Gopher Tortoise Response to Habitat Management by Prescribed Burning

ABSTRACT As quality of forested habitat declines from altered fire regimes, gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) often move into ruderal areas to the detriment of the animal and land manager. We evaluated effects of a dormant-and-growing-season prescribed fire on habitat and gopher tortoise use of degraded longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forests surrounding military training areas. We burned 4 of 8 sites in winter 2001–2002 and again in April 2003. Changes in vegetation measured during 2001–2004 indicated that burn treatments did not increase herbaceous vegetation. Similarly, movement patterns, burrow usage, and home range of tortoises radiotracked from 2002–2004 did not differ between treatments. Woody cover initially was reduced in the forests postburn, and we found more new burrows in burned forest sites. Once shrub cover was reduced, tortoises started using forested habitat that had become overgrown. However, shrub reduction may be temporary, as woody stem densities increased postburn. Thus, the one-time use of fire to manage tortoise habitat may not rapidly restore the open canopy, sparse woody midstory, and abundant herbaceous vegetation that this species requires. Repeated prescribed fires or additional management techniques may be needed for complete restoration.     

The Alimentary Forms of the Global Life: The Pacific Island Trade in Lamb and Mutton Flaps

In this article, we track the controversial flow of lamb and mutton flaps (sheep bellies) from New Zealand and Australia to Papua New Guinea and Fiji. We focus on a multivalent fetish, a commodity that has the power to make a range of important things happen for differently located people. Some view flaps as trash, others, as treasure. They are objects of distaste or desire. As such, they are agents of social differentiation or of commonality. By exploring the different ways in which lamb and mutton flaps are fetishized in this part of the Pacific, we learn much about how contemporary socialities and economies are constructed and understood.     

Feedbacks between phosphorus deposition and canopy cover: The emergence of multiple stable states in tropical dry forests

Dry forests represent a large percentage of tropical forests and are vulnerable to both anthropogenic and natural disturbances, yet important aspects of their sensitivity to disruption remain poorly understood. It is particularly unclear how changes in land-use or tropical storm patterns may affect the resiliency of phosphorus (P)-limited neotropical forests. In these systems, vegetation is sustained in the long-term by atmospheric P-inputs through rainfall, dust, or fog. Past research supports the idea that dust and fog deposition are dependent on canopy density (e.g. leaf area index). Thus, the canopy may function as a 'trap' for P, enabling a positive feedback between vegetation and P-deposition. We developed a conceptual model to investigate how Neotropical vegetation may respond to reduced P-deposition due to canopy losses. The model suggests that a canopy-deposition feedback may induce bistable vegetation dynamics; under some conditions, forests may be unable to naturally recover from relatively small disturbances.     

Isolation of 22 new Haliaeetus microsatellite loci and their characterization in the critically endangered Madagascar fish‐eagle (Haliaeetus vociferoides) and three other Haliaeetus eagle species

We isolated a total of 22 microsatellite loci from two Haliaeetus species: the Madagascar fish‐eagle (Haliaeetus vociferoides) and the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Five loci were monomorphic in both the Madagascar fish‐eagle (n = 24–43) and the bald eagle (n = 2–8) but were found to be polymorphic in other Haliaeetus species. Haliaeetus loci have proved useful for investigating gene flow in Haliaeetus and Aquila eagles. Ten loci were polymorphic in the critically endangered Madagascar fish‐eagle and will be used to investigate the genetic population structure and mating system in this species.     

Contrasting levels of extra-pair paternity in mainland and island populations of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus): is there an 'island effect'?

Despite the many studies that have investigated the genetic mating system of socially monogamous birds, very little is known about the underlying causes of extra-pair paternity and few studies have attempted to test those hypotheses which have been suggested. This study describes die analysis of die genetic mating system of two populations of the house sparrow [Passer domesticus) , and uses the results from four other populations to test existing hypodieses using an intra-specific comparative approach. The parentage analysis was conducted using a combination of published and newly presented microsatellite loci isolated from the house sparrow. One population in Kentucky, U.S.A. was found to contain what may be considered to be a typical level of extra-pair paternity for mis species (10.5%, 19/185 offspring). The second, a population on the island of Lundy, UK, exhibited a very low level (1.3%, 4/305 offspring), significandy lower dian that in all the other populations studied so far. The finding of such diverse rates of extra-pair paternity, along with the existing estimates from ofher populations, has allowed us to test the effects of breeding density and genetic variation on die level of extra-pair paternity. We found no effect of either factor on the frequency of extra-pair paternity in the house sparrow, leaving the cause of this variation open to fresh ideas.     

Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor is a Growth-Factor for Promastigotes of Leishmania mexicana amazonensis

ABSTRACT. In this paper we show that murine lung conditioned medium (LCM) displays, in addition to its already described colony-stimulating activity on bone marrow cells, a potent growth-stimulating activity on promastigotes of Leishmania mexicana amazonensis . Immunoprecipitation of LCM with an antibody specific for murine granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) abrogates both activities, indicating that the leishmanial growth-promoting activity is due to the presence of GM-CSF on LCM. Furthermore, recombinant GM-CSF (rGM-CSF) added to the culture medium or to the immunoprecipitated LCM is able to respectively induce or to partially recover the growth-promoting activity of the LCM. Sequential in vitro passages of the parasite induces a progressive loss of sensitivity to the growth-factor. Parasite forms recently collected from lesions are significantly more responsive to the growth-factor than forms already adapted to grow in culture. Since it has been shown that several different microorganisms display receptors for vertebrate-like hormones and that GM-CSF is able to enhance a cutaneous leishmanial lesion, our results permit us to raise the hypothesis that a direct interaction between a host-derived hormone and a pathogenic microorganism can be of importance in defining the fate of an infection. The fact that GM-CSF is produced by cells that actively participate in a leishmanial infection (T-lymphocytes and macrophages) reinforces our hypothesis.     

Natal Den Selection by Florida Panthers

ABSTRACT Information regarding habitat types selected by federally endangered Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) at natal den sites is needed because habitats used for parturition and kitten rearing potentially influence fitness of individuals and viability of the population. We located 51 natal den sites of 30 female panthers and performed a Euclidean distance analysis to determine which habitat types were selected and avoided at dens in south Florida, USA. Panther dens were closer to upland hardwoods, pinelands, and mixed wet forests (P ≤ 0.003) and farther from freshwater marsh-wet prairie (P = 0.009). We recommend that habitat protection efforts prioritize blocks of land that have abundant patches of upland hardwood, pinelands, and mixed wet forests to maintain preferred panther denning habitat.