How important is individual foraging specialisation in invasive predators for native-prey population viability?

Predation by invasive species is a major threat to the persistence of naïve prey. Typically, this negative effect is addressed by suppressing the population size of the invasive predator to a point where the predation pressure does not hinder the viability of the prey. However, this type of intervention may not be effective whenever a few specialised predators are the cause of the decline. We investigated the effects of varying levels of specialised invasive stoats (Mustela erminea) abundance on the long-term viability of simulated kiwi (Apteryx spp.) populations. We explored four scenarios with different proportions of highly specialised stoats, which were those that had a ≥ 0.75 probability of predating kiwi eggs and chicks if they were within their home range: (i) a stoat population composed mostly of generalists (mean: 0.5 probability of predation across the population); (ii) 5% of highly specialised stoats and the remaining being generalists; (iii) 10% of highly specialised stoats and the remaining being generalists; and, (iv) half highly specialised stoats and half generalists. We found that stoat home range sizes, rather than stoat density or the density of highly specialised stoats, was the main driver of kiwi population trends. Stoats with large home ranges were more likely to predate kiwi eggs and chicks as these were more likely to fall within a large home range. More broadly, our findings show how the daily individual ranging and foraging behaviour of an invasive predator can scale-up to shape population trends of naïve prey.

The importance and meaning of prayer rituals at the end of life.

Death rituals, such as the ritual of prayer, can offer cultural comfort to people who are grieving the loss of their own life or that of another. This article explores the meaning of ritual, how rituals are structured and how prayer rituals are used at the end of life from a cross-cultural perspective. Facing death can be a challenge to a person's sense of identity and their understanding of their world around them, beginning a process of spiritual suffering. Prayer rituals can help maintain a sense of control and identity during this time of crisis, offering comfort, meaning and structure. Despite varying outward appearances, prayer rituals from different cultures follow similar structures that can be deconstructed, allowing nurses to decipher their meaning and deepen the quality of care they provide to the dying person and those left behind.

Modeling habituation of introduced predators to unrewarding bird odors for conservation of ground-nesting shorebirds.

Foraging mammalian predators face a myriad of odors from potential prey. To be efficient, they must focus on rewarding odors while ignoring consistently unrewarding ones. This may be exploited as a nonlethal conservation tool if predators can be deceived into ignoring odors of vulnerable secondary prey. To explore critical design components and assess the potential gains to prey survival of this technique, we created an individual-based model that simulated the hunting behavior of three introduced mammalian predators on one of their secondary prey (a migratory shorebird) in the South Island of New Zealand. Within this model, we heuristically assessed the outcome of habituating the predators to human-deployed unrewarding bird odors before the bird's arrival at their breeding grounds, i.e., the predators were "primed." Using known home range sizes and probabilities of predators interacting with food lures, our model suggests that wide-ranging predators should encounter a relatively large number of odor points (between 10 and 115) during 27 d of priming when odor is deployed within high-resolution grids (100-150 m). Using this information, we then modeled the effect of different habituation curves (exponential and sigmoidal) on the probability of predators depredating shorebird nests. Our results show that important gains in nest survival can be achieved regardless of the shape of the habituation curve, but particularly if predators are fast olfactory learners (exponential curve), and even if some level of dishabituation occurs after prey become available. Predictions from our model can inform the amount and pattern in which olfactory stimuli need to be deployed in the field to optimize encounters by predators, and the relative gains that can be expected from reduced predation pressure on secondary prey under different scenarios of predator learning. Habituating predators to odors of threatened secondary prey may have particular efficacy as a conservation tool in areas where lethal predator control is not possible or ethical, or where even low predator densities can be detrimental to prey survival. Our approach is also relevant for determining interaction probabilities for devices other than odor points, such as bait stations and camera traps.

Steps towards operationalizing One Health approaches.

One Health recognizes the health of humans, agriculture, wildlife, and the environment are interrelated. The concept has been embraced by international health and environmental authorities such as WHO, WOAH, FAO, and UNEP, but One Health approaches have been more practiced by researchers than national or international authorities. To identify priorities for operationalizing One Health beyond research contexts, we conducted 41 semi-structured interviews with professionals across One Health sectors (public health, environment, agriculture, wildlife) and institutional contexts, who focus on national-scale and international applications. We identify important challenges, solutions, and priorities for delivering the One Health agenda through government action. Participants said One Health has made progress with motivating stakeholders to attempt One Health approaches, but achieving implementation needs more guidance (action plans for how to leverage or change current government infrastructure to accommodate cross-sector policy and strategic mission planning) and facilitation (behavioral change, dedicated personnel, new training model).

Invasive mammals and habitat modification interact to generate unforeseen outcomes for indigenous fauna.

Biotic invasions and habitat modification are two drivers of global change predicted to have detrimental impacts on the persistence of indigenous biota worldwide. Few studies have investigated how they operate synergistically to alter trophic interactions among indigenous and nonindigenous species in invaded ecosystems. We experimentally manipulated a suite of interacting invasive mammals, including top predators (cat Felis catus, ferret Mustela furo, stoat M. erminea), herbivores (rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus, hare Lepus europaeus), and an insectivore (hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus occidentalis), and measured their effects on indigenous lizards and invertebrates and on an invasive mesopredator (house mouse Mus musculus). The work was carried out in a grassland/shrubland ecosystem that had been subjected to two types of habitat modification (widespread introduction of high-seed-producing pasture species, and areas of land use intensification by fertilization and livestock grazing). We also quantified food productivity for indigenous and invasive fauna by measuring pasture biomass, as well as seed and fruit production by grasses and shrubs. Indigenous fauna did not always increase following top-predator suppression: lizards increased on one of two sites; invertebrates did not increase on either site. Mesopredator release of mice was evident at the site where lizards did not increase, suggesting negative effects of mice on lizard populations. High mouse abundance occurred only on the predator-suppression site with regular production of pasture seed, indicating that this food resource was the main driver of mouse populations. Removal of herbivores increased pasture and seed production, which further enhanced ecological release of mice, particularly where pasture swards were overtopped by shrubs. An effect of landscape supplementation was also evident where nearby fertilized pastures boosted rabbit numbers and the associated top predators. Other studies have shown that both suppression of invasive predators and retiring land from grazing can benefit indigenous species, but our results suggest that the ensuing vegetation changes and complex interactions among invasive species can block recovery of indigenous fauna vulnerable to mesopredators. Top-down and bottom-up ecological release of mesopredators and landscape supplementation of top predators are key processes to consider when managing invaded communities in complex landscapes.

Sheep laterality.

Turning preferences among 309 white-faced ewes were individually evaluated in an enclosed, artificially lit T-maze, followed by each ewe choosing either a right or left return alley to return to peers. Data recorded included time in the start box, time in the T-maze, exit arm chosen to leave the T-maze, and return alley. Right and left arms of the T-maze were chosen 65.7% and 34.3% of the time, respectively, while right and left return alleys were chosen 32.4% and 67.6%, respectively. Exit arm and return alley were not independently chosen (p <.0001), with observed counts being higher than expected under independence when ewes made the same choice for exit and alley (RR or LL turn patterns) and being lower than expected for alternating choices (RL or LR). Out of the 309 ewes, 28.2% and 30.1% chose RR and LL turn patterns, respectively, while 37.5% chose the RL turn pattern, but only 13 (4.2%) chose the LR turning pattern. Overall, ewes that initially turned right when presented a second turning opportunity had a slight preference to alternate their turning direction, while ewes that initially turned left tended to continue turning left when given another chance to turn. Exit arm and return alley laterality was not related (α =.05) to time of day the test was administered, ewe's age or genetics, most recent liveweight, or most recent shorn fleece weight. The mean time spent in the start box (21 s) was not related to exit arm (p =.947) or return alley (p =.779). Mean time (15 s) spent in the T-maze was not related to exit arm (p =.086) or return alley (p =.952). More research will be required to understand sheep turning laterality and how it can impact working facilities and research equipment.

Comment on Cook, B.; Mulgan, N. Targeted Mop up and Robust Response Tools Can Achieve and Maintain Possum Freedom on the Mainland. Animals 2022, 12, 921.

The recent paper published by Cook and Mulgan [...].

Detection parameters for managing invasive rats in urban environments.

Effective mitigation of the impacts of invasive ship rats (Rattus rattus) requires a good understanding of their ecology, but this knowledge is very sparse for urban and peri-urban areas. We radiomarked ship rats in Wellington, New Zealand, to estimate detection parameters (σ, ε0, θ, and g0) that describe the process of an animal encountering a device (bait stations, chew cards and WaxTags) from a distance, and then approaching it and deciding whether to interact with it. We used this information in simulation models to estimate optimal device spacing for eradicating ship rats from Wellington, and for confirming eradication. Mean σ was 25.37 m (SD = 11.63), which equates to a circular home range of 1.21 ha. The mean nightly probability of an individual encountering a device at its home range center (ε0) was 0.38 (SD = 0.11), whereas the probability of interacting with the encountered device (θ) was 0.34 (SD = 0.12). The derived mean nightly probability of an individual interacting with a device at its home range center (g0) was 0.13 (SD = 0.08). Importantly, σ and g0 are intrinsically linked through a negative relationship, thus g0 should be derived from σ using a predictive model including individual variability. Simulations using this approach showed that bait stations deployed for about 500 days using a 25 m × 25 m grid consistently achieved eradication, and that a surveillance network of 3.25 chew cards ha-1 or 3.75 WaxTags ha-1 active for 14 nights would be required to confidently declare eradication. This density could be halved if the surveillance network was deployed for 28 nights or if the prior confidence in eradication was high (0.85). These recommendations take no account of differences in detection parameters between habitats. Therefore, if surveillance suggests that individuals are not encountering devices in certain habitats, device density should be adaptively revised. This approach applies to initiatives globally that aim to optimise eradication with limited funding.

What impact do specialist and advanced-level nurses have on people living with heart failure compared to physician-led care? A literature review.

BACKGROUND: The inclusion of specialist nurses in multi-disciplinary teams is the current gold standard for care of people with heart failure (HF) in the UK; however, they remain underutilised in practice. Though existing systematic reviews favourably compare advanced nursing roles to physician-led care, none has focused solely on HF. AIM: To investigate the impact of specialist and advanced nurse-led care on the clinical outcomes, quality of life and satisfaction of people with HF compared to physician-led care. METHODS: Literature review and narrative synthesis. RESULTS: This review included 12 studies and categorised their measured outcomes into five domains: mortality; hospital admissions and length of stay; HF diagnosis and management; quality of life and patient satisfaction; and finally, self-assessment and self-care. Five studies appraised as medium or low risk of bias suggest the impact of specialist and advanced-level nurses on people with HF to be broadly equivalent to physicians regarding mortality, hospital admissions and length of stay, while superior in terms of self-assessment and self-care behaviours. CONCLUSIONS: There were too few studies of sufficient methodological quality to draw definitive conclusions. However, no evidence was found to suggest that nurse-led services are any less effective or safe than physician-led services.

With Crisis Comes Opportunity: Redesigning Performance Departments of Elite Sports Clubs for Life After a Global Pandemic.

The suspension of major sporting competitions due to the global COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial negative impact on the sporting industry. As such, a successful and sustainable return to sport will require extensive modifications to the current operations of sporting organizations. In this article we argue that methods from the realm of sociotechnical systems (STS) theory are highly suited for this purpose. The aim of the study was to use such methods to develop a model of an Australian Football League (AFL) club's football department. The intention was to identify potential modifications to the club's operations to support a return to competition following the COVID-19 crisis. Subject Matter Experts from an AFL club participated in three online workshops to develop Work Domain Analysis and Social Organization and Cooperation Analysis models. The results demonstrated the inherent complexity of an AFL football department via numerous interacting values, functions and processes influencing the goals of the system. Conflicts within the system were captured via the modeling and included pursing goals that may not fully reflect the state of the system, a lack of formal assessment of core values, overlapping functions and objects, and an overemphasis on specialized roles. The current analysis has highlighted potential areas for modification in the football department, and sports performance departments in general.

Evaluating the effects of landscape structure on the recovery of an invasive vertebrate after population control.

CONTEXT: Effective landscape control of invasive species is context-dependent due to the interplay between the landscape structure, local population dynamics, and metapopulation processes. We use a modelling approach incorporating these three elements to explore the drivers of recovery of populations of invasive species after control. OBJECTIVES: We aim to improve our understanding of the factors influencing the landscape-level control of invasive species. METHODS: We focus on the case study of invasive brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) control in New Zealand. We assess how 13 covariates describing the landscape, patch, and population features influence the time of population recovery to a management density threshold of two possums/ha. We demonstrate the effects of those covariates on population recovery under three scenarios of population growth: logistic growth, strong Allee effects, and weak Allee effects. RESULTS: Recovery times were rapid regardless of the simulated population dynamics (average recovery time < 2 years), although populations experiencing Allee effects took longer to recover than those growing logistically. Our results indicate that habitat availability and patch area play a key role in reducing times to recovery after control, and this relationship is consistent across the three simulated scenarios. CONCLUSIONS: The control of invasive possum populations in patchy landscapes would benefit from a patch-level management approach (considering each patch as an independent management unit), whereas simple landscapes would be better controlled by taking a landscape-level view (the landscape as the management unit). Future research should test the predictions of our models with empirical data to refine control operations.

A concise guide to developing and using quantitative models in conservation management.

Quantitative models are powerful tools for informing conservation management and decision-making. As applied modeling is increasingly used to address conservation problems, guidelines are required to clarify the scope of modeling applications and to facilitate the impact and acceptance of models by practitioners. We identify three key roles for quantitative models in conservation management: (a) to assess the extent of a conservation problem; (b) to provide insights into the dynamics of complex social and ecological systems; and, (c) to evaluate the efficacy of proposed conservation interventions. We describe 10 recommendations to facilitate the acceptance of quantitative models in conservation management, providing a basis for good practice to guide their development and evaluation in conservation applications. We structure these recommendations within four established phases of model construction, enabling their integration within existing workflows: (a) design (two recommendations); (b) specification (two); (c) evaluation (one); and (d) inference (five). Quantitative modeling can support effective conservation management provided that both managers and modelers understand and agree on the place for models in conservation. Our concise review and recommendations will assist conservation managers and modelers to collaborate in the development of quantitative models that are fit-for-purpose, and to trust and use these models appropriately while understanding key drivers of uncertainty.

The contribution of advective fluxes to net ecosystem exchange in a high-elevation, subalpine forest.

The eddy covariance technique, which is used in the determination of net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE), is subject to significant errors when advection that carries CO2 in the mean flow is ignored. We measured horizontal and vertical advective CO2 fluxes at the Niwot Ridge AmeriFlux site (Colorado, USA) using a measurement approach consisting of multiple towers. We observed relatively high rates of both horizontal (F(hadv)) and vertical (F(vadv)) advective fluxes at low surface friction velocities (u(*)) which were associated with downslope katabatic flows. We observed that F(hadv) was confined to a relatively thin layer (0-6 m thick) of subcanopy air that flowed beneath the eddy covariance sensors principally at night, carrying with it respired CO2 from the soil and lower parts of the canopy. The observed F(vadv) came from above the canopy and was presumably due to the convergence of drainage flows at the tower site. The magnitudes of both F(hadv) and F(vadv) were similar, of opposite sign, and increased with decreasing u(*), meaning that they most affected estimates of the total CO2 flux on calm nights with low wind speeds. The mathematical sign, temporal variation and dependence on u(*) of both F(hadv) and F(vadv) were determined by the unique terrain of the Niwot Ridge site. Therefore, the patterns we observed may not be broadly applicable to other sites. We evaluated the influence of advection on the cumulative annual and monthly estimates of the total CO2 flux (F(c)), which is often used as an estimate of NEE, over six years using the dependence of F(hadv) and F(vadv) on u(*). When the sum of F(hadv) and F(vadv) was used to correct monthly F(c), we observed values that were different from the monthly F(c) calculated using the traditional u(*)-filter correction by--16 to 20 g C x m(-2) x mo(-1); the mean percentage difference in monthly Fc for these two methods over the six-year period was 10%. When the sum of F(hadv) and F(vadv) was used to correct annual Fc, we observed a 65% difference compared to the traditional u(*)-filter approach. Thus, the errors to the local CO2 budget, when F(hadv) and F(vadv) are ignored, can become large when compounded in cumulative fashion over long time intervals. We conclude that the "micrometeorological" (using observations of F(hadv) and F(vadv)) and "biological" (using the u(*) filter and temperature vs. F(c) relationship) corrections differ on the basis of fundamental mechanistic grounds. The micrometeorological correction is based on aerodynamic mechanisms and shows no correlation to drivers of biological activity. Conversely, the biological correction is based on climatic responses of organisms and has no physical connection to aerodynamic processes. In those cases where they impose corrections of similar magnitude on the cumulative F(c) sum, the result is due to a serendipitous similarity in scale but has no clear mechanistic explanation.

A multi-source portable light emitting diode spectrofluorometer.

A portable luminescence spectrofluorometer weighing only 1.5 kg that uses multiple light emitting diodes (LEDs) as excitation sources was developed and evaluated. Excitation using a sequence of seven individual broad-band LED emission sources enabled the generation of excitation-emission spectra using a light weight (<1.5 kg) spectrometer. Limits of detection for rhodamine 6G, rhodamine B, and fluorescein were 2.9, 3.2, and 11.0 nM, respectively. Generation of excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) enabled the analysis of samples containing mixtures of rhodamine B and fluorescein. Buffered saline plant and animal feed extracts were also analyzed using this instrument. These samples included the woody plants Pistacia lentiscus (Evergreen pistache or Mastic) and Philyria latifolia, and the herbaceous species Medicago sativa (alfalfa), Trifolium spp. (clover), and a feed concentrate. Application of multi-way principal component analysis (MPCA) to the resulting three-dimensional data sets enabled discernment among these various diet constituents.

Roll-Back Eradication of Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) From Wildlife in New Zealand: Concepts, Evolving Approaches, and Progress.

The New Zealand government and agricultural industries recently jointly adopted the goal of nationally eradicating bovine tuberculosis (TB) from livestock and wildlife reservoirs by 2055. Only Australia has eradicated TB from a wildlife maintenance host. Elsewhere the disease is often self-sustaining in a variety of wildlife hosts, usually making eradication an intractable problem. The New Zealand strategy for eradicating TB from wildlife is based on quantitative assessment using a Bayesian "Proof of Freedom" framework. This is used to assess the probability that TB has been locally eradicated from a given area. Here we describe the framework (the concepts, methods and tools used to assess TB freedom and how they are being applied and updated). We then summarize recent decision theory research aimed at optimizing the balance between the risk of falsely declaring areas free and the risk of overspending on disease management when the disease is already locally extinct. We explore potential new approaches for further optimizing the allocation of management resources, especially for places where existing methods are impractical or expensive, including using livestock as sentinels. We also describe how the progressive roll-back of locally eradicated areas scales up operationally and quantitatively to achieve and confirm eradication success over the entire country. Lastly, we review the progress made since the framework was first formally adopted in 2011. We conclude that eradication of TB from New Zealand is feasible, and that we are well on the way to achieving this outcome.

What questions about patient care do physicians have during and after patient contact in the ED? The taxonomy of gaps in physician knowledge.

OBJECTIVES: To categorise questions that emergency department physicians have during patient encounters. METHODS: An observational study of 26 physicians at two institutions. All physicians were followed for at least two shifts. All questions that arose during patient care were recorded verbatim. These questions were then categorised using a taxonomy of clinical questions. RESULTS: Physicians had 271 questions in the course of the study. The most common questions were about drug dosing (35), what drug to use in a particular case (28), "what are the manifestations of disease X" (23), and what laboratory test to do in a situation (21). Notably lacking were questions about medication costs, administrative questions, questions about services in the community, and pathophysiology questions. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency department physicians tend to have questions that cluster around practical issues such as diagnosis and treatment. In routine practice they have fewer epidemiologic, pathophysiologic, administrative, and community services questions.

Movements and habitat preferences of pests help to improve population control: the case of common brushtail possums in a New Zealand dryland ecosystem.

BACKGROUND: Introduced brushtail possums are controlled in New Zealand to mitigate their spread of bovine tuberculosis in livestock. Given the low rainfall and extreme variation in seasonal temperatures in dryland areas of the South Island, the habitats of possums in these areas differ in many respects from those in the rest of New Zealand. We investigated the movements and habitat preferences of possums at two dryland sites to identify where they aggregate following population control by using GPS collars and cards chewed by possums. At one site, possum numbers were reduced from high levels by 65%, and at the other site, possums had already been reduced to low levels for some time beforehand but were further reduced to maintain them at low levels. This resulted in different possum densities. RESULTS: Possum home ranges were about 3 times smaller at the higher-density site, but average ranges expanded by 27% following initial control. Home ranges were already large at the lower-density site but did not expand further after maintenance control. No preference for habitat types was apparent at the higher-density site, but at the lower-density site possums selected rock and shrubby habitats and avoided open grassy areas. CONCLUSIONS: Home range sizes and habitat preferences were density dependent: the lower the density, the larger was the home range; and habitat preferences were highly variable between individuals, but less so for possums at low density. Preference for shrubs and rocks is likely to benefit population control if population control devices are focused on these habitat types. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Photoluminescent distinction among plant life forms using phosphate buffered saline extract solutions.

Photoluminescence of plant extract solutions has been investigated for discrimination of plant life forms (grasses, forbs, and shrubs) using principal component analysis (PCA). Clippings from each of six plant species representing three different plant life forms potentially found in the diets of free-ranging herbivores in the Chihuahuan Desert of North America were investigated for possible discernment. These plants included Sporobolus flexuosus (mesa dropseed, a grass), Pleuraphis mutica (tobosa, a grass), Dimorphocarpa wislizenii (spectacle pod, a forb), Sphaeralcea incana (pale globemallow, a forb), Flourensia cernua leaves (tarbush, a shrub), and Atriplex canescens leaves and stems (fourwing saltbush, a shrub). Emission spectra (370-600 nm) from phosphate buffered saline (PBS) extract solutions (pH 2.2, 7.5 and 12.5) were recorded for each plant with excitation at 365 nm. Use of PBS minimized chlorophyll interference. Discernment among plant life forms within these plant species was achieved.

Environmental factors influencing the seasonality of estrus in chimpanzees.

Although the energetics of the estrous cycle in primates is not well understood, evidence suggests that energy and nutrient acquisition influence ovulation and the timing of conception. Energy for estrus has to compete with energy allocated for cellular maintenance, thermoregulation, movement for food, and predation avoidance. While some chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) populations do not have a seasonal birth period, evidence suggests that there is seasonality in the number of estrous females. Similarly, the onset of postpartum cycles has been reported to be seasonal. We used 33 months of data from the Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire, to examine how the number of estrous females in a given month was influenced by the abundance and distribution of food, diet, rainfall and temperature. In a second analysis, we examined if there was a seasonal effect on first estrous swellings in adolescent females and postpartum adult females. Results demonstrated that the number of females in estrous in a given month was positively related to food abundance and percent foraging time spent eating insects, and negatively related to mean rainfall in the two preceding months and the mean high temperature. The timing of first estrous swellings of postpartum females and prepartum young females was positively related to the food abundance, and negatively related to mean high temperature. These results showed that environmental conditions can seasonally limit the energetically demanding estrus cycle. The presence of estrous females increases gregariousness in chimpanzee communities, and this study identified environmental factors that affect estrus directly and hence social grouping indirectly.

Using spatially explicit surveillance models to provide confidence in the eradication of an invasive ant.

Effective detection plays an important role in the surveillance and management of invasive species. Invasive ants are very difficult to eradicate and are prone to imperfect detection because of their small size and cryptic nature. Here we demonstrate the use of spatially explicit surveillance models to estimate the probability that Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) have been eradicated from an offshore island site, given their absence across four surveys and three surveillance methods, conducted since ant control was applied. The probability of eradication increased sharply as each survey was conducted. Using all surveys and surveillance methods combined, the overall median probability of eradication of Argentine ants was 0.96. There was a high level of confidence in this result, with a high Credible Interval Value of 0.87. Our results demonstrate the value of spatially explicit surveillance models for the likelihood of eradication of Argentine ants. We argue that such models are vital to give confidence in eradication programs, especially from highly valued conservation areas such as offshore islands.