scholarly journals A stab in the dark: chick killing by brood parasitic honeyguides

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire N. Spottiswoode ◽  
Jeroen Koorevaar

The most virulent avian brood parasites obligately kill host young soon after hatching, thus ensuring their monopoly of host parental care. While the host eviction behaviour of cuckoos (Cuculidae) is well documented, the host killing behaviour of honeyguide (Indicatoridae) chicks has been witnessed only once, 60 years ago, and never in situ in host nests. Here, we report from the Afrotropical greater honeyguide the first detailed observations of honeyguides killing host chicks with their specially adapted bill hooks, based on repeated video recordings (available in the electronic supplementary material). Adult greater honeyguides puncture host eggs when they lay their own, but in about half of host nests at least one host egg survived, precipitating chick killing by the honeyguide hatchling. Hosts always hatched after honeyguide chicks, and were killed within hours. Despite being blind and in total darkness, honeyguides attacked host young with sustained biting, grasping and shaking motions. Attack time of 1–5 min was sufficient to cause host death, which took from 9 min to over 7 h from first attack. Honeyguides also bit unhatched eggs and human hands, but only rarely bit the host parents feeding them.

Polar Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Neitzel ◽  
Aino Hosia ◽  
Uwe Piatkowski ◽  
Henk-Jan Hoving

AbstractObservations of the diversity, distribution and abundance of pelagic fauna are absent for many ocean regions in the Atlantic, but baseline data are required to detect changes in communities as a result of climate change. Gelatinous fauna are increasingly recognized as vital players in oceanic food webs, but sampling these delicate organisms in nets is challenging. Underwater (in situ) observations have provided unprecedented insights into mesopelagic communities in particular for abundance and distribution of gelatinous fauna. In September 2018, we performed horizontal video transects (50–1200 m) using the pelagic in situ observation system during a research cruise in the southern Norwegian Sea. Annotation of the video recordings resulted in 12 abundant and 7 rare taxa. Chaetognaths, the trachymedusaAglantha digitaleand appendicularians were the three most abundant taxa. The high numbers of fishes and crustaceans in the upper 100 m was likely the result of vertical migration. Gelatinous zooplankton included ctenophores (lobate ctenophores,Beroespp.,Euplokamissp., and an undescribed cydippid) as well as calycophoran and physonect siphonophores. We discuss the distributions of these fauna, some of which represent the first record for the Norwegian Sea.


2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Schwendeman ◽  
Jim Thomson ◽  
Johannes R. Gemmrich

Abstract Coupled in situ and remote sensing measurements of young, strongly forced wind waves are applied to assess the role of breaking in an evolving wave field. In situ measurements of turbulent energy dissipation from wave-following Surface Wave Instrument Float with Tracking (SWIFT) drifters and a tethered acoustic Doppler sonar system are consistent with wave evolution and wind input (as estimated using the radiative transfer equation). The Phillips breaking crest distribution Λ(c) is calculated using stabilized shipboard video recordings and the Fourier-based method of Thomson and Jessup, with minor modifications. The resulting Λ(c) are unimodal distributions centered around half of the phase speed of the dominant waves, consistent with several recent studies. Breaking rates from Λ(c) increase with slope, similar to in situ dissipation. However, comparison of the breaking rate estimates from the shipboard video recordings with the SWIFT video recordings show that the breaking rate is likely underestimated in the shipboard video when wave conditions are calmer and breaking crests are small. The breaking strength parameter b is calculated by comparison of the fifth moment of Λ(c) with the measured dissipation rates. Neglecting recordings with inconsistent breaking rates, the resulting b data do not display any clear trends and are in the range of other reported values. The Λ(c) distributions are compared with the Phillips equilibrium range prediction and previous laboratory and field studies, leading to the identification of several inconsistencies.


2021 ◽  
pp. geochem2021-074
Author(s):  
Godson Godfray

Successful gold exploration projects depend on a piece of clear information on the association between gold, trace elements, and mineralization controlling factors. The use of soil geochemistry has been an important tool in pinpointing exploration targets during the early stage of exploration. This study aimed to establish the gold distribution, the elemental association between gold and its pathfinder elements such as Cu, Zn, Ag, Ni, Co, Mn, Fe, Cd, V, Cr, Ti, Sc, In, and Se and identify lithologies contributing to the overlying residual soils. From cluster analysis, a high similarity level of 53.93% has been shown with Ag, Cd, and Se at a distance level of 0.92. Au and Se have a similarity level of 65.87% and a distance level of 0.68, hence is proposed to be the most promising pathfinder element. PCA, FA, and the Pearson's correlation matrix of transformed data of V, Cu, Ni, Fe, Mn, Cr, and Co and a stronger correlation between Pb and U, Th, Na, K, Sn, Y, Ta and Be shows that source gold mineralization might be associated with both hornblende gneisses interlayered with quartzite, tonalite, and tonalitic orthogneiss. From the contour map and gridded map of Au and its pathfinder elements, it has been noted that their anomalies and target generated are localized in the Northern part of the area. The targets trend ESE to WNW nearly parallel to the shear zones as a controlling factor of Au mineralization emplacement.Supplementary material:https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5721965


2006 ◽  
Vol 273 (1605) ◽  
pp. 3133-3133
Author(s):  
Steffen Kiel ◽  
James L. Goedert

Correction for ‘Deep-sea food bonanzas: early Cenozoic whale-fall communities resemble wood-fall rather than seep communities’ by Steffen Kiel and James L. Goedert (Proc. R. Soc. B 273 , 2625–2631. (doi: 10.1098/rspb.2006.3620 )). On page 2626, seven lines before the end of section 2, the complete list of sites and species is available online, but is not published as electronic supplementary material to this paper.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Bonaglia ◽  
Astrid Hylén ◽  
Jayne E. Rattray ◽  
Mikhail Y. Kononets ◽  
Nils Ekeroth ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley Visser ◽  
Jannis Röhrbein ◽  
Peter Steigmeier ◽  
Luka Drinovec ◽  
Griša Močnik ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuelle Ricchi ◽  
Christian A. Bergemann ◽  
Edwin Gnos ◽  
Alfons Berger ◽  
Daniela Rubatto ◽  
...  

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