Circadian Activity Patterns of Canada Lynx in Western Montana

Abstract: We recorded activity data for 6 male and 5 female lynx in winter and 3 male and 6 female lynx during summer in western Montana, USA, using motion-sensitive radiocollars. Lynx diel activity appeared to vary by sex, season, and reproductive status. During summer, male lynx exhibited a crepuscular activity pattern, whereas females with kittens remained active throughout the photoperiod. During winter, lynx of both sexes were most active during the afternoon and early evening. Although we observed no evidence that predation risk drove lynx activity patterns, such patterns may be a function of kitten-rearing activity, thermoregulatory strategies, and foraging behavior.     

Elk Responses to Management Hunting and Hazing

Human-wildlife conflicts are widespread around the world and result in property damage, disease spillover, financial loss, and decreased tolerance of wildlife. Increasing elk (Cervus canadensis) populations and land-use changes in the western United States are challenging resource managers tasked with managing conflict. Lethal and non-lethal management actions are commonly used to remove elk from conflict zones where they are not desired. We used radio-collar location data collected from female elk in 2 study areas in Montana, USA, from 2017–2020 to evaluate population- and individual-level responses to management actions (i.e., hunting, hazing) and environmental factors (i.e., weather, season, time of day). First, we used a generalized linear model with a logit link to evaluate the effects of hunting, hazing, time period, seasonality, and weather on the proportion of collared elk that used a conflict zone. Second, we used an ordinary linear model to assess the influence of hunting, hazing, seasonality, and weather on the duration of time that individual elk remained away from conflict zones. The proportion of elk using conflict zones was reduced by hunting, modestly reduced by hazing and increasing snowpack for 1 study area, increased at night, and decreased by a seasonal trend across months. The time individual elk remained away from conflict zones increased with the number of hazing events that occurred during an event and showed a modest seasonal trend increasing across months. For 1 study area, time away increased with the number of hunting days during an event and increasing snowpack, but the increase was biologically trivial. Our results indicate mixed responses of elk to hunting and hazing actions and provide evidence that management actions can influence elk use of conflict areas. Agencies trying to reduce conflicts may want to consider a combination of hunting and hazing, while accounting for site-specific characteristics to keep elk away from conflict zones. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.     

Colonization and early succession on anthropogenic soils

Abstract. This paper reports on vegetation development on permanent experimental plots during five years of succession. Nine (1 m²) plots were filled with three typical substrates from man-made habitats of urban and industrial areas in the region of Berlin. The three substrates (a commercial ‘topsoil’, a ruderal ‘landfill’ soil and a sandy soil), differ in organic matter and nutrient contents. Relevés of species composition and percent cover of each species present were made monthly during the growing season from the start of vegetation development. This paper describes the different successional pathways on topsoil and ruderal soil and the colonization process on sandy soil. On topsoil, ruderal annuals are dominant in the first year and are replaced by short-lived perennials from the second year. Those species were replaced by long-lived perennial herbs (Ballota nigra or Urtica dioica) from the third year of succession onwards. On the ruderal land-fill soil the early successional stages are less sharp and the perennial Solidago canadensis is able to dominate within one year after the succession was initiated. On sandy soil there is still an ongoing colonization process, where pioneer tree species like Betula pendula and Populus nigra play a main role. The importance of ‘initial floristic composition’, the role of substrate for community structure and the peculiarities of successional sequences on anthropogenic soils in the context of primary and secondary successions are discussed.     

小蓬草水浸液对2种花卉种子萌发及幼苗生长的化感作用北大核心CSCD

为揭示入侵杂草与草本花卉之间的竞争关系,以入侵植物小蓬草为供体材料,常用的花卉波斯菊、观赏油菜为受体材料,研究了小蓬草根、叶水浸提液对受体植物种子萌发、幼苗生长、抗氧化酶活性(SOD、POD和CAT)以及丙二醛(MDA)含量的化感效应差异。结果表明,(1)小蓬草浸提液对受体植物的种子萌发均具有显著化感效应,基本表现为“低促高抑”的趋势,且波斯菊、观赏油菜的种子萌发率在根、叶浸提液浓度为25 g/L时最高,在浸提液浓度为100 g/L时最低。(2)小蓬草浸提液对受体植物幼苗上下胚轴生长具有“低促高抑”的浓度效应,且浓度越大抑制作用越显著。(3)在小蓬草根、叶浸提液处理下,观赏油菜的SOD和POD活性大多显著高于对照,波斯菊SOD和POD活性则大多显著低于对照;波斯菊、观赏油菜CAT活性整体呈先缓慢升高后降低的趋势。(4)波斯菊幼苗MDA含量随小蓬草根、叶浸提液浓度的增加均呈现逐渐升高的趋势,并大多高于对照水平,而观赏油菜幼苗MDA含量随着根浸提液浓度增加而逐渐升高,却随着叶浸提液浓度的增加而降低,但大多显著低于对照水平。研究发现,小蓬草浸提液对2种花卉种子萌发和幼苗生长均表现出“低促高抑”化感作用,且综合效应强弱表现为观赏油菜大于波斯菊,根浸提液处理大于叶浸提液。