Utilizing a top predator to prioritize site protection for biodiversity conservation

Ongoing global change makes it ever more urgent to find creative solutions for biodiversity preservation, but prioritizing sites for protection can be challenging. One shortcut lies in mapping the habitat requirements of well-established biodiversity indicators, such as top predators, to identify high-biodiversity sites. Here, we planned site protection for biodiversity conservation by developing a multi-scale species distribution model (SDM) for the raptorial Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis; goshawk) breeding in an extensive megacity region of Japan. Specifically, we: (1) examined the determinants of top predator occurrence and thus of high-biodiversity value in this megacity setting, (2) identified the biodiversity hotspots, (3) validated whether they actually held higher biodiversity through an independent dataset, and (4) evaluated their current protection by environmental laws. The SDM revealed that goshawks preferred secluded sites far from roads, with abundant forest within a 100 m radius and extensive forest ecotones suitable for hunting within a 900 m radius. This multi-scale landscape configuration was independently confirmed to hold higher biodiversity, yet covered only 3.2% of the study area, with only 44.0% of these sites legally protected. Thus, a rapid biodiversity assessment mediated by a top predator quickly highlighted: (1) the poor development of biodiversity-friendly urban planning in this megacity complex, an aspect overlooked for decades of rapid urban sprawl, and (2) the extreme urgency of extending legal protection to the sites missed by the current protected area network. Exigent biodiversity indicators, such as top predators, could be employed in the early or late stages of anthropogenic impacts in order to proactively incorporate biodiversity protection into planning or flag key biodiversity relics. Our results confirm and validate the applied reliability of top predatory species as biodiversity conservation tools.

Conserving the evolutionary history of birds

In the midst of the sixth mass extinction, limited resources are forcing conservationists to prioritize which species and places will receive conservation action. Evolutionary distinctiveness measures the isolation of a species on its phylogenetic tree. Combining a species' evolutionary distinctiveness with its globally endangered status creates an EDGE score. We use EDGE scores to prioritize the places and species that should be managed to conserve bird evolutionary history. We analyzed all birds in all countries and important bird areas. We examined parrots, raptors, and seabirds in depth because these groups are especially threatened and relatively speciose. The three focal groups had greater median threatened evolutionary history than other taxa, making them important for conserving bird evolutionary history. Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Madagascar, New Zealand, and the Philippines were especially critical countries for bird conservation because they had the most threatened evolutionary history for endemic birds and are important for parrots, raptors, and seabirds. Increased enforcement of international agreements for the conservation of parrots, raptors, and seabirds is needed because these agreements protect hundreds of millions of years of threatened bird evolutionary history. Decisive action is required to conserve the evolutionary history of birds into the Anthropocene.

Geographic range estimates and environmental requirements for the harpy eagle derived from spatial models of current and past distribution

Understanding species-environment relationships is key to defining the spatial structure of species distributions and develop effective conservation plans. However, for many species, this baseline information does not exist. With reliable presence data, spatial models that predict geographic ranges and identify environmental processes regulating distribution are a cost-effective and rapid method to achieve this. Yet these spatial models are lacking for many rare and threatened species, particularly in tropical regions. The harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) is a Neotropical forest raptor of conservation concern with a continental distribution across lowland tropical forests in Central and South America. Currently, the harpy eagle faces threats from habitat loss and persecution and is categorized as Near-Threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Within a point process modeling (PPM) framework, we use presence-only occurrences with climatic and topographical predictors to estimate current and past distributions and define environmental requirements using Ecological Niche Factor Analysis. The current PPM prediction had high calibration accuracy (Continuous Boyce Index = 0.838) and was robust to null expectations (pROC ratio = 1.407). Three predictors contributed 96% to the PPM prediction, with Climatic Moisture Index the most important (72.1%), followed by minimum temperature of the warmest month (15.6%) and Terrain Roughness Index (8.3%). Assessing distribution in environmental space confirmed the same predictors explaining distribution, along with precipitation in the wettest month. Our reclassified binary model estimated a current range size 11% smaller than the current IUCN range polygon. Paleoclimatic projections combined with the current model predicted stable climatic refugia in the central Amazon, Guyana, eastern Colombia, and Panama. We propose a data-driven geographic range to complement the current IUCN range estimate and that despite its continental distribution, this tropical forest raptor is highly specialized to specific environmental requirements.

Spatio-temporal trends in the predation of large gulls by peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) in an insular breeding population

Individual diet specialization occurs in many populations of generalist predators, with specific individuals developing specialist strategies in their feeding behaviour. Intraspecific resource partitioning is hypothesised to be common amongst species in higher trophic levels where competition for resources is intense, and a key driver in breeding success and community structure. Though well-studied in other predators, there is sparse data on ecological specialization in raptors, which are important drivers of community and trophic structure. In this study, the breeding season diet of an insular population of peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) was determined from indirect analysis of prey remains collected over three years. An unexpected result was the high proportion of large gulls (Laridae), of the genus Larus, in the diet of two breeding pairs of peregrines. Large gulls made up 18.44% by frequency of total prey recorded and 30.81% by biomass. Herring gulls (Larus argentatus) were the most common large gull prey, with immatures most frequent (67.95%) compared to adults (19.23%). Overall, most gulls predated were immatures (80.77%). Frequency of predation varied between breeding pairs and months, but was consistent over the three years. Most gulls were taken in April (37.17%), followed by May (19.23%), with a smaller peak of immature herring gulls taken in August and September. The pattern of regular predation by peregrines on large gulls is a new observation with important implications for understanding individual diet specialization in raptors, and its effect on bird populations and community structure.

A qualitative study exploring the psychosocial value of weekend camping experiences for children and adolescents with complex heart defects

BACKGROUND

Children living with complex heart defects (CHD) are likely to have ongoing social, emotional, physical, and health concerns, and are in need of additional psychosocial support. Summer camps can provide therapeutic benefits. Little research exists regarding the value of shorter camping experiences from the perspectives of children with CHD. The aim of our study was to explore what children and adolescents with CHD considered meaningful when attending a therapeutic camping weekend in the company of peers with similar medical diagnoses.

METHODS

Engaging a phenomenological approach we used participant generated photography and reflective semi-structured interviews to explore participants' lived experience and value derived from their weekend camping experiences. The study was completed with thirteen participants ranging in age from 9 to 16 years. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using Van Manen's guidelines.

RESULTS

Three themes reflecting the camp experiences were generated from the data. Meaningful experiences spanned three outcomes which had some overlapping influences: (i) Developing relationships and feeling accepted by peers and counsellors at camp; (ii) Enjoying and learning during the weekend; and (iii) Experiencing the natural and human-built therapeutic environmental features of camp. The camping programme features, inputs, and processes as identified by the participants in contributing to these outcomes are described.

CONCLUSION

This qualitative study showed that children living with complex CHD valued the opportunity for participating in weekend camping experiences in the company of peers with similar heart defects. Findings contribute to a better understanding of what programme features and processes were considered meaningful. Given the scarcity of resources to devote to such social support activities, the findings may help professionals to plan effective interventions to maximize benefits during a shorter camping experience.

Scintigraphic assessment of the intragastric distribution and gastric emptying of an encapsulated drug: the effect of feeding and of a proton pump inhibitor

BACKGROUND

Local delivery of therapeutic agents to the stomach may be a useful strategy in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection. We aimed to see whether the intragastric distribution and gastric retention of a therapeutic agent could be improved, either by giving omeprazole or by dosing after a meal.

METHODS

Twelve healthy volunteers took part in this double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study comparing the effects of omeprazole 20 mg twice daily for 5 days with placebo, and the fasted with the fed state, on the gastric emptying and intragastric distribution of a soluble scintigrapic marker contained in a drug capsule.

RESULTS

Dosing after food profoundly prolonged gastric residence of the drug label, prolonging mean time to 50% emptying (T50) from 0.5 +/- 0.1 h in the fasted state to 2.0 +/- 0.2 h when given after food. Food also improved intragastric distribution by increasing delivery to the body and fundus. Omeprazole enhanced the effect of food, prolonging T50 to 2.9 +/- 0.3 h, but had no effect in fasted subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

Dosing after food markedly improves the aspects of local drug delivery to the stomach investigated in this study, and omeprazole enhances this effect. Post-prandial dosing may, therefore, be useful for improving delivery of some anti-Helicobacter agents.

Negative self-schema: the effects of induced depressed mood

A depth-of-processing incidental recall paradigm, previously used as a measure of negative self-schema in depressed patients (Derry & Kuiper, 1981), was administered to normal subjects in whom depressed or neutral mood had been induced. Subjects in whom depressed mood was induced showed a pattern of recall similar to that previously found for depressed patients, suggesting (1) that at least some of the effects observed in depressed patients were a function of transient mood state, rather than persistent characteristics, and (2) that these effects of depressed mood also occur in individuals who have not been selected for vulnerability to clinical depression.