Call For Abstracts

The SECOND CALL for abstracts has gone out and will be open until 17:00 MST on 12 January 2024.  

The Program Committee for the 2024 JAM invites abstracts for contributed oral presentations and posters. The program will include a plenary session, contributed papers, and a poster session  on a wide range of fisheries and wildlife-related topics. Presentations may include completed  projects and works in progress. 

We strongly encourage students to attend and are particularly interested in student presentations.  The AZ/NM Chapter of the American Fisheries Society will present a “Best Student Paper” and “Best Student Poster” award for graduate and undergraduate students presenting papers/posters  in the fisheries field. The AZ and NM Chapters of The Wildlife Society will present a “Best Student Paper” and “Best Student Poster” award for graduate and undergraduate students presenting papers/posters in the wildlife field. Fisheries and wildlife students currently attending a college/university or graduated within 12 months preceding JAM and who are first author on the research given are eligible for the fisheries “Best Student Paper” and “Best Student Poster” awards and the wildlife “Best Student Poster” award. 

See the last page of this announcement for information on applying for the best student oral presentation competition in wildlife.  

**NOTE: The format for applications for the student oral presentation competition in wildlife is different from those for wildlife poster abstracts, wildlife presentation abstracts not submitted for consideration for the “Best Student Paper” competition, and all fisheries abstracts. ** 

STUDENT FISHERIES POSTERS

Speakers will be given 20 minutes for their presentation (15-minute presentation and 5 minutes  for questions). A laptop PC and digital projector will be provided for Power Point presentations.  Please inquire about other audiovisual aids if necessary. 

Poster size and display:

Please limit your poster size to 32"x 44". Orientation can be either portrait or landscape; each  presenter will have a 4x4 foot space for their poster, which will provide a place to hang the poster and other information such as handouts or business cards. Presenters are required to assemble and disassemble their own poster and to provide tacks or push pins to hang their poster. Poster presenters should attend the Poster Session at the meeting to answer questions. Breaks and socials will be organized around the Posters to encourage discussion between attendees and poster presenters.

Poster abstract format:

List all authors using first and last names, their affiliation, addresses, and e-mail addresses. When choosing the title, be brief but descriptive and avoid using acronyms or scientific names in the  title unless the common name is not widely known. Abstracts are restricted to 250 words and should summarize the importance, methods, and findings of the research being described. Please follow the format from the example below so that program chairs can focus on processing abstracts rather than making edits. Abstracts with grammatical errors or incorrect formatting will be returned to the authors for correction prior to acceptance.

At the end of the abstract please indicate that 1) your submission is intended for a poster, and 2) the lead author is a student (see example below). 

Email your abstract to zbeard@azgfd.gov no later than 17:00 (5pm) on 12 January 2024.

EXAMPLE: Student fisheries poster abstract 

Authors:  

Eldridge Wisely, Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, University of Arizona, 1548 E. Drachman St. Tucson, AZ 85721; emw72@arizona.edu.

Melanie Culver, Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, U.S. Geological Survey, University of Arizona, 1064 East Lowell Street, Tucson, AZ 85721; mculver@email.arizona.edu.

Title: 

Characterizing Marine Faunal Community Composition Across the Gulf of California Using Next-Generation Sequencing of Environmental DNA

Abstract:  

Healthy oceans are vital to the survival of life on Earth.  They moderate climate, are habitat to over 50% of the species on Earth, and yet less is known about the ocean and its inhabitants than any other ecosystem.  Current biodiversity monitoring in the ocean relies on commercial fishing catch and limited small-scale observations through SCUBA or snorkeling surveys.  Effective large-scale monitoring of marine communities is needed in order to understand the effects of human activities on the ocean as a whole and on regions of interest in terms of ecosystem function instead of just presence or absence of commercially fished species.  The objectives of this study are to use environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect species presence in key marine communities in the Gulf of California with greater sensitivity than previous methods, and to develop eDNA analysis as a tool for monitoring relative abundance of key taxonomic groups in various community assemblages over a large geographic scale.  Samples of water and marine sediment will be taken from several locations in the Gulf of California and DNA will be extracted in a dedicated laboratory for ancient and degraded DNA samples at the University of Arizona.  DNA will then be processed two ways, first by PCR amplification of the barcoding regions, CO1, cytochrome b, and 16S and by developing new PCR primers specific to the Gulf of California taxa using the program ecoPrimers.  The PCR products will then be sequenced on Illumina Mi-Seq.  Secondly, a PCR-free approach will also be tested on a small subset of samples using eDNA extract, library preparation and then the Illumina Hi-Seq platform to test the viability and cost of this method for potential use in the greater study.  This project has the potential to improve marine monitoring methods in both scope and sensitivity, and to positively impact decision capability of policymakers in coastal regions. 

Poster; Student

STUDENT WILDLIFE ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Speakers will be given 20 minutes for their presentation (15-minute presentation and 5 minutes  for questions). A laptop PC and digital projector will be provided for Power Point presentations.  Please inquire about other audiovisual aids if necessary. 

Student wildlife oral presentation guidelines

To enter the wildlife student oral presentation competition, students must submit a written summary of their research by Friday, January 12th, 2024 5:00 pm MST. To be competitive, these should be final or near final results of the student’s research. The panel of judges will evaluate the written summary of the student’s research based on the merits of the research to determine the top 3 students from each state. These 6 finalists will compete during a special symposium of the meeting on Friday, February 2, 2024. Each student’s presentation will be 15 minutes plus 5 minutes for questions. All 6 finalists selected for the competition will receive a certificate and the top 2 students (one for AZ and one for NM) will receive a certificate and cash award at the awards banquet on February 2, 2024. Students who submit applications for the wildlife student oral presentation competition and are not selected for the competition will automatically have their research summaries sent to the TWS abstract selection committee responsible for choosing presentations for general sessions during the meeting. 

Experience presenting research at professional meetings is an important part of a student’s professional development. Consequently, we strongly encourage all students who are involved with research to submit an abstract for a poster or oral presentation, even if they do not submit it to be considered for this competition. 

Benefits:  

1. Judging will be consistent. 

2. The stature of the best wildlife student presentation award will be elevated. 

3. Symposium attendees will be able to see all of the “best papers”. 

4. All six finalists will gain better recognition. 

How to Apply:  

1. Eligibility: All students working towards undergraduate or graduate degrees, or professionals who have graduated within the 12 months preceding the JAM (i.e., after February 2024). The student must be first author on the research. The student must be a member of either the Arizona or New Mexico Chapter of The Wildlife Society. Group undergraduate or graduate class projects cannot be considered original research attributable to a single author and are therefore not allowable for this competition. 

2. Prepare your application in a word processor using a standard font no smaller than 11pt, single spacing, and at least 1 inch margins. Save the completed application as an unsecured pdf with the file name “TWS Student Competition Application_[Last Name]”.  

3. Application is not to exceed TWO single-spaced pages including tables, figures, and literature citations. Include the following information: a. Student name, institutional address, email address b. Advisor’s name; list of coauthors in order of recognition c. Summary of research including title, a brief introduction, methods, results, conclusions, and significance or management  implications.   

4. Attach the pdf of your application in an email addressed to Andrew Jones at  ajones@azgfd.gov at with a subject line “TWS Student Competition Application_[Last Name]”.  

5. The deadline for application is December 22, 2023 5:00 pm MST 

EXAMPLE: Student wildlife oral presentation project summary

PROFESSIONAL WILDLIFE POSTERS

Poster size and display:

Please limit your poster size to 32"x 44". Orientation can be either portrait or landscape; each  presenter will have a 4x4 foot space for their poster, which will provide a place to hang the poster and other information such as handouts or business cards. Presenters are required to assemble and disassemble their own poster and to provide tacks or push pins to hang their poster. Poster presenters should attend the Poster Session at the meeting to answer questions. Breaks and socials will be organized around the Posters to encourage discussion between attendees and poster presenters.

Poster abstract format:

List all authors using first and last names, their affiliation, addresses, and e-mail addresses. When choosing the title, be brief but descriptive and avoid using acronyms or scientific names in the  title unless the common name is not widely known. Abstracts are restricted to 250 words and should summarize the importance, methods, and findings of the research being described. Please follow the format from the example below so that program chairs can focus on processing abstracts rather than making edits. Abstracts with grammatical errors or incorrect formatting will be returned to the authors for correction prior to acceptance.

At the end of the abstract please indicate that 1) your submission is intended for a poster, and 2) the lead author is a professional (see example below). 

Email your abstract to wildlifeJAMabstract@gmail.com no later than 17:00 (5pm) on 12 January 2024.

EXAMPLE: Professional wildlife poster abstract

Authors:  

Steven S. Prager,  Audubon Arizona, 3131 S Central Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85040; sprager@audubon.org.

Title:  

Breeding habitat selection of the western distinct population of the yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) within Audubon Arizona Important Bird Areas 

Abstract:  

In the summer of 2015, Audubon Arizona staff and permittees surveyed five Audubon Important Bird Areas (IBAs) to determine cuckoo presence/absence and to assess breeding status. Using the protocol published by the USFWS, surveyors detected cuckoos 154 times, in four of the five IBAs.  Of these sites, three supported birds that were likely breeding. One site contained habitat consistent with cuckoo natural history accounts – extensive cottonwood/willow riparian gallery forest with adjacent mesquite upland scrub and Madrean pinyon-juniper woodland.  The second site was less consistent with cuckoo habitat descriptions with most detections occurring in extensive mesquite bosque along dry, ephemeral portions of the San Pedro River. The third site was the least consistent with previous cuckoo breeding habitat descriptions. Detections at this site were made in ephemeral drainages dominated by encinal oak woodlands and adjacent semidesert grasslands. This use of what was thought to be atypical cuckoo habitat was also observed by Tucson Audubon biologists during their 2015 surveys of several oak-dominated drainages within southeastern Arizona sky island IBAs. Studies looking to determine presence/absence of cuckoos and eventual designation of critical habitat should consider these and potentially other habitat types.

Poster; Professional