Thermal energetics and behaviour of a small, insectivorous marsupial in response to the interacting risks of starvation and predation.

Central to understanding animal ecology is how prey cope with the interacting risks of starvation and predation. This trade-off is modulated by the energy requirements of prey, yet relatively few studies have incorporated physiological mechanisms for energy savings when considering the behavioural response of prey to predation risk. In our study, we aimed to determine individual variation in behaviour, resting metabolism, body temperature and response to 24-h starvation within a captive population of fat-tailed dunnarts (Sminthopsis crassicaudata; 15-g insectivorous marsupials), and then, using semi-outdoor enclosures, test whether foraging effort and thermal energetics are adjusted in response to manipulation of ground cover, which for small mammals can simulate predation risk. We found that, under the low cover (high predation risk) treatment, dunnarts consumed less food and employed a greater daily reduction in body temperature between their active and rest phase. This result supports the hypothesis that rest-phase thermoregulatory energy savings are employed, even when food is available, if predation risk is perceived to increase the cost of foraging. Individuals exhibited correlated variation along two orthogonal axes incorporating the measured behavioural and metabolic variables, but these differences were not correlated with responses to starvation and predation risk. Our experiment demonstrates that flexibility in daily energy requirements provided by heterothermy can have important consequences for how small mammals respond to both starvation and predation risks. Such challenges are amplified in degraded habitat with introduced predators, making the capacity for heterothermy an even more important mechanism for survival.

Considerations for the Safe Operation of Schools During the Coronavirus Pandemic.

During the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, providing safe in-person schooling has been a dynamic process balancing evolving community disease burden, scientific information, and local regulatory requirements with the mandate for education. Considerations include the health risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its post-acute sequelae, the impact of remote learning or periods of quarantine on education and well-being of children, and the contribution of schools to viral circulation in the community. The risk for infections that may occur within schools is related to the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections within the local community. Thus, persistent suppression of viral circulation in the community through effective public health measures including vaccination is critical to in-person schooling. Evidence suggests that the likelihood of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within schools can be minimized if mitigation strategies are rationally combined. This article reviews evidence-based approaches and practices for the continual operation of in-person schooling.