Description: Screening for pathogenic micro-organisms is an essential component of translocation-based conservation management. While there are some data on pathogens in New Zealand passerines, little is known about the distribution and prevalence of pathogens infecting New Zealand Psittaciformes. We conducted a survey for pathogens of the vulnerable New Zealand endemic red-crowned parakeet Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae in two wild populations (Little Barrier Island and Raoul Island), and in a translocated population (Tiritiri Matangi Island). A total of 101 cloacal samples were tested for Salmonella and Yersinia. Of these, 82 samples were also tested for Campylobacter. None of these microorganisms were detected. Although our sampling effort was insufficient to detect a low prevalence of Campylobacter, modelling of minimum detectable prevalence of Salmonella and Yersinia indicates that these micro-organisms would have been detected if present as common or chronic conditions of red-crowned parakeets at these sites.

Description: Despite prolonged and obligate biparental care for a single offspring in the Australasian gannet Morus serrator, several reproductive behaviours are presumed to be sex specific and might indicate sexual dimorphism in mating and parental effort in this broadly monomorphic seabird. For instance, the delivery of seaweed as a nesting material has been typically considered a male specific trait. We assessed this assumption and determined whether the potential role of this behaviour is to serve as a nuptial trait preceeding copulation or to impart a thermal benefit for incubation. First, as predicted, all arriving individuals at the colony that mated following seaweed delivery assumed the top copulatory position, which is consistent with male behaviour in this species. In comparison, the likelihood of birds without seaweed copulating in top position upon arrival at the nest site was approx. 50%, indicating an even mix of the sexes. However, the sex of those individuals in our sample that did not copulate during our observations remains unresolved. Second, seaweed delivery was not related to copulation following arrival, as individuals arriving with seaweed in our sample had a lower probability of mating than did individuals arriving without seaweed. Third, to determine if seaweed provides thermoregulatory benefits to alleviate the physiological costs of incubation, the foot temperatures of incubating and non-incubating individuals and temperatures of nests with or without seaweed were recorded. Temperatures of the foot-webbings during incubation were significantly higher above ambient temperatures than those of non-incubating gannets at the colony. Nests that contained seaweed were significantly warmer at sunrise than those without seaweed. There was no consistent difference between the temperatures of nesting material in the evenings alone, with a large variance of evening nest temperatures. These correlative data are consistent with male specificity and thermoregulatory benefits associated with seaweed delivery in M. serrator, implying that further experimental work on known-sexed birds should focus on physiological benefits and reproductive consequences of seaweed delivery in this species

Description: The Kermadec red-crowned parakeet Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae was driven to extinction on Raoul Island over 150 years ago by introduced cats Felis catus and rats (Rattus norvegicus and R. exulans). These predators were eradicated from the island (2,938 ha) between 2002-04 during the world’s largest multispecies eradication project. In 2008 we documented a unique recolonisation event when parakeets were observed to have returned to Raoul, presumably from a nearby island group, The Herald Islets (51 ha). We captured and aged 100 parakeets, of which 44% were born in 2008, and breeding was observed on Raoul Island. This represents the first evidence of nesting of this species on Raoul Island since 1836. Our findings highlight the global conservation potential for island avifaunas by prioritising eradication areas through consideration of proximity of remnant populations to target management locations, instead of the classical translocation approach alone. The natural recolonization of parakeets on Raoul Island from a satellite source population is to our knowledge, a first for parrot conservation and the first documented population expansion and island recolonization of a parrot species after removal of invasive predators.

Description: The availability of molecular methods for avian sex identification has revolutionised the study of sexual differences in behaviour, morphology, life-history traits and conservation management. We implemented the recommendations of a recent review of DNA-based sex-identification by (1) verifying the sex-specificity and (2) estimating the accuracy of different sex-assignment methods in an apparently monomorphic seabird, the Australasian gannet (Morus serrator). The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method based on the amplification of the sex-linked chromodomainhelicase-DNA binding gene (CHD) repeatedly assigned the same sex in 96% (n = 27 replicates) and correctly sexed all individuals with known gonadal anatomy (n = 6). PCR and sex-specific restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLPs) showed agreement for 99.5% of individuals (n = 201). DNA-sexed pairs known to be social mates consisted of a male and a female in 96% of pairs sexed by PCR (n = 77) and 98% of pairs sexed by RFLP (n = 65). DNA-sexed females were in the bottom and males in the top copulatory position in 86% of observed copulations (n = 43 individuals). These results validate assumptions that both membership in social pairs and different copulatory positions can serve as reliable behavioural proxies for field-based sex identification in this colonial and obligately biparental seabird.

Description: We have performed life table experiments to investigate the effects of different food types and concentrations on the larval development and survival up to adulthood of Acartia tonsa. The food species offered comprised a wide taxonomic spectrum: the pigmented flagellates Isochrysis galbana, Emiliania huxleyi, Rhodomonas sp., Prorocentrum minimum, the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii, grown on medium offering enriched macronutrient concentrations and the ciliate Euplotes sp. initially cultured on Rhodomonas. For the ciliate species, also the functional response was studied. In order to avoid limitation by mineral nutrients, food algae have been taken from the exponential growth phase of the nutrient replete cultures. The suitability of Rhodomonas as a food source throughout the entire life cycle was not a surprise. However, in contrast to much of the recent literature about the inadequacy or even toxicity of diatoms, we found that also Thalassiosira could support Acartia-development through the entire life cycle. On the other hand, Acartia could not complete its life cycle when fed with the other food items, Prorocentrum having adverse effects even when mixed with Rhodomonas and Thalassiosira. Isochrysis well supported naupliar survival and development, but was insufficient to support further development until reproduction. With Emiliania and Euplotes, nauplii died off before most of them could reach the first copepodite stages. Acartia-nauplii showed a behavioral preference for Euplotes-feeding over diatom feeding, but nevertheless Euplotes was an insufficient diet to complete development beyond the naupliar stages.