Ponies Out of Place? Wild Animals,Wilderness and Environmental Governance

Powerful institutions in Australia regularly depict the continent as overrun with fauna variously described as ‘feral’, ‘vermin’, ‘alien’ and ‘invasive’. This paper addresses the issue of ‘animal matter out of place’ through the ethnographic analysis of a long-running conflict over ‘feral’ ponies in Coffin Bay National Park, South Australia. As the Department of Environment and Heritage manoeuvred to eliminate this ‘alien’ presence from the ‘pristine’ landscape of the Coffin Bay Peninsula, local residents argued that the herd was a product of this ecological niche and should remain in its ‘natural’ home. The trajectory of the conflict suggests that the expansion of environmental governance from centre to periphery is by no means as predictable and inevitable as is often anticipated.1     

Wild boar hunting and socioeconomic trends in Northern Greece, 1993–2002

Wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations increased worldwide in the last decade, but boar hunters have decreased. To maintain and increase hunters and to clarify the problems for sustainable hunting, we investigated their activities, attitudes, and socioeconomic trends. Drama and Kavala, Northern Greece have the best wild boar habitat in the country. We estimated the percentage of hunters hunting wild boar in Drama and Kavala and studied their profile to determine how the recent socioeconomic changes in the region affected numbers, activities, attitudes, and socioeconomic trend, from 1993 to 2002. In 1993, data were gathered through a questionnaire distributed randomly to 411 and 480 hunters in Drama and Kavala, respectively. In 2002, 320 and 400 questionnaires were collected in Drama and Kavala, respectively. In Drama, 13.6% of the hunters hunted wild boar in 1993 and 12.3% in 2002. In Kavala, 10.0% hunted wild boar in 1993 and 9.3% in 2002. The average age of hunters in Drama in 1993 was 37.9 years and 39.4 in 2002. In Kavala, the average age per hunter was reduced from 42.3 to 37.4 years. The average hunting experience had increased by 4.8% and 0.6%, respectively. In 2002, there was an increase in the distance traveled for hunting, the level of education of the hunters, the number of people working in the private sector, and in the public service. Wild boar hunters are mainly married, middle income class, earning 4,000–7,500 Euros/year. The above data will allow managers to better understand the socioeconomics of the hunters of wild boar and may be able to use the data to encourage increased hunting.     

Correction to: Wild Laboratories of Climate Change: Plants,Phenology, and Global Warming, 1955–1980

Journal of the History of Biology -     

Artificial spawning and rearing of lake sturgeon,Acipenser fulvescens,in Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery,Wisconsin, 1982–1983

Synopsis Attempts to culture lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, in the past have generally met with limited success. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has been experimenting with artificial propagation of this species since 1979. The intent has been to develop egg collection and handling techniques, hatching regimes, larva and juvenile diet formulations, and to evaluate juvenile survival after stocking. Eggs were collected by caesarian section and fertilized with milt from ripe males taken during annual sturgeon spawning runs on the Fox and Wolf rivers in central Wisconsin. After insemination, the eggs were treated in a saturated solution of Bentonite clay and transported to the hatchery. Eggs were incubated at temperatures ranging from 13–16° C and embryos began hatching within 4 to 8 days. Hatching success ranged from 42 to 96%. Yolksac absorption was complete within 10 days of hatching. Larvae then became positively phototactic and swam actively as if searching for food. Successful larval diets consisted of live brine shrimp nauplii followed by larger zooplankton, primarily Daphnia sp. Juveniles grew best on diets of live Tubifex sp. and chopped earthworms. Liver, fish mash (ground up trout) and pelleted dry food were poorly accepted. Hatchery reared sturgeon grew more slowly than did wild fish.     

Wild plant seed storage at Neolithic Çatalhöyük East,Turkey

Full analysis of eight seed samples collected in the 1960's excavations at Neolithic Çatalhöyük East, Turkey, is presented. Detailed investigation of the composition and context of the samples suggests that the Neolithic population collected, processed and stored seeds from Capsella sp. and Descurainia sp. (wild crucifers) for food use. In addition seeds of Vicia/Lathyrus sp. (wild vetch), Helianthemum spp. and Taeniatherum caput-medusae mixed with Eremopyrum type (grasses) were also found, some of which may have been used for food or other purposes. The analysis demonstrates that wild seed exploitation was a regular part of subsistence practice alongside the economic staple of crop production, and again demonstrates how diverse plant use practices were at the site.     

Wild Callithrix groups: Stable extended families?

Data from field studies of three Callithrix species, C. flaviceps, C. intermedia, and C. jacchus, are considered in an attempt to characterize group dynamics in this genus. The three groups considered in detail contrast significantly in many behavioral (mating system, ranging behavior, activity patterns) and ecological (zoogeography, habitat, diet) variables. Despite this, all three groups are highly similar in a number of characteristics, including relatively large size, high reproductive output, and low rates of migration. The evidence suggests that Callithrix groups may frequently encompass three generations and are characterized by a high degree of both stability and relatedness between group members. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Wild grapevine: silvestris,hybrids or cultivars that escaped from vineyards? Molecular evidence in Sardinia

Vitis vinifera ssp. silvestris, the spontaneous subspecies of V. vinifera L., is believed to be the ancestor of present grapevine cultivars. In this work, polymorphism at 13 SSR loci was investigated to answer the following key question: are wild plants (i) true silvestris, (ii) hybrids between wild and cultivated plants or (iii) or ‘escapes’ from vineyards? In particular, the objective of the present study was to identify truly wild individuals and to search for possible hybridization events. The study was performed in Sardinia, the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, which is characterized by a large and well‐described number of both grape cultivars and wild populations. This region was ideal for the study because of its spatial isolation and, consequently, limited contamination from outside material. The results of this study show that domesticated and wild grapevine germplasms are genetically divergent and thus are real silvestris. Pure lineages (both domesticated and wild) show very high average posterior probabilities of assignment to their own clusters, with a low level of introgression.     

Collection,Consumption, and Sale of Lusala (Dioscorea hirtiflora)—a Wild Yam—by Rural Households in Southern Province,Zambia

Economic Botany - Dioscorea hirtiflora Benth. is an indigenous wild edible tuberous climbing plant native to Zambia. Known as lusala, the tubers are sold in markets across southern Zambia. Lusala...     

Wild Solanum resistance to aphids: antixenosis or antibiosis?

The type (antixenosis or antibiosis) of resistance against the aphids Myzus persicae (Sulzer) and Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas) was characterized for the wild tuber-bearing potatoes, Solanum chomatophilum Bitter and Solanum stoloniferum Schltdl. & Bouché through behavioral (olfactometry and electrical penetration graph) and physiological studies. In dual-choice assays, only S. stoloniferum exerted attraction to M. euphorbiae. This ruled out the possibility that plant volatiles of S. chomatophilum and S. stoloniferum may contribute to the high resistance expressed. In electrical penetration graph experiments, aphids feeding on S. stoloniferum showed increased salivation phases, whereas phloem ingestion was drastically reduced for both aphid species. Because reaching phloem elements was not delayed in both species, the resistance mechanism was phloem-located. The antixenosis exhibited by S. stoloniferum was similar on young and mature leaves. S. chomatophilum also showed phloem-located antixenosis against M. persicae. In contrast, M. euphorbiae had no difficulty to reach S. chomatophilum phloem tissues and to ingest sap. S. chomatophilum resistance against M. euphorbiae was antibiosis and only expressed in mature leaves, where a complete nymphal mortality was observed.     

Distribution and abundance of Caiman crocodilus in the Caño Negro National Wild Life Refuge, Costa Rica

The distribution and abundance of a population of Caiman crocodilus fuscus were estimated by monthly counting of eye-shines at night, from February 1999 to March 2000 in six transects of Río Frío in the Ca?o Negro National Refuge (RNVSCN), Northern Costa Rica. March was the month with the greatest abundance of caimans observed. The visible fraction of the population (PV2 index) fluctuated between 42.59% to 54.71% during the wet season and 35.49% to 53.93% in the dry season. The transects of river with greater abundance of caimans were Terrón-Sabogal and Sabogal-Playuela. Significant differences were determined in the abundance of caimans between transects, except the transects Entrada San Sebastían-Las Cubas and Las Cubas-Entrada Ca?o Los Patos and Entrada Ca?o Los Patos-Terrón and Boca Sabogal-Playuela. The population of estimated brown caiman in this study was 2283.48 +/- 313.5. The statistical analysis by seasons did not show significant differences in the number of caimans observed. Estimated mean number of caimans per km of river was 74.36/km for 30.7 km of habitat. The results of this study indicated that the fluctuation in population density during the seasons is attributable to local movements.     

The Bacteriophage λ Attachment Site in Wild Strains of Escherichia coli

The attachment site (attlambda) of bacteriophage lambda was examined in wild strains of Escherichia coli. Although the att region is non-coding, the DNA sequence was invariant in the 13 strains examined. Two other non-coding regions showed nine changes, all associated with a single strain. In four of 33 strains, sequences were inserted in or near the attlambda site and in two of these the insert was related to lambda. Among strains that can be lysogenized by lambda, integration was via the attlambda site in all cases. Some resistant strains can be lysogenized, and these have been termed "lenient." Most of these fail to give normal phage yield after induction. In some cases rare lysogens have been formed in cells that belong to a mutant subpopulation.     

Mortality of a Wild King Cobra,Ophiophagus hannah Cantor, 1836 （Serpentes： Elapidae） from Northeast Thailand after Ingesting a Plastic Bag

Wild King Cobras, Ophiophagus hannah, are known to prey almost exclusively on snakes. We observed opportunistic ingestion of a plastic bag by a radio-tracked adult male O. hannah, which was detrimental to the health of the individual and likely lead to its death. Our observation demonstrates that improper disposal of food and plastic waste can be a threat to snakes, highlighting the need to maintain a waste-free environment, especially in areas inhabited by vulnerable species.     

Natural Selection Causes Adaptive Genetic Resistance in Wild Emmer Wheat against Powdery Mildew at “Evolution Canyon” Microsite,Mt. Carmel,Israel

Background

“Evolution Canyon” (ECI) at Lower Nahal Oren, Mount Carmel, Israel, is an optimal natural microscale model for unraveling evolution in action highlighting the basic evolutionary processes of adaptation and speciation. A major model organism in ECI is wild emmer, Triticum dicoccoides, the progenitor of cultivated wheat, which displays dramatic interslope adaptive and speciational divergence on the tropical-xeric “African” slope (AS) and the temperate-mesic “European” slope (ES), separated on average by 250 m.

Methods

We examined 278 single sequence repeats (SSRs) and the phenotype diversity of the resistance to powdery mildew between the opposite slopes. Furthermore, 18 phenotypes on the AS and 20 phenotypes on the ES, were inoculated by both Bgt E09 and a mixture of powdery mildew races.

Results

In the experiment of genetic diversity, very little polymorphism was identified intra-slope in the accessions from both the AS or ES. By contrast, 148 pairs of SSR primers (53.23%) amplified polymorphic products between the phenotypes of AS and ES. There are some differences between the two wild emmer wheat genomes and the inter-slope SSR polymorphic products between genome A and B. Interestingly, all wild emmer types growing on the south-facing slope (SFS=AS) were susceptible to a composite of Blumeria graminis, while the ones growing on the north-facing slope (NFS=ES) were highly resistant to Blumeria graminis at both seedling and adult stages.

Conclusion/Significance

Remarkable inter-slope evolutionary divergent processes occur in wild emmer wheat, T. dicoccoides at EC I, despite the shot average distance of 250 meters. The AS, a dry and hot slope, did not develop resistance to powdery mildew, whereas the ES, a cool and humid slope, did develop resistance since the disease stress was strong there. This is a remarkable demonstration in host-pathogen interaction on how resistance develops when stress causes an adaptive result at a micro-scale distance.     

Does Pathogen Spillover from Commercially Reared Bumble Bees Threaten Wild Pollinators?

The conservation of insect pollinators is drawing attention because of reported declines in bee species and the 'ecosystem services' they provide. This issue has been brought to a head by recent devastating losses of honey bees throughout North America (so called, 'Colony Collapse Disorder'); yet, we still have little understanding of the cause(s) of bee declines. Wild bumble bees (Bombus spp.) have also suffered serious declines and circumstantial evidence suggests that pathogen 'spillover' from commercially reared bumble bees, which are used extensively to pollinate greenhouse crops, is a possible cause. We constructed a spatially explicit model of pathogen spillover in bumble bees and, using laboratory experiments and the literature, estimated parameter values for the spillover of Crithidia bombi, a destructive pathogen commonly found in commercial Bombus. We also monitored wild bumble bee populations near greenhouses for evidence of pathogen spillover, and compared the fit of our model to patterns of C. bombi infection observed in the field. Our model predicts that, during the first three months of spillover, transmission from commercial hives would infect up to 20% of wild bumble bees within 2 km of the greenhouse. However, a travelling wave of disease is predicted to form suddenly, infecting up to 35-100% of wild Bombus, and spread away from the greenhouse at a rate of 2 km/wk. In the field, although we did not observe a large epizootic wave of infection, the prevalences of C. bombi near greenhouses were consistent with our model. Indeed, we found that spillover has allowed C. bombi to invade several wild bumble bee species near greenhouses. Given the available evidence, it is likely that pathogen spillover from commercial bees is contributing to the ongoing decline of wild Bombus in North America. Improved management of domestic bees, for example by reducing their parasite loads and their overlap with wild congeners, could diminish or even eliminate pathogen spillover.