Microplastics (MPs) are recognised as an emerging environmental problem that needs to be carefully monitored. So far, MPs have been widely recorded in marine and freshwater ecosystems. Still, few ...studies have focused on MP occurrence in terrestrial ecosystems, although soils are suspected to be one of the main MP reservoirs. To test a non-invasive method for assessing MP contamination in terrestrial ecosystems, we analysed the pellets of a top terrestrial predator, the barn owl (Tyto alba). Sixty pellets were collected from three agricultural areas (20 pellets each) and analysed to assess both barn owl diet and MP content. Thirty-four MPs were confirmed by micro-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (μ-FTIR) analysis in 33% of the pellets (min-max 1–5 MPs per pellet). Most of the detected items were microfibres (88.2%). Polyethylene terephthalate, polyacrylonitrile and polyamide were the most abundant polymers. One of the three sites was significantly less contaminated. In the two sites with the highest MP occurrences, barn owl diet was characterised by predation on synanthropic rodents, particularly brown rats (Rattus norvegicus), which may indicate habitat degradation and increased exposure to MPs. Analyses also suggest that Savi's pine vole (Microtus savii) is the prey least at risk of MP contamination, probably due to its strictly herbivorous diet. We argue that the analysis of barn owl pellets may represent a cost-effective method for monitoring MP contamination in terrestrial ecosystems.
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•Barn owls are suitable indicators of MP contamination of terrestrial habitats.•Pellet analysis may be a cost-effective and non-invasive method for monitoring MPs.•Our results suggest the transfer of MPs through the food chain.•Predation on synanthropic rodents increases the ingestion of MPs by barn owls.
New Zealand faces significant ecological problems caused by the introduction of a variety of invasive small mammal species. Many of these species originate from temperate to subarctic climates and ...occur across wide elevations in their native range, and so arrived predisposed to adapt to a variety of habitats and bioclimatic zones in their new environs, including the alpine zone. Almost all of New Zealand’s invasive small mammal species have been recorded in the country’s alpine zones, yet neither the altitudinal distribution nor the extent to which such species use high elevation areas has been clearly defined. We conducted extensive camera trap surveys in summer to autumn periods of 2019 and 2020 across an elevation range of 500–2250 m above sea level, and used detection rates and occupancy modelling to reveal the altitudinal distributions and habitat associations of all 10 invasive small mammals that occur in the dryland zone of the central South Island. We found altitudinal distributions varied greatly across species, and that while most exhibited decreasing detection rates and site occupancy probabilities with increasing elevation, some used the subalpine and alpine zones to a greater degree than adjacent lower elevations. There were clear habitat associations, as well as interspecific associations that helped to explain the altitudinal distribution of some species. Understanding how such factors influence the distribution of invasive small mammals has both broad implications for invasive species management, and direct applications in evaluating threats to native taxa, advancing management strategies, and benchmarking distributions in a changing climate.
Stepanova I, Andreychev A, Kulakhmetov R, Lobachev E. 2021. Commensals of underground mammals: European mole (Talpa europaea, Eulipotyphla, Talpidae) and the greater mole-rat (Spalax microphthalmus, ...Rodentia, Spalacidae). Biodiversitas 22: 4665-4670. The study of lodgers of burrows of underground mammals was carried out using the method of hunting cylinders (cans). In the study, 29 different representatives from the following classes were identified in the courses of the greater mole-rat and European mole: Diplopoda, Chilopoda, Gastropoda, Insecta, Amphibia, and Mammalia. Among the vertebrates captured are Eurasian common shrew (Sorex araneus), Eurasian pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus), bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus), common spadefoot toad (Pelobates fuscus), moor frog (Rana arvalis), and common toad (Bufo bufo). Twenty-six different species have been identified among invertebrates. Many animals seek shelter in the burrows of underground mammals from enemies and adverse climatic factors for food or conditions for reproduction. In the central part of Russia, more species of commensals were found in European mole burrows (29) than in greater mole-rat burrows (21).
Patterns of animal movement associated with foraging lie at the heart of many ecological studies and often animals face decisions of staying in an environment they know versus relocating to new ...sites.
The lack of knowledge of new foraging sites means there is risk associated with a decision to relocate (e.g. poor foraging) as well as a potential benefit (e.g. improved foraging).
Using a unique long‐term satellite tracking dataset for several sea turtle species, combined with capture–mark–recapture data extending over 50 years, we show how, across species, individuals generally maintain tight fidelity to specific foraging sites after extended (up to almost 10,000 km) migration to and from distant breeding sites as well as across many decades.
Migrating individuals often travelled through suitable foraging areas en route to their ‘home’ site and so extended their journeys to maintain foraging site fidelity.
We explore the likely mechanistic underpinnings of this trait, which is also seen in some migrating birds, and suggest that individuals will forgo areas of suitable forage encountered en route during migration when they have poor knowledge of the long‐term suitability of those sites, making relocation to those sites risky.
Using satellite tracking in the western Indian Ocean and northern Australia, the authors show that adult green turtles have fidelity to small foraging areas that may be 1,000s of km from their nesting beach. Individuals often forgo suitable foraging areas encountered during migration, probably because relocation to those sites is risky.
Camera traps deployed in grids or stratified random designs are a well‐established survey tool for wildlife but there has been little evaluation of study design parameters.
We used an empirical ...subsampling approach involving 2,225 camera deployments run at 41 study areas around the world to evaluate three aspects of camera trap study design (number of sites, duration and season of sampling) and their influence on the estimation of three ecological metrics (species richness, occupancy and detection rate) for mammals.
We found that 25–35 camera sites were needed for precise estimates of species richness, depending on scale of the study. The precision of species‐level estimates of occupancy (ψ) was highly sensitive to occupancy level, with <20 camera sites needed for precise estimates of common (ψ > 0.75) species, but more than 150 camera sites likely needed for rare (ψ < 0.25) species. Species detection rates were more difficult to estimate precisely at the grid level due to spatial heterogeneity, presumably driven by unaccounted habitat variability factors within the study area. Running a camera at a site for 2 weeks was most efficient for detecting new species, but 3–4 weeks were needed for precise estimates of local detection rate, with no gains in precision observed after 1 month. Metrics for all mammal communities were sensitive to seasonality, with 37%–50% of the species at the sites we examined fluctuating significantly in their occupancy or detection rates over the year. This effect was more pronounced in temperate sites, where seasonally sensitive species varied in relative abundance by an average factor of 4–5, and some species were completely absent in one season due to hibernation or migration.
We recommend the following guidelines to efficiently obtain precise estimates of species richness, occupancy and detection rates with camera trap arrays: run each camera for 3–5 weeks across 40–60 sites per array. We recommend comparisons of detection rates be model based and include local covariates to help account for small‐scale variation. Furthermore, comparisons across study areas or times must account for seasonality, which could have strong impacts on mammal communities in both tropical and temperate sites.
RESUMEN
Las trampas cámara desplegadas en cuadrículas o diseños aleatorios estratificados son una herramienta bien establecida para inventarios de vida silvestre, pero ha habido poca evaluación de los parámetros de diseño del estudio.
Utilizamos un enfoque empírico de submuestreo que involucra 2,225 implementaciones de cámaras en 41 áreas de estudio en todo el mundo para evaluar tres aspectos del diseño del estudio de trampa cámara (número de sitios, duración y temporada de muestreo) y su influencia en la estimación de tres métricas ecológicas (riqueza de especies, ocupación y tasa de detección) para mamíferos.
Encontramos que se necesitaban 25–35 sitios de cámara para estimar con precisión la riqueza de especies, dependiendo de la escala del estudio. La precisión de las estimaciones de ocupación a nivel de especie (ψ) fue muy sensible al nivel de ocupación, con menos de 20 sitios de trampas cámara necesarios para estimaciones precisas de especies comunes (ψ > 0.75), pero es probable que se necesiten más de 150 sitios de trampas cámara para especies raras (ψ < 0.25) especies. Las tasas de detección de especies fueron más difíciles de estimar con precisión a nivel de cuadrícula debido a la heterogeneidad espacial, presumiblemente impulsada por factores de variabilidad del hábitat no contabilizados dentro del área de estudio. Hacer funcionar una cámara en un sitio durante dos semanas fue más eficiente para detectar nuevas especies, pero se necesitaron de tres a cuatro semanas para estimar con precisión la tasa de detección local, sin ganancias de precisión observadas después de un mes. Las métricas para todas las comunidades de mamíferos fueron sensibles a la estacionalidad, el 37%–50% de las especies en los sitios que examinamos fluctuaron significativamente en sus tasas de ocupación o detección durante el año. Este efecto fue más pronunciado en sitios templados, donde las especies estacionalmente sensibles variaron en abundancia relativa en un factor promedio de 4–5, y algunas especies estuvieron completamente ausentes en una temporada debido a hibernación o migración.
Recomendamos las siguientes pautas para obtener de manera eficiente estimaciones precisas de la riqueza de especies, la ocupación y las tasas de detección con matrices de cámaras trampa: desplegar cada cámara durante 3–5 semanas en 40–60 sitios por arreglo. Recomendamos que las comparaciones de las tasas de detección se basen en modelos e incluyan covariables locales para ayudar a explicar la variación a pequeña escala. Además, las comparaciones entre áreas o tiempos de estudio deben tener en cuenta la estacionalidad, que podría tener un fuerte impacto en las comunidades de mamíferos tanto en sitios tropicales como templados.
摘要
红外相机是一种成熟的野生动物调查工具, 通常以网格化或分层随机的方案布设, 但目前很少有研究评估红外相机技术的实验设计参数。
我们对全球41个研究区域内的2225台相机数据使用二次抽样方法评估了红外相机实验设计的三个参数（相机位点数、监测时长和季节, 及其对估计兽类群落物种数、占有率和探测率的影响。
取决于研究尺度, 我们发现需要25–35个相机位点才能精确估计物种数。物种水平占有率（ψ）估计的精确度对占有率大小非常敏感: 对于常见种（ψ > 0.75), 不到20个相机位点便可以精确估计物种的占有率, 但是对于稀有种（ψ < 0.25）, 则需要150个甚至更多的相机位点。由于空间异质性, 基于网格化布设的红外相机更难以精确地估计物种的探测率, 这大概是由于所在研究区域内未解释的生境差异因素所导致的。在同一个位点持续监测2周可以最有效地探测到新物种, 但是精确估计本地探测率则需要3–4周, 而持续置放1个月后不会继续提高估计的精确度。所有兽类群落的生态指标（物种数、占有率和探测率）都对季节性敏感。在本研究的相机位点内, 37%–50%的物种在一年中占有率或探测率具有非常显著的波动。这种影响在温带地区更为明显: 温带地区对季节性敏感的物种的相对丰度变化幅度为平均的4–5倍, 并且一些物种因冬眠或迁徙会在一个季节内完全不出现。
为了有效地获得红外相机阵列中物种数、占有率和探测率的精确估计, 我们建议以下调查准则: 每批红外相机至少需布设40–60个相机位点, 且每台相机持续监测3–5周。我们建议探测率的比较研究需要基于模型, 并包括局部协变量以帮助解释小尺度的差异。此外, 不同研究区域或时间之间的比较必须考虑季节的因素, 因为季节性可能对热带和温带地区的兽类群落产生强烈的影响。
EstimateS offers statistical tools for analyzing and comparing the diversity and composition of species assemblages, based on sampling data. The latest version computes a wide range of biodiversity ...statistics for both sample‐based and individual‐based data, including analytical rarefaction and non‐parametric extrapolation, estimators of asymptotic species richness, diversity indices, Hill numbers, and (for sample‐based data) measures of compositional similarity among assemblages. In the first 20 yr of its existence, EstimateS has been downloaded more than 70 000 times by users in 140 countries, who have cited it in 5000 publications in studies of taxa from microbes to mammals in every biome.
We designed a head-mounted three-photon microscope for imaging deep cortical layer neuronal activity in a freely moving rat. Delivery of high-energy excitation pulses at 1,320 nm required both a ...hollow-core fiber whose transmission properties did not change with fiber movement and dispersion compensation. These developments enabled imaging at >1.1 mm below the cortical surface and stable imaging of layer 5 neuronal activity for >1 h in freely moving rats performing a range of behaviors.
Objetivo: evaluar la estructura, el proceso y los resultados del "Programa de Atención a Enfermos Renales Crónicos" en un municipio brasileño. Método: estudio epidemiológico, transversal, realizado ...en 14 unidades de atención primaria y en un centro de atención secundario, en el período de 2010 a 2013. Se utilizó el referencial metodológico de Donabedian. Para evaluación de estructura y proceso; fueron entrevistados 14 médicos, 13 supervisores y 11 agentes comunitarios de salud de la atención primaria. Para evaluación del resultado, fueron utilizadas 1.534 fichas médicas en la atención primaria y 282 en la atención secundaria. Resultados: en la mayoría de las unidades faltaban consultorios para la atención médica y de enfermería, los equipos estaban incompletos y la mayoría de los profesionales no participó de capacitaciones sobre la atención a la enfermedad renal crónica. Los médicos de las unidades primarias, clasificados como capacitados, encaminaron usuarios para la atención secundaria en etapas más precoces de la enfermedad renal crónica (etapa 3B) cuando comparados a los médicos de las unidades no capacitadas (58% vs 36%) (p=0,049). Las unidades de atención primaria, clasificadas como capacitadas, presentaron mejores tasas de estabilización de la filtración glomerular (51%) cuando comparadas a las unidades parcialmente capacitadas (36%) y no capacitadas (44%) (p=0,046). Conclusión: los usuarios atendidos en las unidades de atención primaria, con puntuación más elevada en criterios de estructura y proceso, presentaron mejores resultados clínicos.
Objetivo: avaliar estrutura, processo e resultado do "Programa de Atenção a Doentes Renais Crônicos" em um município brasileiro. Método: estudo epidemiológico, transversal, realizado em 14 unidades ...de atenção primária e um centro de atenção secundária, no período de 2010-2013. Utilizou-se o referencial metodológico de Donabedian. Para avaliação de estrutura e processo, foram entrevistados 14 médicos, 13 supervisores e 11 agentes comunitários de saúde da atenção primária. Para avaliação de resultado, foram utilizados 1.534 prontuários de saúde na atenção primária e 282 na atenção secundária. Resultados: na maioria das unidades faltam consultórios para atendimento médico e de enfermagem, as equipes estavam incompletas e a maioria dos profissionais não participou de capacitação para atenção à doença renal crônica. Médicos das unidades primárias, classificadas como capacitadas, encaminharam usuários à atenção secundária em estágios mais precoces da doença renal crônica (estágio 3B) quando comparados aos médicos das unidades não capacitadas (58% vs 36%) (p=0,049). As unidades de atenção primária, classificadas como capacitadas, apresentaram melhores taxas de estabilização da filtração glomerular (51%) quando comparadas às unidades parcialmente capacitadas (36%) e não capacitadas (44%) (p=0,046). Conclusão: usuários atendidos nas unidades de atenção primária com pontuação mais elevada em critérios de estrutura e processo apresentaram melhores resultados clínicos.
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