bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of drip irrigation intensity on soybean seed yield and quality in the semi arid Harran plain, Turkey
Authors: Kirnak H. , Dogan E. , Türkoğlu H.
Published: November 2013

Soybean (Glycine max. L.) crops were grown in 2003 and 2004 to determine effect of different water stress levels on growth, some physiological variables and seed composition under semi‑arid climatic conditions of Harran plain, Sanlıurfa, Turkey. Irrigation water treatments included 0 (I0), 25 (I25), 50 (I50), 75 (I75), and 100% (I100) of full irrigation amounts with a 4 day irrigation interval. Water stress resulted in reduced vegetative growth, leaf relative water content and leaf chlorophyll content. In 2003 and 2004 seed yields ranged from 322 (I0) to 3684 kg ha-1 (I100), and from 267 (I0) to 3952 kg ha-1 (I100), respectively. Compared to I100, the two-year average seed yield reduction for I0, I25, I50 and I75 were 92, 76, 50 and 25%, respectively. Water stress significantly decreased fatty acid content of C18:0, C18:1, C18:2, and C18:3 but not C16:00. I100 produced the highest protein value (39.60% in 2003 and 39.00% in 2004), while I0 yielded the lowest values (35.41% in 2003 and 36.11% in 2004). A negative correlation between evapotranspiration (ET) and oil content and ET and protein content in both years was determined. Leaf chlorophyll content, leaf relative water content, leaf area index, number of branch per plant, number of node per plant and plant diameter correlated positively with seed protein content and negatively with oil content.
Current and regular prices hedonic models for the wine industry
Authors: Ortuzar-Gana J. C. , Alfranca-Burriel O.
Published: November 2013

The purpose of the current research is to address the use of regular price to assess the long term attributes of products in the hedonic model within the Chilean wine industry. Regular price is widely used in marketing, but has not been used to assess the stable characteristics of a product across time. Using regular price when permanent attributes are being assessed allows for the avoidance of potential bias in hedonic functions due to margin changes in the product, and it allows the control of endogenous movements within prices. To show its best performance, we used a store panel that includes a two-year period. Two hedonic functions are constructed. One of them uses transaction price and the other one uses regular price. Regular price function performs better because it displays a better adjustment of the data and its results show that the product’s permanent key characteristics are its most significant attributes.
Agency and property rights theories in agricultural cooperatives: evidence from Spain
Authors: Minguez-Vera A. , Martin-Ugedo J. F. , Arcas-Lario N.
Published: November 2013

This manuscript examines the member-agricultural cooperative relationship from the point of view of the agency and the property rights theories. The sample analysed includes 277 personal surveys completed by members of agricultural cooperatives in the Region of Murcia (Spain). Results show that in all questions related to objectives and level of satisfaction, members value them with an average of 6.9 out of 10 or higher in all cases. For both objectives and satisfaction, the directors and the cooperative members who depend upon agricultural activity for a large percentage of their income have higher scores, compared with non-board members and members who are less dependent on agricultural activity (with a statistical significance of 1% and 5%, respectively). We also find that members who agree in more with the admission of new members, who think it is easy to recover their investments and who want to stay longer in the cooperative are those who are more willing to invest and to exert control. Furthermore, we find that members that prefer to have a participation in the assembly proportional to their contribution and that prefer that the cooperative diversifies more are those who are more willing to invest. In addition, control is favoured by members pertaining to the cooperative for a large period and for those members who think that investing in the cooperative is a high risk and who prefer long-term investments. Finally, directors are more willing to invest and to exert control.
Short communication. Fatty acid composition of lamb fat depots as an origin discriminator
Authors: Juarez M. , Horcada A. , Alcalde M. J. , Aldai N. , Polvillo O. , Valera M. , Molina A.
Published: November 2013

The development of quality labels for different lamb meats makes necessary to implement analytical methodologies to guarantee consumers the origin of the products. Eighty single birth male lambs from five Southern Spain sheep breeds (Grazalema Merino, Churra Lebrijana, Spanish Merino, Montesina and Segureña) were selected for the study and fed according to their traditional production system (with or without weaning). The fatty acid composition of five different depots (intramuscular, intermuscular, subcutaneous, omental and kidney knob) was analyzed by gas chromatography, showing a high variability among lamb types. The lipid profile of single fat depots was not able to assign 100% of the carcasses to their origin, but using the information from two depots (including intramuscular, or combining an external and an internal fat depot) led to a reliability of 100%. Any combination of 3, 4 or 5 depots also obtained 100% correct discrimination.
Species of the Tribe Lamiini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from the Reserva Biológica Alberto Manuel Brenes, San Ramón, Costa Rica
Authors: Esteban-Duran J. R. , Salazar-Rodriguez A. H. , Gonzalez-Nuñez M. , Del Estal-Padillo P. , Castresana-Estrada L.
Published: November 2013

The knowledge of present species in protected areas has a great interest in order to estimate their biodiversity. In this work, we collected samples of the tribe Lamiini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in the Reserva Biológica Alberto Manuel Brenes, San Ramón, Costa Rica. Eleven species of Lamiini were identif ied:Plagiohammus albatus, Plagiohammus elatus, Plagiohammus emanon, Plagiohammus rubefactus, Plagiohammus spinipennis, Deliathis nivea, Deliathis quadritaeniator, Neoptychodes cretatus, Ptychodes politus lecontei, Taeniotes praeclarus, Taeniotes scalatus and Taeniotes xanthostictus. Two of these (P. albatus and P. elatus) are new for the studied area. Figures, descriptions, collection dates and their abundance level are provided from each identified species.
Evaluation of the reaction of sunflower inbred lines and their F1 hybrids to drought conditions using various stress tolerance indices
Authors: Darvishzadeh R. , Pirzad A. , Hatami-Maleki H. , Poormohammad-Kiani S. , Sarrafi A.
Published: November 2013

In this study, 21 genotypes of sunflower ( Helianthus annuus L.) derived from a half diallel cross between six inbred lines were evaluated in both water-stressed and well-watered environments. In each environment, the genotypes were evaluated using a randomized complete block design with three replications. From the grain yield data, drought tolerance indices comprising of stability tolerance index (STI), mean productivity (MP), geometric mean productivity (GMP), harmonic mean (HM), stress susceptibility index (SSI), tolerance index (TOL), yield index (YI) and yield stability index (YSI) were calculated for every genotype. The resulting data were analyzed as obtained from a randomized complete block design. Significant differences among genotypes were observed for all drought tolerance indices except for SSI and YSI. High yield value in non-stress and stress environments was exhibited by genotypes ‘LR4 × LR25’ (14.02 g) and ‘LR25 × C100’ (3.84 g) respectively. The maximum value of STI (0.93), MP (8.72), GMP (6.91) and HM (5.48) indices was by genotype ‘LR4 × LR25’. Correlation coefficients revealed that TOL, MP, GMP, STI, HM, and YI indices could effectively be used for screening of drought tolerant genotypes. Using MP, GMP, HM, TOL, YI and STI indices, genotypes UPGMA classification was done and three clusters were established that paralleled the biplot analysis results. According to results in this study, ‘LR4 × LR25’ is the most drought tolerant genotype which was clustered as group A. We suggest that tolerance indices including MP, GMP and HM are suitable for sunflower drought tolerant genotypes selection.
Short communication. Partial resistance of a cotton mutant to Cotton leaf curl Burewala virus
Authors: Akhtar K. P. , Khan M. K. R. , Ahmad M. , Sarwar N. , Ditta A.
Published: November 2013

Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD), caused by Cotton leaf curl Burewala virus (CLCuBV), is a major constraint for a successful production of cotton in Pakistan. All the available cotton cultivars are susceptible to this virus. Breeding for resistance to CLCuBV is the best tactic to reduce economic losses caused by this virus. In the absence of a resistant source the present investigations were carried out to find out CLCuBV-resistant genotypes by mutagenization. NIAB-111 (female parent) was crossed separately with two male parents, NIAB-999 and CIM-499. The resulting F1 seeds were gamma irradiated. Resistance to CLCuBV was evaluated by visual symptom scoring in the field conditions and in nethouse/greenhouse using whitefly and graft inoculations. Out of 20 mutants tested in M5 generation, one, mutant M-112-59/22 showed partial resistance to CLCuBV, as concluded from its low severity index (SI) of 2.3 and percent disease index (PDI) of 20. M-112-59/22 consistently expressed resistance to CLCuBV in the normal cotton growing season, while it showed a more moderate resistance response when sown late in the field, or under greenhouse conditions following inoculation by whiteflies (SI = 3.3) or graft inoculation (SI= 3.4). The yield per plant of M-112-59/22 was higher than its parents with desirable fiber characteristics even under conducive disease development conditions. These results show that mutant M-112-59/22 is a CLCuBV partially resistant source when yield, fiber quality and response to virus infection are collectively taken into consideration.
Temporal and spatial diversity of the occurrence of atmospheric drought in Poland (1966-2005) and its effect of yield of pickling cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)
Authors: Kalbarczyk R.
Published: November 2013

Counteracting the negative effects of drought in vegetal production should include drought monitoring, determination of drought tolerance and, thus, the assessment of risk, limitations and losses of yield for various species of cultivated plants. The aim of the work was to assess temporal and spatial variability of the occurrence of atmospheric drought in Poland and to determine the risk of cultivation of pickling cucumber caused by this phenomenon. To carry out the task, starting data concerning the marketable and total yield of cucumber, durations of cucumber development stages and also daily atmospheric precipitation totals, collected respectively from 28 experimental stations and 51 meteorological stations through 1966-2005, were used. Atmospheric drought of different intensity: moderate, severe and extreme, in four analysed cucumber development stages was determined on the basis of the standard precipitation index. On the other hand, relationship between cucumber yield and precipitation deficiency in the period of the highest demand for water was determined by means of curvilinear regression analysis. In Poland, drought occurred mostly in the central-western part of the country. In this area, an average decrease in the cucumber total yield amounted to over 12% every 2-3 years, and the marketable yield over 15% every 2 years. The results obtained in the present work can be used in the research concerning the assessment of drought influence on growth, development and crop productivity of other cultivated plants.
Humanização, dignidade, igualdade, liberdade, respeito e tolerância: direitos humanos como conteúdo de sociologia no ensino médio
Authors: Guimarães Elisabeth da Fonseca
Published: November 2013

Os termos humanização, dignidade, igualdade, respeito, liberdade e tolerância são incorporados a linguagem dos estudantes de modo estandardizado. Estampados em camisetas e cartazes, assumem uma variedade de significados de acordo com o favorecimento das circunstâncias. O objetivo deste artigo é trabalhar o significado sociológico de cada concepção, tendo em vista a inserção do tema direitos humanos como conteúdo de Sociologia no nível médio. A experiência docente de professores da disciplina do Distrito Federal e da cidade de Uberlândia se insere na análise, a partir de depoimentos que ajudam a refletir sobre a contribuição dessas concepções como conteúdo de Sociologia.
Antonio Candido de Mello e Souza e Florestan Fernandes: breves perfis
Authors: Spirandelli Claudinei Carlos
Published: November 2013

Este artigo enfoca, de maneira didática, perfis e trajetórias de importantes sociólogos paulistas: Antonio Candido de Mello e Souza e Florestan Fernandes. Nosso texto pretende mostrar suas origens, características de obras, os grupos sob suas lideranças e heranças legadas. Neste artigo, pretendemos uma melhor divulgação desses grandes nomes da sociologia brasileira.
A presidência imperial e o terror de Estado
Authors: Rampinelli Waldir José
Published: November 2013

Resenha: SAXE-FERNÁNDEZ, John Terror e Império: la hegemonia política y econômica de Estados Unidos México, DF: Editora Debate, 2006.
Entre o analítico e o prescritivo: disputas em torno dos direitos humanos
Authors: Kritsch Raquel
Published: November 2013

A temática dos direitos humanos constitui hoje relevante e disseminada matéria de pesquisa. Inúmeros estudiosos das mais variadas correntes de pensamento e filiações políticas têm se debruçado sobre o assunto com enorme paixão – não sem razão. Tal movimento é exatamente o que tem dificultado ao leitor leigo distinguir, no debate acerca dos direitos humanos, argumentos analíticos de abordagens de caráter mais propositivo. O objetivo deste artigo é mostrar àqueles que estão se introduzindo neste tema de pesquisa pelo menos dois diferentes níveis em que a literatura de área aborda a temática dos direitos humanos. Para tanto, utilizase dois exemplos de tratamento do fenômeno: de um lado, uma explicação de natureza analítica-descritiva; e, de outro lado, uma abordagem mais prescritivanormativa. O intuito de tal percurso é permitir ao estudante compreender as diferentes funções de um e de outro tipo de manejo do instrumental teórico conceitual de área.
Para relembrar... Direitos Humanos e povos indígenas
Authors: Acçolini Graziele
Published: November 2013

Este artigo pretende apresentar brevemente casos de povos indígenas ameaçados, como a tragédia que atingiu os Ñambiquara do Mato Grosso ocorrida na década de 1970/80 durante a ditadura militar e a situação de desnutrição e dos suicídios que afligem os índios Guarani Kaiowá, população do Mato Grosso do Sul, considerando-os como casos emblemáticos sobre a questão da diversidade cultural em relação aos direitos humanos. O objetivo é chamar a atenção para as dificuldades enfrentadas pelos povos indígenas como a ocupação e liberação de terras para fins exploratórios, desmatamentos, queimadas e a tomada de posse pelos latifúndios e a monocultura. Vale lembrar que tais questões não dizem respeito apenas aos povos indígenas, elas também abrangem diretamente determinadas populações e a humanidade em geral, pois se constituem problemas de todos nós.
As gramáticas morais da corrupção: aportes para uma sociologia do escândalo
Authors: Lopes Júnior Edmilson
Published: November 2013

Como analisar sociologicamente as práticas de corrupção? Quais aportes teóricos podem ser mobilizados para uma apreensão não essencialista dos escândalos de corrupção? Este artigo aborda estas questões combinando os aportes teóricos da sociologia econômica e da sociologia da moral. A ilustração empírica é dada pelo chamado “Escândalo do Mensalão”, acontecimento que marcou a vida política brasileira na última década. Por fim, faço indicações para uma análise sociológica relacional das práticas de corrupção no Brasil.
Como não se tornar uma peça de museu
Authors: Beck Ulrich
Published: November 2013

Neste ensaio, quero abordar duas questões que surgiram durante a minha leitura do inspirador artigo de Michael Burawoy. Em primeiro lugar, ao compartilhar de sua perspectiva em favor da recriação do conhecimento [enlightenment] sociológico através da diferenciação entre distintos tipos de sociologias públicas, não compartilho, no entanto, do seu otimismo de que a sociologia pode facilmente tornar-se parte integral da prática e do discurso públicos. Em segundo lugar, não acho que a sociologia convencional esteja realmente preparada para tal empreitada. Meu argumento aponta na direção oposta: as diferentes formas de sociologia pública e não pública estão em risco de se tornarem peças de museu. Assim, a sociologia não precisa apenas de publicização [public voice]: ela precisa, antes, ser reinventada – a fim de poder tornar possível, então, sua publicização .
Democracia e participação política: problematizando conceitos e categorias na análise das democracias Latino-Americanas
Authors: Penna Camila
Published: November 2013

O artigo discute os conceitos de democracia e de participação política a partir de diferentes perspectivas, com vistas a assinalar tanto as limitações como as contribuições de alguns destes conceitos para a análise das democracias latino-americanas. Primeiramente o artigo analisa a literatura sobre transição democrática e democratização e aponta as deficiências do conceito de democracia presente nesta literatura, no que tange à análise de processos históricos da América Latina e de processos mais recentes de mobilização social em vários países. Na segunda sessão, o trabalho discute a literatura de democracia participativa contrastando-a com as perspectivas minimalistas de democracia. Argumenta-se que os trabalhos a partir destas perspectivas podem levar a análises incompletas e superficiais do processo de construção democrática na América Latina.
A felicidade e a teoria da ambivalência
Authors: Moura Bruno Azevedo
Published: November 2013

Resenha do livro: BAUMAN, Zygmunt. A Arte da Vida. Rio de Janeiro: Jorge Zahar Editor, 2009.
Unilateral Climate Policy: Can OPEC Resolve the Leakage Problem?
Authors: Bohringer Christoph , Rosendahl Knut Einar , Schneider Jan
Published: November 2013

In the absence of a global agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, individual countries have introduced national climate policies. Unilateral action involves the risk of relocating emissions to regions without climate regulations, i.e., emission leakage. A major channel for leakage are price changes in the international oil market. Previous studies on leakage have assumed competitive behavior in this market. Here, we consider alternative assumptions about OPEC’s behavior in order to assess how these affect leakage and costs of unilateral climate policies. Our results based on simulations with a large-scale computable general equilibrium model of the global economy suggest that assumptions on OPEC’s behavior are crucial to the impact assessment of unilateral climate policy measures. We find that leakage through the oil market may become negative when OPEC is perceived as a dominant producer, thereby reducing overall leakage drastically compared to a setting where the oil market is perceived competitive.
‘Working-Class' Education: Notions of Widening Participation in the Nineteenth and Twenty-First Centuries
Authors: Robinson Denise , Walker Martyn
Published: November 2013

This paper argues that working-class widening participation in education is not necessarily new. While it can be argued that it was established in the late twentieth century as a concept and government strategy, aspects of its origins can be traced back to movements such as the mechanics' institute movement, first established by the 1850s. Such developments provide some evidence of working-class individuals accessing general, vocational, elementary, and even higher education which would otherwise have been denied to them. However, what this paper argues is that, whilst there were some comparable features between the two centuries, others reveal a policy environment and discourse in the twenty-first century that serves to maintain the position of working-class individuals, rather than supporting social mobility. Adult, informal and vocational courses at various levels can provide alternative routes to that of higher education.

It also provides an example of how awareness of historical developments can be illuminating of today's policy discourse.
‘There Was Something about Aspiration’: Widening Participation Policy Affects in England and Australia
Authors: Sellar Sam , Storan John
Published: November 2013

This paper discusses the emergence of aspiration as a keyword linked to higher education equity policy in England and Australia since 1997. Aspiration serves multiple purposes when constructed as a problematic site in which policy must intervene. For example, it can be understood as a vector for new technologies of governance that operate through the production of entrepreneurial dispositions; as a signifier for groups that have experienced upward social mobility; and as a personality trait that correlates with future earnings and thus can be defined as a dimension of human capital. It has also provided a rallying point for equity work in higher education. Focusing on English and Australian policy contexts, as well as the recent education work of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), we examine the different perspectives of a range of stakeholders on the strategy of ‘raising aspiration’ for higher education and how these have changed over time; the partnership work undertaken in the HE systems of both countries under the aegis of aspiration-raising policies; and recent policy developments in both contexts. In particular, we consider how aspiration-focused policies have affective effects on policy actors and seek to control affects directly by modulating feelings about capacities for action in the future. Two data sets provide the empirical basis for the paper: (a) document analysis of major equity policies in England since 1997 and in Australia since 2008, as well as a review of relevant OECD policy documents; and (b) analysis of nine interviews with equity practitioners and policy personnel in England, Australia, and located within the OECD.
The Adult Learner: From a Narrative Perspective
Authors: Barnett Jennifer A.
Published: November 2013

Each year there seems to be an increase in the number of mature students enrolled in my Bachelor of Education (BEd) classes. These mature learners experience stress. As there is a need to better comprehend the experiences of the adult learner enrolled in a one-year intensive tertiary education programme, I enrolled in university as a student, and kept a journal as a Narrative research source. I experienced insecurity, loneliness, excitement, a sense of selfishness; I questioned what I was doing, learned a new language, and became an explorer. I became a better teacher because of this experience.
Longwy: Higher Education and Health Mobilised in the Process of Regeneration
Authors: Hardouin Magali , Goff Erwan le
Published: November 2013

For almost a century, Longwy has been one of the most important industrial areas of France, contributing the majority of the national production of cast iron and steel. The objective of this paper is to analyse how higher education, then health and well-being were mobilised in the process of regeneration of Longwy, which had been very harshly affected by the industrial changes of the 1980s. It also questions, transversally, the positioning of Longwy with regard to its border situation. The article shows that the local left-wing authorities put forward higher education as a crucial element of regeneration and by contrast the right-wing mayor who succeeded this administration linked the concept to health benefits for the city.
Community Engagement, Globalisation, and Restorative Action: Approaching Systems and Research in the Universities
Authors: Hoppers Catherine A. Odora
Published: November 2013

It is clear that there is a wide range of arguments that reflect varying degrees of disaffection with the university worldwide. A great deal of understandable effort is directed at the impact of globalisation, especially the way it is making universities engage in academic capitalism (Slaughter and Leslie, 1997). The alternative arguments emphasise democratic internal governance and external community service driven by the goals of social equity, democratic values, and concern for the public good. Currie and Subotsky (2000) referring to the South African situation, caution that without exploring the basis upon which reconstructive community development can be institutionally operationalised, the twin goals of global and redistributive development will remain unsolved. They point out the overinvestment in accounting for the new organisational and epistemological features of the ‘market’ university, policy and academic debates that are silent on the corresponding features of the reconstructive development function of higher education, especially in light of the widening disparity between conventional academic practices and societal needs. This paper argues that the depth of that chasm between universities and society reveals stories of death, humiliation, denigration, racism, and epistemological disenfranchisement. The new social contract to be contemplated should take into account the factor of amnesia and the concomitant factor of the relevance of historical memory. Community engagement, reconstituted in the twenty-first century, should be capable of leading the countries of the Third World into new conceptual and methodological beginnings.
Use of Micro-Computed Tomography for Dental Studies in Modern and Fossil Odontocetes: Potential Applications and Limitations
Authors: Loch Carolina , Schwass Donald R , Kieser Jules A , Fordyce R Ewan
Published: November 2013

Teeth are important elements in studies of modern and fossil Cetacea (whales, dolphins), providing information on feeding habits, estimations of age and phylogenetic relationships. The growth layer groups (GLGs) recorded in dentine have demonstrated application for aging studies, but also have the potential to elucidate life history phenomena such as metabolic or physiologic events. Micro-Computed Tomography (Micro-CT) is a non-invasive and non-destructive technique that allows 3-dimensional study of mineralized tissues, such as human teeth, and their physical properties. Teeth from extant dolphins (Cetacea: Odontoceti) and some fossil odontocetes were scanned in a Skyscan 1172 Micro-CT desktop system. X-rays were generated at 100 kV and 100 µA for extant samples, and at 80kV and 124 µA for fossils. 0.5 mm thick aluminum and copper filters were used in the beam. Reconstructed images were informative for most extant species, showing a good resolution of the enamel layer, dentine and pulp cavity. Greyscale changes in the dentinal layers were not resolved enough to show GLGs. Visualization of the internal structure in fossil cetacean teeth depended on the degree of diagenetic alteration in the specimen; undifferentiated enamel and dentine regions probably reflect secondary mineralization. However, internal details were finely resolved for one fossil specimen, showing the enamel, internal layers of dentine and the pulp cavity. Micro-CT has been proven to be a useful tool for resolving the internal morphology of fossil and extant teeth of cetaceans before they are sectioned for other morphological analyses; however some methodological refinements are still necessary to allow better resolution of dentine for potential application in non-destructive age determination studies.
Status of the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) along the Murman coast of Russia
Authors: Zyryanov Sergey V , Egorov Sergey A
Published: November 2013

Harbour seals are observed along the Murmansk coast of Russia, but they are not very abundant there. The estimated abundance for this area was about 500 individuals in 1998. The number of seals observed during winter months is less than during summer. During summer, the main habitats are the Pechenga inlet, the Motovsky and Kola Bays of the Western Murman coast and the Ivanovskaya Bay in the Eastern Murman coast. The Ivanovskaya Bay was thought to be the easternmost breeding colony of the subspecies Phoca vitulina vitulina. However, recent sightings may indicate the establishment of a breeding site further to the east, which then becomes the easternmost known habitat for this subspecies. A substantial, recent decrease in abundance has been observed in the Ivanovskaya Bay. The population numbered about 120 seals in the early 1990s, but only about 20 seals were seen in 2007 and 2008. It is presumed that the reasons for this reduction include hunting, fishery by-catch, disturbance and depletion of the food supply in this semi-enclosed inlet. A gender-specific daily activity pattern was observed in the IvanovskayaBay. The highest number of single animals (primarily adult males) hauled out during mid day, while hauled out females with pups showed two peaks per day associated with low tides.
Population development and status of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the Wadden Sea
Authors: Reijnders Peter JH , Brasseur Sophie MJM , Tougaard Svend , Seibert Ursula , Borchardt Thomas , Stede Michael
Published: November 2013

An index for the condition of a population should include a measure of the recuperative power or resilience of the population in question. This measure needs to cover both the demographic and physiological condition of the population. Applied to the harbour seal population in the Wadden Sea we therefore address respectively the population development and distribution, and its health condition, and relate these to environmental conditions. The harbour seal population has been severely depleted by hunting in the first half of the 20th century. After hunting was stopped in the mid-1970s the population recovered gradually. This recovery was twice interrupted by Phocine Distemper Virus (PDV) outbreaks in 1988 and 2002. These PDV-epizootics reduced the population by 57% and 50% respectively. They also lead to changes in age and sex structure of the population, which gradually returned to a stable age-structure. Despite the reduction in population size by respectively 57% and 50%, the population showed a strong recovery with a growth rate close to the considered maximum possible for this species. The observed changes in the distribution of the population over the 4 sub-regions indicate that distribution is not a static phenomenon. Long term field and pathological investigations point out that the general health status of the population has improved, particularly that of newborn seals (0-6months old). The increasing prevalence of parasites in lungs and intestine warrants continued monitoring of the health status of seals. This is especially relevant in view of the exponential increase of the population, which may finally approach the carrying capacity of the area. Concluding, we canstate that the condition of the population in terms of demographic and health parameters is satisfactory. The best guarantee for maintaining such a favourable conservation status is to abstain from human interferences (e.g. rescue, rehabilitation and release) with natural population processes. However, in practice there is increasing exploitation of marine waters. This requires a continuous monitoring of the potential impacts on the population, particularly of the effect on foraging and migratory behaviour.
Historical trend in harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) abundance in Iceland back to the year 1912
Authors: Hauksson Erlingur , Einarsson Sólmundur T
Published: November 2013

The harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) is Iceland’s most abundant seal and has likely been exploited since the settlement of the country. Detailed information on skin exports is available as far back as 1912, and suggests that the catch, consisting mainly of pups, was far higher in the early 20th century than now. Assuming that skin exports were proportional to catches, these data were used to back-calculate the size of the Icelandic harbour seal population to the year 1912. The results indicate that the harbour seal population was considerably larger in the early 19th century than at present, about 60,000 (90% CI:40-100) animals. Aerial surveys conducted since 1980 indicate that the population has declined from 33,000 (90% CI:26,000-44,000) animals in 1980 to about 12,000 (90% CI:9,000-16,000) animals in 2006. The population time series suggests thatthe stock began to decline rapidly around 1960 and continued to decrease until 2003. In the period 1980 - 2003, the population declined even though reported catches were relatively low. Harvest rate had probably been about 10% before 1960. Between 1960 and 1980 the reported harvest rate increased to about 13%, but unknown numbers of adult seals were also taken as by-catch and shot in defence of salmon rivers. Since 2003, total removals have decreased and the population decline appears to have ceased. Entanglements in fishing gear and other incidental unreported hunting could increase again in the future. Therefore, the population must be monitored on a regular basis, and better information on by-catch and other unreported harvest is needed.
A review of the status of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the Northeast United States of America
Authors: Waring Gordon T , Gilbert James R , Belden Dana , Van Atten Amy , DiGiovanni Jr Robert A
Published: November 2013

We conducted a review of the literature and unpublished databases to describe the distribution, abundance, ecology and status of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina concolor) in U.S. Atlantic waters. The harbour seal is the most abundant and widespread seal species in this area. Since passage of the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, the number of harbour seals observed during the pupping season in this region has increased from about 10,500 animals in 1981 to 38,000 animals in 2001 (uncorrected counts), an average annual rate of 6.6%. This increase has beenrelatively consistent over the 20 years, and there is no indication that the population size has stabilized. Correspondingly, the seasonal distribution has expanded and interactions between seals and anthropogenic activities have increased.
Monitoring trends in the abundance of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in Icelandic waters
Authors: Hauksson Erlingur
Published: November 2013

Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) numbers along the coast of Iceland were monitored by aerial survey in the period 1980-2006. Trends in the abundance of the harbour seal population on the whole coast and in coastal regions of Iceland waters were estimated using ANCOVA on the survey counts, corrected for the influence of several covariates. Harbour seals were found in every coastal area, but were most abundant in Faxaflói, Breiðafjörður and on the northwest coast inthe beginning of this study. Harbour seal numbers declined significantly at a rate of rest = -0.04 (SE 0.005) yr-1 during this period. Decline was highest in Faxaflói and at the south coast (≅7%), while the east coast experienced a significant but lesser (≅1%) decline. Other coastal areas did not show significant trends. The northwest coast was the richest harbour seal area in Iceland in 2006. In Icelandic waters seals are commercially harvested, and unreported but probably high numbers of harbour seals are killed intentionally by shooting and accidentally in fishing geareach year. These factors likely contributed to the overall observed decline in seal numbers.
Winter habitat use of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) fitted with Fastloc™GPS/GSM tags in two tidal bays in France
Authors: Vincent Cécile , McConnell Bernie J , Delayat Stéphanie , Elder Jean-François , Gautier Gérard , Ridoux Vincent
Published: November 2013

Winter movements and habitat use of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) were investigated in two tidal bays in France, at the southern limit of their species range in the Northeast Atlantic. We fitted 15 seals with Fastloc™GPS/GSMtags in the Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel (BMSM) and the Baie des Veys (BDV). Tags relayed 20.6±7.1 GPS locations per seal-day, 81% of all dives performed by the seals and 87% of haulouts, during an average tracking duration of 108±56 days. One seal travelled 380 km away from the BMSM but the other seals remained stationary, with 95% and 55% of at-sea locations ≤ 5 km from the haulout sites in BMSM and BDV respectively. Home range sizes were 137 and 161 km² in BMSM and BDV, and core areas’ sizes, 35 and 22 km² respectively. The seals remained very coastally in both sites with 93% and 71% of at-sea locations located in the intertidal zone of BMSM and BDV respectively. Accordingly, dives were shallow with 63% and 61% of dive maximum depths <4 m and 94% and 88% <10 m (in BMSM and BDV respectively). Preferred foraging areas were located in tidal channels in BMSM, sometimes in the vicinity of rocks or mussel farms. In BDV one seal made foraging trips 10-15 km offshore but all other seals repeatedly used coastal areas, often foraging around mussel farms, shipwrecks or intertidal rocks in tidal currents. We suggest that the importance of the tides combined with local features of the topography allow seals to predict prey availability, driving their foraging strategies towards a number of specific coastal areas. These results further illustrate the behavioural plasticity of the species according to habitat and environmental conditions. Fastloc™ GPS/GSM telemetry is particularly well adapted for the study of seals’ habitat use at a fine geographical and temporal scale, as long as they occasionally come close to shore within GSM coverage.
Haulout behaviour of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) during breeding and moult in Vesterålen, Norway
Authors: Mogren Hanne-Grethe , Lindstrøm Ulf , Nilssen Kjell Tormod , Haug Tore
Published: November 2013

Haulout behaviour of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in Vesterålen, Norway, was investigated from1 July to 23 August 2003 using a combination of high- and low-tide counts performed from boat and elevated land positions, and hourly counts from the land positions through 12- or 24-h cycles at specific haulout sites. There were obvious contrasts in haulout patterns of the seals throughout the period. The number of seals hauled-out was considerably higher in the area in July (the pupping period) than during August when the moulting period started. Contrasting July, when numbers of seals hauled-out at low tide was clearly higher than at high tide, there were virtually no systematic differences in haulout numbers between high and low tides in August. Circadian patterns were weaker in August than in July as well. Low temperatures had significant adverse effects on haulout numbers both in July and August, whereas increased cloud cover resulted in fewer seals hauled-out in July, but more seals in August.
A note on seal watching in the Northeast United States
Authors: DiGiovanni Jr Robert A , Sabrosky Amber M
Published: November 2013

A note on seal watching in the Northeast United States
Density surface fitting to estimate the abundance of humpback whales based on the NASS-95 and NASS- 2001 aerial and shipboard surveys
Authors: Paxton Charles GM , Burt M Louise , Hedley Sharon L , Víkingsson Gísli A , Gunnlaugsson Thorvaldur , Desportes Geneviève
Published: November 2013

Generalized additive models (GAMs) with spatially referenced covariates were fitted to data collected during the 1995 and 2001 Icelandic (shipboard and aerial) and Faroese (shipboard only) components of the North Atlantic Sightings Surveys (NASS-95 and NASS-2001). The shipboard surveys extended from the east coast of Greenland, around Iceland, down to an area along the west coast ofIreland (in 1995) and to the north of the United Kingdom (in 2001). In contrast, the aerial surveys were limited to Icelandic coastal waters only. The aim of the analysis was to predict density, and hence abundance, of humpback whales throughout the survey regions and also to establish if there was any evidence that humpback whale density was related to sea surface temperature or depth.Fitting GAMs to the 1995 data proved problematic and so various subsets of the data were used in an attempt to improve the model fitting. Such difficulties did not occur with the 2001 data. Confidence intervals (CIs) for the abundance estimates were estimated using bootstrap sampling methods.The estimated humpback whale abundance for the region covered by the aerial and shipboard surveys in 1995 was 10,521 (95% CI: 3,716–24,636) using all available data and 7,625 (3,641–22,424) if survey blocks with 0 sightings around the Faroes and south of 60˚ N where no humpback whales were detected were excluded from the analysis. The estimate for the total survey region in 2001 was 14,662 (9,441–29,879). The high upper bounds of the confidence intervals were thought to be caused by a paucity of effort over wide areas of the survey leading to interpolation. Overall, the uncertainty associated with these abundance estimates was approximately equal to, or greater than, that associated with a stratified distance analysis. Given these wide CIs the evidence for a substantial difference in abundance between years was equivocal. However there was evidence to suggest that humpback whales congregated in shallower waters between 6–8˚C.
Status of Baltic grey seals: Population assessment and extinction risk
Authors: Harding Karin C , Härkönen Tero , Helander Björn , Karlsson Olle
Published: November 2013

The grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) population in the Baltic Sea is recovering after a century of bounty hunting and 3 decades of low fertility rates caused by environmental pollution. A conservative estimate of the population size in 2003 was 19,400 animals, and available data suggest an annual rate of increase of 7.5% since 1990. The growing population has led to increased interactions with the fishery, and demands are being raised for the re-introduction of the hunt. We provide a demographic analysis and a risk assessment of the population, and make recommendations on how to decrease the risk of over exploitation. Although hunting increases the risk of quasi-extinction, the risk can be significantly reduced by the choice of a cautious hunting regime. The least hazardous regimes allow no hunting below a ‘security level’ in population size. Obviously, to implement such a hunting regime detailed knowledge of the population size and growth rate is required. It is not possible to estimate “true” risks for quasi-extinction, but we used an approach where the relative difference for different scenarios can be compared. With a security level at 5,000 females, the population quasi-extinction risk increases 50 fold at an annual hunt of 500 females compared with a scenario with no hunting. The risk of quasi-extinction is very sensitive to declines in the mean growth rate and to increased variance in growth rate. The variance in the population estimates over the last 14 years imply that it would take 9 years to detect a declinefrom 1.075 to 1.027 in the rate of population increase. We also show how the age composition of killed animals influences the impact of the hunt. The overall recommendation is that hunting should be kept to a minimum, carefully documented and accompanied by close population monitoring.
2002 Aerial Surveys of Grey Seals in the Northeastern United States
Authors: Wood Stephanie A , Brault Solange , Gilbert James R
Published: November 2013

In the past 20 years, grey seals have become established in coastal waters of the Northeastern United States. There are 3 sites where pupping and breeding occurs in January and February, 2 in Maine and 1 in Massachusetts. In 2002 we recorded a minimum of 1,040 pups born, primarily on Muskeget Island in Massachusetts. Pupping peaks in January on Muskeget Island but is significantly later on the 2 islands in Maine. A total of 3,326 grey seals (adults, juveniles and pups) were counted.
Estimates of the size of the Baltic grey seal population based on photo-identification data
Authors: Hiby Lex , Lundberg Torkel , Karlsson Olle , Watkins John , Jüssi Mart , Jüssi Ivar , Helander Björn
Published: November 2013

The size of the year 2000 summer population of grey seals in the Baltic Sea was estimated using identification of individual seals from photographs taken over a period of 6 years. Photos were taken at haul-out sites within all major grey seal areas in the semi-closed Baltic Sea. The point estimate is 15,631, based on a value for annual survival of identification markings of 0.904, which was also estimated using the photo-id data, with 95% confidence limits from 9,592 to 19,005. The estimate is subject to an unknown, but probably small, upward bias resulting from the risk of failure to identify all individuals in the photographs used for the analysis. An estimated minimum of 15,950 seals were counted at moulting haul-outs in 2003, which thus provides a lower bound on the population size in that year and represents 80% of the photo-id point estimate.
Recoveries of grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) tagged on the Murman coast in Russia
Authors: Henriksen Gunnar , Haug Tore , Kondakov Andrej , Nilssen Kjell Tormod , Øritsland Torger
Published: November 2013

A total of 612 grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) pups were tagged on the Murman coast, Russia, in the years 1991, 1992 and 1994. A majority of them (542) were tagged at the Ainov archipelago. Thirty-one (2.9%) of the tagged seals have been recovered, mainly (77%) as bycatches in fishing gear. The majority of recaptures (74%) were made during the first year after tagging, while the oldest recaptured seal was 10 years old. Only 1 recapture, at Ainov, was made in the area were the seals had been tagged, otherwise distances between tagging and recaptures varied from less than 100 km to more than 1,000 km. All recaptures were made north of 68°N.
Surface production fuels deep heterotrophic respiration in northern peatlands
Authors: Elizabeth Corbett J. , Burdige David J. , Tfaily Malak M. , Dial Angela R. , Cooper William T. , Glaser Paul H. , Chanton Jeffrey P.
Published: November 2013

Multiple analyses of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from pore waters were conducted to define the processes that govern carbon balance in peatlands: (1) source, reactivity, and transport of DOC with respect to vegetation, peat, and age of carbon substrate, (2) reactivity of DOC with respect to molecular size, and (3) lability to photoxidation of surficial DOC. We found that surface organic production fuels heterotrophic respiration at depth in advection‐dominated peatlands, especially in fens. Fen DOC was Δ14C enriched relative to the surrounding fen peat, and fen respiration products were similar to this enriched DOC indicating that DOC was the main microbial substrate. Bog DOC was more variable showing either enrichment in ∆14C at depth or ∆14C values that follow peat values. This variability in bogs is probably controlled by the relative importance of vertical transport of labile carbon substrates within the peat profile versus DOC production from bog peat. These results extended our set of observations to 10 years at one bog‐fen pair and add two additional bog‐fen pairs to our series of observations. Anaerobic incubations of peat, rinsed free of residual DOC, produced DOC and respiration products that were strikingly similar to the peat values in a bog and two fens. This result demonstrated conclusively that downward advection is the process responsible for the presence of modern DOC found at depth in the peat column. Fen DOC has lower C/N values and up to twice as much LMW (<1 kDa) DOC as bogs due to differences in organic inputs and greater microbial processing. Fluorescence irradiation experiments showed that fen DOC is more photolabile than bog DOC.