LSM1303 ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR : lecture07

BBC: Attenborough - Elephant Seals, featuring the Beach Master!

N. Sivasothi — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:05:55 GMT

Click to see the

The Black-tailed Godwit - maintaining pair bonds across seasons

N. Sivasothi — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:51:43 GMT

Photo by Marek Szczepanek

Gunnarsson, T. G., J. A. Gill, T. Sigurbjörnsson & W. J. Sutherland, 2004. Pair bonds: Arrival synchrony in migratory birds. Nature, 431(646), doi:10.1038/431646a.

Abstract - Synchronous arrival of pairs of migratory birds at their breeding grounds is important for maintaining pair bonds and is achieved by pairs that remain together all year round. Here we show that arrival [in Iceland] is also synchronized in paired individuals of a migratory shorebird, the black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa islandica), even though they winter hundreds of kilometres apart [in Europe] and do not migrate together. The mechanisms required to achieve this synchrony and prevent 'divorce' illustrate the complexity of migratory systems.

Mobbing incident at Toa Payoh!

N. Sivasothi — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:10:00 GMT

"Mobbing of Spotted Wood Owl at Toa Payoh," contributed by Gloria Seow. Bird Ecology Study Group, 27 Jan 2008.

“Throwing back the little ones”

N. Sivasothi — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:01:24 GMT

Fisheries biologist David O. Conover is investigating the claim that perhaps the "big fish" simply don't exist anymore. According to his work, many fish are evolving smaller body sizes. He is studying the impact of fishing practises on our lakes, streams, and oceans. 'Humans may be causing major evolutionary changes in the fish species that are most important to us economically.' See how the body size of silversides evolved in the lab - “Throwing back the little ones,” The University of California Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley, USA.

Essay on Cooperative breeding

N. Sivasothi — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:12:12 GMT

Paul Ehrlich, David Dobkin & Darryl Wheye, 1988. “Cooperative Breeding” in The Birder's Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds Including All Species That Regularly Breed North of Mexico. Simon and Schuster, New York.

The essay is hosted on "Birds of Stanford" webpage. They provide an excellent summary of cooperative breeding including aspects from: Glen E. Woolfenden, John W. Fitzpatrick, 1984. The Florida Scrub Jay: Demography of a Cooperative-Breeding Bird. Princeton University Press, N. J., USA. 406pp.

Look under "Essays" and click the link for "Alphabetical order" to find "Cooperative Breeding".