Variable selection for discriminant analysis of fish sounds using matrix correlations

Discriminant analysis is a widely used multivariate technique. In some applications the number of variables available is very large and, as with other multivariate techniques, it is desirable to simplify matters by selecting a subset of the variables in such a way that little useful information is lost in doing so. Many methods have been suggested for variable selection in discriminant analysis; this article introduces a new one, based on matrix correlation, an idea that has proved useful in the context of principal component analysis. The method is illustrated on an example involving fish sounds. It is important to discriminate between the sounds made by different species of fish, and even by individual fish, but the nature of the data is such that many potential variables are available.     

Fast sinking (integrated weight) longlines reduce mortality of white-chinned petrels (Procellaria aequinoctialis) and sooty shearwaters (Puffinus griseus) in demersal longline fisheries

Longline fisheries have been responsible for the deaths of large numbers of seabirds worldwide. Two of the most difficult seabird species to deter from baited hooks are the white-chinned petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis) and sooty shearwater (Puffinus griseus). Longlines with integrated weight (IW) sink faster than normal, unweighted (UW), longlines and have the potential to reduce the numbers of these species killed. The relative differences in the number of white-chinned petrels and sooty shearwaters killed on UW longlines and IW longlines containing 50 g/m beaded lead core were investigated in 2002 and 2003 in the New Zealand ling (Genypterus blacodes) autoline fishery. Effects on catch rates of target and non-target fish species, and operational aspects of the use of IW gear, were also assessed. A single bird scaring streamer line was deployed on all sets of longlines. In 2002 and 2003, compared to UW lines IW lines reduced mortality of white-chinned petrels by 98.7% and 93.5%, respectively. In 2003 IW lines reduced sooty shearwater mortality by 60.5%. Catch rates of white-chinned petrels (including on sets when no fatalities were recorded) by IW gear were low: 0.005/1000 hooks (UW: 0.4) and 0.01/1000 hooks (UW: 0.17) in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Equivalent rates for sooty shearwaters in 2003 were 0.06/1000 hooks by IW and 0.13/1000 hooks by UW. No albatrosses were caught on either line type in 2002; in 2003 a single Salvin’s albatross (Thalassarche salvini) was caught on UW gear. Both the number of ling and the mean masses of ling caught in 2003 by IW (mass: 189.3; CL_95% 162.7-220.3 kg/1000 hooks) and UW (200.6; CL_95% 178.2-225.9 kg/1000 hooks) longlines were similar statistically. Use of IW longlines and streamer lines in autoline fisheries should yield major conservation benefits to seabirds interacting with these fisheries worldwide.     

The Dynamics of Suspended Sediment Transport in the Ribble Estuary

Velocity and turbidity were measured over a tidal cycle during both spring and neap tides in the Ribble estuary England. The data was analysed to determine the relative magnitudes of the various components of the residual circulation and sediment flux. The Lagrangian residual circulation was found to be dominated by the influence of freshwater input to the estuary the landward directed component of the circulation due to the Stokes drift being cancelled by the Eulerian flow induced by set-upThe dominant driving mechanism of the residual flux of suspended sediment was found to vary both spatially and over the spring-neap cycle. During the neap tide the flux in the mid estuary was negligable, however, during the spring tide landward transport of sediment by the mechanism of tidal pumping was found to be the dominant mechanism.     

Characterization and evaluation of North American Trifolium ambiguum -nodulating rhizobia

Kura clover ( Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb.) is a promising persistent forage legume, whose use is currently limited by establishment difficulties in part attributable to nodulation problems. In this study, we phenotypically characterized 18 Kura clover rhizobia including 12 newly isolated North American strains using 111 growth tests. The symbiotic performances of these 12 strains when used to inoculate hexaploid Kura clover plants were then evaluated in a growth chamber and compared to five strains commonly used in commercial Kura clover inoculants. Non-inoculated plants with or without N fertilization were used as controls. Field evaluations were also conducted in 2001 and 2002 in Montreal, Quebec and Becker, Minnesota. Hexaploid Kura clover was seeded with one of three North American strains or three commercial strains and compared to non-inoculated controls with or without N fertilizer. Phenotypic diversity observed among the 12 North American strains was limited. The North American strains were often more efficient than strains commonly used in commercial rhizobial inoculants in both growth chamber and field trials. In the growth chamber study, 60 days after seeding, shoot dry matter accumulation was overall 205% greater with North American strains than with commercial strains and 45% greater than with the best commercial strain tested. Some of the strains currently used in commercial inoculants failed to nodulate Kura clover plants effectively. North American strains tested in field trials (i.e., CT1-1, CT1-2, and WI4-4) overall increased total and shoot dry matter accumulation, 100 days after seeding, in three of four environments by 27% and 31% respectively, when compared to commercial inoculant strains. While these strains appear to have potential they still produced less dry matter than non-inoculated N-fertilized controls.     

Effect of manganese-reducing rhizosphere bacteria on the growth of Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici and on manganese uptake by wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Summary Five bacterial strains capable of Mn reduction were isolated from the rhizosphere of plants growing in different South Australian soils. They differed in their Mn-reducing capacity. The antagonism of these strains compared to the imported strain 2–79 (from the United States) against Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici was tested in agar and in a soil sandwich experiment at different Mn²⁺ concentrations in the soil. In addition, wheat seeds were coated with the different strains and with MnSO₄ or with MnSO₄ only in order to investigate their effect on plant growth and Mn uptake. With one exception, all strains inhibited the growth of G. graminis in agar, but to different degrees. In contrast, only two strains significantly inhibited the growth of the fungus in the soil. The hyphal density was decreased more than the hyphal length. The Mn²⁺ concentration in the soil also had a marked effect on fungal growth; low Mn concentrations slightly increased while high Mn concentrations strongly decreased the fungal growth. Seed treatment with MnSO₄ only (+Mn) increased Mn uptake above that of the control (no seed treatment). Only the weakest Mn reducer on agar significantly increased plant growth and Mn uptake from soil in comparison with the Mn treatment. One strain was tested as seed coating without adding MnSO₄; it increased the plant growth to an extent similar to the Mn treatment. Increasing the Mn uptake by plants may be one of the growth-promoting effects exerted by rhizosphere bacteria.     

Birch invasion of heather moorland increases nematode diversity and trophic complexity

To determine whether successional changes in plant communities may influence belowground community structure, we quantified nematode abundance, trophic structure and diversity along two separate chronosequences from heather moorland to birch woodland in the Scottish uplands. Tree invasion markedly altered plant community composition, and hence litter inputs, both directly, and indirectly through changes in understorey species. In turn, these changes in detrital inputs were reflected in consistent changes in nematode community structure. Nematode abundance increased from moorland to birch woodland, with moorland soils being dominated by a few taxa, notably root-hair and fungal feeders, compared to the more diverse composition of the birch woodland soils. Trophic structure was altered through an increase in the abundance of bacterial feeding relative to fungal-feeding nematodes, and an increase in the abundance of predatory nematodes. The increase in predators during the succession from moorland to woodland was associated with an increase in soil pH, highlighting that not only changes in the plant community, but also changes in soil properties associated with tree invasion may influence soil nematodes. Nematode diversity increased from moorland to birch woodland, with nematode richness being positively related to both plant species richness and soil pH. These results suggest that trees may control soil community structure through the manipulation of resources and the soil physico-chemical environment, promoting greater nematode diversity and trophic complexity.     

The dynamic nature of plant-available manganese during storage of a calcareous soil

Summary The effect of length of dry storage period and subsequent moist incubation on the availability of Mn was examined in a calcareous soil. Increasing the time of dry storage (for up to 4 years) generally increased the availability of Mn as determined by plant growth and Mn concentration in wheat and barley. Moist incubation of stored soil had variable effects on Mn availability depending on how long the soil had been stored before use and on the method used to assess Mn availability. When assessed by Mn concentration in plant tissues, increasing the moist incubation time (from 0 to 30 days) of soil stored dry for 4 years increased Mn availability in soil initially and thereafter decreased it. However, incubation time had little effect on Mn availability in soil stored for only 1 year or soil used fresh from the field. When Mn availability was assessed using a chemical extractant (DTPA; diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid), both soils showed an initial increase in Mn availability immediately on wetting. However, Mn availability in the soil stored for only 1 year decreased rapidly and remained consistently below that of soil stored for 4 years. In the latter soil, Mn availability also decreased but only after a few days. Microbial studies indicated that there was a decrease in the ratio of Mn oxidising to Mn reducing microorganisms with increasing storage time. Inoculation of one soil with another suggested that the factor responsible for the low Mn availability in soils stored for a short period could be transferred to soils stored for a longer period. These results suggest that the change in Mn availability in a calcareous soil with dry storage is a result of changes in microbial populations that cannot be fully restored by moist incubation.     

Parasites in Kentucky Thoroughbreds at necropsy: emphasis on stomach worms and tapeworms

A total of 363 Thoroughbreds (62 males, 292 females, and 9 geldings), 1 to 26 years of age, were examined at necropsy for internal parasites for about a 12-month period from February 1981 through February 1982. Emphasis was on examining the stomach for nematodes and the small intestine and cecum for tapeworms. Parasites recovered from the stomach and infection rates were: Habronema spp--immature (24%), H muscae--adult (38%), Draschia megastoma--immature (13%), D megastoma--adult (62%), and Trichostrongylus axei--adult (4%); lesions caused by D megastoma were found upon gross observation in 58% of the stomachs. The tapeworm, Anoplocephala perfoliata, was recovered from 54% of the horses; A magna was not found. There was no obvious difference in infection rates of the stomach worms and tapeworms according to age or sex of the horses. Seasonal differences were apparent only for immature Habronema spp and immature D megastoma for which infection rates began increasing in June, peaking in October, and declining thereafter. Presence of 4 additional species of parasites was recorded, but only a cursory examination was made for them. These were the large strongyles, Strongylus vulgaris, S edentatus, and S equinus, from the cecum and a filariid, Setaria spp (probably S equina), from the abdominal cavity, for which recovery rates from the horses were 8%, 8%, 1%, and 7%, respectively.