bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Seven forms of rarity in mammals
Authors: Yu Jinping , Dobson F. Stephen 
Published: March 2003

AbstractConservation biologists have identified threats to the survival of about a quarter of the mammalian species; to identify patterns of rarity and commonness of mammals, we studied a global sample of 1212 species (about 28% of the mammals) using the ‘7 forms of rarity’ model (in which species are roughly divided into above and below the median for local population density, species’ range area, and number of habitat types).From a niche‐based hypothesis of abundance and distribution, we predicted that mammals would exhibit a bimodal pattern of rarity and commonness, with an overabundance of species in the relatively rarest and most common categories; and just such a significant bimodal pattern emerged, with over a quarter of the species classified as exceedingly rare and a further quarter very common, supporting the niche‐based hypothesis.Orders that include large mammals, including perissodactyls, primates, diprotodonts, and carnivores, exhibited significantly high proportions of relatively rare species; and tropical zoogeographic regions, especially Indomalaya, had relatively high proportions of species in the rarest category.Significant biases in the available data on mammals included under‐sampling of small species like rodents and bats, and a relative paucity of data on zoogeographic regions outside of North America and Australia.Mammalian species listed as of conservation concern by the IUCN occurred in all cells of the model, indicating that even relatively common species can be listed as threatened under some conditions; but we also found that sixty‐three species were relatively rare in all three criteria of the 7‐forms model but were not listed as threatened, indicating potential candidates for further study.Mammals may be a group of animals where rarity or commonness is a natural aspect of species biology, both confirming and perhaps partly explaining the large proportion of mammals assigned threatened status.
Mammalian responses to Middle Holocene climatic change in the Great Basin of the western United States
Authors: Grayson Donald K. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractIn spite of decades of intense research directed toward understanding the climates and ecology of the Great Basin (western United States) during the past 10,000 years, the responses of mammals to the extreme aridity of the Middle Holocene (c. 8000–5000 years ago) in this region have been poorly understood. Using a well‐dated small mammal sequence from Homestead Cave, north‐central Utah, I show that the Middle Holocene small mammal faunas of this area underwent a decrease in species richness and evenness, driven largely by a series of local extinctions and near‐extinctions coupled with a dramatic increase in the abundance of taxa well‐adapted to xeric conditions. At the end of this period, some taxa that require relatively mesic habitats began to increase in abundance immediately, others did not rebound in abundance until several thousand years later, while still others have not returned at all. This suite of responses has been difficult to detect because climatic change at the beginning of the Middle Holocene was so much more substantial than that which occurred toward its end.
Latitudinal distribution of body size in north‐eastern Pacific marine bivalves
Authors: Roy Kaustuv , Martien Karen K. 
Published: March 2003

AimTo understand the latitudinal patterns in body size distributions of north‐eastern Pacific bivalves, as well as the factors influencing those patterns.LocationsThe north‐eastern Pacific continental shelf from 5 °S latitude to 70 °N latitude.MethodsWe used data on the body size and latitudinal ranges of 915 species of north‐eastern Pacific marine bivalves to test for the presence of interspecific latitudinal size trends. We tested for trends in both mean body size as well as variance in body size using randomization tests.ResultsOverall, there is no significant linear relationship between either mean size or variance in size and latitude. Rather, there is a mid‐latitude trough and peak in mean body size and variance in body size, respectively, with changes in the sign of the correlations occurring at provincial boundaries. A significant decreasing trend in mean size with latitude exists within the tropical Panamic province. In contrast, variance in body size shows a significant increasing trend with latitude within the tropics, and a significant decreasing trend with latitude in the cold temperate and Arctic provinces. For north‐eastern Pacific bivalves, latitudinal trends in mean body size and variance in body size show very little correlation with latitudinal trends in species richness. Close to an order of magnitude difference in species numbers between tropical and polar latitudes does not appear to significantly affect either mean size or variance in size. Changes in mean body size associated with biogeographic boundaries are significantly larger than changes elsewhere along the range.Main conclusionsThe spatial distribution of major environmental barriers along the north‐eastern Pacific margin plays a major role in structuring the latitudinal distribution of body size in marine bivalves along this coast.
Allozyme variation in Polyommatus coridon (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae): identification of ice‐age refugia and reconstruction of post‐glacial expansion
Authors: Schmitt Thomas , Seitz Alfred 
Published: March 2003

AimThe effects of glacial disjunctions on intraspecific differentiations are in the focus of phylogeographical studies. Several studies investigate the consequences of post‐glacial expansions from glacial refugia on the composition within major genetic lineages.Location and methodsWe analysed the geographical pattern of allozyme variation of twenty loci of Polyommatus coridon (Poda, 1761) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) from thirty‐six localities spread throughout large regions of its European range. A total of 1566 individuals were analysed.ResultsWe obtained a significant genetic differentiation (FST 0.060 ± 0.007). Further analyses showed a division into two major genetic lineages with a mean genetic distance (Nei, 1978) of 0.041 (± 0.010 SD). Applying an AMOVA, more than three quarters of the variance between populations was between these lineages and less than one quarter within these lineages. Both genetic lineages showed a significant decline in the number of alleles from southern to northern populations. Furthermore, we found a contact zone of these two major genetic lineages in eastern Central Europe extending throughout north‐eastern Germany, then following the mountain regions along the Czech‐German border and passing through the eastern Alps in a north–south direction.Main conclusionsWe assume that this differentiation evolved during the last ice‐age as a result of isolation in the Adriato‐ and the Ponto‐Mediterranean region. The loss of genetic diversity from the south to the north within both lineages reflects the decline of diversity during the post‐glacial expansion.
Birds of paradise, vicariance biogeography and terrane tectonics in New Guinea
Authors: Heads Michael 
Published: March 2003

AimThe subspecies of Paradisaeidae are mapped and the distribution patterns correlated with aspects of New Guinea tectonics.LocationNew Guinea, the northern Moluccas, and north‐eastern Australia.MethodsPanbiogeographical analysis (Crawet al., 1999).ResultsPteridophora,Loboparadisaea,Parotia carolaeand others are notably absent from the Vogelkop, Huon and Papuan Peninsulas, accreted terranes in the north and east of New Guinea. Coupled with this, putative sister taxa in each ofAstrapia,ParotiaandParadisaeashow massively disjunct affinities between the Vogelkop and Huon Peninsulas:Astrapia nigra(Vogelkop) andA. rothschildi(Huon Peninsula);Parotia sefilata(Vogelkop) andP. wahnesi(Huon); andParadisaea rubra(Western Papuan Islands by the Vogelkop) andP. guilielmi(Huon Peninsula). In the last two species the males have oil‐green throat coloration extending above the eye to cover the front of the crown, the eye is reddish‐brown not yellow, the rectrices are longer and the inner vane of the outermost primaries is not emarginate.Main conclusionsThe disjunct affinities among the accreted terranes (Vogelkop, Huon, etc.), together with the absences there of groups likePteridophora, are incompatible with usual dispersal models of New Guinea biogeography, but are compatible with recent analyses of vicariance biogeography and terrane tectonics (Michaux, 1994;Flannery, 1995;de Boer & Duffels, 1996a,b; Polhemus, 1996;Polhemus & Polhemus, 1998). Birds of paradise are sedentary forest dwellers with small home ranges and are tolerant of disturbance, and so it is suggested that populations have been caught in the dramatic geological movements (lateral and vertical) of different parts of New Guinea and this has led to fragmentation and juxtaposition of ranges, as well as altitudinal anomalies.
Spatial and temporal pattern of white spruce regeneration within mixed‐grass prairie in the Spruce Woods Provincial Park of Manitoba
Authors: Chhin Sophan , Wang G. Geoff 
Published: March 2003

AimThirty white spruce [Picea glauca (Moench) Voss] islands were sampled to study the temporal and spatial pattern of white spruce regeneration at its southern limit of distribution.LocationThe study was conducted within three mixed‐grass prairies in the Spruce Woods Provincial Park (SWPP) of south‐western Manitoba.MethodsWhite spruce seedlings, saplings and trees were mapped and measured in relation to eight sectors and five zones delimited by four transect lines extending through the centre of each island oriented north to south, west to east, north‐west to south‐east and north‐east to south‐west.ResultsTemporal patterns of regeneration were negatively correlated with July temperature at the time of establishment and up to 30 years after establishment. Height growth of seedlings and saplings were also negatively correlated with July temperature. Seedlings, saplings and trees were concentrated on the north vs. south aspect and within 4–12 m from the island centre. Seedlings grew almost exclusively in association with creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis Moench).Main conclusionsResults of the study suggest that white spruce recruitment and growth reflect past climatic variation, and microclimatic and microsite conditions promoting soil moisture retention and/or fire risk reduction facilitate white spruce germination and establishment.
Large‐scale phytogeographical patterns in East Asia in relation to latitudinal and climatic gradients
Authors: Qian Hong , Song Jong‐Suk , Krestov Pavel , Guo Qinfeng , Wu Zemin , Shen Xiansheng , Guo Xiaosi 
Published: March 2003

AbstractAim  This paper aims at determining how different floristic elements (e.g. cosmopolitan, tropical, and temperate) change with latitude and major climate factors, and how latitude affects the floristic relationships between East Asia and the other parts of the world.Location  East Asia from the Arctic to tropical regions, an area crossing over 50° of latitudes and covering the eastern part of China, Korea, Japan and the eastern part of Russia.Methods  East Asia is divided into forty‐five geographical regions. Based on the similarity of their world‐wide distributional patterns, a total of 2808 indigenous genera of seed plants found in East Asia were grouped into fourteen geographical elements, belonging to three major categories (cosmopolitan, tropical and temperate). The 50°‐long latitudinal gradient of East Asia was divided into five latitudinal zones, each of c. 10°. Phytogeographical relationships of East Asia to latitude and climatic variables were examined based on the forty‐five regional floras.Results  Among all geographical and climatic variables considered, latitude showed the strongest relationship to phytogeographical composition. Tropical genera (with pantropical, amphi‐Pacific tropical, palaeotropical, tropical Asia–tropical Australia, tropical Asia–tropical Africa and tropical Asia geographical elements combined) accounted for c. 80% of the total genera at latitude 20°N and for c. 0% at latitude 55–60°N. In contrast, temperate genera (including holarctic, eastern Asia–North America, temperate Eurasia, temperate Asia, Mediterranean, western Asia to central Asia, central Asia and eastern Asia geographical elements) accounted for 15.5% in the southernmost latitude and for 80% at 55–60°N, from where northward the percentage tended to level off. The proportion of cosmopolitan genera increased gradually with latitude from 5% at the southernmost latitude to 21% at 55–60°N, where it levelled off northward. In general, the genera present in a more northerly flora are a subset of the genera present in a more southerly flora.Main conclusions  The large‐scale patterns of phytogeography in East Asia are strongly related to latitude, which covaries with several climatic variables such as temperature. Evolutionary processes such as the adaptation of plants to cold climates and current and past land connections are likely responsible for the observed latitudinal patterns.
Continental rain forest fragments in Singapore resist invasion by exotic plants
Authors: Teo Debbie H. L. , Tan Hugh T. W. , Corlett Richard T. , Wong Choong Min , Lum Shawn K. Y. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract Aim  In general, the plant communities of oceanic islands suffer more from exotic plant invasions than their continental equivalents. At least part of this difference may be contributed by differences in non‐biological factors, such as the antiquity and intensity of human impacts and the absence of internal barriers to dispersal, rather than differences in inherent invasibility. We tested the resistance of species‐rich continental rain forests to plant invasion on a small, continental island that has been subject to prolonged and intensive human impact.Location  Singapore is a 683‐km2 equatorial island <1 km from the Asian mainland and with a population of 4 million people. It has a continental biota but has been subject to human impacts as intense as on any oceanic island.Methods  We sampled twenty‐nine sites in seven vegetation types, ranging from urban wasteland to fragments of primary lowland rain forest. In each sample plot, all plant species were identified, exotic cover was estimated, and a range of environmental variables measured. Additional qualitative surveys for exotic invasion were made in other forest areas in Singapore. The data were analysed by Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.Results  The number of exotic species recorded at a site was unrelated to the number of native species. Across all sites, percentage canopy opening had the highest correlation with the number of exotic species, while soil pH (which largely reflects the incorporation of calcareous construction wastes) had the highest correlation if the mangrove sites were excluded. There were no exotics in mangrove forest and only a tropical American, bird‐dispersed shrub, Clidemia hirta (L.) D. Don (Melastomataceae: Koster's Curse), in primary and tall secondary forest patches. The species‐poor early stages of woody plant succession on highly degraded soils were also very resistant to exotic plant invasion.Main conclusions  Long‐isolated rain forest fragments in an exotic‐dominated continental island landscape resist invasion by exotic plants, suggesting that the problems on oceanic islands may reflect an inherently greater invasibility. This study also adds to the increasing evidence that the floras of tropical rain forest fragments in South‐east Asia are remarkably resilient on a time‐scale of decades to a century or more.
Plant collecting spread and densities: their potential impact on biogeographical studies in Thailand
Authors: Parnell J. A. N. , Simpson D. A. , Moat J. , Kirkup D. W. , Chantaranothai P. , Boyce P. C. , Bygrave P. , Dransfield S. , Jebb M. H. P. , Macklin J. , Meade C. , Middleton D. J. , Muasya A. M. , Prajaksood A. , Pendry C. A. , Pooma R. , Suddee S. , Wilkin P. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractAimsTo produce representative aggregate maps of plant collection locations in Thailand and discuss their impact on biogeographical studies in Thailand and the surrounding region.LocationThailand.MethodsA representative data set comprising 6593 plant specimen records for Thailand has been assembled. The data set contains ± all known collections for fifteen representative plant families and further records for another 104. All records are localized to Changwat (province), 6441 to at least quarter degree square.ResultsAnalysis shows that the spread of collecting activity in Thailand is markedly uneven; 20% of collections come from a single Changwat (Chiang Mai) and 53% of Changwat have fifty or fewer collections. The distribution of collections by Changwat and by quarter degree square is erratic with most squares and Changwat having few collections, both in proportionate and absolute terms. Some of the most densely forested Changwats and squares appear undercollected. Distribution maps for common, easily recognized tree species in the genusSyzygiumshow distributional gaps.ConclusionsThailand is defined as an undercollected country. Even within the few well‐collected quarter degree squares the spread of collecting is still poor; almost all collections being localized to one of three mountain ranges or their foothills. There are many gaps in collecting activity which make impossible a straightforward interpretation of biogeographical pattern. It is argued that targeted collecting activity is needed, that assembly of this type of data set is therefore essential and that our data set and its interpretation is a model for all countries in the region.
Developing an audit tool for primary nursing
Authors: RYAN ASSUMPTA A. , LOGUE HUGH F. 
Published: March 2003

• Despite the proliferation of research on primary nursing, most studies have investigated the effects of primary nursing on quality of care, job satisfaction and collegial relationships.• Few researchers have attempted to isolate the key dimensions of primary nursing in an observable and measurable form.• The purpose of this exploratory study was to devise an audit tool for primary nursing that builds on Mead's research and incorporates views of patients/clients, relatives, nurses and other members of the multidisciplinary team.• Preliminary findings suggest that the audit is a useful indicator of the extent to which the crucial elements of primary nursing are present or absent in any clinical setting.• Furthermore it suggests that while many wards claim to practise primary nursing there is a considerable variation in the extent to which this is actually carried out.
Priorities for mental health and learning disability nurse education in the UK: a case study
Authors: NORMAN IAN J. 
Published: March 2003

• The closure of psychiatric and mental handicap hospitals, the emphasis on community rather than hospital care and the distinction between health and social care for people in the community, with its funding implications, have demanded that mental health and learning disability nurses face the challenges of developing new skills and new ways of working.• In this paper the findings of a study funded by the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (ENB) are reported. This study explored the impact of these reforms on nurses and their practice, and identified the educational needs of mental health and learning disability nurses that have changed as a result.• The study took a multiple‐case study approach and involved interviews with 22 `key informants' and 88 mental health and 59 learning disability stakeholders in six sites, three in each nursing specialty.• Inductive analysis of the interview data revealed 20 categories which summarize the major issues facing the two nursing specialties.• These categories are discussed under seven themes and issues for nurse education are raised.
The psychological impact of working in emergencies and the role of debriefing
Authors: ROBBINS IAN 
Published: March 2003

• It has been suggested that there are three major disasters each week world‐wide of such a magnitude that local services are overwhelmed.• Nurses are frequently involved in assisting in emergencies.• This paper reviews current work looking at the impact of working in emergency settings and overseas humanitarian aid work.• There is evidence that being at a disaster site or overseas humanitarian operation can be psychologically damaging.• Strategies aimed at reducing this damage, such as debriefing, are poorly evaluated but often carried out as an act of faith.• This is an area that needs to be addressed as nurses will increasingly be involved in this work.
Blood transfusion from the recipient’s perspective
Authors: Fitzgerald Mary , Hodgkinson Brent , Thorp Dawn 
Published: March 2003

• This paper reports on an interpretative research study that set out to develop a rich description of patients’ experiences of the process of preparing for and receiving a blood transfusion.• The themes of information‐giving and receiving; reactions, both physical and emotional; and the care and treatment participants received through the experience are presented.
Oral health status of psychiatric patients
Authors: Sjögren Reet , Nordström Gun 
Published: March 2003

• Many patients suffering from long‐term psychiatric illness are on medication for long periods. These medications frequently cause xerostomia leading to an increased risk of caries, gingivitis, periodontitis and stomatitis.• Oral hygiene is therefore of the utmost importance for these patients. Nurses interact with patients on a daily basis, and therefore they are the psychiatric care‐givers of choice to support these patients.• The main aim of this study was to describe the oral health status of patients in short‐term and long‐term psychiatric care by means of oral assessment. A second aim was to discover whether the assessment guide used could distinguish any differences between these two groups.• A modified version of the Oral Assessment Guide (OAG) developed by Eilers et al. (1988)
was used. In addition, new items/categories were developed, forming the Oral Assessment Guide for Psychiatric Care (OAG‐PC). A total of 57 patients in psychiatric care, short‐term (n=32) and long‐term (n=25), were assessed by the OAG‐PC.• Patients in long‐term psychiatric care had significantly higher scores on the total OAG‐PC compared with those in short‐term psychiatric care, indicating a worse oral health status. Statistically significant differences were also found in relation to the following OAG‐PC categories: odour from the mouth, mucous membranes, gums, teeth or dentures, calculus on teeth and appearance of teeth.• Further research should be focused on the difficulties for nurses in approaching their patients in order to perform oral care and on evaluating the effect of teaching and training psychiatric nurses in oral care, preferably with the assistance of the OAG‐PC.• This assessment guide may thereby also be valuable for nurses’ documentation in estimating, planning, implementing and evaluating their psychiatric patients’ oral care needs.
The public health problem of acute respiratory illness in childcare
Authors: McCutcheon Helen , Fitzgerald Mary 
Published: March 2003

• Acute respiratory illness continues to be a significant problem for children attending childcare.• The problems for the child are in terms of prevalence, incidence, and quality of life.• Additional costs relate to parental absence from work and loss of earnings.• This paper reports on the literature, and notes that little research has been undertaken to determine whether there are long‐term risks or benefits to experiencing acute respiratory illness in early childhood.• Research to date is presented, and the role of public health nurses is discussed in relation to how they might assist in reducing the incidence/prevalence of acute respiratory illness in children attending childcare.