ALBERT

Description: Collisions between birds and aircraft cause billions of dollars of damages annually to civil, commercial, and military aviation. Yet technology to reduce bird strike is not generally effective, especially over longer time periods. Previous information from our lab indicated that filling an area with acoustic noise, which masks important communication channels for birds, can displace European Starlings ( Sturnus vulgaris ) from food sources. Here we deployed a spatially controlled noise (termed a “sonic net”), designed to overlap with the frequency range of bird vocalizations, at an airfield. By conducting point counts, we monitored the presence of birds for four weeks before deployment of our sonic net, and for four weeks during deployment. We found an 82% reduction in bird presence in the sonic net area compared with change in the reference areas. This effect was as strong in the fourth week of exposure as in the first week. We also calculated the potential costs avoided resulting from this exclusion. We propose that spatially controlled acoustic manipulations that mask auditory communication for birds may be an effective long term and fairly benign way of excluding problem birds from areas of socioeconomic importance, such as airfields, agricultural sites, and commercial properties.

Description: The production of morphologically different seeds or fruits by the same individual plant is known as seed hetermorphism. Such variation is expected to be selected for in disturbance-prone environments to allow germination into inherently variable regeneration niches. However, there are few demonstrations that heteromorphic seed characteristics should be favored by selection or how they may be maintained. In fire-prone ecosystems, seed heteromorphism is found in the temperatures needed to break physical dormancy, with seeds responding to high or low temperatures, ensuring emergence under variable fire regime-related soil heating. Because of the relationship between dormancy-breaking temperature thresholds and fire severity, we hypothesize that different post-fire resource conditions have selected for covarying seedling traits, which contribute to maintenance of such heteromorphism. Seeds with low thresholds emerge into competitive conditions, either after low severity fire or in vegetation gaps, and are therefore likely to experience selection for seedling characteristics that make them good competitors. On the other hand, high temperature threshold seeds would emerge into less competitive environments, indicative of stand-clearing high severity fires, and would not experience the same selective forces. We identified high and low threshold seed morphs via dormancy-breaking heat treatments and germination trials for two study species and compared seed weight and other morphological characteristics between morphs. We then grew seedlings from the two different morphs, with and without competition, and measured growth and biomass allocation as indicators of seedling performance. Seedlings from low threshold seeds of both species performed better than their high threshold counterparts, growing more quickly under competitive conditions, confirming that different performance can result from this seed characteristic. Seed weight or appearance did not differ between morphs, indicating that dormancy-breaking temperature threshold variation is a form of cryptic heteromorphism. The potential shown for the selective influence of different post-fire environmental conditions on seedling performance provides evidence of a mechanism for the maintenance of heteromorphic variation in dormancy-breaking temperature thresholds. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: Gamma radiation is known to induce changes in physical, optical, and structural properties in chalcogenide glasses, but previous research has focused on As 2 S 3 and families of glasses containing Ge . For the first time, we present composition and dose dependent data on the As–S binary glass series. Binary As x S 100−x ( x  =   30, 33, 36, 40, and 42) glasses were irradiated with gamma radiation using a 60 Co source at 2.8 Gy/s to accumulated doses of 1, 2, 3, and 4 MGy. The irradiated samples were characterized at each dose level for density, refractive index, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectrum. We report an initial increase in density followed by a decrease as a function of dose that contradicts the expected compositional dependence of molar volume of these glasses. This unusual behavior is explained based on microvoid formation and nanoscale phase-separation induced by the irradiation. XRD, Raman, and electron spin resonance data provide supporting evidence, underscoring the importance of optimally- or overly constrained structures for stability under irradiation.

Description: Collisions between birds and aircraft cause billions of dollars of damages annually to civil, commercial, and military aviation. Yet technology to reduce bird strike is not generally effective, especially over longer time periods. Previous information from our lab indicated that filling an area with acoustic noise, which masks important communication channels for birds, can displace European Starlings ( Sturnus vulgaris ) from food sources. Here we deployed a spatially controlled noise (termed a “sonic net”), designed to overlap with the frequency range of bird vocalizations, at an airfield. By conducting point counts, we monitored the presence of birds for four weeks before deployment of our sonic net, and for four weeks during deployment. We found an 82% reduction in bird presence in the sonic net area compared with change in the reference areas. This effect was as strong in the fourth week of exposure as in the first week. We also calculated the potential costs avoided resulting from this exclusion. We propose that spatially controlled acoustic manipulations that mask auditory communication for birds may be an effective long term and fairly benign way of excluding problem birds from areas of socioeconomic importance, such as airfields, agricultural sites, and commercial properties. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: Ilopango Caldera was formed ∼1810 years ago by eruption of the Tierra Blanca Joven (TBJ) dacite (70 km3) in central El Salvador. A subsequent eruption in 1880 produced a cluster of dacite domes in the center of Lago Ilopango that contain olive-bearing enclaves of basaltic andesite. The purpose of this study is to use trace element, isotope, and U-series data from the TBJ and 1880 eruptions to assess petrogenesis and the timescale of magma storage. We find that although the range of trace element data in the TBJ dacite can be reproduced by simple crystal fractionation of a plagioclase- and amphibole-rich mineral assemblage, the 87Sr/86Sr and 207Pb/204Pb data suggest that the 1880 basaltic andesite enclave has a different source than the dacites. This is consistent with U-series data that show the TBJ dacites have lower (230Th/232Th) than the 1880 basaltic andesite enclave (1.5 versus 1.6, respectively). All Ilopango rocks have 230Th excesses, and the range in (238U/232Th) of the TBJ dacites can be modeled by crystal fractionation of a mineral assemblage including accessory zircon and allanite from a magma that is similar in composition to the enclave. Mineral isochrons yield crystallization ages of

Description: We used biotelemetry and human dimensions surveys to explore potential solutions to migration mortality of an endangered population of coho salmon caught as bycatch in an aboriginal beach seine fishery. From 2009 to 2011, 182 wild coho salmon caught as bycatch in the lower Fraser River (Canada) were radio-tagged and tracked as they attempted to complete their migrations to natal spawning areas over 300 km upstream. Failure to survive to reach terminal radio receiving stations averaged 39% over three years. This mortality estimate is low compared to those obtained from telemetry studies on other salmon fisheries in the Fraser River. However, this value is markedly higher than the mortality estimate currently used to manage the fishery's impact. It is also in contrast to the perceptions of the majority of aboriginal fishers, who did not think survival of coho salmon is affected by capture and release from their fishery. Increased probability of survival was associated with lower reflex impairment, which is consistent with previous findings. Reflex impairment was positively correlated with entanglement time, suggesting that greater efforts by the fishers to release bycatch from their nets quickly would minimize post-release mortality. Survey responses by aboriginal fishers also suggested that they are receptive to employing new bycatch handling methods if they are shown to increase post-release survival. However, attempts to facilitate revival of a subset of captured fish using cylindrical in-river recovery bags did not improve migration success. Fisheries managers could use the new information from this study to better quantify impacts and evaluate different harvest options. Since aboriginal fishers were receptive to using alternate handling methods, efforts to improve knowledge on minimizing reflex impairment through reductions in handling time could help increase bycatch survival. Such a direct integration of social science and applied ecology is a novel approach to understanding conservation issues that can better inform meaningful actions to promote species recovery. # doi:10.1890/13-1885.1

Description: Speciation involves divergence at genetic and phenotypic levels. Where substantial genetic differentiation exists among populations, examining variation in multiple phenotypic characters may elucidate the mechanisms by which divergence and speciation unfold. Previous work on the Australian funnel-web spider Atrax sutherlandi Gray (2010; Records of the Australian Museum 62 , 285–392; Mygalomorphae: Hexathelidae: Atracinae) has revealed a marked genetic structure along a 110-kilometer transect, with six genetically distinct, parapatric populations attributable to past glacial cycles. In the present study, we explore variation in three classes of phenotypic characters (metabolic rate, water loss, and morphological traits) within the context of this phylogeographic structuring. Variation in metabolic and water loss rates shows no detectable association with genetic structure; the little variation observed in these rates may be due to the spiders’ behavioral adaptations (i.e., burrowing), which buffer the effects of climatic gradients across the landscape. However, of 17 morphological traits measured, 10 show significant variation among genetic populations, in a disjunct manner that is clearly not latitudinal. Moreover, patterns of variation observed for morphological traits serving different organismic functions (e.g., prey capture, burrowing, and locomotion) are dissimilar. In contrast, a previous study of an ecologically similar sympatric spider with little genetic structure indicated a strong latitudinal response in 10 traits over the same range. The congruence of morphological variation with deep phylogeographic structure in Tallaganda's A. sutherlandi populations, as well as the inconsistent patterns of variation across separate functional traits, suggest that the spiders are likely in early stages of speciation, with parapatric populations independently responding to local selective forces. We examined variation in the physiology and morphology of parapatric spider populations showing phylogeographic structure. Although behavioral adaptions may account for low physiological variation overall, morphological traits differentiate according to phylogeographic boundaries. Disjunct patterns of variation among separate functional traits suggest that the genetically distinct populations may respond to local selective forces.

Description: Intensification of the global hydrological cycle with atmospheric warming is expected to increase inter-annual variation in precipitation amount and the frequency of extreme precipitation events. Although studies in grasslands have shown sensitivity of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) to both precipitation amount and event size, we lack equivalent knowledge for responses of belowground net primary productivity (BNPP) and NPP. We conducted a two year experiment in three US Great Plains grasslands – the C 4 -dominated shortgrass prairie (SGP; low ANPP) and tallgrass prairie (TGP; high ANPP), and the C 3 -dominated northern mixed grass prairie (NMP; intermediate ANPP) – to test three predictions: (1) both ANPP and BNPP responses to increased precipitation amount would vary inversely with mean annual precipitation (MAP) and site productivity, (2) increased numbers of extreme rainfall events during high rainfall years would affect high and low MAP sites differently, and (3) responses belowground would mirror those aboveground. We increased growing season precipitation by as much as 50% by augmenting natural rainfall via (1) many (11-13) small or (2) fewer (3-5) large watering events, with the latter coinciding with naturally occurring large storms. Both ANPP and BNPP increased with water addition in the two C 4 grasslands, with greater ANPP sensitivity in TGP, but greater BNPP and NPP sensitivity in SGP. ANPP and BNPP did not respond to any rainfall manipulations in the C 3 -dominated NMP. Consistent with previous studies, fewer larger (extreme) rainfall events increased ANPP relative to many small events in SGP, but event size had no effect in TGP. Neither system responded consistently above- and belowground to event size; consequently, total NPP was insensitive to event size. The diversity of responses observed in these three grassland types underscores the challenge of predicting responses relevant to C cycling to forecast changes in precipitation regimes even within relatively homogeneous biomes such as grasslands. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: The forearc of the southern Mariana arc preserves igneous suites formed during the initiation of subduction between the Pacific and Philippine Sea plates about 50 Ma ago. We have studied rare suites of gabbroic to tonalitic plutonic rocks dredged from two locations in the Mariana forearc by cruise by University of Hawai'i cruise KK81-06-26. Comparison of the chemical and isotopic (Sr, Nd, Pb, Hf) characteristics of these rocks with well-studied volcanics from the forearc reveals that the plutonics from dredge RD63 and RD64 are chemically related to boninites erupted at 48-43Ma. This is the first report of boninite-like plutonics in the southern Mariana trench. These suites have trace element characteristics consistent with island arc settings (U/Th: 0.58-1.44, Nb/La: 0.18-0.79) and other features uniquely connected with boninites: TiO 2 〈 0.15wt% and Zr/Sm 〉 25. RD63 plutonics resemble nearby boninite volcanics and were likely derived from differentiated boninite magma with 58% SiO 2 , forming gabbro by crystal accumulation, diorite and quartz diorite by crystallization, and tonalite by crystallization and/or partial melting. The RD64 suite (gabbro through tonalite) may have had a more depleted magma source and formed by accumulation and crystallization only. Although the physical dimensions of the plutonic body are unknown, the relationship with boninites indicates that felsic intrusives can form during early stages of island arc development. Such rocks could form part of mid-crustal low velocity layers detected in arc crust by seismic studies. Tonalites similar to those studied here are also found in some ophiolites.