Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alemayehu Edossa, Afework Bekele, Habte Jebessa Debella
Summary: The study assessed the feeding ecology and diet preferences of common warthogs, finding that they mainly foraged on a wide range of food resources including graminoids, forbs, and shrubs, with certain staple forage species frequently preferred.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Jack Thorley, Hanna M. Bensch, Kyle Finn, Tim Clutton-Brock, Markus Zottl
Summary: Successful reproduction in eusocial invertebrates and obligate cooperative breeders depends on assistance from non-breeding group members. However, in wild Damaraland mole-rats, breeding individuals can reproduce without the help of non-breeders. The effects of group size on reproduction, growth, and survival are limited in this species.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Martijn Hammers, Sjouke A. Kingma, Lotte A. van Boheemen, Alexandra M. Sparks, Terry Burke, Hannah L. Dugdale, David S. Richardson, Jan Komdeur
Summary: In cooperatively breeding species, alloparental care provided by helpers can mitigate the impact of parental senescence on offspring provisioning and survival. While the provisioning rate of female breeders and offspring survival decline with age, the presence of helpers helps alleviate these declines. Older female breeders recruit more helpers, leading to overall increased care for their brood.
Article
Ecology
Ettore Camerlenghi, Alexandra McQueen, Kaspar Delhey, Carly N. Cook, Sjouke A. Kingma, Damien R. Farine, Anne Peters, Noa Pinter-Wollman
Summary: Multilevel societies are considered one of the most complex forms of animal societies, with most research focusing on mammals. This study proposes that multilevel societies could also be common in cooperatively breeding birds, and provides evidence through comparing and analyzing bird species in Australia and New Zealand.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Aurelie Cohas, Coraline Bichet, Rebecca Garcia, Sylvia Pardonnet, Sophie Lardy, Benjamin Rey
Summary: The study found that in wild Alpine marmot pups, being raised in the presence of helpers enhances their ability to mount and turn off stress responses. Additionally, pups raised in larger litters also exhibit higher stress response capabilities. Understanding the impacts of social modulation of the HPA axis on individual fitness contributes to our knowledge of the evolution of cooperative breeding.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Jan J. Kreider, Boris H. Kramer, Jan Komdeur, Ido Pen
Summary: Cooperatively breeding animals have longer lifespans because the onset of senescence is delayed and there is lower competition for breeding among group members. Additionally, lower genetic relatedness among group members leads to the evolution of longer lifespans due to weaker selection against higher mortality.
Article
Ecology
Rita Fortuna, Matthieu Paquet, Clotilde Biard, Loic Elard, Andre C. Ferreira, Mathieu Leroux-Coyaux, Charline Parenteau, LilianaR R. Silva, Franck Theron, Rita Covas, Claire Doutrelant
Summary: Prenatal resource allocation to offspring can be influenced by maternal environment and offspring value, and affect offspring survival. An important pathway for flexible maternal allocation is via egg components such as nutrients and hormones. In cooperative breeders, females with helpers may increase resource allocation to eggs or reduce it, but the effects of helpers on egg composition and the interaction with laying order effects on egg content and survival have been poorly studied. Findings from the study suggest that some egg components (yolk mass, lipids) can positively vary according to females' breeding group size, which may improve offspring fitness.
Editorial Material
Behavioral Sciences
Raphael Igor Dias, Debora Goedert
Summary: The study found that in Campo flickers, helpers removed proportionally more faecal sacs than breeders, with male helpers mainly responsible for this activity. This behavior pattern differs from the traditional notion that females are primarily responsible for nest sanitation.
Article
Zoology
L. K. D. Katsis, D. M. Linton, D. W. Macdonald
Summary: Research on vespertilionid bats revealed that males and non-breeding females are often segregated from large maternity groups, while breeding females are separated from non-breeding females and males during the lactation period. Factors such as group size, female reproductive condition, and time period were found to be key factors associated with sexual segregation within bat roosts. This study contributes valuable insights into inter- and intra-sexual segregation in vespertilionid bats and suggests that sexual size dimorphism is not a prerequisite for sexual segregation.
JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Donald Neiffer, Jennie Hewlett, Peter Buss, Leana Rossouw, Guy Hausler, Lin-Mari DeKlerk-Lorist, Eduard Roos, Francisco Olea-Popelka, Baratang Lubisi, Livio Heath, Michele Miller
Summary: The warthog can serve as a model for studying disease transmission between humans, wildlife, and livestock. A retrospective study on warthogs in northeastern South Africa revealed variations in antibody prevalence to different pathogens among different locations, with higher rates of Mycobacterium bovis antibodies in adult warthogs.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Ellyssia T. Watts, Christopher N. Johnson, Scott Carver, Catherine Butler, Andrea M. Harvey, Elissa Z. Cameron
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Anna Aune, Kate Fenner, Bethany Wilson, Elissa Cameron, Andrew McLean, Paul McGreevy
Article
Environmental Sciences
James M. Pay, Todd E. Katzner, Clare E. Hawkins, Amelia J. Koch, Jason M. Wiersma, William E. Brown, Nick J. Mooney, Elissa Z. Cameron
Summary: Lead exposure was found in Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles in Australia, with 100% of carcasses testing positive for lead and elevated concentrations in some samples. This highlights the threat of lead-based ammunition exposure to raptors and underscores the importance of addressing lead contamination in the ecosystem.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Kathryn E. Low, Brandon M. Collins, Alexis Bernal, John E. Sanders, Dylan Pastor, Patricia Manley, Angela M. White, Scott L. Stephens
Summary: Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forests have experienced significant changes in structure and composition, making them more vulnerable to disturbance and climate-related events. Fuel reduction treatments have long-lasting effects on forest structure, reducing tree density and increasing drought resistance. Thinning treatments also result in lower woody fuel loads and tree mortality.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Biology
David G. Hamilton, Menna E. Jones, Elissa Z. Cameron, Douglas H. Kerlin, Hamish McCallum, Andrew Storfer, Paul A. Hohenlohe, Rodrigo K. Hamede
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
James M. Pay, Todd E. Katzner, Clare E. Hawkins, Leon A. Barmuta, William E. Brown, Jason M. Wiersma, Amelia J. Koch, Nick J. Mooney, Elissa Z. Cameron
Summary: The study revealed widespread exposure of the endangered apex predator Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles in Australia to anticoagulant rodenticides, especially with high concentrations of second generation ARs. Exposed eagles were found in agricultural habitats with high human population density, and the main source of exposure was flocoumafen from agricultural suppliers.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Haley E. Mirts, John P. McLaughlin, Theodore J. Weller, Angela M. White, Hillary S. Young, Rahel Sollmann
Summary: The study reveals that bats show weak to no response in space use to fire severity and tree mortality despite changes in habitat conditions. Factors such as prey species richness and biomass have a more significant impact on bat space use than vegetation cover and density. The high mobility of bats may mitigate the potential negative effects of local conditions caused by wildfires.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
James M. Pay, Todd E. Katzner, Jason M. Wiersma, William E. Brown, Clare E. Hawkins, Kirstin M. Proft, Elissa Z. Cameron
Summary: Research has shown that Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagles can be accurately sexed through a series of morphological measurements, with free-flying birds being sexed with 97.6% accuracy and late-stage nestlings with 95.4% accuracy. These findings provide valuable tools for studying sexual differences in behavior and causes of mortality in this endangered subspecies.
JOURNAL OF RAPTOR RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Kathryn Culhane, Rahel Sollmann, Angela M. White, Gina L. Tarbill, Scott D. Cooper, Hillary S. Young
Summary: The frequency of large, high-severity mega-fires has increased in recent decades, with numerous consequences for forest ecosystems. Small mammal communities are vulnerable to post-fire shifts in resource availability and play critical roles in forest ecosystems. Inconsistencies in previous observations of small mammal community responses to fire severity underscore the importance of examining mechanisms regulating the effects of fire severity on post-fire recovery of small mammal communities.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
John P. McLaughlin, John W. Schroeder, Angela M. White, Kate Culhane, Haley E. Mirts, Gina L. Tarbill, Laura Sire, Matt Page, Elijah J. Baker, Max Moritz, Justin Brashares, Hillary S. Young, Rahel Sollmann
Summary: This study investigates the food webs in unburned, low-to-moderate, and high severity burned habitats three years after wildfires in the Eldorado National Forest, California. The results show a large number of trophic interactions between plants and animals under different burn conditions. The study also provides data on taxonomy, body size, biomass density, and trophic interactions for each burn condition.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
James M. Pay, Toby A. Patterson, Kirstin M. Proft, Elissa Z. Cameron, Clare E. Hawkins, Amelia J. Koch, Jason M. Wiersma, Todd E. Katzner
Summary: Effective planning for species conservation often requires understanding habitat use. This study developed behavior-specific spatial habitat-use models using GPS telemetry data, providing valuable information for the management of threatened species. The study found that recently fledged Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles selected different areas for perching, short-distance flight, and long-distance flight, with preferences for forest edges, steep topography, and areas further from forest edges, respectively.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Wendy C. Turner, Stephanie Periquet, Claire E. Goelst, Kimberlie B. Vera, Elissa Z. Cameron, Kathleen A. Alexander, Jerrold L. Belant, Claudine C. Cloete, Pierre du Preez, Wayne M. Getz, Robyn S. Hetem, Pauline L. Kamath, Marthin K. Kasaona, Monique Mackenzie, John Mendelsohn, John K. E. Mfune, Jeff R. Muntifering, Ruben Portas, H. Ann Scott, W. Maartin Strauss, Wilferd Versfeld, Bettina Wachter, George Wittemyer, J. Werner Kilian
Summary: Etosha National Park in Namibia is a dryland system with a rich history of wildlife conservation and research. Concerns have been raised about the impact of global change on wildlife conservation in this area. This article provides insight into the challenges facing wildlife conservation in this vulnerable dryland environment and emphasizes the need to integrate research and wildlife management.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Biology
Emma J. Godfrey, Elissa Z. Cameron, Graham J. Hickling
Summary: Social learning reduces trial-and-error learning costs and may contribute to trap and bait avoidance in invasive species. This study provides strong evidence of social learning by common brushtail possums and suggests important implications for pest control.
Article
Ecology
Keith Slauson, Becky Howard, Angela M. White, Charles Maxwell, Timothy Holland
Summary: Developing and implementing landscape-scale management strategies that balance restoring natural fire regimes and promoting ecosystem resiliency is crucial. Different management scenarios were evaluated for their effects on forest structure, composition, and wildfire behavior. The increase in old-forest habitat was found to be a more significant factor than the differences in management scenarios. The pace and scale of treatments had an impact on the increase in territory numbers for old-forest predators.
ECOLOGY AND SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Angela M. White, Tim G. Holland, Eric S. Abelson, Alec Kretchun, Charles J. Maxwell, Robert M. Scheller
Summary: Many forests in the western United States have experienced human impacts for over a hundred years, resulting in increased tree density, homogenization of forest structure, and accumulation of woody material. Recent tree mortality and destructive fires in California have raised concerns about their effects on biodiversity. Modeling different management scenarios revealed that the type and extent of fuel reduction treatments can influence the composition and structure of forested landscapes, impacting wildlife habitats.
ECOLOGY AND SOCIETY
(2022)
