Ecology / economy

This work speaks to ideas of nurturing and embodiment. In one half of the screen we see a father massaging his child with coconut oil, a common practice in Fijian families, and an early investment in the health and spiritual wellbeing of the child. In the next frame we see the other end of the life cycle and an imagined re-enactment of the folding of the Fijian flag, as in the American military tradition for fallen service people. Here Bolatagici refers to the number of Fijians fighting for foreign armies, including the United States.

Urban ecology and the future of cities

The role of ecology in a sustainable future is prominent in the media, academic writing and political decisions; as such environmental pressures, as well as economic, social and political, increasingly influence planning for the future. This paper looks at how this translates into the process for planning future cities – highlighting gaps in knowledge and issues of implementation. It draws on interdisciplinary sources to explore three main elements of the debate: What is urban ecology and why is it important to sustainable cities?; What gaps are there in the ecological knowledge of planners and policy makers and why are there gaps?; and How can urban ecology be integrated into the planning of future sustainable cities?. This paper does not aim to provide a definitive answer to the problem; rather it addresses the first two areas and identifies potential directions for the third. It takes Australia, as national, Victoria, as regional and Geelong, as local, points of reference.

Ground-foraging techniques of Welcome Swallows Hirundo neoxena, including an Instance of kleptoparasitism

All species of swallow primarily forage on the wing although occasionally come to ground to take prey. There are only a few documented cases of Australian swallow species foraging while on the ground, and descriptions of foraging techniques in these instances are limited. Here we provide details of observations on ground-foraging of the Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena in south-eastern Australia, as well as an instance of kleptoparasitism.

Individual foraging site fidelity in lactating New Zealand fur seals : Continental shelf vs. oceanic habitats

Wide-ranging marine central place foragers often exhibit foraging site fidelity to oceanographic features over differing spatial scales (i.e., localized coastal upwellings and oceanic fronts). Few studies have tested how the degree of site fidelity to foraging areas varies in relation to the type of ocean features used. In order to determine how foraging site fidelity varied between continental shelf and oceanic foraging habitats, 31 lactating New Zealand fur seals (Arctocephalus australis forsteri1) were satellite tracked over consecutive foraging trips (14–108 d). Thirty-seven foraging trips were recorded from 11 females that foraged on the continental shelf, in a region associated with a coastal upwelling, while 65 foraging trips were recorded from 20 females that foraged in oceanic waters. There were no significant differences in the mean bearings (to maximum distance) of individual's consecutive foraging trips, suggesting individual fidelity to foraging areas. However, overlap in area and time spent in area varied considerably between continental shelf and oceanic foragers. Females that foraged on the continental shelf had significantly greater overlap in consecutive foraging trips when compared to females that foraged in oceanic waters (overlap in 5 × 5 km grid cells visited on consecutive trips 55.9%± 20.4% and 13.4%± 7.6%, respectively). Females that foraged on the continental shelf also spent significantly more time within the same grid cell than females that foraged in oceanic waters (maximum time spent in 5 × 5 km grid cells: 14%± 5% and 4%± 2%, respectively). This comparatively high foraging site fidelity may reflect the concentration of productivity associated with a coastal upwelling system, the Bonney Upwelling. Lower foraging site fidelity recorded by seals that foraged in oceanic waters implies a lower density/larger scale habitat, where prey are more dispersed or less predictable at fine scales, when compared to the continental shelf region.

Global patterns for upper ceilings on migration distance in sea turtles and comparisons with fish, birds and mammals

1. Some animals migrate huge distances in search of resources with locomotory mode (flying/swimming/walking) thought to drive the upper ceilings on migration distance. Yet in cross-taxa comparisons, upper ceilings on migration distance have been ignored for one important group, sea turtles. 2. Using migration distances recorded for 407 adult and 4715 juvenile sea turtles across five species, we show that for adult cheloniid turtles, the upper ceiling on species migration distances between breeding and foraging habitats (1050–2850 km across species) is similar to that predicted for equivalent-sized marine mammals and fish. 3. In contrast, by feeding in the open ocean, adult leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) and juveniles of all turtle species can travel around 12 000 km from their natal regions, travelling across the widest ocean basins. For juvenile turtles, this puts their maximum migration distances well beyond those expected for equivalent-sized marine mammals and fish, but not those found in some similar sized birds. 4. Post-hatchling turtles perform these long-distance migrations to juvenile foraging sites only once in their lifetime, while adult turtles return to their breeding sites every few (generally ?2) years. Our results highlight the important roles migration periodicity and foraging mode can play in driving the longest migrations, and the implications for Marine Protected Area planning are considered in terms of sea turtle conservation.

Satellite tracking large numbers of individuals to infer population level dispersal and core areas for the protection of an endangered species

Aim: Tracking the dispersal patterns and habitat use of migratory species is necessary to delineate optimal areas for protection, with large sample sizes being more representative of the population. Here, we examine the dispersal patterns of a key Mediterranean loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) breeding population to identify priority foraging sites for protection. Location: Zakynthos Island, Greece and the wider Mediterranean. Method: We examined the dispersal patterns and foraging sites of 75 adult loggerheads (n = 38 males and 37 females) tracked from the breeding area of Zakynthos Island (Greece) from 2004 to 2011. We then combined our data with published sea turtle literature to identify key foraging sites for protection. Results: While both males and females exhibited similar dispersal patterns, about 25% males remained < 100 km of Zakynthos, whereas all females (except one) migrated > 200 km. Integration of our data with the wider literature isolated 10 core sites in proximity to existing protected areas, which could potentially protect 64% of the Zakynthos population, while five sites support individuals from at least 10 other loggerhead breeding populations. Main conclusions: Due to the widespread availability of neritic foraging grounds across the Mediterranean, sea turtles from Zakynthos exhibit disparate dispersal patterns. However, protecting only a few objectively defined important sites can encompass a large proportion of the foraging areas used and hence have considerable conservation benefit.

Testing dynamic variance-sensitive foraging using individual differences in basal metabolic rates of zebra finches

Social foragers can alternate between searching for food (producer tactic), and searching for other individuals that have located food in order to join them (scrounger tactic). Both tactics yield equal rewards on average, but the rewards generated by producer are more variable. A dynamic variance-sensitive foraging model predicts that social foragers should increase their use of scrounger with increasing energy requirements and/or decreased food availability early in the foraging period. We tested whether natural variation in minimum energy requirements (basal metabolic rate or BMR) is associated with differences in the use of producer–scrounger foraging tactics in female zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata. As predicted by the dynamic variance-sensitive model, high BMR individuals had significantly greater use of the scrounger tactic compared with low BMR individuals. However, we observed no effect of food availability on tactic use, indicating that female zebra finches were not variance-sensitive foragers under our experimental conditions. This study is the first to report that variation in BMR within a species is associated with differences in foraging behaviour. BMR-related differences in scrounger tactic use are consistent with phenotype-dependent tactic use decisions. We suggest that BMR is correlated with another phenotypic trait which itself influences tactic use decisions.

From little things, big things grow: trends and fads in 110 years of Australian ornithology

Publishing histories can reveal changes in ornithological effort, focus or direction through time. This study presents a bibliometric content analysis of Emu (1901–2011) which revealed 115 trends (long-term changes in publication over time) and 18 fads (temporary increases in publication activity) from the classification of 9,039 articles using 128 codes organised into eight categories (author gender, author affiliation, article type, subject, main focus, main method, geographical scale and geographical location). Across 110 years, private authorship declined, while publications involving universities and multiple institutions increased; from 1960, female authorship increased. Over time, question-driven studies and incidental observations increased and decreased in frequency, respectively. Single species and ‘taxonomic group’ subjects increased while studies of birds at specific places decreased. The focus of articles shifted from species distribution and activities of the host organisation to breeding, foraging and other biological/ecological topics. Site- and Australian-continental-scales slightly decreased over time; non-Australian studies increased from the 1970s. A wide variety of fads occurred (e.g. articles on bird distribution, 1942–1951, and using museum specimens, 1906–1913) though the occurrence of fads decreased over time. Changes over time are correlated with technological, theoretical, social and institutional changes, and suggest ornithological priorities, like those of other scientific disciplines, are temporally labile