The breeding ecology and mating system of the bellbird (Athornis melanura) on Tiritiri Matangi Island : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Conservation Biology at Massey University

A large population of Bellbirds were individually banded and monitored on Tiritiri Matangi Island in 2005 and 2006. The main aim of this research was to provide baseline breeding data from a large, stable population of Bellbirds reminiscent of pre-colonisation New Zealand. Nesting observations indicated that Bellbirds preferentially nest in Cabbage Trees on the island. Nest success was similar to recent values detected for other open nesting passerines found on the island, and has not changed since the study by Anderson & Craig (2003) undertaken in 1979. This is interesting considering that predation pressures would have been significantly alleviated since the eradication of Kiore in 1993. Breeding was found to be highly asynchronous within neighbouring territories in both 2005 and 2006. The majority of social bonds were recorded as monogamous, similar to past findings; however this research reported one case of polygynandry. In addition, regular extra pair male visits to other nests were recorded, as well as the occurrence of extra pair copulations. Parental care was undertaken by both sexes; however was largely unequal in that the female invested more in nest attendance than the male. The inequality in parental care, as well as the observed extra pair social behaviours, led to doubts over the current certainty of monogamy as the mating system in this species. The genetic analysis of paternity revealed that both males and females engage in mixed mating strategies, with 81% of offspring a result of extra pair paternity. This represents one of the highest levels of promiscuity recorded in passerines to date. The high level of sexual dimorphism coupled with the high level of promiscuity indicates the importance of genetic evidence for conclusions regarding mating systems; especially in the honeyeater species that show sexual dimorphism and hence intense sexual selection

The Legal Minimum Drinking Age: What Good Does it Do?

Underage drinking is a huge problem in the United States. Rational choice and deterrence theories suggest that the best way to deal with the problem is to create and enforce strict laws against underage drinking. However, are these truly effective mechanisms in this regard? This paper explores these issues by analyzing underage alcohol consumption patterns in three sets of states classified as “lax”, “strict” and “typical” in terms of their underage drinking laws using data from the 2012 National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). T-tests did not show significant differences between underage alcohol use and binge drinking in the six randomly sampled typical states, strict states and the national averages. T-test suggested that alcohol use in the lax states was somewhat lower than the national average. Logistic regression results did not show a significant difference in the rates of underage alcohol use and binge drinking across the three different categories. They do, however, show a slight decrease in underage drinking over time, holding state type constant. The findings suggest that perhaps tougher laws, in and of themselves, do little to address this problem of underage alcohol consumption

Colonel Mulock's Patent for Driving Punkahs

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Late quaternary environmental reconstruction and climate modelling in the winter rainfall region of the Western Cape, South Africa

Bibliography: leaves 124-144.The southwestern Cape of South Africa is a floristically diverse region experiencing winter rainfall, and is important as it represents a significant southern hemisphere example of a Mediterranean climate regime. Acquiring palaeoenvironmental data from this region is imperative in understanding the climatic changes that have occurred during the Late Quaternary, with a view to improved palaeclimatic modelling. The spatial distribution of studies for the Late Quternary in the southwestern Cape is uneven and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions have been largely restricted to sites, which are easilty accessible, and appropriate only for the methods being used (e.g. palynology for wetlands). Moreover, many of the palaeoenvironmental reconstructions implemented thus far fall outside the winter rainfall region sensu stricto. Hence spatial differentiation in climatic response may have remained obscured due to the 'selection' of sites used

Small Business Disaster Assistance: Responding to the Terrorist Attacks

This report discusses the impact of the terrorist attacks on small businesses, provides an overview of the types of relief assistance currently available from the SBA, notes the agency's response to date, summarizes proposed legislation, and analyzes policy options for Congress

Economic Development Administration: Overview and Issues

The Economic Development Administration (EDA), targeted for elimination or major “reinvention” early in the 104th Congress, gained a new lease on life in the waning days of the 105th. Having been kept alive via appropriations bills since its last authorizing legislation expired in 1982, P.L. 105-393 reauthorized the EDA and its programs for 5 years. On October 27, Congress approved a conference agreement recommending $286.7 million for EDAP and$28 million for S&E, for a totalFY2001 appropriation of$411.9 million for EDA. It became part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 4942, P.L. 106-553) signed into law on December 21, 2000

Economic Development Administration: Overview and Issues

The Economic Development Administration (EDA), targeted for elimination or major “reinvention” early in the 104th Congress, gained a new lease on life in the waning days of the 105th. Having been kept alive via appropriations bills since its last authorizing legislation expired in 1982, P.L. 105-393 reauthorized the EDA and its programs for 5 years. On October 27, Congress approved a conference agreement recommending $286.7 million for EDAP and$28 million for S&E, for a totalFY2001 appropriation of$411.9 million for EDA. It became part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 4942, P.L. 106-553) signed into law on December 21, 2000