A Conservation Institution for the 21st Century: Implications for State Wildlife Agencies

ABSTRACT The wildlife conservation institution (Institution) needs to reform to maintain legitimacy and relevancy in the 21st century. Institutional reform is inherently slow. Limitations resulting from historical and resource dependencies between state wildlife agencies and hunters have left the Institution poorly positioned to meet changing ecological and social complexities. In this paper, we suggest that an ideal Institution would have the following 4 components: broad-based funding, trustee-based governance, multidisciplinary science as the basis of recommendations from professional staff, and involvement of diverse stakeholders and partners. Our suggestions reflect the fundamental tenets of the Public Trust Doctrine, which we believe is the foundation of the Institution. In bringing forth these ideas, we hope to encourage discussion about how the Institution should reform to meet the changing needs of society.     

Spread of an introduced vector-borne banana virus in Hawaii

Emerging diseases are increasing in incidence; therefore, understanding how pathogens are introduced into new regions and cause epidemics is of importance for the development of strategies that may hinder their spread. We used molecular data to study how a vector-borne banana virus, Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV), spread in Hawaii after it was first detected in 1989. Our analyses suggest that BBTV was introduced once into Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. All other islands were infected with isolates originating from Oahu, suggesting that movement of contaminated plant material was the main driving factor responsible for interisland spread of BBTV. The rate of mutation inferred by the phylogenetic analysis (1.4 × 10⁻⁴ bp/year) was similar to that obtained in an experimental evolution study under greenhouse conditions (3.9 × 10⁻⁴ bp/year). We used these values to estimate the number of infections occurring under field conditions per year. Our results suggest that strict and enforced regulations limiting the movement of banana plant material among Hawaiian islands could have reduced interisland spread of this pathogen.     

Bryozoan frontal shields: the type species of Desmacystis, Rhamphostomella, Rhamphosmittina, Rhamphostomellina, and new genus Arctonula

Frontal shields have been examined in the type species of several genera of ascophorine cheilostomates. Desmacystis (Desmacystidae) is not an'anascan'as previously thought, but has a cryptocystal shield which is here interpreted to be derived from an umbonuloid shield by foreshortening, possibly from a rhamphostomellan ancestor. Rhamphostomella (type species Rscabra ) and Rhamphosmittina (type species R. bassleero ) (both in the family Porellidae Vigneaux, here raised from subfamily rank) also have umbonuloid shields. Arctomula , new genus, is established for Lepralia arctica M. Sars and transferred from the Umbonulidae to the Exochellidac. Rhamphostomellina (type species R. posidoniue ) has a lepralioid shield. It is here included in the family Celleporidae.