The natural history of Hendra and Nipah viruses

Pteropid bats (flying foxes), species of which are the probable natural host of both Hendra and Nipah viruses, occur in overlapping populations from India to Australia. Ecological changes associated with land use and with animal husbandry practices appear most likely to be associated with the emergence of these two agents. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.

History matters: relating paths and rates of landscape change to butterfly species decline

Western European landscapes have drastically changed since the 1950s, with agricultural intensifications and the spread of urban settlements considered the most important drivers of this land-use/land-cover change. Losses of habitat for fauna and flora have been a direct consequence of this development. In the present study, we relate butterfly occurrence to land-use/land-cover changes over five decades between 1951 and 2000. The study area covers the entire Swiss territory. The 10 explanatory variables originate from agricultural statistics and censuses. Both state as well as rate was used as explanatory variables. Species distribution data were obtained from natural history collections. We selected eight butterfly species: four species occur on wetlands and four occur on dry grasslands. We used cluster analysis to track land-use/land-cover changes and to group communes based on similar trajectories of change. Generalized linear models were applied to identify factors that were significantly correlated with the persistence or disappearance of butterfly species. Results showed that decreasing agricultural areas and densities of farms with more than 10 ha of cultivated land are significantly related with wetland species decline, and increasing densities of livestock seem to have favored disappearance of dry grassland species. Moreover, we show that species declines are not only dependent on land-use/land-cover states but also on the rates of change; that is, the higher the transformation rate from small to large farms, the higher the loss of dry grassland species. We suggest that more attention should be paid to the rates of landscape change as feasible drivers of species change and derive some management suggestions.

RAGBRAI Learn about the Land; Day 3, July 2008

Although during much of its geologic history Iowa was part of an interior sea, today what we see on the land surface has been heavily influenced by recent glaciation. Everything from Iowa soils, rivers, lakes, and hills has been influenced by glaciation. Most of Iowa’s bedrock is hidden beneath a thick mantle of deposits from the Cenozoic (i.e., new life) Era, spanning the last 65 million years. Geologists have divided the Cenozoic Era into two periods. These are the Tertiary (1.8-65 million years ago) and Quaternary Periods (recent to 1.8 million years ago). Most geologic records in Iowa are from the Quaternary period, and include glacial till and loess.

RAGBRAI Learn about the Land; Day 4, July 2010

The University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist and Team Archaeology are back on RAGBRAI for our third year of Archaeology on the Road, and pleased to partner this year with the IDNR: Geological and Water Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey under the theme “Human and Natural History Partners.” Archaeology on the Road brings you the unique cultural history and prehistory of Iowa on the RAGBRAI route, pointing out interesting and significant archaeological sites and sharing Iowa’s past along the way. Look for our booth at Expo and then again on Days 1, 5 and 6 on the route, and also keep an eye out for our Team Archaeology

RAGBRAI Learn about the Land; Day 5, July 2010

The University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist and Team Archaeology are back on RAGBRAI for our third year of Archaeology on the Road, and pleased to partner this year with the IDNR: Geological and Water Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey under the theme “Human and Natural History Partners.” Archaeology on the Road brings you the unique cultural history and prehistory of Iowa on the RAGBRAI route, pointing out interesting and significant archaeological sites and sharing Iowa’s past along the way. Look for our booth at Expo and then again on Days 1, 5 and 6 on the route, and also keep an eye out for our Team Archaeology

RAGBRAI Learn about the Land; Day 2, July 2010

The University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist and Team Archaeology are back on RAGBRAI for our third year of Archaeology on the Road, and pleased to partner this year with the IDNR: Geological and Water Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey under the theme “Human and Natural History Partners.” Archaeology on the Road brings you the unique cultural history and prehistory of Iowa on the RAGBRAI route, pointing out interesting and significant archaeological sites and sharing Iowa’s past along the way. Look for our booth at Expo and then again on Days 1, 5 and 6 on the route, and also keep an eye out for our Team Archaeology

RAGBRAI Learn about the Land; Day 3, July 2010

The University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist and Team Archaeology are back on RAGBRAI for our third year of Archaeology on the Road, and pleased to partner this year with the IDNR: Geological and Water Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey under the theme “Human and Natural History Partners.” Archaeology on the Road brings you the unique cultural history and prehistory of Iowa on the RAGBRAI route, pointing out interesting and significant archaeological sites and sharing Iowa’s past along the way. Look for our booth at Expo and then again on Days 1, 5 and 6 on the route, and also keep an eye out for our Team Archaeology

RAGBRAI Learn about the Land; Day 6, July 2010

The University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist and Team Archaeology are back on RAGBRAI for our third year of Archaeology on the Road, and pleased to partner this year with the IDNR: Geological and Water Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey under the theme “Human and Natural History Partners.” Archaeology on the Road brings you the unique cultural history and prehistory of Iowa on the RAGBRAI route, pointing out interesting and significant archaeological sites and sharing Iowa’s past along the way. Look for our booth at Expo and then again on Days 1, 5 and 6 on the route, and also keep an eye out for our Team Archaeology

RAGBRAI Learn about the Land; Day 7, July 2010

The University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist and Team Archaeology are back on RAGBRAI for our third year of Archaeology on the Road, and pleased to partner this year with the IDNR: Geological and Water Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey under the theme “Human and Natural History Partners.” Archaeology on the Road brings you the unique cultural history and prehistory of Iowa on the RAGBRAI route, pointing out interesting and significant archaeological sites and sharing Iowa’s past along the way. Look for our booth at Expo and then again on Days 1, 5 and 6 on the route, and also keep an eye out for our Team Archaeology

RAGBRAI Learn about the Land; Day 2, July 2011

The University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist and Team Archaeology are back on RAGBRAI for another year of Archaeology on the Road, and pleased to partner this year with the IDNR: Geological and Water Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey under the theme “Human and Natural History Partners.” Archaeology on the Road brings you the unique cultural history and prehistory of Iowa on the RAGBRAI route, pointing out interesting and significant archaeological sites and sharing Iowa’s past along the way. Look for our booth at Expo and then again on Days 1, 5 and 6 on the route, and also keep an eye out for our Team Archaeology

RAGBRAI Learn about the Land; Day 3, July 2011

The University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist and Team Archaeology are back on RAGBRAI for another year of Archaeology on the Road, and pleased to partner this year with the IDNR: Geological and Water Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey under the theme “Human and Natural History Partners.” Archaeology on the Road brings you the unique cultural history and prehistory of Iowa on the RAGBRAI route, pointing out interesting and significant archaeological sites and sharing Iowa’s past along the way. Look for our booth at Expo and then again on Days 1, 5 and 6 on the route, and also keep an eye out for our Team Archaeology

RAGBRAI Learn about the Land; Day 4, July 2011

The University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist and Team Archaeology are back on RAGBRAI for another year of Archaeology on the Road, and pleased to partner this year with the IDNR: Geological and Water Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey under the theme “Human and Natural History Partners.” Archaeology on the Road brings you the unique cultural history and prehistory of Iowa on the RAGBRAI route, pointing out interesting and significant archaeological sites and sharing Iowa’s past along the way. Look for our booth at Expo and then again on Days 1, 5 and 6 on the route, and also keep an eye out for our Team Archaeology

RAGBRAI Learn about the Land; Day 5, July 2011

The University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist and Team Archaeology are back on RAGBRAI for another year of Archaeology on the Road, and pleased to partner this year with the IDNR: Geological and Water Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey under the theme “Human and Natural History Partners.” Archaeology on the Road brings you the unique cultural history and prehistory of Iowa on the RAGBRAI route, pointing out interesting and significant archaeological sites and sharing Iowa’s past along the way. Look for our booth at Expo and then again on Days 1, 5 and 6 on the route, and also keep an eye out for our Team Archaeology.

RAGBRAI Learn about the Land; Day 7, July 2011

The University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist and Team Archaeology are back on RAGBRAI for our third year of Archaeology on the Road, and pleased to partner this year with the IDNR: Geological and Water Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey under the theme “Human and Natural History Partners.” Archaeology on the Road brings you the unique cultural history and prehistory of Iowa on the RAGBRAI route, pointing out interesting and significant archaeological sites and sharing Iowa’s past along the way. Look for our booth at Expo and then again on Days 1, 5 and 6 on the route, and also keep an eye out for our Team Archaeology.

RAGBRAI Learn about the Land; Day 2, July 2012

The University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist and Team Archaeology are back on RAGBRAI for another year of Archaeology on the Road, and pleased to partner this year with the IDNR: Geological and Water Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey under the theme “Human and Natural History Partners.” Archaeology on the Road brings you the unique cultural history and prehistory of Iowa on the RAGBRAI route, pointing out interesting and significant archaeological sites and sharing Iowa’s past along the way. Look for our booth at Expo and then again on Days 1, 5 and 6 on the route, and also keep an eye out for our Team Archaeology