Population Recovery of Nicobar Long-Tailed Macaque Macaca fascicularis umbrosus following a Tsunami in the Nicobar Islands, India

Natural disasters pose a threat to isolated populations of species with restricted distributions, especially those inhabiting islands. The Nicobar long tailed macaque. Macaca fascicularis umbrosus, is one such species found in the three southernmost islands (viz. Great Nicobar, Little Nicobar and Katchal) of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, India. These islands were hit by a massive tsunami (Indian Ocean tsunami, 26 December 2004) after a 9.2 magnitude earthquake. Earlier studies Umapathy et al. 2003; Sivakumar, 2004] reported a sharp decline in the population of M. f. umbrosus after thetsunami. We studied the distribution and population status of M. f. umbrosus on thethree Nicobar Islands and compared our results with those of the previous studies. We carried out trail surveys on existing paths and trails on three islands to get encounter rate as measure of abundance. We also checked the degree of inundation due to tsunami by using Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) on landsat imageries of the study area before and after tsunami. Theencounter rate of groups per kilometre of M. f. umbrosus in Great Nicobar, Little Nicobar and Katchal was 0.30, 0.35 and 0.48 respectively with the mean group size of 39 in Great Nicobar and 43 in Katchal following the tsunami. This was higher than that reported in the two earlier studies conducted before and after the tsunami. Post tsunami, there was a significant change in the proportion of adult males, adult females and immatures, but mean group size did not differ as compared to pre tsunami. The results show that population has recovered from a drastic decline caused by tsunami, but it cannot be ascertained whether it has reached stability because of the altered group structure. This study demonstrates the effect of natural disasters on island occurring species.

Population of nonnative states of lysozyme variants drives amyloid fibril formation.

The propensity of protein molecules to self-assemble into highly ordered, fibrillar aggregates lies at the heart of understanding many disorders ranging from Alzheimer's disease to systemic lysozyme amyloidosis. In this paper we use highly accurate kinetic measurements of amyloid fibril growth in combination with spectroscopic tools to quantify the effect of modifications in solution conditions and in the amino acid sequence of human lysozyme on its propensity to form amyloid fibrils under acidic conditions. We elucidate and quantify the correlation between the rate of amyloid growth and the population of nonnative states, and we show that changes in amyloidogenicity are almost entirely due to alterations in the stability of the native state, while other regions of the global free-energy surface remain largely unmodified. These results provide insight into the complex dynamics of a macromolecule on a multidimensional energy landscape and point the way for a better understanding of amyloid diseases.

Population age structure and private consumption in Spain

In this paper we study the effect of population age distribution upon private consumption expenditure in Spain from 1964 to 1997 using aggregate data. We obtain four main results. First, changes in the population pyramid have substantial effects upon the behaviour of private consumption. Second, the pattern of the coefficients of the demographic variables is not consistent with the simplest version of the life cycle hypothesis. Third, we estimate the impact of the demographic transition upon consumption and find positive values associated with episodes in which the shares of groups of individuals with expenditure levels higher (lower) than the mean increased (decreased). Fourth, the results are robust to alternative specifications for the population age distribution.

Unemployment rates and population changes in Spain

Published as an article in: Journal of Applied Economics, 2004, vol. VII, pages 47-76.

Population Characteristics of Largemouth Bass Associated with Changes in Abundance of Submersed Aquatic Vegetation in Lake Seminole, Georgia

Population characteristics of largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides L.) including growth, body condition (relative weight), survival, and egg production were examined in relation to abundance of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) coverage (primarily hydrilla [ Hydrilla verticillata L.f. Royle]) in three embayments of Lake Seminole, GA, and compared to a previous study conducted in 1998. (PDF has 8 pages.)

Population Dynamics of Cyrtobagous salviniae on Common Salvinia in South Florida

Common salvinia (Salvinia minima Baker) is an exotic floating fern that has been in the U.S. from at least 1928(Small 1931). Its pest status in Florida is less clear perhaps due to the presence of the specialized herbivore Cyrtobagous salviniae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Our objective was to sample populations of adult C. salviniae in south Florida in order to assess temporal abundance and estimate density on common salvinia. (PDF has 4 pages.)

The Use of Herbicides to Control Hydrilla and the Effects on Young Largemouth Bass Population Characteristics and Aquatic Vegetation in Lake Seminole, Georgia

From 1997 to 2003, we examined the impacts of two aquatic herbicides, fluridone (Sonar; 1-methyl-3-phenyl-5-[3-(trifluromethl) phenyl]-4(1H)-pyridinone), and dipotassium salt of endothall (Aquathol K; 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2,3-dicarboxylic acid), used to control dense hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata L. f. Royle), on population characteristics of juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides Lacepede) in small coves (<10 ha) in Lake Seminole, Georgia. In addition, we estimated areal coverage and species composition of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) communities in each cove. Fish and plants were sampled in both control (hydrilla infested)and herbicide treated coves in November and March- April each year. Electrofishing catch-per-effort for both number and weight of age-0 and age-1 fish for the 1997 to 2002 year classes was either the same or higher (p < 0.05) in herbicide treated than in control coves. Age-0 fish were larger (p <0.05) in treated, than in control coves in November, but at age-1 in the following spring, fish were slightly longer (p <0.05) in the control coves. Higher age-0 catches were associated with greater percent reductions in numeric catch between age-0 and age-1 and reduced lengths of fish in November indicating density-dependent effects. Age-0 fish lengths were also negatively correlated to percent cover of both total and native SAV. Total or native SAV coverages were not associated with catch-per-unit effort for number and weight, but nearly all control and herbicide treated coves had total SAV coverage greater than 40%. Applications of both Sonar and Aquathol K reduced total SAV coverage and hydrilla, permitted the establishment of native SAVs, and had either neutral or positive impacts on young largemouth bass in small coves in Lake Seminole. (PDF contains 7 pages.)

Do tissue carbon and nitrogen limit population growth of weevils introduced to control waterhyacinth at a site in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California?

Waterhyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes(Mart.) Solms), is a serious problem in the Sacramento Delta. Two weevil species (Neochetina bruchi Hustache and N. eichhorniae Warner) have been introduced as biological control agents. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that nitrogen (N) in the tissue of waterhyacinth was not sufficient to support weevil growth and reproduction. Because it grows better on plants with high N content and because it has a greater impact on the growth of high N plants, N. bruchi may be a more effective biological control agent in the Sacramento Delta.

Evolution of Cooperation in the Snowdrift Game with Incomplete Information and Heterogeneous Population

Differently from previous studies of tag-based cooperation, we assume that individuals fail to recognize their own tag. Due to such incomplete information, the action taken against the opponent cannot be based on similarity, although it is still motivated by the tag displayed by the opponent. We present stability conditions for the case when individuals play unconditional cooperation, unconditional defection or conditional cooperation. We then consider the removal of one or two strategies. Results show that conditional cooperators are the most resilient agents against extinction and that the removal of unconditional cooperators may lead to the extinction of unconditional defectors.

The influence of disparate levels of submersed aquatic vegetation on largemouth bass population characteristics in a Georgia reservoir

Population characteristics of largemouth bass (Micropterous salmoides L.) including growth, body condition (relative weight), size structure, survival, and fecundity were examined in relation to abundance of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) coverage (primarily hydrilla Hydrilla verticillata L.f. Royle) in three major embayments of Lake Seminole, Georgia. Relative weight, fecundity, and growth of large-mouth bass in the Spring Creek embayment (76% areal SAV coverage) was considerably less than measured in the Chattahoochee and Flint river arms that contained lower SAV coverages (26% and 32%). It took fish 1.8 years longer to reach 406 mm in Spring Creek compared to the Chattahoochee-Flint arms. Consequently, fish were smaller in Spring Creek than in the Chattahoochee-Flint arms. In addition, due to slower growth rates and lower fecundity-to-body weight relation, we predicted a 47% reduction in total potential ova production in Spring Creek compared to the other two reservoir embayments. The annual survival rate of 3 to 10 year old largemouth bass was higher in Spring Creek (84%) than in the Chattahoochee-Flint arms (72%) and suggested either lower harvest and/or lower accessibility of particularly larger fish to angling in dense vegetation. Contrary to our expectaions, the fit between number-at-age and age in a catch-curve regression was weaker for fish collected in Spring Creek and suggested greater recruitment variability has occurred over time in this highly vegetated embayment. In Lake Seminole, spatial differences in largemouth bass population characterstics were associated with disparate levels of SAV. Our data suggest that a reduction in hydrilla, but maintenance of an intermediate level of SAV in Spring Creek, should improve largermouth bass population in this arm of the reservoir.

Population response of triploid grass carp to declining levels of hydrilla in the Santee Cooper Reservoirs, South Carolina

Approximately 768,500 triploid grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idella Valenciennes) were stocked into the Santee Cooper reservoirs, South Carolina between 1989 and 1996 to control hydrilla ( Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle). Hydrilla coverage was reduced from a high of 17,272 ha during 1994 to a few ha by 1998. During 1997, 1998 and 1999, at least 98 triploid grass carp were collected yearly for population monitoring. Estimates of age, growth, and mortality, as well as population models, were used in the study to monitor triploid grass carp and predict population trends. Condition declined from that measured during a previous study in 1994. The annual mortality rate was estimated at 28% in 1997, 32% in 1998 and 39% in 1999; however, only the 1999 mortality rate was significantly different. Few (2 out of 98) of the triploid grass carp collected during 1999 were older than age 9. We expect increased mortality due to an aging population and sparse hydrilla coverage. During 1999, we estimated about 63,000 triploid grass carp system wide and project less than 3,000 fish by 2004, assuming no future stocking. management, population size Ctenopharyngodon idella, Hydrilla