Dinosaur Evolution: Student Response to Dinosaur Ramblings

Abstract: In the 2007 Journal of Wildlife Management article “Dinosaur Ramblings,” Scalet described a shift in university and agency programs away from applied management research toward basic ecological research. We interpret Scalet's commentary as primarily synonymizing applied management research to game management and basic ecological research to nongame management and theoretical research. Although we agree with Scalet that a change in management practices has occurred, we believe that change is more an integration of applied and basic research as opposed to a shift away from management. We provide a hierarchical framework to alternatively explain Scalet's perceived shift in which we place applied management and basic theoretical research under the science of ecology. We believe integration of basic and applied research has been driven by the evolving structure of society and the public's changing view of natural resources. The integration of basic and applied research is necessary for informed and, thence, better management practices.     

Survival and Breeding Transitions for a Reintroduced Bison Population: a Multistate Approach

Abstract: The iconic plains bison (Bison bison) have been reintroduced to many places in their former range, but there are few scientific data evaluating the success of these reintroductions or guiding the continued management of these populations. Relying on mark-recapture data, we used a multistate model to estimate bison survival and breeding transition probabilities while controlling for the recapture process. We tested hypotheses in these demographic parameters associated with age, sex, reproductive state, and environmental variables. We also estimated biological process variation in survival and breeding transition probabilities by factoring out sampling variation. The recapture rate of females and calves was high (0.78 ± 0.15 [SE]) and much lower for males (0.41 ± 0.23), especially older males (0.17 ± 0.15). We found that overall bison survival was high (>0.8) and that males (0.80 ± 0.13) survived at lower rates than females (0.94 ± 0.04), but as females aged survival declined (0.89 ± 0.05 for F ≥15 yr old). Lactating and non-lactating females survived at similar rates. We found that females can conceive early (approx. 1.5 yr of age) and had a high probability (approx. 0.8) of breeding in consecutive years, until age 13.5 years, when females that were non-lactating tended to stay in that state. Our results suggest senescence in reproduction and survival for females. We found little support for the effect of climatic covariates on demographic rates, perhaps because the park's current population management goals were predicated from drought-year conditions. This reintroduction has been successful, but continued culling actions will need to be employed and an adaptive management approach is warranted. Our demographic approach can be applied to other heavily managed large-ungulate systems with few or no natural predators.     

AFM IMAGING AND ELASTICITY MEASUREMENTS ON LIVING RAT LIVER MACROPHAGES

The authors investigated the morphology and the elastic properties of living cultured rat liver macrophages (Kupffer cells) with an atomic force microscope (AFM). Continuous imaging and elasticity mapping of individual cells in physiological buffer was carried out for several hours without damaging the cells as judged by their persistent undisturbed morphology. Dynamic events such as protrusive activity were observed in time course. The importance of the cytoskeleton for the mechanical properties of the cell has been investigated by measuring the cell's elasticity as a function of position. Chemical disassembly of the actin network by applying 10μg/ml cytochalasin B decreased the cell's average elastic modulus seven-fold within less than 40 minutes. Treating the cells with 0.1μg/ml latrunculin A resulted in a two-fold decrease in the elastic modulus merely in the perinuclear region after 40 minutes, whereas other parts of the cell were not affected.