Article
Environmental Sciences
Scott A. Lindsay, Charles G. B. Caraguel, Ryan O'Handley, Jan Slapeta, Rachael Gray
Summary: This study reports on the exposure of the Australian sea lion to Toxoplasma gondii, a protozoon. The results showed that adult female sea lions had a seroprevalence of 30.4%, while no antibodies were detected in the surveyed pups. The study suggests that the infection may be associated with food intake. These findings have implications for parasitic disease risk in wildlife inhabiting Australia's islands and for the feral cat control program.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Scott A. Lindsay, Mariel Fulham, Charles G. B. Caraguel, Rachael Gray
Summary: The Australian sea lion experiences high pup mortality due to hookworm infection. A treatment trial showed that eliminating hookworms can improve growth and health outcomes in all age cohorts. Immediate improvements were observed in hematological measures of health.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Isabelle Charrier, Benjamin J. Pitcher, Robert G. Harcourt
Summary: Communication is the process of transmitting information from an emitter to one or multiple receivers to elicit a response. Animal communication is often multimodal, involving signals and cues from different sensory modalities. Researchers adopted a step-by-step approach to study the mother-pup recognition process in Australian sea lions, investigating the use of voice, visual cues, and olfactory cues in identifying each other. They also explored how different sensory modalities interacted and analyzed the information transmitted. These findings shed light on the active space of each sensory cue and the potential synergistic effects of integrating information from multiple modalities.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Fanhui Kong, Huali Zhou, Yefei Mo, Mingyue Shi, Qinglin Meng, Nengheng Zheng
Summary: In this study, a new acoustic vocoder model was used to simulate perception with cochlear implants (CIs), and it was hypothesized that comparable speech encoding could lead to similar perceptual patterns for CI and normal hearing (NH) listeners. The results showed that the same signal encoding implementations could lead to similar perceptual patterns simultaneously in multiple perception tasks, highlighting the importance of faithfully replicating all signal processing stages in sensory neuroprostheses.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON NEURAL SYSTEMS AND REHABILITATION ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Scott A. Lindsay, Rachael Gray
Summary: This study presents a case of tuberculosis associated with intestinal perforation in an endangered Australian sea lion, highlighting the importance of vigilance for zoonotic disease risk when handling pinnipeds. The confirmation of Mycobacterium pinnipedii infection emphasizes the need for increased serologic population surveillance to assess the species' risk from this and other endemic diseases, especially given its endangered status.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
Anuradha Sharma, Himanshi Sharma, Sanjay Munjal, Naresh Panda
Summary: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of college festivals on voice features of college students. The results showed abnormal changes in voice features and a high risk of vocal disorders post festival. Therefore, it is recommended to provide vocal education to college students before cultural events.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pina Gruden, Yvonne M. Barkley, Jennifer L. K. McCullough
Summary: Understanding the vocal behavior of cetaceans is crucial for passive acoustic applications. This study examines the vocal behavior of false killer whales in the Hawaiian Archipelago. The results show diverse vocal behavior among different encounters, with 29% using only echolocation, 16% using only whistles, and 55% using both types of vocalizations. These findings contribute valuable information for the development of automated passive acoustic cetacean tracking and classification techniques, supporting future monitoring and assessment efforts.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mario Trevino, Santiago Castiello, Oscar Arias-Carrion, Braniff De la Torre-Valdovinos, Ricardo Medina Coss y Leon
Summary: The study reveals that humans exhibit decisional biases even in laboratory settings, leading to loss in utilities. These biases may be caused by individual traits and are reflected consistently across multiple behavioral tasks and days. This suggests that internal factors play a key role in shaping decision-making biases, which could be instrumental in detecting psychopathologies involving abnormal levels of choice variability.
Article
Biology
Helen Blank, Janine Bayer
Summary: Model-based analyses of fMRI data provide insights into the neural basis of similarity-based categorization. Prototype and exemplar representations were found in different brain areas, and some individuals formed both representation types simultaneously.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maria Loconsole, Lucia Regolin
Summary: Newborn domestic chicks quickly learn to recognize and prefer familiar individuals. We conducted experiments to examine if lack of physical contact or social feedback during familiarization would affect affiliative preference, and hypothesized the importance of social responsiveness. The results showed that despite the absence of haptic interaction or being seen by its cagemate, chicks still preferred the familiar individual. However, when the familiar individual was socially unresponsive, chicks developed a preference for the unfamiliar individual. These findings emphasize the significance of social interaction in the early stages of life, regardless of familiarity.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yang Jiang, Yufei Zhang, Chuan Ning, Qingqing Ji, Xiao Peng, Kai Dong, Zhong Lin Wang
Summary: This study presents an ultrathin eardrum-like triboelectric acoustic sensor (ETAS), which has high sensitivity and a broad frequency response range that can be adjusted by geometric parameters. When used in combination with artificial intelligence algorithms, the ETAS can achieve real-time voice conversion with high identification accuracy.
Article
Acoustics
Thomas Koelewijn, Etienne Gaudrain, Terrin Tamati, Deniz Baskent
Summary: Perceptual differences in voice cues can facilitate speech understanding in challenging conditions, while lexical content has a positive effect on vocal tract length perception. The presence of vocoders can impact voice perception.
JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Desley A. Whisson, Freya McKinnon, Matthew Lefoe, Anthony R. Rendall
Summary: Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) plays a vital role in detecting Yellow-bellied Gliders, requiring at least six consecutive nights of audio data recording after sunset, with attention to factors such as background noise and rainfall that affect detection.
Article
Acoustics
Justin T. T. Fleming, Matthew B. B. Winn
Summary: Perception of word stress is important for speech recognition, and cochlear implant (CI) users may have different weightings of stress cues compared to users with normal hearing (NH). CI users rely less on frequency-based pitch and vowel quality cues, but compensate by upweighting vowel duration and intensity cues. Bimodal hearing may hold promise for restoring the stress cue weighting patterns observed in NH listeners.
JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Luciano S. Martinez-Rau, Jose O. Chelotti, Mariano Ferrero, Santiago A. Utsumi, Alejandra M. Planisich, Leandro D. Vignolo, Leonardo L. Giovanini, H. Leonardo Rufiner, Julio R. Galli
Summary: Monitoring livestock feeding behavior utilizing automatic techniques based on sensor data is crucial for evaluating animal welfare and nutritional status. This study presents an open dataset of acoustic recordings of dairy cows' foraging behavior, providing valuable resources for exploring precision livestock farming tools and solutions.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Marcus Salton, Sophie Bestley, Nick Gales, Robert Harcourt
Summary: Animals, particularly dimorphic species, utilize long-distance foraging trips to capitalize on spatiotemporal variation in food availability, and the trip type is related to departure date rather than body size.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuri Niella, Amy F. Smoothey, Matthew D. Taylor, Victor M. Peddemors, Robert Harcourt
Summary: The study shows that the space use of bull sharks and their potential prey is influenced by environmental, physical, and biological factors. Rainfall affects space use, with male sharks responding most promptly to rainfall. The overlap between males and females is influenced by shark size.
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Fernando Arce, Mark A. Hindell, Clive R. McMahon, Simon J. Wotherspoon, Christophe Guinet, Robert G. Harcourt, Sophie Bestley
Summary: Antarctic polynyas are persistent open water areas that enable phytoplankton blooms. A study on southern elephant seals showed that most of them forage in polynyas and gain more energy from doing so. Despite other factors influencing their choice of feeding grounds, polynyas remain important for foraging.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Rafael Filgueira Jorge, Albertina Pimentel Lima, Adam James Stow
Summary: Understanding genome-wide variation and gene flow processes is crucial for managing threatened species. In this study, we investigated genetic diversity and environmental connectivity in the narrowly distributed and threatened Amazonian frog, Atelopus manauensis. Our findings revealed six genetic groups and evidence of localized adaptation, indicating the presence of six Evolutionary Significant Units. These results have important implications for conservation planning.
CONSERVATION GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Skye Davis, Julia Ryeland, Shannon M. Smith, Gina Hart, Adam J. Stow
Summary: Conserving evolutionary processes is crucial in conservation management as environmental changes threaten wild populations. The study focuses on the Emu population in the NSW North Coast bioregion of Australia, which is endangered due to limited geographical distribution and small size. Researchers used genetic markers to analyze the spatial genetic structure and diversity of the Emus, revealing significant genetic divergence and low genetic diversity in the NSW North Coast population. The study predicts a risk of inbreeding depression and emphasizes the importance of incorporating genetic data into management plans for this population.
EMU-AUSTRAL ORNITHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Chloe Huetz, Anjara Saloma, Olivier Adam, Aristide Andrianarimisa, Isabelle Charrier, Tadamichi Morisaka
Summary: This study investigates the diving behavior of humpback whale mother-calf pairs, revealing that the diving behavior of calves varies with age, while the diving behavior of mothers is primarily influenced by their own characteristics.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
(2022)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Isabelle Charrier, Benjamin J. Pitcher, Robert G. Harcourt
Summary: Communication is the process of transmitting information from an emitter to one or multiple receivers to elicit a response. Animal communication is often multimodal, involving signals and cues from different sensory modalities. Researchers adopted a step-by-step approach to study the mother-pup recognition process in Australian sea lions, investigating the use of voice, visual cues, and olfactory cues in identifying each other. They also explored how different sensory modalities interacted and analyzed the information transmitted. These findings shed light on the active space of each sensory cue and the potential synergistic effects of integrating information from multiple modalities.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anjara Saloma, Maevatiana N. Ratsimbazafindranahaka, Mathilde Martin, Aristide Andrianarimisa, Chloe Huetz, Olivier Adam, Isabelle Charrier
Summary: This study investigated the vocal repertoire of humpback whale mother-calf groups during the breeding season off Sainte Marie island, Madagascar. The results identified 30 social call types, including low, medium, and high-frequency sounds, as well as amplitude-modulated and pulsed sounds. Some social call types were specific to the study area, while others showed similarities with calls from other geographic areas. Nine call types were also found in humpback whale songs recorded in the same region.
Article
Ecology
Vinay Udyawer, Charlie Huveneers, Fabrice Jaine, Russell C. Babcock, Stephanie Brodie, Marie-Jeanne Buscot, Hamish A. Campbell, Robert G. Harcourt, Xavier Hoenner, Elodie J. I. Ledee, Colin A. Simpfendorfer, Matthew D. Taylor, Asia Armstrong, Adam Barnett, Culum Brown, Barry Bruce, Paul A. Butcher, Gwenael Cadiou, Lydie I. E. Couturier, Leanne Currey-Randall, Michael Drew, Christine L. Dudgeon, Ross G. Dwyer, Mario Espinoza, Luciana C. Ferreira, Anthony Fowler, David Harasti, Alastair R. Harborne, Nathan A. Knott, Kate Lee, Matt Lloyd, Michael Lowry, Teagan Marzullo, Jordan Matley, Jaime D. McAllister, Rory McAuley, Frazer McGregor, Mark Meekan, Kade Mills, Bradley M. Norman, Beverly Oh, Nicholas L. Payne, Vic Peddemors, Toby Piddocke, Richard D. Pillans, Richard D. Reina, Paul Rogers, Jayson M. Semmens, Amy Smoothey, Conrad W. Speed, Dylan van der Meulen, Michelle R. Heupel
Summary: A study found that ectothermic marine species exhibit allometric scaling for activity space, although the relationship is weaker compared to terrestrial species. Body mass alone can only explain 35% of the variation, with trophic position and latitude being stronger predictors for marine species. The study highlights the importance of using large-scale animal biotelemetry networks to address evolutionary and ecological questions across different taxa.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Julia Tovar Verba, Carlos E. L. Ferreira, Maria Grazia Pennino, Linda Hagberg, Priscila F. M. Lopes, Beatrice Padovani Ferreira, Sergio Maia Queiroz Lima, Adam Stow
Summary: This study describes the genetic structure of the Gray Parrotfish in Brazil and identifies water depth, ocean currents, and geographic distance as the major factors explaining genetic divergence. A distinct genetic population was found around Trindade Island, emphasizing its conservation significance. Costa dos Corais and Fernando de Noronha likely serve as important larval sources for the species.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Julia Tovar Verba, Adam Stow, Bernhard Bein, Maria Grazia Pennino, Priscila F. M. Lopes, Beatrice P. Ferreira, Meghana Mortier, Sergio Maia Queiroz Lima, Ricardo J. Pereira
Summary: The availability of habitat influences genetic diversity within and among populations. In this study, we investigated the distribution and genetic variation of Lutjanus jocu in Brazil to understand the effects of environmental change. Our results suggest that historical ecological barriers divided the species into separate habitats, and a severe bottleneck followed by population expansion occurred. Despite habitat changes, genetic divergence between populations is not influenced, indicating high gene flow and a single stock in Brazilian waters. These findings emphasize the importance of considering environmental sensitivity in species management strategies.
Article
Ecology
Ian D. D. Jonsen, W. James Grecian, Lachlan Phillips, Gemma Carroll, Clive McMahon, Robert G. G. Harcourt, Mark A. A. Hindell, Toby A. A. Patterson
Summary: Animal tracking data is vital for understanding the behavior, ecology, and physiology of mobile or cryptic species. Noise in the data due to imperfect measurement technologies can hinder meaningful signals, necessitating rigorous quality control in comprehensive analysis. State-space models are powerful tools to separate signal from noise, particularly for error-prone location data, enabling inference of animal movements. However, fitting these statistical models to diverse animal tracking data sets can be challenging and time-consuming. The R package aniMotum simplifies quality control and movement inference tasks for animal tracking data.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
M. Martin, T. Gridley, S. H. Elwen, I. Charrier
Summary: In territorial species, individual recognition among neighbouring males reduces energy expenses and risk of injury. This study found that male Cape fur seals can recognize their neighbours' calls and respond strongest to calls from familiar neighbours played back from an incongruent location. The colony structure and movements of the seals throughout the day may explain these results. Understanding vocal signals in polygynous mammals during the competitive mating period is important.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Clive R. R. McMahon, Mark A. A. Hindell, Jean Benoit Charrassin, Richard Coleman, Christophe. Guinet, Robert Harcourt, Sara Labrousse, Benjemin Raymond, Michael Sumner, Natalia Ribeiro
Summary: Depth data from over 500,000 tagged seal dives on the East Antarctic continental shelf improves bathymetry maps and reveals new features. These data help understand the oceanographic processes affecting Antarctica's role in global climate. Incorporating seal dive data improves bathymetry of 22% to 60% of the sampled area, uncovering new features such as troughs and canyons.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Remote Sensing
Vanessa Pirotta, David P. Hocking, Jason Iggleden, Robert Harcourt
Summary: Drones have become popular for observing marine life, and DroneSharkApp is an amateur platform that films and shares observations of marine wildlife on social media. The app has documented various species' behaviors, human-shark interactions, and migratory patterns. This collaboration between scientists and citizen scientists has the potential to greatly enhance the understanding of marine wildlife.