Search

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, community-dwelling people living with dementia and their family caregivers have experienced many challenges. The unanticipated consequences of public health measures have impacted these families in a myriad of ways. In this interpretive policy analysis, which used a longitudinal, qualitative methodology, we purposively recruited 12 families in British Columbia, Canada, to explore the impacts of pandemic public health measures over time. Semi-structured interviews were conducted every 3 months and participants completed diary entries. Twenty-eight interviews and 34 diary entries were thematically analyzed. The findings explore ways that families adopted and adapted to public health measures, loss of supports, both formal and informal, and the subsequent consequences for their mental and physical well-being. Within the ongoing context of the pandemic, as well as potential future wide-spread emergencies, it is imperative that programs and supports are restarted and maintained to avoid further harm to these families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on a study that examined a population of individually marked Harlequin Ducks at White Rock, British Columbia. Considerations in expecting population genetic differentiation among birds which pair away from breeding grounds during the winter months; Methodology; Results and discussion.

Focuses on a study which examined the seasonal movements of Marbled Murrelets or Brachyrampus marmoratus through systemic banding programs. Banding of birds with stainless steel leg bands in Theodosia Inlet, part of Desolation Sound, British Columbia; Examination of published papers and reports related to banding of Marbled Murrelets; Direct evidence of the migration between breeding and nonbreeding areas.

Presents a study which documented the chronology of pair formation in a population of wintering Harlequin Ducks, in southwestern British Columbia. Methods used to conduct the study; When pair bonds are formed in migratory bird species; Results of the study.

Many of the world's rivers are dammed, altering the physiology, behaviour, ecology and survival of fish. Integrative research has the potential to improve our understanding of these impacts and could enable environmental managers to develop effective solutions for population conservation. Such approaches, however, are not yet prevalent. We use a case study on Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) in British Columbia, Canada, to demonstrate how regulated rivers may be used as experimental systems, allowing for applied research that can advance our understanding of the biology of migratory fish as well as our ability to manage them. Through the integration of multiple research approaches (i.e. biotelemetry, behavioural tests, physiological and molecular analyses, and hydraulic monitoring), we characterized the effects of natal water dilution and dam flow releases on upstream navigation, passage success and post-passage survival of returning adult salmon. Our findings confirmed previously established operational guidelines for natal water dilution and informed the adoption of new operational conditions for dam flow releases, providing an example of the successful application of integrative research to the management of a fisheries resource in a regulated river. We encourage researchers to consider using an experimental approach that integrates multiple research disciplines to inform science-based management action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role that the marine environment plays in the distribution and abundance of Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus), a seabird which nests in old-growth forests, is not well understood. Therefore, we investigated how Marbled Murrelet marine distribution and abundance is related to the abiotic and biotic components of the marine environment. Data on the marine distribution of Marbled Murrelets in British Columbia (BC), densities (birds/km2; 1972–1993), counts (number of birds per survey; 1922–1989), and pertinent environmental variables as identified from the literature were compiled and then organized in a Geographic Information System (GIS). On a 10 km scale, count surveys were not correlated with density surveys (r2=0.01, P=0.46). This suggests the interpretation of count survey data (relative abundance) should be done with care; and it is not further used in this study.We built a parsimonious model to explain marine densities with marine predictors. First, significant predictors were identified with multivariate Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) by evaluating the shortest distances from survey locations to predictor variables. Murrelet density is higher close to sandy substrate, estuaries and cooler sea temperatures, and lower close to glaciers and herring spawn areas. Model predictors selected by using P-values and AIC include sea surface temperature, herring spawn index, estuary locations, distribution of sand and fine gravel substrates (as a proxy for sand lance distribution), and proximity to glaciers. Secondly, spatially explicit large-scale distribution model algorithms use this set of significant predictors to predict Marbled Murrelet abundance (density), distribution and populations in coastal BC. The modelling algorithms used include GLM, Classification and Regression Trees (CART) [Classification and Regression Trees, Wadsworth & Brooks, Pacific Grove, CA, 368 pp.; Software CART and MARS, San Diego, CA] and Tree (SPLUS) [Modern Applied Statistics with S-Plus, Statistics and Computing, 2nd ed., Springer, New York, 462 pp.], Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) [Software CART and MARS, San Diego, CA], and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) (SPLUS) [Modern Applied Statistics with S-Plus, Statistics and Computing, 2nd ed., Springer, New York 462 pp.]. Model performances were evaluated by backfitting, and by standardizing models. Tree-SPLUS was identified as the best performing model, and therefore used to predict the maximum carrying capacity of 170,500 birds for the marine habitat of coastal BC. An additional, a posteriori predictor, the shortest distance to old-growth forest, explained much of the remaining residual variance. This model result led us to a hypothesis of how Marbled Murrelet distribution and abundance relates to proximity to old-growth forests, and it makes an initial basic link between the marine and terrestrial aspects of Marbled Murrelet habitat. Our approach presents the first predictive abundance and distribution models applied to Marbled Murrelets on a large scale (British Columbia coast). Our approach is robust, and the statistical algorithms compared here are fully described and are known to perform well. Our findings are crucial for decision making and consider conservation management on a scale pertinent for the habitat protection of this species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Mean summer water temperatures in the Fraser River (British Columbia, Canada) have increased by ∼1.5 °C since the 1950s. In recent years, record high river temperatures during spawning migrations of Fraser River sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka) have been associated with high mortality events, raising concerns about long-term viability of the numerous natal stocks faced with climate warming. In this study, the effect of freshwater thermal experience on spawning migration survival was estimated by fitting capture-recapture models to telemetry data collected for 1474 adults (captured in either the ocean or river between 2002 and 2007) from four Fraser River sockeye salmon stock-aggregates (Chilko, Quesnel, Stellako-Late Stuart and Adams). Survival of Adams sockeye salmon was the most impacted by warm temperatures encountered in the lower river, followed by that of Stellako-Late Stuart and Quesnel. In contrast, survival of Chilko fish was insensitive to the encountered river temperature. In all stocks, in-river survival of ocean-captured sockeye salmon was higher than that of river-captured fish and, generally, the difference was more pronounced under warm temperatures. The survival-temperature relationships for ocean-captured fish were used to predict historic (1961-1990) and future (2010-2099) survival under simulated lower river thermal experiences for the Quesnel, Stellako-Late Stuart and Adams stocks. A decrease of 9-16% in survival of all these stocks was predicted by the end of the century if the Fraser River continues to warm as expected. However, the decrease in future survival of Adams sockeye salmon would occur only if fish continue to enter the river abnormally early, towards warmer periods of the summer, as they have done since 1995. The survival estimates and predictions presented here are likely optimistic and emphasize the need to consider stock-specific responses to temperature and climate warming into fisheries management and conservation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that compared the nesting ecology of barrow's goldeneye and bufflehead in natural cavities in the Cariboo Parklands in British Columbia. Analysis of the physical characteristics of the nest sites; Examination of the clutch sizes of the two birds; Investigation of the sources of predation in the nest sites.

Presents a study that applied several techniques to examine the chronology and synchrony of breeding events of the marbled murrelet population at Desolation Sound, British Columbia. Estimation of the duration of breeding by marbled murrelets; Comparison of several methods to estimate breeding chronology; Examination of the interannual variability of the breeding behavior of marbled murrelets; Analysis of the breeding synchrony of marbled murrelets.

Presents a study that reported a significant male bias in dawn and dusk nest visitations of breeding by radio-marked marbled murrelets during the chick rearing period in Desolation Sound, British Columbia, Canada, from 1998-2000. Methodology; Radio-tracking; Statistical analysis.