[ECOLOG-L] anyone else getting primate-spam from Paul Salaman?
In the last couple of weeks I've received several solicitations from Paul Salaman--or someone claiming to be him--asking for donations to support this or that primate-related conservation effort. I only use this email account for listservs and related communications, so it's a good bet that this fellow has been harvesting emails from ECOLOG and similar lists. If anyone else has been receiving his primate spam, please contact me off-list.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] good survey text for global biomes?
Just to clarify, I'd be interested in a book that could be used for an advanced undergraduate course a graduate class. I'd be grateful for any suggestions, on- or off-list, and I'll be glad to post a compilation of replies.
[ECOLOG-L] good survey text for global biomes?
I'm looking for an up-to-date book which surveys extant biomes from around the world, preferably in more detail than a typical introductory textbook. Ideally I'd like to find a book suitable for upper-level undergraduate courses which could also be used in a graduate course, or to support a graduate seminar. Please contact me off-list if you have a favorite you'd swear by, and my thanks in advance for your recommendations.
[ECOLOG-L] clarification on prothonotary article request
I appreciate the responses I've received already, but most of them have involved the Cornell BNA, which unfortunately is locked behind a paywall. To clarify, I would appreciate citations for recent references involving prothonotary ecology and behavior. I don't have database access and can't search directly for references, but I can work with citations if someone is kind enough to provide them.
[ECOLOG-L] review article on prothonotary behavior?
Recently I had the good fortune to spot a prothonotary nest in my local swamp, and I was able to return nearly every day to follow the brood until they fledged out and disappeared. Now I'm very interested in the ecology and behavior of prothonotaries, but I don't have a background in ornithology and I'm not sure where to begin. Could someone recommend a good survey article that reviews the current research? All told I had about twenty hours of observation on the nest, and I'd like to know how my observations fit into the broader picture of prothonotary behavior. Please reply to me off-list with references or links, and thanks in advance for any and all suggestions. I'll compile what I receive and post a summary back to the list.
[ECOLOG-L] Growth Rates of Cypress Knees?
I've been comparing some of my current photos of cypress lagoons with shots I took ten or fifteen years ago, in the same lagoons and of the same trees. Comparing a few individual cypress knees, I've made a very rough estimate of 1-2 inches of growth over about ten years. Given that some of these knees are three or four feet above the substrate, that suggests an impressive age. However, I've also been watching a couple of new knees (kneelets?) which have grown 1-2 inches in just the past year, so clearly it's not quite linear. Can anyone suggest any research or references on the rates of growth in cypress knees? If you can, please contact me off-list, and I'll post a compilation of responses. Thanks in advance to anyone who might be able to help, either with direct observations or good citations.
[ECOLOG-L] ichneumon predators of swallowtail caterpillars?
After keeping a swallowtail chrysalis all this past winter and spring, my patience was rewarded not with a soft fluttering of wings, but a harsh papery buzz. The chrysalis, it seems, had been incubating a wasp all the while. I feel like a kid whose long-awaited birthday present turned out to be socks. However, even socks have their uses, and there are a lot of kids in this world who would be grateful for a pair. Likewise, there are probably hymenopterists who would much prefer my wasp. So I'm wondering if there are any ichneumon specialists out there who might be able to help me identify the species I have, which is a translucent umber-brown with a curiously segmented abdomen. If you might be able to help--or if you can recommend someone who could--please email me off-list, and I'll be glad to send photos and more information.
[ECOLOG-L] looking for help with birdsong
Despite a couple of wildlife degrees, and a lifelong interest in the living world, I've never had three-tenths of a clue about birds. They're small and twittery and @#$%&!! difficult to spot, at least for me. But I do have excellent hearing, and I've starting paying close attention to the wonderfully intricate songs in the woods this time of year. Trouble is, I don't have an easy way of matching what I'm hearing to a particular name. Most field guides don't describe calls in the same way that I hear them; and while I love the Macaulay Library, it's all guesswork and shots in the dark. So, I'd like to know if there's anyone out there with the time, patience and bird-lore to answer the occasional email describing the calls I hear. If anyone's interested in helping a complete novice learn what he's hearing, please reply to me off-list, and accept my thanks in advance.
[ECOLOG-L] What's More Fun Than Owl Pellets?
A few days a Why, owl pellets with bone fragments! A few days ago I came across what looked like an owl pellet, although it had been rained on quite a lot and was decidedly soggy. A little poking and separating revealed several interesting bone fragments, and I'd like to know if anyone can identify the unfortunate rodent involved. Since ECOLOG won't allow me to attach a photo here, please contact me off-list for low- and high-res images of the bone fragments. The habitat is mixed hardwood forest in the coastal mid-Atlantic, and the only owl species I've seen or heard are screech owls, great horned and rarely barred owls. So, with this information, any ideas what the prey might have been?
[ECOLOG-L] Careers in Conservation: Crossing the Barren Waste
I would like to know if there's anyone else out there who has fought their way through grad school, and finished with a real sense of accomplishment, only to discover the utter impossibility of finding a job in conservation science, the sham of building a career in this field. I would like to know if there are any others who have gone a year or more since graduation with no work, no prospects, and no hope left. I'm not looking for career advice, especially not from all those who feel so very proud and superior to have a job where I do not. I've had enough contempt, scorn, and smug cold amusement to last me a lifetime. If you're employed, count yourself fortunate and move along. I'm not here to start a discussion; I'd just like to know if there's anyone else living in the same place right now. If you've gone through the endless rounds of application and rejection, if you poured yourself into hopes that have gone to barren dust, I'd like to hear from you. Send me a reply off-list.
[ECOLOG-L] are millipedes fully submersible?
For the past three days, I've been keeping tabs on a millipede who's been exploring a bucket of rainwater in my yard. Ordinarily I would've fished him out, but he seems perfectly comfortable wandering around the sides and bottom, despite being under a foot or so of water. I knew that millipedes enjoyed the damp, but this one has literally gone overboard. If there's anyone who's familiar with millipede ecology and behaviour (not to mention respiration), and who would be willing to answer my rather naive questions, please send me an off-the-list reply.
[ECOLOG-L] DBH for old-growth trees
I've been looking through an excellent book, "Remarkable Trees of Virginia," which highlights some amazing trees throughout the state. It's set me to wondering about the girth and mass of trees in the pre-settlement forests of North America. Would anyone be able to suggest some references on this? I'm most interested in information on the original forests, but studies on old-growth remnants would be welcome as well. (I'm a non-forestry person, so apologies if the question is terribly naive.) Thanks in advance, John A.
[ECOLOG-L] quantifying scent
Would someone be able to recommend a survey paper on olfactory sensitivity in different mammals? I'm interested in the differences in sensitivity across taxa--whether certain species are more focused on certain elements of the olfactory environment. I realize this is something of a naive question, but I know very little about the scent landscape and how mammals live in it, so any guidance whatsoever would be most appreciated. Thanks much to all.
[ECOLOG-L] rabies in North American microtines
Is anyone aware of any reports of rabies in Microtus in North America? There are several reports, years and decades old, mentioning rabies isolated from Microtus arvalis in Europe, but I haven't been able to find anything definite on the North American species. Has anyone looked into this at all? Thanks very much, John A.
[ECOLOG-L] tree spacing in forest plots
I'm trying to find information on the natural spacing of trees in old-growth forest ecosystems. What I'm really looking for is a diagram that would show, for instance, every single stem and bole within a hectare, or a quarter-hectare, all mapped in relation to each other and drawn to scale on a grid. Ideally I'd like to see this for several different kinds of forests--coastal swamp, Appalachian mountains, Pacific Northwest, etc.--but at this point, I'll take anything. There must be any number of studies on this sort of thing, but I'm having a difficult time finding them, perhaps because I don't know the exact terminology which forest ecologists would use. If anyone could point me in the right direction, I'd be most grateful indeed. Thanks very much, John A.
