Behaviour-time budget and functional habitat use of a free-ranging European badger (Meles meles)

Background: The European badger (Melesmeles) is involved in the maintenance of bovine tuberculosis infection and onward spread to cattle. However, little is known about how transmission occurs. One possible route could be through direct contact between infected badgers and cattle. It is also possible that indirect contact between cattle and infected badger excretory products such as faeces or urine may occur either on pasture or within and around farm buildings. A better understanding of behaviour patterns in wild badgers may help to develop biosecurity measures to minimise direct and indirect contact between badgers and cattle. However, monitoring the behaviour of free-ranging badgers can be logistically challenging and labour intensive due to their nocturnal and semi-fossorial nature.We trialled a GPS and tri-axial accelerometer-equipped collar on a free-ranging badger to assess its potential value to elucidate behaviour-time budgets and functional habitat use. Results: During the recording period between 16:00 and 08:00 on a single night, resting was the most commonly identified behaviour (67.4%) followed by walking (20.9%), snuffling (9.5%) and trotting (2.3%).When examining accelerometer data associated with each GPS fix and habitat type (occurring 2 min 30 s before and after), walking was themost common behaviour in woodland (40.3%) and arable habitats (53.8%), while snuffling was themost common behaviour in pasture (61.9%). Several nocturnal resting periods were also observed. The total distance travelled was 2.28 km. Conclusions: In the present report, we demonstrate proof of principle in the application of a combined GPS and accelerometer device to collect detailed quantitative data on wild badger behaviour. Behaviour-time budgets allow us to investigate how badgers allocate energy to different activities and how thismight change with disease status. Such information could be useful in the development of measures to reduce opportunities for onward transmission of bovine tuberculosis from badgers to cattle.

Fitness reduction and potential extinction of wild populations of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, as a result of interactions with escaped farm salmon.

The high level of escapes from Atlantic salmon farms, up to two million fishes per year in the North Atlantic, has raised concern about the potential impact on wild populations. We report on a twogeneration experiment examining the estimated lifetime successes, relative to wild natives, of farm, F1 and F2 hybrids and BC1 backcrosses to wild and farm salmon. Offspring of farm and hybrids (i.e. all F1 , F2 and BC1 groups) showed reduced survival compared with wild salmon but grew faster as juveniles and displaced wild parr, which as a group were significantly smaller. Where suitable habitat for these emigrant parr is absent, this competition would result in reduced wild smolt production. In the experimental conditions, where emigrants survived downstream, the relative estimated lifetime success ranged from 2% (farm) to 89% (BC1 wild) of that of wild salmon, indicating additive genetic variation for survival . Wild salmon primarily returned to fresh water after one sea winter (1SW) but farm and hybrids produced proportionately more 2SW salmon. However, lower overall survival means that this would result in reduced recruitment despite increased 2SW fecundity. We thus demonstrate that interaction of farm with wild salmon results in lowered fitness, with repeated escapes causing cumulative fitness depression and potentially an extinction vortex in vulnerable populations.

Three medieval buildings in the port of Ardglass, Co Down

Three buildings in what is now a small port in Ardglass, Co. Down are connected by their location on the ridge overlooking the harbour and quay. Because of the Irish vernacular style related to tower houses they have all been called castles, but analysis shows that they were originally more commercial in their purpose. The largest of the buildings is identified as a line of shops. The building adjacent to that was possibly used as a warehouse or communal hall, while the third building appears to have been used as a watch tower for the port. As such they relate to other commercial buildings found in late medieval Irish towns, notably Kilmallock, Co. Limerick.

Element partitioning and potential mobility within surface dusts on buildings in a polluted urban environment, Budapest.

A voluminous literature exists on the analysis of water-soluble ions extracted from gypsum crusts and patinas formed on building surfaces. However, less data is available on the intermediate dust layer and the important role its complex matrix and constituents play in crust/patina formation. To address this issue, surface dust samples were collected from two buildings in the city of Budapest. Substrate properties, different pollution levels and environmental variations were considered by collecting samples from a city centre granite building exposed to intense traffic conditions and from an oolitic limestone church situated in a pedestrian area outside and high above the main pollution zone. Selective extraction examines both water-soluble ions (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl-, NO3- SO42-) and selected elements (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cr, Pb, Ni) from the water-soluble, exchangeable/carbonate, amorphous Mn, amorphous Fe/Mn, crystalline Fe/Mn, organic and residual phases, their mobility and potential to catalyse heterogeneous surface reactions. Salt weathering processes are highlighted by high concentrations of water-soluble Ca2+, Na+, Cl- and SO42-- at both sites. Manganese, Zn and Cu and to a lesser extent Pb and Ni, are very mobile in the city centre dust, where 30%, 54%, 38%, 11% and 11% of their totals are bound by the water-soluble phase, respectively. Church dust shows a sharp contrast for Mn, Zn, Cu and Pb with only 3%, 1%, 12% and 3% of their totals being bound by the water-soluble phase respectively. This may be due to (a) different environmental conditions at the church e.g. lower humidity (b) continuous replenishment of salts under intensive city centre traffic conditions (c) enrichment in oxidisable organic carbon by a factor of 4.5 and a tenfold increase in acidity in the city centre dust.