Well, the summer of 2013 is over and I have finished my project by examining the behavior of crayfish living in the two sites where some Western Pond Turtles (Emys marmorata) are living in reach two of Santa Rosa Creek. The photo below shows me photographing them and Camille holding them in place. More about this later.
Notes on Urban Ecology
Follow along with me as I complete my last field research season as a graduate student at Sonoma State University. Join me as I explore an aquatic ecosystem in to understand the value of biodiversity. Meet some of the animals living there while discovering their interactions with each other and the affect we have on their lives. You will learn about the tools and methods I use in the field and laboratory, and then accompany me as I try to make sense of it all.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Monday, August 6, 2012
Wilson's Snipe, #176, Data, and Placobdella ornata video
#176
Sunday the total number of
turtles in the Dairy Drainage grew to sixteen with the capture of number one
hundred and seventy-six, a large female. She was free of leeches but missing a
toenail. This very dour turtle had a few remains of a crayfish in her stomach
and was otherwise unremarkable.
The most remarkable event is
that I began doing some quantitative analysis of my data. One of the
interesting things to do is look at numbers from different perspectives. For
example, when I compare the total number of samples on a month-by-month basis,
it appears that July is remarkable. However, if I factor in the total number of
days I trap compared to the results I get then May is remarkably higher in
success. Specifically, I get more turtles and a larger variety of stomach food
resources in their stomachs in this month. Further, even though I am part way
through August and the total number of samples is low, my results match those
of June and July.
Interestingly, I often think
I am less interested in numbers when compared to colleagues who are doing
theoretical research, but that is clearly not the case. I am surprised how automatically I began playing with the data and creating charts when I wanted an answer about my trapping success rate. Even more shocking is the fact I automatically gather data and create table as I work - without even thinking about it. I suspect this is the sign of a true analytical person - my friends and family will not be shocked.
Placobdella ornata - the turtle leech
Next, as promised a video of Placobdella ornata the freshwater turtle
leech and a close up of number one-seventy five’s rear leg where it was holding
on. These simple elegant creatures fascinate me.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Number 175!
A self-portrait of the bicycling biologist ready to take #175 home. |
AFTER FOUR DAYS AND NINE HOURS OF BICYCLE RIDING I FINALLY CAUGHT A TURTLE!
Here he is twenty minutes later moving his foot (left) and smiling. |
The cool thing is that this is another turtle that I have not caught before and that means there are 13 turtles in this drainage ditch that is about 100 meters long. So, it should be easy to catch them, or so it seems. After spending three hours with my radio telemetry unit I found out they are living in the dense bulrushes where the crayfish and Odonate naiads are feeding.
After this year's work of examining the ecosystem for food resources I can identify discrete body parts and determine what they ate. The picture below shows what I face when I am examining stomach contents. Two years ago it was baffling, last year somewhat confusing, but now it is an interesting forensics like exploration.
Odonate tissue near the end of the digestion process. |
Certainly this kind of work is not for everybody. However, I am fortunate that body fluids and parts do not bother me. It allows me to do this kind of work and also helped me earn my way through university doing nursing, ER, and Trauma Center work.
One interesting thing in the photograph below is that I find pieces of the bank soil and vegetation their food resources cling to. Many researchers in the past mistakenly thought the Western pond turtles eat these items. I know this is the substrate the prey live on and that turtles take a big bite and get the prey and anything nearby. Often scientists like everybody else are myopic and their focus it too narrow and this leads to mistakes.
The light brown is part of a plant and the darker material is soil from the bank that is ingested. |
That's it for now. Tomorrow a cool video of a leech and more.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
A MONTH OF SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH
Today is the first day of my
last month of research. Since I ride my bike and rarely use an automobile, I
decided to take a better approach to my fieldwork in an urban setting. It would
be easy to climb into my automobile and drive to my study site BUT I am making
the choice to ride my bike. I have little patience with folks who talk about
sustainable living but go no further AND make excuses for not doing so.
If you think about it, I get
much needed exercise and save fuel – nothing is better! Most of all, it
demonstrates I follow words with deeds.
And, yes it took three and
one-half hours and I was hot and sweaty. Nonetheless, as you can see, I was
smiling and having fun as usual!
Cheers,
Nicole
Monday, July 30, 2012
DUCKLING WOOD DUCKS, OTTERS, AND A WEEK OFF
Sometimes they do their own thing
at other times we do things together
and every now and then ... it's the same but different?
SAMPLING FOR AVAILABLE FOOD RESOURCES
Even though Western pond
turtles forage in the water, the aquatic ecosystem has strong links to the
adjacent terrestrial ecosystem. Further, it is common for a terrestrial insect
to land in or near the water and when a turtle sees it, they eat it. Therefore,
I am sampling both habitats, as you can see from my previous posts that include
pictures of terrestrial insects (i.e., beetles and grasshoppers). I use brush
net sweeps along the bushes and bankside vegetation to sample the terrestrial
ecosystem. In the aquatic ecosystem, I use a D-net to pull samples from the
emergent vegetation and the substrate (creek bottom landscape). To do this I
jab the net into the sample area and then with a twisting and jabbing motion I
stir the area up and then withdraw the sample. My other tool is activity-traps
that I fashion from plastic soft and juice drink bottles. I put a small amount
of bait, usually sardines, inside of them to attract carnivores and scavengers,
which largely encompasses the feeding habits of all the organisms living there.
It seems that nobody turns down a free meal!
The direct impact on my
research is that I can readily identify organisms or parts of them I find in
the stomach contents of Western pond turtles. In addition, it gives me
peripheral information such as the variety of available food resources and its
seasonality. In the future, I want to examine in grater detail, because it is
helpful when measuring the effects of human activity on these ecosystems.
YIKES, THE OTTERS ARE BACK!
The "calling cards" or scats left behind by otters are useful tool for me and let other predators in the area know they are present.
|
Otter feces rich in crayfish parts. |
Generally, North American
river otters (Lontra canadensis) seem
to be largely absent from Santa Rosa Creek. Occasionally I see an occasional scat (feces),
but rarely encounter them until near the end of July. When they move into the
area to feed on crayfish, they are competing with Western pond turtles for the
same food resource. The larger, faster mammal out competes the turtles for the
most available food resource.
In addition, they also
attempt to remove the punctured cans of sardines I put in turtle traps as bait.
They dislodge the traps from their moorings, sinking them, making it possible
to drown any turtle that is inside. To prevent this kind of incident I set out
activity traps to discover if they are present during mid-July along the areas
of Santa Rosa Creek I plan to work. These baited traps, filled with sardines,
attract the otters and they drag them from place to place while trying to
remove the sardines.
On July 20, 2012, I thought I
heard otters foraging in the bulrushes, found scats (feces), and crayfish parts
along the section of the bank I was planning to work. Because of this, I set
out two traps to confirm my suspicions. The next day, I found them buried deep
inside the emergent vegetation and bulrushes instead of being along the edge, a
clear sign that otters are present. My final confirmation was hearing an otter
yipping at me, as if to warn me off, as I approached the area to retrieve the
traps.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
OVERVIEW AND METHODS
Early in May there were ten crossing the water |
Hidden in plain view are two, maybe three - see if you can find them. |
Yep, it's going to be duckling Wood Ducks for the next few days!
OVERVIEW
If you recall, I am
developing a model for my research methods because of reading a wide variety of
research and critiques of the methods for doing a diet and feeding ecology
study. However, I did not discuss the reason for doing the research, its
rationale. Throughout much of its range in Southern California and in
Washington State the Western pond turtle is largely extinct. Much of this
happened as land development, especially urbanization, spread throughout those
regions. It is unlikely but possible this is a coincidence. Today the Western
pond turtle Washington State gives it total legal protection and has partial
protection in both California and Oregon. Because of disagreements in the
scientific community and lack of evidence U.S. Fish and Wildlife are unwilling
to give it endangered status. This is largely because there is no scientific
information on its population size outside of areas where they are essentially
missing. In fact, one agency decried the fact there is so little information
that it makes it impossible to make an informed decision. Therefore, I chose to
do research that avoids the major criticisms of diet and feeding ecology
examinations, uncover some of the effects that may help explain their
disappearance because of land development, and provide information for policy
makers.
Consequently, I am examining
the diet of Western pond turtles during the season they most actively feed, May
through August. Further, I use activity traps to determine what food resources
are available when I trap turtles. Consequently, many of my previous posts
depict the various organisms they eat. Finally, I am choosing to tangentially investigate
(e.g., as an aside) ways to inform citizens about my research (i.e., this blog).
In addition, to see if my methods may be helpful to them, I am communicating by
email or in person with city and county agencies making policies that affect
the Western pond turtles living in the waterway. My goal in the future is to do
similar research and spend more time examining the ecosystem in ways that may
foster citizen awareness and policymaker decision making that promotes
sustainable use of these resources.
THEN METHODS
After the overview and
rationale for a research project, the next most important aspect is the methods
I am using. Since my previous posts show some of the results of using activity
traps, I will explain I make and use them. Then I will move on to trapping
turtles, radio telemetry, and other processes such as gastric lavage and
anesthesia.
Further, since this forum informal
I will also cover other topics. For example, my current examination of the possible
negative effects of RoundUp and its cousin pesticides I am doing for a
colleague.
CHEMICALS, THE ECOSYSTEM, AND YOU
The following article
excerpts reveal some of the possible negative effects of the pesticide, sometimes because
of the interactions between various ingredients in it. The following is an overview that was published on the topic. Later I will publish excerpts from journal articles including the one reported in this article.
Roundup Revelation: Weed Killer
Adjuvants May Boost Toxicity (Bonn, 2005)
“Although the
glyphosate-based herbicide RoundUp is generally thought to be less toxic to the
ecosystem than other pesticides, concerns about its effects on human
reproduction persist. In a study in Ontario, Canada, exposure of male farmers
to glyphosate-based herbicides was associated with an increase in miscarriage
and premature birth in farm families. Seeking an explanation for these
pregnancy-related problems, researchers at France's Universite de Caen
investigated the effects of the full Roundup formulation and glyphosate alone
on cultured human placental cells The herbicide, they found, killed the cells
at concentrations far below those used in agricultural practice.”
· “Surprisingly, they also found that Roundup was at
least twice as toxic as glyphosate alone. Virtually all previous testing of
Roundup for long-term health damage has been done on glyphosate rather than on
the full herbicide formulation, of which glyphosate makes up only around 40%.
The remainder consists of inactive ingredients including adjuvants, chemicals
that are added to improve the performance of the active ingredient. Roundup's
main adjuvant is the surfactant polyethoxylated tallowamine, which helps
glyphosate penetrate plant cells.”
· “Polyethoxylated tallowamine is just being
investigated but indications are that it has some remarkable toxic effects.
Check out pub med and there is a hint. This kind of investigation should be
done by any reputable scientist before using this chemical AND this points to
the problems with the current system regarding the release of a chemical for
use on food crops.”
· “No one is sure how Roundup interferes with
reproduction, so the team also tested whether it, like other pesticides, would
disrupt the activity of aromatase (an enzyme that regulates estrogen synthesis)
in placental cells. Aromatase activity was measured after 1 hour and 18 hours. The
study showed that the effect of Roundup on cell viability increased with time
and was obtained with concentrations of the formulation 10 times lower than
those recommended for agricultural use. Roundup also disrupted aromatase
activity at concentrations 100 times lower than those used in agriculture. The
researchers suspect that the adjuvants used in Roundup enhance the
bioavailability and/or bioaccumulation of glyphosate. How these findings
translate into activity of Roundup in the human body is hard to say. The French
researchers point out that serum proteins can bind to chemicals and reduce their
availability and therefore their toxicity to cells. Nevertheless, the authors
conclude that the demonstrated toxicity of Roundup, even at concentrations
below those in agricultural use, could contribute to some reproduction
problems.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bonn, D.
(2005). Roundup Revelation: Weed Killer Adjuvants May Boost Toxicity. Environmental
Health Perspectives, 113(61), A404.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
RoundUp herbicide, ducks and geese
RoundUp the herbicide that alters genes
A friend called me earlier today and needed me to collaborate on a comment he is going to make on a U.S. Navy environmental impact report. Specifically, they want to use RoundUp to knock down trees near the power lines in his community. Our local water agency here does not want to use it because of some problems that have come to light about it. In fact, I have been preparing some information for them on the topic - to support their unwillingness to use it. Even though we allow its use on food crops!
You can Google it and find some things out but is largely non-technical.
For example:
“Medical
reports link exposure to glyphosate herbicides with short-term symptoms
including blurred vision, skin problems, heart palpitations, and nausea.
Studies have also found associations with increased risk of miscarriages,
premature birth, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and diabetes. Formulations in which
glyphosate is combined with other ingredients can be more acutely toxic than
glyphosate alone (6, pgs. 5-8). Monsanto, a major manufacturer of
glyphosate-based herbicides, was challenged by the Attorney General of New York
State for making safety claims similar to those now being repeated by the U.S.
State Department. In an out-of-court settlement in 1996, Monsanto agreed to
stop advertising the product as "safe, non-toxic, harmless or free from
risk”.
“New
York State's Attorney General has sued Monsanto for claiming that RoundUp is
"safe" and "environmentally friendly." This suit
ended in a settlement with Monsanto in which Monsanto agreed to cease and
desist from using these terms in advertising RoundUp in the state of New
York. Monsanto, while not admitting any wrongdoing, paid the state of New
York $250,000 in settlement of this suit. When Monsanto violated the
first settlement agreement by advertising within New York that RoundUp is
"safe," a second agreement was negotiated.”
So, I have two good reasons to be investigating RoundUp. Thus far, the claims that it is not safe because it modifies DNA and inhibits cell function and interferes with reproduction are true. I cannot post these peer-reviewed articles BUT you can email me and I will send the peer-reviewed information to you. One in particular is interesting because it is challenged and the author does an effective job of refuting the allegations.
It is somewhat disheartening to discover that scientists who uncover these kinds of problems do not speak out. However, it is not surprising since few if any scientists are willing to study ethics. In fact, I am attending a two-year long seminar at U.C. Berkeley and one presenter, a bioethicist, was given the task of discussing this with cell and molecular biologists by the National Science Foundation - they refused to participate.
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