UNDERWATER SOUND RECORDING OF ANIMALS

ABSTRACT

Underwater sound recording of animals uses specialized techniques to obtain faithful copies of sounds produced by animals during their normal activities underwater. Techniques have to be unobtrusive as well as nondisturbing to avoid changing the animal behaviors. The first scientific recording of underwater sounds from a marine mammal at sea was by William E. Schevill and Barbara Lawrence in 1948. Although the equipment has changed considerably since then, the techniques, approaches to animals and environmental impediments have remained essentially the same. However, the frequency and dynamic ranges of underwater sounds can easily exceed terrestrial sounds, so the selection of suitable equipment is critical. The elements of a useful system for bioacoustic recording of marine animals include the hydrophone, impedance transformer/preamplifier, cable, signal amplifier, recorder and sound monitor. The important criteria for each of these is discussed, along with directional listening systems, and the need for calibrations to verify the performance of the entire underwater recording system. For each situation, the ideal system is the one with the best compromise of interactive components to record that particular sound spectrum.     

Morphology, growth and reproduction in the Australian house mouse: differential effects of moderate temperatures

The house mouse ( Mus musculus domesticus ) was introduced into Australia two centuries ago and is now succeeding in a wide range of habitats and climatic regions. To explore how mice exploit such extreme environments, we compared growth rate, morphology and reproductive success of animals reared under differing thermal regimes (13 °C 'cool', 22 °C 'moderate' and 30 °C 'warm') in laboratory mice derived from wild stock. 'Warm' group young were smaller and grew more slowly than those from other groups. At 6 weeks of age, body mass was less in 'warm' than in 'cool' treatment individuals; and liver mass/body mass also was less in 'warm' than in 'cool' treatment individuals. Paired kidney mass/body mass and paired adrenal mass/body mass were less in 'warm' than in 'cool' and 'moderate' treatment mice. Low heritability values indicate that these effects were from the temperature treatments rather than genetic influences. Irrespective of temperature treatment, females were more likely to produce a litter from post-partum matings if they were experienced, rather than young or reproductively naïve, and also bore more young from post-partum matings. These observations contribute to understanding of the sudden plague activities of mice in some parts of Australia and also their sparse distribution in the interior of the continent.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 94 , 21–30.     

Redescription of Flagellar Arrangement in the Duck Intestinal Flagellate, Cochlosoma anatis and Description of a New Species, Cochlosoma soricis N. Sp. from Shrews

Cochlosoma anatis Kotlán (Zoomastigophorea, Retortamonadida, Cochlosomidae), isolated from the large intestines of domestic Rouen ducks, and Cochlosoma soricis n. sp., isolated from the small intestines of shrews, were observed by light and scanning electron microscopy. In both organisms, a single flagellum inserted on the dorsal surface at the same level as the insertion of 4 other flagella on the ventral surface. The 4 ventro-lateral flagella emerged from the left side of the anterior attachment disk below the margin and just above the lateral groove which extended the length of the organism. A 6th flagellum emerged from the margin of the attachment disk. The proximal ends of the flagella formed a bundle with the distal ends becoming unraveled like a rope. During motility, the bundle portion extended straight out from the cell and the free ends of the flagella produced a whipping motion. In C. anatis , the dorsal surface was covered with knob-like lumps and small pits and the cells had an axostyle that emerged slightly to the right of the midline in the posterior 1/3 of the body. The axostylar tip was shorter and thicker than the flagella and in most cells it also had an irregular, knobby appearance. The irregular cell surface and axostyle were absent from C. soricis. The margin of the attachment disk curved toward the center and terminated in C. anatis as a straight edge while in C. soricis it continued as a spiral. Indentations in the mucosal brush border similar to those produced by Giardia , but distinctly belonging to Cochlosoma , were interpreted as points of attachment to the host.     

Cytological techniques for use in apple breeding

Details are given of improved cytological squash techniques for mitotic and meiotic counts which are especially useful in apple breeding. The cytological characteristics of scion varieties (including triploids such as the recently named Suntan), apple rootstocks (including tetraploids), and second backcross progenies of the mildew resistant species Malus hupehensis (2n= 51) to the cultivated apple (in which most seedlings were found to be diploid) are discussed with reference to their implications for apple breeders.