THE BIRDS OF TASMANIA: ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION

SUMMARY Tasmania, about the size of Ireland, separated from the Australian mainland by 140 miles of sea, and isolated for about the last 12,000 years, has 104 species of native breeding land-birds, with the addition of ten introduced species. The environment is described; in particular the vegetation is classified into nine natural types and three produced by European man; and the distribution of the bird species among these is defined and discussed. The other vertebrates are briefly considered. No extinction is definitely known to have taken place as a result of European settlement except of the Tasmanian Emu (and of course Tasmanian Man). An attempt is made to reconstruct the Late Pleistocene history of Tasmania and its vegetation, with special reference to the Last Glaciation, when the island would have been joined to the mainland. When the avifauna is divided into categories, water-birds, raptors, etc., it is found to have much the same proportional composition as the Australian mainland avifaunas with which it is compared, though it consists of many fewer species. The vegetation types of the colder and wetter areas of Tasmania house far fewer species of birds than the drier and warmer habitats. The 104 breeding species include 14 endemics, which are considered in detail, and 27 endemic subspecies. As shown by comparison with other islands, the total proportionate endemism is extraordinarily high for a recent continental island (though it is actually lower than that in the remote ecological island formed by the sclerophyll of southwestern Western Australia). A contributory cause may be that Tasmania is not regularly visited by land-birds from the continent (though at least one-fifth of the Tasmanian species are partial or total migrants in winter). The most noteworthy endemics are two monotypic genera, Lathamus and Acanthornis, and the Native Hen Tribonyx mortierii, which has become flightless apparently in the face of a formidable array of local predators. Considerations of climate and habitat suggest that at least half the avifauna, including 19 of the endemic subspecies and six of the members of superspecies, arrived in Tasmania some time after the amelioration of the Last Glaciation began, some 18,000 years ago. Geographical considerations suggest that four of those six members of superspecies existed in their present form when the land-bridge to the mainland was cut, 12,000 years ago. Certain habitats, widespread over southeastern Australia during the glaciation, are now virtually confined to Tasmania where they form the stronghold of certain species, such as the Pink Robin Petroica rodinogaster, which occur only as relicts on the mainland. The endemic Scrub Tit Acanthornis magnus is practically confined to such habitats, where its ecology suggests it would have been well adapted to glacial conditions. Among the local endemics there is a strong tendency for colouration to be more saturated than on the continent of Australia (Gloger's rule) but there is less consistency in tendency to greater size (Bergmann's rule). A noteworthy proportion of the Tasmanian species have duller plumage than their mainland relatives, usually with an assimilation to female or juvenile plumage—unexpected in an island as big as Tasmania with so considerable an avifauna.     

THE ENUMERATION OF AQUATIC BACTERIA USING DAPI

SUMMARY

A comparison was made between acridine orange (AO) and 4'6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), a highly sensitive DNA fluorescing stain, for enumerating aquatic bacteria. When water samples were processed in a darkened room and a final DAPI concentration of 0,05 μg ml ^?1 was used, there was no significant difference between the population estimates obtained with AO and DAPI. With DAPI, bacteria are more easily distinguished from other particulate matter than when stained with AO. The cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa, normally fluoresced the blue colour characteristic of the DNA-DAPI complex. Frequently colonies fluoresced pink and were heavily populated by bacteria. DAPI may offer a rapid method to assess the proportion of senescing colonies in a population.     

Previously Unrecognized Ornithuromorph Bird Diversity in the Early Cretaceous Changma Basin,Gansu Province,Northwestern China

Here we report on three new species of ornithuromorph birds from the Lower Cretaceous Xiagou Formation in the Changma Basin of Gansu Province, northwestern China: Yumenornis huangi gen. et sp. nov., Changmaornis houi gen. et sp. nov., and Jiuquanornis niui gen. et sp. nov.. The last of these is based on a previously published but unnamed specimen: GSGM-05-CM-021. Although incomplete, the specimens can be clearly distinguished from each other and from Gansus yumenensis Hou and Liu, 1984. Phylogenetic analysis resolves the three new taxa as basal ornithuromorphs. This study reveals previously unrecognized ornithuromorph diversity in the Changma avifauna, which is largely dominated by Gansus but with at least three other ornithuromorphs. Body mass estimates demonstrate that enantiornithines were much smaller than ornithuromorphs in the Changma avifauna. In addition, Changma enantiornithines preserve long and recurved pedal unguals, suggesting an arboreal lifestyle; in contrast, Changma ornithuromorphs tend to show terrestrial or even aquatic adaptions. Similar differences in body mass and ecology are also observed in the Jehol avifauna in northeastern China, suggesting niche partitioning between these two clades developed early in their evolutionary history.     

Habitat associations of an insular Wallacean avifauna: A multi-scale approach for biodiversity proxies

The endemic avifauna of Wallacea is of high conservation significance, but remains poorly studied. Identifying priority conservation areas requires a greater understanding of the habitat associations of these bird communities, and of how spatial scale of analysis can influence the interpretation of these associations. This study aims to determine which proxy habitat measures, at which spatial scales of analysis, can provide useful inferential data on the composition of Wallacean forest avifauna. Research was conducted within the Lambusango forest reserve, South-East Sulawesi, using point count surveys to sample avifauna. Habitat properties were characterised in three ways: broad classification of forest type, canopy remotely-sensed response derived from satellite imagery, and in situ measures of vegetation composition and structure. Furthermore, we examined avifauna–habitat relationships at three spatial scales: area (c.400 ha per sample site), transect (c.10 ha) and point (c.0.2 ha). Results demonstrate that broad forest type classifications at an area scale can help to determine conservation value, indicating that primary and old secondary forests are important for supporting many species with lower ecological tolerances, such as large-bodied frugivores. At the transect-scale, significant congruence occurs between bird community composition and several habitat variables derived from vegetation sampling and satellite imagery, particularly tree size, undergrowth density, and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values; this highlights the importance small scale habitat associations can have on determining α-diversity. Analysis at the point-scale was ineffective in providing proxy indications for avifauna. These findings should be considered when determining future priority conservation areas for Wallacean avifauna.     

Seasonal elevational movements of Eastern Olive Sunbird Cyanomitra olivacea in the Uluguru Mountains,Tanzania

Little is known about the seasonal elevational movements for most tropical avifauna species. Seasonal elevational movements of the Eastern Olive Sunbird Cyanomitra olivacea were studied along an elevational gradient from 600 to 1 500?m above sea level in the Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania, between May 2005 and February 2006. The recapture of ringed individuals along an elevational gradient across seasons provided evidence for the seasonal elevational movement of the Eastern Olive Sunbird in the Uluguru Mountains and the first documented evidence for this species in the Eastern Arc Mountains as a whole. Due to forest fragmentation and lack of corridors connecting high- and low-altitude forests in the Uluguru Mountains, the results have implications for conservation of the forest along the entire elevational gradient as well as for other forest bird species that have been documented to make seasonal elevational movements in the Uluguru Mountains and the entire Eastern Arc Mountains.     

THE MAIN VICISSITUDES OF THE EUROPEAN AVIFAUNA SINCE THE PLIOCENE

.1. Recent knowledge of the Pleistocene and subsequent ecological changes is summarized. Four glaciations are recognized, each with more than one maximum. The interglacials were all at least as warm as the present day.
2. A map shows the vegetation belts of Europe and the probable limits of permanent sea-ice at the height of the Last Glaciation, about 70,000 years ago. There is reason to believe that the main features of the vegetation-map would apply also to the height of the other glaciations.
3. The avian fossil data are discussed and for the most part of necessity rejected for the present purpose.
4. The main inferences drawn of bird distribution at a glacial maximum are that ( a ) a rich avifauna occupied the treeless (grassy) loess-tundra on the southern edge of the ice, ( b ) practically no arboreal birds could live north of the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Black Sea except in a strip across central Russia, ( c ) the birds of deciduous woodland were confined to part of the three Mediterranean peninsulas, ( d ) "Mediterranean" species were practically expelled from Europe.
5. This implies that the populations of coniferous forest must have been reduced to about one-third of their interglacial extent in Europe and those of deciduous woodlands to one-tenth. Most of the sea-bird species probably suffered less severe fluctuations in numbers, but underwent north-and-south changes in breeding range.
6. The post-glacial recovery of the climate has not been uninterrupted, so that in the last 80,000 years there have probably been only about 8000 during which there have been any arboreal birds north of Germany.
7. The implications of the changes on the details of the migration system are discussed.     

THE ROLE OF ROOTS IN THE NUTRITION OF AQUATIC VASCULAR PLANTS

Rooted stems of three aquatic species were cultured in a two-compartment apparatus which allowed the upper and lower portions of the stem to be kept in different nutrient solutions. P³² was supplied to either the upper or lower compartment. At the end of a 10-day growth period, the specific activity of phosphate was determined in axillary shoots which developed during the course of the experiment from buds in the upper compartment. The results indicated that most of the phosphate in these shoots was not absorbed from the ambient medium but was derived from the rooted stem base in the lower compartment (over 90 % in Myriophyllum brasiliense, 59 % in M. spicatum, and 74 % in Elodea densa). These results give a very different but probably more accurate picture of phosphate absorption in rooted aquatic vascular plants than short-term experiments, in which phosphate is readily taken up from the ambient medium by leaves of M. spicatum and E. densa. In M. brasiliense the amount of phosphate translocated is related to the mass of roots present. Evidence is presented that normal growth of axillary shoots occurs even when all mineral ions have to be obtained by translocation from the lower compartment.     

SOME ASPECTS OF THE ECOLOGY OF THE FRESHWATER CRAB (POTAMONAUTES PERLATUS MILNE EDWARDS) IN THE UPPER REACHES OF THE BUFFALO RIVER,EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE,SOUTH AFRICA.

Summary

Freshwater crabs (Potamonautes perlatus) are the largest naturally occurring invertebrates in southern African rivers. The ecology of these animals in South African riverine ecosystems is little understood. This study investigates some aspects of the population and feeding ecology of P. perlatus in the upper reaches of the Buffalo River. The densities of crabs (carapace width larger than 25 mm) at two sites in the river ranged between 1.72 and 5.25 crabs m², higher than previously recorded for freshwater crabs in rivers in southern Africa and southern Italy. Twenty-four hour observations revealed that P. perlatus has a nocturnal habit. The diet of P. perlatus was established by examination of the contents of the fore-gut. Crabs with a carapace width smaller than 40 mm fed predominantly on aquatic invertebrates while larger crabs fed on allochthanous material (leaf litter), detritus and algae. Through feeding, crabs reduced the surface area of leaves in the stream by 99.95%.     

THE EFFECT OF CONSTANT TEMPERATURES ON THE HATCHING OF EGGS AND SURVIVAL OF THE FRESHWATER SNAIL BIOMPHALARIA GLABRATA (SAY)

SUMMARY

The incubation period and percentage hatching of eggs of pigmented and unpigmented Biomphalaria glabrata at constant temperatures were investigated in the range 14 °C to 34 °C. In order to determine the influence of extreme temperatures on adult snails, specimens of the same species were exposed to 0 °C and 40 °C for selected time periods. The results indicate that sustained temperatures below 16 °C and above 32 °C are detrimental to the development and hatching of B. glabrata embryos. The optimum temperatures for incubation period and hatching differ from each other. As far as temperature is concerned, this foreign snail species should be capable of successfully colonizing the warmer parts of southern Africa.     

THE USE OF TROFIC AS AN AID FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF EUTROPHIC LAKES

SUMMARY

As a result of eutrophication studies that have been performed by the National Institute for Water Research for many years it was decided in 1980 that a detailed investigation into this area take place. Hypertrophic Hartbeespoort Dam was selected as the study site. A simulation model, named TROFIC, of the ecosystem was developed and updated over a three-year research program. Different management strategies were performed to attempt to reduce the size of phytoplankton standing stock and to modify the phytoplankton species composition so that blue-green algae are no longer dominant. In this paper the applicability of each strategy to the model is examined by means of results obtained and conclusions drawn from these results.     

THE USE OF TOXICITY TESTING IN EFFLUENT REGULATION AND CONTROL: A NEW DIMENSION TO ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF WATER QUALITY IN SOUTH AFRICA

Summary

Efficient management tools are continually required to cope with increasing demands placed on the quality and quantity of aquatic resources. Recent developments in environmental monitoring indicate the importance of incorporating biological indicators in assessment programmes. Aquatic toxicology has consequently become an important monitoring and regulatory science. Applications of aquatic toxicity testing include: deriving water quality criteria; toxicological evaluations of whole effluents and receiving waters; and the estimation of ecological risk. Toxicity testing can potentially play a significant role in improving water quality in years to come, especially through its application in effluent regulation. Currently however, few environmental laboratories in South Africa have the required expertise and facilities to carry out a representative range of toxicity tests. Training and funding are required to build the capacity for the necessary developmental research, before toxicity testing can routinely be implemented.

The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them. Albert Einstein.     

A COMPUTER-BASED TECHNIQUE FOR THE QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF ANIMAL SOUNDS

ABSTRACT

The method usually used to identify different sounds or divisions of sounds is to compare sonagrams visually. There have been some attempts to reduce the subjectivity and increase the repeatability of this approach, for example by tracing the sonagrams onto paper and examining the areas of overlap and mismatch, the use of multi-variate statistics and digitising tablets. Digital recording of sounds has allowed sounds to be input directly into computers which can be used to display sounds and facilitate measurement. To date there has been little attempt at their use for analysis. We outline a series of programs which have been developed to compare statistically any unit of a sound with a pre-recorded library of similar units. The creation of such a library allows the rapid and objective categorisation of large numbers of sounds. These programs have been used to analyse songs recorded from wrens Troglodytes troglodytes and house crickets Acheta domesticus. Potential applications of this software to the field of bioacoustic investigation are discussed.     

THE ROLE OF SEED BANKS IN THE PERSISTENCE OF ONTARIO'S COASTAL PLAIN FLORA

Seed banks are important in wetland vegetation, but their role on lakeshores has received little attention. The influence of seed banks on lakeshore vegetation was investigated near eastern Georgian Bay in Ontario, where there is a rich shoreline and aquatic flora. Some lakeshore species found there can be considered “coastal plain disjuncts” similar to those of southwestern Michigan and adjacent Indiana, and central Wisconsin. Matchedash Lake in Simcoe Co., Ontario, has a particularly rich assemblage of these shoreline species. Based on short-term records, and aging of drowned stumps, we demonstrated that yearly mean water levels can and have changed by more than a meter. Such water-level fluctuations partly result from beaver dams on the single outlet stream. Vegetation data collected in a low-water phase (1976) document a rich shoreline flora, largely absent in the present (1979) high-water phase. During this latter high-water phase, we collected 15 sediment sample units from each of six water depths (0–1.5 m). The sample, representing 0.32 m² of lake bottom, was planted out in a greenhouse; 3,149 seedlings representing 41 species of vascular plants emerged. Six (Rhexia virginica, Rhynchospora capitellata, Panicum spretum, Xyris difformis, Polygonum cureyi, Linum striatum) are rare in Ontario. Estimated seed banks for individual species were as high as 6,500 seeds m“². If another low-water phase occurs, a rich shoreline flora should again develop. We hypothesize that water-level fluctuations are essential to the long-term survival of these species.     

DISTRIBUTION OF DIURNAL ACID METABOLISM IN THE GENUS ISOETES

Previous studies have revealed a crassulacean acid metabolism-like pathway in the submerged aquatic Isoetes howellii (Isoetaceae). A survey of 11 other species in this largely aquatic genus showed all had diurnal fluctuations in titratable acidity and malic acid concentration. The magnitude of the diurnal fluctuation in titratable acidity varied from 119 (μeq g^–1 fresh weight) for I. bolanderi to 44 for I. engelmanni. Although these species were grown under similar conditions in a greenhouse, it is questionable whether or not any significance can be attached to observed species specific differences in magnitude of diurnal acid fluctuation. This is suggested by a single species comparison of plants in the field with greenhouse grown plants which indicated nearly as much variation in magnitude of acid fluctuations as observed across all species in the greenhouse. Much of this variation may be due to seasonal differences. Substrate appears to have very little effect on magnitude of acid fluctuations. Since this survey covered most of the range of the latitudinal, elevational, habitat, and morphological variation in the genus, it is likely that diurnal acid metabolism will prove to be common in the genus Isoetes.     

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE HUMAN ADENYLYL CYCLASE GENE FAMILY: cDNA,GENE STRUCTURE,AND TISSUE DISTRIBUTION OF THE NINE ISOFORMS

ABSTRACT

The membrane-bound adenylyl cyclases (ACs) represent one of the major families of effector enzymes for G protein-coupled receptors. Eight human AC isoforms, encoded by separate genes, have been identified up to now. However, in several cases only partial cDNA sequences are available (ADCY1,2,5). A ninth expected isoform, the human ortholog of rat ADCY4, has not been described yet. Using the high inter-species homology of mammalian AC isoforms, we searched the human genome and we succeeded to identify full-length coding sequences for all enzymes. Where required, missing sequence information was provided experimentally. Analysis of genomic sequences from the Celera database also allowed us to determine the exon–intron boundaries for ADCY1–9 and to establish the gene structures. We found that human AC genes comprise 11 to 26 exons, which are distributed over 16 to 430?kb. We further report expression profiles for the nine ACs in a panel of 16 human tissues and in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells.     

8. CURIOUS POINTS IN THE BEHAVIOUR OF SOME MEMBERS OF THE RALLIDAE

Avian mortality on power lines in South Africa is currently recorded on the Central Incident Register (CIR), which is a collation of incidentally reported cases. The true scale of the problem is unknown, so we report here on a survey of representative power lines in the Overberg region of the Western Cape. On the 199 km surveyed, 123 birds of at least 18 species were found. Collisions were more common than electrocutions, apparently killing 88% of the birds found on distribution lines. Large terrestrial birds were the most numerous victims, with large numbers of Blue Cranes Anthropoides paradiseus and Denham's Bustards Neotis denhami killed. In comparison with mortality rates from the CIR, we estimate that only 2.6% of power-line mortalities are reported, emphasising the importance of systematic surveys in quantifying mortality and directing mitigation. Our survey highlights the general hazard that power lines pose to avifauna, and the urgent need for further research into the population impacts of the high incidence of collisions.     

THE WHITE-BREASTED CORMORANT IN SOUTH AFRICA

Akinsola, O.A., Ezealor, A.U. &; Polet, G. 2000. Conservation of waterbirds in the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands, Nigeria: current efforts and problems. Ostrich 71 (1 &; 2): 118–121.

The ornithological importance of the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands at both national and international levels is well known. Current efforts at conserving the avifauna of the wetlands started with the establishment of the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands Conservation Project (HNWCP) in 1987, as a joint international initiative to promote sustainable use of this hydric ecosystem in the otherwise semi-arid zone of north-eastern Nigeria. The present phase of the project started in 1995 with the major goal of maintaining the natural resources and function of the wetlands. This paper discusses recent activities of the project that have been directed towards conserving the wetlands, particularly its avifauna.

Bird monitoring and the annual dry season (northern winter) waterbird surveys remain the most publicised bird conservation effort of the HNWCP. However, recognition of the vital and central role of water in maintaining the ecological health of the wetlands has prompted the project to evolve a new strategy of regular meetings of the wetlands' water stakeholders (tagged “water-use advocacy”), to resolve periodic water-shortage and distribution problems.

Uncontrolled hunting of birds and habitat loss remain pressing problems throughout the wetland. The HNWCP has made efforts to curb these problems by sensitising the local communities through awareness campaigns and harnessing the efforts of concerned local and national organisations. However, the HNWCP has had difficult experiences regarding the problems of crop damage by avian pests from the wetlands.     

THE INFLUENCE OF BAT DETECTOR BRAND ON THE QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATION OF BAT ACTIVITY

ABSTRACT

Bat detectors are commonly used to monitor bat behaviour. Earlier research has suggested that there may be systematic differences in the response of different detectors to bat calls. Such differences would have important implications for the comparability of quantitative surveys conducted with bat detectors. The present study examines variability within and between brands of bat detector in accuracy of tuning, directionality and sensitivity to different types of bat echolocation call in bat detectors from three manufacturers. The consistency of results from a field survey incorporating the three brands in a standardised methodology are also examined. Significant differences were found within and between brands in directionality and sensitivity which would lead to bias in bat surveys. The implications of these findings for bat surveys are discussed, as are the design features of importance for species identification.     

SUBMERGENCE EXPERIMENTS ON NINE SPECIES OF SEMI-AQUATIC POLYGONUM

Cloning experiments were carried out in growth chambers to determine responses of members of the genus Polygonum (sect. Persicaria) to aquatic submergence. By using both external morphology and anatomical modifications, comparisons were made among 23 populations with respect to their preadaptations after a rise in water level. Varieties of P. amphibium L. responded quite differently to submergence, offering more evidence to the theory that there is a cline of phenotypic plasticity in the species which corresponds roughly with the gradient in morphology. Other than P. amphibium, the species most well adapted to aquatic conditions was P. densiflorum Meisn., a member of the P. punctatum Ell. complex. Populations of P. hydropiperoides Michx. showed a dichotomy of response which appeared to correlate with the habitats in which they were collected. A few species of Polygonum did not survive well after inundation, but most were capable of underwater growth, and were at least half as well adapted to aquatic conditions as was the most plastic variety, P. amphibium var. stipulaceum Colem.     

COMPARATIVE STUDIES ON RESPIRATION : V. THE EFFECT OF ETHER ON THE PRODUCTION OF CARBON DIOXIDE BY ANIMALS.

1. The experiments on frog tadpoles show that with 0.15, 0.37, and 0.55 per cent ether solutions there is a decrease in CO₂ output. The effect is reversible. With these concentrations the breathing movements and body movements remained normal during the experiment. In 3.65 and 7.3 per cent ether there is a decrease of respiration followed by an increase which in turn is followed by a decrease. The increase may reach about three times the normal rate. The increase in the CO₂ output is accompanied by the peeling of the skin. The effect is irreversible. 2. Experiments on an aquatic insect, Dineutes assimilis Aube, show that in 7.3 per cent ether there is a decrease followed by an increase which in turn is followed by a decrease. There is no apparent disintegration of structures in the organism accompanying the increase. The effect is irreversible. 3. The experiments on frog eggs with 7.3 per cent ether show a result similar to that found in aquatic insects. 4. Experiments on Fundulus embryos show that with 0.73 per cent ether there is a reversible decrease in the rate of CO₂ production. In 3.65 per cent ether there is a temporary decrease followed by an increase, after which the rate begins to fall off. In 7.3 per cent ether there is an immediate increase amounting to 307 per cent which is followed by a decrease. The increase in the 3.65 and 7.3 per cent ether is accompanied by irreversible changes leading to death. The decrease found in 0.73 per cent ether is not sufficient to cause narcosis, as is shown by experiments on which the same decrease is produced by lowering the temperature. 5. These experiments show that narcosis is not due to asphyxia. The action of anesthetics is due to some other cause than the effect on respiration. There is a difference between the animals studied and the plants described in this series of articles, since in animals the increase in the CO₂ output is accompanied by irreversible changes leading to death, while this is not necessarily the case in plants. The reversible (narcotic) action of ether on the animals studied was accompanied by a decrease in the carbon dioxide output; in plants this is not ordinarily the case. These facts are of considerable interest, but their interpretation must be left to future investigation.