Natural history contributions of the University of Glasgow Exploration Society to Scotland and the World

Expeditions with a natural history focus have been organised by University of Glasgow staff and students since the 1930s. The educational benefits of such expeditions to students have been reported by Harper et al. ( Journal of Biological Education 51, 3- 16; 2017). Here, we present a short history of these expeditions, concentrating on their scientific achievements. In addition to expedition reports, a large number of PhD theses, masters and honours project reports and scientific papers have been based on expedition work. Many biological specimens have been deposited in museums, including some new species. We provide case histories of four expedition locations, to demonstrate the variety of work done, and the value of returning many times to the same place: Scotland, Trinidad and Tobago, North Cyprus and Ecuador. A major problem for expeditions is funding. For many years, the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland ran a funding stream that was crucial to the viability of Scottish university expeditions, but this has sadly now closed. For Glasgow University expeditions, the Blodwen Lloyd Binns Bequest has provided a reliable source since 1994, and we hope that it will continue to do so

What goes in, must come out:combining scat-based molecular diet analysis and quantification of ingested microplastics in a marine top predator

Context: Microplastics (plastic particles &lt;5 mm in size) are highly available for ingestion by a wide range of organisms, either through direct consumption or indirectly, via trophic transfer, from prey to predator. The latter is a poorly understood, but potentially major, route of microplastic ingestion for marine top predators.Approach: We developed a novel and effective methodology pipeline to investigate dietary exposure of wild top predators (grey seals; Halichoerus grypus) to microplastics, by combining scat-based molecular techniques with a microplastic isolation method. We employed DNA metabarcoding, a rapid method of biodiversity assessment, to garner detailed information on prey composition from scats, and investigated the potential relationship between diet and microplastic burden.Results: Outcomes of the method development process and results of both diet composition from metabarcoding analysis and detection of microplastics are presented. Importantly, the pipeline performed well and initial results suggest the frequency of microplastics detected in seal scats may be related to the type of prey consumed. Conclusions: Our non-invasive, data rich approach maximises time and resource-efficiency, while minimising costs and sample volumes required for analysis. This pipeline could be used to underpin a much-needed increase in understanding of the relationship between diet composition and rates of microplastic ingestion in high trophic-level species.<br/

New monitoring confirms regular breeding of the Mediterranean monk seal in Northern Cyprus

The Endangered Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus is one of the most threatened marine mammals. Across Cyprus, suitable habitat and presence of monk seals is well documented and, recently, camera-trap surveys in Southern Cyprus found there to be pupping. We present results of the first camera-trap surveys in Northern Cyprus spanning the pupping period. Four adult/subadults and three pups were identified in three of eight caves monitored with camera traps. One site on the north-west of the island supported at least three adult/subadult seals and pupping occurred there in 3 consecutive years. The breeding and resting sites identified require urgent conservation to manage threats of disturbance, coastal development and fisheries bycatch. To determine the size of this population, a long-term survey with greater and more continuous coverage is required

Pink Lady & Sundowner apples

This bulletin summaries for all Australian growers the present technical information concerning Pink Lady and Sundownerhttps://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/bulletins/1273/thumbnail.jp

Transgenerational effects on development following microplastic exposure in Drosophila melanogaster

Background. Plastic pollution affects all ecosystems, and detrimental effects to animals have been reported in a growing number of studies. However, there is a paucity of evidence for effects on terrestrial animals in comparison to those in the marine realm. Methods. We used the fly Drosophila melanogaster to study the effects that exposure to plastics may have on life history traits and immune response. We reared flies in four conditions: In media containing 1% virgin polyethylene, with no chemical additives; in media supplemented with 1% or 4% polyvinyl chloride, known to have a high content of added chemicals; and control flies in non-supplemented media. Plastic particle size ranged from 23–500 µm. We studied fly survival to viral infection, the length of the larval and pupal stage, sex ratios, fertility and the size of the resultant adult flies. We then performed crossings of F1 flies in non-supplemented media and looked at the life history traits of the F2. Results. Flies treated with plastics in the food media showed changes in fertility and sex ratio, but showed no differences in developmental times, adult size or the capacity to fight infections in comparison with controls. However, the offspring of treated flies reared in non-supplemented food had shorter life cycles, and those coming from both polyvinyl chloride treatments were smaller than those offspring of controls.Fil: Jimenez-Guri, Eva. University of Exeter; Reino Unido. Stazione Zoologica Anton Dhorn; ItaliaFil: Roberts, Katherine E.. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: García, Francisca C.. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Tourmente, Maximiliano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Biología Celular y Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Longdon, Ben. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Godley, Brendan J.. University of Exeter; Reino Unid

The importance of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags for measuring life-history traits of sea turtles

Capture-mark-recapture studies rely on the identification of individuals through time, using markers or tags, which are assumed to be retained. This assumption, however, may be violated, having implications for population models. In sea turtles, individual identification is typically based on external flipper tags, which can be combined with internal passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. Despite the extensive use of flipper tags, few studies have modelled tag loss using continuous functions. Using a 26-year dataset for sympatrically nesting green (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) turtles, this study aims to assess how PIT tag use increases the accuracy of estimates of life-history traits. The addition of PIT tags improved female identification: between 2000 and 2017, 53% of green turtles and 29% of loggerhead turtles were identified from PIT tags alone. We found flipper and PIT tag losses were best described by decreasing logistic curves with lower asymptotes. Excluding PIT tags from our dataset led to underestimation of flipper tag loss, reproductive periodicity, reproductive longevity and annual survival, and overestimation of female abundance and recruitment for both species. This shows the importance of PIT tags in improving the accuracy of estimates of life-history traits. Thus, estimates where tag loss has not been corrected for should be interpreted with caution and could bias IUCN Red List assessments. As such, long-term population monitoring programmes should aim to estimate tag loss and assess the impact of loss on life-history estimates, to provide robust estimates without which population models and stock assessments cannot be derived accurately

Coexisting in the Peruvian Amazon: Interactions between fisheries and river dolphins

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordThe freshwater tucuxi (Sotalia flluviatilis) and the Amazon River dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) are endemic to the Amazon-Orinoco river basin. Their conservation is hindered by human disturbance and uncertainty about total population size and distribution. In this study, we used rapid assessment questionnaires to identify threats to river dolphins found in Peru and to identify priority areas for their further study and conservation. We administered questionnaires to fishers (surveyed 2010 n=162, 2015 n=251) and community members (surveyed 2015 only; n=118) at 12 landing ports of the Peruvian Amazon, asking questions about their knowledge, perception and interactions with river dolphins. Dolphins were observed by interviewed fishers based across all ports except for Aguaytia port, which was subsequently excluded from further analysis. Across the sampled ports in 2010, an average of 86% of fishers (range: 59-100%; n=8 ports) associated dolphins with negative economic impacts, largely due to net damage, with similar findings in the more extensive survey in 2015 (74%, 27-100%; n=11 ports). Bycatch of dolphins was also reported in 11 ports, with a higher incidence in the state of Loreto, where up to 10 bycaught individuals per fisher per year were reported for both time periods. The use of dolphins as bait has been practised from at least 2010 (2010: 31% of fishers, 11-57%; 2015: 31%, 0-63%) and is prevalent (>40%) in four of the surveyed ports (Caballococha, Bagazan, Requena and Manantay). Our study can be used as a first reference to guide monitoring of river dolphin populations in priority areas. Future efforts should revisit and extend this survey to other ports in Peru. Doing so will enable detection of trends in fisheries conflicts with river dolphins and improve the estimation of bycatch and direct take of dolphins in the Peruvian Amazo