An Assessment of the Marine Mammal Abundance and Population Density within the Ghanaian Offshore Construction Areas

The Gulf of Guinea region enjoined with the unique characteristics of the Guinea surface and underwater currents driving the upwelling season, besets the ecological importance of the area amidst growing offshore development. Though several attempts are being made to identify the various cetacean species inhabiting the area, little to no progress is made to under the animal population, their behaviour and distribution in the face of the growing threat. The study hence attempts to develop cetacean population and distribution estimation within Ghana’s offshore construction sites in the time frame of field development while emphasizing the effects of operations on animal behaviour and habitats, purpose at providing an understanding with the general behaviour of these mammals peculiar to the area and too what level the impact of change is having on distribution trends. The study finds the upwelling tends to suggest, strong animal presence in the area during feeding. Short-fin pilot whales were a dominant cetacean feature within the observed cetacean population estimated to have 160 (CV = 0.3728) presence. Findings suggest the strong biological importance, BIA (habitat, feeding and breeding), as well as operations drawing on animal curiosity, heightened animal vulnerability. Further studies are required to understand the temporal and spatial distributions patterns, while efforts are needed to ensure protected areas are established, animal surveillance and conservative attitudes are encouraged.

Migration routes,population status and important sites used by the globally threatened Black-faced Spoonbill(Platalea minor):a synthesis of surveys and tracking studies

Background:The Black-faced Spoonbill(Platalea minor)is a globally threatened species,nesting mainly in western Korea with smaller numbers breeding in Liaoning Province,China,and Far East Russia.Recent winter field surveys to estimate the species'population size were almost totally conducted in coastal areas,but tracking studies showed that some individuals now winter inland.To ensure its long-term survival,we need a more comprehensive assessment of the current distribution and abundance of the species.Methods:We combined the most recent count data and satellite tracking information to update existing informa-tion about the population abundance and distribution of the Black-faced Spoonbill at all stages of its annual life cycle,and how these have changed during 2004-2020.Results:Black-faced Spoonbills mainly breed on the west coast of the Korean peninsula,while immature birds show a wider summer distribution throughout Yellow Sea coastal areas,when a few remain on wintering sites in the south.Combined tracking results and mid-winter counts confirmed known wintering sites on the east and south coasts of China,but showed that the species also winters on wetlands in the Yangtze River floodplain and in Southeast Asia.During 2004-2020,counts of wintering birds in coastal habitats increased from 1198 to 4864,with numbers wintering on the island of Taiwan contributing most to the overall increase.Latest counts found 5222 in 2021.We also identify key wintering and stopover sites as well as their current conservation status.Conclusions:This study revised the known summering and wintering ranges of the Black-faced Spoonbill and assessed the conservation status of key sites based on a combination of field survey and satellite tracking data.We recommend prioritisation of further field research to identify and survey inland wintering areas in the Yangtze River floodplain and summering areas of immature birds.More tracking of adult individuals and birds during spring migration is necessary to fill these information gaps.We also suggest establishing a Black-faced Spoonbill monitoring platform to store,share and show real-time distribution range and population abundance data.

Estimates of Density and Population Size of African Lions in the Katavi National Park, Tanzania

Lion populations are declining globally, including in Tanzania, and Africa. However, Katavi National Park is a landscape with potential for a sustainable and healthy population of African lions (Panthera leo), but there is currently limited reliable data indicating density and population size. This hinders the development of conservation action plans, including population monitoring, for this species. To address this data gap, we assessed lions’ demography and population estimates (population size and density) in the Katavi National Park using a call-back survey method. In addition, we assessed ecological factors that influenced distribution of lions to the call-back stations. Our estimated population size revealed 84 lions (95% CI 53 - 116), with a density of 5/100 km2 (95% CI 3.14 - 6.86) in the sampled area, representing 38% of the total park. This resulted in an estimated 214 individuals when extrapolated to the whole park. Sixty-seven percent of lions that responded to the stations were female, and ecological factors that significantly influenced their distribution included elevation, land cover, precipitation, temperature, wind speed, and prey abundance. Our results suggest that female lions are more abundant than males in Katavi National Park and that population size and density estimates, as well as understanding prey-lion relations, are important indices for lion monitoring and identifying conservation priorities. Further, our study suggests that the call-back survey method is an effective, rapid, and less costly population assessment method for lions, may be useful for assessing other social species in the Katavi ecosystem and can be a useful tool for community engagement and contributing to scientific monitoring.

Classification of stellar populations in globular clusters

Possessing multiple stellar populations has been accepted as a common feature of globular clusters（GCs）. Different stellar populations manifest themselves with different chemical features,e.g. the well-known O-Na anti-correlation. Generally, the first（primordial） population has O and Na abundances consistent with those of field stars with similar metallicity; while the second（polluted） population is identified by their Na overabundance and O deficiency. The fraction of the populations is an important constraint on the GC formation scenario. Several methods have been proposed for the classification of GC populations. Here we examine a criterion derived based on the distribution of Galactic field stars, which relies on Na abundance as a function of [Fe/H], to distinguish first and second stellar populations in GCs. By comparing the first population fractions of 17 GCs estimated by the field star criterion with those in the literature derived by methods related to individual GCs, we find that the field star criterion tends to overestimate the first population fractions. The population separation methods,which are related to an individual GC sample, are recommended because the diversity of GCs can be taken into consideration. Currently, more caution should be exercised if one wants to regard field stars as a reference for the identification of a GC population. However, further study on the connection between field stars and GCs populations is still needed.

A Statistical Model for Predicting the Average Abundance Patterns of Heavier Elements in Metal-Poor Stars

We have collected nearly all the available observed data of the elements from Ba to Dy in halo and disk stars in the metallicity range -4.0 <[Fe/H]< 0.5. Based on the observed data of Ba and Eu, we evaluated the least-squares regressions of [Ba/Fe] on [Fe/H], and [Eu/H] on [Ba/H]. Assuming that the heavy elements (heavier than Ba) are produced by a combination of the main components of s- and r-processes in metal-poor stars, and choosing Ba and Eu as respective representative elements of the main s- and the main r-processes, a statistical model for predicting the Galactic chemical evolution of the heavy elements is presented. With this model, we calculate the mean abundance trends of the heavy elements La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, and Dy with the metallicity. We compare our results with the observed data at various metallicities, showing that the predicted trends are in good agreement with the observed trends, at least for the metallicity range [Fe/H]≥ -2.5. Finally, we discuss our results and deduce some important information about the Galactic chemical evolution.

Discovery of a strongly r-process enhanced extremely metal-poor star LAMOST J110901.22+075441.8

We report the discovery of an extremely metal-poor（EMP） giant,LAMOST J110901.22＋075441.8, which exhibits a large excess of r-process elements with [Eu/Fe] ～ ＋1.16. The star is one of the newly discovered EMP stars identified from the LAMOST low-resolution spectroscopic survey and a highresolution follow-up observation with the Subaru Telescope. Stellar parameters and elemental abundances have been determined from the Subaru spectrum. Accurate abundances for a total of 23 elements including 11 neutron-capture elements from Sr through Dy have been derived for LAMOST J110901.22＋075441.8. The abundance pattern of LAMOST J110901.22＋075441.8 in the range of C through Zn is in line with the ＂normal＂ population of EMP halo stars, except that it shows a notable underabundance in carbon. The heavy element abundance pattern of LAMOST J110901.22＋075441.8 is in agreement with other well studied cool r-II metal-poor giants such as CS 22892-052 and CS 31082-001. The abundances of elements in the range from Ba through Dy match the scaled solar r-process pattern well.LAMOST J110901.22＋075441.8 provides the first detailed measurements of neutroncapture elements among r-II stars at such low metallicity with [Fe/H]-3.4, and exhibits similar behavior as other r-II stars in the abundance ratio of Zr/Eu as well as Sr/Eu and Ba/Eu.

Extremely metal-poor star candidates in the SDSS

For a sample of metal-poor stars （-3.3 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤-2.2） that have highresolution spectroscopic abundance determinations, we have measured equivalent widths of the Ca II K, Mg I b and near-infrared Ca II triplet lines using low-resolution spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey （SDSS）, calculated effective temperatures from （g - z）o color, deduced stellar surface gravities by fitting stellar isochrones, and determined metallicities based on the aforementioned quantities. Metallicities thus derived from the Ca II K line are in much better agreement with the results deter- mined from high-resolution spectra than the values given in the SDSS Data Release 7. The metallicities derived from the Mg I b lines have a large dispersion owing to the large measurement errors, whereas those deduced from the Ca II triplet lines are too high due to both non-local thermodynamical equilibrium （NLTE） effects and mea- surement errors. Abundances after correction for the NLTE effect for the Mg I b lines and Ca II triplet lines are also presented. Following this method, we have identified six candidates of ultra-metal-poor stars with [Fe/H] - -4.0 from a sample of 166 metal-poor star candidates. One of them, SDSS J102915＋172927, was recently con- firmed to be an ultra-metal-poor （[Fe/H] 〈 -4.0） star with the lowest metallicity ever measured. Follow-up high-resolution spectroscopy for the other five ultra-metal-poor stars in our sample will therefore be of great interest.

Prey reduce risk-taking and abundance in the proximity of predators

Prey have evolved anti-predator defences that reduce or eliminate the risk of predation. Predators often reproduce at specific sites over many years causing permanent threats to local prey species. Such prey may respond by moving elsewhere thereby reducing local population abundance, or they may stay put and adjust their behavior to the presence of predators. We tested these predictions by analyzing population abundance and anti-predator behavior within 100 m of and 500 m away from nests of sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus and goshawks A. gentilis for 80 species of birds. Population abundance of prey was reduced by 11% near goshawk nests and by 15% near sparrowhawk nests when compared with nearby control sites in similar habitats. Flight initiation distance （FID） of prey, estimated as the distance at which birds took flight when approached by a human, increased by 50% in the presence of hawk nests, providing evidence of adjustment of anti-predator behavior to prevailing risks of predation. Susceptibility to predation was estimated as log transformed abundance of the observed number of prey items obtained from prey remains collected around nests minus log transformed expected number of prey according to point counts of breeding birds. FID increased from 10 to 46 m with increasing susceptibility of prey species to predation by the goshawk and from 12 to 15 m with increasing susceptibility of prey species to predation by the sparrowhawk. These findings suggest that prey adjust their distribution and anti-predator behavior to the risk of predation.

Testing a passive tracking index for monitoring the endangered Ethiopian wolf

The endangered Ethiopian wolf is considered the rarest canid in Africa.The species faces many threats and is particularly vulnerable to diseases such as rabies.A simple,low-technology means to monitor populations would greatly facilitate conservation efforts,through early detection of population changes and behavior,and signaling a need for intervention.We tested a passive tracking index methodology,which has been a valuable tool for indexing canids and other species around the world.The method uses counts of track intrusions into plots placed in the animals’routes of travel as the basis for calculating an index.Unlike for other species,for which the placement of tracking plots on dirt roads has been extremely successful,we found in our first trial that this approach did not adequately intersect the wolves’activity patterns.The low vegetation associated with Afro-alpine habitats offered little benefit for the wolves to travel roads.However,in our second trial among molerat colonies,a focus of wolf foraging activity,we found plot placement on molerat mounds was efficient for collecting Ethiopian wolf plot intrusions for index calculations.This plot placement method coupled with the passive tracking index calculations might offer resource managers a cost efficient tool that requires minimal equipment to monitor Ethiopian wolf populations on the Sanetti Plateau and other Afro-alpine habitats.Plot placement on roads in other Ethiopian wolf habitats where cross-country travel is more difficult might still be a viable means to collect track data,but would require further testing.