The Pedagogical Benefits of SimCity in Urban Geography Education

This article investigated the pedagogical potential of the SimCity simulation game in an urban geography course. University students used SimCity to build their own cities and applied a wide range of theories to support their urban structures. Moreover, the students critically evaluated the logic and functioning of the SimCity simulation compared to real-world contexts and urban geography principles. The students believed the SimCity activity provided them with opportunities to promote their geographic creativity, resulting in diverse, unique, and interesting cities. The findings demonstrate that the use of SimCity can be an effective tool for geography education.     

Further assessment of flood‐ and drought‐dominated regimes in south‐eastern Australia

Kirkup et al. (1998) [Australian Geographer 29, pp. 241–55] criticise our theory of alternating flood regimes and question its application to river management. A brief but critical appraisal of their work shows many errors and misrepresentations. When these are corrected, their challenge is found deficient.     

Gender and local soil knowledge: Linking farmers' perceptions with soil fertility in two villages in the Philippines

Scientists often turn to farmers to understand soil management. This process reveals differences and overlaps between local and scientific soil knowledge but rarely considers women and gender issues. This paper examines men's and women's local knowledge of soils in upland, smallholder farms in two villages in Mindanao, the Philippines, using focus group discussions, semi‐structured household interviews, field visits, GIS and soil testing. Farmers' field areas were calculated and delineated based on their perceptions of the different types of soils on their land. Men and women chose the same plots for what they considered their best soil but differed on what they felt were their worst. The fertility of the soils that women considered to be the best and worst was not significantly different from that of the men's respective choices. There was a difference in fertility, however, between the best and worst soils regardless of gender. Although soil fertility analyses showed that the women's chosen soils were similar to men's, analyses of qualitative data showed that their knowledge of soils was different and was based in part on a gendered division of labour. A multidisciplinary approach helped bridge the gap between sociocultural and physical research.     

Temporal variations in the abundance and sinking flux of diatoms under fast ice in summer near Syowa Station, East Antarctica

To investigate the fate of ice algae released from sea ice, we investigated the abundance, species composition, and sinking flux of diatoms in the water column under fast ice near Syowa Station, Antarctica during the summer of 2005/2006. The diatom assemblage in the water column consisted of chain-forming planktonic species, in contrast to the under-ice assemblage dominated by pennate species reported from this site in the past; this dissimilarity suggests the presence of an unconsolidated platelet ice layer under the congelation ice, within which planktonic species can bloom. Among the dominant diatoms, Porosira pseudodenticulata and Pseudo-nitzschia cf. turgiduloides were dominant in the water column, and their water column stocks were higher than their mass sedimentation. These species apparently maintain their populations in the surface layer, as their production remains in the water column. In contrast, Fragilariopsis kerguelensis and Thalassiosira australis were scarce in the water column but rich in the flux, indicating active sinking and export of their production to the benthic ecosystem. This distinction in buoyancy control and sinking characteristics of the dominant diatoms on release from the fast ice influences the diatom species composition and carbon flow under the ice.     

Surface joint systems, tectonic stresses and geomorphology: a reconciliation of conflicting observations

This note seeks to reconcile the widespread small-scale fractographic observations indicating that surface joints are extension fractures with the frequently observed occurrence of such joints as what appear to be nearly orthogonal conjugate sets, their strikes fitting the shear lines of the neotectonic stress field. It is suggested that the local appearance of joints as extension fractures may have nothing to do with their orientation in the large-scale neotectonic stress field, inasmuch as extrapolations from a local scale to plate-tectonic dimensions are quite speculative. Thus, the local extension-characteristics of the joint surfaces may be acquired at the latest stage of their genesis as a result of the corresponding rock faces becoming exposed, but the geometrically orientational attributes may be conditioned by the shear in the surrounding large-scale neotectonic stress field; a new possible mechanism for reconciling the conflicting local and large-scale observations is suggested.     

Exploring Obstacles toEducational Reform: Observations from Finding a Way

This paper examines teachers' expressions of concerns and resistance to the idea of making their classrooms gender equitable. The observations made here arose in the context of the National Science Foundation-funded National Council for Geographic Education Finding A Way project. During Finding A Way summer institutes, teachers were asked to look critically at themselves and reflect on their classroom practices. From their journal entries and personal narratives, it was found that teachers frequently experience powerful emotional responses and cognitive dissonance when asked to address issues of equity in their classrooms. Dissonance, ambivalence, and resistance surfaced most often over the “request” that they become proactive. We found that Finding A Way was most successful with those teachers who were willing to assume the role of “change agents” and who were personally invested in the outcome. Heretofore, professional development research in geography has been remarkably silent on the issue of teacher resistance to educational reform initiatives.     

Support for,and Impacts of Publishing in the Annals of the AAG: The Authors and and Editor Speak

A survey of 176 authors who published in the Annals between 1988 and 1993 provides insights into why authors submitted their research to the journal, what support they received, and the impacts of the publication on their careers. Most decided themselves to submit their work, and one-third received support from research grants; cartographic assistance and graduate assistants were less important. The major benefits of publishing in the Annals were visibility in one's department, contact with other geographers, and requests for reprints. Most authors presented their ideas at professional meetings prior to submission. Promotion and salary Inc.reases were benefits for women, assistant professors, associate professors, and physical geographers. Authors considered their articles as original examinations that yielded new results, contributed to theory, stimulated debate, and helped bridge gaps inside and outside of geography. These results are useful in helping individual authors and for administrators in identifying the kinds of research support needed by authors publishing in the Annals.     

Adaptation to living in an open arid environment: lessons from the burrow structure of the two southern African whistling rats, Parotomys brantsii and P. littledalei

This study examines interspecific differences in the architecture and field characteristics of the burrow systems of Brants' whistling rat, Parotomys brantsii, and Littledale's whistling rat, Parotomys littledalei. The two rodents are endemic to the arid west region of southern Africa. Both build complex burrow systems with numerous nest chambers and associated interconnecting tunnels, as well as a number of entrances. Burrow systems of P. littledalei are restricted to areas of good plant cover, whilst many P. brantsii burrows are situated in open locations with only limited plant cover. Further, the burrows of P. brantsii cover a much larger area than those of P. littledalei, with many more entrances. As P. brantsii feed predominantly within the boundaries of their burrows and not in the open veld, their burrow systems effectively serve as a predator refuge, into which this diurnal rodent can quickly run in the event of danger. Thus, by building large multi-holed burrow systems, P. brantsii have become independent of the protection offered by bush cover and can exist within relatively open areas within their distributional range. On the other hand, the reduced number of entrances to P. littledalei burrow systems may largely restrict this species to areas with adequate cover, including coastal and riverine bush, with which it is often associated.     

中国北方森林群落现代花粉与植被和气候的关系

53 pollen traps and surface samples were collected in order to detect the characteristics of pollen assemblages and their relationships with vegetation and climate in 16 forest communities located in 10 mountains in northern China. The results show that 72% of the pollen taxa (80 taxa) are the same between the traps and the surface samples. The dominant taxa in the plant communities are consistent with the main pollen taxa in the pollen assemblages at the same sites. In Pinus plant communities, both Pinus pollen influx and concentration are higher, indicating the high pollen productivity and good pollen preservation ability of Pinus. In Picea and Abies plant communities, Picea and Abies have lower pollen influxes but higher concentrations, suggesting their low pollen productivities but better pollen preservation abilities. In Betula and Quercus plant communities, Betula and Quercus have higher pollen influxes but lower concentrations, revealing their high pollen productivities but poor pollen preservation abilities. The study of relationships between pollen and vegetation with discriminant analysis shows that pollen assemblages from both trap and surface samples can reflect the characteristics of different communities and distinguish different ecological areas, but surface samples can reflect the dominant components of communities much better than the traps. The study on correlations between pollen assemblages and climate with DCCA reveals that significant correlations exist between pollen assemblages and mean temperature of the coldest month (r = 0.84 for trap samples, r = 0.72 for surface samples), and then annual mean precipitation (r = 0.73 for trap samples, r = 0.71 for surface samples).     

A context-sensitive correlated random walk: a new simulation model for movement

Computational Movement Analysis focuses on the characterization of the trajectory of individuals across space and time. Various analytic techniques, including but not limited to random walks, Brownian motion models, and step selection functions have been used for modeling movement. These fall under the rubric of signal models which are divided into deterministic and stochastic models. The difficulty of applying these models to the movement of dynamic objects (e.g. animals, humans, vehicles) is that the spatiotemporal signal produced by their trajectories a complex composite that is influenced by the Geography through which they move (i.e. the network or the physiography of the terrain), their behavioral state (i.e. hungry, going to work, shopping, tourism, etc.), and their interactions with other individuals. This signal reflects multiple scales of behavior from the local choices to the global objectives that drive movement. In this research, we propose a stochastic simulation model that incorporates contextual factors (i.e. environmental conditions) that affect local choices along its movement trajectory. We show how actual global positioning systems observations can be used to parameterize movement and validate movement models and argue that incorporating context is essential in modeling movement.     

Exploring Obstacles toEducational Reform: Observations from Finding a Way

This paper examines teachers' expressions of concerns and resistance to the idea of making their classrooms gender equitable. The observations made here arose in the context of the National Science Foundation-funded National Council for Geographic Education Finding A Way project. During Finding A Way summer institutes, teachers were asked to look critically at themselves and reflect on their classroom practices. From their journal entries and personal narratives, it was found that teachers frequently experience powerful emotional responses and cognitive dissonance when asked to address issues of equity in their classrooms. Dissonance, ambivalence, and resistance surfaced most often over the “request” that they become proactive. We found that Finding A Way was most successful with those teachers who were willing to assume the role of “change agents” and who were personally invested in the outcome. Heretofore, professional development research in geography has been remarkably silent on the issue of teacher resistance to educational reform initiatives.     

Using geolifespans to model dynamic geographic domains

Geographic objects are characterized by having different durations of existence, or geolifespans. A typology based on the concept of a geolifespan is developed to model variations in the longevity of entities that are stored in geographic information systems. The typology consists of two upper-level classes: Persistent and Ephemeral. The Ephemeral class is composed of three subclasses: Temporary, Transient and Brief. The set of possible transitions between classes in the typology is described, capturing how objects can change from one class to another, e.g., from Temporary to Brief or from Transient to Persistent. A transition sequence models the geolifespan class(es) to which an object belongs over a period of time and captures the evolution of dynamic geographic objects with respect to their longevity. Geolifespan classes are applied to scenarios of spatial change as well as a geosensor network to illustrate their role in modelling geographic dynamics.     

Diets of mammalian herbivores in Australian arid, hilly shrublands: seasonal effects on overlap between euros (hill kangaroos), sheep and feral goats, and on dietary niche breadths and electivities

The diets of euros or hill kangaroos (Macropus robustus), domestic sheep (Ovis aries) and feral goats (Capra hircus) in hilly, shrub rangeland in southern Australia were examined in a 12-year study. Levels of dietary overlap between these herbivores, their foraging in relation to resource availability, and the potential for competition in different conditions were also examined. The diet of euros was based around grasses. In dry seasons some shrubs were also eaten but in severe drought grass formed more than 80% of their diet. While grass was important to sheep in wetter conditions, they ate much shrub in dry conditions. Feral goats had broad diets but their preference for browse was high. In drought, euros had only a modest dietary overlap with sheep and goats. Data for dietary niche breadths and electivities pointed to only limited competition between the herbivores.     

Estimating Organic-Rich Shale Fractal Dimensions from Gas Adsorption Isotherms: Combining Different Methods Leads to More Reliable Values and Insight

Fabric and roughness of the pore-size distributions in organic-rich shales determine their fluid flow and storage capabilities. Accurate estimation of the pore-surface fractal dimension (D) provides valuable insight to these qualities in shales. Low-pressure gas adsorption isotherms are widely used for determining D, typically applying the Frenkel–Halsey–Hill (FHH) method. Other D estimation methods, proposed by Neimark (NM) and Wang and Li (WL), are theoretically consistent and mathematically related to the FHH model but yield distinctive D values for many shales. This study evaluates the mathematical relationships between the FHH, NM and WL fractal determination methods, and with the aid of twenty-six published adsorption isotherms from shales around the world, compares their similarities and differences. Uncertainties exist in establishing best-fit lines to curved data trends in the FHH and NM methods, and in fitting power curves to data trends in the NM and WL methods. The FHH and WL D values are found to be more consistent for whole isotherm and isotherm segment analysis than the NM D values, which are systematically higher. The reasons for this are explained in terms of their graphical relationships. This leads to a novel 10-step protocol for a more thorough determination of shale D values that incorporates all three methods and involves graphical analysis that clearly exposes the uncertainties associated with the values determined. Applying this protocol should derive reliable D values to compare with key shale properties such as surface area, surface volume, thermal maturity and organic richness in future research.

     

Reproductive ecology of two sympatric Tibetan snowfinch species at the edge of their altitudinal range: Response to more stressful environments

Knowledge of altitudinal covariation in interspecific competition and life history of birds inhabiting meadow-wastelands in the Tibetan plateau can contribute to our understanding for ecological adaptation of organisms to extreme environments and aid conservation for the unique ecosystem in the world. We reported reproductive ecology of two sympatric Montifringilla snowfinch species (Montifringilla taczanowskii and Montifringilla ruficollis) in a higher altitude wasteland, and compared the data with those of their lower altitude conspecifics. Both species nested in pika burrows and had similar breeding phenology. Nesting habitats of the two species tended to be separated in space as a result of asymmetrical competition, with large-sized M. taczanowskii occupying patches with better vegetation and small-sized M. ruficollis using poorly vegetated patches. In the less harsh lower altitude, however, their nest sites are randomly distributed. Relative to their lower altitude conspecifics, the higher altitude snowfinches had small body sizes but long wings, assuming an adaptation to increasing power demands for flying in thin air. There was a reduced fecundity with increasing altitudes, suggesting an adaptive response to the unpredictable conditions. We argue that the simplified bird community in stressful environments will be more vulnerable to perturbations. This highlights the importance to maintain ecological processes of the ecosystem.     

Selection of plant species for rehabilitation of gypsum mine spoil in arid zone

Ten species were selected based on their economic value in order to study and compare their growth, nutrient uptake pattern, AM-fungal infection etc. in both mine spoil and normal cultivated soil in pot culture. In general, per cent root infection and number of viable AM fungal spores in the rhizosphere of the plant species grown in mine spoil were higher compared to those in normal cultivated soil. Mine spoil had supported significantly higher growth ofProsopis juliflora,Salvadora oleoidesandCenchrus ciliariscompared to normal soil. Concentrations of phosphorus, potassium and calcium in plants growing on gypsum mine spoil were higher than observed in normal soil. In general, micronutrient concentrations (namely Cu, Zn and Fe) were lower in all the plant species growing in normal soil.Salvadora oleoides,Colophospermum mopaneandPithecellobium dulcewere identified as calcium-loving plants. All the species tested can be employed for rehabilitation of gypsum mine spoil.     

Salinity-induced growth and some metabolic changes in three Salsola species

Three Salsola species, Salsola dendroides Pall., S. richteri (Moq.) Karel ex Litw. and S. orientalis S.C. Gmel., were compared for their salt tolerance, inorganic ionic accumulation and their biomass production in saline conditions. Seeds were grown on sterilized quartz under five salinity levels in a factorial experimental design, with four replications, in greenhouse conditions.With salinity, Na⁺ accumulation increased while K⁺ accumulation decreased. All three species showed positive shoot growth for low levels of salinity. Root growth showed almost the same trend as shoot growth, with minor exceptions. At low levels of salinity, proline accumulated more in S. dendroides plant tissues than in the tissues of the other two species. These results suggest that the proline accumulation is a good index for salinity tolerance. Soluble sugars also increased as a result of salinity.     

Morphology, niche segregation, and escape tactics in a sand dune lizard community

We examined patterns of co-existence for three species of scincid lizards (Sphenops sepsoides, Scincus scincus, and Chalcides ocellatus) in the simple sand dune habitat of North Sinai, Egypt. We first examined the morphological differences among the three species and compared their niche use and escape tactics in the context of their morphologies. Our results suggests that natural selection has favored two different phenotypes, Scincus scincus's long limbs with toe fringes and Sphenops sepspoides's extremely reduced limbs for sand locomotion. These two sand specialists, Sphenops sepsoides and Scincus scincus, shared microhabitats such as soft substrate and occurred further away from vegetation but showed strong separation in the surface temperatures at which they were active. The generalist species, C. ocellatus which lacked toe fringes and had relatively short limbs that were not reduced enough for fossorial movement, was found closer to vegetation and on harder substrates where such traits may be beneficial. Escape tactics may further strengthen habitat partitioning between desert generalists and sand specialists as C. ocellatus sprint to vegetation to escape predators whereas both sand specialists dive into the sand. Our results suggest that traditional ideas about predation risk may not apply to sand diving lizards as they may be able to venture far from vegetation refuges without increased vulnerability to predation.     

Book Reviews

Ryan, James R. Picturing Empire: Photography and theVisualization of the British Empire Sizoo, Edith (ed.) Women's Lifeworlds: Women's Narratives on Shaping their Realities. Teaford, Jon Post-Suburbia Government and Politics in the Edge Cities. Warhus, Mark Another America: Native American Maps and the Historyof Our Land Yeung, Y. M. and Chu, David K. Y. (eds.) Guangdong: Survey of aProvince Undergoing Rapid Change Young, E. M. World Hunger     

Thermal acclimation and non-shivering thermogenesis in three species of South American rodents: a comparison between arid and mesic habitats

Non-hibernating mammals that live in seasonal and arid environments change their non-shivering thermogenesis (NST) capacity to maintain homeothermy. Metabolic capabilities of animals, such as NST, are considered adaptive plastic traits because they have a broad range of possible phenotypes with different ambient temperatures (i.e. the reaction norm). Consequently, we determined the reaction norm for NST in Octodon degus (Bennett, 1832; m_b=189 g) andPhyllotis darwini (Waterhouse, 1837; m_b=61 g) from the mesic habitat of central Chile, and inPhyllotis xanthopygus (Waterhouse, 1837; m_b=67 g) from the high Andean plains of northern Chile, an arid and seasonal habitat. Octodon degus showed a 22% increase in NST with thermal acclimation, whereas P. xanthopygus showed a 112% increase, and P. darwini showed a 117% increase in NST, being the largest change observed. These results are in agreement with our hypothesis of evolutionary inertia, which states that observed metabolic plasticity in Phyllotis species is consequence of their high Andean origin, in spite of the fact the actual habitat ofP. darwini is the less seasonal central valley of Chile.