An investigation of honey bee Drone Congregation Area formation in rural and semi-rural locations in New Zealand : a thesis presented in part fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science in Zoology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand

Male honey bees gather in Drone Congregation Areas (DCAs), and meet with queens to mate in flight. Because they mate on the wing, investigation of these areas using current techniques is not easily facilitated in some areas, which limits research. This study investigates an improved method of studying DCAs in difficult areas; studies the landscape characteristics of DCA locations, and measures pheromone attraction between drones, and honeybee queens and workers, to ascertain any chemical contribution towards DCA formation. Using a camera equipped Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) holding an artificial honey bee queen with 9-Oxo-2-Decenoic Acid (9ODA), trials were conducted to investigate the different flight behaviours of honey bee drones on their mating flights, and the formation of DCAs. The use of the UAV was found to be successful in carrying out DCA research especially in inaccessible areas. Using this method, drone honey bee mating flight activity was investigated in several distinct areas; hill and valley areas; urban park areas, and flat agricultural areas. The data were analysed using Geographic Information System software ArcGIS 10.4.1. Different patterns of drone activity were found in the different areas suggesting that in hill and valley areas where well defined DCAs exist, landscape features played an important part in their location but that in flat areas, landscape features were not shown to play a part in DCA formation and instead, apiary-dependant DCAs dominated, and away from these apiaries, the abundance of drones flying at random in the flat areas (as opposed to being confined in a hill and valley area) would ensure mating. The results also suggest that contrary to some research, DCAs in hill and valley areas have flexible boundaries that may vary in response to other factors such as queen flight behaviour. In order to find out whether chemical influences could contribute to the formation of DCAs, a four- arm olfactometer test was carried out to investigate drone attractiveness to queens, and drone attractiveness to other drones. Contrary to my expectations, drones and queens were not attracted to other drones but rather to workers, perhaps because only sexually immature drones were available for the tests. The study overall confirms the usefulness of using a UAV in difficult areas; demonstrates a significant difference in the spatial dynamics of drone mating flight in different landscape areas, and concludes that DCA boundaries may be constructs that depend on the mating flight parameters of the queen rather than drones only. Further research, especially on the queen’s mating flight parameters is suggested

What was a mortarium used for? Organic residues and cultural change in Iron Age and Roman Britain.

The Romans brought the mortarium to Britain in the first century AD, and there has long been speculation on its actual purpose. Using analysis of the residues trapped in the walls of these ‘kitchen blenders’ and comparing them with Iron Age and Roman cooking pots, the authors show that it wasn't the diet that changed — just the method of preparing certain products: plants were being ground in the mortarium as well as cooked in the pot. As well as plants, the mortars contained animal fats, including dairy products. The question that remains, however, is why these natural products were being mixed together in mortaria. Were they for food, pharmaceuticals or face creams?</jats:p

The convivial space – exploring teacher learning through practitioner research

In this paper we consider the pedagogic and cultural role of practitioner research (PR) in teacher learning, using a case study approach set in a secondary academy school in the West Midlands of England. We acknowledge teacher learning and its influence on pupils as complex and relational, and that this should encourage more research, not deter or reduce our thinking to false certainties. We note literature that endorses practitioner research, particularly its influence on positive identity shifts and enhanced collegiality. Through in-depth ‘acquaintance interviews’ we gathered data from six members of the Innovation Unit in the school and one senior management leader. The findings suggests that practitioner research helped them live more fulfilled lives at work. They felt PR increased their confidence, expertise and enthusiasm at work. These aspects contributed to a shift in their identities and changed the ways they felt about themselves and how they thought they were seen by others. We also explore participants'' reservations about the role of leadership in teacher learning. Finally we contextualise the rich detail of our interview data with a broader view to establish the importance of and explore connections between collegiality, Macmurray’s notions of the personal and the functional, Illich’s conviviality concept and Dewey’s notion of aesthetic learning experiences. In light of this context, we suggest that practitioner research enriches the working world of teachers, offering an alternative view to some more standardised and standardising CPD programmes

Australian Cosmic Ray Modulation Research

Australian research into variations of the cosmic ray flux arriving at the Earth has played a pivotal role for more than 50 years. The work has been largely led by the groups from the University of Tasmania and the Australian Antarctic Division and has involved the operation of neutron monitors and muon telescopes from many sites. In this paper the achievements of the Australian researchers are reviewed and future experiments are described. Particular highlights include: the determination of cosmic ray modulation parameters; the development of modelling techniques of Ground Level Enhancements; the confirmation of the Tail-In and Loss-Cone Sidereal anisotropies; the Space Ship Earth collaboration; and the Solar Cycle latitude survey.Comment: 47 pages, 37 figures, LaTeX, invited review, in press PASA 18(1). HTML version available at http://www.atnf.csiro.au/pasa/18_1/duldig/paper

Adaptive latitudinal variation in Common Blackbird Turdus merula nest characteristics

Nest construction is taxonomically widespread, yet our understanding of adaptive intraspecific variation in nest design remains poor. Nest characteristics are expected to vary adaptively in response to predictable variation in spring temperatures over large spatial scales, yet such variation in nest design remains largely overlooked, particularly amongst open-cup-nesting birds. Here, we systematically examined the effects of latitudinal variation in spring temperatures and precipitation on the morphology, volume, composition, and insulatory properties of open-cup-nesting Common Blackbirds’ Turdus merula nests to test the hypothesis that birds living in cooler environments at more northerly latitudes would build better insulated nests than conspecifics living in warmer environments at more southerly latitudes. As spring temperatures increased with decreasing latitude, the external diameter of nests decreased. However, as nest wall thickness also decreased, there was no variation in the diameter of the internal nest cups. Only the mass of dry grasses within nests decreased with warmer temperatures at lower latitudes. The insulatory properties of nests declined with warmer temperatures at lower latitudes and nests containing greater amounts of dry grasses had higher insulatory properties. The insulatory properties of nests decreased with warmer temperatures at lower latitudes, via changes in morphology (wall thickness) and composition (dry grasses). Meanwhile, spring precipitation did not vary with latitude, and none of the nest characteristics varied with spring precipitation. This suggests that Common Blackbirds nesting at higher latitudes were building nests with thicker walls in order to counteract the cooler temperatures. We have provided evidence that the nest construction behavior of open-cup-nesting birds systematically varies in response to large-scale spatial variation in spring temperatures

Selected static foot assessments do not predict medial longitudinal arch motion during running

© 2015 Langley et al. Background: Static assessments of the foot are commonly advocated within the running community to classify the foot with a view to recommending the appropriate type of running shoe. The aim of this work was to determine whether selected static foot assessment could predict medial longitudinal arch (MLA) motion during running. Methods: Fifteen physically active males (27 ± 5years, 1.77 ± 0.04m, 80 ± 10kg) participated in the study. Foot Posture Index (FPI-6), MLA angle and rearfoot angle were measured in a relaxed standing position. MLA motion was calculated using the position of retro-reflective markers tracked by a VICON motion analysis system, while participants ran barefoot on a treadmill at a self-selected pace (2.8 ± 0.5m.s-1). Bivariate linear regression was used to determine whether the static measures predicted MLA deformation and MLA angles at initial contact, midsupport and toe off. Results: All three foot classification measures were significant predictors of MLA angle at initial contact, midsupport and toe off (p < .05) explaining 41-90% of the variance. None of the static foot classification measures were significant predictors of MLA deformation during the stance phase of running. Conclusion: Selected static foot measures did not predict dynamic MLA deformation during running. Given that MLA deformation has theoretically been linked to running injuries, the clinical relevance of predicting MLA angle at discrete time points during the stance phase of running is questioned. These findings also question the validity of the selected static foot classification measures when looking to characterise the foot during running. This indicates that alternative means of assessing the foot to inform footwear selection are required

First light for avian embryos: eggshell thickness and pigmentation mediate variation in development and UV exposure in wild bird eggs

Article first published online: 29 JUL 20141. The avian embryo's development is influenced by both the amount and the wavelength of the light that passes through the eggshell. Commercial poultry breeders use light of specific wavelengths to accelerate embryonic growth, yet the effects of the variably patterned eggshells of wild bird species on light transmission and embryonic development remain largely unexplored. 2. Here, we provide the first comparative phylogenetic analysis of light transmission, through a diverse range of bird eggshells (74 British breeding species), in relation to the eggshell's thickness, permeability, pigment concentration and surface reflectance spectrum (colour). 3. The percentage of light transmitted through the eggshell was measured in the spectral range 250–700 nm. Our quantitative analyses confirm anecdotal reports that eggshells filter the light of the externally coloured shell. Specifically, we detected a positive relationship between surface eggshell reflectance (‘brightness’) and the percentage of light transmitted through the eggshell, and this relationship was strongest at wavelengths in the human-visible blue-green region of the spectra (c. 435 nm). 4. We show that less light passes through thicker eggshells with greater total pigment concentrations. By contrast, permeability (measured as water vapour conductance) did not covary significantly with light transmission. Eggs of closed-nesting species let more light pass through, compared with open nesters. 5. We postulate that greater light transmission is required to assist embryonic development under low light exposure. Importantly, this result provides an ecological explanation for the repeated evolution of immaculate, white- or pale-coloured eggshells in species nesting in enclosed spaces. 6. Finally, we detected correlative support for the solar radiation hypothesis, in that eggshells of bird species with a longer incubation period let significantly less of the potentially harmful, ultraviolet (UV) light pass through the eggshell. In summary, we demonstrate suites of avian eggshell properties, including eggshell structure and pigmentation, which are consistent with an evolutionary pressure to both enhance and protect embryonic development.Golo Maurer, Steven J. Portugal, Mark E. Hauber, Ivan Mikšík, Douglas G. D. Russell and Phillip Casse

Testing a Grassroots Citizen Science Venture Using Open Design, “the Bee Lab Project”

The Bee Lab project applies Citizen Science and Open Design to beekeeping, enabling participants to construct monitoring devices gathering reciprocal data, motivating participants and third parties. The presented approach uses design workshops to provide insight into the design of kits, user motivations, promoting reciprocal interests and address community problems. This paper signposts issues and opportunities in the process of designing Citizen Science tools for communities using Open Design to solve individual problems, including: downloadable design for social/local change, laypeople creating technology and repairable kits

Host species determines egg size in Oriental cuckoo

© 2018 The Zoological Society of London.The Oriental cuckoo Cuculus optatus is an obligate brood parasite associated with species of the genus Phylloscopus. Four distinct phenotypes of Oriental cuckoo eggs, matching eggshell colour patterns of Arctic warbler Phylloscopus borealis, common chiffchaff (Siberian) P. collybita tristis, yellow-browed warbler P. inornatus and Pallas's leaf warbler P. proregulus, have been identified in the Russian part of its breeding area. We compared egg length, breadth and volume of Oriental cuckoo egg phenotypes with eggs of the corresponding hosts from three geographical regions in Russia: the Urals, Siberia and the Far East. We found significant oometric differences between Oriental cuckoo egg phenotypes. Egg breadth of each cuckoo group matched the egg breadth of the host species, while the length of cuckoo eggs did not match egg length in host species. Our results can be explained in terms of clutch geometry. An egg sticking out above the clutch is likely to be rejected by the host and so breadth should match the host's egg. This constrains cuckoos in maintaining large egg volumes, which are essential for providing a cuckoo chick with the energy required to eject the host eggs and chicks. An increased egg length might compensate for breadth constraints. We suggest that the size of cuckoo eggs might also be affected by parental care - when only one parent is involved in feeding, eggs need to be larger. This might explain why the longest cuckoo eggs belonged to the phenotype parasitizing the smallest host, Pallas's leaf warbler, where only one parent feeds the chicks. In our view, differences in egg sizes of Oriental cuckoo phenotypes provide evidence of their adaptations to brood parasitism on small leaf warbler species.Peer reviewe