Got Dung? Resource Selection by Dung Beetles in Neotropical Forest Fragments and Cattle Pastures.

Both the impact of habitat modification on the food preferences of species and its impact on ecosystem functioning are poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed food selection by dung beetles in 80 tropical forest fragments and their adjacent cattle pastures in the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, Mexico. Ten pitfall traps were placed at each site, half baited with human dung and the other half with fish carrion. We assessed dung beetle food selection and classified any specialization in resource use quantitatively using a multinomial classification model. We collected 15,445 beetles belonging to 42 species, 8747 beetles (38 species) in forest fragments and 6698 beetles (29 species) in cattle pastures. Twenty-five species were present in both habitats. Of all the beetles captured, 76% were caught in dung traps (11,727 individuals) and 24% in carrion traps (3718 individuals). We found 21 species of dung specialists, 7 carrion specialists, 8 generalists, and 6 species too rare to classify. The bait most frequently selected by beetles in this study was dung in both forests and pastures. Specialists tended to remain specialists in both habitats, while generalists tended to change their selection of bait type depending on the habitat. In summary, our results show that replacing forests with cattle pastures modifies the patterns of resource selection by dung beetles and this could affect ecosystem functioning.

Diversidad y abundancia de equinodermos en la laguna arrecifal del Parque Nacional Cahuita, Caribe de Costa Rica / Diversity and abundance of echinoderms from the reef lagoon at Cahuita National Park, Caribbean from Costa Rica

A total of 15 species of echinoderms (one asteroid, seven ophiuroids, five echinoids and two holothurians) were recorded at the Cahuita National Park reef lagoon, between September and October 2003, using a 1 m2 quadrant. The sites with coral substrate and algae were the most diverse, while those with seagrass and sand were the least. Ophiuroids were the most abundant group with 170 individuals, asteroids were the least abundant. Adding other studies and reports of echinoderms to this study, a total of 23 species have been found at Cahuita National Park, which is the most diverse area on the Caribbean of Costa Rica. We report nine new echinoderm records for Costa Rica's Caribbean.

The effects of hypnosis upon cognitive responses to persuasive communication.

Several writers have suggested that hypnotic responsiveness is directly related to the content of S's covert self-statements. To test this notion, low and high hypnotizable Ss in either hypnosis or waking conditions were exposed to a recorded message advocating that college seniors be required to pass a comprehensive exam in order to graduate. Following message presentation, Ss listed all of the thoughts which occurred to them while listening to the message; these thoughts were later coded as counterarguments, favorable thoughts, or neutral thoughts. Hypnotized Ss generated significantly fewer counterarguments and agreed more with the message than waking Ss. In addition, high hypnotizable Ss (in both waking and hypnosis conditions) produced significantly more favorable thoughts and agreed more with the message than low hypnotizable Ss. Results, therefore, provided a demonstration of the differential impact of context (induction) and trait (hypnotizability level) upon different cognitive phenomena. Implications for the occurrence of hypersuggestible behavior are discussed.