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LMDA Monthly Newsletter, October 2021
Get PDFContents include: Fall Fundraiser is still on! Radiating Change: Building the Future of LMDA; Reflections on the 2021 Kennedy Center Dramaturgy Intensive and 2021 LMDA Without Borders: Dramaturgy in the New Decade Conference; LMDA Mexico; #LMDA2022 Update; A Renewed Challenge for LMDA Members; Region Facebook Groups.https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/lmdanewsletter/1052/thumbnail.jp
Wildfire as a natural stressor and its effect on female phenotype and ornament development
Get PDFControlled low-intensity fires are commonly used in ecosystem management for both habitat restoration and wildfire management. Animals in those ecosystems may respond to fire by shifting energy allocation away from reproduction and growth, and toward maintenance. Stress-induced shifts in energy allocation may affect the expression of condition-dependent sexual signals, which are sensitive to energetic and physiological trade-offs mediated by glucocorticoids. Here, we examine the effect of fire on ornament expression, corticosterone, and other phenotypic traits in a population of striped plateau lizards, Sceloporus virgatus, affected by the Horseshoe 2 Fire in the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona, USA. The condition-dependent female ornament was significantly smaller the month following the fire than 2 years prior and was both smaller and less orange on the burned site relative to a nearby unburned site. These patterns are similar to those found in a previous experimental study examining the response of the ornament to corticosterone manipulations. Yet, in the current study, corticosterone levels were not different in lizards on the burned and unburned sites. Perhaps glucocorticoid levels already returned to baseline, or do not adequately track environmental change. Females tended to be smaller and lighter on the burned site than the unburned site; however, the year after the fire, body condition was higher for females on the burned site, indicating a rapid recovery and potential long-term benefits in response to low-intensity fires in this fire-adapted ecosystem. We found that the lizards adjusted energy allocation away from sexual signaling and growth in response to low-intensity fires. As fires and fire management are likely to increase in response to changing fire regimes across the globe, it will be important to consider behavioral and physiological responses of impacted species, as well as population-, community-, and ecosystem-level responses
LMDA Conference, June 2021
Get PDFThe conference theme is Without Borders: Dramaturgy in the New Decade.There is a listing of asynchronous and synchronous panel sessions available through the LMDA Virtual Hub beginning June 1. The in-person LMDA Conference includes descriptions of panel sessions held June 20-22, 2019 at Mexico City, Mexico. The handbook is in English and Spanish
Treadmill Training for Infants with Down Syndrome: A Case Study
Get PDFBackground: Children with Down syndrome (DS) experience motor delays particularly with ambulation. Previous research has suggested that a 5 time per week, 8 minute per session protocol for treadmill training (TT) was effective in earlier acquisition of walking.
Purpose: To examine the effectiveness of a home-based 2 time per week, 20 minute per session TT protocol on the development of independent step taking in an infant with DS.
Methods: A 20-month-old boy with DS, underwent a repair for esophageal atresia at 5 months, and currently uses a feeding tube. He was independently sitting and non-ambulatory. Weekly Zoom meetings were conducted to examine the child on the treadmill and administer the weekly questionnaire. The parents were instructed on how to safely hold their child over the treadmill and how to adjust if the child was not taking steps. Modifications to the original protocol were allowed to support completion of the 40 minutes per week.
Results: Results indicated unsubstantial improvements for the gross motor function measure (GMFM) scores and step count but found a decrease in the number and length of breaks. Improvements in crawling speed, stair navigation, environmental exploration, and cognitive development were observed.
Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study examining treadmill training in an infant with DS who had an esophageal atresia repair and now utilizes a feeding tube. The participant’s extensive medical history, limited time of the study, and poor adherence could have impacted the observed results. Further research on optimal dosage is needed
Population Dynamics and Trends of an Endangered Seabird: Tufted Puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) in Washington
Get PDFIn Washington, Tufted Puffin (TUPU) populations have undergone widespread colony abandonment along with an order of magnitude population decline consistent with a general pattern of regional range contraction (Pearson et al., submitted). The primary objective of my research is to gain an understanding of the TUPU breeding population dynamics and trends on 3 active breeding sites in Washington (Destruction, Protection, and Smith Islands) by conducting an inter-annual comparison of variability in burrow occupancy and breeding success. This research complements concurrent TUPU diet research in Prof. Hodum’s lab which will inform conservation planning for TUPU populations
After the Alum: The Fate of Sulfur in Waughop Lake, Pierce County, Washington
Get PDFWaughop lake is a small kettle lake formed in the depression of a melting ice block around 12 thousand years ago. Like many other lakes and marine environments, Waughop is plagued with hazardous algal blooms (HABs) that threaten the water quality. To combat these HABs, alum treatment (Aluminum Sulfate) is commonly used. Alum treatment is the use of aluminum sulfate, which binds to phosphorus, effectively lowering the levels of free phosphorus and thus reducing algal growth. However, alum can also have adverse effects on water and sediment chemistry. Waughop lake was treated in March and again in July of 2020, with alum, and since then there have been significant changes in the lake chemistry. The most significant changes have been tied to excess sulfur in the water column and pore water after the addition of alum. the goal of this research is to track the chemical changes in the lake with a high interest on sulfur
Why Not Climate Change? An Analysis of UNSC Action on Human Security Issues
Get PDFIn the case of the HIV/AIDS crisis, the UNSC passed a resolution that protected UN peacekeepers. During the Ebola crisis, the UNSC passed a resolution asking member states to open up their borders to international travel and trade. These actions did little to resolve the actual crises, and mainly benefitted the UNSC and UN Peacekeeping troops. This practice is echoed in the UNSC\u27s attempts to include environmental elements into their peacekeeping missions. These solutions, although a step in the right direction, fail to address the root cause of these issues. This shows that the UNSC only takes action on human security issues when it is an issue that directly impacts their troops, or if it is essentially costless to the Council to implement. Making peacekeeping missions more environmentally friendly benefits the UNSC by projecting an image that they care about climate change, without actually taking any action to mitigate the root cause of the issue. It seems that these types of resolutions and acknowledgments of human security issues are the best the UNSC can do, due to several issues including: difficulty introducing the idea of human security into the more traditional definition of security, UN member states positions on the issue, and the capacity of the UNSC to address this issue. I will argue that until these specific barriers are resolved, the UNSC will be unable to officially designate climate change a threat to international peace and security, nor will it be able to take the action necessary to mitigate the security implications of climate change