Projects

Science Note Vol 14, No 1 (2019) that describes a study to determine the current status of two caddisfly species of Conservation Concern in the Maramec Spring Branch.

Elevations of a Mississippi River side channel were captured using several methods in 2007 and 2008. Water depths were recorded using boat-mounted GPS depth sounders. Exposed sandbars were mapped with GPS units and laser levels. All measurements were adjusted to daily river elevations from Price Landing gage station. The 2007 and 2008 surfaces were subtracted to identify locations where sediment had been eroded or deposited over time.

A "red-neck LiDAR" method of collecting elevation information proved useful by logging GPS waypoints and water depths across of flooded green-tree reservoir. This data was then used to predict the extent and depth of flooded conditions and aid in wetland management decisions.

This Science Note provides a decision tree to help determine which gear type might work best for a wetland manager's needs to monitor fish and amphibians.

Monitoring cryptic species, like fish and amphibians, helps reduce uncertainty and informs management decisions of a broader range of wetland dependent taxa. However, the time and effort required for monitoring are limited, so knowing the trade-offs of different survey methods, site selection, and timing can help managers determine best surveying practices based on monitoring objectives. The following guidelines are based on extensive sampling of 29 wetlands across three ecoregions in Missouri during 2015-2016. Sampling compared two active methods (dipnets and seines) and two passive methods (minnow traps and mini-fyke nets). Identifying a project's objectives are first and fore-most. Once this has been decided, there are a series of trade-offs to consider when selecting appropriate and efficient methodologies for sampling fish and amphibians. The findings of this study should help inform this process.

This Science Note shows the catching efficiency of four different gear types among fish and amphibians and highlights some of the research's findings.

A common assumption of seasonal wetland management is that visible and abundant species, like waterbirds, are indicators of a broader community of wetland dependent species that benefit from intensive management. However, there is a degree of uncertainty as to what other species are present and how they may be influenced by various management decisions. Periodic monitoring of cryptic species, like fish and amphibians, can help document these species and inform biologists of the broader wetland community as they seasonally manipulate and mimic wetland conditions in Missouri's altered floodplains. We wanted to identify the most efficient and effective method to survey fish and amphibian communities in wetland impoundments so we evaluated and compared four different sampling techniques. In general, 6-7 mini-fyke nets detected a greater percentage of fish and amphibian species than other gears during most of the seasonal sampling periods. To optimize detection of amphibian communities, a combination of mini-fyke nets and dipnet or minnow trap samples is likely necessary.

Natural resource managers need tools to rapidly assess natural community condition that go beyond professional experience and instincts. Increasingly state and federal natural resource agencies are asking for effectiveness monitoring rather than implementation monitoring only.

We are being asked to not just report on the sum of acres treated with a management prescription but the more difficult question of “Is the trend in the particular resource treated heading in the direction we want?”

The studies of human and environment interactions usually consider the extremes of environment on individuals or how humans affect the environment. This review considers the declining levels of physical activity, particularly in the Western world, and how the environment may help motivate and facilitate physical activity.

A poster of The Missouri Ecological Site Project: Correlating Soil Map Units to Pre-Settlement Vegetative Communities for Conservation Planning and Soil Health Monitoring presented at the Missouri Natural Resources Conference in 2017.

This paper reviews previous research on the physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing), and presents new results from field experiments conducted in 24 forests across Japan. The term Shinrin-yoku was coined by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries in 1982, and can be defined as making contact with and taking in the atmosphere of the forest. In order to clarify the physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku, we conducted field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. In each experiment, 12 subjects (280 total; ages 21.7 ± 1.5 year) walked in and viewed a forest or city area. On the first day, six subjects were sent to a forest area, and the others to a city area. On the second day, each group was sent to the other area as a cross-check. Salivary cortisol, blood pressure, pulse rate, and heart rate variability were used as indices. These indices were measured in the morning at the accommodation facility before breakfast and also both before and after the walking (for 16 ± 5 min) and viewing (for 14 ± 2 min). The R–R interval was also measured during the walking and viewing periods. The results show that forest environments promote lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, lower blood pressure, greater parasympathetic nerve activity, and lower sympathetic nerve activity than do city environments. These results will contribute to the development of a research field dedicated to forest medicine, which may be used as a strategy for preventive medicine.

• The results show that forest environments promote lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, lower blood pressure, greater parasympathetic nerve activity, and lower sympathetic nerve activity than do city environments.

Numerous emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) have arisen from or been identified in wildlife, with health implications for both humans and wildlife. Here, we focus on a little-studied and seldom discussed concern: how real and perceived risks of wildlife-associated diseases for human and companion animal health might erode public support for wildlife conservation.