An Enchanted Modern: Gender and Public Piety in Shi'i Lebanon

An Enchanted Modern: Gender and Public Piety in Shi'i Lebanon . Lara Deeb. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006. 263 pp.     

Duration of cereal aphid populations and the effects on wheat yield and breadmaking quality

Field-caged and open-plot populations of the aphid Sitobion avenae on winter wheat (cv. Maris Widgeon) were sampled approximately twice-weekly in the summer of 1978. Cage populations began at growth stage 10.2 (Feekes scale) (Zadoks, G. S. 52); they were removed by spraying with pirimicarb at growth stages 10.54 (71), 11.1–11.2 (77) and 11.2–11.3 (85) respectively. All cage populations reduced mean weight per grain but the effect per aphid unit was lowest in the population of longest duration. Although the aphid index in the open plots was higher than that in the early cage treatment, yield was unaffected. Cage infestations affected the breadmaking quality of the grain: percentage flour extraction was reduced and there was an increase in colour, nicotinic acid content and thiamine (vitamin B₁) content of the flour; percentage nitrogen in the flour was unaffected but there was a reduction in baking value and in the high molecular weight glutenin content; infestation also reduced α-amylase activity. Different aspects of grain quality did not change in parallel with one another or with yield changes and thus damage thresholds will vary according to the yield/quality measure under consideration.     

Environmental change and the phenology of European aphids

Aphids, because of their short generation time and low developmental threshold temperatures, are an insect group expected to respond particularly strongly to environmental changes. Forty years of standardized, daily data on the abundance of flying aphids have been brought together from countries throughout Europe, through the EU Thematic Network 'EXAMINE'. Relationships between phenology, represented by date of first appearance in a year in a suction trap, of 29 aphid species and environmental data have been quantified using the residual maximum likelihood (REML) methodology. These relationships have been used with climate change scenario data to suggest plausible changes in aphid phenology. In general, the date of first record of aphid species in suction traps is expected to advance, the rate of advance varying with location and species, but averaging 8 days over the next 50 years. Strong relationships between aphid phenology and environmental variables have been found for many species, but they are notably weaker in species living all year on trees. Canonical variate analysis and principal coordinate analysis were used to determine ordinations of the 29 species on the basis of the presence/absence of explanatory variables in the REML models. There was strong discrimination between species with different life cycle strategies and between species feeding on herbs and trees, suggesting the possible value of trait-based groupings in predicting responses to environmental changes.     

Differentiating aquatic plant communities in a eutrophic river using hyperspectral and multispectral remote sensing

1. This study evaluates the efficacy of remote sensing technology to monitor species composition, areal extent and density of aquatic plants (macrophytes and filamentous algae) in impoundments where their presence may violate water‐quality standards. 2. Multispectral satellite (IKONOS) images and more than 500 in situ hyperspectral samples were acquired to map aquatic plant distributions. By analyzing field measurements, we created a library of hyperspectral signatures for a variety of aquatic plant species, associations and densities. We also used three vegetation indices. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), near‐infrared (NIR)‐Green Angle Index (NGAI) and normalized water absorption depth (D_H)_, at wavelengths 554, 680, 820 and 977 nm to differentiate among aquatic plant species composition, areal density and thickness in cases where hyperspectral analysis yielded potentially ambiguous interpretations. 3. We compared the NDVI derived from IKONOS imagery with the in situ, hyperspectral‐derived NDVI. The IKONOS‐based images were also compared to data obtained through routine visual observations. Our results confirmed that aquatic species composition alters spectral signatures and affects the accuracy of remote sensing of aquatic plant density. The results also demonstrated that the NGAI has apparent advantages in estimating density over the NDVI and the D_H. 4. In the feature space of the three indices, 3D scatter plot analysis revealed that hyperspectral data can differentiate several aquatic plant associations. High‐resolution multispectral imagery provided useful information to distinguish among biophysical aquatic plant characteristics. Classification analysis indicated that using satellite imagery to assess Lemna coverage yielded an overall agreement of 79% with visual observations and >90% agreement for the densest aquatic plant coverages. 5. Interpretation of biophysical parameters derived from high‐resolution satellite or airborne imagery should prove to be a valuable approach for assessing the effectiveness of management practices for controlling aquatic plant growth in inland waters, as well as for routine monitoring of aquatic plants in lakes and suitable lentic environments.     

Inter‐regional comparison of land‐use effects on stream metabolism

1. Rates of whole‐system metabolism (production and respiration) are fundamental indicators of ecosystem structure and function. Although first‐order, proximal controls are well understood, assessments of the interactions between proximal controls and distal controls, such as land use and geographic region, are lacking. Thus, the influence of land use on stream metabolism across geographic regions is unknown. Further, there is limited understanding of how land use may alter variability in ecosystem metabolism across regions. 2. Stream metabolism was measured in nine streams in each of eight regions (n = 72) across the United States and Puerto Rico. In each region, three streams were selected from a range of three land uses: agriculturally influenced, urban‐influenced, and reference streams. Stream metabolism was estimated from diel changes in dissolved oxygen concentrations in each stream reach with correction for reaeration and groundwater input. 3. Gross primary production (GPP) was highest in regions with little riparian vegetation (sagebrush steppe in Wyoming, desert shrub in Arizona/New Mexico) and lowest in forested regions (North Carolina, Oregon). In contrast, ecosystem respiration (ER) varied both within and among regions. Reference streams had significantly lower rates of GPP than urban or agriculturally influenced streams. 4. GPP was positively correlated with photosynthetically active radiation and autotrophic biomass. Multiple regression models compared using Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) indicated GPP increased with water column ammonium and the fraction of the catchment in urban and reference land‐use categories. Multiple regression models also identified velocity, temperature, nitrate, ammonium, dissolved organic carbon, GPP, coarse benthic organic matter, fine benthic organic matter and the fraction of all land‐use categories in the catchment as regulators of ER. 5. Structural equation modelling indicated significant distal as well as proximal control pathways including a direct effect of land‐use on GPP as well as SRP, DIN, and PAR effects on GPP; GPP effects on autotrophic biomass, organic matter, and ER; and organic matter effects on ER. 6. Overall, consideration of the data separated by land‐use categories showed reduced inter‐regional variability in rates of metabolism, indicating that the influence of agricultural and urban land use can obscure regional differences in stream metabolism.     

A NEW SPECIES OF THE WOMBAT WARENDJA FROM LATE MIOCENE DEPOSITS AT RIVERSLEIGH, NORTH-WEST QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

Abstract:  A new species of the plesiomorphic wombat Warendja is described. Warendja encorensis sp. nov., the second species to be attributed to this genus, is known from a single fossil locality (Encore Site) at Riversleigh, north-west Queensland. Specimens of W. encorensis are limited to isolated teeth, two mandibular fragments and a maxillary fragment. Two molars preserve the unworn crown morphology. Encore Site has been estimated to be late Miocene in age, making these the only known specimens of Warendja to be clearly older than Pleistocene. Warendja encorensis is also the first described species of wombat from Miocene deposits to which hypselodont teeth have been attributed. It differs from W. wakefieldi in its larger size, distribution of enamel, and in details of the incisor and premolar morphology.     

Survival of Breeding Pacific Common Eiders on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta,Alaska

ABSTRACT Populations of Pacific common eiders (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum) breeding in Alaska, USA, have declined markedly over the past 40 years. We studied survival of adult female Pacific common eiders using capture—recapture of nesting hens at 3 sites on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD), Alaska from 1994 to 2004. We used data consisting of 268 recapture events from 361 uniquely marked individuals to investigate temporal, geographic, and environmental variation in adult female survival. Our results suggest apparent annual survival of adult eiders from the YKD was high (0.892, SE = 0.022) and spatially and temporally invariant (σ² = 0.005), a pattern consistent with other long-lived marine birds. Moreover, our results suggest adult survival may be functionally fixed for Pacific common eiders, and at the present, adult survival may be relatively unresponsive to environmental or management perturbations. Our data did not support hypothesized variation in survival relative to mortality factors such as predation on breeding grounds, physiologic costs of reproduction, and wintering conditions. Although changes in adult survival likely have a large potential effect on prospective population growth, our results suggest viable management actions aimed at increasing survival may be extremely limited.     

Disturbances in semi-arid shrubland and arid grassland in the Karoo, South Africa: mammal diggings as germination sites

Mammals (mainly aardvark Orycteropus ufer , porcupine Hystrix austro-africanae , bat-eared fox Otocyon megalotis and Cape fox Vulpes chama ) which excavate holes in hard-capped soils in Karoo shrubland and inter-dune pans create microsites where seeds, detritus and water accumulate, and seeds germinate. Holes with seedlings were significantly deeper (6.7 ± 0.4 cm) than holes without seedlings (4.5 ± 0.3 cm). In open, inter-shrub sites, significantly more seedlings germinated in diggings than on the flat soil surface, but there was no difference in the proportion of seedlings germinating under shrubs and in diggings. In inter-dune pans, 96% of all seedlings found were growing in diggings.

Résumé

Les mammifères (surtout l'oryctérope Orycreropus afer , le porcépic Hystrix austro-ajricanae , l'otocyon Otocyion megalotis , et le renard du Cap Vulpes chama ) qui creusent des trous dans les régions buissonneuses du Karoo et dans les creux entre les dunes créent des microsites où les semences, les déchets et l'eau se rassemblent, et les semences germent. Les trous où elles germent sont significativement plus profonds (6,7 ± 0,4 cm) que ceux où elles ne germent pas (4,5± 0,3 cm). Aux endroits buissonneux ouverts, il pousse plus de jeunes plantes dans des creux qu'à la surface du sol, mais il n'y a pas de différence entre les proportions de celles qui poussent sous les buissons et dans les creux. Dans les creux entre les dunes, 96% des jeunes pousses croissent dans les excavations.