Seasonal roosts and foraging movements of the black flying fox (Pteropus alecto) in the Northern Territory: resource tracking in a landscape mosaic

1999 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 823 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Palmer ◽  
J. C. Z. Woinarski

Radio-telemetry was used to investigate roosting and movement patterns of the black flying fox (Pteropus alecto) in the seasonal tropics of the Northern Territory. Sixteen P. alecto were tracked during a 12-month period to 34 roosts and were recorded at 49 foraging sites. Pteropus alecto moved roosts seasonally, from bamboo and mangrove habitats in the dry season to rainforest in the wet season. All radio-collared male and female P. alecto roosted in rainforest during the major part of the wet season. Climatic influences may be responsible for this behaviour, with rainforest perhaps providing stable temperatures and shelter from the monsoonal rains. There was a significant seasonal difference in the distances moved by females between successive roosts. There was an association between roosting and foraging habitat: P. alecto roosting in bamboo and mangroves foraged predominantly in woodland, P. alecto roosting in rainforest foraged in Melaleucaspp. and rainforest habitat. Females covered greater distances from roosts to foraging locations than did males. Distances from roosts to foraging sites were reduced for males and females during the build- up season (September to November) and wet season (December to April). Seasonally, foraging habitat shifted both floristically and spatially with no significant difference between the sexes. The movements of one female P. alecto were recorded at hourly intervals over three consecutive nights at the beginning of the wet season. Movement patterns were very similar between nights and over these three nights she foraged in at least 7 distinct locations. The total distance moved per night was 15.5–19.9 km, including return distance to the roost, assuming straight-line movements between hourly fixes. Most foraging was done less than 6 km from the roost. The ratio of total distance moved in a night to the mean distance of forage sites from roosts was similar between nights (3.1–4.3), suggesting that a single roost site to forage site distance recorded during this study can provide an index of total foraging distance. Land tenure status identified for foraging and roosting positions recorded for P. alecto emphasises the lack of protection for habitats used by this species. Only 3% of foraging or roosting positions were recorded in any type of conservation reserve.

1979 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 347 ◽  
Author(s):  
JA Taylor

Stomach contents were studied for 289 live young crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) less than 180 cm long, collected from coast, river and swamp of Arnhem Land, Melville Island and Grant Island, Northern Territory, Australia; the crocodiles were then released. Tables give orders and families and some generic and specific names for prey or carrion eaten and for 3 parasites on the crocodiles, for a dry and a wet season in 1975-76. Between crocodiles 50 to 120 cm long and those smaller or larger there was no significant difference in the proportion of crocodiles having eaten crabs, shrimps, fish or insects or with empty stomachs, but only the larger crocodiles ate mammals or birds. Frequency of different foods eaten differed significantly with type of habitat or with salinity. Weight of food or incidence of empty stomachs did not differ between seasons, habitats or salinities. Condition of the crocodiles was significantly poorer for those from freshwater swamps than for those from lower mangrove or flood plains, and highest for those from upper mangrove. Main foods in both seasons were crustaceans, mainly crabs of subfamily Sesarminae and shrimps of genus Macrobrachium. The only fish eaten regularly was Pseudogobius sp., a slow-moving fish found by the water's edge. Amphibians were not found in the stomach.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105566562110150
Author(s):  
Alison Kaye ◽  
Meghan Tracy ◽  
Janelle Noel-MacDonnell ◽  
Kathryn Dent

Objective: To assess outcomes after conversion Furlow palatoplasty with and without routine preoperative flexible fiberoptic video nasendoscopy (FFVN). Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Tertiary Children’s Hospital. Patients: Greater than 3 years of age with cleft palate and velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) after straight-line palatoplasty requiring secondary surgery performed with a Furlow palatoplasty. Main Outcome Measures: The number of children with and without routine FFVN prior to conversion Furlow palatoplasty for VPI after initial straight-line palatoplasty. Groups were compared for surgical timing, speech outcomes, and need for additional surgery after conversion Furlow palatoplasty. Results: Fifty-eight patients underwent preoperative FFVN versus 29 without. Mean age at FFVN was 73.8 (SD 34) months. Mean age for secondary palatal surgery by conversion Furlow palatoplasty was 81.5 (SD 34.8) months with FFVN versus 73.4 (SD 34.0) months without FFVN. There was a significant difference ( P < .001) for VPI diagnosis and time to surgery between the groups. Preoperative hypernasality ratings were similar between groups. Postoperatively 65.5% of FFVN and non-FFVN patients corrected to normal resonance. Only 6.9% of all patients rated moderate-severe hypernasality after surgery compared to 42.5% preoperatively. Of total, 5.7% of patients had unchanged hypernasality and only 1 patient rated worse. Seven patients ultimately required additional surgery in attempt to normalize their resonance. Conclusions: Routine preoperative FFVN does not offer any advantage for improved outcomes in children undergoing conversion Furlow palatoplasty after straight-line repair. Routine preoperative FFVN was associated with increased time to surgery after diagnosis of VPI compared to those without FFVN.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaomeng Shi ◽  
Zhirui Ye ◽  
Nirajan Shiwakoti ◽  
Offer Grembek

Complex movement patterns of pedestrian traffic, ranging from unidirectional to multidirectional flows, are frequently observed in major public infrastructure such as transport hubs. These multidirectional movements can result in increased number of conflicts, thereby influencing the mobility and safety of pedestrian facilities. Therefore, empirical data collection on pedestrians’ complex movement has been on the rise in the past two decades. Although there are several reviews of mathematical simulation models for pedestrian traffic in the existing literature, a detailed review examining the challenges and opportunities on empirical studies on the pedestrians complex movements is limited in the literature. The overall aim of this study is to present a systematic review on the empirical data collection for uni- and multidirectional crowd complex movements. We first categorized the complex movements of pedestrian crowd into two general categories, namely, external governed movements and internal driven movements based on the interactions with the infrastructure and among pedestrians, respectively. Further, considering the hierarchy of movement complexity, we decomposed the externally governed movements of pedestrian traffic into several unique movement patterns including straight line, turning, egress and ingress, opposing, weaving, merging, diverging, and random flows. Analysis of the literature showed that empirical data were highly rich in straight line and egress flow while medium rich in turning, merging, weaving, and opposing flows, but poor in ingress, diverging, and random flows. We put emphasis on the need for the future global collaborative efforts on data sharing for the complex crowd movements.


1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 127 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Walsh ◽  
PJ Whitehead

Since 1986 the Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory has operated a programme to remove 'problem' saltwater crocodiles from waters in and adjoining the township of Nhulunbuy. Over a period of five years, 52 different saltwater crocodiles (44 male) were captured. Most (48) were released at remote sites designated by the traditional Aboriginal owners of the surrounding lands. Release distances from the township varied from 17 to 282 km (by coastline). Many crocodiles (47.9%), including those released at the most distant sites, returned to, and were subsequently recaptured at, the township. Total capture rates (initial captures and recaptures pooled) varied seasonally, with fewer crocodiles being caught in the cooler dry season. During the wet season capture rates remained high, but relatively fewer 'new' crocodiles were caught. Probability of recapture could not be related to distance and direction of release from the township, nor size and sex of the released crocodile. Frequency of capture of individual crocodiles (1-8 times) was also unrelated to these variables. The high rates of return indicate that relocation is unlikely to be an effective strategy for managing humancrocodile interactions, at least in areas where potential release sites already support saltwater crocodile populations near carrying capacity.


2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Z. Woinarski ◽  
Greg Connors ◽  
Don C. Franklin

We create monthly maps of nectar availability for the 1.4 x 106 km2 jurisdiction of the Northern Territory, Australia. These are based on a combination of vegetation mapping and a series of indices of plant species specific nectar scoring. The maps reveal complex spatial and temporal variation in nectar availability, but most notably a greater nectar resource in the monsoon-influenced north than in the arid south, and a peak in nectar availability in the dry season. The latter is associated with the extensive tropical eucalypt forests (especially those co-dominated by Eucalyptus miniata and E. tetrodonta). In contrast, wet season nectar availability in these forests is limited, but riparian and swampland forests, typically dominated by Melaleuca species, provide rich but spatially restricted nectar resources. The extensive and rich nectar resources available in eucalypt forests in the dry season supplement the diets of many species which are not primarily nectarivorous. This resource helps shape the singularity of northern Australian eucalypt forests relative to other extensive forests elsewhere in the world. Nectarivores remain in the system through a combination of movements across a number of scales, habitat shifting, and diet shifting. The latter is aided by the peaking of invertebrate and fruit resources at the times of minimum nectar production; a shuffling in resource availability brought about by the extreme climatic seasonality.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-105
Author(s):  
Jane Lydon

Xavier Herbert published his bestseller Capricornia in 1938, following two periods spent in the Northern Territory. His next major work, Poor Fellow My Country (1975), was not published until thirty-seven years later, but was also set in the north during the 1930s. One significant difference between the two novels is that by 1975 photo-journalism had become a significant force for influencing public opinion and reforming Aboriginal policy. Herbert’s novel, centring upon Prindy as vulnerable Aboriginal child, marks a sea change in perceptions of Aboriginal people and their place in Australian society, and a radical shift toward use of photography as a means of revealing the violation of human rights after World War II. In this article I review Herbert’s visual narrative strategies in the context of debates about this key historical shift and the growing impact of photography in human rights campaigns. I argue that Poor Fellow My Country should be seen as a textual re-enactment, set in Herbert’s and the nation’s past, yet coloured by more recent social changes that were facilitated and communicated through the camera’s lens. Like all re-enactments, it is written in the past conditional: it asks, what if things had been different? It poses a profound challenge to the state project of scientific modernity that was the Northern Territory over the first decades of the twentieth century.


Author(s):  
Peter Gates ◽  
Fred M. Discenzo ◽  
Jin Hyun Kim ◽  
Zachary Lemke ◽  
Joan Meggitt ◽  
...  

Dance therapy can improve motor skills, balance, posture, and gait in people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and healthy older adults (OA). It is not clear how specific movement patterns during dance promote these benefits. The purpose of this cohort study was to identify differences and complexity in dance movement patterns among different dance styles for PD and OA participants in community dance programs using approximate entropy (ApEn) analysis. The hypothesis was that PD participants will show greater ApEn during dance than OA participants and that the unique dance style of tango with more pronounced foot technique and sharp direction changes will show greater ApEn than smoother dance types such as foxtrot and waltz characterized by gradual changes in direction and gliding movement with rise and fall. Individuals participated in one-hour community dance classes. Movement data were captured using porTable 3D motion capture sensors attached to the arms, torso and legs. Classes were also video recorded to assist in analyzing the dance steps. Movement patterns were captured and ApEn was calculated to quantify the complexity of movements. Participants with PD had greater ApEn in right knee flexion during dance movements than left knee flexion (p = 0.02), greater ApEn of right than left hip flexion (p = 0.05), and greater left hip rotation than right (p = 0.03). There was no significant difference in ApEn of body movements (p > 0.4) or mean body movements (p > 0.3) at any body-segment in OA. ApEn analysis is valuable for quantifying the degree of control and predictability of dance movements and could be used as another tool to assess the movement control of dancers and aid in the development of dance therapies.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Nurhayati D. Purwantari

Leucaena leucocephala leaves are nutritious and palatable for ruminants. However, the plant is poorly adapted on acid soil, water logged, and susceptible to psyllid (Heteropsylla cubana). Leucaena favours soils with pH &gt;5. It performs best on calcareous soils. This study aimed to evaluate adaptability of several Leucaena species on acid soils. The study was conducted at the experimental field in Ciawi, Bogor, altitude 500 m above sea level, rainfall 1500-2000 mm year-1, on Latosol soil with pH 5.2. Leucaena species evaluated were L. leucocephala K28, L. leucocephala (local type), Leucaena KX2 hybrid, L. collinsii, L. trichandra, and L. diversifolia. Experiment was designed in a randomized complete block, four replications. All the seedlings were grown in the nursery for 2.5 months before being transplanted to the field. The plants were grown in row plots of 5 m x 1 m with planting distance 0.5 m and spacing between row plot was 3 m. One unit replicate was 5 m x 21 m. In wet season, the plants were pruned at 50 cm height every 3 months, whilst in dry season pruning was done every 5 months. Parameter measured were plant regrowth and forage production (edible part and non-edible part of the plant), as well as N and P content of the edible part. The result showed that Leucaena KX2 hybrid was superior to other leucaenas. Regrowth of KX2 hybrid was the fastest and produced highest forage. The highest fresh weight forage production for 1 year (four times harvests), i.e. 33.93 t ha-1 year-1 equal to 12.48 t ha- 1 year-1 of dry weight, was obtained from Leucaena KX2 hybrid, whereas the lowest was produced by L. diversifolia, i.e. 3.12 t ha-1 year-1 of fresh weight or 1.01 t ha-1 year-1 of dry weight. Production of non-edible part followed the pattern of production of edible part. N and P content in the edible part of all Leucaena species did not show any significant difference except for L. trichandra which contained the lowest. This study implies that Leucaena KX2 hybrid is adaptable to acid soil; therefore it can be grown in wider areas throughout Indonesia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 19675-19688
Author(s):  
M. Pandian ◽  
S. Suresh

This paper pertains to the study on roosting habits and habitats of the Indian Flying Fox Pteropus medius Temminck, 1825 in 12 villages of four northern districts—Vellore, Krishnagiri, Tiruvannamalai, and Viluppuram—of Tamil Nadu. Studies targeted roosting tree species, population status, diurnal-roosting behaviour, interactions with other animals, and probable threats to the species. A total of 22,365 individuals of the species were observed in 72 roosting colonies in 72 trees belonging to nine families, 11 genera, and 13 species. The tree species that harbored the greatest population of P. medius (n= 12,465) were those of Tamarindus indica L. (Fabaceae) (n= 39), followed by Ficus religiosa L. (Moraceae) (n= 3,960), Madhuca latifolia J.F. Macbr. (Sapotaceae) (n= 2,760), and Ficus benghalensis L. (Moraceae) (n= 1,620). One-Way ANOVA revealed that a significant relationship exists between  colony size and tree diameter at breast height (dbh), and their canopy size (p <0.05). However, no significant difference occurred between the colony size and tree height. The time taken for emergence of individuals of the colony from the canopy for foraging varied between 20 and 40 min after 1750 h in the evening. The species mostly roosted on trees proximal to human settlements, electrical power lines, and water bodies. Individuals of P. medius used various tree species in different areas in different geographical regions and did not maintain any consistency in roosting tree species selection. A majority of individuals (88.7 %; n= 887) were found roosting using both legs and a minority of P. medius (11.3 %; n= 113) were clinging to tree branches using one. Individuals of P. medius flew to nearby water bodies to quench thirst and cool their bodies. Mating was observed during day roost in 146 pairs including male-female fellatio in seven pairs. Smoke from shrines in sacred groves, pruning of branches for various cultural reasons, populations of House Crow Corvus splendens (Vieillot, 1817) (Corvidae), Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaines, 1789) and Black Kite Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) (both Accipitridae) were key disturbances to roosting populations of P. medius.


The Auk ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 117 (3) ◽  
pp. 748-759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caleb E. Gordon

Abstract I used mark-recapture analysis and radio telemetry to characterize winter movement patterns of six grassland sparrows in southeastern Arizona. Mark-recapture data were generated by banding birds captured during repeated flush-netting sessions conducted on a series of 7-ha plots over three consecutive winters. This resulted in 2,641 captures of 2,006 individual sparrows of the six species. Radio telemetry was conducted concurrently on 20 individuals of four of these species. Recapture data and radio telemetry indicated that Cassin's Sparrow (Aimophila cassinii) and Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) were the most sedentary, followed by Baird's Sparrow (Ammodramus bairdii), Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus), Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), and Brewer's Sparrow (Spizella breweri). Grasshopper, Baird's, Savannah, and Vesper sparrows tended to remain within fixed home ranges during winter. With the exception of Savannah Sparrows, whose movement behavior varied among study sites, movement patterns remained constant within species across years and study sites despite radical fluctuations in the absolute and relative abundances of all species. Interspecific differences in movement pattern suggest that species in this system partition niche space according to the regional-coexistence mechanism. Abundances of the most sedentary species, Cassin's, Grasshopper, and Baird's sparrows, were poorly or negatively correlated with summer rainfall at the between-year landscape scale, whereas abundances of the more mobile Savannah, Vesper, and Brewer's sparrows were strongly positively correlated. This is consistent with the theoretical prediction that movement constrains large-scale habitat selection, favoring mobile species in fragmented environments.


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