Understanding Of Mobility Patterns Research Articles

Strontium isotopes are consistent with low‐elevation foraging limits for Henst's goshawk

ABSTRACTApex predators play critical roles in the ecosystems they inhabit. Unfortunately, little is known about movement patterns for many species. This information is critical for evaluating vulnerability to habitat loss and the adequacy of existing or proposed protected areas. Strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) in prey remains reflect the geology where individuals lived and were killed, and can be used to identify foraging ranges for predators. We tested the degree to which 87Sr/86Sr in consumed lemurs (Lemuroidea) can be used to track foraging ranges for Henst's goshawk (Accipiter henstii) at Ranomafana National Park (RNP), eastern Madagascar, Africa. This large‐bodied endemic accipiter is sparsely distributed and rarely observed outside of forest or at elevations >1,200 m. A geologic boundary divides lower and higher elevations at RNP: Precambrian migmatite is at lower elevations within and to the east of RNP and Precambrian metasediments are limited to higher elevations in southwestern RNP. We collected foliage from trees and understory plants to establish 87Sr/86Sr for both geologies, and remains from 19 depredated lemurs from 4 hawk nests located along the eastern edge of RNP. Leaves from metasediments have greater 87Sr/86Sr than leaves from migmatite. 87Sr/86Sr for lemur bones suggests that 18 of the 19 predated individuals came from forests underlain by migmatite. Thus, strontium isotope data suggest that Henst's goshawk primarily hunted on migmatite at RNP, which supports a growing body of evidence that this species forages at elevations below approximately 1,200 m. Most reserves in eastern Madagascar protect forest at higher elevations. Conserving remaining forest and revegetating denuded land at lower elevations will likely be critical for survival of this species. Understanding mobility patterns is crucial for managing predator populations. Isotopic analysis of prey is a noninvasive method for monitoring foraging ranges that complements existing approaches. This geochemical tool is readily adaptable to other systems and species. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.

Changing Perspectives in Australian Archaeology, part VIII. Burins, bones and base camps: a re-analysis of Aire Shelter 2, Glenaire, southern Victoria

Archaeological studies often conclude that some sites are neatly identifiable as base camps, stopovers or tool specific locales. Task reconstruction and interpretation of on-site activities affect our understanding of mobility patterns and subsistence and our ability to distinguish reconfigured land-use and population change. A re-analysis of Aire Shelter 2 is presented here to consider the potential of usewear and residue studies for evaluating site function, in the context of coastal wetlands in southwestern Victoria. Traces of use were found on 242 stone artefacts. Identified tools include finely retouched flint scrapers and snapped flakes with burin edges associated with graving bone. The usewear and faunal analyses indicate an atypical prehistoric assemblage that implies an alternative site function to that originally proposed. Rather than a base camp, the site is an infrequently used locale associated with hunting and the manufacture of bone points. Although theoretical reconstructions of land use suggest population contraction into winter base camps situated around coastal wetlands, there is no compelling evidence that such a site has been found at Aire Shelter 2, although nearby dune shell midden sites are likely candidates.

Sleepless in Seoul: ¡®The Ant and the Metrohopper¡¯

One of Aesop's (La Fontain's) famous fables `The Ant and the Grasshopper' is widely known to give a moral lesson through comparison between the hard working ant and the party-loving grasshopper. Here we show a slightly different version of this fable, namely, "The Ant and the Metrohopper," which describes human mobility patterns in modern urban life. Numerous real transportation networks and the trajectory data have been studied in order to understand mobility patterns. We study trajectories of commuters on the public transportation of Metropolitan Seoul, Korea. Smart cards (Integrated Circuit Cards; ICCs) are used in the public transportation system, which allow collection of transit transaction data, including departure and arrival stations and time. This empirical analysis provides human mobility patterns, which impact traffic forecasting and transportation optimization, as well as urban planning.

Americans with Disabilities Act, Paratransit, and Dialysis

In transportation, a potential conflict exists between the needs of people who are dependent on kidney dialysis to support life and the mandates of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which protects the civil rights of people who are disabled. To address this conflict, baseline information about existing transportation patterns for people on dialysis treatment was established. An original survey questionnaire was administered in person, by trained interviewers, to 289 recipients of dialysis treatments in Delaware. The questions focused on critical transportation issues and were designed to obtain information about transportation user patterns to and from dialysis treatments; transportation modes used to and from dialysis treatments; points of origin and destination; length of trip in distance and time; the way transportation arrangements are made, by whom, and at what cost; and alternative public transportation modes that dialysis riders would be willing to use. Social demographic characteristic questions were also included. Although the understanding of mobility patterns and modes of transportation employed by dialysis users has been increased, the supposition that ADA has created problems directly for dialysis recipients in transportation is not substantiated. Before this research, however, no empirical information was available.