Stream Courses Research Articles

Combining environmental DNA and remote sensing for efficient, fine-scale mapping of arthropod biodiversity.

Arthropods contribute importantly to ecosystem functioning but remain understudied. This undermines the validity of conservation decisions. Modern methods are now making arthropods easier to study, since arthropods can be mass-trapped, mass-identified, and semi-mass-quantified into 'many-row (observation), many-column (species)' datasets, with homogeneous error, high resolution, and copious environmental-covariate information. These 'novel community datasets' let us efficiently generate information on arthropod species distributions, conservation values, uncertainty, and the magnitude and direction of human impacts. We use a DNA-based method (barcode mapping) to produce an arthropod-community dataset from 121 Malaise-trap samples, and combine it with 29 remote-imagery layers using a deep neural net in a joint species distribution model. With this approach, we generate distribution maps for 76 arthropod species across a 225 km2 temperate-zone forested landscape. We combine the maps to visualize the fine-scale spatial distributions of species richness, community composition, and site irreplaceability. Old-growth forests show distinct community composition and higher species richness, and stream courses have the highest site-irreplaceability values. With this 'sideways biodiversity modelling' method, we demonstrate the feasibility of biodiversity mapping at sufficient spatial resolution to inform local management choices, while also being efficient enough to scale up to thousands of square kilometres. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards a toolkit for global insect biodiversity monitoring'.

Geotechnical and Water Quality Assessment of Erosion-Prone Umuagu Village, Ufuma, Southeastern Nigeria

Umuagu village is located in Ufuma town which is one of the sixteen communities in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State. It is located between latitude 6º 05’N and 7º 11″E. The developing erosion site which is the subject of this work runs along the Etiti to Obuagu collector road, commencing off the Ekwulobia/Umunze Road and all five gullies found in Umuagu-Ufuma are road-bound, active and disruptive. A total of three (3) soil and three (3) water samples were collected and analysed using standard method. The result of the soil analyses shows that the soil at Uphill Etiti Umuagu contains 88.2% sand, 6.8% silt and 5.0% clay. In the Middle Course Etiti Umuagu, the soil contains 56.4% sand, 18.5% silt and 15.1% clay while in the Down Stream Course Obuagu Umuagu, the soil samples contain 62% sand, 25% silt and 13% clay. From the obtained result, it is apparent that the entire sequence is sandy and loose; a condition that favours easy soil dispersal and erosion. Physical observation of the water samples shows that the water samples are clean, colourless and had no odour. The pH of the water samples was 6.40, 6.5, 6.30 for borehole, river, and stream waters respectively. The total dissolved solids, total hardness and conductivity contents were within the WHO/ FMEnv limits, with concentrations of 002mg/l, 003mg/l and 003mg/l; 48mg/l, 28mg/l and 30mg/l; and 15.60 µs, 14.60 µs and 16.20 µs for the borehole / river/ stream respectively. The values of the heavy metals detected were: Lead 1.690/ 0.9740/ 0.8612; and Chromium 0.020/ 0.00/ 0.00 (these were above the WHO standard except concentration of Lead in the borehole) while there was no trace of Cobalt, Silver, Tin and Aluminium in the water, except for Magnesium and Molybdenum. The concentration of coliform counts was observed to exceed the value of 102 cfu/ml recommended by the World Health Organisation.

Morphometry and active tectonics of the Konkan coast, western India

The Indian western coast is petroliferous and draws attention from academicians and industrial experts. In this work, geomorphic indices have been calculated to decode neotectonics of the Konkan onshore region on India's west coast. Earthquake and Bouguer anomaly data have been used along with the present-day stress data from the World Stress Map project. Gravity modeling was performed in order to gain seismotectonic insights. The b-values were determined using Z-MAP 7.1 (2021). Morphometric analysis at both linear and spatial scales were performed using the digital elevation model from the data derived from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, analyzed with ArcGIS 10.3 (2014) software. Maps depicting slopes, aspects, and reliefs were created. NW-SE trending lineaments in the Konkan plain guided the major stream courses. Two of the five watersheds, watersheds 4 and 5, reveal high tectonic activity, are landslide-prone and host hot springs. Interestingly, watersheds 4 and 5 show high b-values (except near the rivers' sources), low Bouguer anomalies, and higher Hypsometric integral values (0.18523 and 0.16698) than the other watersheds. A low b-value in watershed 3 indicates stress accumulation. Over a larger area, the gravity trend varies from ∼ −80 to 30 mGal. The lineaments diagram deduced from the first vertical derivative technique shows that the structural fabrics mostly trend ∼ NW-SE at the west of the Western Ghat Escarpment (WGE) while it is NE-SW at the east. The tilt derivative ratio technique reveals a major NE-SW trend to the west of the WGE and an E-W trend to the east. Structural interpretations based on drill-cores around Koyna combined with geophysical studies for deep crust will be required are required for a better understanding of the blind (active) structures in the region.

Patterns and consequences of invasion of tropical montane forests by Cestrum aurantiacum Lindl. in the Western Ghats

In the montane forest-grassland mosaics of the Western Ghats, land cover conversion to silviculture and agriculture over the last five decades has resulted in both loss of natural habitats and widespread invasion of remnant habitat patches. While invasion of the grassland habitats of the mosaic has been relatively well studied, there have been few attempts to understand the extent to which forest habitats (locally known as sholas) have been affected by the spread of exotic species. Here we examine the patterns and impacts of invasion of shola forest understoreys by Cestrum aurantiacum Lindl., an exotic shrub species. At the landscape scale, we demonstrate that the presence and abundance of this invasive in shola understories is negatively related to distance from tea plantations. Further, the intensity of invasion is higher in areas with greater seasonality of temperature and lower mean annual precipitation. At the patch scale, invasion is greatest at shola edges and away from stream courses. We find that C. aurantiacum abundance has negatively affected the regeneration of native shola tree species as well as the abundance of native shola understorey shrubs. Fifty three percent of invaded plots had no native shrubs present. In plots where both C. aurantiacum and native shrubs were present in large enough numbers, we found evidence of negative spatial dependence between stem locations of C. aurantiacum and native shrubs. Our findings have important implications for the management and conservation of these mosaics.

Predicted connectivity pathways between grizzly bear ecosystems in Western Montana

Habitat and corridor mapping are key components of many conservation programs. Grizzly bear populations in the continental US are fragmented and connectivity among federal recovery areas is a conservation goal. Building on recent work, we modeled movements to predict areas of connectivity, using integrated step selection functions (iSSFs) developed from GPS-collared grizzly bears (F = 46, M = 19) in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE). We applied iSSFs in a >300,000 km2 area including the NCDE, Cabinet–Yaak (CYE), Bitterroot (BE), and Greater Yellowstone (GYE) Ecosystems. First, we simulated directed movements (randomized shortest paths with 3 levels of exploration) between start and end nodes across populations. Second, we simulated undirected movements from start nodes in the NCDE, CYE, or GYE (no predetermined end nodes). We summarized and binned results as classes 1 (lowest relative predicted use) – 10 (highest relative predicted use) and evaluated predictions using 127 outlier grizzly bear locations. Connectivity pathways were primarily associated with mountainous areas and secondarily with river and stream courses in open valleys. Values at outlier locations indicated good model fit and mean classes at outlier locations (≥7.4) and Spearman rank correlations (≥0.87) were highest for undirected simulations and directed simulations with the highest level of exploration. Our resulting predictive maps can facilitate on-the-ground application of this research for prioritizing habitat conservation, human-bear conflict mitigation, and transportation planning. Additionally, our overall modeling approach has utility for myriad species and conservation applications.

Roles of climatic and anthropogenic factors in shaping Holocene vegetation and fire regimes in Great Dismal Swamp, eastern USA

The Great Dismal Swamp wetland, spanning >400 km2 along the Virginia and North Carolina border, was shaped by a complex combination of geomorphic, climatic, and anthropogenic forcings during the last 14,000 years. Pollen, macrofossils, charcoal, and physical properties from sediment cores at seven sites provide a detailed record of the spatial heterogeneity of the wetland and the roles played by natural hydrologic variability, wildfire, and human modification of drainage in shaping vegetation and habitats. Cold-temperate forests occupied regional uplands from at least 13.5–10.3 cal ka BP. Marshes dominated by grasses and other herbaceous taxa began developing along low-elevation streams as early as 10.3 cal ka BP, resulting in accumulation of organic silts. Long-hydroperiod, peat accumulating marshes, with abundant floating aquatic plants, developed as early as 9.6 cal ka BP, as rapid rates of sea-level rise elevated the water table and facilitated wetland development and peat accumulation along stream courses. By the mid-Holocene (c. 7–6.5 cal ka BP), when local sea-level rise began slowing and reached about 12–15 m below present, shorter hydroperiod, peat-accumulating marshes dominated the landscape, with increased wildfire activity. Great Dismal Swamp vegetation shifted from marshes to peat-accumulating forested wetlands by c. 3.7 cal ka BP; these were dominated by varying combinations of Nyssa (tupelo), Taxodium (cypress), and Chamaecyparis thyoides (Atlantic white cedar). Wildfires were infrequent during this time, and the forested wetlands persisted, with minor compositional changes related to climate-driven fluctuations in stream flow, until colonial ditching and logging began in the swamp during the late 18th century. These activities decreased cypress and cedar populations, and, by the mid-20th century, expanded ditching resulted in even drier conditions and expansion of maple-gum (dominated by Acer and Liquidambar), and pine-pocosin (dominated by Pinus) forests. The distribution of these forests differs from that of the late Holocene and represents a fundamental shift in hydrology, peat structure, vegetation, and fire regime due to landscape alterations of the last few centuries.

Experimental investigation for the local scour around V-shaped spur-dikes

Spur-dikes are efficient hydraulic structures that are made for numerous purposes. They have one end on the stream bank and another extending into the current. As a result of the existing spur-dikes in the stream course, the local scour phenomena usually occur around them, leading to several predicaments which have been of great concern to the hydraulic engineers. For the present work, laboratory experiments were carried out to measure the scour depths around several spur-dikes located at different distances for the V-shaped one. The experiments were conducted using physical models installed in a non-curved flume with a bed with uniform cohesion-less sediment of a medium particle size (d50 = 0.7 mm). All the models were operated under the subcritical flow of clear-water conditions. The investigations include three spur-dikes (1, 2 and 3) and three distances between them (1, 1.5 and 2 of spur-dike length) as two countermeasures to minimize the local scour depths. The results showed that an increasing number of spur-dikes and the distances between them would decrease the scour depths within the limit of the present study. The experimental data were used to create a new formula of R2 = 0.954 that reflects a good agreement with the experimentally observed results.

Assessment of Water Ecosystem Integrity (WEI) in a Transitional Brazilian Cerrado–Atlantic Forest Interface

Although healthy ecosystems are vital to sustaining human society, the Brazilian Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes have suffered from disorderly human development and the intense use of natural resources. Thus, cost-effective studies are needed to develop tools to assess environmental conservation and the integrity of water courses to inform decisions for ensuring their recovery where ecosystem maintenance is deficient. This study sought to develop a methodology in which the Watershed Habitat Evaluation and Biotic Integrity Protocol (WHEBIP) and Rapid Assessment Protocol for Habitat Diversity (RAP) could be used in an integrated, adaptive manner to evaluate the Water Ecosystem Integrity (WEI) in courses of rivers and streams in tropical regions of the Brazilian Cerrado–Atlantic Forest interface undergoing intense agricultural exploitation. Accordingly, a spatial assessment using geographic information systems was followed by a field visit to apply the methodology. A preliminary assessment of the soil conditions in the Lobo Reservoir Hydrographic Basin was conducted, identifying stretches of rivers and streams that were suitable for payment for environmental services and for recovery from the impact of anthropic activities. Such activities were present in 50.23% of the basin’s total area, and intensive degradation was found in stretches of the water courses, primarily where the head springs of the Itaqueri River and Lobo Stream, the principal tributaries of the Lobo Reservoir, lie. Native vegetation, Brazilian Cerrado, and reforestation occupy a total of 38.5% of the basin, comprising areas of intense conservation activity by the Brazilian government.

Cluster and multivariate analysis to study the diffuse contamination of emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the Veneto Region plain (North-eastern Italy)

In recent years, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have emerged as major pollutants of concern. This study considered a real case of superficial and groundwater contamination caused by a set of 15 persistent, carcinogenic, and bioaccumulative compounds. The study area is the Veneto Region floodplain in Italy, where a huge contamination mainly caused by a persistent spill-over from a former chemical factory was discovered in 2013. The contamination path studied in 2013 followed mainly two directions: the first towards east, to the city of Vicenza, and the second following the course of Chiampo and Agno streams, southwards.To identify the major patterns of contamination, a Factor Analysis (PCA) in conjunction with a Cluster Analysis (CA) was performed. The reviewed dataset is composed by PFAS concentration values collected from 2013 to 2021 in groundwater, superficial waters, in natural sources, and in proximity to three industrial discharges, throughout a 3600 km2 area. The CA results were cross-referenced with the water table interpolation, yielding a match between the groundwater flow directions and the observed patterns of the two main plumes. The persistence of pollutants was finally investigated by analyzing distances between the former chemical factory, an industrial wastewater collector which lies along Chiampo and Agno valleys that host residential and industrial areas, and the other sampling points collected in the dataset. The findings confirmed the importance of assessing anthropic background levels of contamination and highlighted the necessity to include the PFAS issue in a national health-based drinking water quality guideline.

Factors of Decision Making in Science Stream Course in Higher Learning Education

The declination of science interest appears to be a significant concern as becoming a global trend issue. As the government will face negative impact from this issue, the government encourage any contribution effort from the universities and industries to increase the social interest. Thus this study was conducted for the purpose of investigating the influencing aspects in students’ stream choice of either physics or biology stream. 36 respondents chosen are students from third semester for 2017/2018 session of Diploma in Science from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Perak Branch Tapah Campus. Data collection was done quantitatively from questionnaires participated by all respondents through an academic program named ‘Running Physicists’ which organized by the faculty. Demographic and contributing factors from family background, peer, and passion were measured as the prompting aspects in student’s stream choices. Cronbach’s Alpha for demographic factor is 0.815 of consistency value gives reliable value for measuring respondents’ opinion. The contribution factors show significant relation on family, peer, and passion with mean value of 3.59, 2.95 and 4.32 respectively for physics respondents and mean value of 3.71, 2.71 and 4.43 correspondingly for biology respondents. The enrolment of respondents in stream choice is dominated by personal abilities and passion with the subject’s background.

Impacts of an urban flood control infrastructure on the limnology and ichthyofauna of a basaltic Cuesta stream (southeast Brazil).

Strategies for flood control associated to extreme precipitation events in urban areas are urgent, in order to prevent not only material damages but also to avoid human losses. The construction of flood contention reservoirs ("piscinões") has become a common engineering intervention in urban and peri-urban areas. However, there is a lack of studies focused on the evaluation of environmental impacts of this type of construction. This study intended to verify the ecological effects of a retention reservoir built directly on the course of the Cascata stream, Botucatu (SP). Three sampling sites were selected, located upstream the reservoir, in the reservoir and downstream. Samplings were carried out in July (winter - dry) and November (late spring - rainy) 2020. In situ measurements were obtained through a multiparameter probe (temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, and oxidation-reduction potential) and water samples were collected for laboratory determinations (nitrogen, total phosphorus, thermotolerant coliforms, and chlorophyll-a). For fish sampling, manual trawls, sieves and hand nets were used, with a sampling effort of 10 throws per artefact and site. Despite the small distance between the sampling points (~1,300 m) considerable changes in the limnological conditions and fish community structure were observed. The studied environment is originally a small river surrounded by riparian forest, but this characteristic was abruptly changed in the reservoir stretch, with the direct exposition of a much larger water surface to intense solar radiation and atmosphere exchanges. Consequently, as evidenced by the PCA analysis, there was a considerable (stream-reservoir increase) of temperature, dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll. However, this spatial trend was partially disturbed by an accidental sewage-pipe rupture (posteriorly fixed) adjacent to the first sampling point, due to a previous event of extreme precipitation, which resulted in increased values of nutrients, chlorophyll, conductivity and thermotolerant coliforms. Eleven fish species were collected (two non-native), belonging to seven families and five orders. The upstream reference point (despite not be pristine), was characterized by the predominance of native species, while the reservoir condition favored the development of large populations of the non-native species. Despite the urgency of effective actions to prevent floods in urban areas, construction of contention reservoirs directly on stream courses should be avoided, due to their negative ecological impacts.

DIAGNOSES OF THE POTENTIAL SOURCES OF THE ANTHROPIC POLLUTION OF THE NIGER STREAM AROUND THE CITY OF NIAMEY (NIGER)

During its crossing in the agglomeration of Niamey, the Niger stream serves as spillway of the garbage as a dump for both solids and liquids generated by the industrial and domestic activities. The main objective of this study is to identify all garbage resulting from the activities of the population of Niamey bordering to the Niger stream. Some interviews have been led by the taking parts responsible for the production and the management of the urban garbage, followed by the investigations of the land through the observations of the states of the banks of the stream and the urban infrastructures of purification of the garbage. The gotten results reveal that on twenty-one (21) establishments investigated only six (6) pre-treatmentfacilities for their effluents. Also, the network of purification of used waters of the city of Niamey is the unit type, and deprives functional works of purification of the urban worn-out waters. The city of Niamey rejects sewages of used waters in the Niger stream through thirty-seven (37) points of the dismissals identified along the banks of the Niger stream, of which thirty-four (34) on the left strand and three (3) on the right strand, therefore the less exposed to the pollution. On the other hand, the abduction of the solid garbage endures an insufficiency, of such sorts that garbage is evacuated in the gutters, the valley of Gounti-yéna to be drained at the stream or poured directly on the banks of the Niger stream. Thus, thirty (30) points of stripping of the garbage near the course of the Niger stream have been identified of which seven (7) garbage dumps out of the right strand and twenty-three (23) on the left strand. Indeed, the anthropicsources of the pollution of water of the Niger stream in the city of Niamey result from dismissals of garbage and the worn-out water essentially bound to the activities of the city.

Characterization and classification of river networks in South Korea

The aims of this study are to characterize river network patterns and identify whether the slope of preexisting surfaces relatively unaffected by modern landscape processes influences the formation of networks on the peninsula. The distributional properties of the tributary junction angles by the beta distribution are examined, and support vector machines based on the parameter estimates of the distribution are used to distinguish the different river network types. The classified river networks are validated using three measures: drainage area increment, stream course irregularity, and tributary junction angle derived from scaling invariance. 41 river networks are analyzed for the characterization and classification of networks in the region. Among the river networks, 12 networks represent the parallel network type and 29 networks represent the rectangular network type. These results imply that the preexisting slope does not seem to have a main effect on the development of the networks on South Korea.

River adjustments, geomorphic sensitivity and management implications in the Waipā catchment, Aotearoa New Zealand

Assessment of River Styles, accompanied by time series analysis of historic imagery and geomorphic change detection techniques are used to explain the capacity for river adjustment (geomorphic sensitivity) in relation to the distribution of stream power along 3000 km of channels (3rd Strahler order and greater) to better inform management initiatives in the Waipā catchment, the largest tributary of the Waikato River on the North Island of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Unlike most dynamically adjusting physical landscapes of Aotearoa, most reaches within the Waipā catchment are resistant to geomorphic change. Only 3% of the studied river length has experienced significant planform adjustment since the 1950s and is considered highly sensitive to adjustment. Contemporary alluvial dynamism is largely restricted to gravel bed reaches in high energy rivers within the piedmont zone. The capacity for lateral adjustment in headwater stream courses is restricted by the imprint of past volcanic activity. Further downstream capacity is also limited because of terrace constraints as a result of post-glacial base-level fall, and the entrenchment of the Waikato Fan. Anthropogenic modifications in the catchment include drained wetlands, straightened channels, reinforced banks and emplaced artificial levees (stopbanks) in the few reaches that were prone to adjustment. Highlighting geomorphologically-sensitive reaches at the catchment-scale helps to better prioritise rehabilitation efforts and to support the design and implementation of proactive management plans.

PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS ON SELF-EFFICACY IN TECHNOLOGY BASED TEACHING

Self-efficacy is one of the innate and integral qualities of teacher for effective teaching. Now-a-days technology based teaching is an inseparable part for effective learning. Thats why teachers need to develop the skill of ICT based teaching and they also must have the quality of self-efficacy. By employing Descriptive Survey research design, the present study aimed in comparing prospective teachers perceptions on self-efficacy in technology based teaching on the basis Arts stream and Science Stream and course of the study (1st year and Final year). 100 prospective teachers were selected as sample by employing random sampling method. Data were collected by using standardised tool & collected data were analysed by using IBM SPSS Statistics 20. The notable findings of the study were that both hypotheses were rejected.

Nested analysis of macroinvertebrate diversity along a river continuum: Identifying relevant spatial scales for stream communities

AbstractBenthic macroinvertebrates are important for stream ecosystem function and are considerable food resources for vertebrate consumers such as fish. The diversity, composition, and distribution of stream macroinvertebrate taxa are affected by factors that act at different spatial scales, from microhabitat to watershed‐level effects. While comparative studies of watershed‐level and between stream influences on benthic diversity are common, the effects of scale are less investigated within individual river segments. Benthic macroinvertebrates were systematically sampled across nested spatial scales along a 2.2‐km near‐pristine stretch of the Upper Black River (MI, USA), and analyzed in relation to near‐bed flow and substrate features. Responses of community diversity metrics to near‐bed conditions were quantified, and diversity was modeled to determine the contribution of each spatial scale to total diversity. Near‐bed conditions, especially Froude number and substrate size, were positively associated with macroinvertebrate diversity and abundance. Larger (e.g., 100 m stream reach) and finer scales (e.g., individual samples) accounted for a greater proportion of variation in taxon richness and abundance, respectively. Longitudinal variation in environmental conditions was an important driver of macroinvertebrate diversity, with replacement between sites (i.e., turnover) contributing a considerably greater proportion of variation in total diversity than nestedness. Results demonstrate that macroinvertebrate communities were shaped by both local flow and substrate conditions as well as taxa replacement over larger spatial scales. This emphasizes the importance of maintaining the hydro‐morphological integrity along stream courses as a requisite condition to further watershed and fisheries conservation and management.

Identifying shoplifting behaviors and inferring behavior intention based on human action detection and sequence analysis

Identification of abnormal behaviors affecting public safety (e.g., shoplifting, robbery, and stealing) is essential for preventing human casualties and property damage. Many studies have attempted to automatically identify abnormal behaviors by detecting relevant human actions by developing intelligent video surveillance systems. However, these studies have focused on catching predefined actions associated explicitly with the target abnormal behavior, which can lead to errors in judgment when such actions are undetected or inaccurately detected. To better identify abnormal behaviors, it is essential to understand a series of performed actions to capture behaviors’ pre- and post-indications (e.g., repeatably looking around and spotting CCTVs) and infer the intentions underlying such behaviors. Thus, in the present study, we propose a framework to identify abnormal behaviors through deep-learning-based detection of non-semantic-level human action components segmented with a window size of several seconds (e.g., walking, standing, and watching) and performing sequence analyses of the detected action components to infer behavior intentions. Then, we tested the applicability of the framework to the specific scenario of shoplifting, one of the most common crimes. Analysis of actual incident data confirmed that shoplifting intentions could be effectively gauged based on distinct action sequence features, and the intention inference results are continuously updated with the accumulated series of detected actions during the course of the input video stream. The results of this study can help enhance the ability of intelligent surveillance systems by providing a new means for monitoring abnormal behaviors and deeply understanding the underlying intentions.

Distribution of trespass cannabis cultivation and its risk to sensitive forest predators in California and Southern Oregon.

Illegal cannabis cultivation on public lands has emerged as a major threat to wildlife in California and southern Oregon due to the rampant use of pesticides, habitat destruction, and water diversions associated with trespass grow sites. The spatial distribution of cultivation sites, and the factors influencing where they are placed, remain largely unknown due to covert siting practices and limited surveillance funding. We obtained cannabis grow-site locality data from law enforcement agencies and used them to model the potential distribution of cultivation sites in forested regions of California and southern Oregon using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) methods. We mapped the likely distribution of trespass cannabis cultivation sites and identified environmental variables influencing where growers establish their plots to better understand the cumulative impacts of trespass cannabis cultivation on wildlife. We overlaid the resulting grow-site risk maps with habitat distribution maps for three forest species of conservation concern: Pacific fisher (Pekania pennanti), Humboldt marten (Martes caurina humboldtensis), and northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina). Results indicate that cannabis cultivation is fairly predictably distributed on public lands in low to mid-elevation (~800-1600m) forests and on moderate slopes (~30-60%). Somewhat paradoxically, results also suggest that growers either preferred sites inside of recently disturbed vegetation (especially those burned 8-12 years prior to cultivation) or well outside (>500m) of recent disturbance, perhaps indicating avoidance of open edges. We ground-truthed the model by surveying randomly selected stream courses for cultivation site presence in subsets of the modeling region and found previously undiscovered sites mostly within areas with predicted high likelihood of grow-site occurrence. Moderate to high-likelihood areas of trespass cultivation overlapped with 40 to 48% of modeled habitats of the three sensitive species. For the endangered southern Sierra Nevada fisher population, moderate-high likelihood growing areas overlapped with over 37% of modeled fisher denning habitat and with 100% of annual female fisher home ranges (mean overlap = 48.0% + 27.0 SD; n = 134) in two intensively studied populations on the Sierra National Forest. Locating and reclaiming contaminated cannabis grow sites by removing all environmental contaminants should be a high priority for resource managers.

On New Generalized Fuzzy Directed Divergence Measure and Its Application in Decision Making Problem

The concept of fuzzy sets presented by Zadeh has conquered an enormous achievement in numerous fields. Uncertainty in real world is ubiquitous. Entropy is an important tool with uncertainty and fuzziness. In this article, we propose new measure of directed divergence on fuzzy set. The extension of the fuzzy sets and one that integrated with other theories have been applied by some researchers. To prove the validity of measure, some axioms are proved. Using the proposed measure, we generate a method about decision making criteria and give a suitable method. In this article, we describe directed divergence measure for fuzzy set. Properties of proposed measure are discussed. In the real world, the multicriteria decision making is a very practical method and has a wide range of uses. By using multicriteria decision making, we can find best choice among the given criteria. In recent years, many researchers extensively apply fuzzy directed divergence for multicriteria decision making. Also some researchers defined the application of parameterized Hesitant Fuzzy Soft Set theory in decision making. In this article, we shall investigate the multiple criteria decision making problem under fuzzy environment. Application of introduced measure is given for decision making problem. A numerical example is given for decision making problem. In a fuzzy multicriteria problem, the analysis is given by an illustration example of the new define approach regarding admission preference of a student for post graduate course of science stream.

Lake networks and connectivity metrics for the conterminous U.S. (LAGOS‐US NETWORKS v1)

AbstractIdentifying lake networks and knowing the degree of surface‐water connectivity among lakes can help scientists better understand and predict the movement of abiotic materials and biota within networks. Quantifying broad‐scale networks that include lake and stream connections is difficult computationally. Starting from the medium resolution National Hydrography Dataset's lakes, streams, and rivers, we applied a graph theory approach to identify lake networks, a set of lakes connected by streams both upstream and downstream. The LAGOS‐US NETWORKS v1 module contains four data tables, one of which includes derived surface‐water connectivity metrics for lakes (n = 86,511 lakes ≥ 1 ha in surface area) and networks (n = 898) within the conterminous United States, including dams. The NETWORKS module also includes a flow table as well as a bidirectional and a unidirectional distance table that provide the stream course distances between every connected lake. Finally, this module includes a detailed User Guide.