Translational Research Communication: a new experience

Academics are like optical fibre. They generate communication about their research along exceptionally narrow channels. Their research communication is almost exclusively focused on their discipline – to their conferences and their journals. In today's world, though, in order for academics to remain relevant and succeed in finding funding and institutional support, that fibre must expand to become a funnel, or if you like, a trumpet. Academics need to be able to make their research accessible to a broader community. This is not a luxury or an add-on; it is essential for the survival of the species

Citizen Science Week: 8–16 March 2014

To celebrate Open Education Week (10–15 March), the Animal Demography Unit (ADU) is holding a Citizen Science Week (see this post for details about the ADU and citizen science as well as this Citizen Science Week FB post). This additional celebration runs during Open Education Week but also includes the weekends at either end (8–16 March). The weekends are included because, for many people, they are the best time of the week to practise citizen science! The ADU is heavily involved in open education, but in a rather different way from how most people probably expect open education to work

Impacts of environmental change on large terrestrial bird species in South Africa: insights from citizen science data

Includes abstract.Large terrestrial bird species, especially cranes and bustards, have adapted to low intensity agriculture to varying degrees, but large-scale industrial agriculture is in general inimical to these species. Cranes are charismatic and well studied, but bustards are retiring and in general cryptically coloured, and little is known of most species. Of South Africa's 10 bustard species, two are endemic and three subspecies are endemic or near-endemic. Six species are threatened or near-threatened. Three crane species occur in South Africa, one of which is near-endemic; all are threatened. This thesis used data from two long-term public participation bird monitoring projects to improve our understanding of six of these 13 species. The first and second Southern African Bird Atlas Projects (SABAP1, 1987-1992, and SABAP2, 2007-) provide two sets of presence/absence data which can be compared. The Coordinated Avifaunal Roadcounts (CAR; 1993-) project provides roadcount data spanning a similar period

Secretarybird Sagittarius serpentarius Population Trends and Ecology: Insights from South African Citizen Science Data

Data from two long-term citizen science projects were used to examine the status and ecology of a Red List species, the Secretarybird Sagittarius serpentarius (Vulnerable), in South Africa. The first phase of the Southern African Bird Atlas Project operated from 1987 until 1992, and the second phase began in 2007. The Coordinated Avifaunal Roadcounts (CAR) project began in 1993 and by 1998 had expanded to cover much of the south-eastern half of the country. Data submitted up until April 2013 were used. A new method of comparing reporting rates between atlas projects was developed. Changing reporting rates are likely to reflect changes in abundance; in this instance the data suggest that the Secretarybird population decreased across much of South Africa between the two atlas projects, with a widespread important decrease in the Kruger National Park. Habitat data from the CAR project were analysed to gain insight into the ecology of the species. Secretarybirds tended to avoid transformed habitats across much of the area covered by the CAR project. In the winter rainfall region of the Western Cape, which is characterised by heavily transformed fynbos vegetation, at least 50% of Secretarybirds recorded were in transformed environments. This implies that in the Fynbos biome, at least, Secretarybirds have adapted to transformed environments to some degree. However, in the rest of the country it is likely that habitat loss, largely through widespread bush encroachment but also through agriculture, afforestation, and urbanisation, is a major threat to the species. The methods developed here represent a new approach to analysing data from long-term citizen science projects, which can provide important insights into a species’ conservation status and ecology

Large Terrestrial Birds

In this radio broadcast, Sally Hofmeyr discusses the Coordinated Aviafaunal Roadcount programme, which maps populations of large terrestrial birds in agricultural areas. This programme supplies demographic data that can be used to inform conservation efforts and stimulate further research into declining or endangered populations. Sally discusses are methodological considerations required in order to make the information gathered from the approximately 800 citizen scientists are involved in the projects most useful, as well as the effect of farming on large terrestrial bird demography. Image provided courtesy of Brian Snelson under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Habitat selection by Secretarybirds observed in the Coordinated Avifaunal Roadcounts (CAR) project in the 16 precincts for which there were sufficient data, in summer (S) and winter (W) counts.

<p>Jacobs index <i>D</i> values indicate selection for natural habitats if positive, and for transformed land if negative. The Natural and Transformed columns give the numbers of routes on which Secretarybirds showed a preference for natural or transformed habitats respectively. Sign test <i>p</i> values refer to tests of whether the number of routes with positive or negative Jacobs index <i>D</i> values was significantly different from that expected if zero selection had been shown.</p

Counts of quarter degree grid cells (QDGCs, 15'×15') in the Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP) comparison map for Secretarybirds for 19 April 2013 (Figure 1).

<p>QDGCs are coloured if the species was observed there in either project. Reporting rates are compared using a <i>z</i>-statistic (see text). SABAP2 reporting rates were lower than SABAP1 in red, orange and yellow grid cells, and higher than SABAP1 for light and dark green and blue grid cells (see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0096772#pone-0096772-g001" target="_blank">Figure 1</a>). Pink grid cells are those that had not yet been covered in SABAP2. Therefore, red, orange and yellow grid cells indicate areas of potential conservation concern, whereas green and blue grid cells indicate areas of apparent population increase. Columns labelled with colours give the percentage of the total for that province, with the actual number of QDGCs in parentheses. Columns to the right of the Total column present summaries of reporting rate data not presented in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0096772#pone-0096772-g001" target="_blank">Figure 1</a> but available in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0096772#pone.0096772.s001" target="_blank">Figure S1</a>.</p

Coordinated Avifaunal Roadcounts (CAR) project survey routes and precincts.

<p>Routes are indicated by thick grey lines, and precincts are outlined in black. CAR routes covered c. 19 000“KZN”, KwaZulu-Natal. Precincts were defined on the basis of ecological characteristics by Young et al. <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0096772#pone.0096772-Young1" target="_blank">[13]</a> (within precincts the natural vegetation type and climatic conditions are more similar than between precincts) and precinct names follow Young et al. <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0096772#pone.0096772-Young1" target="_blank">[13]</a>.</p

Habitat selection by Secretarybirds observed in the CAR project in the seven provinces in which the CAR project operates, in summer (S) and winter (W) counts.

<p>Data used for this analysis were identical to those used for the analysis presented in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0096772#pone-0096772-t002" target="_blank">Table 2</a>. Columns are as for <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0096772#pone-0096772-t002" target="_blank">Table 2</a>.</p

Habitat selection by Secretarybirds observed in the CAR project, with CAR routes grouped by province.

<p>Jacobs index values between –1 and zero indicate selection for transformed habitats, and between zero and +1 indicate selection for natural habitats. Each province is separated into summer (red bars) and winter (blue bars). Numbers below the bars are the number of routes on which Secretarybirds showed a preference for natural or transformed habitats, respectively. These numbers were tested using the sign test and the level of statistical significance is indicated beneath the numbers, as follows: *** for <i>p</i><0.001, ** for <i>p</i><0.01 and ns (not significant) for <i>p</i>>0.05.</p