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opencc-zeroOct 2020View details →

Data from: Changes in soil pH and their dependence on the species of cereals and strategies for sustainable agriculture

The acidity of the environment is one of the key elements determining proper conditions for crop cultivation. Inappropriate environmental conditions may contribute to numerous changes in plant raw materials. New strategies introduced in agriculture bring with them some uncertainties associated with the adaptation of plants to the soil. Currently, in the EU market, a gradual replacement of conventional strategies in favour of organic ones is observed. The change in fertilization strategy may lead to the emergence of new soil conditions in cultivation. Soil pH and humus content determine the phenomenon of soil fertility as well as soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. Rational and effective management of nutrients is related to the assessment of the content of available nutrients in the soil, as well as to the agronomic assessment of the soil class. This type of treatment is key in the planning of crops rotation. The study aimed to evaluate soil pH after combine harvesting, in wheat, rye, and barley crops cultivation according to two agricultural strategies, viz. ecological and conventional. In the course of the study mature soil was sampled. The research was carried out on pH meter CP 411 combined with an EPS-1 pH electrode. The obtained soil pH results varied according to the type of cereal grown. Statistical analysis of variance with the significance level of 0.05 showed no significant difference regardless of the implemented agricultural strategy. It is recommended once every 4 years to perform laboratory examination of soil pH for fertilization advice.

opencc-zeroOct 2020View details →

Supplementary material 1 from: Brundu G, Pauchard A, Pyšek P, Pergl J, Bindewald AM, Brunori A, Canavan S, Campagnaro T, Celesti-Grapow L, Dechoum M de S, Dufour-Dror J-M, Essl F, Flory SL, Genovesi P, Guarino F, Guangzhe L, Hulme PE, Jäger H, Kettle CJ, Krumm F, Langdon B, Lapin K, Lozano V, Le Roux JJ, Novoa A, Nuñez MA, Porté AJ, Silva JS, Schaffner U, Sitzia T, Tanner R, Tshidada N, Vítková M, Westergren M, Wilson JRU, Richardson DM (2020) Global guidelines for the sustainable use of non-native trees to prevent tree invasions and mitigate their negative impacts. NeoBiota 61: 65-116. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.61.58380

Global guidelines for the sustainable use of non-native trees to prevent tree invasions and mitigate their negative impacts (GG-NNTs) Background information (Annex to the GG-NNTs)

opencc-by-sa-4.0Dec 2019View details →

A controlled vocabulary defining the semantic perimeter of Sustainable Development Goals

A set of controlled terms that define the scope and breadth of <a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/">Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as defined by the United Nations</a>.  These terms may be used to tag and index textual records in accordance with SDGs. The vocabulary is constructed by means of the following steps: <ol> <li>An initial set of terms per SDG target is built by extracting key terms from the UN official list of Goals, Targets and Indicators</li> <li>The list is manually enriched by performing a review of the literature produced around SDGs and by compiling lists of pertinent words per Target mentioned by the reviewed documents</li> <li>A reference textual corpus is downloaded by searching for the initial set terms defined at step 1. and 2. The corpus is used to train a Word2Vec word embedding model (a machine learning model based on neural networks).</li> <li>The terms’ list is then enriched by means of automatic methods, which are run in parallel: <ul> <li>The trained Word2Vec model is used to select, among the indexed keywords of the reference corpus, all terms “semantically close” to the initial set of words. This step is carried out to select terms that might not appear in the texts themselves, but that were deemed pertinent to label the textual records.</li> <li>Further terms that are mentioned in the texts of the reference corpus and that are valued by the trained Word2Vec model as “semantically close” to the initial set of words are also retained. This step is performed to include in the controlled vocabulary a series of terms that are related to the focus of the SDGs and which are used by practitioners.</li> <li>An automated algorithm is used to retrieve, from the APIs of WikiPedia a series of terms that have some categorical relationships (i.e. those that are indexed as “a broader concept of”, or “equivalent to” in DBpedia) with the initial set of words.</li> </ul> </li> <li>The final list produced by steps 1-4 s finally manually revised</li> </ol>

opencc-zeroJan 2021View details →

The effects of dietary linoleic acid and hydrophilic antioxidants on basal, peak, and sustained metabolism in flight trained European Starlings

Dietary micronutrients have the ability to strongly influence animal physiology and ecology. For songbirds, dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and antioxidants are hypothesized to be particularly important micronutrients because of their influence on an individual's capacity for aerobic metabolism and recovery from extended bouts of exercise. However, the influence of specific fatty acids and hydrophilic antioxidants on whole-animal performance remain largely untested. We used diet manipulations to directly test the effects of dietary PUFA, specifically linoleic acid (18:2n6), and anthocyanins, a hydrophilic antioxidant, on basal metabolic rate (BMR), peak metabolic rate (PMR), and rates of fat catabolism, lean catabolism, and energy expenditure during sustained flight in a wind tunnel in European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). BMR, PMR, energy expenditure, and fat metabolism decreased and lean catabolism increased over the course of the experiment in birds fed a high (32%) 18:2n6 diet, while birds fed a low (13%) 18:2n6 diet exhibited the reverse pattern. Additionally, energy expenditure, fat catabolism, and flight duration were all subject to diet-specific effects of whole-body fat content. Dietary antioxidants and diet-related differences in tissue fatty acid composition were not directly related to any measure of whole-animal performance. Together, these results suggest that the effect of dietary 18:2n6 on performance was most likely the result of the signaling properties of 18:2n6. This implies that dietary PUFA influence the energetic capabilities of songbirds, and could strongly influence songbird ecology, given their availability in terrestrial systems.

opencc-zeroJun 2019View details →

Data from: Disassembly of an epibenthic assemblage in a sustained severely hypoxic event in a northeast Pacific basin

As global ocean deoxygenation proceeds and the frequency of extreme low-oxygen (hypoxic) events increases, seafloor ecosystems will inevitably be affected. Our study examines how benthic community responses scale with the severity and spatial extent of hypoxia. Saanich Inlet is a natural model system for testing the effects of hypoxic conditions that determine the benthic megafaunal community structure during annual deoxygenation and reoxygenation. In 2016, an anomalously severe and widespread hypoxic event occurred in the fjord after a decade of oxygen decline at a rate of 0.07 mL L−1 y−1 as measured by a cabled seafloor observatory. We use a living ecological time-series generated from remotely operated vehicle surveys to assess how the benthic megafaunal community disassembled in response to this extreme hypoxic event. Three benthic surveys at similar times in 2013 and 2016 reveal large increases in the area of seafloor bathed in anoxic and hypoxic waters in the latter year. Both bottom oxygen and species depth distributions shoaled from 2013 to 2016, accompanied by a 56% overall decline in megafauna. The abundant habitat-forming pennatulacean octocoral, Halipteris willemoesi, decreased in abundance by 92.3% from fall 2013 to fall 2016, and pandalid shrimp disappeared from the community. Hypoxia-tolerant species experienced milder losses, and two new species occurred in 2016 – one a predator on the coral. Co-occurrence analyses revealed loss of significant community segregation from 2013 to 2016, and a re-mix of pairwise species co-occurrences in the latter year. The loss of oxygenated habitat compressed species into narrower depth ranges and led to disassembly probably through niche space constriction, while decimation of some populations eliminated key community associations. Community fragmentation and disruption of interactions is a possible outcome for many marine benthic ecosystems as marine hypoxia intensifies.

opencc-zeroNov 2019View details →

Efficacy and safety of semaglutide for type 2 diabetes by race and ethnicity: a post hoc analysis of the SUSTAIN trials

Context: Variations in the prevalence and aetiology of type 2 diabetes (T2D) across race and ethnicity may affect treatment responses. Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog approved for once–weekly, subcutaneous (s.c.) treatment of T2D. Objective: To compare semaglutide efficacy and safety in race and ethnicity subgroups across the SUSTAIN trials. Design: Post hoc analysis of data from phase 3 randomized SUSTAIN 1–5 and 7 (pooled) and SUSTAIN 6 trials. Participants: 3,074 subjects (SUSTAIN 1–5 and 7); 1,648 subjects (SUSTAIN 6). Interventions: Semaglutide 0.5 or 1.0 mg, placebo or active comparator (sitagliptin 100 mg, exenatide extended release 2.0 mg, insulin glargine 100IU/ml and dulaglutide 0.75 or 1.5 mg). Main Outcome Measures: Change in HbA1c and body weight from baseline to week 30/40/104, other efficacy and safety endpoints. Results: HbA1c was reduced from baseline by 1.0–1.5%-points and 1.3–2.0%-points, and body weight by 2.3–4.7 kg and 3.6–6.1 kg with semaglutide 0.5 and 1.0 mg, respectively, across race and ethnicity subgroups. Minor changes in blood pressure and lipid profiles were observed. Adverse events (AEs) were reported in similar proportions of subjects across trials. More Asian vs other race subgroups discontinued treatment prematurely due to AEs. The most commonly reported AEs were gastrointestinal disorders. Conclusion(s): In this SUSTAIN trials post hoc analysis, semaglutide was associated with consistent and clinically relevant reductions in HbA1c and body weight in subjects with T2D, with minor variations in efficacy and safety outcomes associated with race or ethnicity.

Data from: Fuelwood sustainability revisited: integrating size structure and resprouting into a spatially realistic fuelshed model

Much concern has been expressed about the sustainability of fuelwood harvesting in Africa. Most models predict that demand will outstrip supply within a few decades, resulting in severe deforestation. However, despite substantial impacts of harvesting on woody vegetation structure, the 'fuelwood crisis' predicted since the 1970s has not materialized. We propose that this is at least partially because regeneration through coppicing has been poorly accounted for in most models. We developed a local fuelwood model that is demographically and spatially explicit, and that incorporates coppice dynamics. The model simulates the dynamics of multiple stem size classes (seedling, sapling, pole and adult), the harvesting decisions of villagers based on fuelwood availability and village demand across the landscape. Importantly, we specify size-dependent coppice production of cut stems, and the probability of progression of coppice shoots into larger size classes, after accounting for self-thinning of shoots. In general, our model projections for a rural South African savanna system suggest that current levels of harvesting (barring changes in human population size) are relatively sustainable. Declines in total woody biomass were predicted to be modest (˜20%), and the loss of intact stems of sapling size was predicted to be more than offset by increases in coppiced stems. Synthesis and applications. The results from our local fuelwood model clearly demonstrate that the impact of deforestation and wood removal on tree populations and wood resources is strongly influenced by the resprouting ability of trees. This highlights the importance of considering coppice dynamics when assessing the sustainability of wood harvesting. Our model is not system specific, and can be transferred to other systems, with the relevant parameters and geographic information system layers specified. Because of the transferability of this model, it can help address key international concerns about deforestation and sustainable fuelwood management.

Data from: Neurofunctional abnormalities during sustained attention in severe childhood abuse

Childhood maltreatment is associated with adverse affective and cognitive consequences including impaired emotion processing, inhibition and attention. However, the majority of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in childhood maltreatment have examined emotion processing, while very few studies have tested the neurofunctional substrates of cognitive functions and none of attention. This study investigated the association between severe childhood abuse and fMRI brain activation during a parametric sustained attention task with a progressively increasing load of sustained attention in 21 medication-naïve, drug-free young people with a history of childhood abuse controlling for psychiatric comorbidities by including 19 psychiatric controls matched for psychiatric diagnoses, and 27 healthy controls. Behaviorally, the participants exposed to childhood abuse showed increased omission errors in the task which correlated positively trend-wise with the duration of their abuse. Neurofunctionally, the participants with a history of childhood abuse, but not the psychiatric controls, displayed significantly reduced activation relative to the healthy controls during the most challenging attention condition only in typical attention regions including left inferior and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, insula and temporal areas. We therefore show for the first time that severe childhood abuse is associated with neurofunctional abnormalities in key ventral frontal-temporal sustained attention regions. The findings represent a first step towards the delineation of abuse-related neurofunctional abnormalities in sustained attention, which may help in the development of effective treatments for victims of childhood abuse.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

Data from: Complementary crops and landscape features sustain wild bee communities

Wild bees, which are important for commercial pollination, depend on floral and nesting resources both at farms and in the surrounding landscape. Mass-flowering crops are only in bloom for a few weeks and unable to support bee populations that persist throughout the year. Farm fields and orchards that flower in succession potentially can extend the availability of floral resources for pollinators. However, it is unclear whether the same bee species or genera will forage from one crop to the next, which bees specialize on particular crops, and to what degree inter-crop visitation patterns will be mediated by landscape context. We therefore studied local- and landscape-level drivers of bee diversity and species turnover in apple orchards, blueberry fields and raspberry fields that bloom sequentially in southern Quebec, Canada. Despite the presence of high bee species turnover, orchards and small fruit fields complemented each other phenologically by supporting two bee genera essential to their pollination: mining bees (Andrena spp.) and bumble bees (Bombus spp.). A number of bee species specialized on apple, blueberry or raspberry blossoms, suggesting that all three crops could be used to promote regional bee diversity. Bee diversity (rarefied richness, wild bee abundance) was highest across crops in landscapes containing hedgerows, meadows and suburban areas that provide ancillary nesting and floral resources throughout the spring and summer. Promoting phenological complementarity in floral resources at the farmstead and landscape scales is essential to sustaining diverse wild bee populations.

Data from: Assessing faculty professional development in STEM higher education: sustainability of outcomes

We tested the effectiveness of Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching IV (FIRST), a professional development program for postdoctoral scholars, by conducting a study of program alumni. Faculty professional development programs are critical components of efforts to improve teaching and learning in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines, but reliable evidence of the sustained impacts of these programs is lacking. We used a paired design in which we matched a FIRST alumnus employed in a tenure-track position with a non-FIRST faculty member at the same institution. The members of a pair taught courses that were of similar size and level. To determine whether teaching practices of FIRST participants were more learner-centered than those of non-FIRST faculty, we compared faculty perceptions of their teaching strategies, perceptions of environmental factors that influence teaching, and actual teaching practice. Non-FIRST and FIRST faculty reported similar perceptions of their teaching strategies and teaching environment. FIRST faculty reported using active learning and interactive engagement in lecture sessions more frequently compared with non-FIRST faculty. Ratings from external reviewers also documented that FIRST faculty taught class sessions that were learner-centered, contrasting with the teacher-centered class sessions of most non-FIRST faculty. Despite marked differences in teaching practice, FIRST and non-FIRST participants used assessments that targeted lower-level cognitive skills. Our study demonstrated the effectiveness of the FIRST program and the empirical utility of comparison groups, where groups are well matched and controlled for contextual variables (for example, departments), for evaluating the effectiveness of professional development for subsequent teaching practices.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: Examining the business case and models for sustainable multifunctional edible landscaping enterprises in the Phoenix Metro Area

This study assesses whether multifunctional edible landscaping business models provide a sufficient business case at enterprise and city scales to justify widespread implementation. First, semi-structured interviews were conducted with four landscaping entrepreneurs, and the information obtained from the interviews was utilized to carry out a business model comparison with the Business Model Canvas framework. The comparison showed that the landscaping enterprises using multifunctional edible landscaping methods possessed a greater range of value propositions and revenue streams, enhancing their competitive advantage. Second, a GIS landscape analysis of seven Phoenix metro area cities was carried out to identify landscapes that were suited for becoming multifunctional edible landscapes. The GIS analysis identified single family residential, residential recreational open space, municipal parks, and municipal schools as being suitable landscapes, and that the area of these landscapes in the seven cities exceeded 180,000 acres. Third, scenarios were created using interview and GIS data to estimate potential value creation and return on investment of implementing multifunctional edible landscaping in the cities of interest. The scenarios found that the potential value creation of edible landscaping ranged between $3.9 and $66 billion, and that positive return on investment (ROI) could be achieved in 11 out of 12 scenarios within one to five years. Finally, the paper concludes by discussing potential long-term implications of implementing multifunctional edible urban landscaping, as well as possible future directions for multifunctional landscaping business model development and research.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Food spoilage, storage, and transport: implications for a sustainable future

Human societies have always faced temporal and spatial fluctuations in food availability. The length of time that food remains edible and nutritious depends on temperature, moisture, and other factors that affect the growth rates of organisms that cause spoilage. Some storage techniques, such as drying, salting, and smoking, date back to ancient hunter–gatherer and early agricultural societies and use relatively low energy inputs. Newer technologies developed since the industrial revolution, such as canning and compressed-gas refrigeration, require much greater energy inputs. Coincident with the development of storage technologies, the transportation of food helped to overcome spatial and temporal fluctuations in productivity, culminating in today's global transport system, which delivers fresh and preserved foods worldwide. Because most contemporary humans rely on energy-intensive technologies for storing and transporting food, there are formidable challenges for feeding a growing and increasingly urbanized global population as finite supplies of fossil fuels rapidly deplete.

opencc-zeroDec 2013View details →

Data from: Rates of dinosaur body mass evolution indicate 170 million years of sustained ecological innovation on the avian stem lineage

Large-scale adaptive radiations might explain the runaway success of a minority of extant vertebrate clades. This hypothesis predicts, among other things, rapid rates of morphological evolution during the early history of major groups, as lineages invade disparate ecological niches. However, few studies of adaptive radiation have included deep time data, so the links between extant diversity and major extinct radiations are unclear. The intensively studied Mesozoic dinosaur record provides a model system for such investigation, representing an ecologically diverse group that dominated terrestrial ecosystems for 170 million years. Furthermore, with 10,000 species, extant dinosaurs (birds) are the most speciose living tetrapod clade. We assembled composite trees of 614–622 Mesozoic dinosaurs/birds, and a comprehensive body mass dataset using the scaling relationship of limb bone robustness. Maximum-likelihood modelling and the node height test reveal rapid evolutionary rates and a predominance of rapid shifts among size classes in early (Triassic) dinosaurs. This indicates an early burst niche-filling pattern and contrasts with previous studies that favoured gradualistic rates. Subsequently, rates declined in most lineages, which rarely exploited new ecological niches. However, feathered maniraptoran dinosaurs (including Mesozoic birds) sustained rapid evolution from at least the Middle Jurassic, suggesting that these taxa evaded the effects of niche saturation. This indicates that a long evolutionary history of continuing ecological innovation paved the way for a second great radiation of dinosaurs, in birds. We therefore demonstrate links between the predominantly extinct deep time adaptive radiation of non-avian dinosaurs and the phenomenal diversification of birds, via continuing rapid rates of evolution along the phylogenetic stem lineage. This raises the possibility that the uneven distribution of biodiversity results not just from large-scale extrapolation of the process of adaptive radiation in a few extant clades, but also from the maintenance of evolvability on vast time scales across the history of life, in key lineages.

opencc-zeroMay 2020View details →

The sustainable development of coal mines by new cutting roof technology

China consumes more than 3.6 billion tons of coal every year, accounting for over 60% of the energy consumption. Therefore, the sustainable development of coal mine is a problem needed to be solved by the Chinese government. During the coal resources recovery, the protective coal pillars between the adjacent working faces cause the serious loss for coal resources. In order to solve the problem, it was put forward that the new technology of roof cutting with chain arm to retain roadway in the paper. Firstly, the process of retaining roadway, roof-cutting parameters and the damage ranges of roadway surrounding rock induced by roof cutting with chain arm were analyzed. Then, it was given that the working resistance of the temporary support equipment in technology of roof cutting with chain arm to retain roadway. Next, the roof-cutting height, the type of temporary support equipment, working resistance of portal support and support parameters of the bolt and anchor cables were optimized by the numerical calculation. Finally, the industrial experiment of retaining roadway by roof cutting with chain arm was carried out in a working face. The surrounding rock damage was minimal with the use of chain arm-roof cutting technology, and the variation range of the uniaxial compressive strength was only 5%, resulting in the roof damage rate to 82 mm. From the studies, it was concluded that this technology could be of a great asset to the coal mining community.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Ditch network sustains functional connectivity and influences patterns of gene flow in an intensive agricultural landscape

In intensive agricultural landscapes, plant species previously relying on semi-natural habitats may persist as metapopulations within landscape linear elements. Maintenance of populations' connectivity through pollen and seed dispersal is a key factor in species persistence in the face of substantial habitat loss. The goals of this study were to investigate the potential corridor role of ditches and to identify the landscape components that significantly impact patterns of gene flow among remnant populations. Using microsatellite loci, we explored the spatial genetic structure of two hydrochorous wetland plants exhibiting contrasting local abundance and different habitat requirements: the rare and regionally protected Oenanthe aquatica and the more commonly distributed Lycopus europaeus, in an 83 km2 agricultural lowland located in northern France. Both species exhibited a significant spatial genetic structure, along with substantial levels of genetic differentiation, especially for L. europaeus, which also expressed high levels of inbreeding. Isolation-by-distance analysis revealed enhanced gene flow along ditches, indicating their key role in effective seed and pollen dispersal. Our data also suggested that the configuration of the ditch network and the landscape elements significantly affected population genetic structure, with (i) species-specific scale effects on the genetic neighborhood and (ii) detrimental impact of human ditch management on genetic diversity, especially for O. aquatica. Altogether, these findings highlighted the key role of ditches in the maintenance of plant biodiversity in intensive agricultural landscapes with few remnant wetland habitats.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

Data from: Body shape diversity in Triassic‒Early Cretaceous neopterygian fishes: sustained holostean disparity and predominantly gradual increases in teleost phenotypic variety

Comprising Holostei and Teleostei, the ~32,000 species of neopterygian fishes are anatomically disparate and represent the dominant group of aquatic vertebrates today. However, the pattern by which teleosts rose to represent almost all of this diversity, while their holostean sister group dwindled to 8 extant species and two broad morphologies, is poorly constrained. A geometric morphometric approach was taken to generate a morphospace from over 400 fossil taxa, representing almost all articulated neopterygian taxa known from the first 150 million years—roughly 60%—of history (Triassic‒Early Cretaceous). Patterns of morphospace occupancy and disparity are examined in order to: assess evidence for a phenotypically 'dominant' holostean phase; evaluate whether expansions in teleost phenotypic variety are predominantly abrupt or gradual, including assessment of whether apomorphy-defined teleosts are as morphologically conservative as typically assumed; compare diversification in crown and stem teleosts. The systematic affinities of dapediiforms and pycnodontiforms, two extinct neopterygian clades of uncertain phylogenetic placement, significantly impact patterns of morphological diversification. For instance, alternative placements dictate whether or not holosteans possessed statistically higher disparity than teleosts in the Late Triassic and Jurassic. Despite this ambiguity, all scenarios agree that holosteans do not exhibit a decline in disparity during the Early Triassic‒Early Cretaceous interval, but instead maintain their Toarcian‒Callovian variety until the end of the Early Cretaceous without substantial further expansions. After a conservative Induan‒Carnian phase, teleosts colonize (and persistently occupy) novel regions of morphospace in a predominantly gradual manner until the Hauterivian, after which expansions are rare. Furthermore, apomorphy-defined teleosts possess greater phenotypic variety than typically assumed. Comparison of crown and stem teleost partial disparity indicates that, despite substantial expansion in crown teleosts between the Late Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous, stem teleosts remained important long-term contributors to overall teleost disparity during this time.

opencc-zeroApr 2020View details →

Data from: Dynamic ice loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet driven by sustained glacier retreat

Here we share remotely-sensed Greenland outlet glacier data for 234 individual glaciers. Data include observations of mena monthly discharge (ice volume flux exported by the glacier), front position changes, velocity, and ice thickness for the 1985-2018 period. Data will be periodically updated as needed. The Greenland Ice Sheet is losing mass at accelerated rates in the 21st century, making it the largest single contributor to rising sea levels. Faster flow of outlet glaciers has substantially contributed to this loss, with the cause of speedup, and potential for future change, uncertain. Here we combine more than three decades of remotely sensed observational products of outlet glacier velocity, elevation, and front position changes over the full ice sheet. We compare decadal variability in discharge and calving front position and find that increased glacier discharge was due almost entirely to the retreat of glacier fronts, rather than inland ice sheet processes, with a remarkably consistent speedup of 4-5% per km of retreat across the ice sheet. We show that widespread retreat between 2000 and 2005 resulted in a step-increase in discharge and a switch to a new dynamic state of sustained mass loss that would persist even under a decline in surface melt.

Data from: Assessing the sustainability of African lion trophy hunting, with recommendations for policy

While trophy hunting provides revenue for conservation, it must be carefully managed to avoid negative population impacts, particularly for long-lived species with low natural mortality rates. Trophy hunting has had negative effects on lion populations throughout Africa, and the species serves as an important case study to consider the balance of costs and benefits, and to consider the effectiveness of alternative strategies to conserve exploited species. Age-restricted harvesting is widely recommended to mitigate negative effects of lion hunting, but this recommendation was based on a population model parameterized with data from a well-protected and growing lion population. Here, we used demographic data from lions subject to more typical conditions, including source–sink dynamics between a protected National Park and adjacent hunting areas in Zambia's Luangwa Valley, to develop a stochastic population projection model and evaluate alternative harvest scenarios. Hunting resulted in population declines over a 25-yr period for all continuous harvest strategies, with large declines for quotas >1 lion/concession (~0.5 lion/1,000 km2) and hunting of males younger than seven years. A strategy that combined periods of recovery, an age limit of ≥7 yr, and a maximum quota of ~0.5 lions shot/1,000 km2 yielded a risk of extirpation <10%. Our analysis incorporated the effects of human encroachment, poaching, and prey depletion on survival, but assumed that these problems will not increase, which is unlikely. These results suggest conservative management of lion trophy hunting with a combination of regulations. To implement sustainable trophy hunting while maintaining revenue for conservation of hunting areas, our results suggest that hunting fees must increase as a consequence of diminished supply. These findings are broadly applicable to hunted lion populations throughout Africa and to inform global efforts to conserve exploited carnivore populations.

opennotspecifiedDec 2011View details →

FIGURES 1–8. Figs. 1–2. Radiarctia screabile. 1. R. screabile displaying orange cervical hairs. 2. R. screabile type 2 sustained static display. Fig. 3 in A review of some of the Binna- like species of Afrotropical Spilosoma Curtis (1825) listed by Goodger & Watson (1995) and including the genus Radiarctia Dubatolov (2006) (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae, Arctiinae)

FIGURES 1–8. Figs. 1–2. Radiarctia screabile. 1. R. screabile displaying orange cervical hairs. 2. R. screabile type 2 sustained static display. Fig. 3. Binna penicillata, ♂, Kenya, Suna (BMNH). Figs. 4–6. Radiarctia spp. 4. R. screabile screabile, ♂, Zimbabwe, Harare (PGH). 5. R. screabile screabile, Ψ, Zimbabwe, Harare (PGH). 6. R. screabile nyangana, holotype ♂, Zimbabwe, Nyanga (BMNH). Figs. 7–8. Pseudoradiarctia spp. 7. P. rho de s i a na, ♂, Zimbabwe, Nyanga (PGH). 8. P. rhodesiana (Hampson), paralectotype Ψ, Zimbabwe, Harare (BMNH).