Science Current Events | Science News | Brightsurf.com
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print Logging changed ecological balance for monkeys, damaged health

Logging changed ecological balance for monkeys, damaged health

June 15, 2005

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Twenty-eight years after intense selective logging stopped in the region now known as Uganda's Kibale National Park, the red-tailed guenon (Cercophithecus ascanius) is a primate still in decline. The logging practice, scientists report in a new study, changed the ecological balance for these monkeys, leading to behavioral changes and opening the door for multiple parasitic infections.

The researchers focused on three primate species, collecting 1,076 fecal samples from the heavily logged area and from an undisturbed, nearby forest from August 1997 to August 2002 as part of a longitudinal study of logging's impact. The samples came from red-tailed guenon, red colobus (Piliocolobus tephrosceles) and black-and-white colobus (Colobus guereza) and were analyzed for the eggs and larvae of worms and protozoan cysts.




The study appears online ahead of publication in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

While the three primate species were subject to a higher risk of infections, only the guenons (pronounced GWINN-ins) suffered from an increased number of parasites, including three parasites not found in undisturbed forest. In the selective-logging area, more than 50 percent of the trees, many of them the food sources for the mostly fruit-eating guenons, had been removed.

"We saw dramatic changes in the prevalence of infection and in the frequency of multiple infections in these logged areas," said lead researcher Thomas R. Gillespie, a postdoctoral fellow in veterinary pathobiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "When you see infection characteristics like these, they can be associated with very detrimental effects on the host."

Since the logging period of the late 1960s, red-tailed guenons have been appearing in much lower densities, he said.

What once were large groups with multiple males and females are now fragmented, with much smaller groups living isolated and spread out more widely than in undisturbed forest, where often the three species share trees.

"When we look at their numbers over time, they continue to decline 28 years later," Gillespie said. "The red colobus numbers declined at first but are now recovering. The black-and-white colobus, perhaps due to a release of competition, have increased in the logged forests."

Because the two colubus species primarily eat leaves, it is believed that they can adapt more easily to disruptions in their habitat, he said.

Gillespie initiated the research as an EPA fellow and doctoral student at the University of Florida. He continues the work at Illinois to better understand the interplay between habitat disturbance and primate conservations and health in Uganda. He is collaborating with veterinary pathobiologist Tony Goldberg and other researchers at Illinois, where state-of-the-art facilities and faculty expertise are uniquely suited for studying disease emergence, zoonotic diseases and the consequences of land-use changes.

In August, Gillespie will become the first director of the new Earth & Society Initiative on Emerging Disease & Ecosystem Health at Illinois. The initiative coordinates a diverse assemblage of the university's centers, programs, laboratories and individuals whose current interests focus on the interface between emerging infectious diseases, anthropogenic environmental change and conservation.

The researchers have monitored the three species, gathering data immediately after logging, 12 years later and again 28 years after the logging ended.

"We know land-use change is affecting wildlife species," Gillespie said. "We know that there is a conservation issue. It's been difficult to understand what is taking place. No one had really looked at how parasites and disease might be affecting this relationship. We were surprised to find dramatic patterns across the board, where the species of primates doing poorly in logged areas had a much higher prevalence of parasitic infection and more types of parasites affecting them simultaneously."

Gillespie and co-authors Colin A. Chapman of McGill University in Canada and Ellis C. Greiner of the University of Florida found that red-tailed guenons had a much higher prevalence of infection with seven gastrointestinal parasites in the logged forest than in the undisturbed one.

The parasites found in the guenons were Trichuris sp. (whipworms), Oesopohagostomum sp. (nodular worms), Entamoeba coli, Entamoeba histolytica, Iodamoeba buetschlii, Strongyloides fulleborni and Streptopharagus sp.

Additionally, the red-tailed guenons in the logged forest were the only primates of the three species infected with Chilomastix mesnilia, Giardia lambila and a Dicrocoeliid liver fluke. These parasites did not appear in guenons in the undisturbed forest.

The researchers also noted that the patterns of forest regeneration in the aftermath of logging appear to be more favorable for colobus monkeys than for the guenons. Citing their own as-yet unpublished data, and that of Karen Rode of Washington State University, the researchers suggest that reduced food availability has led to dietary stress. The guenons in the logged forest, they report, are getting much less protein and vital minerals than their counterparts in undisturbed forests.

Recovery of the forest also has been hampered by the growth of acanthus, an invasive shrub that has overwhelmed much of the forest floor where trees were removed, Gilllespie said. Because elephants love to eat the shrub, they trample through the clearings, adding yet another obstacle for the growth of new trees, he said.

"Knowledge of how particular species are affected by various forms of ecological change is essential to promote land-use policy that is compatible with animal and human health and biodiversity conservation," Gillespie, Chapman and Greiner wrote in the conclusion of their study.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign



Related Logging Current Events and Logging News Articles Logging Current Events and Logging News RSS Logging Current Events and Logging News RSS
Oceans' uptake of manmade carbon may be slowing
The oceans play a key role in regulating climate, absorbing more than a quarter of the carbon dioxide that humans put into the air.

Rutgers Computer Scientists Work to Strengthen Online Security
If you forget your password when logging into an e-mail or online shopping Web site, the site will likely ask you a security question: What is your mother's maiden name? Where were you born?

Scientists obtain rocks moving into seismogenic zone
An international group of scientists aboard the Deep-Sea Drilling Vessel CHIKYU, operated by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), return from a 40-day scientific expedition off the shore of the Kii Peninsula, Japan on Oct. 10, 2009.

New NIST publications describe standards for identity credentials and authentication systems
Two publications from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) describe new capabilities for authentication systems using smart cards or other personal security devices within and outside federal government applications.

Scientists return from first ever riser drilling operations in seismogenic zone
he Deep-sea Drilling Vessel CHIKYU successfully completed riser drilling operations on Aug. 31, for IODP Expedition 319, Stage 2 of the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE).

Chimpanzees develop specialized tool kits to catch army ants
Chimpanzees in the Congo have developed specialized "tool kits" to forage for army ants, reveals new research published Sept. 3 in the American Journal of Primatology.

World's last great forest under threat: new study
The world's last remaining "pristine" forest - the boreal forest across large stretches of Russia, Canada and other northern countries - is under increasing threat, a team of international researchers has found.

Successful completion of first riser-drilling operations in earthquake zone
Kumano Basin off Kii Peninsula, approximately 58 km southeast of Japan- Despite harsh weather and ocean conditions, and complex geological characteristics of its drill site, the deep-sea drilling vessel CHIKYU, for the first time in the history of scientific ocean drilling, conducted riser-drilling operations to drill successfully down to a depth of 1,603.7 meters beneath the seafloor (at water depth of 2,054 meters).

Researchers report successful riser-drilling operations in seismogenic zone
Kumano Basin off Kii Peninsula, approximately 58 km southeast of Japan- Despite harsh atmospheric and ocean conditions, and complex geological characteristics of its drill site, the deep-sea drilling vessel CHIKYU, for the first time in the history of scientific ocean drilling, conducted riser-drilling operations to successfully drill down to a depth of 1,603.7 meters beneath the sea floor (at water depth of 2,054 meters).

Forest fire prevention efforts will lessen carbon sequestration, add to greenhouse warming
Widely sought efforts to reduce fuels that increase catastrophic fire in Pacific Northwest forests will be counterproductive to another important societal goal of sequestering carbon to help offset global warming.
More Logging Current Events and Logging News Articles
Logging Tech

Logging Tech

It's an industry Paul Bunyan could have never imagined. Today's logging technology is, in the most literal sense, cutting-edge. Armed with behemoth harvesters and the laser precision of modern sawmills, loggers are feeding the world's ravenous appetite for wood. MODERN MARVELS® goes to the heart of a business where each cry of "timber" evokes the past and fuels debate about the future. Follow the journey of a single tree from forest to sawmill to consumer, and see how unlikely products like aspirin, film and toothpaste take their toll on the world's woodlands. Trace the evolution of logging from frontier days, when the technology was crude and the wood seemed inexhaustible, to today, when the reverse is true. And see what options we may have for preserving the industry, and the ecology,...

This Was Logging

This Was Logging
by Ralph W. Andrews (Author)

"Someday" Big Fred Hewett used to say in his Humboldt Saloon in Aberdeen, Washington, "these pictures will show how the boys used to do it." He knew the day would come when the Pacific Northwest's "Big Woods" would be only a fog-blurred memory and the cry "Logs! More Logs!" would no longer be heard ringing up and down the skidroads. With the superb views of timber photographer Darius Kinsey, comprising more than 200 pictures made from wet plate celluloid negatives, 11" x 14", and processed by his pioneer wife, Tabitha, author Andrews dramatically presents a panorama of lumbering's great days in these woods from 1890 to 1925. Shown in sharp detail are the first axes, 12-foot crosscut saws, the first oxen and horses, the first donkey engines and "lokeys". Then the story continues into the...

Historic Forestry Films DVD: 1920-1957 Logging Industry & National Forest Movies, including Redwood, Maple, Pine, Timber, Lumber, Sawmill & Wood Mills

Historic Forestry Films DVD: 1920-1957 Logging Industry & National Forest Movies, including Redwood, Maple, Pine, Timber, Lumber, Sawmill & Wood Mills
Directed By: Guy D. Haselton, Arthur H. Wolf
Also With: Ted Myers (Primary Contributor), U.S. Department of Agriculture (Producer), Pathé (Producer), Holmes (Burton) Films (Producer), Haselton (Guy D.) (Producer), Calvin Company (Producer)

This is the ultimate classic forestry and forest films collection. All seven of these rare vintage films stand out for different reasons and each brings a new angle of historical perspective with which we can learn from the environmental mistakes of the past in order to prevent them from occurring in the future. The mindset of the logging and lumber industry at this time in American history was so different than today due to extreme general apathy and lack of public interest in environmental culture and law development. Watch how forestry preservation theories have developed over the past 50-75 years - it's amazing! This DVD has awesome classic videos and pictures of forestry, logging, lumber, wood, the forest woods, redwood trees, maple trees, pine, red oak, sawmills, lumber mills and...

Deadfall: Generations of Logging in the Pacific Northwest

Deadfall: Generations of Logging in the Pacific Northwest
by James Lemonds (Author)

Through the life stories of the author s grandfathers, father, uncles, and cousins, Deadfall documents the dramatic changes in the logging industry since the early 1900s. The book focuses on the influence of international timber giant Weyerhaeuser Company in the Pacific Northwest, yet its themes resonate from Alaska to the American Southeast wherever timber is king. While spurning nostalgia for logging s glory days, Deadfall attempts to view a future for today s timber workers.

Ax Men - Season 1 (History Channel) (Steelbook)

Ax Men - Season 1 (History Channel) (Steelbook)
Starring: Thom Beers

Explore the past and present of the rough-and-tumble logging industry in the first ever nonfiction series about the treacherous life of Pacific Northwest timber cutters, Ax Men. For more than a hundred years, larger-than-life characters, many of whom are members of logging families that go back to the time when the West was being settled, have spent their days among towering trees and powerful machines and their nights in outposts far from the comforts of civilization. Snapped cables, runaway logs and treacherous machinery are among the many dangers that threaten their lives and safety today. Follow four logging crews through a season in the remote forests of northwest Oregon and see how, plagued by mechanical failures, relentless weather and violent and unpredictable terrain, these men...

Timber Tuff TMW-10 Logging Saw Horse

Timber Tuff TMW-10 Logging Saw Horse
by Timber Tuff



Glory Days of Logging/Action in the Big Woods, British Columbia to California

Glory Days of Logging/Action in the Big Woods, British Columbia to California
by Ralph W. Andrews (Author)

The reissue of this classic history allows us to once again journey into the past and rediscover for the first time the forgotten men and methods of logging history in the Northwest United States and Canada. This book contain the best photographs of a dozen famous collections: Davis and Benson rafts, river drives, hand logging spar topping big wheels in the pine, saw mills of 1890 to 1915, historical ox teams, tractors, blumes. In this chronicle of the Big Woods, bunk house ballads, humorous sketches and eyewitness accounts of work and life in the tall uncut as well as the rich photographs help the reader to actually feel the old logging atmosphere.

T-Shirt Womens Black " Logging Truck Driver who thinks " Occupations Large

T-Shirt Womens Black " Logging Truck Driver who thinks " Occupations Large
by TopExpressions



Plan Toys City Series Logging Truck

Plan Toys City Series Logging Truck
by Plan Toys

This Plan City Logging Truck is a great addition to our Plan City Collection. Made of natural material and chemical-free treatment. It's made of preservative free rubberwood.-

Forestry Forest Industry Timber Logging Lumber Wood Films on DVD

Forestry Forest Industry Timber Logging Lumber Wood Films on DVD
Also With: www.yumheart.com (Producer), www.yumheart.com (Host)

10 Early films related to forests and trees on 1 DVD - A total of almost 3 hours of film. Titles on this DVD: Felling Forest Giants 1920s 12:36 Early documentation of the American forest industry. Trees to Tribunes 1937 19:17 From Trees to Tribunes (Part I) 1931 11:36 From Trees to Tribunes (Part II) 1931 12:47 Everything that happens to produce an issue of the Chicago Tribune, from logging to newswriting and cartooning. Redwood Saga 1940 10:27 Cutting, loading, transportation, mill sawing and finishing operations of the Northern California's redwood lumber industry. Story of a Forest Ranger, The - Yogi says, Hi Ranger Smith. 1954 27:38 The work of a forest ranger: forest management, maintenance, fire suppression; an excellent firefighting sequence. Vision in the Forest 1957...

© 2009 BrightSurf.com