Life cycle and incidence of Diplostomum spathaceum Rudolphi (1819) (Trematoda: Diplostomatidae) in Utah

Diplostomum spathaceum (Trematoda: Diplostomatidae) causes a disease known as diplostomatosis (eye fluke disease) and has been found to be widespread throughout the fish of Utah. Totals of 756 snails (5 species), 893 fish (21 species) and 6 species of birds were examined for the presence of larval and adult D. spathaceum from 17 collecting sites throughout Utah. Pathologic effects such as blindness, subacute inflammatory reactions, cornea perforation, and ruptured globe due to diplostomatosis upon the fish host are listed. Fish host and parasite infection data of D. spathaceum for the major lakes of Utah are given.     

Serologic survey of the island spotted skunk on Santa Cruz Island

Two rare endemic carnivores occur on California's northern Channel Islands: island spotted skunks ( Spilogale gracilis amphiala ) and island foxes ( Urocyon littoralis ). As insular carnivores, both may be particularly vulnerable to novel pathogens. We tested sera from 31 island spotted skunks on Santa Cruz Island, where both skunks and foxes occur sympatrically, to establish their exposure to disease agents. One skunk (3%) tested positive for canine heartworm, and 3 skunks (10%) tested positive for canine parvovirus. None showed evidence of exposure to canine adenovirus, canine distemper virus, canine herpesvirus, Leptospira bacteria (serovars pomona , canicola , and icterohaemorrhagiae ), or pseudorabies virus. Spotted skunks on Santa Cruz Island apparently have low susceptibility or exposure to these pathogens and are unlikely to be reservoirs of these diseases for island foxes.     

Colorado ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from the Rotger Collection, University of Colorado Museum

Ground Beetles from Rotger's collection of Colorado specimens have been identified, principally by the author, and a faunal list of 161 species from 80 localities is presented. The list includes 35 species not previously recorded from Colorado. Comparisons are made with Armin's (1963) carabid list from Boulder County and the diversity of species along transects through four elevational zones from the plains to the alpine.     

Current status and distribution of the Ciconiiforms nesting in Wyoming

Five species of Ciconiiforms breed in Wyoming: the American Bittern ( Botaurus lentiginosus ), Great Blue Heron ( Ardea herodias ), Snowy Egret ( Egretta thula ), Black-crowned Night-Heron ( Nycticorax nycticorax ), and White-faced Ibis ( Plegadis chihi ). Field surveys conducted from 1984 through 1986 indicate that at least 151 Great Blue Heron colony sites exist in Wyoming, making it the most abundant and widespread Ciconiiform in the state. Only small breeding populations have been discovered for the remaining species. Except for the Snowy Egret, where numbers of active nests have remained relatively stable, population trends are unknown for the other species. We believe most colonies have been found in Wyoming, but additional inventories may result in the discovery of other nesting areas, especially for the Great Blue Heron.     

A new species of Plecia from the Green River Formation and new combinations of fossil Bibionidae (Diptera)

Plecia akerionana , n. sp., is described from the Green River Formation, Colorado, and diagnosed with P. minutula Rice, P. myersi Peterson, and P. rhodopterina Cockerell. Plecia intermedia (Scudder), the genotype of Mycetophaetus , and Plecia creedensis James are transferred to the genus Penthetria , and Hesperinus immutabilis Melander is transferred to Plecia .     

Different responses of two Mosla species to potassium limitation in relation to acid rain deposition

The increasingly serious problem of acid rain is leading to increased potassium (K) loss from soils, and in our field investigation, we found that even congenerically relative Mosla species show different tolerance to K-deficiency. A hydroponic study was conducted on the growth of two Mosla species and their morphological, physiological and stoichiometric traits in response to limited (0.35 mmol K/L), normal (3.25 mmol K/L) and excessive (6.50 mmol K/L) K concentrations. Mosla hangchowensis is an endangered plant, whereas Mosla dianthera a widespread weed. In the case of M. hangchowensis, in comparison with normal K concentration, K-limitation induced a significant reduction in net photosynthetic rate (P _n), soluble protein content, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, but an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration. However, leaf mass ratio (LMR) and root mass ratio (RMR) were changed little by K-limitation. In contrast, for M. dianthera, K-limitation had little effect on P _n, soluble protein content, SOD activity, and MDA concentration, but increased LMR and RMR. Critical values of N (nitrogen):K and K:P (phosphorus) ratios in the shoots indicated that limitation in acquiring K occurred under K-limited conditions for M. hangchowensis but not for M. dianthera. We found that low K content in natural habitats was a restrictive factor in the growth and distribution of M. hangchowensis, and soil K-deficiency caused by acid rain worsened the situation of M. hangchowensis, while M. dianthera could well acclimate to the increasing K-deficiency. We suggest that controlling the acid rain and applying K fertilizers may be an effective way to rescue the endangered M. hangchowensis.     

More extreme swings of the South Pacific convergence zone due to greenhouse warming

The South Pacific convergence zone (SPCZ) is the Southern Hemisphere's most expansive and persistent rain band, extending from the equatorial western Pacific Ocean southeastward towards French Polynesia. Owing to its strong rainfall gradient, a small displacement in the position of the SPCZ causes drastic changes to hydroclimatic conditions and the frequency of extreme weather events--such as droughts, floods and tropical cyclones--experienced by vulnerable island countries in the region. The SPCZ position varies from its climatological mean location with the El Ni?o/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), moving a few degrees northward during moderate El Ni?o events and southward during La Ni?a events. During strong El Ni?o events, however, the SPCZ undergoes an extreme swing--by up to ten degrees of latitude toward the Equator--and collapses to a more zonally oriented structure with commensurately severe weather impacts. Understanding changes in the characteristics of the SPCZ in a changing climate is therefore of broad scientific and socioeconomic interest. Here we present climate modelling evidence for a near doubling in the occurrences of zonal SPCZ events between the periods 1891-1990 and 1991-2090 in response to greenhouse warming, even in the absence of a consensus on how ENSO will change. We estimate the increase in zonal SPCZ events from an aggregation of the climate models in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phases 3 and 5 (CMIP3 and CMIP5) multi-model database that are able to simulate such events. The change is caused by a projected enhanced equatorial warming in the Pacific and may lead to more frequent occurrences of extreme events across the Pacific island nations most affected by zonal SPCZ events.