The use of artificial breeding chambers as a conservation measure for cavity-nesting procellariiform seabirds: a case study of the Madeiran storm petrel (Oceanodroma castro)

Procellariiform seabirds are amongst the most severely threatened taxa worldwide. Whilst the specific threats vary among species, problems such as introduced predators, loss of suitable nesting habitat and inter- and intra-specific competition for nest sites are common to many situations. This paper reports on an experiment to increase the availability of secure nest sites at a colony of Madeiran storm petrels breeding on an islet (free from introduced predators) in the Azores islands where there is evidence of inter-specific competition. The provision of nest boxes that were designed to exclude larger species led to around a 12% increase in the size of the breeding population in the first year and a 28% increase over the original colony size in the second year. Over three seasons, the breeding success of storm petrels nesting in boxes averaged 2.9 times greater than that of birds at natural sites, despite their likely reproductive inexperience. The techniques presented here should serve as a model for conservation management of other burrowing procellariiform species in situations where colony size or breeding performance is believed to be constrained by nest site quality.     

Pandemic H1N1 influenza virus in Chilean commercial turkeys with genetic and serologic comparisons to U.S. H1N1 avian influenza vaccine isolates

Beginning in April 2009, a novel H1N1 influenza virus caused acute respiratory disease in humans, first in Mexico and then around the world. The resulting pandemic influenza A H1N1 2009 (pH1N1) virus was isolated in swine in Canada in June 2009 and later in breeder turkeys in Chile, Canada, and the United States. The pH1N1 virus consists of gene segments of avian, human, and swine influenza origin and has the potential for infection in poultry following exposure to infected humans or swine. We examined the clinical events following the initial outbreak of pH1N1 in turkeys and determined the relatedness of the hemagglutinin (HA) gene segments from the pH1N1 to two H1N1 avian influenza (AI) isolates used in commercial turkey inactivated vaccines. Overall, infection of turkey breeder hens with pH1N1 resulted in -50% reduction of egg production over 3-4 weeks. Genetic analysis indicated one H1N1 AI vaccine isolate (Alturkey/North Carolina/17026/1988) contained approximately 92% nucleotide sequence similarity to the pH1N1 virus (A/Mexico/4109/2009); whereas, a more recent AI vaccine isolate (A/ swine/North Carolina/00573/2005) contained 75.9% similarity. Comparison of amino acids found at antigenic sites of the HA protein indicated conserved epitopes at the Sa site; however, major differences were found at the Ca2 site between pH1N1 and A/ turkey/North Carolina/127026/1988. Hemagglutinin-inhibition (HI) tests were conducted with sera produced in vaccinated turkeys in North Carolina to determine if protection would be conferred using U.S. AI vaccine isolates. HI results indicate positive reactivity (HI titer > or = 5 log2) against the vaccine viruses over the course of study. However, limited cross-reactivity to the 2009 pH1N1 virus was observed, with positive titers in a limited number of birds (6 out of 20) beginning only after a third vaccination. Taken together, these results demonstrate that turkeys treated with these vaccines would likely not be protected against pH1N1 and current vaccines used in breeder turkeys in the United States against circulating H1N1 viruses should be updated to ensure adequate protection against field exposure.     

Global-scale similarities in nitrogen release patterns during long-term decomposition

Litter decomposition provides the primary source of mineral nitrogen (N) for biological activity in most terrestrial ecosystems. A 10-year decomposition experiment in 21 sites from seven biomes found that net N release from leaf litter is dominantly driven by the initial tissue N concentration and mass remaining regardless of climate, edaphic conditions, or biota. Arid grasslands exposed to high ultraviolet radiation were an exception, where net N release was insensitive to initial N. Roots released N linearly with decomposition and exhibited little net N immobilization. We suggest that fundamental constraints on decomposer physiologies lead to predictable global-scale patterns in net N release during decomposition.     

Risk assessment for biodiversity conservation planning in Pacific Northwest forests

Risk assessment can provide a robust strategy for landscape-scale planning challenges associated with species conservation and habitat protection in Pacific Northwest forests. We provide an overview of quantitative and probabilistic ecological risk assessment with focus on the application of approaches and influences from the actuarial, financial, and technical engineering fields. Within this context, risk refers to exposure to the chance of loss and typically involves likelihood estimates associated with outcomes. Risk assessment can be used to evaluate threats and uncertainty by providing: (1) an estimation of the likelihood and severity of species, population, or habitat loss or gain, (2) a better understanding of the potential tradeoffs associated with management activities, and (3) tangible socioeconomic integration. Our discussion is focused on threats identified as important influences on forest biodiversity in the region: natural, altered, and new disturbance regimes, and alien and invasive species. We identify and discuss three key challenges and opportunities specific to these threats and quantitative and probabilistic approaches to risk assessment: (1) endpoint selection and calculation of net value change, (2) probability calculations and stochastic spatial processes, and (3) evaluation of multiple interacting threats. Quantitative and probabilistic risk assessment can help bridge the current gap between information provided by general assessment and planning procedures and the more detailed information needs of decision and policy makers. However, management decisions may still fail to win public approval because important risks and issues can be missed or perceived differently by stakeholders. Stakeholder involvement at the inception of a risk assessment can help attenuate these problems. Stakeholder involvement also provides opportunities to communicate information that can influence public risk perceptions and attitudes.     

Dietary intake and a food-frequency instrument to evaluate a nutrition intervention for the Apache in Arizona

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate how dietary data collected from 24-hour dietary recalls were incorporated into the development of a quantitative food-frequency questionnaire (QFFQ) for the Apache in Arizona. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was first conducted using 24-hour dietary recalls to identify foods for inclusion on a QFFQ that would be used to evaluate a nutrition intervention. SETTING: The White Mountain and San Carlos Apache reservations in East-central Arizona. SUBJECTS: The 24-hour dietary recalls were collected from a random sample of 53 adults (34 women and 19 men). RESULTS: A QFFQ was developed that included all foods reported by two or more respondents, plus traditional and seasonal foods. Portion size was assessed using familiar household units and culturally appropriate food models. The final instrument contains 155 foods. Frequency of consumption is assessed using eight categories ranking from 'never or less than once a month' to '2 or more times a day'. Nutrient intakes and the five major food sources of energy, fat and sugar are presented. CONCLUSION: The QFFQ developed is complete and up-to-date for assessing usual food and nutrient intake for the Apache in Arizona. The instrument will be used to evaluate a food store-based nutrition intervention to reduce risk of chronic diseases.     

Linkages between below and aboveground communities: Decomposer responses to simulated tree species loss are largely additive

Inputs of aboveground plant litter influence the abundance and activities of belowground decomposer biota. Litter-mixing studies have examined whether the diversity and heterogeneity of litter inputs affect decomposer communities in ways that can be predicted from monocultures. They have mainly attempted to detect non-additive effects of litter mixing, although individual species effects (additivity) as well as species interactions (non-additivity) may alter decomposition rates. To determine potential impacts of plant species loss on aboveground-decomposer linkages, we assessed both additive and non-additive effects of litter mixing on decomposer communities. A full-factorial litterbag experiment with leaves from four deciduous tree species was conducted, to assess responses of bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and microarthropods. Data were analyzed using a statistical method that first looked for additive effects based on the presence or absence of species and then any significant species interactions. We observed almost exclusively additive effects of all four litter species on decomposer biota, with each species exerting effects on different aspects of the community. These results imply that the consequences of species loss for the decomposer community will be largely predictable from knowledge of single species litter dynamics. The two species at opposite ends of the quality spectrum exerted the most effects. High-quality Liriodendron tulipifera supported a more diverse arthropod community and drove bottom-up effects on the decomposer food web. Low-quality Rhododendron maximum had negative effects on most groups of biota. Litter of mid-quality species exerted fewer effects. The influence of litter species richness on the Tylenchidae (nematodes) was the only non-additive effect of litter mixing. Together, these data demonstrate an effect of plant community composition on decomposer biomass, abundance, and diversity, confirming a link between above and belowground communities. We were able to identify the species to which the decomposer community is most sensitive, aiding predictions of the consequences of the loss of these dominant species on the decomposer community, with potential feedbacks for organic matter and nutrient turnover.     

The spaces and times of community farming

This paper uses a multiple case study approach to researching people’s everyday lives and experiences of six community farms and gardens in diverse settings in China and England. We argue that collective understandings of community are bound up in everyday action in particular spaces and times. Successful community farms and gardens are those that are able to provide suitable spaces and times for these actions so that their members can enjoy multiple benefit streams. These benefits are largely universal: in very different situations in both England and China, CSA members make strong connections with the land, the farmers and other members, even in cases where they rarely visit the farms and gardens. This suggests that community farming and gardening initiatives possess multi-dimensional transformational potential. Not only do they offer a buffer against industrialised and remote food systems, but they also represent therapeutic landscapes valued by those who have experienced time spent at or in connection with them. Our findings indicate that—regardless of location or cultural context—these benefits are durable, so that people who have been engaged in multiple activities at a community farm or garden continue to enjoy these benefits long after most of their engagement has ceased.     

Undesired behaviour in horses: A review of their development,prevention, management and association with welfare

Undesired behaviours are a common problem amongst leisure and sporting horses in the UK and have a significant impact on the work of equine practitioners. In most cases, behaviours considered aberrant by owners are normal responses for their horses. Behaviours perceived as ‘naughtiness’ may in fact signify direct actions to avoid pain‐ or fear‐inducing stimuli. Examples that practitioners might deal with include trailer loading problems, avoidance of having saddlery equipment applied or reluctance to leave the yard. Even where no evidence of physical problems or pain can be detected, avoidance behaviours may reflect learnt responses that previously led to success in evading unpleasant consequences. Because owners often misunderstand the reason for such behaviours to develop in their horses, attempts at resolution often involve suppression or punishment based approaches. Although repeated subjugation of undesirable responses may ultimately appear to resolve the overt behavioural problem in some cases, in many others it can lead to a worsening of the problem, the development of alternative avoidance strategies or the horse learning that escaping the source of its pain or anxiety is impossible and ceasing to respond. Some horses develop abnormal or repetitive behaviours, which are not in the ‘normal’ behavioural repertoire. These stereotypic behaviours, sometimes termed ‘vices’, can indicate strategies to cope with a suboptimal environment. Indeed, their performance may serve to improve the situation for the animal. Attempts to suppress or prevent horses showing stereotypies, therefore, will generally exacerbate the underlying welfare problem. When dealing with either stereotypies or avoidance behaviours, it is important to recognise the role of learning in their development and maintenance. Resolution involves both understanding the underlying motivation for showing the behaviour and how it has become reinforced and established over time, for each individual case. The use of environmental change and/or behavioural modification techniques that are both successful and welfare compatible, are important in dealing with undesired behaviour in horses and selection of suitable professionals for referral an important responsibility for the equine practitioner.