An international panel of butterfly experts is landing at the University of Georgia next week to discuss the status of monarch butterfly populations in North America, and find ways to integrate and improve population monitoring programs.
The four-day workshop hopes to merge data from a number of groups monitoring the monarch butterfly in an ongoing effort to track the continent-wide population status of this iconic insect.
The meeting is being organized by Andy Davis, a monarch researcher and Ph.D. candidate in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, and Sonia Altizer, who also studies monarchs and is an associate professor in the Odum School of Ecology. The workshop is being funded by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, which has been spearheading efforts to devise an international conservation plan for the monarch butterfly in part by fostering communication between the governments of the United States, Mexico and Canada.
There are many organizations in North America that collect data on the monarch butterfly, said Davis. The purpose of next week’s meeting, he explained, is to create a plan for integrating existing data, some of which spans the last three decades, into a larger framework. A unified data resource will allow scientists to better track monarch population size and investigate the biology of this fascinating insect, according to Davis.
“The monarch butterfly is one of the best-known insects in the world, and a flagship species for conservation,” he said. “Their spectacular migration in eastern North America—which spans more than 2,000 miles—is in danger, partially because of a loss of winter habitat in Mexico, as well as anthropogenic pressures in breeding areas. While the species itself is globally-distributed, there’s a fear that the monarch butterfly in North America will suffer population declines because of these dual pressures.”
The all-day meetings are scheduled from June 22 through June 25. Meeting space and resources are being provided by the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and the Odum School of Ecology. About a dozen international butterfly experts are scheduled to attend the meetings, including Eduardo Rendon of WWF Mexico, Tara Crewe of Bird Studies Canada and Karen Oberhauser of the University of Minnesota. Warnell Professor Nate Nibbelink and Odum School postdoctoral student Becky Bartel also are on the panel.
“There have been several international meetings and reports targeted towards monarch conservation, but nothing quite like this before,” said Altizer. “To have all of the experts who collect long-term data on monarch abundance and migration in one room will be a big step forward in helping us predict the future status of monarch populations.”
“Improving access to monitoring data on the monarch will improve how we target research and conservation efforts for this species, and contribute to improving how we access and manage biodiversity data more broadly in North America,” said Thomas Hammond, who is with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. “Improving access and use of biodiversity data will also assist in advancing our understanding of ecosystem response to stresses such as climate change, and how best to adapt to these stresses.”
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Showing posts with label data. Show all posts
Showing posts with label data. Show all posts
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Web Site Offers First Complete Look at Georgia's Freshwater Fishes
This is no fish tale: A new Georgia Museum of Natural History Web site offers the most complete look at Georgia fishes, what they are and where they’re found.
“There has never been anything this comprehensive,” said Brett Albanese, a senior aquatic zoologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Fishes of Georgia is the work of Albanese, Museum of Natural History Director Bud Freeman and Carrie Straight, a research professional with the University of Georgia Odum School of Ecology. The Web site at http://fishesofgeorgia.uga.edu/ went online in March. Behind the lists, photographs and distribution maps are thousands of hours spent studying records, sampling streams and inspecting fish preserved in jars.
Results include a Fishes of Georgia Atlas database that features more than 159,000 fish records from 19,028 collections, and an easy-to-use Web site that documents the state’s deep lineup of freshwater fish. A 1997 publication reported 219 native freshwater fishes for Georgia. Through the atlas project, that total now stands at 265, placing Georgia among the top three U.S. states for freshwater fish diversity.
Environmental consultants, city planners, conservationists and elementary school teachers are all expected to use the site. Species are listed by scientific and common names. Maps show where each fish lives by basin. (Drainage systems often have different fishes.) A tab allows viewers to submit new records.
There are surprises. Twenty-one species listed have not been formally described – or recognized as new species – although many such as the sicklefin redhorse are well known to ichthyologists like Freeman and Albanese. These fish illustrate what is called cryptic, or hidden, diversity.
Factors contributing to a fish species being undiscovered vary, Freeman said. “They may be in hard to sample places. They may look exactly the same, at first glance. They may be different only genetically.”
Anglers who log in will find more bass than expected. The site lists Bartram’s bass, an undescribed species in the Savannah River basin, and splits redeye bass into a species in the Chattahoochee and Flint River basins and another in the Ocmulgee, Oconee and Ogeechee basins, based on research Freeman spearheaded.
The number of state or federally protected fish – 57 – will raise eyebrows. And at least six species are no longer found in Georgia. Conserving the remaining fishes will require watershed-level measures such as protecting streamside forests, preserving natural areas, and managing better the run-off from urban and rural land uses.
The hope is that Fishes of Georgia informs and educates. Straight modeled the site after the museum’s Georgia Wildlife Web, a popular guide to wildlife. She also avoided flashy features that bank on faster Internet connections. “We tried to accommodate as broad a spectrum of users as we could,” Straight said.
She is still adding maps and photographs. Plans include new search functions. Scientists’ comments also will likely change the information, which includes common coastal fishes and 23 non-native species.
The project was funded by the museum, which is part of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at UGA, Georgia DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section and a State Wildlife Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Fishes of Georgia Atlas was a priority in Georgia’s Wildlife Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy that guides DNR efforts to conserve biological diversity.
The atlas is a significant component of a larger effort to publish a comprehensive book on the state’s fish fauna. Next steps include the development of taxonomic keys and species accounts, a challenge given the number of species involved. Keeping the atlas up-to-date as new information becomes available is also a high priority for the authors.
Each expects the database and Web site to spur more research and understanding of Georgia fishes.
FISHES OF GEORGIA by the numbers
** Web site features 337 species.
** 284 species occur primarily in freshwater or enter freshwater for feeding or breeding.
** 265 of the freshwater species are considered native to Georgia.
** 23 species are introduced or non-native to the state.
** At least six species are extirpated or extinct from Georgia waters.
** 57 are state protected; eight of these are also protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
** 21 have not been formally described by scientists, including some long-recognized species like the sicklefin redhorse and others like a separate species of redeye bass more recently discovered.
** Online: http://fishesofgeorgia.uga.edu/
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.artsacrossgeorgia.com
Arts Across Georgia
“There has never been anything this comprehensive,” said Brett Albanese, a senior aquatic zoologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Fishes of Georgia is the work of Albanese, Museum of Natural History Director Bud Freeman and Carrie Straight, a research professional with the University of Georgia Odum School of Ecology. The Web site at http://fishesofgeorgia.uga.edu/ went online in March. Behind the lists, photographs and distribution maps are thousands of hours spent studying records, sampling streams and inspecting fish preserved in jars.
Results include a Fishes of Georgia Atlas database that features more than 159,000 fish records from 19,028 collections, and an easy-to-use Web site that documents the state’s deep lineup of freshwater fish. A 1997 publication reported 219 native freshwater fishes for Georgia. Through the atlas project, that total now stands at 265, placing Georgia among the top three U.S. states for freshwater fish diversity.
Environmental consultants, city planners, conservationists and elementary school teachers are all expected to use the site. Species are listed by scientific and common names. Maps show where each fish lives by basin. (Drainage systems often have different fishes.) A tab allows viewers to submit new records.
There are surprises. Twenty-one species listed have not been formally described – or recognized as new species – although many such as the sicklefin redhorse are well known to ichthyologists like Freeman and Albanese. These fish illustrate what is called cryptic, or hidden, diversity.
Factors contributing to a fish species being undiscovered vary, Freeman said. “They may be in hard to sample places. They may look exactly the same, at first glance. They may be different only genetically.”
Anglers who log in will find more bass than expected. The site lists Bartram’s bass, an undescribed species in the Savannah River basin, and splits redeye bass into a species in the Chattahoochee and Flint River basins and another in the Ocmulgee, Oconee and Ogeechee basins, based on research Freeman spearheaded.
The number of state or federally protected fish – 57 – will raise eyebrows. And at least six species are no longer found in Georgia. Conserving the remaining fishes will require watershed-level measures such as protecting streamside forests, preserving natural areas, and managing better the run-off from urban and rural land uses.
The hope is that Fishes of Georgia informs and educates. Straight modeled the site after the museum’s Georgia Wildlife Web, a popular guide to wildlife. She also avoided flashy features that bank on faster Internet connections. “We tried to accommodate as broad a spectrum of users as we could,” Straight said.
She is still adding maps and photographs. Plans include new search functions. Scientists’ comments also will likely change the information, which includes common coastal fishes and 23 non-native species.
The project was funded by the museum, which is part of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at UGA, Georgia DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section and a State Wildlife Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Fishes of Georgia Atlas was a priority in Georgia’s Wildlife Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy that guides DNR efforts to conserve biological diversity.
The atlas is a significant component of a larger effort to publish a comprehensive book on the state’s fish fauna. Next steps include the development of taxonomic keys and species accounts, a challenge given the number of species involved. Keeping the atlas up-to-date as new information becomes available is also a high priority for the authors.
Each expects the database and Web site to spur more research and understanding of Georgia fishes.
FISHES OF GEORGIA by the numbers
** Web site features 337 species.
** 284 species occur primarily in freshwater or enter freshwater for feeding or breeding.
** 265 of the freshwater species are considered native to Georgia.
** 23 species are introduced or non-native to the state.
** At least six species are extirpated or extinct from Georgia waters.
** 57 are state protected; eight of these are also protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
** 21 have not been formally described by scientists, including some long-recognized species like the sicklefin redhorse and others like a separate species of redeye bass more recently discovered.
** Online: http://fishesofgeorgia.uga.edu/
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.artsacrossgeorgia.com
Arts Across Georgia
Thursday, May 28, 2009
New Study Shows Majority of Pet Cats Are Neutered
/PRNewswire/ -- A new study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Association reports that the vast majority -- at least 80% -- of pet cats in U.S. households are neutered, with middle-to higher-income households reporting rates of over 90%.
The peer-reviewed study, based on data collected for the national nonprofit organization Alley Cat Allies by Harris Interactive, Alley Cat Allies by Harris Interactive and analyzed by Alley Cat Allies using a rigorous statistical approach, is the first nationally representative study to thoroughly examine household income as it relates to the neuter status of pet cats.
"This study indicates that spaying and neutering is an accepted, established practice among the large majority of Americans with pet cats," said Becky Robinson, president of Alley Cat Allies. "This is a very positive finding. As a result, our nation's pet cats are living much healthier lives."
The study found that family income was the strongest predictor of whether house cats are neutered. In households earning $35,000 or more annually, 93% of cats were neutered, compared to 51% of cats in households earning less than $35,000. While both income groups reported a majority of their pet cats to be neutered, the disparity underscores a challenge long observed by Alley Cat Allies, said Robinson.
"Up until now, there has been a lot of speculation that income is a barrier for neuter in lower-income families, but now we have a scientific study establishing that this is the case nationally," Robinson said.
"It is also critical to point out that household cats represent only part of the total U.S. cat population," said Wendy Anderson, director of law and policy for Alley Cat Allies and a co-author of the study.
"Previous research has shown there may be just as many stray and feral cats in the U.S. as pet cats, and most of these cats are intact and breeding. We need to enact smart policies and programs that expand the availability of low-cost, high-volume spay and neuter services, not only to serve lower-income pet owners, but to provide services for feral cats as well," Anderson said.
The study ("Population Characteristics and Neuter Status of Cats Living in Households in the United States," J Am Vet Med Assoc 2009; 234:1023-1030) consisted of 1,205 respondents across the continental U.S., contacted by telephone and selected via random-digit dial methodology. Following completion of the data collection, respondents were weighted for region, age, gender, education, income, race and ethnicity to ensure a sample representative of the U.S. population.
Based on the nationally representative sample, the study concluded that there are approximately 82.4 million pet cats in the United States, living in a total of 36.8 million households. One third of these households reported adopting at least one of their cats as a stray.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.artsacrossgeorgia.com
Arts Across Georgia
The peer-reviewed study, based on data collected for the national nonprofit organization Alley Cat Allies by Harris Interactive, Alley Cat Allies by Harris Interactive and analyzed by Alley Cat Allies using a rigorous statistical approach, is the first nationally representative study to thoroughly examine household income as it relates to the neuter status of pet cats.
"This study indicates that spaying and neutering is an accepted, established practice among the large majority of Americans with pet cats," said Becky Robinson, president of Alley Cat Allies. "This is a very positive finding. As a result, our nation's pet cats are living much healthier lives."
The study found that family income was the strongest predictor of whether house cats are neutered. In households earning $35,000 or more annually, 93% of cats were neutered, compared to 51% of cats in households earning less than $35,000. While both income groups reported a majority of their pet cats to be neutered, the disparity underscores a challenge long observed by Alley Cat Allies, said Robinson.
"Up until now, there has been a lot of speculation that income is a barrier for neuter in lower-income families, but now we have a scientific study establishing that this is the case nationally," Robinson said.
"It is also critical to point out that household cats represent only part of the total U.S. cat population," said Wendy Anderson, director of law and policy for Alley Cat Allies and a co-author of the study.
"Previous research has shown there may be just as many stray and feral cats in the U.S. as pet cats, and most of these cats are intact and breeding. We need to enact smart policies and programs that expand the availability of low-cost, high-volume spay and neuter services, not only to serve lower-income pet owners, but to provide services for feral cats as well," Anderson said.
The study ("Population Characteristics and Neuter Status of Cats Living in Households in the United States," J Am Vet Med Assoc 2009; 234:1023-1030) consisted of 1,205 respondents across the continental U.S., contacted by telephone and selected via random-digit dial methodology. Following completion of the data collection, respondents were weighted for region, age, gender, education, income, race and ethnicity to ensure a sample representative of the U.S. population.
Based on the nationally representative sample, the study concluded that there are approximately 82.4 million pet cats in the United States, living in a total of 36.8 million households. One third of these households reported adopting at least one of their cats as a stray.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.artsacrossgeorgia.com
Arts Across Georgia
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)