Papers by James Halfpenny
Arctic and alpine research, Aug 1, 1989
Arctic and alpine research, May 1, 1986
During the second International Theriological Congress held in Brno, Czechoslovakia, in the summe... more During the second International Theriological Congress held in Brno, Czechoslovakia, in the summer of 1978, a small group of scientists from the U.S.A., Canada, and Europe assembled at a small cafe to discuss their common interestthe winter ecology of small mammals. We retired that evening with the realization that indeed there were many scientists from many nations with interests in winter ecology of small mammals. They represented disciplines of botany, mammalogy, ethology, anatomy, ecology, and physiology. Because of their diverse disciplines they had never assembled at a common meetingas we know, most meetings select for mammalogists, ornithologists, botanists or physiologists, rarely bridging these disciplines. Perhaps we could organize a colloquium to bring together scientists of many specialties and backgrounds with the common denominator of winter ecology of small mammals. If such a colloquium could be organized, what guidelines would be adhered to and who would host and ultimately fund such a major undertaking? Because of the high level of interest in such an "international" gathering, I felt inclined to outline objectives for such a conference, although no meeting site had been selected. Those objectives were as follows: 1) The colloquium must remain small in size, so that communication between all participants would be enhanced. It was felt that 50 scientists actively pursuing winter ecological research was an optimal number for greatest productivity. These scientists would be selected by reviewing their contributions to winter research and recommendations by their peers. 2) The colloquium must represent a multidisciplinary group of scientists. This group would necessarily include animal and plant biologists, functional morphologists, behaviorists, physiologists, and ecologists. The "common denominator" for this assemblage would be recognition of the importance of snow to the ecology of winter-active small mammals. 3) Scientists attending the colloquium would be expected to present information derived from the ecosystem in their "home" geographic region. This information, therefore, would provide representative samples of those Holarctic ecosystems where snow acts as a major selective force in the lives of small mammals. 4) The structure of the colloquium must provide for both formal presentations by invited participants and round-table discussions. The round-table discussions would employ an "informal" format and address salient issues in winter ecology. It was felt that the colloquium would not be dominated by formal presentations of a unilateral nature as is common to many conferences. The presence of discussion groups would permit free exchange of ideas between participants from different parts of the world. Ideally, results stemming from these discussion groups would represent an integration of international viewpoints. 5) In order to circulate widely the information derived from this international colloquium, a volume of proceedings must be published and in a form readily available to both foreign and North American scientists. The above objectives were established in 1978. However, no site had been chosen and no "volunteers" emerged. In spring 1979, I became Resident Director of Powdermill Nature Reserve, the biological field station of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. I soon discovered that this field station would prove to be an ideal site for our proposed international colloquium. A precedent had been established in 1977 with the Colloquium on the Ecology' and Taxonomy ofAfrican Small Mammals held at Powdermill Nature Reserve and organized by Duane A. Schlitter of the Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Proceedings of this colloquium were published in the Bulletin of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in 1978. With this strong historical precedent, I pursued the plan of hosting another international colloquium at Powdermill with Craig C. Black (Director, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 1975 to 1982) and received an enthusiastic response which then precipitated initiation of our colloquium. The aims and objectives outlined above were closely adhered to in order to provide for a successful and productive conference. In August 1980, letters of invitation were mailed to 67 scientists actively pursuing research in the field of winter ecology of small mammals. On 14 October, 1981 our colloquium opened with 45 participants representing six nations of the world (USA, Canada, Finland, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, and USSR) and integrating many different research disciplines. Their ideas are presented in this volume of proceedings.
Oxford University Press eBooks, May 24, 2001
Vertebrates of alpine tundra are near the limits of their genetic tolerance, and thus the alpine ... more Vertebrates of alpine tundra are near the limits of their genetic tolerance, and thus the alpine provides a natural laboratory for the study of the ecology of these organisms in a climatically stressful environment. The alpine supports a greater species richness of vertebrate herbivores than does arctic tundra (Halfpenny and Southwick 1982). Hoffmann (1974) provided an extensive review of terrestrial vertebrates of arctic and alpine ecosystems, emphasizing circumpolar patterns. For a variety of reasons, however, vertebrates of alpine tundra are considerably less studied than are those of the Arctic, and much remains to be learned about the physiological and behavioral adaptations of vertebrates that allow this group to exist in this extreme and variable ecosystem. May (1980) offered some generalizations about the state of knowledge of alpine animals. Terrestrial systems are better known than aquatic systems; the magnitude of environmental variability is better known than its predictability and significance to populations of animals; life histories of animals are better known than their roles and functions; dynamics of single species are better known than interactions between and among species; habitat selection by animals is more often defined in terms of the perception of the investigator than in terms of the perception of the organism; the response of animals to patterns of vegetation is better known than the influence animals have in creating and maintaining those patterns; and densities of animals are better known than are patterns of dispersion and their causes. Those generalizations remain broadly accurate. The purpose of this chapter is to develop a perspective on the structure and function of the vertebrate fauna of alpine environments of the Southern Rocky Mountains, with an emphasis on the fauna found on Niwot Ridge. It considers the origin and ongoing development of the fauna and its biogeographic and ecological relationships. A pattern of distributions is described that is dynamic in space and time. A principal focus is the role of vertebrates to the structure and function of the tundra ecosystem, including both the biotic and physical impacts of vertebrate populations. Some attention is paid to vertebrate trophic guilds, but plant-animal interactions are detailed in this volume by Dearing (chapter 14).
Arctic and alpine research, Nov 1, 1990
Arctic and alpine research, Feb 1, 1991
ABSTRACT
to August 1983 in a topographic saddle located at 3545 m asl as part of the University of Colorad... more to August 1983 in a topographic saddle located at 3545 m asl as part of the University of Colorado Long-Term Ecological Research Program (CULTER). Data were reported on a map summary sheet which showed snow depth, change since last survey, mean grid depth, mean change, and year-to-date summary. Snowpack development, meltoff patterns, and relationship to vegetation are described. Results indicated that winds cause marked heterogeneity in depositional areas which might affect avalanche forecasting. Changes in snowpack can cause changes in plant species composition which may alter the anchoring capacity of avalanche chutes.
BioScience, Jun 1, 1988
Ecologists now recognize that many ecological processes occur at slow enough rates or at long eno... more Ecologists now recognize that many ecological processes occur at slow enough rates or at long enough time intervals that traditionally short-lived research projects will not detect significant long-term changes. As a result of this increased awareness, the need for ecological studies spanning extended time periods is receiving increased attention from ecologists (Callahan 1984, Strayer et al. 1986). The methodologies aimed at answering long-term ecological questions often result in huge databases with inherent problems (Strayer et al. 1986); not the least of which is the human brain's limited ability to comprehend megabytes of information. Data management, originally an enterprise mostly in the realm of business data management, has come of age as research data management in the ecological sciences (Michener 1986a). A recent Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) workshop focused attention on central issues of concern to ecologists including the development (Gurtz 1986), procedures (Stafford et al. 1986), and management (Risser and Treworgy 1986) of ecological databases. The workshop stressed the importance of making new techniques and approaches available to ecologists in a timely and efficient manner (Michener 1986b). Sophisticated, often continuously recording, field instruments have made large databases common-a research asset with which ecologists are just beginning to grapple. Some problems inherent with large databases are the visualization of the data and the
Nature, Scats and Tracks of the Desert Southwest, Sep 15, 2015
Nature, Scats and Tracks of the Rocky Mountains, Sep 15, 2015
Structure and Function of an Alpine Ecosystem, 2001
Vertebrates of alpine tundra are near the limits of their genetic tolerance, and thus the alpine ... more Vertebrates of alpine tundra are near the limits of their genetic tolerance, and thus the alpine provides a natural laboratory for the study of the ecology of these organisms in a climatically stressful environment. The alpine supports a greater species richness of vertebrate herbivores than does arctic tundra (Halfpenny and Southwick 1982). Hoffmann (1974) provided an extensive review of terrestrial vertebrates of arctic and alpine ecosystems, emphasizing circumpolar patterns. For a variety of reasons, however, vertebrates of alpine tundra are considerably less studied than are those of the Arctic, and much remains to be learned about the physiological and behavioral adaptations of vertebrates that allow this group to exist in this extreme and variable ecosystem. May (1980) offered some generalizations about the state of knowledge of alpine animals. Terrestrial systems are better known than aquatic systems; the magnitude of environmental variability is better known than its predict...
now tracking is used to conduct reliable field surveys to detect American marten, S fisher, lynx,... more now tracking is used to conduct reliable field surveys to detect American marten, S fisher, lynx, and wolverine (MFLW). Because detection is the goal, such surveys do not require the statistical considerations of those designed to monitor changes in population size (see Chapter 2) or to determine habitat preference. Because efforts to determine the presence of rare species often are linked to activities such as proposed timber harvests or recreational or residential developments, the field biologist must be able to provide records that will withstand the scrutiny of the professional community. Results of surveys may be challenged, even in court, so methods must be rigorous and data should be collected in a standardized fashion.
Page 1. David M. Mead James С. Halfpenny Mountain Research Station University of Colorado Nederla... more Page 1. David M. Mead James С. Halfpenny Mountain Research Station University of Colorado Nederland, Colorado 80466 and Sleve Br ss, ell Colorado Division of Wildlife tíOóO Broadway Denver, Colorado 80216 The Status ...
Snowpack was monitored from April 1982 to August 1983 in a topographic saddle located at 3545 m a... more Snowpack was monitored from April 1982 to August 1983 in a topographic saddle located at 3545 m asl as part of the University of Colorado Long-Term Ecological Research Program (CULTER). Data were reported on a map summary sheet which showed snow depth, change since last survey, mean grid depth, mean change, and year-to-date summary. Snowpack development, meltoff patterns, and re lationship to vegetation are described. Results indicated that winds cause marked heterogeneity in depositional areas which might affect avalanche forecasting. Changes in snowpack can cause changes in plant species composition which may alter the anchoring capacity of avalanche chutes.
Uploads
Papers by James Halfpenny