Influence of environmental conditions on foraging behaviour and its consequences on reproductive performance in little penguins

During the breeding season, seabirds are central place foragers and have to adapt their foraging behaviour in response to environmental variation to maximize efficiency and reproductive output. Due to its small size and swimming mode of transport, the little penguin (Eudyptula minor) is expected to be greatly susceptible to such fluctuations. The links between local-, meso- and macro-scale environmental conditions and inter-annual variation in foraging behaviour and reproductive performance of little penguins were investigated during three consecutive breeding seasons at two colonies in south-eastern Australia marked by contrasting oceanographic conditions. At a local scale, foraging effort was correlated positively with wind direction and negatively with wave height. At a regional scale, foraging effort of individuals from both colonies was negatively correlated with higher sea surface temperature (SST) off the Bonney Coast in the previous Austral summer, suggesting a weaker Bonney Upwelling event and a cascade of effects throughout the Bass Strait region. At a larger scale, the El Niño Southern Oscillation was also found to correlate with foraging behaviour, with lower foraging effort being observed during La Niña event. Although individuals increased their foraging effort during years with poorer conditions, they were not able to maintain high breeding success. In addition, peak egg-laying was found to coincide with a decrease in local SST and a peak of sea surface chlorophyll-a concentration. In conclusion, these results highlight how different environmental conditions could influence foraging behaviour and ultimately reproductive success of little penguins. It also showed that under certain circumstances, these individual strategies were not sufficient to cope with environmental variability.

Home range, habitat use and movements by the little raven (Corvus mellori) in a coastal peri-urban landscape

Context In peri-urban environments, high availability of anthropogenic resources may result in relatively high abundances of some species, with potentially negative implications for other native biota. Effective management of such impacts requires understanding of the spatial ecology of problem species. However, home range and habitat use have not been described for the little raven (Corvus mellori), a superabundant native predator that occurs in urban and natural habitats, including those where threatened shorebirds breed. Aims The aim of this study was to provide basic information on little raven home range, habitat use and movements in a coastal peri-urban landscape. Methods Between October 2011 and January 2012 we radio-tracked 20 little ravens captured in a coastal wetland (near Melbourne, Australia). Key results Little ravens were highly mobile, moving up to 9.9km in an hour (median≤2km), and had large ranges: Minimum Convex Polygons were 1664-9989ha (median≤3362ha). Although most birds used both anthropogenic and natural habitats, some birds strongly selected for coastal wetland habitat. Birds used multiple roosts during the study period, most of which occurred in grassland (58.7%) or urban (22.3%) areas. Movement of up to 8.3km (median≤2.2km) between roosts during the night was also detected. Conclusions Ravens were highly mobile and used large home ranges and a variety of habitats, with habitat preferences varying between birds. Implications Considering the large home ranges and inter-individual variation in habitat preferences of little raven populations, localised management to reduce their impacts on breeding shorebirds is unlikely to be successful. Journal compilation

Benefits of group foraging depend on prey type in a small marine predator, the Little Penguin

Group foraging provides predators with advantages in over-powering prey larger than themselves or in aggregating small prey for efficient exploitation. For group-living predatory species, cooperative hunting strategies provide inclusive fitness benefits. However, for colonial-breeding predators, the benefit pay-offs of group foraging are less clear due to the potential for intra-specific competition. We used animal-borne cameras to determine the prey types, hunting strategies, and success of little penguins (Eudyptula minor), a small, colonial breeding air-breathing marine predator that has recently been shown to display extensive at-sea foraging associations with conspecifics. Regardless of prey type, little penguins had a higher probability of associating with conspecifics when hunting prey that were aggregated than when prey were solitary. In addition, success was greater when individuals hunted schooling rather than solitary prey. Surprisingly, however, success on schooling prey was similar or greater when individuals hunted on their own than when with conspecifics. These findings suggest individuals may be trading-off the energetic gains of solitary hunting for an increased probability of detecting prey within a spatially and temporally variable prey field by associating with conspecifics.

Conservation genetics of the little penguin: eudyptula minor

This first range-wide study of the ecology and systematics of the Little Penguin, Eudyptula minor, supported a single species model with two distinct groups and a New Zealand origin. Critical information collected on gene flow, connectivity and sex identification will greatly enhance conservation strategies for this iconic Australasian bird.

Shifts in media images of women appearance and social status from 1960 to 2010: a content analysis of beauty advertisements in two Australian magazines

Ageing well and successful ageing have become important themes to describe how older individuals should keep ageing at bay. Products and services aimed at controlling ageing have become associated with ageing well. In this study we aimed to analyse the representation of older women in advertisements specific to appearance and ageing. In particular, we sought to explore how ageing for women was presented in the media over a period 50 years and when advertisements began to use the term 'anti-ageing'. A content analysis of 710 advertisements from two prominent Australian women's magazines, from 1960 to 2010, was conducted. Analyses showed that advertisements provided a narrow range of images representing women's physical appearance. The underlying messages were that ageing is problematic and that it had become unforgivable to show any signs of ageing. Text contained in advertisements for beauty products from the two chosen Australian magazines often gave specific and prescriptive advice to women on ways to avoid losing their youthful appearance. It was concluded that media relay powerful messages to spread and modify cultural beliefs informing individuals of a range of options that propose liberation from the problem of ageing.

Are only the strong surviving? Little influence of restoration on beetles (Coleoptera) in an agricultural landscape

Habitat restoration has become an important part of biodiversity conservation in the face of extensive habitat loss and fragmentation, especially in agricultural landscapes. Study of invertebrates such as beetles (Coleoptera) may be important to assess the effectiveness of restoration techniques in maintaining native fauna, because they provide a variety of trophic roles and ecosystem services. In this study we examined the conservation value for beetles of revegetation in linear strips and alongside remnant patches compared with remnant vegetation and cleared roadsides. We also assessed how habitat variables structured beetle community composition. Beetle species richness and abundance did not substantially differ between revegetated, remnant and cleared areas, and was not substantially influenced by vegetation type and structure. Herbivorous beetles and the family Curculionidae were more species rich in cleared linear strips. Beetle fauna in these agricultural landscapes may be a robust subset of the pre-clearing beetle community, possibly due to the widespread degradation of remnant areas and the ground layer habitats within them. One beetle species had slightly higher abundance in remnant linear strips, suggesting that remnant habitats may be important for some beetle species. Importantly, environmental variables strongly influenced beetle community composition, signifying that beetle communities are still responding to factors such as soil type and native vegetation, rather than variables mainly associated with land management. The restoration practices currently being undertaken in agricultural areas may not maintain beetle species that require specific habitat variables to survive. Ground-layer attributes need to be included in future revegetation projects, and translocation of specialist species of beetles may be required to restore communities.

The Little Con-ference 2015

The Little Con is an artist led initiative and dedicated to the performance of dance improvisation. The Little Con-ference is a conference linked to The Little Con (organised by Dianne Reid)

Little raven (Corvus mellori) as an egg predator of other bird species

 Little ravens were major predators of ground-nesting red-capped Plover and burrow-nesting Little penguin eggs. Ravens also congregated at the breeding sites of these two species to exploit eggs. As raven numbers increase with human habitation of land, their impact on other bird species needs to be monitored and managed.

Genetic analysis along an invasion pathway reveals endemic cryptic taxa, but a single species with little population structure in the introduced range

The invasion pathways of pest arthropods can be traced using genetic tools to develop an understanding of the processes that have shaped successful invasions and to inform both pest management and conservation strategies in their non-native and native ranges, respectively. The redlegged earth mite, Halotydeus destructor, is a major economic pest in Australia, successfully establishing and spreading after arrival from South Africa more than 100 years ago. Halotydeus destructor has recently expanded its range and evolved resistance to numerous pesticides in Australia, raising questions around its origin and spread. Location: South Africa and Australia. Methods: We sampled H. destructor populations in South Africa and Australia and developed a microsatellite marker library. We then examined genetic variation using mtDNA and microsatellite markers across both native and invasive ranges to determine endemic genetic diversity within South Africa, identify the likely origin of invasive populations and test genetic divergence across Australia. Results: The data show that H. destructor comprises a cryptic species complex in South Africa, with putative climatic/host plant associations that may correspond to regional variation. A lineage similar to that found near Cape Town has spread throughout Western and eastern Australia, where populations remain genetically similar. Main conclusions: Tracing the invasion pathway of this economically important pest revealed cryptic lineages in South Africa which points to the need for a taxonomic revision. The absence of significant genetic structure across the wide invasive range of H. destructor within Australia has implications for the development (and spread) of pesticide resistance and also points to recent local adaptation in physiological traits.

Being a girl in wartime: Canadian children's religious magazines during the First World War

During the First World War, Canadian children were inducted into certain patterns of behavior based on their symbolic value as the future of Canada and as contributors to the British empire. After the advent of the war, Protestant religious denominations in Canada began using their existing children's publications, such as The King's Own (1900-1925) and Pleasant Hours (1881-1929), to encourage child readers to see the war in ways that reinforced the necessity of duty and sacrifice far both boys and girls. Fiction and correspondence in these publications reflect the magazines' engagement with the war and their efforts to show girls how they could contribute to the war effort. As such, they represent an important intervention into how Canadian girlhood was constructed and refined during wartime. Although girls' fiction in these magazines often emphasises domestic responsibilities, it also offers opportunities to mobilise these domestic skills to support the war effort. Other content within the magazines also presented practical ideas that could be implemented at home and at school, suggesting that girls' participation in the war effort could be easily understood and implemented. Moreover, girls' participation in these wartime activities contributed simultaneously to both national and imperial enterprises. Thus these two magazines represented Canadian feminine ideals within an imperial framework. Importantly, however, the dominant frame far these girlhood ideals is explicitly national. They are primarily understood to be helping Canadians through their wartime work.