Can't we all just get along?

A motorcyclist injured when he collided with a Florida Panther (only 160 left in the wild) is suing the state of Florida. Kenneth Nolan hit the panther on a highway in the Big Cypress National Preserve and claims that a roadside 'animal detection system' failed to alert him. "The product is intended to protect not only humans but panthers", said Nolan's attorney. "In this case it did neither."

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is charged with monitoring the population, has found 15 dead panthers this year so far putting 2012 on track to be the deadliest year yet for panthers.

Dolphin Protection: How much is too much?

In light of Thursday’s lecture dealing with the usefulness of a species in terms of its financial, moral, and functional purposes to humans, should Dolphins be protected? And if so, to what extent? Dolphins are loved throughout the world for many reasons, a few being their intelligence, entertainment, and their protection of humans from predators in the ocean. However, in Taiji, Japan, Dolphins have become a commodity for another reason – their taste. Taiji, Japan is the infamous location where “The Cove” was filmed. “The Cove” was a documentary made in 2009 that showed fisherman luring, capturing, and killing hundreds of Dolphins tainting the cove red.  According to Justin McCury of The Guardian, “During the most recent cull season, which ran from September to March, 928 Dolphins were caught” while the Japanese government allows the slaughter of 20,000 Dolphins a year (The Guardian).  In defense, the fishermen of Taiji claim that the Dolphins are the basis of their economy. They export the Dolphin meat around the world. However, in order to rid themselves of the negative press that “The Cove” brought about, they will be setting up a zoo in Taiji where, “tourists will now be able to swim and play with the mammals in a zoo near the area where the cull takes place” (The Guardian). Yes! You heard right! Taiji wants to setup an interactive zoo for Dolphins while continuing to slaughter them nearby.  This seems like a prime example of species exploitation. What do you think? Should Taiji build a zoo near a slaughter zone? Should Dolphins be more protected? 

Scientists met at The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver, Canada to discuss the topic of Dolphin protection, and arrived at an interesting conclusion. Some scientists not only believe that Dolphins should be more protected but that they should have their rights recognized. Some scientists believe, “Dolphins and Whales are sufficiently intelligent to justify the same ethical considerations as humans” (BBC news).  And that, “Dolphins should be treated as non-human ‘persons’, with their rights to life and liberty respected” (BBC news). What has caused some scientists to recognize the rights of Dolphins? The answer is the ability of Dolphins to show self- awareness much like humans. According to Psychologist Dr. Lori Marino, she claims that, “Dolphins have a sense of self which could be tested by the way they recognize themselves in mirrors” similar to the way a human can recognize himself in a mirror (BBC news).  As absurd as it may sound to give Dolphins rights and categorize them as “non-human people,” many scientists are pushing for this action.  The declaration made for the rights of Dolphins was made in May 2010 and is continuing to influence more people into recognizing Dolphin rights. So, again going back to the main question- Should Dolphins be more protected? And if so, to what extent? What do you think?

For further Information on either of these topics please visit :http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-17116882 for info on Dolphin Rights and http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/09/japanese-town-dolphin-zoo-cull?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487 for more information on Taiji and their new interactive zoo controversy.

Caffeine: Miracle Drug For Some, Potential Threat To Others

Attention caffeine lovers: your morning miracle may have adverse effects on marine life. Experts say that caffeine is entering aquatic ecosystems, yet the consequences remain unknown. The Pacific Northwest in particular has a rather large coffee culture, perhaps explaining the notable caffeine level in the Oregon coastal waters.

Who should be held responsible for this lack of careful regulation? Marine Ecologist Elise Granek proposed that on-site waste disposal systems (i.e. septic systems) “frequently [do not have] much monitoring going on.” This seems to be a bigger problem for large metropolitan areas such as the Boston Harbor, whose waste disposal is far greater (and thus harder to monitor) than the smaller cities in Oregon. As such a wide-spread compound, caffeine itself may be an indicator of other pollutants, contributing to what Hydrologist Dana Kolpin referred to as a “soup of contaminants.” Kolpin questioned whether this mixture of compounds could threaten human health in addition to the suspected environmental consequences. 

Despite the unknown effects as a whole, there is in fact some evidence to support the hypothesis that caffeine is hazardous to marine life. Lab experiments revealed that intertidal mussels under stress began to produce proteins in response to high concentrations. It is important to keep a close eye on these levels and observe how it will affect growth and reproduction of certain species. Caffeine may not be top on the list of pollutants affecting natural waters, but it is certainly an indication of human waste that could have an impact down the line. Perhaps this arising issue may be more of a wake-up call than your morning cup of coffee. 

To read the whole article, click on this link: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/07/120730-caffeinated-seas-pacific-northwest-caffeine-coffee-science/ 

A Shocking Statistic: The Kardashians Get 40 Times More News Coverage Than Ocean Acidification

    Mediamatters.org is a not-for-profit website that analyzes the conservative misinformation the media gives the public. Off the bat I will acknowledge that the group might have a liberal bias because in their group description they specifically mention conservative misinformation without recognizing that there could be liberal misinformation. With that taken care of, their statistic seems to be accurate. Over an 18 month period, ocean acidification was mentioned 41 times in newspapers and 4 times on television whereas the Kardashians were mentioned 1053 and 1080 times respectively. These numbers show the extent to which our society is wrapped up in the pretend glitz and glamour of Hollywood; 77 percent of us have never heard of ocean acidification before. We get so immersed in status and the popular media we are fed, we don’t even realize the profound consequences of our actions.

    Ocean acidification is due to carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere then being absorbed by the ocean. In the ocean it causes a few reactions which ultimately lead to the ocean becoming more acidic, hence ocean acidification, and less calcium carbonate available. Calcium carbonate is important because it is a crucial component in the development of certain marine organisms and coral reefs.

    Overall, $29.8 billion will be lost in fisheries, coastal protection, tourism/recreation, and biodiversity. 1.5 billion people may be affected by the impact on fisheries. The coral reef industry and profit would be lost. Coral reefs, coral reef dependent species and other marine species would be in danger of extinction. Ocean acidification is a serious problem and deserves to be given its long overdue attention.

    This is a personal plea but please be mindful of your news sources. A disproportionate amount of our news goes toward unimportant topics. There are bigger problems in the world than the trials and tribulations of the Kardashians. Your time is valuable; put it toward making a difference in the world.

http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/06/27/study-kardashians-get-40-times-more-news-covera/186703

In Guam: Study of Spiders Demonstrates Snake impact on Birds

In the 1940s, the brown treesnake was accidentally transported to Guam, where it has DECIMATED the native bird species.  Only 2 of 12 native bird species remain, and they exist only due to conservations efforts to create protected areas for these birds.  This island very nearly lost its entire insect-eating bird population.

Here is information that the team built upon, utilized, or researched for its study

          1. Small-scale experiments have demonstrated an increase in spiders when you lose birds (makes sense).

          2. Guam has very similar surrounding islands (they make up the Marianas Islands chain).  The other islands do NOT have the presence of the brown treesnake.

          3. Spiders were up 40 times more plentiful on Guam then neighboring islands (this large of a number was unexpected)!

          Their conclusion?  The introduction of brown treesnakes led to near extinction of the 12 native bird species which led to an enormous increase in Guam's spider population (both the bird and spider population eat insects).

In the future, they hope to conduct enclosure experiments (studying the complete removal of birds), and also learn more about the impact of bird loss on the entire food web all the way down to plants.

 Boyde, Jayde. "Snakes minus Birds Equals More Spiders for Guam." eurekalert.org. American Association for the Advancement of Science, 13 Sept. 2012. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-09/ru-smb091312.php>.

Ecosystem disservice

Look like this term is creeping into the literature. I found several recent articles using it:


Global Mapping of Ecosystem Disservices: The Unspoken Reality that Nature Sometimes Kills us
Dunn, Biotropica, 42:555-557, 2010

If we are to effectively manage the terrestrial Earth, we need to also manage species, habitats and ecosystems so as to minimize such ‘ecosystem disservices’. I consider what we know about the spatial pattern of one disservice, pathogen prevalence and how changes in habitat influence it. I consider the effects of habitat changes on pathogen prevalence and, consequently, ecosystem disservices. In the end, we need to weigh both the costs and the benefits of particular ecosystems, habitats and species – to consider the bad with the good. Doing so requires that we learn much more about the biota than we currently know.

The Good, the Bad, and the Algae: Perceiving Ecosystem Services and Disservices Generated by Zebra and Quagga Mussels

Limburg et al. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 36: 86-92, 2010.

Given the likely continued influx of invasive species due to human activities, further development of the ecosystem service concept should consider potential “goods” and “bads” of invasives and their influence on ecosystem and social system resiliency.

Balancing nitrogen retention ecosystem services and greenhouse gas disservices at the landscape scale

Burgin et al. Ecological Engineering, in press, 2012

The “water quality maintenance function” of landscape features such as riparian zones has long been recognized as an important ecosystem service. More recently, concerns have emerged about side effects of ecosystem “disservices,” especially greenhouse gas production, associated with landscape approaches to agricultural nutrient management.

Hopping on one leg – The challenge of ecosystem disservices for urban green management

Lyytimaki and Sipila, Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 8: 309-315, 2009

Here we discuss the concept of ecosystemdisservices from the perspective of northern European urban ecosystems. It is concluded that perceptions about ecosystemdisservices have an increasing influence on how urban green areas are experienced, valued, used, managed and developed.

Santa Barbara Endemics

Quick quiz - where would you go locally if you wanted to find endemic species? What sort of endemic species would you expect to find?

Yup, our very own Channel Islands host a number of endemic species - mainly plants but also one bird and the very cool Island Night Lizard: The only reptile found on Santa Barbara Island is the endemic and threatened island night lizard. These lizards can live up to 20 years or more, but once established in a territory generally remain within a 3-meter radius their entire life.

Disturbing fact of the day - San Nicholas Island, one of the Santa Barbara Channel Islands that is still used by the Navy as a weapons testing facility, was one of eight candidate sites for the first atomic bomb detonation.

How big is your tent?

From a press release by the discovery channel (bold emphasis is mine).

In Discovery Channel's all-new one-hour special TED NUGENT'S GUN COUNTRY, premiering October 10th at 10PM E/P, viewers will get an inside look at American gun culture through the eyes of staunch second amendment defender Ted Nugent.

Meet Nugent's family and visit his sprawling Spirit Wild ranch just outside Waco, Texas, home to many species of big game that freely roam the meadows and pastures. An avid hunter and conservationist at heart, Ted has his eye on the herd of scimitar-horned oryx that have bred far faster than he anticipated. Knowing the land can't support the booming population, he plans to thin out the herd - and that sends him on a mission. He needs the right firearm and right ammo to get the job done. For that, it's a trip to top-grade firearms maker LaRue Tactical.

Nugent gets his hands on their new OBR PrediTAR .308 rifle and gets a lesson on the finer points of the weapon from renowned military sniper trainer Todd Hodnet. Ted's highpoint of the day: a 1,000 yard target that, when he hits it, causes a massive explosion that even he didn't expect.

There's a lot to dislike about Ted Nugent, his violent rhetoric, racism and homophobia for starters, but I'd never really considered him a conservationist before and so hadn't really thought about him a whole lot.

Here he is waxing all Pinchot like (note the 'wise-use') in the Washington times recently:

NUGENT: Conservation is not rocket science

Teach children young about wilderness

I think we are going to need a bigger tent, a much bigger tent, if we want to include everyone who considers themselves a conservationist..

Conservation and Restoration Seminar

As promised here are the details of this quarter's Conservation and Restoration seminar. The first class is tonight.

Conservation and Restoration Seminar

EEMB : RE 188/288

Fall 2012

Natural History, Management and Function of California Native Grasslands

Monday evenings, 6-7pm CCBER Rm 1013, Harder South

Lisa Stratton – stratton@ccber.ucsb.edu

 Oct. 1. Introduction - Lisa  Stratton - Will introduce terminology, class requirements, syllabus

Oct. 8 – CCBER Grassland Restoration Experience – Wayne Chapman and Field tour of  San Clemente Grassland restoration – Dave Harris.

Oct. 15 -- Description and history of California grasslands – Carla D’Antonio

Oct 22  -- Influence of grazing on grassland composition – Carla D’Antonio

Oct. 29 – Student-led discussion from reading material:

Nov. 5th – Influence of Oak Trees on California Native grasslands -- Karen Stahlheber

Nov. 19th – Native American management and use of California Grasslands -  Jan Timbrook

Nov. 26th  - Serpentine Grassland Function – Barbara Going

Dec. 3rd. - Student discussion/presentation on how different management strategies might impact restoration success.

Rosewood: Get it While You Can

The local fauna of organisms on Madagascar is quite unique compared to the rest of the world. Among those unique species of organisms is the rosewood tree. Known for its beautiful rosy red color, rosewood is used in high end expensive products such as guitars, tables, chairs, and other furniture. The wood is extremely valuable. Rosewood can sell for U.S. $5,000 per cubic meter, more than double the price of mahogany and almost all of the logging is done illegally. The current ban on logging rosewood has not prevented this illegal endeavor in the slightest. Worst of all is that most of the logging occurs in supposedly protected World Heritage sites: Masoala National Park and Marojejy National Park. Being illegally logged most likely means these loggers are not replanting and even if they did it takes rosewood almost 100 years to reach maturity! At this rate of irresponsible stewardship these beautiful trees and lucrative market won't be around for very much longer. It seems obvious that more sustainable practices of logging are need, but between Madagascar's current political and economic struggles this could prove a very difficult endeavor. For more information check out these links: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-10765418, http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2010/05/20/madagascar_logging_crisis/