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Dar JA, Bhat BA. Seasonal diet composition of Leopard (Panthera pardus) in and around Kazinag National Park, Kashmir, India. Biologia (Bratisl) 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11756-022-01242-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Al Harby NF, El-Batouti M, Elewa MM. Prospects of Polymeric Nanocomposite Membranes for Water Purification and Scalability and their Health and Environmental Impacts: A Review. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:nano12203637. [PMID: 36296828 PMCID: PMC9610978 DOI: 10.3390/nano12203637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Water shortage is a major worldwide issue. Filtration using genuine polymeric membranes demonstrates excellent pollutant separation capabilities; however, polymeric membranes have restricted uses. Nanocomposite membranes, which are produced by integrating nanofillers into polymeric membrane matrices, may increase filtration. Carbon-based nanoparticles and metal/metal oxide nanoparticles have received the greatest attention. We evaluate the antifouling and permeability performance of nanocomposite membranes and their physical and chemical characteristics and compare nanocomposite membranes to bare membranes. Because of the antibacterial characteristics of nanoparticles and the decreased roughness of the membrane, nanocomposite membranes often have greater antifouling properties. They also have better permeability because of the increased porosity and narrower pore size distribution caused by nanofillers. The concentration of nanofillers affects membrane performance, and the appropriate concentration is determined by both the nanoparticles' characteristics and the membrane's composition. Higher nanofiller concentrations than the recommended value result in deficient performance owing to nanoparticle aggregation. Despite substantial studies into nanocomposite membrane manufacturing, most past efforts have been restricted to the laboratory scale, and the long-term membrane durability after nanofiller leakage has not been thoroughly examined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nouf F. Al Harby
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Qassim University, Qassim 52571, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mervette El-Batouti
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21526, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud M. Elewa
- Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Alexandria P.O. Box 1029, Egypt
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Dar JA, Fazili MF, Bhat BA, Wani IN, Ahmad R. Seasonal diet composition of Himalayan goral (Naemorhedus goral) in Kajinag National Park, Jammu and Kashmir, India. MAMMALIA 2021. [DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2020-0151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
In temperate environments, forage availability and quality are known to influence life history traits of wild ungulates. However, variations in foraging strategies of these mountain dwellers with changing plant availability have received little attention. The seasonal vegetation availability in temperate climatic conditions of Kajinag National Park (KNP) was assessed by plot method at different altitudes (1900–3600 m a.s.l.) from 2018 to 2020 on seasonal basis. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of availability of vegetation on seasonal diet composition of Himalayan goral (Naemorhedus goral) inhabiting the National Park. We recorded 61 plant species whose availability differed significantly across seasons (F
3,240 = 20.14, p < 0.05). We found seasonal variation in the diet composition of Himalayan goral depicting a strong relationship between plant consumption and dynamic availability in the study area. Himalayan goral consumed herbs in spring (dominated by Dioscorea deltoidea relative importance value (RIV) = 27.20, Poa pratensis RIV = 14.99 and Themeda spp. RIV = 12.87), grasses in summer (dominated by Themeda spp. RIV = 34.12, P. pratensis RIV = 30.14, Bothriochloa ischaemum RIV = 22.72) and autumn (dominated by Themeda spp. RIV = 34.64, P. pratensis RIV = 30.14, Stipa spp. RIV = 29.73) and shrubs in winter (dominated by Indigofera heterantha RIV = 47.05, Prunus tomentosa RIV = 17.51 and Lonicera spp. RIV = 16.98). The annual diet of Himalayan goral was dominated by graze species (72.66%). The proportion of graze items in the diet showed a sharp decline from spring (90.67%) to winter (19.23%) whereas that of browse showed a huge increment from spring (4.67%) to winter (74.43%). This shift shows a survival or foraging strategy of a temperate ungulate in harsh winters with limited forage availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jahangir Ahmad Dar
- Department of Zoology , University of Kashmir , Srinagar 190006 , Jammu and Kashmir , India
| | - Mustahson F. Fazili
- Department of Zoology , University of Kashmir , Srinagar 190006 , Jammu and Kashmir , India
| | - Bilal A. Bhat
- Department of Zoology , University of Kashmir , Srinagar 190006 , Jammu and Kashmir , India
| | - Ishfaq Nazir Wani
- Department of Zoology , University of Kashmir , Srinagar 190006 , Jammu and Kashmir , India
| | - Riyaz Ahmad
- Department of Zoology , University of Kashmir , Srinagar 190006 , Jammu and Kashmir , India
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Han L, Wang Z, Blank D, Wang M, Yang W. Different environmental requirements of female and male Siberian ibex, Capra sibirica. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6064. [PMID: 33727618 PMCID: PMC7966747 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85550-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In sexually dimorphic species, males and females may select different habitat for greater fitness. However, the key factors that play a leading role between sexes in habitat selection are still poorly understood. In this paper, we investigated the possible causes of the differences in habitat preference between male and female Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica) living in the Tianshan Mountains (China). Using the Maximum entropy model, we found that the ruggedness and elevation of the terrain were the most important factors affecting habitat selection in Siberian ibex. Females preferred the most rugged terrain to increase the security of their young and themselves, while males favored moderately rugged terrain to provide sufficient safety from predators, and availability of suitable forage simultaneously. Females used a wider variety of elevations to search for newly emerged vegetation for its higher nutritional value, while males preferred more elevated slopes to avoid the higher temperatures and greater presence of biting insects found at the lower elevations. In addition, females were associated more with rivers due to their higher water demands. The differences in habitat selection between Siberian ibex males and females depend on multiple considerations, but only a limited number of key factors determine their actual distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Han
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China.,Mori Wildlife Monitoring and Experimentation Station, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mori, 831900, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zhi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - David Blank
- Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Bishkek, 720001, Kyrgyzstan
| | - Muyang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China. .,Mori Wildlife Monitoring and Experimentation Station, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mori, 831900, China.
| | - Weikang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China. .,Mori Wildlife Monitoring and Experimentation Station, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mori, 831900, China.
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Kasozi H, Montgomery RA. Variability in the estimation of ungulate group sizes complicates ecological inference. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:6881-6889. [PMID: 32760498 PMCID: PMC7391342 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Foundational work has examined adaptive social behavior in animals in relation to the costs and benefits of group living. Within this context, a "group" of animals represents an organizational unit that is integral to the study of animal ecology and evolution.Definitions of animal group sizes are often subjective with considerable variability within and across species. However, investigations of both the extent and implications of such variability in the estimation of animal group sizes are currently lacking.Selecting ungulates as a case study, we conducted a literature review to assess prevailing practices used to determine group sizes among terrestrial Cetartiodactyla and Perissodactyla. Via this process, we examined group size definitions for 61 species across 171 peer-reviewed studies published between 1962 and 2018.These studies quantified group sizes via estimation of ungulate aggregations in space and time. Spatial estimates included a nearest neighbor distance ranging from 1.4 m to 1,000 m, and this variation was partially explained by a weak positive correlation (|r| = .4, p < .003) with the body size of the ungulate research subjects. The temporal extent over which group size was estimated was even broader, ranging from three minutes to 24 hr.The considerable variability in ungulate group size estimation that we observed complicates efforts to not only compare and replicate studies but also to evaluate underlying theories of group living. We recommend that researchers: (a) clearly describe the spatiotemporal extents over which they define ungulate group sizes, (b) highlight foundational empirical and ecological rationale for these extents, and (c) seek to align such extents among individual species so as to facilitate cross-system comparisons of ungulate group size dynamics. We believe an integrative approach to ungulate group size estimation would readily facilitate replication, comparability, and evaluation of competing hypotheses examining the tradeoffs of animal sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Herbert Kasozi
- Research on the Ecology of Carnivores and their Prey (RECaP) LaboratoryDepartment of Fisheries and WildlifeMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMIUSA.
| | - Robert A. Montgomery
- Research on the Ecology of Carnivores and their Prey (RECaP) LaboratoryDepartment of Fisheries and WildlifeMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMIUSA.
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Kelt DA, Heske EJ, Lambin X, Oli MK, Orrock JL, Ozgul A, Pauli JN, Prugh LR, Sollmann R, Sommer S. Advances in population ecology and species interactions in mammals. J Mammal 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyz017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
AbstractThe study of mammals has promoted the development and testing of many ideas in contemporary ecology. Here we address recent developments in foraging and habitat selection, source–sink dynamics, competition (both within and between species), population cycles, predation (including apparent competition), mutualism, and biological invasions. Because mammals are appealing to the public, ecological insight gleaned from the study of mammals has disproportionate potential in educating the public about ecological principles and their application to wise management. Mammals have been central to many computational and statistical developments in recent years, including refinements to traditional approaches and metrics (e.g., capture-recapture) as well as advancements of novel and developing fields (e.g., spatial capture-recapture, occupancy modeling, integrated population models). The study of mammals also poses challenges in terms of fully characterizing dynamics in natural conditions. Ongoing climate change threatens to affect global ecosystems, and mammals provide visible and charismatic subjects for research on local and regional effects of such change as well as predictive modeling of the long-term effects on ecosystem function and stability. Although much remains to be done, the population ecology of mammals continues to be a vibrant and rapidly developing field. We anticipate that the next quarter century will prove as exciting and productive for the study of mammals as has the recent one.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas A Kelt
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Edward J Heske
- Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Xavier Lambin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Madan K Oli
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - John L Orrock
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Arpat Ozgul
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jonathan N Pauli
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Laura R Prugh
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Rahel Sollmann
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Stefan Sommer
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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