Habitat use in basking Northern water (Nerodia sipedon) and Eastern garter (Thamnophis sirtalis) snakes in urban New Jersey

The habitat use of basking northern water (Nerodia sipedon) and Eastern garter (Thamnophis sirtalis) snakes was examined along the Raritan Canal, an urbanized area of central New Jersey. There were significant differences between the two species with respect to cloud cover, canopy cover, and the distance to the path and the water, but not with respect to percent of the body exposed to the sun, and percent of the snake that was visible. Water snakes were more likely to bask on bushes, branches and logs than were garter snakes. Garter snakes basked when both the air and water temperature were lower than did water snakes. The lack of basking sites in the water suggests that those along shore are important, including the low hanging branches used by the watersnakes.     

Basking habitat use and response of freshwater turtles to human presence in an urban canal of Central New Jersey

Pressures of rapid development continue to increase, and recreational activities are becoming a prominent driving force in many urban wildlife communities. Freshwater turtles live in many urban environments, yet little attention has been given to the impact of human recreation upon these communities. We examined the response of basking turtles to observer presence along the towpath of a recreational canal in central New Jersey. All species, except for turtles of the family Kinosternidae, were more frequently observed basking on substrate with less than 50 % canopy cover, log substrate was most preferred, and turtles on the towpath side basked an average of 3 m from the towpath. Turtles were vigilant and over 75 % of C. picta, T.S. elegans, and P. rubriventris responded to observer presence by retreating (swimming away). The distance from the towpath turtles were first seen basking by the observer (approach distance) was significantly correlated with the flight-initiation distance (distance of first respond to observer). Nearly 80 % of the variability in flight initiation distance for Kinosternidae was accounted for by the percent canopy cover, percent cloud cover, and height basking above the water. Researchers aiming to quantify and manage human recreational impact on turtles should examine flight-initiation distances. We encourage wildlife managers of urban parks to construct towpaths or recreational areas at a minimum of 7 m from the water’s edge, maintain moderate vegetation in basking areas, and construct additional basking platforms opposite from towpaths or at great distances from human recreational areas.     

The behavioral response of emerging pine snakes (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pituophis melanoleucus</Emphasis>) to people: implications for survival and protection

Considerable attention has been devoted to the effects of people on birds and mammals, usually in wilderness areas. In contrast, human disturbance of reptiles has largely been ignored. Many reptiles, such as snakes, are hard to conserve because they are difficult to locate and protect. The young are especially vulnerable to predators when they first hatch and must emerge from nest sites. In this paper, the response of pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus) hatchlings to the presence and handling by people was observed in the laboratory and in the field. Pine snakes lay their eggs in underground burrows in open sandy pine barrens, and the hatchlings push their way to the surface to emerge. Hatchlings that were visually-disturbed or touched as they emerged returned immediately to their tunnels and nests, and required more time to re-emerge than did their siblings that were not visually-disturbed or touched during their initial disturbance. In nature, undisturbed pine snakes showed similar re-emergence times to those from the laboratory, and disturbed snakes required longer to re-emerge. These data suggest that in nature even the presence of people in nesting areas of pine snakes would lengthen the time the young are in burrows, exposing them to additional threats from predators. This suggests that parks or nature reserves with vulnerable snake populations should restrict human disturbance during the period when young snakes are emerging from their nests. Field observations indicate that a set-back distance of more than 12 m from known nesting areas is essential to protect emerging hatchlings.     

Effects of off-road vehicles on reproductive success of pine snakes (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pituophus melanoleucus</Emphasis>) in the New Jersey pinelands

Considerable attention has been devoted to the effects of people and their vehicles on birds and mammals, but possible effects on reptiles in populated areas have received less attention. Moreover, the effects of human activities on reptile reproductive success itself has been harder to demonstrate. This paper examines the effect of management of off-road vehicles in New Jersey’s pinelands on the reproductive success of pine snakes (Pituophus melanoleucus) from 1986 to 2005. We used the percentage of snakes in each hibernaculum that were young of the year (hatchlings) as an indicator of reproductive success, and compared this percent for five hibernacula that were in an area with varying degrees of off-road vehicle (ORV) disturbance, with 12 hibernacula in areas with no ORV disturbances (reference sites). This percent took into account differences in absolute numbers from one location to another, and over time due to hibernacula destruction (by people or predators) and natural variations (food supply). The ORV pressure in the pinelands is intense because it lies within the most densely populated urban area in the United States. Although the number of snakes in the reference hibernacula varied over the years from 46 to 63, the percent of young in these hibernacula did not vary significantly over the 20 year period (21–29%). In contrast, the percent-young in the disturbed sites differed significantly in years without ORV disturbance (28%) compared to those with ORV disturbance (15 and 16%, P < 0.01). Further, there were no differences between the percent of young in the reference sites and those in the disturbed site in years without ORV disturbance. ORV disturbance ceased only with the creation of large dirt berms coupled with fences that could not be easily broken. These data indicate the importance of having detailed population data on pine snakes in hibernacula, on ORV use (or indications of such use), and of managing ORV use to protect sensitive populations. Maintenance of healthy pine snake populations in urban areas may require continued adaptive management.     

The importance of paleodunes as nesting habitat for Northern Pine Snakes (Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus): risk from off-road vehicles in the New Jersey Pine Barrens

Human development and disturbances can be determinants of population viability of some vertebrates in human-impacted ecosystems. The effects on the behavior and population dynamics of reptiles are not well-studied in urban environments. This paper examines the importance of pine forest clearings, openings, and paleodunes for nesting pine snakes (Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus) in the New Jersey Pinelands, and the risk to nesting females and offspring from off-road vehicles (ORV). In this ms we 1) develop a rating scale for ORV activity that can be modified for evaluating risk to other vertebrates, 2) compare general habitat features of nesting areas used in the early 1980s with those used in 2020, and 3) examine the fate of nesting areas used in the 1980s and the intensity of ORV use in both time periods. In 2020, nests were located at only 2 of the 10 nesting areas used in 1983 (20%), and only one of the 10 was a paleodune. In comparison, in 2020, 9 of 13 new nesting areas were on paleodunes (69%). In 1983, ORV activity on nesting areas ranged from very low to medium. In the intervening years development and ORV activity increased markedly, and snakes abandoned most areas by 2020. ORV activity in those sites still utilized for nesting increased to high and very high. In 2020, ORV activity ranged from very low (7%) to very high (19%) of the 42 nests. With increasing urban development, nesting pine snakes are using mainly paleodunes deep in the forest, and are exposed to high or very high ORV activity (43%), suggesting concern for viable snake populations in the wake of continued human activity and ORV use.

     

Aspects of the ecology and behaviour of a potential urban exploiter,the southern tree agama,Acanthocercus atricollis

Urbanisation has caused significant alterations to ecosystems, generally resulting in decreased biodiversity. However, certain animal species persist and thrive in urban environments by making use of available opportunities, anthropogenic resources, infrastructure and increased ambient and surface temperatures. These species are known as urban exploiters. We investigated the southern tree agama, Acanthocercus atricollis population trends, habitat use and basking and shading behaviour in a high-density urban human-populated housing metropolitan area in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We marked individual southern tree agamas to determine habitat use and territories (n?=?37). The southern tree agama population density was high, and they had established set territories here. We conducted monthly observations (February 2017–July 2017 and March 2018–February 2019) to determine the degree of basking and shading behaviour with season and time of day and location. Southern tree agamas invested more than half of their time (57%) in basking behaviour during the overall observational study period. Basking and shading patterns changed with season and time of day. The number of basking southern tree agamas decreased during winter and basking commenced later. We found that increased anthropogenic infrastructure and supplementary food availability, decreased predators, and basking opportunities could have had an influence on their population increase and that the southern tree agama is a potential urban exploiter.

     

Development and validation of the Mindful Parenting in Infancy Scale (MPIS)

Although mindfulness in parenting has been recognized as important for some time, there is a dearth of measurement tools, especially for caregivers of infants. Two studies were conducted: (1) developing and providing an initial psychometric evaluation of the Mindful Parenting in Infancy Scale (MPIS) and (2) reproducing initial findings with an independent sample of infants and caregivers. In Study 1, 37 caregivers of infants (3–12 months of age) responded to MPIS, providing indicators of parenting stress and infant temperament. Study 2 caregivers (N = 57) responded to identical measures, with infant electroencephalogram (EEG) recorded during the Still Face Procedure, along with a baseline condition. Study 1 results indicated good internal consistency, with Study 2 providing additional support for reliability. Correlations with parenting stress markers were also significant across both investigations, indicative of greater stress with lower levels of mindfulness. A number of correlations with temperament scores were also significant, and in the hypothesized direction, across both studies. Importantly, the MPIS score was predictive of infant frontal EEG asymmetry in a path model examined in the context of Study 2. Thus, the present investigation provides support for MPIS as a promising brief measurement tool based on results obtained with two independent samples.     

Snake communities on the urban fringe in the Sonoran Desert: influences on species richness and abundance

Sonoran Desert habitat in southern Arizona is increasingly altered by urban development near metropolitan areas. Understanding how reptiles respond in these impacted habitats is critical to conservation efforts to retain intact biotic communities, especially those with a high diversity of reptile species. We surveyed snakes at one impacted site on the northern edge of the Phoenix metropolitan area in desert/urban interface, and at another site in a desert/rural interface near Florence, Arizona. The site near Phoenix was lower in species richness (15 spp.), and evenness: two snake species accounted for 75 % of all snakes encountered (total = 420). The site near Florence was higher in species richness (19 spp.), and a more even community: no species accounted for more than 20 % of snakes encountered (total = 594). Sampling methodology had a strong influence on species richness and abundance of snakes at the respective sites: road riding, coverboards, and traps each provided evidence of unique species missed by other methods. These results were compared with inventories at three other sites in the central Sonoran Desert of Arizona, and are consistent with the view that the impacted site near Phoenix is uneven, potentially as a result of a single species reacting to shifts in prey availability.     

The Effect of Health Beliefs on the Smoking Behavior of College Women

Abstract

Of the 953 women from four New England colleges who responded to a random-sample survey of smoking behavior, 30.5% were current smokers; 20.3%, former smokers; and 49.2%, non-smokers. Most had begun smoking in high school. They were concerned about their smoking and over three-fourths of them had made a serious effort to stop. Their motivations for smoking and for stopping were studied. Coping with stress was an important motivation for continuation; health effects, loss of control over their lives, and social effects were important for cessation. Discriminant analysis was used to determine the relative contribution of health beliefs to changes in smoking status.     

Lepidoptera-habitat relationships in urban parks

We examined the relationships among Lepidopteran species richness and relative abundance, field and park size, and herbaceous plant richness and cover in parks of New York, NY. Lepidopteran populations and habitats were quantified from 1 June–30 September 2002 in fields of 8 New York City (NYC) parks. We observed 42 species of Lepidoptera, with park size, field size, and plant species richness positively related to Lepidopteran abundance and species richness. Several plant species received heavy use and appeared to be important to Lepidoptera in this urban environment, particularly butterfly-bush (Buddleia davidii), mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), knapweed (Centaurea maculosa), and clover (Trifolium spp.).     

Rainfall interception by Santa Monica's municipal urban forest

Effects of urban forests on rainfall interception and runoff reduction have been conceptualized, but not well quantified. In this study rainfall interception by street and park trees in Santa Monica, California is simulated. A mass and energy balance rainfall interception model is used to simulate rainfall interception processes (e.g., gross precipitation, free throughfall, canopy drip, stemflow, and evaporation). Annual rainfall interception by the 29,299 street and park trees was 193,168 m³ (6.6 m³/tree), or 1.6% of total precipitation. The annual value of avoided stormwater treatment and flood control costs associated with reduced runoff was $110,890 ($3.60/tree). Interception rate varied with tree species and sizes. Rainfall interception ranged from 15.3% (0.8 m³/tree) for a small Jacaranda mimosifolia (3.5 cm diameter at breast height) to 66.5% (20.8 m³/tree) for a mature Tristania conferta (38.1 cm). In a 25-year storm, interception by all street and park trees was 12,139.5 m³ (0.4%), each tree yielding $0.60 (0.4 m³/tree) in avoided flood control costs. Rainfall interception varied seasonally, averaging 14.8% during a 21.7 mm winter storm and 79.5% during a 20.3 mm summer storm for a large, deciduous Platanus acerifolia tree. Effects of differences in temporal precipitation patterns, tree population traits, and pruning practices on interception in Santa Monica, Modesto, and Sacramento, California are described.     

The work of art in the age of hip hop reproduction: Ice-T and the cultural capital of keeping it real again in Kings of Vice (2011) and Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap (2012)

In turning his talents to fiction in his 2011 debut novel, Kings of Vice, gangsta rapper Ice-T has faced a particularly intricate challenge in “keeping it real”. At this point in the twenty-first century, the credibility of hip hop’s harder core seems to have been undermined by the distance gangsta rap has travelled from the street realities that gave it birth in the 1980s to the millionaire enterprises that have emerged since. A “rapocracy” of incredibly successful rappers and producers, most of them associated with gangsta rap (such as Diddy, Dr Dre, Jay-Z and Russell Simmons), has taken the gangsta ill-logic of exploiting the street for maximum profit to the extreme. Ice-T’s intervention in this dynamic has been to try to remind us of hip hop’s more “auratic” origins while acknowledging that the past is indeed a different country. The turn to authorship of books and making of documentary films in the context of a post-2008 economic meltdown environment constitutes an imaginative way to revivify the creative possibilities of the gangsta. The very title of Ice-T’s 2012 documentary film, Something Out of Nothing: The Art of Rap, betrays an almost nostalgic yearning for a purer age and the form that erupted out of it. This same retrospective paradigm for thinking a better way forward for gangsta aesthetics is also at the heart of Kings of Vice. Ice-T’s inventive return to origins shows us how even at a moment of its maximum commodification, gangsta culture (precisely because of its contradictory relationship to capitalism) can provide a uniquely critical perspective on a deregulated world.     

(Auto)Ethnography and cycling

This article discusses the formation, salience and reformation of everyday bodily routines and resources in relation to cycling; it also examines how we can study them ethnographically in different places. I discuss forms of embodied, sensuous and mobile ethnography that can illuminate how routines, habits and affective capacities of cycling are cultivated and performed. The article argues that autoethnography is particularly apt at illuminating the embodied qualities of movement, and it sits within established ethnographies of ‘excising’ and ‘mobile bodies’. In the second part of the article, I draw upon ongoing autoethnographies of cycling in a familiar place (my hometown, Copenhagen) and by learning to cycle ‘out-of-place’ (in London) and ‘in-a-new–way’ (when commuting long distance on a racer bike). The study challenges static notions of the body by analysing how cyclists’ (and researchers’) affective capacities develop as they practice cycling.     

Impacts of urbanization on palustrine (depressional freshwater) wetlands—research and management in the Puget Sound region

This paper summarizes the results of the Puget Sound Wetlands and Stormwater Management Research Program, which examined the impacts of urban stormwater on wetlands. Results are presented for data collected between 1988 and 1995 for 19 wetlands, showing changes in wetland hydrology resulting from urban conversion and the subsequent impacts on plant and amphibian communities. The amount of watershed imperviousness, the forested area, and the degree of outlet constriction were found to be the most significant factors affecting wetland hydroperiods. As hydroperiods changed, plant communities shifted towards communities adaptable to the new hydrograph. Wetlands with water level fluctuation above 20 cm resulted in lower plant richness in the emergent and scrub-shrub zones. Similarly, wetlands with water level fluctuation greater than 20 cm were significantly more likely to have low amphibian richness of three or fewer species. A primary goal of the research program was to employ the results to improve the management of both wetlands and stormwater in urban areas. Hydrologic guidelines were applied to King County's basin planning and master drainage planning efforts. Controls that focused on minimizing impervious surfaces and maximizing forest retention in the wetland watershed proved to be the most widely usable strategy.     

Gift exchange or <Emphasis Type="Italic">quid pro quo</Emphasis>? Temporality,ambiguity, and stigma in interactions between pedestrians and service-providing panhandlers

Based on ethnographic fieldwork with panhandlers who provide services while asking for money, informal interviews with pedestrians who have interacted with them, and formal interviews with twenty people who regularly interact with panhandlers, this article unpacks the relationship between temporality and ambiguity of meaning in exchange. In line with previous research, I find that providing a service while asking for money allows panhandlers to manage stigma by recasting their relationship with pedestrians who give as a market exchange. More surprisingly, I find that this kind of recasting makes giving less compelling for the pedestrians in fleeting encounters with panhandlers: they resist service provision in fleeting encounters with panhandlers on the grounds that the exchange is experienced as a coldly rational quid pro quo. In contrast, pedestrians who have long-term relationships with panhandlers experience the interaction as a gift exchange and the service as an expression of gratitude and subservience. The development of an open-ended temporal horizon and of a cycle of exchange, I argue, allows the service and the money given to operate as boundary objects, enabling panhandlers and pedestrians to attach different meanings to the exchange of money for services. This emergent ambiguity allows them to carry out interaction and exchange successfully. Contrary to models of interaction and everyday economic transactions that frame shared definitions of the situation as necessary for successful and repeated interactions, I find that ambiguity and polysemy may be productive and sustaining in interactions between participants from distinct social worlds.     

Structural elements as barriers against wear in urban woodlands

The effect of structural elements of woodlands (trees, rocks, topography, etc.) on the spatial distribution of wear was studied in 30 sites in the cities of Helsinki and Vantaa, Finland. Discriminant analysis showed that the size of the adjacent human population and structural elements within study sites were important in distinguishing sample plots with a lot of path area (6 m²/30 m²) from those with little or no path area (>6 m²/30 m²). The higher the structural elements, the more effectively they functioned as barriers against wear. Thickets of small trees (dbh > 10 cm), topographical elements, and fallen trees seemed most effective, and big trees (dbh 10 cm) least effective as barriers. It was concluded that natural barriers could be used to limit wear in urban woodlands.     

Exotic monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) in New Jersey: nest site selection, rebuilding following removal, and their urban wildlife appeal

Understanding how birds exist in highly urban cities is important to maintaining biodiversity within these environments, and exotic species pose a unique opportunity to examine adaptation. The non-native monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) nests mainly in cities in the United States, and in some places, is considered a nuisance by utility companies. Monk parakeets nest communally (many nests in one nest structure) and colonially (many nest structures in one area). We studied monk parakeets in urban New Jersey to determine where they nested, if nest sites were similar among parakeets nesting in trees and utility poles, and if they rebuilt following removal. Of the 51 nest structures we studied, 37% were on utility poles, 8% were on a man-made gazebo, and the rest were in trees. Nest structures located on poles were located closer to the ground, had fewer nest holes, and the distance to nearest tree was greater than for tree nest structures. The pole nest structures were closer to the top of the “canopy” or structure, and were always located on or around the pole rather than out on one of the cross beams. The nest structures were similar in size and shape whether they were located on poles, other man-made objects, or in trees. Thus monk parakeets built similar nest structures, and located them about the same distance from the ground and from houses whether they were in utility poles or in trees, leading to the conclusion that poles provide suitable sites for them. The parakeets persisted in nesting on the utility poles and another man-made gazebo despite being removed over several years, and despite the presence of other nearby unused trees. After parakeet nest structures were removed from poles by the utility company, most birds began rebuilding within the day. The persistence, despite persecution, of the monk parakeet on poles, and the fact that poles provide attractive and secure support for nest structures, suggest that they will continue to do so. Managers must either learn to live with the parakeets, redesign the utility pole structure to be less appealing to the birds, provide them with alternative nest sites on the utility poles or nearby, or continue to forcibly remove them. Local support for the parakeets, and their potential to serve as urban icons, have resulted in New Jersey’s utility company working with local enthusiasts and scientists to ensure the birds are not harmed during nest removal.     

Awareness and Use of a University Recreational Trail

The purpose of this study was to assess awareness and use of a university recreational trail. The authors used an Internet questionnaire developed by the university's Institutional Research Department, with questions derived from the Environmental Supports for Physical Activity Questionnaire and the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey Physical Activity Module. Four hundred and sixty-seven undergraduate college students participated. Ninety-one percent of students reported being aware of the trail, and 73% reported using the trail. Sixty-four percent of students reported seeing signage referring to the recreational trail. Sixty-seven percent of the students reported using the trail once in the past week, 7% reported using the trail twice in the past week, and only 2% of the students reported using the trail more than 3 times in the past week. Sixty-two percent reported using the trail with another individual. Students who were aware of the trail were more likely to use the trail. However, of the individuals who used the trail, the majority only used the trail 1 day a week. University programming is needed to increase trail usage among college students.     

Crowding density in urban environment and its effects on emotional responding of pedestrians: Using wearable device technology with sensors capturing proximity and psychophysiological emotion responses while walking in the street

ABSTRACT

We conducted a study to examine the influence of crowding in high-density urban areas on the emotional responses of people. We hypothesized that high density leads to the invasion of a personal space that is surrounding everyone’s body which in turn evokes emotional responses, especially negative emotions like stress and aggression. Subjects (n = 30) walked a predefined, crowded path in a Hong Kong commercial center which consisted of urban parts and a park. Along the way, emotional responses were measured psychophysiologically via a wearable device, capturing electrodermal activity, skin temperature, and ambient temperature, among others. Additionally, we used a movement detection sensor to measure the invasion of personal space by other pedestrians. Significant effects of personal space crossings on aversive and appetitive emotional responses are found. Implications for future research are discussed.     

The best and worst of 2019, and hopes and fears for 2020: Part 2

Last week's Preview Issue (see ADAW Jan. 6, 2020) didn't have room for all of the past‐year reflections and hopes and fears for the new year from stakeholders. We include them here. Thanks to the field leaders who responded to our request for comments.