Final Blog :( But It's Going To Be Really HOT!

Ladle, R. J., Firmino, J. V. L., Malhado, A. C. M., and Rodriguez-Durand, A. 2012. Unexplored Diversity and Conservation Potential of Neotropical Hot Caves. Conservation Biology. Vol. 26(6): 978-982. 
Available at:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01936.x/asset/cobi1936.pdf?v=1&t=heubis7x&s=ba891fb49a29536c4389ebecff08c4fe6327b4c0

Rodriguez-Durand, A. and Soto-Centeno, J. A. 2003. Temperature selection by tropical bats roosting in caves. Journal of Thermal Biology. Vol. 28: 465-468

SAUNA FOR THE FAUNA

Here it is. Last blog of the year. I may or may not be kind of sad about this...Anyways, I want to talk about Neotropical hot caves. These caves can reach temperatures as high as 40 degrees Celsius (Ladle et al., 2012) and have humidities ranging from 85 to 100%. The caves house a diverse amount of invertebrates that feed on the abundance of bat guano, so bats live in these hot caves as well. This coexistence between bats and invertebrates creates a very stable microclimate within these caves. Hot caves are defined as having one opening, having poorly ventilated chambers, and are more than 1km in total length (Ladle et al., 2012). The elevated temperatures in these hot caves are due to the heat radiating from the bodies of the high densities of bats and from decomposing guano (Ladle et al., 2012).

http://www.kentos.org.uk/Trip%20Reports/BorneoandMalayPeninsularAugust2009.htm

The picture above is not of a hot cave perse, this is due to the lack of information about these caves. It is impossible to find a picture of a Neotropical hot cave. Maybe the lack of information is due to the fact that these caves are way too hot, and house an unbearable stench (bat guano - yuck!). Even the cave-dwelling arthropod fauna is poorly known (Ladle et al., 2012). The main reason why these caves need to be protected is because we know so little about them. They are able to accomodate a diverse spectrum of species that are capable of coexisting together to form a unique microclimate - if that's not worth protecting, I don't know what is! The fact that a stable microclimate can be made and sustained in a smelly, dark, and humid hole is incredible!

A study was done in 2003 by Rodriguez-Durand et al., on two types of hot cave dwelling bats, Pteronotus quadridens (Sooty mustached bat) and Erophylla sezekorni (Buffy flower bat). These bats are able to live together in the same cave because they have different temperature preferences. The Sooty mustached bat was found in the deepest parts of the cave in temperatures ranging from 28-35 degrees celsius, and the Buffy flower bat was found in temperatures ranging from 25 to 28 degrees celsius (Rodriguez-Durand et al., 2003). Because of these species-specific temperature preferences, both of these bats can live in the same cave without having to compete for places to sleep etc. These bat species appear to be adapted to the hot conditions of the cave. They have physiological adaptations such as low basal metabolic rates, and morphologies that conserve water (Ladle et al., 2012).

Hot cave ecosystems around the world are threatened by human activities such as mining for construction materials, extraction of guano for fertilizer and tourism (Ladle et al., 2012). These caves have a distinct geomorphology which can be irreversibly altered by human activity. If the hot caves have increased air flow and decreased temperatures, the specialized species that live in the caves will abandon them and the cave will not be able to function. Another big issue for the protection of these caves is the loss of foraging grounds for the bats due to deforestation (Ladle et al., 2012). If the bats leave (due to lack of food), the caves will not be able to house the stable microclimate of arthropods and bats.

Sooty Mustached Bat

http://www.jamaicancaves.org/st_clair_100120.htm

Buffy Flower Bat

http://www.caymanwildlife.org/bat-buffyFlower.html

Word Count: 550 (sorry! it was the last one though :P)

Even Looney Toons Can Be Endangered

McCallum, H., Tompkins, D. M., Jones, M., Lachish, S., Marvanek, S., Lazenby, B., Hocking, G., Wiersma, J., and Hawkins, C. E. 2007. Distribution and Impacts of Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumor Disease. EcoHealth. 4, 318-325. DOI: 10.1007/s10393-007-0118-0
Available at: Tasmanian Devil Paper

http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/palaeofiles/marsupials/diet%20-%20carnivores.htm

These little critters may look cute, but they are vicious carnivores. Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) are the largest living marsupial carnivores (McCallum et al., 2007) in the world. Their populations are increasingly declining due to a terrible disease. This disease has been around since 1996, according to previous studies and reports, and has wiped out nearly 90% of populations. The study done by McCallum et al., predicts that in 5 to 10 years the disease will reach all of the Tasmanian devil populations, and in 10 to 15 years they will be completely gone. The transmission of this disease may be frequency-dependant, which makes it even more likely for these critters to become extinct. Transmission occurs through fighting and biting around the face, and could potentially be sexually transmitted as well.

Tasmanian devils have very low genetic diversity. This could be due to the last Ice Age, which left them isolated. In this study they used two methods to determine the distribution of the disease; roadkill reports and trapping data, and 10km spotlighting transects. The latter proved to be more effective. As of March 2007, the disease spread was estimated to be 59% of the Tasmanian mainland. The disease seems to first occur in the older animals, and then gets transmitted to other individuals that come in contact with the infected one.

Discovering more about this disease, its latent period and exactly how it is transmitted, will help us to find ways to eliminate it and protect the Tasmanian devils. Reproductive rate (R0) needs to be determined in order to determine whether or not we can remove infected individuals from a population without having it crash.

This graph from the study shows that as soon as the disease was introduced (where the arrow is), the population started to decline.

WARNING: The Pictures You Are About To See Are Very Disturbing!

http://chonps.org/2012/03/09/research-on-the-cancer-that-is-killing-taz-makes-further-progress/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13909703

Now you know what Taz was so crazy! He didn't want to get a transmissible tumor. 

Word Count: 315

P.S. Sorry this was so late!

I Can Smell The Endangered "Poo"ma!

Vynne, C., Skalski, J. R., Machado, R. B., Groom, M. J., Jacomo, A. T.A., Marinho-Filho, J., Ramos Neto, M. B., Pomilla, C., Silveira, L., Smith, H., and Wasser, S. K. 2010. Effectiveness of Scat-Detection Dogs in Determining Species Presence in a Tropical Savanna Landscape. Society for Conservation Biology. Doi: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2010.01581.x. (1)
Available at:
http://conservationbiology.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2010ConBio_Vynne-et-al.pdf

Website where paper was found, and where information on dogs was found. (2)
Accessed Feb. 28th, 2013.

http://conservationbiology.net/research-programs/brazilmammals/

Just when I thought dogs couldn't get any better or be any cooler... dogs can be trained to help in conservation efforts! Dogs at the University Of Washington in Seattle WA, have been trained to detect scat of many different animal species in Emas National Park; a small protected area in the Brazillian Cerrado biome (1). Most of these trained dogs are rescue dogs from many shelters. The reason why these dogs are in shelters is due to the fact that they have high-energy personalities which can make it hard for them to be maintained as a family pet (2). Dogs that got excited to fetch a tennis ball were selected from the shelters (1) and trained to be scat-detection dogs.

In the study by Vynne et al. 2010, researchers looked into five large mammals that have been effected by habitat loss and are now considered endangered with the possibility of extinction (1). The five mammals include, the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), jaguar (Panthera onca), puma (Puma concolor), giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), and the giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus). The quadrat sizes used in the study were 3X3km and 5X5km. Each species was detected (by scat recognition by the dogs) more often in the 5X5km quadrats except for the giant armadillo (1). Maned wolves were detected 69/70 quadrats, jaguars in 11/70, pumas in 21/70, giant armadillos 20/63, and giant anteaters were detected in 57/63 quadrats (1). Scat samples were collected once a dog located it. The samples were then DNA tested to make sure the right species were being identified, to determine how healthy the animal is, what it's eating, and its population density (1). These five mammals were also found outside the park during each year of data collection, which means they have active home ranges established outside the park (1). Outside the park range is land owned by local people, so developing a conservation incentive may help to maintain these areas where these mammals are living.

Now back to these amazing dogs! How are they trained? How are they so efficient? These dogs were sent to Pack-leader Dog Training camps in Gig Harbour, Washington, and were then trained at the University of Washington Conservation Canine facilities (1). Scat from captive animals and wild-collected samples were used to train the dogs. Multiple scats from the same species were used, which allowed the dogs to generalize detection of any samples from that species (regardless of sex or reproductive status). Once a dog located a sample it would sit beside it and wait for a reward. To ensure the dog's efficiency species determination is done early in the season in order to catch incorrect scat identification so the dogs can be retrained (1).

Not only can these dogs detect the presence or absence of specific species, the scat they detect can be used to estimate abundance of certain species and their responses to habitat disturbances (1), which can overall help with conservation efforts for these endangered creatures.


These amazing dogs just keep getting cooler and cooler! They are also able to detect whale scat in the ocean!!

Figure 1a. Tucker looks for whale scat - © Fred Fellman

http://conservationbiology.net/research-programs/killer-whales/

(Word count = 495)

What Would You Do For A Klondike Dog?

Article website for the story about Klondike:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130205101153.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fplants_animals%2Fzoology+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Plants+%26+Animals+News+--+Zoology%29

Pereira, R. M., and Marques, C. C. 2008. Animal oocyte and embryo cryopreservation. Cell Tissue Banking. 9:267-277. doi 10.11007/s10561-008-9075-2

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10561-008-9075-2?LI=true

                                                                  http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Feb13/KlondikeJordan.jpg

This is Klondike, a beagle-labrador retriever mix. Not only is he an adorable puppy, he was born from a frozen embryo. Cryopreservation of embryos is a crucial step for the conservation of animals (Pereira et al., 2008). Klondike plays a huge role in the development of the cryopreservation process. Embryos (and oocytes) can undergo considerable morphological and functional damage during this process. Depending on the species and the stage of development, differences in survival and development vary (Pereira et al., 2008). Two methods for preserving embryos are currently used: slow freezing and vitrification. The most successful method has proven to be vitrification.

According to wikipedia, vitrification is "the transformation of a substance to glass by rapidly cooling a liquid through the glass transition." This is how cryopreservation works. Biological processes that would otherwise cause cell death are stopped. The only issue with this method is the thawing process, where the most damage can occur if a cryoprotectant is not used.

Researchers from Cornell's Baker Institute of Animal Health and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute worked with the cryopreservation process to freeze fertilized eggs. This provides an avenue to help repopulate endangered species. Since dogs are only able to have litters once or twice a year, the cryopreservation process is used to coordinate the proper timing to implant an embryo into a surrogate.

Alex Travis, a Baker faculty member, stated that "dogs have remarkably different reproduction than any other mammal". Therefore, determining the differences in reproduction for many mammals will "help preserve genetic diversity of endangered animals through assisted reproduction". The process of cryopreservation and storage of embryos will allow us to conserve the complete genetic complement of father and mother (Pereira et al., 2008), and will allow us to protect and manage endangered species more effectively.

This is the vitrification process for freezing the embryos (Pereira et al., 2008)

(Word count: 309)

FIRES ARE NOT ALWAYS A BAD THING

Saab, V. A. Dudley, J. Thompson W. L. 2004. Factors influencing occupancy of nest cavities in recently burned forests. The Condor 106: 20-36.
http://www.rmrs.nau.edu/publications/rmrs_2004_saab001/rmrs_2004_saab001.pdf

ECAS Lewis's Woodpecker Project
http://www.ecbcbirds.org/Projects/LewissWoodpeckerProject/tabid/67/Default.aspx

COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report
http://www.avibirds.com/saps/NA/Canada/EN/Lewiss%20Woodpecker2010.pdf

Lewis's Woodpeckers (Melanerpes lewis) can only be found in western North America (COSEWIC 2010). These birds breed where there are Ponderosa Pine, and follow the distribution of this tree. These birds have been determined as threatened according to the COSEWIC 2010 assessment. This is due to the ongoing decline of their habitats. Humans have been removing nest trees for safety reasons (tree planters and forestry workers), fire wood and aesthetic reasons (COSEWIC 2010).The European Starling may also pose a threat to the Lewis's Woodpecker due to competition for nest sites. Lewis's Woodpeckers prefer open habitats with scattered trees, or trees just along an open area, grasslands and riparian forests. They have also been shown to inhabit forests that have been recently burned.

In this paper by Saab et al., twelve species of cavity nesters were studied to determine the factors that influence occupancy and reuse of nest cavities in two areas that had been burned (Saab et al., 2004). I will be focusing on the results found for the Lewis's Woodpecker. The study determined that the Lewis's Woodpecker is a weak excavator and will usually steal nest cavities of other species or enlarge previously used nest cavities. Unlike the Black-backed Woodpeckers, the Lewis's Woodpeckers will occupy areas that have been recently burned (2-4 years; Saab and Vierling 2001), and burns that are older (10-25 years; Bock 1970).

The Lewis's Woodpecker is an aerial insectivore, which is why it is attracted to burned forests. After a fire, vegetation growth provides lots of food and habitats for insects (Saab et al., 2004). This study was performed from 1994-1999. In the years 1998-1999 only three bird species had successful nests; the Lewis's Woodpecker was one of them. This species of woodpecker tends to occupy the same nest cavity over consecutive breeding seasons. This could be one reason for their success in the later years of the study. The study states that the Lewis's Woodpecker, along with the Northern Flicker, were the most abundant cavity-nesters, and encompassed 73% of all nesting attempts (Saab et al., 2004).

                                                         (Saab et al., 2004)
This is a graph from the paper which shows that weak excavators (Lewis's Woodpecker) reuse the same nest cavity more than any other excavators in the study.

I chose this bird species not only because it is listed as threatened, but because I think we could help make nest cavities for it as a conservation project. I posted a link to the ECAS Lewis's Woodpecker Project website. They make bird boxes for Lewis's Woodpeckers and they have been pretty successful. Check it out!!!

(Word count: 425)