Disentangling the Harrisson Archive to Interpret the Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Vertebrate Remains at Niah Caves, Sarawak

During the 1950s and 1960s, excavations by the Sarawak Museum at Niah Cave in northwest Borneo produced an enormous archive of records and artefacts, including in excess of 750,000 macro- and micro-vertebrate remains. The excellent state of preservation of the animal bone, dating from the Late Pleistocene (c. 40 kya) to as recently as c. 500 years ago had the potential to provide unparalleled zooarchaeological information about early hunter-gatherer resource procurement, temporal changes in subsistence patterning, and the impact of peoples on the local and regional environment in Island Southeast Asia. However, the coarse-grained methods of excavation employed during the original investigations and the sheer scale of the archaeological record and bone assemblages dissuaded many researchers from attempting to tackle the Niah archives. This paper outlines how important information on the nature of the archaeological record at Niah has now finally been extracted from the archive using a combination of zooarchaeological analysis and reference to the extensive archaeological records from the site. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Spatial and temporal regulation of the pesticide dieldrin within industrial catchments

The river catchments of south Yorkshire support a very high density of wool processing industries. Dieldrin was once used as a moth proofing agent, as a sheep dip, and as a pesticide to protect wool fleeces during storage and transport, all of which caused pollution of these catchments due to textile processing. Weekly sampling of four of these rivers revealed two classes of dieldrin contamination: the Aire and Calder (the rivers which support very high concentrations of wool processing industries) had higher concentrations (averaging ~3 ng/l) than the Don and Trent (~1 ng/l). The average flux of dieldrin from these rivers into the Humber estuary was 9.8 g/day, with the Aire (of which the Calder is a tributary) and the Trent contributing almost equally, with a smaller contribution from the Don. The Trent has the highest average flow, explaining its large contribution to dieldrin flux. Less detailed sampling of rivers from the north Humber catchment which drain predominantly rural areas had dieldrin concentrations similar to the heavily industrialized southern catchment rivers. This suggests that dieldrin from agronomic and domestic usage may be more persistent than the pollution caused by textile processing industries. Evidence is presented to suggest that the principle dieldrin sources to the Humber catchments are sewage treatment plants, and that the dieldrin sources are in rapid equilibrium with the water column. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.

Invasive alien species disrupt spatial and temporal ecology and threaten extinction in an insular, small mammal community

The impact of invasive bank vole (Myodes glareolus) and greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) on indigenous Irish small mammals, varies with season and habitat. We caught bank voles in deciduous woodland, young coniferous plantations and open habitats such as rank grass. The greater white-toothed shrew was absent from deciduous woods and plantations but did use open habitats with low level cover in addition to field margins. Numbers of both invasive species in field margins during summer were higher than in the previous spring. The indigenous wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) and pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus), differed in degrees of negative response to invasive species. Wood mice with bank voles in hedgerows had reduced recruitment and lower peak abundance. This effect was less extreme where both invasive species were present. Wood mice numbers along field margins and open habitats were significantly depressed by the presence of the bank vole with no such effect in deciduous woodland or coniferous plantations. Summer recruitment in pygmy shrews was reduced in hedgerows with bank voles. Where greater white-toothed shrew was present, the pygmy shrew was entirely absent from field margins. Species replacement due to invasive small mammals is occurring in their major habitat i.e. field margins and open habitats where there is good ground cover. Pygmy shrew will probably disappear from these habitats throughout Ireland. Wood mice and possibly pygmy shrew may survive in deciduous woodland and conifer plantations. Mitigation of impacts of invasive species should include expansion of woodland in which native species can survive.

Spatial and temporal variability of the freshwater reservoir effect (FRE) in lacustrine sediments in a cold climate zone, Northwest Territories (Canada)

Climate variability along the 600 km Tibbitt to Contwyoto Winter Road (TCWR) in central Northwest Territories is poorly understood. With the transportation of goods from Yellowknife to the mines projected to increase significantly as new mines open, it is critical that planners and mine developers have reasonable data on the future viability of the road, as alternative transportation costs (e.g. air transport) are prohibitively high.

The research presented here is part of a paleoclimate study based on the analysis of multiple proxy data derived from freeze cores in lakes along the TCWR.

Spatial and temporal influences of in-stream factors on the chemistry and epilithic biomasses of upland stream metal deposits

The density and composition of stream bed metal deposits are affected by physical, chemical and biological processes. In this paper we investigate the importance of these processes and their relation to algal and non-photosynthetic detrital (NPD) biomass in a set of upland streams in Northern Ireland. Deposit density and Fe, Mn, Al and P concentrations varied with stream pH across sites but not seasonally. No effects of stream bed erosion or photoreduction were detected on deposit densities. Seasonal variation in stream water metal concentrations was correlated with rainfall. NPD biomass was a significant predictor of both spatial and seasonal variation in deposit concentrations. There were strong, non-linear, relations between NPD biomass and deposit metal concentrations, with Fe and Mn becoming relatively more important and algal biomass declining above threshold deposit/NPD densities. The results suggest that NPD biomass influences deposit density and reduces the biomass of photosynthetic autotrophs above a threshold deposit density.

Spatial and temporal assessment of sediment contamination in Sado estuary: a methodological approach

For better management of estuarine ecosystems their contamination assessment should be easily communicated to local managers and decision makers. The problem is the lack of available data and the search of methodologies to enable that assessment using only few data. The Sado estuary in Portugal is as good example of a site where human pressures and ecological values collide with each other and where the degree of metal and organic contamination has not been subject to an overall assessment, either in terms of spatial or temporal variability, in a way that managers can understand.

The effect of conservation measures on the spatial and temporal variation of rocky fish assemblages in the Arrábida Marine Park

Marine protected areas (MPAs) have been widely proposed for conservation purposes and as a tool for fisheries management. The Arrábida Marine Park is the first MPA in continental Portugal having a management plan, fully implemented since 2009. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of protection measures on rocky reef fish assemblages and target invertebrates through before-after and control-effect (no-take vs. fished areas) underwater visual surveys and analysis of landings trends. Second, we used surveys before, during and after implementation of the management plan to understand fishers‟ preferences for fishing grounds and adaptation to the new rules, and evaluated the reserve effect through analysis of both ecological responses and fishing effort density. Third, we identified the main oceanographic drivers influencing the structure of reef fish assemblages and predicted the community structure for the last 50 years, in light of climatic change. Overall results suggest positive responses in biomass but not yet in numbers of some commercial species, with no effects on non-target species. The reserve effect is reinforced by the increase in landings of commercial species, despite increased fishing effort density in some areas, especially with octopus traps. Fishing grounds are mainly chosen based on the distribution of target species and associated habitats, but distance to port, weather conditions and safety also influence fishers‟ choices. Moreover, different fisheries respond differently to the protection measures, and within each fishery, individual fishers show distinct strategies, with some operating in a broader area whereas others keep preferred territories. Our results also show that wind stress and temperature are the main oceanographic drivers for rocky reef fish assemblages, with tropicalization of assemblages and polewards movements of species over the last 50 years consistent with temperature trends. We believe this study provides significant lessons for marine conservation and management of coastal systems.

Defining Spatial and Temporal Hydromorphological Sampling Strategies for the Leigh Brook River Site

Detailed surveys of depth and velocity are undertaken to describe hydro-ecological status of rivers. Fieldwork for these surveys is time consuming and expensive. This paper aims to describe the methodology applied in order to determine the most suitable depth sampling strategy for effective field data collection and river representation in time and space at the Leigh Brook river site, Worcester, UK. The accuracy of three different sampling strategies for predicting depth at non-measured points has been compared and the mesohabitats that better characterise depth changes due to variations in discharge have been identified. The results show that depth changes due to discharge change are mainly located at shallow and deep glide mesohabitat types. The analysis for the comparison of sampling strategies indicates that grid sampling strategies give better results than regular transects. Since the results also show that higher errors in predictions are obtained in the deepest areas, higher sampling densities should be applied in these locations.

Bird depredation of grapes in Niagara vineyards : a novel approach to identifying spatial and temporal trends /

Although local grape growers view bird depredation as a significant economic issue, the most recent research on the problem in the Niagara Peninsula is three decades old. Peer-reviewed publications on the subject are rare, and researchers have struggled to develop bird-damage assessment techniques useful for facilitating management programmes. I used a variation of Stevenson and Virgo's (1971) visual estimation procedure to quantify spatial and temporal trends in bird damage to grapes within single vineyard plots at two locations near St. Catharines, Ontario. I present a novel approach to managing the rank-data from visual estimates, which is unprecedented in its sensitivity to spatial trends in bird damage. I also review its valid use in comparative statistical analysis. Spatial trends in 3 out of 4 study plots confirmed a priori predictions about localisation in bird damage based on optimal foraging from a central location (staging area). Damage to grape clusters was: (1) greater near the edges of vineyard plots and decreased with distance towards the center, (2) greater in areas adjacent to staging areas for birds, and (3) vertically stratified, with upper-tier clusters sustaining more damage than lower-tier clusters. From a management perspective, this predictive approach provides vineyard owners with the ability to identify the portions of plots likely to be most susceptible to bird damage, and thus the opportunity to focus deterrent measures in these areas. Other management considerations at Henry of Pelham were: (1) wind damage to ice-wine Riesling and Vidal was much higher than bird damage, (2) plastic netting with narrow mesh provided more effective protection agsiinst birds than nylon netting with wider mesh, and (3) no trends in relative susceptibility of varietals by colour (red vs green) were evident.