Vigilance levels of sika deer in nonhunting areas with moderate human activity

ABSTRACTAcross Europe, landscapes where large carnivores, large herbivores and human communities coexist are expanding, reflecting the widespread recovery of large mammal populations in recent decades. The influence of top‐down effects of wolves on large herbivores has been extensively studied in areas with relatively little anthropogenic disturbance, but less is known about their effect in human‐dominated landscapes. We systematically collected camera‐trap data over five consecutive autumn hunting seasons in an area of the eastern Alps which is intensely frequented by tourists and trekkers, and partially open to ungulate hunting. We used a quasi‐experimental design, with half of the sampling sites located within nonhunting areas and half outside. Applying generalised additive mixed models (GAMMs) with cyclic cubic splines we investigated the effect of wolf, as well as lethal (hunting) and nonlethal (recreational) human activities on red deer spatiotemporal activity pattern. Similarly, we analysed the effect of recreational activities and red deer site‐use on the spatiotemporal activity pattern of wolves. Hunting was associated with overall lower red deer activity, as well as reduced dawn–dusk peaks and diurnality. Crucially, hunting interacted with outdoor recreation exacerbating its impact, with major changes to red deer activity curve. Wolf site‐use did not have a significant effect on the shape of red deer temporal curve. Wolves were markedly more active in areas highly used by red deer, and remained strongly nocturnal even where human activity was scarce. Our results show that humans, through both lethal and nonlethal activities, elicit stronger responses in red deer than their natural predator. Behavioural constraints imposed by humans on red deer, coupled with the cursorial predatory strategy of wolves, likely limit the possibility of wolf avoidance by red deer. In human‐dominated European landscapes, human disturbance can therefore override natural predator–prey dynamics, reshaping behavioural landscapes and potentially increasing predator and prey spatiotemporal co‐occurrence.

The white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari, Link 1795) is a social ungulate that lives in large groups and performs large movements across tropical forest searching for food and water. White-lipped peccaries are an important food source among rural communities. Nevertheless, excessive hunting has caused the extirpation of this species from several areas in the Neotropics where it was previously common. Throughout its range it is considered vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, but the Mesoamerican population has decreased in the last 20 years at alarming rates. Using satellite GPS collars, kernel density estimate (KDE), minimum convex polygon (MCP), and the autocorrelated kernel density estimation (AKDE), we estimated the spatial requirements of four white-lipped peccary groups in three sites with different levels of hunting pressure in the Maya Forest of Guatemala and Mexico. Our results showed that the home range estimated in non-hunted sites were smaller than in hunted sites. The 95% KDE home range for non-hunted areas ranged between 40 and 99 km2, substantially smaller than that of the hunted area at 140 km2. Similarly, the 95% AKDE area estimates for non-hunted sites ranged from 62 to 156 km2, while for the hunted site, the 95% AKDE estimate was 312 km2. In non-hunted sites, dry season home ranges were constrained to the close vicinity of water ponds, whereas during the rainy season white-lipped peccary groups were more mobile. In contrast, the home range was larger in the hunted site during the dry season compared with rainy season. Our results suggest that hunting pressure in the Maya Forest is probably affecting the behavior and ecology of the peccary group, causing them to move through larger areas with lower group size in hunted areas compared to non-hunted areas. We hope that these results encourage more studies focused on estimating white-lipped peccary home-range size in areas with hunting pressure and human activities.

Objectives: Dog-walkers are more likely to achieve moderate-intensity physical activity. While human activity trackers have been shown to increase physical activity intensity, dog activity trackers may increase owner’s awareness of their dog’s physical activity. This trial examined the effects of simultaneous use of activity trackers by humans and their dogs. Methods: In this 2x2 factorial randomized trial (N=85), each group consisted of dog-human duos, in which both human and dog, human only, dog only, or none were wearing an activity tracker for 8 weeks. ANCOVA tests compared ActiGraph accelerometer data across groups in week-1 and week-10. Chi-square tests compared human activity tracker data during eight weeks. Results: Based on accelerometer data in week-1 and week-10, group assignment had no statistically significant effect on sedentary, light, moderate, or vigorous activity, but between-group difference in moderate activity was marginally significant. However, activity tracker data during the 8-week trial period demonstrated that humans in the group that used both human and dog activity trackers compared to humans in the group that used only human activity trackers completed more light physical activity. There were no significant changes in body composition. Conclusions: While simultaneous use of activity trackers by dog-human duos was associated with increased light physical activity among humans over eight weeks, a longer trial with a larger sample size may establish behavioral differences between groups. Simultaneous use may also increase dog-engaged physical activities and sustained use of trackers. Future studies should explore interventions that use paired activity trackers for improving human physical activity.

The use of organic compounds in different spheres of human activity is accompanied by their influx to and accumulation in the environment. The negative impact of those compounds can be one of the reasons for a decline in populations and biodiversity of aboveground invertebrates. Chemical compounds can potentially cause a variety of effects (attractant or repellent) on insects, including species of the Staphylinidae family. In a laboratory experiment, we identified repellent and attractant influence of 40 organic compounds and mixtures of compounds (acids, alcohols, ketones, phenols, aldehydes, aromatic carbohydrates solvents, and vehicle fuels) on Philonthus decorus Gravenhorst, 1802. The ambulatory responses of the males and females to the same chemical compounds most often varied. A strong repellent activity against both sexes of Ph. decorus was caused by oleic acid, while hexane repelled the males. Acetic acid, 1-butanol, and ammonia solution were found to be strongly repellent against females. A moderate (average) repellent activity towards male Ph. decorus was displayed by organic solvents and fuels, some alcohols (isopropanol, isoamyl alcohol, methanol, ethanol), acids (acetic, formic acid), aromatic carbohydrates (toluene, xylene), and formaldehyde. Female Ph. decorus in general were less sensitive to the odors. The list of repellents with moderate activity against the females was much shorter: solvent 646, white spirit, toluene, isopropanol, isoamyl alcohol, citric and oxalic acids, and glycerol. Moderate attractant activity for Ph. decorus was exhibited by some amino acids, alcohols, and fuel mixes: glycine and L-cysteine (for the males), and phenylalanine, methanol, and diesel fuel (for the females). The rest of the 40 chemical compounds we studied caused no ambulatory responses in Ph. decorus. The difficulties we encountered in the interpretation of the results suggest a need for further experimental studies that would expand the knowledge of the chemoecology of insects.

Differentiated cognition of the effects of human activities on typical persistent organic pollutants and bacterioplankton community in drinking water source

Numerical simulation of unsteady airflow in a nasal cavity for various sizes of maxillary sinus opening in a virtual endoscopic surgery

Human ageing and population decline in Japan are causing agricultural field abandonment and providing new habitats for Japanese sika deer and wild boar. These species have expanded their distribution and increased in abundance across Japan and are causing increased agricultural damage. Effective countermeasures must factor in the behavioural flexibility of sika deer and wild boar. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of hunting and indirect human activities on the activity patterns of sika deer in central Japan and compare these with previous findings on wild boar. Camera traps were used to observe activity patterns of both species and that of humans. Sika deer and wild boar were most active at night during the non-hunting season. Hunting activities significantly reduced sika deer and wild boar activity patterns. In the non-hunting season, nocturnal activity of sika deer increased with decreasing distance to settlement. A similar, but weak response was also observed for wild boar. This study suggests that sika deer and wild boar avoid humans and human-dominated areas by being nocturnal. The recent introduction of night hunting might help to control wildlife populations, but monitoring will be necessary to confirm this expectation.

Context Ungulate prey can use increased vigilance to reduce their risk of predation, but little is known of the combined and interactive risk effects from humans and wolves in determining ungulate behaviour across time and space. Understanding the interplay between these risk effects is increasingly important, considering the recolonisation of several large carnivores to more human-dominated landscapes in Europe. Aim The aim of the present study was to assess the vigilance behaviour expressed by red deer (Cervus elaphus) in response to both humans and wolves in the Polish Białowieża Forest. Methods Using a camera-trap transect, the effect of distance to human settlements, hunting season, patterns of space use by wolves (Canis lupus), canopy openness, canopy height, time of day, as well as sex/age of individuals, on the vigilance behaviour observed in red deer was studied using a model-selection approach. Key results We did not find a clear effect of patterns of space use by wolves or distance to human settlements on red deer vigilance behaviour at the landscape scale. However, red deer showed increased vigilance during the hunting season and during the day outside of protected areas and reserves, because disturbance from human hunters is highest. Conversely, we also found that red deer were more vigilant at night within more protected areas, which is likely to be explained by the increased activity of wolves because human activity is strictly limited. Conclusions Our study showed that vigilance behaviour of red deer in Białowieża Primeval Forest is more driven by human hunting than by the frequency of wolf presence at a landscape scale. This could be explained by the higher temporal and spatial predictability of human hunting activities than wolf risk. We found that patterns of wolf space use, as opposed to the omnipresent fear effects from humans, had only localised effects by increasing vigilance levels during night hours in non-hunting areas of the forest. The reverse was observed outside of protected reserves. Understanding how prey species respond to this new combination of risk from natural predators and humans, is increasingly important in a landscape where human risk is becoming ever more potent and carnivores recolonise.

PURPOSE: Human activity trackers have been shown to increase daily steps and physical activity intensity. Dog activity trackers may increase the owner’s awareness of their dog’s well-being, resulting in increased dog walking behavior, which may increase the owner’s physical activity. This study examines the impact of the simultaneous use of activity trackers by humans and their dogs on the physical activity of humans. METHODS: Fifty dog owners were randomized into one of four groups. Each group consisted of dog-human duos, in which both, human-only, dog-only, or neither were given an activity tracker to use for eight weeks. All human subjects wore a waist mounted accelerometer that quantified physical activity at two timepoints: one week prior to randomization and eight weeks after randomization. Commercial activity trackers were used during the eight-week session for tracking human and dog activity remotely. A factorial analysis of covariance was used to compare daily average sedentary, low, light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity across the four groups from pre to post. RESULTS: Change in daily average sedentary, low, light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity from fifty dog owners were analyzed (Control n = 13, Human Activity Tracker (HAT) n = 14, Dog Activity Tracker (DAT) n = 12, HAT + DAT n = 11). There was a significant main effect of HAT on change in average daily light physical activity (Avg Light PA) minutes. No HAT compared to HAT significantly increased Avg Light PA (30.83 ± 14.87 minutes/day, p = 0.04). There was a marginally significant effect of HAT on change in average daily sedentary physical activity minutes (Avg Sed PA). No HAT compared to HAT decreased Avg Sed PA (-43.8 ± 23.76 minutes/day, p = 0.07). There were no other significant changes in average daily physical activity categories. CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous use of activity trackers did not change physical activity for this small, self-selected sample. The pandemic may have already increased dog walking for this sample, they may already have well-established dog-walking routines, or they may not have continuously worn trackers. Future studies should also explore behavioral interventions that utilize DAT for improving dog-walking behavior and other dog-engaged activities among dog-owners that positively impact health of both species.

Fine-grain mobility data empirically quantify the propensity for human mixing to be indoors across the US and improve understanding of the relationship between the physical environment and infection risk in light of global change.

Fine-grain mobility data empirically quantify the propensity for human mixing to be indoors across the US and improve understanding of the relationship between the physical environment and infection risk in light of global change.

The objective of our study was to examine response distances of Svalbard reindeer Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus to direct provocation by humans on foot during summer in areas subject to combinations of high or low human activity, and hunting or no hunting. We hypothesised that Svalbard reindeer can become habituated to human activity even when hunted. Reindeer sight, fright, flight and running response distances were measured in response to direct provocation by humans on foot in five areas chosen for their degree of human activity and hunting. No differences in sight distance were found among the five areas. Reindeer in the area with the most human activity in summer and no hunting (Adventdalen) had shorter fright, flight and running distances than reindeer in the area with little human activity and no hunting (Reinsdyrflya). Reindeer response distances in the three areas with hunting and moderate human activity were similar and intermediate to areas with high and low human activity and no hunting There were significant negative correlations between the fright, flight and running distances and the amount of human activity in an area, and with the exception of running distance having a borderline significant value, there were no correlations with intensity of hunting. Our findings suggest that Svalbard reindeer become habituated to human activity and that hunting probably has only a weak or even no influence on it. Furthermore, these findings do not lend support to the hypothesis that reindeer that are hunted by humans are less likely to habituate to human activity than those that are not hunted.

Radon (222Rn) is an element of significant environmental concern due to its health risks. This study examines the impact of anthropogenic activities such as urbanization, industrial emissions, and agricultural fertilizer use on radon exhalation rates and measured 226Ra and 222Rn concentrations in soil samples from Chattogram, Bangladesh. A total of 60 soil samples were collected from areas categorized by different human activities. The 226Ra activity concentration in the first group (low human activity) ranged from 12 ± 2 to 35 ± 12 Bqkg-1, in the second group (moderate activity) from 25 ± 5 to 39 ± 13 Bqkg-1, and in the third group (high activity) from 30 ± 6 to 44 ± 10 Bqkg-1, while 222Rn concentrations in the first, second, and third groups were observed to vary from 15 ± 5 to 39 ± 9 Bqm-3, 31 ± 9 to 51 ± 13 Bqm-3, and 36 ± 6 to 59 ± 9 Bqm-3, respectively. In high-activity areas, most locations exceed the UNSCEAR-recommended global average of 35 Bqkg-1 for 226Ra concentrations, indicating health risks due to radium exposure in these areas. Though 222Rn activity concentrations are below the recommended values suggested by ICRP, the activity concentrations have been found to increase as the locations vary from less developed to more developed areas. These findings emphasize the need for radon monitoring, mitigation measures, and public health awareness to minimize exposure risks.

Occupations might influence the employees' psychophysical conditions and an important issue is the human activity mechanization, which favors a hypokinetic work status and leads to several chronic diseases. One of the most hypokinetic occupations is the supermarket cashier, in which the individual may spend many hours a day in the same body position. The goal of this study was to evaluate the association between cardiovascular risk, quality of life and physical activity level in supermarket cashiers. This is a cross-sectional study which included 200 supermarket cashiers aged 20 to 41 years from São Paulo, Brazil. The following cardiovascular risk factors were evaluated: overweight, obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and tobacco smoking. Physical activity level and quality of life were assessed with the short-form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAq) and World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL), respectively. Student t test and Chi-square were carried out to evaluate mean gender comparations and frequency, respectively. Logistic regression models were applied to determine the association between cardiovascular risk factors and physical activity level. The prevalence for all cardiovascular risk factors was significantly high in the cashiers with a low physical activity level. However, there was a significant reduction in several risk factors in the groups with moderate and high physical activity levels. The odds ratio values were significantly reduced for the association between the cardiovascular risk factors and the moderate and high physical activity levels. The cashiers with moderate and high physical activity levels showed significantly higher quality of life scores for the social and environmental domain. A high physical activity level is positively related to quality of life in supermarket cashiers.

The purpose was to make longitudinal measurements of physical activity and study whether physical activity decreases over time in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. This was an observational study, where MHD patients were considered in a 12-month follow-up. Laboratory variables and physical activity were tested three times over 12-months in 124 hemodialysis patients. Physical activity was measured using the Human Activity Profile (HAP), the Stanford 7-day Physical Activity Recall Questionnaire (PAR), and walking speed. Repeated measure variance analysis was used to analyze changes of physical activity. The Bonferroni method was used to do pairwise comparisons. The proportion of decreased physical activity increased (P < 0.05). The maximal activity score (MAS), adjusted activity score (AAS), HAP dimension scores, and walking speed all decreased at the three time points studied (P < 0.001). At the same time, moderate physical activities and PAR values changed at three time points (P < 0.05). Pairwise comparisons showed that between the baseline and the 6-month follow-up, MAS, AAS, the scores of personal/household work, entertainment/social, independent exercise, leg effort, and back effort, all decreased(P < 0.05). Between the baseline and the 12-month follow-up, and between the 6-month follow-up and the 12-month follow-up, all the scores of HAP and walking speed decreased significantly (P < 0.001). Between the baseline and the 6-month follow-up, moderate physical activities and PAR values increased (P < 0.05). However, between the baseline and the 12-month follow-up, and between the 6-month follow-up and the 12-month follow-up, moderate physical activities and PAR did not change statistically. Physical activity decreased in hemodialysis patients in the 12-month follow-up.