Bee alert: Scientists warn of declines in Asia’s important pollinators

Peer-Reviewed Publication

FLINDERS UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: ASIAN BEE MONTAGE FROM THE NEW ARTICLE view more 

CREDIT: PHOTOS COURTESY: MICHAEL ORR, VASUKI BELAVADI, HAUKE KOCH, QINGSONG ZOU AND XIN ZHOU

Bee pollinators are a crucial link to food production and food security for more than half the world’s population living in Asia – but few species have been closely studied or assessed for their range, numbers and conservation status.

The warning comes as 74 scientists working in 13 Asian and other countries warn that the region’s bees – which  comprise 15% of the world’s known bee species but only 1% of records – could be under threat due to major habitat loss to urbanisation, pollutants, alien species, climate change and other human forces.  

“While most studies of bees take place in high-income countries, they have all raised concerns and calls for more conservation or management solutions to curb or stop declines of bees and other pollinators,” says entomologist Dr Michael Orr, from Germany’s Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, a lead author in a new article in Biological Conservation.

“Given the key roles native bees play, both ecologically and economically in a region like Asia, understanding how to manage and maintain bee diversity is crucial to sustainable development in the region,” says Dr Orr, who also is a member of the International Union for Conserving Nature (IUCN) Wild Bee Specialist Group (Asia) as well as Beijing and America ecological societies. 

“The biggest impediment is a lack of knowledge about where and how species live, and foundationally an inability to even identify different species.”

In the meantime, the authors call for attention flagship social species such as native honey bees, stingless bees and  bumble bees to start the important conservation work. Flagship species can be essential for conservation messaging and to support broader conservation of the other 85-90% of non-social bees, the experts say.  

Solitary flagship bees are also important, including the world’s largest bee, the Indonesian Megachile pluto, which is frequently sold online to western buyers for exorbitant sums despite being listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.

The authors call for trans-border partnerships to work on bee and other pollinator management, given the complex political dynamics of the region. As well, active restoration of more intact or threatened habitat should be prioritised, given “dire threats” such as land conservation to palm oil and widescale agricultural expansion.

“Science and research collaborations can help mend some of these divisions, but more open sharing of specimens and data will be key,” adds Flinders University co-author, Dr James Dorey.

“Ecological studies at the national and regional level must be conducted to better understand how best we can maintain pollinator communities and the ecosystem services they provide.”

To reach their maximum potential, the scientists say conservation efforts must also be multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral, bridging fields and methods as well as governmental, NGO and research personnel to better translate research into practical applications and effective conservation management for bees across Asia.

The article, Opportunities and challenges in Asian bee research and conservation (2023) by Natapot Warrit, John Ascher … Michael C Orr … has been published in Biological Conservation DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110173

Please credit photos courtesy: Michael Orr, Vasuki Belavadi, Hauke Koch, Qingsong Zou and Xin Zhou  

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DH41W4RaVKX5N76UNp2PJ0w-YRQ5nmli

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JOURNAL

Biological Conservation

DOI

10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110173 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Opportunities and challenges in Asian bee research and conservation

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Aug-2023

Asia bee 

Ceratina sp Photo Qingsong Zhou

Apis dorsata

CREDIT

Photo Michael Orr

Bees and ETRVs: an unlikely match-up of the natural world and electric trackless rubber-tyred vehicles

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY PRESS

 

IMAGE: LOW-CARBON ROUTING ISSUES CAN BE SOLVED BY USING IMPROVED ARTIFICIAL BEE COLONIES (IABC) TO PROVIDE OPTIMAL ROUTES TO MINIMIZE ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND OTHER LIMITATIONS THAT COME WITH ELECTRIC TRACKLESS RUBBER-TYRED VEHICLES (ETRVS). view more 

CREDIT: YINAN GUO, CHINA UNIVERSITY OF MINING AND TECHNOLOGY (BEIJING)

The natural world works off algorithms, so researchers thought to use one of the world’s most industrious animals, the honeybee, as a basis for determining energy-efficient routes in electric trackless rubber-tyred vehicles (ETRVs).

 

Bees are an effective, integral and orderly part of the animal kingdom, though learning to stop and smell the roses isn’t the only thing we can borrow from the bees. The foraging behavior of honeybees might be a useful tool in figuring out the best, most energy-efficient routes for electric trackless rubber-tyred vehicles (ETRVs) which are a crucial piece of equipment for mining operations and transportation. Limitations of ETRVs include excessive energy consumption, potential operational safety issues and a lack of control when considering load size, slope, and vehicle avoidance. Finding out the routes these vehicles can take by using an improved artificial bee colony (IABC) algorithm can minimize potential issues all while reducing the energy consumption of the vehicle. This has positive implications not only economically and environmentally, but can also improve the overall safety and function of the vehicles for a smarter future of ETRVs.

 

Researchers published their results in Complex System Modeling and Simulation on August 02.

 

“The experimental results on four real-world instances indicate that  improved artificial bee colony algorithm (IABC) outperforms other comparative algorithms and the special designs in its three phases effectively avoid premature convergence and speed up convergence,” said Yinan Guo, researcher and author of the study.

 

IABC isn’t the only algorithm tested in this study, though it did seem to be the most effective in setting up routes that are energy efficient. Other colony models researchers used to determine what route may be the most effective include particle swarm optimization, which utilizes the randomly selected (stochastic) social interactions of swarming agents to look for the best solution in a given space. The other algorithms used are genetic algorithms, which employ the theory of “natural evolution” for problem-solving, and ant colony optimization which ideally will find the shortest path to a solution.

 

Parameters were set amongst all four algorithms used to ensure a fair comparison, including population size, the maximum number participating in a neighborhood search and weight. The artificial bee colony (and the other colony models) is tasked with searching for a food source. The best, least energetically costly route the artificial bees take is likely the best, least energetically costly option for the ETRVs, too.

 

Within the IABC there are three strategies: adaptive neighborhood search for employed bees (those who go to the food source and return to the hive and dance), adaptive selection probability for onlookers (those who evaluate nectar information via the dance of employed bees) and knowledge-driven initialization for scout bees (employed bees whose food source has been abandoned and searches for a new food source).

 

“IABC achieves the most competitive solution on all instances and is significantly better than its variants. This proves that three newly designed strategies are helpful to effectively enhance the algorithm performance,” said Guo.

 

To solve the problem of electric vehicle routing, load size, slope, energy consumption, vehicle avoidance and driving state all need to be considered, and the adaptive neighborhood search strategy helps guide the bees to the more appropriate area. The onlookers adjust their selection of food sources based on quality and evolution efficiency, and the scouts help to improve convergence efficiency and the population diversity, producing better solutions for the population.

 

The implicit parallels among bees searching for the best route to reach their food and an ETRV taking the most energy-efficient route can be seen plainly when given the comparison. With the increasing number of service nodes, the search space is expanded dramatically, and the algorithms performance becomes worse. The most effective solution tops out at 15 service node stops, with a particular pattern between the nodes that should minimize carbon emissions and energy consumption.

 

Even though researchers have found promise in utilizing IABC to solve some of the issues with routing the ETRVs, future work involves scheduling heterogeneous TRVs with variable powers built-in to the vehicle. This will help to eliminate some of the problems related to energy consumption the IABC doesn’t quite account for, such as the limited ability for cruising, speed adjustment and road conditions. These are complex issues to address with any algorithm, but the groundwork done using IABC might be enough for studies in the coming years.

 

Yinan Guo, Shirong Ge, Yao Huang, Yizhe Zhang, Ersong Jiang, and Bin Cheng of the School of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering at China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), with Yinan Guo and Shirong Ge also of the Inner Mongolia Research Institute at China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), and Shengxiang Yang of the Institute of Artificial Intelligence, School of Computer Science and Informatics at De Montfort University contributed to this research.

 

This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China, the Natural National Science Foundation of China, the Royal Society International Exchanges 2020 cost Share, and the 111 Project.

 

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About Complex System Modeling and Simulation

 

Complex System Modeling and Simulation is a peer-reviewed international academic journal. Aiming to provide an academic exchange platform, it publishes high-level original research papers and review papers in the fields of complex system modeling, simulation, optimization and control after strict peer review. The scope includes but is not limited to the following topics in terms of theories, methods, technologies as well as applications in manufacturing systems, social systems, service systems, military systems, medical systems, energy systems, and unmanned systems, etc.

 

About Tsinghua University Press

 

Established in 1980, belonging to Tsinghua University, Tsinghua University Press (TUP) is a leading comprehensive higher education and professional publisher in China. Committed to building a top-level global cultural brand, after 42 years of development, TUP has established an outstanding managerial system and enterprise structure, and delivered multimedia and multi-dimensional publications covering books, audio, video, electronic products, journals and digital publications. In addition, TUP actively carries out its strategic transformation from educational publishing to content development and service for teaching & learning and was named First-class National Publisher for achieving remarkable results.

 

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JOURNAL

Complex System Modeling and Simulation

DOI

10.23919/CSMS.2023.0011 

ARTICLE TITLE

Low-Carbon Routing Based on Improved Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm for Electric Trackless Rubber-Tyred Vehicles

 

How do people really feel about electronic health records?

IT security

Reports and Proceedings

RUHR-UNIVERSITY BOCHUM

 

IMAGE: KAROLA MARKY (LEFT) AND REBECCA PANSKUS INTERVIEWED PEOPLE ABOUT THE ELECTRONIC PATIENT RECORD. view more 

CREDIT: © RUB, MARQUARD

Professor Karola Marky and PhD student Rebecca Panskus of Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, presented their findings at the Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security in the US on 8 August 2023. They collaborated for the research with Professor Sascha Fahl of Leibniz University Hannover and CISPA, and Max Ninow from Hannover University.

“As far as the digital infrastructure of electronic health records is concerned, there is ample room for improvement,” is the conclusion Karola Marky draws from the study. “For example, health insurance companies shouldn’t be providing the apps used by policyholders to authorize access to their data. Plus, we need to educate people on the issue – rather than relying solely on family doctors and pharmacies to do all the work.”

Poor understanding of the digital infrastructure

In the first step of the study, the researchers asked 21 people with statutory health insurance to draw a picture of what they imagined the digital infrastructure behind the patient records to look like. They were given the following scenario to guide them: imagine you go to the doctor and want to grant them access to your patient file. What do you think the data flow would look like?

The respondents were given a set of printed icons they could use. They depicted, for example, a doctor, a smartphone, the health insurance company or a hospital. The set also included icons of facilities that aren’t part of the digital infrastructure. The participants selected the icons they thought were relevant and sketched in the links between the selected elements by hand. At the same time, they were interviewed about their choices. None of the 21 subjects guessed the structure as it actually is. Moreover, no two individuals came up with anything like the same image.

The study revealed some misconceptions. For example, people assumed that all doctors’ offices could automatically view the data in their records. In reality, however, the patients have to authorize access for doctors on an individual basis – via an app or using their health insurance card and a PIN.

Critical view of the role of health insurance companies

In the next step, the participants were presented with the actual digital infrastructure and asked which of its features they rated as positive and which as negative. Criticism was mainly directed at the role of the health insurance companies. A total of 85 health insurance companies currently provide their policyholders with apps that they can use to grant doctors’ offices access or to edit their records, for example by deleting entries.

“There are legal regulations governing which data health insurance companies are allowed to view,” explains Karola Marky. However, the fact that health insurance companies provide the apps suggests to many policyholders that the insurance companies can view more data with digital records than they can with non-digital records. The researchers didn’t establish in this study whether this is actually the case. Still: “From a security perspective, it would be better to offer a single open-source app that all policyholders across Germany can use,” points out Marky. “That would make people trust the app more, ensure a consistent security standard and reduce maintenance requirements.”

The researchers also argue that there should be multiple options for accessing the file, for example via desktop applications, in order to make sure that people without a smartphone can use the services as well.

The ability to delete records – both a curse and a blessing

The fact that policyholders can delete entries from their records prompted mixed feelings among the respondents. On the one hand, they appreciated having control over their own data. On the other hand, they also saw potential for abuse: for example, someone could have the same medication prescribed by two doctors and delete the relevant information. For this reason, the German Medical Association already recommends that doctors’ offices with access to electronic health records should automatically store a copy of the files locally.

Finally, the research team suggests that the electronic health record should be easily accessible in the event of a medical emergency, as patients themselves may not be able to provide access at that time.

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ARTICLE TITLE

Privacy mental models of electronic health records: A German case study

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

8-Aug-2023

Citizen scientists in support of drying rivers

Peer-Reviewed Publication

INRAE - NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT

 

IMAGE: DRY RIVER view more 

CREDIT: INRAE - GUILLE LE GOFF

Rivers are increasingly drying out because of climate change and growing water needs. River networks are essential to our well-being and face considerable threats, yet the drying of river networks is poorly studied, understood or mapped.

The European Union DRYvER project, led by INRAE, aims to change that. Together with an international team, INRAE experts developed a unique open-source smartphone app: DRYRivERS*. Citizen scientists around the world are able to contribute to this participatory project seeking to better understand flow intermittence in rivers.

By January 2023, DRYRivERS had 1,277 users who had logged more than 4,200 observations on 1,900 waterways in Europe and around the world. Users come from 19 countries, of which 41% are in Hungary, 31% are in France, 6% are in Spain and 5% are in Czechia. 

The project is already producing results. Data collected from the DRYRivERS app allow for real-time monitoring of rivers and supply precious information to river managers. For example, the data have shown that intermittent rivers are present in all the world’s climatic regions. The data collected also indicate that headwater areas, near upstream watershed boundaries and drained by smaller rivers, and streams in particular, are prone to drying events.

This will allow river- and water-management organizations to take appropriate and locally specific measures to manage water use and water-use restrictions. This is already the case for the organisation managing the Ain River and its tributaries in eastern France, which is using the app in the field. Agents from the organisation, along with municipal employees and other partners are able to submit contributions directly on the app.

The app is also a useful for disseminating information to the public and raising awareness of river drying, be it natural or anthropogenic.

* The app was awarded a European Union Prize for Citizen Science on Monday, 22 May 2023. The prize was presented by Ars Electronica, a unique organisation that recognises artists and scientists working with new technologies and investigating how new technologies affect our ways of living and working.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 869226. 25 partners across 16 countries. 2020–2024

How does the app work?

There are three pieces of information to provide: (1) the location of the river site; (2) the in-channel conditions (i.e., whether the channel contains flowing water, disconnected standing pools or is dry); and (3) a photo of the site. Drawing on smartphone GPS systems, users can determine their location or find existing sites on a map. The app caches all necessary data if the user is out of the service area, which can then be uploaded to the servers once a network connection is available. All data collected by the public via the DRYRivERS app are available on the open-access DRYvER web site (https://www.dryver.eu/app).

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JOURNAL

BioScience

DOI

10.1093/biosci/biad045 

ARTICLE TITLE

Citizen scientists can help advance the science and management of intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams

UK

Huddersfield professor leads £1.75m project to transform textile waste into recycled plastics

Grant and Award Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD

Clothing is a major but often overlooked contributor to the plastic waste mountain. The problem arises not just from clothes packaging but also from plastic’s incorporation into textiles alongside natural fibres.  Separating it out again from these is hugely challenging, with over 80% of the plastic used in the textiles industry not currently recycled.

Now, Dr Chenyu Du, a  Professor in Biochemical Engineering within the School of Applied Sciences at the University of Huddersfield is to lead an innovative new project following the award of a substantial £1.75million research grant from the UK Research and Innovation’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). 

With key input from academic and industrial partners, the Huddersfield-led project will adapt two innovative processes to the recovery of polyester and cellulose from mixed cotton and polyester fibres.

By working closely with Professor Parik Goswami, Director of the University’s Technical Textiles Research Centre, Professor Du’s project will also demonstrate how these materials can be re-spun into new fibres for new textile products.

“Making clothes uses tremendous resource and energy, so to end its life in landfill or incineration after hardly any usage is a huge and unnecessary waste,” said Professor Du.

“Currently, just less than 20% of the plastic used by the textiles industry is being recycled. Our ambition is to be able to recycle a majority of, if not all, textile industry waste and to discover new and innovative methods for its reuse.”

Just five projects from the UK have been chosen by the UKRI to take part, with each one helping to deliver a step change in the sustainability of plastics under its own theme.

A total of £6 million will underpin the multidisciplinary three-year projects with the aim of cutting the huge environmental damage that plastics cause, as well as increasing their longevity in use and boosting their value.

The themes being investigated will target areas such as the recycling of plastics incorporated in textiles, the easier recycling of multilayer food packaging, the re-use of plastics used in pregnancy and other medical tests, the greener production, use and disposal of hygiene products such as disposable nappies and incontinence pads, and the breaking down of used plastics into their chemical components for reuse in producing high-quality new plastics.

“This research being led by Professor Chenyu Du,” said Professor Goswami, “is part of a wider set of projects which are set to tackle the biggest problem of our generation.

“All these projects are designed to enrich the textile eco-system and create a roadmap towards net-zero,” he added.

UK

Swap-to-stop’ but let us shop - say vapers

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA

A Government scheme to give out free vapes to smokers appeals to most but not all, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).

The 'Swap-to-Stop' scheme was announced earlier this year - providing a million e-cigarettes to disadvantaged people who smoke.

A new study published today supports the scheme, with people who vape saying that this type of approach might have helped them if it had been available when they attempted to quit.

But the research also shows that accessing vapes via the NHS might not be appealing to everyone, because some people don't see e-cigarettes as treatments but more as consumer products that they can shop for themselves.

The team says there is a place for both commercial and medical routes to vaping for quitting smoking to satisfy people's personal preferences.

Lead researcher Dr Emma Ward, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: “The vast majority of people who have quit smoking via vaping will have done so without any support from healthcare professionals.

“However, using vapes to quit smoking has been supported by the NHS and there are guidelines for healthcare professionals to support patients looking to quit smoking with vaping.

“In April 2023, the Government announced a 'Swap-to-Stop' scheme – to help achieve its Smokefree 2030 target of less than 5 per cent of people smoking in England by 2030.

“The scheme will be the biggest Government supported stop smoking scheme to date using e-cigarettes. The scheme will use vaping products that are also available to buy commercially.

“We wanted to better-understand how well it might work.”

The team interviewed 136 people from across the UK – nearly all of whom had quit smoking via vaping.

They asked them how helpful they would have found e-cigarettes being provided by the NHS when they were attempting to quit. They also asked for their views on different ways to access vaping for quitting smoking.

Dr Ward said: “Our research shows that people who quit smoking using commercially purchased vapes believe they might have benefitted from the NHS providing e-cigarettes and support if it had been available to them when they were quitting.

“Vaping being available via healthcare professionals offers reassurance around the effectiveness of e-cigarettes in helping people quit smoking and potential harms.

“However, it is unlikely that one type of e-cigarette will suit everyone seeking to quit and our research highlights how important being able to choose vaping products in a commercial environment is for some quitters.

“People who vape believe they have benefited from being able to choose vaping products in shops to get the right mix of device and flavours to work best for them to help them to permanently stop smoking.

“Even those who do achieve success with vapes given to them by the NHS are likely to continue to use shops to buy ongoing vaping supplies.

“So, we argue that there is a place for both commercial and medical routes to vaping to help people stop smoking.”

This research was carried out in collaboration with London South Bank University. It was funded by Cancer Research UK.

‘Medicalisation of Vaping in the UK? E-cigarette users’ perspectives on the merging of commercial and medical routes to vaping’ is published in the journal Perspectives in Public Health.

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JOURNAL

Perspectives in Public Health

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Aug-2023

BRING BACK ALCHEMY

“Modern chemistry is rubbish”

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM

 

IMAGE: THE FUTURE OF CHEMISTRY IN A NUTSHELL: A TRIPLE FOCUS OF EFFICIENCY, SAFETY AND CIRCULARITY IS NEEDED TO STEER CHEMISTRY TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY. IMAGE: HIMS. view more 

CREDIT: HIMS

In a comment in Nature Reviews Chemistry, PhD student Hannah Flerlage and associate professor Chris Slootweg of the University of Amsterdam's Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences argue that modern day chemists need to broaden their horizons and consider the effects of chemistry “beyond the reaction vessel and the fume hood”. In order to combat ever worsening environmental crises, and to achieve real sustainability, chemistry needs to develop a combined focus on efficiency, safety, and circularity.

Modern chemistry is quite literally rubbish, Flerlage and Slootweg write, as it facilitates the path of matter from extraction to pollution. All sorts of waste, both stemming from chemical manufacturing processes and from their often short-lived end products, have resulted in human health problems and environmental disasters at varying scales. Admittedly, over the past decades more and more sustainable synthetic methods have become available, minimizing or even eliminating the use of hazardous substances and waste. But, Flerlage and Slootweg rhetorically ask, is chemistry there yet? Their answer: “Not at all!”

In their view, chemists have to start looking beyond “cool molecules”, and “awesome chemistry”. Sure, it can be fun and rewarding to create aesthetically pleasing molecules. But this ignores the role of chemistry in the modern world. As an example, they refer to perfluorocubane, a molecule that in 2022 was designated 'Molecule of the Year'. Its synthesis might be a stellar achievement, and there will probably be potential future applications. But its structure, containing multiple carbon-fluorine bonds, suggests that perfluorocubane will persist in the environment and bioaccumulate.

Flerlage and Slootweg argue that modern chemistry needs to take such environmental concerns to heart, and right from the start. They even go so far as to consider it unethical to develop chemistry that will lead to chemical pollution. They call for an end to poorly designed compounds, in particular “forever chemicals” such as per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances and brominated flame retardants.

Systems thinking

As chemistry is the science of the transformation of matter, not just of the creation of novel molecules, Flerlage and Slootweg point out the responsibility to develop safe chemistry and chemicals that use the world’s resources most effectively and improve sustainability.

This requires an approach of systems thinking that is grounded in the recognition of sustainability as an emergent property, and guided by an understanding of the molecular basis of sustainability. This means that chemistry should not only focus on using renewable resources and reducing production waste. It also has to consider the life-cycle environmental footprints and overall environmental implications of (novel) chemicals.

As an example, Flerlage and Slootweg mention drop-in bio-based polymers such as bioPE, which is made from bioethanol. These polymers reduce the use of fossil resources, but don’t improve recyclability or biodegradability. And thus they continue to contribute to plastic pollution.

More challenging, more rewarding

In their paper, Flerlage and Slootweg advocate a triple focus on efficiency, safety, and circularity, both regarding chemical processes (synthesis) and products (chemical structure). These three core values of modern chemistry are described by the paradigms of green chemistry, safe and sustainable-by-design, and circular chemistry. These must all be complied with simultaneously if chemistry is to make a real contribution to sustainability.

All this will render chemistry more challenging, but also more rewarding, Flerlage and Slootweg write. “We need to broaden our horizons and consider our chemistry beyond the reaction vessel and the fume hood: how do the molecules and materials we make interact with the technosphere (industrial systems and society) and the biosphere (nature)?” To them, chemistry will only have a real and positive impact to sustainability when it fully embraces circular design, life-cycle thinking, human and environmental toxicology, and environmental and social impact assessment.

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JOURNAL

Nature Reviews Chemistry

DOI

10.1038/s41570-023-00523-9 

ARTICLE TITLE

Modern chemistry is rubbish

Bighorn sheep associations: understanding tradeoffs of sociality and implications for disease transmission

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PEERJ

 

IMAGE: GLACIER NATIONAL PARK - BIGHORN SHEEP view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO CREDIT: TABITHA GRAVES

Sociality plays a pivotal role in the lives of many animal species, influencing mating success, survival rates, and susceptibility to diseases. In the challenging environment of bighorn sheep populations, sociality is believed to have evolved for its fitness benefits. However, the delicate balance of costs and benefits associated with sociality can vary at different scales, leading to diverse interpretations of animal behavior. 

 

New research titled "Bighorn sheep associations: understanding tradeoffs of sociality and implications for disease transmission" has been published in PeerJ Life & Environment. The study, conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service and led by Marie Tosa, now with Oregon State University,  explores the intricate relationship between social behavior, disease transmission, and survival rates among bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). 

 

The research focused on understanding the factors influencing direct contact rates among bighorn sheep in the vicinity of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. The study incorporated both intrinsic factors, such as relatedness and age, and extrinsic factors like land cover type and season. During the period of 2002 to 2012, male and female bighorn sheep were equipped with GPS collars to monitor their movements and interactions. 

 

Through the analysis of direct contact networks, the researchers identified significant barriers in the bighorn sheep population, which corresponded with prior disease exposure metrics. Interestingly, more direct contacts were observed between same-sex dyads compared to female-male dyads. Additionally, bighorn groups with overlapping summer home ranges were found to have higher direct contact rates. 

 

The study revealed that direct contacts were most prevalent during the winter-spring season, coinciding with the period when bighorn sheep traveled at low speeds and an adequate number of individuals were collared in the area. Moreover, the probabilities of association were higher in regions with greater predation risk, highlighting the influence of survival-related variables on contact probabilities. 

 

Crucially, the research established a clear link between habitat quality and direct contact probabilities. Factors such as terrain ruggedness, distance to escape terrain, and canopy cover were identified as key drivers of differences in contact probabilities among different bighorn sheep dyads. 

 

Tosa emphasizes the importance of contact analysis in understanding the fitness tradeoffs of sociality and the potential for disease transmission among bighorn sheep populations. The findings provide valuable insights into the delicate balance of social behavior and disease dynamics in challenging environments. 

 

The research not only advances our understanding of bighorn sheep associations but also contributes to broader discussions about the role of sociality in the dynamics of wildlife populations. It highlights the intricate web of interactions among animals and their environment and underscores the relevance of conservation efforts in safeguarding wildlife populations and mitigating disease risks.

 

A ram group in spring in Glacier National Park 

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK IS IN MONTANA AND SHARES A BORDER WITH ALBERTA WATERON NATIONAL PARK

A ewe group in typical summer habitat in Glacier National Park

CREDIT

Credit: USGS, Tabitha Graves, August 2021

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JOURNAL

PeerJ

DOI

10.7717/peerj.15625 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Bighorn sheep associations: understanding tradeoffs of sociality and implications for disease transmission

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

8-Aug-2023