Activity patterns of the southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) (Marsupialia:Vombatidae) in the South Australian Murraylands

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. R. Finlayson ◽  
C. R. White ◽  
R. Dibben ◽  
G. A. Shimmin ◽  
D. A. Taggart

The southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) is a large, semifossorial, herbivorous marsupial, adapted to a harsh and unpredictable environment in semi-arid Australia. Limited information is available on the biology and general behaviour of the species. The present study examines monthly variability in ‘nocturnal’ activity patterns. Data-loggers were used to investigate the effect of climate on 57 months of activity patterns of 18 wombats between 1999 and 2004. The average period of activity across the study was 6.27 ± 0.24 h in duration across the study. Multiple excursions above ground were more common in September and significantly correlated with both available water and median temperature. Periods of activity were strongly correlated with temperature across the entire study.

2003 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 205 ◽  
Author(s):  
GR Finlayson ◽  
GA Shimmin ◽  
PD Temple-Smith ◽  
K Handasyde ◽  
DA Taggart

THERE is limited information on the activity of the southern hairy-nosed wombat, Lasiorhinus latifrons, due predominantly to the cryptic nature of this species and its burrowing lifestyle. As part of a recent field study of L. latifrons, temperature data loggers were employed to determine the usefulness of this equipment for studying activity patterns in this species including; emergence times, total length of bouts of activity, patterns and variation in activity throughout the year. Data from this pilot study suggest that temperature dataloggers provide an extremely useful and relatively non-invasive means of determining activity patterns in a semi-fossorial mammal.


2014 ◽  
Vol 88 ◽  
pp. 175-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Ward ◽  
Mark Alessi ◽  
Thomas J. Benson ◽  
Scott J. Chiavacci

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 959-976 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Schoof ◽  
C. A Rada ◽  
N. J. Wilson ◽  
G. E. Flowers ◽  
M. Haseloff

Abstract. The presence of strong diurnal cycling in basal water pressure records obtained during the melt season is well established for many glaciers. The behaviour of the drainage system outside the melt season is less well understood. Here we present borehole observations from a surge-type valley glacier in the St Elias Mountains, Yukon Territory, Canada. Our data indicate the onset of strongly correlated multi-day oscillations in water pressure in multiple boreholes straddling a main drainage axis, starting several weeks after the disappearance of a dominant diurnal mode in August 2011 and persisting until at least January 2012, when multiple data loggers suffered power failure. Jökulhlaups provide a template for understanding spontaneous water pressure oscillations not driven by external supply variability. Using a subglacial drainage model, we show that water pressure oscillations can also be driven on a much smaller scale by the interaction between conduit growth and distributed water storage in smaller water pockets, basal crevasses and moulins, and that oscillations can be triggered when water supply drops below a critical value. We suggest this in combination with a steady background supply of water from ground water or englacial drainage as a possible explanation for the observed wintertime pressure oscillations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (10) ◽  
pp. 952-959
Author(s):  
Priscila Stéfani Monteiro-Alves ◽  
Débora Molino Helmer ◽  
Atilla Colombo Ferreguetti ◽  
Juliane Pereira-Ribeiro ◽  
Carlos Frederico Duarte Rocha ◽  
...  

Crab-eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous (Linnaeus, 1766)) are frequently recorded in lists of mammal communities. However, studies quantifying aspects of the ecology of the species are uncommon in the literature. Thus, we aimed to quantify the density, activity, habitat use, and potential threats of C. thous in two protected areas (PAs) in the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil. We used data derived from camera traps and sand plots to model occupancy, detectability, activity; we also used random encounter models (REMs) to model density and abundance. We also estimated the activity of the species. Density of C. thous was 0.82 individuals/km2 with a total abundance of 119 individuals. We concluded that in the PAs studied, C. thous had bimodal, twilight–nocturnal activity patterns and was associated with water sources. Although the species in the area has a relatively high density compared with that from other areas in Brazil, it could be locally threatened by the highway that crosses the two PAs, promoting roadkill events, and by domestic dogs (Canis familiaris Linnaeus, 1758) recorded in these areas. Results presented herein can be a starting point to support future work in the region and to make predictions regarding the management and conservation of C. thous, a widely distributed species.


The Auk ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yutaka Watanuki

Abstract Diurnal activity patterns of Leach's Storm-Petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) and Slaty-backed Gulls (Larus schistisagus) were investigated. The petrels reduced activity in moonlight in May and June when the predation rate by gulls was relatively high. Petrel activity levels were inversely correlated with light intensities and the corresponding risk of predation by the gull. This suggests that nocturnal activity and moonlight avoidance by the petrel in its colony are an effective defense against diurnal predators. Activity synchronization of the petrel was most marked during the full moon, further supporting the predator-avoidance hypothesis.


1977 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 551-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. Lewis

SummaryStudies of the day-time activity of night-enclosed eland, oryx, buffalo and cattle in a hot, semi-arid area in Kenya showed that, on average, eland spent 70% of the day feeding, oryx 60% and buffalo and cattle 52%.The distribution of activity throughout the day of all species was similar and the mobile activities of feeding and walking tended to be concentrated in the early morning and late evening.Correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to investigate changes in the activity of the animals in relation to changes in meterological and vegetative factors. The activity of both eland and buffalo was found to be particularly sensitive to the meterological factors.The duration of feeding for cattle and buffalo was related to the state of the vegetation, but that of the oryx was not. Similar analyses were not possible for eland.The activity of each species could be related to mouth size, feeding habits and the effectiveness of the animals' coat in dealing with conditions of high heat load.It is concluded that a naturally short daily feeding time and an independence of activity from the environmental heat load on the animals are advantageous characteristics for a species under domestication in a hot semi-arid environment.


1980 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. R. Keiper ◽  
M. A. Keenan

Soil Research ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 317 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Rasiah ◽  
L. A. G. Aylmore

It is known that field-scale variations in subsurface hydraulic characteristics are influenced, to a large extent, by soil properties. Limited information, however, exists on the sensitivity of hydraulic functions to field-scale variations in soil properties. The sensitivity of 4 soil water retention functions, θ(h), to variations in soil properties and changes in bulk density (ρ) across and within soils along a 500-m transect has been assessed in this study. The θ(h) functions compared are those of van Genuchten, Brooks and Corey, Campbell, and Gardner. Water retention characteristics for 7 soils, each packed to 2 relative ρ, were established for each function. The coefficient of determination, R 2 , for the best fit of water retention ranged from 0·79 to 0· 98 for the Gardner and Campbell functions, from 0· 92 to 0·99 for the Brooks and Corey function, and from 0·83 to 0·99 for the van Genuchten function. Simple linear regression analysis indicated the nonlinear slope parameters of the 4 functions were more strongly correlated with soil properties. However, only the van Genuchten slope parameters were sensitive to changes in ρ. No consistency existed between the sensitivity of the linear parameters of the 4 functions and soil properties, and none were sensitive to changes in ρ. Except for the a parameter in the van Genuchten function, all the parameters in this function can be predicted with satisfactory confidence from soil properties and ρ. The results indicate that, of the 4 functions assessed, the van Genuchten θ(h) function is the most sensitive to field-scale variations in soil properties along a transect in a landscape unit and to changes in ρ.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonghua Wu

Abstract Background Many living birds exhibit some nocturnal activity, but the genetic basis and evolutionary origins of their nocturnality remain unknown. Results Here, we used a molecular phyloecological approach to analyze the adaptive evolution of 33 phototransduction genes in diverse bird lineages. Our results suggest that functional enhancement of two night-vision genes, namely, GRK1 and SLC24A1, underlies the nocturnal adaption of living birds. Further analyses showed that the diel activity patterns of birds have remained relatively unchanged since their common ancestor, suggesting that the widespread nocturnal activity of many living birds may largely stem from their common ancestor rather than independent evolution. Despite this evolutionary conservation of diel activity patterns in birds, photoresponse recovery genes were found to be frequently subjected to positive selection in diverse bird lineages, suggesting that birds generally have evolved an increased capacity for motion detection. Moreover, we detected positive selection on both dim-light vision genes and bright-light vision genes in the class Aves, suggesting divergent evolution of the vision of birds from that of reptiles and that different bird lineages have evolved certain visual adaptions to their specific light conditions. Conclusions This study suggests that the widespread nocturnality of extant birds has a deep evolutionary origin tracing back to their common ancestor.


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