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Barrier island dunes are postulated to exhibit two states, or stability domains. In this model, transitions between domains can exhibit irreversibility. However, these transitions may also be bistable, whereby the topography of either domain can develop at a location. To infer evidence for these dynamical properties and link them to dune topography, statistical mapping of dune topographic state space was undertaken for six barrier islands of the southeastern U.S. Atlantic coast. Topographies for three to four plots per island were constructed from airborne LiDAR data. Elevation in each was quantified in terms of descriptive statistics, spatial autocorrelation and landscape patch structure. The state space derived from ordination of these data was not primarily structured by the domain model. Instead, positive and negative relief defined the major axis of topographic variability. Only the plot topographies intermediate of these extremes in relief and contained within a smaller window of elevations resembled those of the two-state model. Their emergence along the second axis of variability was correlated with the spatial autocorrelation of elevation and geographic factors related to wave and tidal energy. Topographies suggestive of irreversibility and bistability were distinguishable based on their position in state space relative to these two domains regions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Removal of feral cats from island environments is a useful mechanism by which their ecological impact on endangered species can be reduced or ended. Nevertheless, because cats are anthropogenic in their origins, social perceptions of management practices play a large role in their implementation. Four-hundred questionnaires were delivered (386 were returned) with 100 going to each of the following: local residents; environmental workers; tourists; and, hunters. Questions explored respondents’ knowledge about island biodiversity and invasive species as well as attitudes towards cat population management methods. Habitat destruction and introduction of invasive species were considered the main threats for the conservation of island biodiversity. Most respondents considered cats to have a negative impact on biodiversity and sterilization campaigns were considered most appropriate for cat population control. Several free sterilization campaigns have been conducted in La Palma Island Biosphere Reserve in order to reduce free-ranging cats and were well received by local people. This research, which combined concepts of management, ecology and social sciences, provides valuable insights which may to be applicable on several other islands where cats and people are present and in conflict with conservation priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a case study of smallholder teak forestry in the Pacific Islands nation of Solomon Islands to evaluate difficulties that can arise when foreign expertise fails to take sufficient account of local epistemology and practices when implementing market based community level development. The planting of community level smallholder teak is widespread in the Solomon Islands and has the potential to address some of the environmental and livelihood damage done by years of indiscriminate logging. Attempts by successive Australian Government aid programs to better manage plantations for maximum yield and marketability have largely failed as competing livelihood priorities; differing philosophies on long term compounding returns and deferred income; and the geographical challenges of accessing markets have all conspired to prevent this high value timber from being grown to its full potential. We use the theories of indigenous epistemology to highlight the ways in which failure to properly integrate economic activity according to the culture and values of communities can mean that initiatives such as this will struggle to succeed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On April 2, 2007, a 6-m tsunami struck Ghizo Island in western Solomon Islands, destroying two villages on the southern coast and killing 13 people. Despite experiencing a similar impact from the tsunami, the communities had very different recoveries. This article examines how the recovery was influenced by Melanesian practices of reciprocal exchange, known contemporarily as the wantok system. Our results show that as reciprocal exchange was practiced at larger organizational scales (e.g., community, regional, national), it generated dynamic and countervailing sources of resilience and vulnerability by biasing the aid distributed to each community. This biased aid allocation tended to favor individuals and groups more heavily integrated into the social exchange networks along which much aid flowed. Importantly, connection to or exclusion from these networks differs depending on organizational scale. This process reveals the importance of scale and cross-scale dynamics during the disaster recovery process. To mitigate the vulnerability of Pacific Island communities, it is vital that we identify sources of vulnerability and resilience as they face increasingly frequent disasters and are drawn into and become more reliant on larger-scale systems of governance for their recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Between 2010 and 2012, the World Health Organization Division of Pacific Technical Support led a regional climate change and health vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning project, in collaboration with health sector partners, in 13 Pacific island countries -- Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Objective: We assessed the vulnerabilities of Pacific island countries to the health impacts of climate change and planned adaptation strategies to minimize such threats to health. Methods: This assessment involved a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques. The former included descriptive epidemiology, time series analyses, Poisson regression, and spatial modeling of climate and climate-sensitive disease data, in the few instances where this was possible; the latter included wide stakeholder consultations, iterative consensus building, and expert opinion. Vulnerabilities were ranked using a "likelihood versus impact" matrix, and adaptation strategies were prioritized and planned accordingly. Results: The highest-priority climate-sensitive health risks in Pacific island countries included trauma from extreme weather events, heat-related illnesses, compromised safety and security of water and food, vector-borne diseases, zoonoses, respiratory illnesses, psychosocial ill-health, noncommunicable diseases, population pressures, and health system deficiencies. Adaptation strategies relating to these climate change and health risks could be clustered according to categories common to many countries in the Pacific region. Conclusion: Pacific island countries are among the most vulnerable in the world to the health impacts of climate change. This vulnerability is a function of their unique geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics combined with their exposure to changing weather patterns associated with climate change, the health risks entailed, and the limited capacity of the countries to manage and adapt in the face of such risks. Citation: McIver L, Kim R, Woodward A, Hales S, Spickett J, Katscherian D, Hashizume M, Honda Y, Kim H, Iddings S, Naicker J, Bambrick H, McMichael AJ, Ebi KL. 2016. Health impacts of climate change in Pacific island countries: a regional assessment of vulnerabilities and adaptation priorities. Environ Health Perspect 124:1707-1714; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1509756 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In arid systems, phreatophytes are often among the most effective invaders because of their capacity to access and exploit groundwater resources otherwise unavailable to native vegetation. On Hawai'i Island, a non-native phreatophyte, Prosopis pallida (kiawe), has invaded extensive dry lowland areas following its introduction in the 19th century. To better understand the influence of this invader on the host ecosystem, and vice versa, we determined transpiration characteristics of P. pallida by monitoring sap flux of mature individuals over an 18-month period on the arid leeward coast of Hawai'i Island. Daily sap flux increased with increasing atmospheric vapour pressure deficit ( D) and exhibited no clear response related to rainfall events or prolonged drought. Annual transpiration (i.e. 308 mm) was 80% higher than rainfall. Stomatal conductance decreased with increasing vapour pressure deficits more slowly than the theoretical stomatal conductance- D relationship that assumes stomatal regulation of leaf water potential above a critical level. While daily peak stomatal conductance was relatively high, it nonetheless appeared limited by high intrinsic water use efficiency (net photosynthetic rate per stomatal conductance), suggesting a constraint to unlimited groundwater absorption. In this young volcanic environment where rainfall is low and quite episodic, the success of this species likely stems from its anisohydric strategy even at the risk of cavitation, and it is altering the hydrological cycling of the areas where it is dominant. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat-type land cover on Horn Island, Mississippi, northern Gulf of Mexico, was estimated for the years 1940 and 2010 using a combination of panchromatic imagery and 2010 ground survey data. A grey-level co-occurrence matrix was applied to compute reflectance coefficient of variation (CV) and texture indices. The relationships of 2010 CV ranges with known habitat types defined training regions of interest in the 1940 imagery as a substitute for 1940 ground data. Texture indices contrast, correlation, energy and entropy then served as input bands for maximum likelihood classifications which produced 1940 and 2010 habitat maps. Analysis determined that wetter habitats on Horn expanded linearly over the seven-decade period. This is attributed to constraints on sediment supply and the impacts of severe storms which led to decreases in soil depth to the water table. If this trend continues, marsh habitat will cover 31% of Horn Island’s land area by 2050. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Premise of the study: Microsatellite markers were identified for Melastoma tetramerum var. tetramerum (Melastomataceae), a critically endangered shrub endemic to the Bonin Islands, to reveal genetic characteristics in wild and restored populations. Methods and Results: Using next-generation sequencing, 27 microsatellite markers were identified. Twenty of these markers were polymorphic in M. tetramerum var. tetramerum, with two to nine alleles per locus and expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.10 to 0.71. Among the 20 polymorphic markers, 15 were applicable to other closely related taxa, namely M. tetramerum var. pentapetalum, M. candidum var. candidum, and M. candidum var. alessandrense. Conclusions: These markers can be potentially useful to investigate the genetic diversity, population genetic structure, and reproductive ecology of M. tetramerum var. tetramerum as well as of the three related taxa to provide appropriate genetic information for conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbaceous plants are widely distributed on islands and where they exhibit spatial heterogeneity. Accurately identifying the impact factors that drive spatial heterogeneity can reveal typical island biodiversity patterns. Five southern islands in the Miaodao Archipelago, North China were studied herein. The spatial distribution of herbaceous plant diversity on these islands was analyzed, and the impact factors and their degree of impact on spatial heterogeneity were identified using CCA ordination and ANOVA. The results reveal 114 herbaceous plant species, belonging to 94 genera from 34 families in the 50 plots sampled. The total species numbers on different islands were significantly positively correlated with island area, and the average α diversity was correlated with human activities, while the β diversity among islands was more affected by island area than mutual distances. Spatial heterogeneity within islands indicated that the diversities were generally high in areas with higher altitude, slope, total nitrogen, total carbon, and canopy density, and lower moisture content, pH, total phosphorus, total potassium, and aspect. Among the environmental factors, pH, canopy density, total K, total P, moisture content, altitude, and slope had significant gross effects, but only canopy density exhibited a significant net effect. Terrain affected diversity by restricting plantation, plantation in turn influenced soil properties and the two together affected diversity. Therefore, plantation was ultimately the fundamental driving factor for spatial heterogeneity in herbaceous plant diversity on the five islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the concept of sustainability has long permeated the literature on tourism and its development, the research on sustainability in tourism rarely reaches beyond the industry level to examine how tourism contributes to the sustainable development of a given destination in wider terms and how effective such processes can be in different economic, environmental and socio-cultural settings. The aim of this paper is to contribute to this important, yet under-developed, research agenda. The paper focuses on the Isle of Eigg – a remote community-owned Scottish island that has recently committed itself to becoming more sustainable and that seeks to rely on inbound tourism as the most important means to this end. It is demonstrated that tourism plays a key role in enhancing the economic stature of Eigg residents and that, rather than undermining, it strengthens the community cohesion on the island. Despite this, its contribution to the island's environmental sustainability cannot always be taken for granted and some trade-offs between these three kinds of sustainability cannot therefore be avoided. Moreover, economic sustainability on Eigg should not be considered synonymous with economic self-sufficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The objective of the study was to investigate the taxonomic structure and spatial distribution of ciliate communities, and to identify the environmental factors determining the taxonomic structure of the assemblages. Additionally, we compared ciliate communities inhabiting ponds on King George Island (Antarctica) with those on other islands of the maritime Antarctic. The taxonomic richness, abundance and biomass of ciliates in microbial mats varied among ponds increasing with their eutrophication level. As the level of eutrophication increased, there was a decrease in the abundance of predatory and omnivorous ciliates and a decrease in that of algivorous taxa. The canonical correspondence analyses of the spatial distribution of ciliates showed that all environmental variables together explained 76% of the total variance. The Monte Carlo permutation test showed that dissolved orthophosphates, nitrate and total organic carbon had the most significant effect on the distribution of ciliates. The proportions of individual functional groups of ciliates varied among ponds. The proportion of heterotrophic taxa increased with the trophic state of the ponds, while the proportion of mixotrophic taxa decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pigment-based ornaments in vertebrates may reflect the body condition or health status of the individual in correlation with environmental stress and hormonal balance. Among the environmental factors shaping sexual colouration, parasitic infections have been stressed as an important evolutionary pressure constraining the maintenance of pigment-based ornaments. However, the honesty of structure-based ornaments in vertebrates is still under debate. Structural UV-biased ornaments in Gallotia lizards were described as a trait used by conspecifics during mate and rival assessment suggesting the reliability of these signals. We investigated the relationship between parasitaemia, body condition and a structural-based ornament present in the cheek of the sexually dichromatic Canarian lacertid Gallotia galloti in a population with an almost 100 % prevalence of haemoparasites. Using spectrophotometric techniques, we found that males with higher values of cheek UV chroma were infected with more haemoparasites. No significant relationship was found between haemoparasite load and body condition. However, males with higher cheek UV chroma showed significantly better body condition. In addition, we found that cheek hue was significantly related to body condition of individuals in both sexes. In males, cheek reflectivity biased towards the UV range was significantly related to better body condition. In females, those individuals with better body condition showed more whitish cheeks with less UV suggesting that cheek hue serves as an intersexual signal for sex recognition. We conclude that the positive relationship between cheek chroma and parasite load in male lizards is compatible with both differential density of melanin and iridophore arrangement in the dermis conveying an individual's ability to cope with environmental stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term ecological studies are critical for providing key insights in ecology, environmental change, natural resource management and biodiversity conservation. However, island fire ecology is poorly understood. No previous studies are available that analyze vegetative changes in burned and unburned dry forest remnants on Wa'ahila Ridge, Hawai'i. This study investigates vegetation succession from 2008 to 2015, following a fire in 2007 which caused significant differences in species richness, plant density, and the frequency of woody, herb, grass, and lichens between burned and unburned sites. These findings infer that introduced plants have better competitive ability to occupy open canopy lands than native plants after fire. This study also illustrates the essential management need to prevent alien plant invasion, and to restore the native vegetation in lowland areas of the Hawaiian Islands by removing invasive species outplanting native plants after fire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Galapagos Archipelago is one of the most important ecological spots in the planet due its unique biodiversity, active geology, and relatively well-preserved ecosystems. These characteristics are strongly based on the geographical isolation of the islands. On the one hand this isolation allowed the evolution processes that gave the islands their international fame and on the other hand it kept them from major human impacts that affected the vast majority of the Earth's surface. Galapagos' geographical isolation is therefore of mayor value, but it is rapidly diminishing due to the increase of marine and air transportation among islands and with the rest of the world. This increased accessibility implies enhanced risks for the ecological dynamics on the archipelago (e.g. increased risk of biological invasions, uncontrolled tourism growth, more water and energy consumption). Here, we introduce a general accessibility model to assess geographical isolation of the Galapagos Islands. The model aims to characterize accessibility in terms of human mobility by evaluating travel time to each point of the archipelago using all available transportation modalities. Using a multi criteria cost surface for marine and land areas, we estimated travel time for each surface unit using the fastest route and mode of transportation available while considering several friction factors such as surface type, slope, infrastructure, transfer points, legal restrictions, and physical barriers. We created maps to evaluate the isolation of different islands and places, highlighting the potential risks for several habitats and ecosystems. The model can be used for research and decision-making regarding island conservation, such as estimating spreading paths for invasive species, informing decisions on tourism management, and monitoring isolation changes of sensitive ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Annual cycle parameters (ACP) provide a global climatology of annual land surface temperature (LST) based on daily 1 km MODIS observations. These are based on a simple model of the annual temperature cycle and allow estimating LST patterns under largely cloud-free conditions for every day of year. Further, they deliver measures for the LST variability and the frequency of cloud occurrence. It has been demonstrated, that they reproduce important surface climate characteristics at global and urban scale but their ability to reproduce topo-climates has yet to be studied in detail. In this paper their suitability to investigate climatic variability at km scale were studied at the case of the Canary Islands (Spain). This Archipelago, has a very stable climate dominated by the Azores high and the trade wind belt, but shows a large number of micro-climates ranging from arid hot climates to cold climates. It was found that ACPs are a relevant source of climatic information at km scale in complex orography. Specifically, known features such as subsidence inversion, the resulting sea of clouds, the strong differentiation in precipitation between the flat and high islands, as well as the northern and southern slopes at the latter were clearly visible in the parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor understanding of the water cycle in tropical ecosystems has the potential to exacerbate water shortages and water crises in the region. We suggest that the Galápagos Islands provide an excellent proxy to regions across the tropics as a result of sharp hydroclimatic, anthropogenic, and pedohydrologic gradients across the archipelago. Hydroclimatic and pedohydrologic gradients are found across different elevations on single islands, as well as across the archipelago, whereas anthropogenic gradients reflect land use and land cover change across islands as population and growth in tourism have affected individual islands differently. This article highlights specific opportunities to further examine our understanding of the interactions between water and critical zone processes in tropical ecosystems, making connections between the Galápagos archipelago and much of the understudied tropics. The Galápagos archipelago offers a natural laboratory through which we can examine current threats to freshwater security as well as the dynamics of coupled natural and human systems. WIREs Water 2016, 3:587-600. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1145 For further resources related to this article, please visit the . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Australian dingo (Canis lupus dingo) is a common and well studied species, yet very little is known about the longevity of free-ranging individuals because most field studies are too short to obtain this information. Fraser Island, off the east coast of Queensland, contains a closed dingo population of high conservation value, and where a portion of them have been captured and subsequently monitored using ear tags and microchips for management purposes since 2002. We use these data to describe the longevity of three individual dingoes, including one female captured, microchipped and ear-tagged as a subadult in February 2003, recaptured and retagged in March 2012, and then found dead in October 2014. Longevity data and other observations demonstrate that wild dingoes can live for at least 13 years and successfully produce litters for at least 10 years. Such life-history data are useful for evaluating the dynamics and stability of dingo populations of conservation concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim We undertook the largest comparative study to date of the form of the island species-area relationship ( ISAR) using 207 habitat island datasets and 601 true island datasets. We also undertook analyses of (a) the factors influencing z- and c-values of the power (log-log) model and (b) how z and c vary between different island types. Location Global. Methods We used an information theoretic approach to compare the fit of 20 ISAR models to 207 habitat island datasets. Model performance was ranked according to pre-set criteria, including metrics of generality and efficiency. We also fitted the power (log-log) model to each dataset and analysed variation in parameter estimates and model fits as a function of key dataset characteristics using linear models and constrained analysis of principal coordinates. Results The power (nonlinear) model provided the best fit to the most datasets, and was the highest ranked model overall. In general, the more complex models performed badly. Average z-values were significantly lower for habitat island datasets than for true islands, and were higher for mountaintop and urban habitat islands than for other habitat island types. Average c-values were significantly lower for oceanic islands, and significantly higher for inland water-body islands, than for habitat islands. Values of z and c were related to dataset characteristics including the ratio of the largest to smallest island and the maximum and minimum richness values in a dataset. Main conclusions Our multimodel comparisons demonstrated the nonlinear implementation of the power model to be the best overall model and thus to be a sensible choice for general use. As the z-value of the log-log power model varied in relation to ecological and geographical properties of the study systems, caution should be employed when using canonical values for applied purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertebrate pest management on Macquarie Island has removed five vertebrate species since 1988; weka (Gallirallus australis scotti), cats (Felis catus), rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), ship (black) rats (Rattus rattus) and house mice (Mus musculus). The latter three were eradicated in a combined eradication operation that commenced in 2006 and was declared successful in 2014. Eradication planning for removal of rabbits, rats and mice took about five years, with implementation another three years. The eradication comprised a two-phase project, with aerial baiting followed up by ground hunting using hunters and trained detection dogs to remove surviving rabbits. Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus was used as a non-target mitigation strategy prior to a second attempt at aerial baiting after adverse weather forced the abandonment of the first attempt. The project was considered complex, ambitious and challenging, partly because of the remote location with adverse weather conditions, but especially because multiple-species eradications are considered more difficult to achieve than single-species eradications. In addition, when eradication planning commenced Macquarie Island (12,785 ha) was many times larger than had previously been attempted for the removal of black rats and house mice (1000 and 800 ha, respectively). Preliminary empirical and anecdotal evidence is demonstrating the recovery of native flora and fauna in the absence of grazing and predatory mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We review the diversity and conservation status of Placostylinae, land snails endemic to the western Pacific. Their narrow-range endemism, large size and associated vulnerability, consumptive exploitation by people, and habitat loss and degradation (inclusive of invasive predators) threaten their survival. There has been considerable attention from conservation biologists in New Caledonia, Lord Howe Island and New Zealand aimed at species recovery. Nonetheless, only on uninhabited, pest-free islands do these native snails persist in high numbers, and these remaining 'sanctuaries' are dependent on biosecurity vigilance. For other populations in New Caledonia, Lord Howe Island and New Zealand, the benefits of control of invasive mesopredators have been demonstrated, but it remains unclear if long-term persistence of Placostylinae can be achieved in degraded landscapes that continue to be subject to anthropogenic pressures. For species in Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands - the centre of Placostylinae diversity - their conservation status is not known with any certainty due to lack of basic data on range and population trends. Recent IUCN Red List assessments indicate a high level of extinction risk among Fijian species due to narrow geographic range coupled with decline in habitat extent and quality. Further inventory and ecological work is urgently needed in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to enable assessment of extinction risk and identify threatening processes. We identify four priority areas for advancing the conservation of Placostylinae, especially in Melanesia, and discuss the most pressing methodological issues. Molecular phylogenetic analyses are needed to provide an evolutionary framework for taxonomic revision and to underpin development of both conservation policy and species recovery plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Scabies and impetigo are common, important and treatable skin conditions. Reports from several Pacific island countries show extremely high prevalence of these two conditions, but for many countries, including the Solomon Islands, there is a paucity of epidemiological data. Methodology: Ten rural villages in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands were included in the study, chosen so that data collection could be integrated with an existing project investigating clinical and serological markers of yaws. All residents were eligible to participate, and 1908 people were enrolled. Participants were interviewed and examined by a paediatric registrar, who recorded relevant demographic information, and made a clinical diagnosis of scabies and/or impetigo, severity and distribution. Principal Findings: The total unweighted prevalence of scabies was 19.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 17.5–21.0), and age and gender weighted prevalence 19.2% (95%CI 16.7–21.9). The adult prevalence of scabies was 10.4% (95%CI 8.2–13.2), and the highest prevalence was found in infants < 1 year of age (34.1%, adjusted odds ratio [AOR] compared with adults: 3.6, 95%CI 2.2–6.0) and children aged 1–4 years (25.7%, AOR 2.6, 95%CI 1.7–3.9). Scabies affected two or more body regions in 80.9% of participants, and 4.4% of scabies cases were classified as severe. The total unweighted prevalence of active impetigo was 32.7% (95%CI 30.6–34.8), and age and gender weighted prevalence 26.7% (95%CI 24.2–29.5). The highest prevalence was found in children aged 1–4 years (42.6%, AOR compared with adults: 4.1, 95%CI 2.9–5.8). Scabies infestation was associated with active impetigo infection (AOR 2.0, 95%CI 1.6–2.6); with 41.1% of active impetigo cases also having scabies. Conclusions and Significance: Scabies and impetigo are very common in the rural Western Province of the Solomon Islands. Scabies infestation is strongly associated with impetigo. Community control strategies for scabies may reduce the burden of both conditions and their downstream complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report measurements of background gamma radiation levels on six islands in the northern Marshall Islands (Enewetak, Medren, and Runit onEnewetak Atoll; Bikini and Nam on Bikini Atoll; and Rongelap on Rongelap Atoll). Measurable excess radiation could be expected from the decay of 137Cs produced by the US nuclear testing program there from 1946 to 1958. These recordings are of relevance to safety of human habitation and resettlement. We find low levels of gamma radiation for the settled island of Enewetak [mean = 7.6 millirem/year (mrem/y) = 0.076 millisievert/year (mSv/y)], larger levels of gamma radiation for the island of Rongelap (mean = 19.8 mrem/y = 0.198 mSv/y), and relatively high gamma radiation on the island of Bikini (mean = 184 mrem/y = 1.84 mSv/y). Distributions of gamma radiation levels are provided, and hot spots are discussed. We provide interpolated maps for four islands (Enewetak, Medren, Bikini, and Rongelap), and make comparisons to control measurements performed on the island of Majuro in the southern Marshall Islands, measurements made in Central Park in New York City, and the standard agreed upon by the United States and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) governments (100 mrem/y = 1 mSv/y). External gamma radiation levels on Bikini Island significantly exceed this standard (P = <<0.01), and external gamma radiation levels on the other islands are below the standard. To determine conclusively whether these islands are safe for habitation, radiation exposure through additional pathways such as food ingestion must be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: On the first January 2013, everyone in Denmark received a wonderful new year present from the Danish government: 'Free and Open Geo-data'. This means that everyone is free to use, reuse and redistribute the geographic data published by the Danish Geodata Agency. As Denmark's central public source of geographic data, the Danish Geodata Agency is responsible for surveying, mapping and land registering of Denmark, Greenland, the Faroe Island and all waters associated with these. The overall goal of the organization is to supply and ensure that everyone in the Danish society has access to reliable and accurate maps and geographic information on all parts of the country. Methods: This article presents a model-driven development process which has been established in the Danish Geodata Agency for unified distribution of geographic data. The process starts from the conceptual modeling of the geographic data to the end where data are distributed via WFS services and download services. Results: By adopting this model-driven development process, we have automated the process from data modeling to data distribution. We have defined the national data models which comply to INSPIRE data models, thus we maximize the re-use of national spatial data for the INSPIRE services. Conclusions: From our experience of using this model-driven development process, we conclude that it improves our INSPIRE compliant, national spatial data infrastructure and ensures free and open access to the high quality geographic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation of large predators has long been a challenge for biologists due to the limited information we have about their ecology, generally low numbers in the wild, large home ranges and the continuous expansion of human settlements. The American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is a typical apex predator, that has suffered from all of these characteristic problems, especially the latter one. Humans have had a major impact on the recovery of this species throughout its range, even though most of the countries it inhabits have banned hunting. The last decade has made it clear that in order to implement sound conservation and management programs, we must increase our understanding of crocodile spatial ecology. However, in only two countries where American crocodiles have telemetry studies even been published. Herein we have characterized the spatial ecology of C. acutus on Coiba Island, Panama, by radio-tracking (VHF transmitters) 24 individuals between 2010 and 2013, to determine movement patterns, home range, and habitat use. We have then compared our findings with those of previous studies to develop the most comprehensive assessment of American crocodile spatial ecology to date. Females showed a higher average movement distance (AMD) than males; similarly, adults showed a higher AMD than sub-adults and juveniles. However, males exhibited larger home ranges than females, and concomitantly sub-adults had larger home ranges than juveniles, hatchlings, and adults. There was an obvious relationship between seasonal precipitation and AMD, with increased AMD in the dry and “low-wet” seasons, and reduced AMD during the “true” wet season. We found disaggregate distributions according to age groups throughout the 9 habitat types in the study area; adults and hatchlings inhabited fewer habitat types than juveniles and sub-adults. These sex- and age-group discrepancies in movement and habitat choice are likely due to the influences of reproductive biology and Coiba’s precipitation cycle. Juveniles also showed distinct movement patterns and home ranges; however, with sexual maturation and development, these behaviors became more characteristic of adults and sub-adults. Ours is one of a very small number of studies that will allow future management and conservation planning to be based on the comprehensive integration of the spatial ecology of a Neotropical crocodylian apex predator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barrier islands provide the first line of defense against storms for millions of people living in coastal areas. Upland vegetation (that is, grassland, shrubland, and maritime forest) has received little attention, even though this land surface is most strongly affected by development pressures. We use remote-sensing analysis to assess state change on seven undeveloped Virginia barrier islands over 27 years (1984-2011) that are free from direct human influence. Our analysis highlights the spatial-temporally dynamic nature of barrier island upland land area and vegetation, with rapidly changing ecosystem states. Over the time period, upland vegetation was dramatically reduced by 29% whereas woody vegetation cover increased 40% across all islands. Although conversions between sand, grassland, and woody vegetation were variable within each island, three major patterns of vegetative land-cover change were apparent: overall loss of vegetative cover, frequent transitions between grass and woody cover, and gain in woody cover. These patterns are valuable for understanding natural evolution of barrier islands in response to sea-level rise. Evaluation of temporal dynamics in barrier upland is needed to characterize underlying processes including island resilience or chronic stress, and is a prerequisite to sustainable coastal management- and resilience-based planning, especially when implementing ecosystem-based solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]