Boletín Oficial de la Provincia de Oviedo: Número 51 - 1957 marzo 1

Long-term monitoring for the purpose of establishing demographic parameters is critical to the understanding of trends in animal populations. Demographic parameters vary annually via complex pathways that include variation in foraging behaviour driven by prey distribution and abundance and are further influenced by environmental variation. Long-term monitoring can be used to untangle the relative roles of natural variability and anthropogenic impacts such as climate change, in population change. The aim of the research presented in this thesis was to combine an investigation into the demographic parameters, foraging behaviour and relationships with environmental variations in an increasing population of little penguins (Eudyptula minor) at Oamaru, South Island, New Zealand. Long-term data were collected at the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony during 20 consecutive breeding seasons, 1993-2012. These data were analysed to quantify reproductive performance and survival rates of little penguins. Estimates obtained were amongst the highest reported for the species (breeding success: 1.89 mean chicks fledged per female annually). Median lay date, breeding success and the proportion of females double brooding were highly correlated, indicating that high breeding success was attributable to the regular occurrence of double brooding. The onset of egg laying was highly variable, occurring any time between early May and late September. Impacts from storms on the penguins and their responses to variation in sea surface temperature (SST) and marine productivity (represented by chlorophyll a concentrations) were examined. Median lay dates were delayed by 12 days with every decrease in chlorophyll by 0.1 (mg m-3) during the January-April prior to breeding. Storms caused multiple impacts on the penguins, beginning with a drop in the number of penguins arriving ashore each evening. A drop in arrivals disrupted breeding and reduced chick growth. Rough seas and the re-suspension of sediment during storms likely affect the foraging abilities of little penguins, being visual foragers. Adult survival rates decreased with increasing storm intensity and decreasing chlorophyll. An increase in the frequency and intensity of storms is a likely consequence of global climate change, likely impacting the breeding and survival of little penguins at Oamaru. How variation in productivity will be affected by climate change, and subsequently affect little penguins, is unknown. I studied foraging behaviour of the penguins over three consecutive breeding seasons, 2010-2012, using Global Positioning System and Time-Depth recording devices to establish foraging locations and distances, and diving behaviour. The penguins tended to travel northwards towards the Waitaki River mouth when at sea for more than a day. Foraging behaviour changed as the season progressed, coinciding with time of year rather than the stage of breeding. Dive depth decreased as the season progressed, suggesting that the penguins adjusted their foraging in response to changing prey abundance and distribution. The penguins’ ability to vary foraging behaviour in response to a changing environment, and their proficiency at double brooding appear to be key factors driving their population increase at Oamaru. In contrast, the penguins cope poorly with storms which impact the population on multiple levels

Deselection from elite Australian football as the catalyst for a return to sub-elite competitions: when elite players feel there is 'still more to give.'

Career transitions in sport are inevitable and can be normative or non-normative. Thus, retirement experiences are significantly dependent on how the athletes perceive the circumstances surrounding their retirement. While the discontinuation of a sports career is an important transition, it is not the only transition faced by athletes. The aim of this study therefore, was to investigate the experiences of Australian footballers who are deselected from elite competition and return to sub-elite competitions. This study utilises narrative inquiry through a life history approach to explore the transition experiences of Australian footballers who return to the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) sub-elite competition. Ten footballers took part in semi-structured interviews covering topics including experiences in the national Australian Football League competition, the difficulties faced by footballers during the transition process back to the SANFL competition, the support needed by footballers during this period and the responsibility for player well-being. Lacking control over the timing of their transition compounds the loss experienced by the footballers. However, returning to state based competition offers important avenues for the reconnection of former support networks which can be a protective factor in achieving a smooth transition out of elite sport. This study highlights that the current processes for maintaining contact and supporting transitioning footballers are ineffective therefore proposes that the development of an exit transition programme would be beneficial

Global phenological insensitivity to shifting ocean temperatures among seabirds

Reproductive timing in many taxa plays a key role in determining breeding productivity(1), and is often sensitive to climatic conditions(2). Current climate change may alter the timing of breeding at different rates across trophic levels, potentially resulting in temporal mismatch between the resource requirements of predators and their prey(3). This is of particular concern for higher-trophic-level organisms, whose longer generation times confer a lower rate of evolutionary rescue than primary producers or consumers(4). However, the disconnection between studies of ecological change in marine systems makes it difficult to detect general changes in the timing of reproduction(5). Here, we use a comprehensive meta-analysis of 209 phenological time series from 145 breeding populations to show that, on average, seabird populations worldwide have not adjusted their breeding seasons over time (-0.020 days yr(-1)) or in response to sea surface temperature (SST) (-0.272 days degrees C-1) between 1952 and 2015. However, marked between-year variation in timing observed in resident species and some Pelecaniformes and Suliformes (cormorants, gannets and boobies) may imply that timing, in some cases, is affected by unmeasured environmental conditions. This limited temperature-mediated plasticity of reproductive timing in seabirds potentially makes these top predators highly vulnerable to future mismatch with lower-trophic-level resources(2)

Global phenological insensitivity to shifting ocean temperatures among seabirds

Reproductive timing in many taxa plays a key role in determining breeding productivity1, and is often sensitive to climatic conditions2. Current climate change may alter the timing of breeding at different rates across trophic levels, potentially resulting in temporal mismatch between the resource requirements of predators and their prey3. This is of particular concern for higher-trophic-level organisms, whose longer generation times confer a lower rate of evolutionary rescue than primary producers or consumers4. However, the disconnection between studies of ecological change in marine systems makes it difficult to detect general changes in the timing of reproduction5. Here, we use a comprehensive meta-analysis of 209 phenological time series from 145 breeding populations to show that, on average, seabird populations worldwide have not adjusted their breeding seasons over time (−0.020 days yr−1) or in response to sea surface temperature (SST) (−0.272 days °C−1) between 1952 and 2015. However, marked between-year variation in timing observed in resident species and some Pelecaniformes and Suliformes (cormorants, gannets and boobies) may imply that timing, in some cases, is affected by unmeasured environmental conditions. This limited temperature-mediated plasticity of reproductive timing in seabirds potentially makes these top predators highly vulnerable to future mismatch with lower-trophic-level resources2