Abundance

During 2 years (2001–2003), we performed seasonal aerial surveys in the central Spanish Mediterranean following the transect line methodology in order to determine the abundance and distribution patterns of loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta. We surveyed a total of 16 700 km, accounting for 770 turtle sightings. Loggerhead turtles were present with high abundance all year round. No seasonal differences in abundance were found, except in spring 2001, where the density of turtles was higher than in the other seasons. Our results show that the Western Mediterranean is not a ‘summer’ feeding area as proposed previously, as a high number of turtles are present throughout the year. The average surface density of turtles in the whole study area was 0.21 turtles km−2 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.17–0.25], and the mean abundance was 6653 turtles (95% CI: 5514–8027). The data relate to the number of turtles on the surface only, as diving turtles escape observation. Correcting our estimations of diving behaviour data in the area, the absolute abundance was 18 954 turtles (95% CI: 6679–53 786). Bearing in mind that around 25 000 loggerheads are caught per year in the Spanish Mediterranean, our results indicate that accidental captures seem to be a significant threat for this species, and conservation measures have to be implemented to avoid a non-sustainable situation.

Horseshoe crabs have recently gained popularity as new exotic delicacies in Malaysia, especially in Johor. It has been reported and claimed by some fishermen that horseshoe crabs, particularly females, are being transported in bulk to Thailand. This claim has sparked interest to identify population size and study the behaviour of horseshoe crabs along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia in an attempt to determine the effect of this demand on the existing population. A study was carried out from December 2011 to March 2012 to determine the coastal horseshoe crab Tachypleus gigas population size in Chendor and Cherating, Pahang, about 10 km apart on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, using a Capture-Mark-Recapture method. The sampling was carried out three times at both sites. The population size was calculated using Bailey’s Triple Catch formula with the assumption of an open population. The horseshoe crabs’ ‘traveling distance’ was also determined by attaching numbered, white button tags, each bearing the researcher’s phone number, to a total of 99 horseshoe crab individuals (61 in Chendor, 38 in Cherating). The total estimated populations were 7,140 in Chendor and 9,900 in Cherating. The two populations were found to be interchangeable as the tagged animals from Chendor were recaptured in Cherating and vice versa, thus confirming emigration and immigration. About 25 % of tagged animals were recaptured in various places (at Chendor, Cherating and also outside both locations) as reported by fishermen. Animals tagged in Cherating were caught in a few locations in Pahang, including Tanjung Lumpur which is more than 50 km to the south. Most recaptures (40 %) were from different locations remote from the site where the horseshoe crabs were tagged and released. This study is on-going and notifications are still expected regarding the future location of the tagged animals.

We model the abundance gradients in the disk of the Milky Way for several chemical elements (O, Mg, Si, S, Ca, Sc, Ti, Co, V, Fe, Ni, Zn, Cu, Mn, Cr, Ba, La and Eu), and compare our results with the most recent and homogeneous observational data. We adopt a chemical evolution model able to well reproduce the main properties of the solar vicinity. We compute, for the first time, the abundance gradients for all the above mentioned elements in the galactocentric distance range 4 - 22 kpc. The comparison with the observed data on Cepheids in the galactocentric distance range 5-17 kpc gives a very good agreement for many of the studied elements. In addition, we fit very well the data for the evolution of Lanthanum in the solar vicinity for which we present results here for the first time. We explore, also for the first time, the behaviour of the abundance gradients at large galactocentric distances by comparing our results with data relative to distant open clusters and red giants and select the best chemical evolution model model on the basis of that. We find a very good fit to the observed abundance gradients, as traced by Cepheids, for most of the elements, thus confirming the validity of the inside-out scenario for the formation of the Milky Way disk as well as the adopted nucleosynthesis prescriptions.

Narváez Romero C. 2013. Analysis of seasonality and relative abundance of spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), andean fox (Lycalopex culpaeus) and mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) on the moors of the Podocarpus National Park. Biology bachelor Thesis. Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja. Loja. 76. http://dspace.utpl.edu.ec/handle/123456789/6421

In the western mountain range of National Park Podocarpus and Sabanilla knot in ecosystems over 2400 m south of Ecuador, for 12 months, we evaluated the presence of spectacled bear, andean fox and mountain tapir, three large South American mammals are potentially recognized as "umbrella species", because they have important ecological functions and spacious home range.
By register of seven different field signals used to document the occurrence, relative abundance indices and distribucion frequency, for which we used observation transects signs.
We found 1002 records of the three species in the entire area traversed by the observation units, of which 50.11% belong to bears, 38.42% to foxes and 11.48% to tapirs.
The records distribution and occurrence of the three species throughout the sampling in at least one of the three surveyed tracts showed a continued use of these ecosystems, also we found possible preference patterns related with climatic variables measures temporarily and spatially.
The intensity of use evidences and/or presence was time variant, having highest peaks in a few months but was finally discarded the seasonal use of the moors.
Keywords: seasonality, abundance, Tremarctos, Tapirus, Lycalopex, diversity, Podocarpus, signals

The Western Ghats are a world renowned Biodiversity Hotspot with high endemic value and an abundance of natural resources. However, the forest habitats have been severely depleted and fragmented resulting in a degraded system of discrete, disconnected primary forest fragments, set in an agricultural landscape with areas of scrubland and secondary forest growth. The modern era of exploitation can be traced back to the colonial years and has been continued in in recent times as urban development and population growth squeeze natural ecosystems into smaller spaces. It has been noted that throughout this era of exploitation there has been a tendency towards management concentrated on discrete forest patches, which lack data and knowledge regarding their ecological communities. As habitats continue to be degraded there is a need to fill these knowledge gaps and improve habitat management towards catchment and landscape-scale thinking. The research presented here focuses on Avian-floristic relationship, nature education and community exploitation of forest resources. It combines mega flora diversity, tree species assemblage and abundance, density, species richness canopy cover and bird diversity along with surveys of village inhabitants. The aim is to understand the quality of different forest types, specifically primary and secondary forests, work with village communities to understand their need to exploit forest resources, and how this exploitation impacts the ecologies of the forests. Finally, suggestions for improved management of forests are offered placing the forest fragments into the context of landscape-scale conservation management. A bark identification key was developed to assist with identifying tree species divided into 9 bark types. It was shown that
Legumenosae followed by Moraceae are dominant tree species in the forests. While the inventory revealed 61 species of trees and 85 bird species within the forests. The results showed the canopy cover structure and Gap Light Analysis (%Canopy openness and %transmitted gap light) interlinked and how these change season by season. The village surveys highlighted a need to develop awareness raising within local communities. However, it was found that poverty and poor resources forced people to exploit the forests. Thus, poverty was a clear driver for accessing the forests for products such as food, firewood and medicinal plants. This direct forest exploitation was further exacerbated by agricultural encroachment, particularly of livestock grazing.
Bird species displayed a clear preference towards primary forests suggesting a richer habitat in both plant and invertebrate species. This highlighted the need to protect primary forests. At the same time it was felt important to recommend extending forest cover through regeneration of trees in plots adjacent to primary forests. Other conservation measures recommended included better management of riparian zones, increased wildlife corridor cover as well as improved resources for the rural poor who are forced to exploit primary forests despite the negative impacts of such exploitation.

A study about the abundance of phytoplankton was conducted in the waters of the Mariculture Park of Balingasag, Misamis Oriental. Sampling was done from September to November 2011. In this sampling, four stations were established with one station located near the shore, two within the mariculture fish cages and one located offshore. Phytoplankters collected were counted and identified. Then, three subsamples were taken from each station. The data was analayzed by using cell density, relative abundance and Shannon-Weiner formulas. The physico-chemical parameters were also determined. There were three (3) phytoplankton groups that were identified which were Cyanobacteria, Diatoms and Dinoflagellates. The Diatoms were the most dominant group with an average 5099 cells/10L and 99 %RA compared to waters within marculture cages with an average 3910 cells/10L and 2868 cells/10L, both had 97 %RA, whereas offshore water had 3089 cells/10L and 98%RA. The diatom abundance suggests that there is a high nitrogen load in the seawater. The species index values were slightly different from the inshore waters, lowest at H=0.08, followed by waters within the mariculture cages with H= 0.11 and higher offshore H= 0.12. The Kruskal-Wallis test (a non-parametric ANOVA) indicated that the cell densities of major phytoplankton groups do not have significant difference per station based on the resulting p value. Also, the low diversity index in the inshore station is accounted to the dominace of Rhizosolenia in the community because this species outcompete other marine phytoplanktont. In the inshore station, highest cell density was observed compared to other stations with 5167 cells/10L. This was followed by the waters in the mariculture cages (Station 2 and 3) with 3995 cells/10L and 2993 cells/10L and lastly, offshore waters with 3159 cells/10L. Rhizosolenia is the most dominant genus of all the genera identified with an average cell density of 2860 cells/10L and relative abundance of 74.81%. This result implies that the water in the Mariculture Park is oligotrophic since Rhizosolenia thrive best in these areas. Sampling stations had an average pH of 7.95, an average salinity of 30.27 ppt and an average temperature of 31.35°C.

In the context of paradigms of computation, we inevitably need to pursue the path of how certain technologies can radically change the design landscape, as we know it today. This paper presents not only a computational design paradigm, but also the socio-economic implications of a disruptive shift that no longer focuses on ‘what’ to make but rather on ‘who’ is making.

Dissertation: This study is among the first to be explicitly concerned with music-streaming services from a qualitative user perspective. It sheds light on how music in general, and streaming technology in particular, is perceived, made sense of, experienced and practiced in the context of the individual streaming user’s everyday life. Its research perspective is inspired by sociological phenomenology, starting with Alfred Schutz’s action-oriented approach to understanding intersubjective meaningful experience. This perspective informs both the methodological model and the theoretical framework of the study, which is otherwise interdisciplinary and eclectic.
The research was conducted in Norway, which currently boasts a globally pioneering streaming market. The study relies on a mixed-methods design using twelve heavy music-streaming users (ranging from seventeen to sixty years old) as informants. I began by devoting two months to sampling users’ self-reported practices and experiences with music-streaming services, combined with online observation and logging of all streamed tracks during this period. I followed up with individual in-depth interviews that were conducted while looking at the personal streaming-service interfaces together with the informants. This design is original to the dissertation and intended to make immediate experience sampling convenient for the informant. It is therefore also relevant for grasping everyday experiences of a taken-for-granted nature that arise in the context of mobile media and the ubiquitous Internet.
I develop my arguments through a discussion that draws on theoretical frameworks that fundamentally revolve around notions of human action, which is also a focus of my analyses (via user practices and experiences). The principal study finding involves the extent of the role that music has assumed in daily life as a result of streaming services. Streaming-related musical meaning is found to be intensely self-referential and personal, and streaming presents itself as a malleable lifeworld resource. I also argue that music-streaming services afford involvements in diverse modes of experience and practice that are realised through the role and impact of these services in everyday life, as demonstrated by the micro-dynamics that follow upon the act of streaming among individuals, the technology, the music and the context. The dissertation’s overall structure is divided in two: (1) the covering paper that will survey the research project as a whole, and (2) four articles written over the three-year course of the project.

Natural pollination and the physical impairments on plant leaves, as well as plant diseases are indicators of the
presence of aboveground insects. However, there is less evidence to describe the presence of such insects in
Rwanda. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the abundance of the aboveground insect species in
Musanze district, in the Northern part of Rwanda. Insect traps were laid in agricultural fields ten sectors of
Musanze district; Busogo, Cyuve, Gacaca, Gataraga, Kimonyi, Kinigi,Musanze, Muhoza ,Muko and Nkotsi. The
insects were caught using nets during the day and during night the traps were hung with light to attract insects.
The insects were trapped and collected two consecutive seasons, during the month of April 2021 (wet season) and
July 2021 (dry season). The data were analyzed using SPSS version 24 and Microsoft Excel package. The findings
showed that the overall insect species abundance was as follows; Bush cricket (8.6%), Long-horned grass hoppers
(15.4%), Bombardier beetles (3.4%), Stunk bug beetles (3.1%), Leaf chaffers (3.4%), Leaf beetles (3.7%), Honey
bees (3.6%), Maize leaf hoppers (9.7%), swallowtail butterflies (18.9%), Wasps (2.2%), White butterflies (12.6%),
White flies (9.2) and Leaf miners (6.2%). Hence, the results revealed that there is a significant difference in the
mean amount between insects trapped. The swallowtails butterflies, which are beneficial insects, were highest in
abundance (18.9%) whereas the stung bug beetles was recorded lowest abundance (3.1%). Since the collected
insects included major beneficial insects, during insect pest control, farmers are recommended to firstly use
trapping and netting methods before pesticides application. This can reduce the cost and dangers to human health
and to beneficial insects as well. Besides, they can apply wide spectrum insecticides which have fewer hazards to
the environment.

The number of mangroves in the world has been alarming that poses a big threat to destruction of the marine ecosystem. Some of these threats include habitat destruction, invasive species, over population, over exploitation, and pollution. This research aimed to determine the species abundance and diversity of a community-managed mangrove forest in Calatagan Marine Protected Area through its community structure. A survey of the vegetation structure of mangrove was conducted to determine the GBH (girth at breast height), height and the tree's crown in the four (4) standard 10 m x 10 m transect plots. DBH (diameter at breast height), basal area, canopy cover, relative frequency, relative dominance and relative density were also assessed. Species diversity and abundance were computed using the Shannon-Weiner diversity index. The results of the community structure in average revealed that the GBH is 13.57 cm, height of 3.50 m, crown 1.28 m, DBH of 4.32 cm, basal area of 0.0164 m2 and canopy cover of 5.30 m2. The study shows a very low species diversity value (H') ranging from 0.4692 to 1.2178. Seven species belonging to six families of mangroves were identified. Avicennia marina was determined to be the most dominant among the identified species in the sampling plots. With these results, conservation of mangrove forest by the local community stakeholders can be strengthened to improve the community structure towards the resiliency of the mangrove forest. It is endorsed that community-based conservation of mangroves can be considered in mangrove management, monitoring and evaluation.

Integral University at Lucknow is a lush green campus of nearly 120 acres, preferred by number of bird species at its
different types of habitat like trees, bushes, grasses, grounds and buildings etc. Study was conducted for two years through
standard methods to collect information on different species of birds present in the campus. A total of eighty three species of
birds belonging to fifteen orders and forty three families were recorded at the university campus. Majority of species were
observed in the order Passeriformes and family Accipitridae and falling under Scheduled-IV category of IUCN i.e. of Least
Concern. On the basis of their occurrence in the campus, around 60% of the bird species were found to be common, 30% visitor
and 10% were rare. Feeding habits showed dominance of Carnivorous (34%) and Insectivorous (27%) bird species.

Ah, romance, that wonderful and exciting feeling, that most glorious intertwining of two hearts. So intense, such a high, but so fleeting, and so often for so many once gone never to return. But does it have to be that way? Learn How can we create and sustain more romance in our lives. Your capacity to love and accept yourself is the measure of your capacity to love and accept others. The same can be said for romance: your ability and willingness to create romance within is the measure of the romance you can help create in a committed loving relationship.

This essay recounts the stand that Kānaka ʻŌiwi and their allies took to protect Mauna a Wākea from the construction crews who tried to make their way to the summit on June 24, 2015. As Kānaka stood in lines across the road leading up the mauna, they chanted about the abundance that grows from their genealogical connectedness to Mauna a Wākea. The occupying state has long mapped Mauna a Wākea as a wasteland and the proponents of the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope have employed the figure of a “threshold of impact” to depict the mountain as so “degraded” by existing telescopes that the addition of more would not have a significant impact. By contrast, the movement to protect Mauna a Wākea maps ancestral knowledge about the waters of life on Mauna a Wākea as part of an education in “ea,” a word meaning life, breath, sovereignty, and a rising. In this stand, the people are enacting a decolonial future on ancestral lands, and it is on this abundance that the people of the lāhui are rising.

Despite the broad environmental tolerance of the Military Macaw (Ara militaris) reflected in its wide ecological distribution, most surveyed populations in the few studied breeding areas in Mexico present, 100 individuals. Although records of the species include several regions across the country, most groups recorded include, 50 macaws. Prior to this report, the largest known breeding Mexican population documented was the Tehuaca´n-Cuicatla´n nesting colony with 100 macaws. Over the last 8 years, we surveyed the macaw population nesting in tropical coastal forests located in the southern portions of Bahia de Banderas, the bay where Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco is located. We systematically assessed the macaw population by counting the flocks occurring in 3 forested areas located 20–37 km apart and assumed to harbor different and independent macaw groups. The macaw abundance was surveyed during 35 consecutive months from February 2012 through December 2014. Based on location of the surveys, the timing of the observations, and the flight direction of the 3 distinct macaw groups, we inferred that each uses different foraging, roosting, and nesting areas. Higher abundance for each population was observed during February–May each year, contrasting with a low level of activity observed during the summer months of July–August. We assumed that the macaws exhibit nomadic behavior outside the region during summer. The 3 populations may constitute a metapopulation that congregates after the fledglings acquire flying skills during the initial months of the nonbreeding season on the 3 different areas. During March 2013, the highest concentration was registered in the Yelapa region, where 215 macaws were observed in a colonial roost, constituting the largest aggregation documented for the species. If data from the 3 populations surveyed are combined, the estimated number of macaws is 363 birds for 2014. Based on our data, we believe the region harbors a vital population for the long-term survival of the Military Macaw in central western Pacific and Mexico.

Two major features of emotions are their personal, interested nature and the centrality of the self-other relation. There seems to be a built-in tension between the two: this is evident, for example, in negative emotions such as envy and hate, where one person has a significant negative attitude toward another. This tension is also obvious in positive emotions, such as schadenfreude, where an individual is pleased about the other's misfortune. Such tension may even be greater in romantic love, where the lover should give special attention and status to the beloved. The tension gains further momentum when we assume that self-fulfillment is an essential feature of romantic relationships. Indeed, it seems that in many low-quality romantic relations, the tension between self-fulfillment and the needs of the beloved is real and toxic. However, in enduring profound love, which involves the personal growth of each partner, self-fulfillment is not egoistic, and the tension drives mutual thriving. Duas importantes características das emoções são sua natureza pessoal e interessada e a centralidade da relação si próprio-outro. Parece haver uma tensão incorporada entre as duas: isso fica evidente, por exemplo, em emoções negativas como inveja e ira, quando

Narváez Romero C. (2013). Análisis de estacionalidad y abundancia relativa de oso de anteojos (Tremarctos ornatus), lobo de páramo (Lycalopex culpaeus) y tapir andino (Tapirus pinchaque) en los páramos del Parque Nacional Podocarpus. (Tesis de Biología). UTPL. Loja. 76. http://dspace.utpl.edu.ec/handle/123456789/6421

En la cadena montañosa occidental del Parque Nacional Podocarpus y Nudo de Sabanilla en los ecosistemas de páramo al sur de Ecuador, durante 12 meses, se evaluó la presencia de oso de anteojos, lobo de páramo y tapir andino, tres grandes mamíferos sudamericanos que son potencialmente reconocidos como “especies paraguas”, debido a que tienen importantes funciones ecológicas y amplias áreas de vida.
Por medio de transectos de observación de rastros, se registraron siete distintas señales en campo, usadas para documentar la ocurrencia, obtener índices de abundancia relativa y frecuencia de distribución.
Encontramos 1002 registros de las tres especies en toda el área recorrida de las unidades de observación, de las cuales el 50.11% pertenecen a osos, el 38.41% a lobos y el 11.48% a tapires.
La distribución y ocurrencia de los registros de las tres especies durante todo el muestreo en al menos uno de los tres sectores censados demostró un uso continuo de estos ecosistemas, pero sí encontramos posibles patrones de preferencia relacionados con variables climáticas tanto medidas de forma temporal como espacial.
La intensidad de evidencias de uso y/o presencia fue variante en el tiempo, habiendo mayor abundancia de registros en algunos meses pero finalmente se descartó el uso estacional de los páramos.

Palabras clave: estacionalidad, abundancia, Tremarctos, Tapirus, Lycalopex, diversidad, Podocarpus, señales

The Bolivian river dolphin, known locally as the bufeo, is one of 4 species of river dolphin in South America. Endemic to the upper basin of the Madeira in the Bolivian Amazon region, the species is categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. This article provides information related to the geographic distribution of the species, and a review of the studies of its abundance that have been conducted in Bolivia since the 1970s. We discuss the surveys, the analysis methods used in the different studies, and the ways in which these methods might influence the population estimates. We found 63 population abundance estimates for the Bolivian river dolphin across 17 reviewed publications. These studies report relative abundance data for rivers that range from 0.2 to 2.81 bufeos km−1, and density ranges from 0 to 7.59 bufeos km−2. The information presented here reflects the knowledge of the population size of the species in Bolivia obtained over 4 decades, and will be useful for developing conservation strategies and as a tool for decision makers.

Effect of forest management on the herpetofauna of a temperate forest of western Oaxaca, Mexico. The development of silvicultural techniques has as main objective to maximize the production of timber, whereas at the same time minimize the impact generated during and after forest intervention in the local diversity. However, these activities change local climate, and this, in turn, alter the composition of natural communities. The effect of these changes may be greater in those taxonomic groups with high sensitivity to habitat disturbance, such as amphibians and reptiles, which are the unique terrestrial ectothermic vertebrates. The present study aims to know the differences in diversity of amphibians and reptiles in a temperate forest under two silvicultural treatments, one of low and the other of high intensity, as well as from one, five and ten years of regeneration since the last logging event, Sierra Sur of Oaxaca, Mexico. Records of 21 species of herpetofauna (six amphibians and 15 reptiles) were obtained. The total species richness was similar in both treatments; however, the composition varied between sites with different recovery times. Higher abundance of amphibian was presented on sites with the low-intensity treatment, while reptiles were more abundant at sites with intensive treatment. Compared to a mature forest without management, sites with intensive treatment have more rare species, although the values of true diversity of amphibians were similar between treatments with different intensities, while for reptiles sites under treatment showed less diversity that unmanaged site: 33 % for intensive treatment and 28 % at sites with low intensity with respect to one control site. Complementary Analysis showed a difference of 86 % between the compositions of species in sites with intensive treatment. The treatment intensity was associated with an increase in the number of species, but the way they respond to changes in habitat depends largely on the population characteristics of each species and its ability to adapt to new conditions. Rev. Biol. Trop. 64 (3): 931-943. Epub 2016 September 01.

Lakes are the most fertile , productive and interactive ecosystems in the world. Quaid – e –Azam Park is gifted with lakes. It is located in Steel Town, coordinates: 24°51´41˝N, 67°19´54˝E. The present study was designed to determine the monthly variation in physico-chemical parameters and zooplankton population dynamics at Quaid – e – Azam park Lake for a period of six months from April to September, 2011. Water samples were collected on monthly basis and were analyzed for estimation of water colour, pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Acidity, Sulphate and Phosphate contents. The significant monthly variations were found in all the parameters under study. The zooplankton groups found in the lake were in the order Copepoda > Ostracoda > Cladocera > Rotifera.