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Propagule size and sex ratio influence colonisation dynamics after introduction of a non-native lizard
No full text1. The composition of founding populations plays an important role in colonisation dynamics and can influence population growth during early stages of biological invasion. Specifically, founding populations with small propagules (i.e., low number of founders) are vulnerable to the Allee effect and have reduced likelihood of establishment compared to those with large propagules. The founding sex ratio can also impact establishment via its influence on mating success and offspring production.
2. Our goal was to test the effects of propagule size and sex ratio on offspring production and annual population growth following introductions of a non-native lizard species (Anolis sagrei). We manipulated propagule composition on nine small islands, then examined offspring production, population growth, and survival rate of founders and their descendants encompassing three generations.
3. By the third reproductive season, per capita offspring production was higher on islands seeded with a relatively large propagule size, but population growth was not associated with propagule size. Propagule sex ratio did not affect offspring production, but populations with a female-biased propagule had positive growth, whereas those with a male-biased propagule had negative growth in the first year. Populations were not affected by propagule sex ratio in subsequent years, possibly due to rapid shifts towards balanced (or slightly female-biased) population sex ratios.
4. Overall, we show that different components of population fitness have different responses to propagule size and sex ratio in ways that could affect early stages of biological invasion. Despite these effects, the short lifespan and high fecundity of A. sagrei likely helped small populations to overcome Allee effects and enabled all populations to successfully establish.
5. Our rare experimental manipulation of propagule size and sex ratio can inform predictions of colonisation dynamics in response to different compositions of founding populations, which is critical in the context of population ecology and invasion dynamics
Cutzamala System
No full textThis file contains a digital map of the Cutzamala System (Mexico) in Google Earth KMZ format that was produced as part of The IBT Water Project at Auburn University. The Cutzamala System evolved from an earlier aqueduct system that supplied Mexico City (Lerma System, 1951) and a plan to develop a major hydropower system west of the city (Miguel Aleman Hydroelectric System). In 1976, the plan for how to use the water mostly for hydropower evolved into the Cutzamala System for delivering water to Mexico City, thus supplementing water supplied by the existing Lerma System. The Cutzamala System includes a complex network of canals, tunnels, and pipelines, 6 pumping plants, 11 dams, 10 reservoirs, a major treatment plant, 2 storage tanks along the route, and 4 storage tanks at the terminus in Mexico City. Metadata embedded in the KMZ file include author contact, Creative Commons License information, and list of references. See the project website (URL shortcut: aub.ie/ibtwater) for information about methods, data sources, additional digital IBT maps, Google Earth tips, and a glossary of key terms
Review of Coventry's The Great Middlemarch Mystery, 7-10 April 2022
No full textArticle from the George Eliot Review. Digitized and hosted by the George Eliot Review Online, editor Beverley Park Rilett.Publishe
Goldfields Water Supply Scheme
No full textThis file contains a digital map of the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme (Australia) in Google Earth KMZ format that was produced as part of The IBT Water Project at Auburn University. The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme, more formally known as the Goldfields and Agricultural Areas Water Supply Scheme, or simply as the Goldfields Pipeline, is among the oldest of the modern-day aqueducts. A unique design was developed to assemble the sections of pipe to transport water from the Helena River near the city of Perth inland to the growing communities of Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie where gold was discovered in the 1890s. The original system included 8 pumping stations that were required to transport the water upslope approx. 350 m (1,100 ft) over the Darling Range. The original steam powered pumps have since been replaced with 20 modern electric pumps at new pumping station sites (new pump stations not included in this map). Pipeline sections above ground are being replaced and moved underground to reduce the effects of the harsh environment of Western Australia. Metadata embedded in the KMZ file include author contact, Creative Commons License information, and list of references. See the project website (URL shortcut: aub.ie/ibtwater) for information about methods, data sources, additional digital IBT maps, Google Earth tips, and a glossary of key terms
Piloting a Digitization Workflow for Analog Agricultural Data
No full textIn the summer of 2021, the head of the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology contacted the Research Data Management Librarian seeking advice on what to do with the paper records, including original data, of two professors emeriti. In cooperation with the Agriculture Librarian, the Special Collections Librarian, and the Library Archivist, the collection was assessed and the files physically transported to the library. The data can be safely preserved in their original form within Special Collections. However, the department head and librarians all agreed that digitization, which would make the data more accessible and permit machine-readability, is the ideal solution. The Agriculture Librarian and the Research Data Management Librarian will select a subset of the paper records to scope out the time, effort, and level of expertise needed to digitize the data, translate it into machine-readable formats, and add appropriate metadata. Important questions about the process include determining the amount and type of training needed for different stages of the workflow, whether there are any steps where efficiency could be improved through automated processes, and how it can be scaled up to allow for processing the entire collection. The department head requested that we share recommendations for best practices and procedures with him as he works to develop a data archiving policy for the department. Recognizing that more faculty will retire and leave cabinets full of paper data, the librarians are eager to experiment with methods that could make this data FAIR before the problem becomes unmanageable and irreplaceable work is lost
'Borne Along by a Wave': The Mill on the Floss as Music Drama (Prize Essay)
No full textArticle from the George Eliot Review. Digitized and hosted by the George Eliot Review Online, editor Beverley Park Rilett.Publishe
Dispersal patterns in Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys
Full text linkSex-biased dispersal is common in group-living animals. Due to differences in local demographic and environmental factors, sex-biased dispersal presents many irregular patterns. In this study, a habituated, individually identified Yunnan snub-nosed monkey Rhinopithecus bieti group was observed over 9 years; 192 dispersal events, including 97 male dispersal events (25 natal dispersal and 72 secondary dispersal) and 95 female dispersal events (34 natal dispersal and 61 secondary dispersal) were observed. Males and females showed different dispersal paths, dispersal ages, and dispersal patterns. Females had 2 dispersal paths, whereas males had 4 paths. In terms of age of dispersal, the male age of natal dispersal was younger than for females. Males prefer single dispersal, whereas females prefer parallel dispersal. Our study indicates that the dispersal pattern of R. bieti should be classified as a bisexual dispersal pattern. The differences in dispersal path, average age at dispersal, and dispersal path pattern indicate that Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys may still retain a loose matrilineal social system.PublishedYe
Sibyls, Salons, and Spinoza: The Philosophical Fiction of George Eliot and Fanny Lewald
No full textArticle from the George Eliot Review. Digitized and hosted by the George Eliot Review Online, editor Beverley Park Rilett.Publishe
Heavy Precipitation Impacts on Nitrogen Loading to the Gulf of Mexico in the 21st Century: Model Projections Under Future Climate Scenarios
Full text linkWhile spatial heterogeneity of riverine nitrogen (N) loading is predominantly driven by the magnitude of basin-wide anthropogenic N input, the temporal dynamics of N loading are closely related to the amount and timing of precipitation. However, existing studies do not disentangle the contributions of heavy precipitation versus non-heavy precipitation predicted by future climate scenarios. Here, we explore the potential responses of N loading from the Mississippi Atchafalaya River Basin to precipitation changes using a well-calibrated hydro-ecological model and Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 climate projections under two representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios. With present agricultural production and management practices, N loading could increase up to 30% by the end of the 21st century under future climate scenarios, half of which would be driven by heavy precipitation. Particularly, the RCP8.5 scenario, in which heavy precipitation and drought events become more frequent, would increase N loading disproportionately to projected increases in river discharge. N loading in spring would contribute 41% and 51% of annual N loading increase under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, respectively, most of which is related to higher N yield due to increases in heavy precipitation. Anthropogenic N inputs would be increasingly susceptible to leaching loss in the Midwest and the Mississippi Alluvial Plain regions. Our results imply that future climate change alone, including more frequent and intense precipitation extremes, would increase N loading and intensify the eutrophication of the Gulf of Mexico over this coming century. More effective nutrient management interventions are needed to reverse this trend.PublishedYe