler echocardiographic index may be useful in longitudinal studies of MVD in dogs.