Summer Field Season Research Articles

Nursing behavior of wild polar bears in the Canadian High Arctic

During 17 spring and summer field seasons between 1973 and 1999, we documented 220 bouts of nursing by dependent polar bear ( Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) cubs at Radstock Bay, Nunavut, Canada. The overall mean duration of nursing bouts for cubs-of-the-year (COY) and yearlings (YRLG) litters was 7.1 min (standard deviation (SD) = 3.3, range = 1–23). Mean nursing bout durations of one- and two-cub litters of COY and YRLG in spring and summer seasons ranged from 6.09 to 7.78 min and from 5.00 to 9.18 min, respectively. The overall mean duration of inter-nursing intervals for COY and YRLG litters was 5.7 h (SD = 4.9, range = 0.0–35.0). The mean inter-nursing interval for one-cub litters was 6.4 h (SD = 4.6, range = 0.0–20.2) and for two-cub litters was 5.1 h (SD = 5.1, range = 0.0–35.0). We found no evidence for effects of season or cub age class on nursing behavior. We found weak evidence that two-cub litters nurse slightly longer than one-cub litters, potentially reflecting reduced nursing efficiency due to sibling rivalry. There was neither evidence for diel patterns in nursing behavior nor a detectable relationship between the cessation of nursing and the onset of hunting or sleeping by the adult female.

Introduced species infiltrate recent stages of succession after glacial retreat on sub-Antarctic South Georgia

Biological invasions are one of the main drivers of global biodiversity decline. At the same time, glacial retreat induced by climate warming is occurring at an alarming rate across the globe, threatening unique taxa and ecosystems. However, we know little about how introduced species contribute to the dynamics of colonisation in newly-deglaciated forelands. To answer this question, detailed inventories of plant and invertebrate communities were undertaken during two summer field seasons in the forelands of three tidewater and three inland glaciers that are retreating on the sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia. The vascular plant communities present included a large proportion of South Georgia’s native flora. As expected, plant richness and cover increased with time since deglaciation along a deglaciation chronosequence. Introduced plants were well represented in the study sites and two species (Poa annua and Cerastium fontanum) were amongst the earliest and most frequent colonisers of recently-deglaciated areas (occurring on more than 75% of transects surveyed). Introduced arthropods were also present around tidewater glaciers, including an important predatory species (Merizodus soledadinus) with known detrimental impacts on native invertebrate communities. Our study provides a rare and detailed picture of developing novel communities along a deglaciation chronosequence in the sub-Antarctic. Introduced species are able to track glacial retreat on South Georgia, indicating that further local colonisation and spread are inevitable as the region’s climate continues to warm.

Population size and residency patterns of northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) using the Gully, Nova Scotia

A population of northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) uses the Gully, a submarine canyon off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. Eleven years of photo-identification records has permitted estimation of population size using mark-recapture techniques. The population estimate was small (133 individuals, 95% CI = 111-166 from left side identifications; 127 individuals, 95% CI = 106-160 from right side identifications). The population was not closed, with the combined mortality, mark change and emigration rate estimated at 13% per year for left side identifications (95% CI = 9-17) and 14% for right side identifications (95% CI = 10-18). There was no significant increase or decrease in the population size between 1988-1999 (change in population size: left side: –0.13% per year, 95% CI = -3.4 to 3.9; right side: –0.43% per year, 95% CI = -4.5 to 3.1). The sex ratio was roughly 1:1, with equal numbers of sub-adult and mature males. Over the summer field season, individuals emigrated from, and re-immigrated into the Gully, spending an average of 20 days within the Gully before leaving (left side identifications 19 days, SE = 17; right side identifications 23 days, SE = 10). Approximately 34% of the population was present in the Gully at any time. Individuals of all age and sex classes displayed similar residency patterns although there were annual differences as individuals spent less time in the Gully in 1996 than in 1990 and 1997. Sighting rates were similar in all years with extensive fieldwork, indicating little variability in the number of whales in the Gully each summer. Accurate estimates of population size and residency patterns will be useful in determining the regulations and required coverage for a marine protected area in the Gully.

Ценность места: как воспроизводится символическая собственность в стихийной рекреации (кейс Караканского бора)

Spontaneous tourism practices remain a blank spot in modern recreation research. At the same time,  uburban forests are a point of attraction and a recreational magnet for residents of large cities. This work is directed at studying the formation of the value of place in its be avioral aspect as the basis for the emergence of a sense of place among the inhabitants of tourist camps. The mechanism for transforming a unified forest landscape into a unique (valuable) place is described through the construction and reproduction of practices for using tourist camps and property rights to them. The information base was compiled from materials from an ethnographic case study conducted during the summer field seasons of 2021 and 2022 in the Karakansky pine wood in the Novosibirsk region. During the expedition, 30 km of the coastline of the Ob Reservoir were selectively investigated, and a continuous survey was carried out on 12 km of the entire coastline. Tourist communities were identified, the “coastal experience” of which is 30-40 years, including, among other things, the third generation of vacationers. A typology of tourists is proposed based on the degree of their rootedness, or “growing” into the landscape, i.e. the duration and regularity of their stay, as well as the degree of transformation of the landscape. The practices of choosing and developing a place are considered, which determine how a place becomes “one’s own,” how it is held, and then passed on to the next users. Despite the informal nature of property relations and the need for their constant confirmation, the main components of property rights (the right to change the form and substance and the right to transfer the asset to other people) are exercised by the vast majority of users. Despite the variability of place practices, environmental practices are an undeniable basis for the appropriation of a tourist camp. The absence of garbage is a visible and socially supported indicator of the implementation of place improvement practices, i.e. investment in a place and its recreational potential.  &nbsp

Observing Evolution: Peppered Moths and the Discovery of Parallel Melanism

Observing Evolution: Peppered Moths and the Discovery of Parallel Melanism

Teaching with digital geology in the high Arctic: opportunities and challenges

Abstract. The Covid-19 pandemic occurred at a time of major revolution in the geosciences – the era of digital geology. Digital outcrop models (DOMs) acquired from consumer drones, processed using user-friendly photogrammetric software and shared with the wider audience through online platforms are a cornerstone of this digital geological revolution. Integration of DOMs with other geoscientific data, such as geological maps, satellite imagery, terrain models, geophysical data and field observations, strengthens their application in both research and education. Teaching geology with digital tools advances students' learning experience by providing access to high-quality outcrops, enhancing visualization of 3D geological structures and improving data integration. Similarly, active use of DOMs to integrate new field observations will facilitate more effective fieldwork and quantitative research. From a student's perspective, georeferenced and scaled DOMs allow for an improved appreciation of scale and of 3D architecture, which is a major threshold concept in geoscientific education. DOMs allow us to bring geoscientists to the outcrops digitally, which is particularly important in view of the Covid-19 pandemic that restricts travel and thus direct access to outcrops. At the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), located at 78∘ N in Longyearbyen in Arctic Norway, DOMs are actively used even in non-pandemic years, as the summer field season is short and not overlapping with the Bachelor “Arctic Geology” course package held from January to June each year. In 2017, we at UNIS developed a new course (AG222 “Integrated Geological Methods: From Outcrop To Geomodel”) to encourage the use of emerging techniques like DOMs and data integration to solve authentic geoscientific challenges. In parallel, we have established the open-access Svalbox geoscientific portal, which forms the backbone of the AG222 course activities and provides easy access to a growing number of DOMs, 360∘ imagery, subsurface data and published geoscientific data from Svalbard. Considering the rapid onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Svalbox portal and the pre-Covid work on digital techniques in AG222 allowed us to rapidly adapt and fulfil at least some of the students' learning objectives during the pandemic. In this contribution, we provide an overview of the course development and share experiences from running the AG222 course and the Svalbox platform, both before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Fable of the Beetle in Contemporary Aramaic and Kurmanji

Abstract The fable of an insect and a mouse (or some other animal), who marry and embark on a life together, only to end in tragedy, is widely disseminated from the Mediterranean region to India. One version involving a beetle (Ṭuroyo keze, Kurmanji kêz) circulates throughout Anatolia and Iraq. The following Ṭuroyo and Kurmanji version was recorded during the 2020 summer field season of the Russian expedition to Ṭur Abdin in the village of Dērqube from a speaker of the Bequsyone dialect. She relates the narrative portions of the fable in Ṭuroyo, but switches to Kurmanji for its versified portions. In addition to the text and a translation, this study includes an interlinear glossing. It also discusses the motifs of the fable according to the standard classification scheme, as well as its relationship to other attested versions collected in various languages including Arabic, Kurmanji, and Turkish.

Risk Factors for New Zealand Sea Lion (Phocarctos hookeri) Pup Mortality: Ivermectin Improves Survival for Conservation Management

Septicaemia due to hypervirulent (HV) Klebsiella pneumoniae is the leading cause of neonatal pup mortality in endangered New Zealand sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri) at Enderby Island, in the New Zealand sub-Antarctic. Accounting for approximately 60% of annual pup mortality at this site following an epizootic event in 2001–02, HV K. pneumoniae is also emerging worldwide as a significant community-acquired human pathogen. To facilitate efficient direct mitigation to reduce pup mortality, a case-control study and prospective cohort study were conducted to identify risk factors amenable to active management. Additionally, to investigate impacts of hookworm (Uncinaria spp.), a nested treatment trial with the anthelmintic ivermectin was undertaken concurrently. During two austral summer field seasons (2016–2018), 698 pups were captured for treatment trial recruitment and the collection of morphometric measurements, biological samples and risk factor data. Gastrointestinal carriage of the virulent phenotype of K. pneumoniae was a consistent risk factor, while ivermectin treatment and higher body condition index consistently reduced risk of HV K. pneumoniae mortality. Significantly fewer ivermectin-treated pups were found dead (24.1% control, 11.1% treatment), with a trend towards a higher proportion of HV K. pneumoniae deaths amongst the control group. This study provides evidence to support ivermectin treatment as a pup mortality mitigation strategy in New Zealand sea lions at Enderby Island. If applied to larger colonies where HV K. pneumoniae and hookworm impact pup survival, this intervention could have population-scale benefits for this endangered species. Further work is required to understand how ivermectin prevents HV K. pneumoniae septicaemia, but removal of hookworms before intestinal mucosal damage occurs could limit systemic spread of virulent bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract.

Combined effects of ocean acidification and elevated temperature on feeding, growth, and physiological processes of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba

Antarctic krill Euphausia superba is a key species in the Southern Ocean, where its habitat is projected to undergo continued warming and increases in pCO2. Experiments during 2 summer field seasons at Palmer Station, Antarctica, investigated the independent and interactive effects of elevated temperature and pCO2 (decreased pH) on feeding, growth, acid-base physiology, metabolic rate, and survival of adult Antarctic krill. Ingestion and clearance rates of chlorophyll were depressed under low pH (7.7) compared to ambient pH (8.1) after a 48 h acclimation period, but this difference disappeared after a 21 d acclimation. Growth rates were negligible and frequently negative, but were significantly more negative at high (3°C, -0.03 mm d-1) compared to ambient temperature (0°C, -0.01 mm d-1) with no effect of pH. Modest elevations in tissue total CO2 and tissue pH were apparent at low pH but were short-lived. Metabolic rate increased with temperature but was suppressed at low pH in smaller but not larger krill. Although effects of elevated temperature and/or decreased pH were mostly sublethal, mortality was higher at high temperature/low pH (58%) compared to ambient temperature/pH or ambient temperature/low pH (>90%). This study identified 3 dominant patterns: (1) shorter-term effects were primarily pH-dependent; (2) krill compensated for lower pH relatively quickly; and (3) longer-term effects on krill growth and survival were strongly driven by temperature with little to no pH effect.

Development and Evaluation of Habitat Suitability Criteria for Native Fishes in Three Arizona Streams

AbstractHabitat loss is a main contributor to fish fauna declines in the southwestern USA. Several studies have defined stream‐specific habitat conditions that support the growth and survival of native fish in Arizona to inform stream restoration efforts, yet general habitat use of most individual species across the region is not established. Therefore, we evaluated habitat use of four native fishes, Speckled Dace Rhinichthys osculus, Sonora Sucker Catostomus insignis, Desert Sucker Catostomus clarkii, and Longfin Dace Agosia chrysogaster, across three Arizona streams through the development of habitat suitability criteria (HSC). We developed both stream‐specific and generalized HSC for each species. Generalized HSC were calculated as the combination of stream‐specific HSC for each species. We then assessed the utility of generalized HSC through transferability among study streams. Also, past HSC studies have not considered the occurrence of nonnative species, so we tested whether the presence of nonnative fishes influenced native fish habitat use through logistic regression models. Fish and habitat data were collected along the Mogollon Rim in Arizona during the 2017 summer field season at base flow conditions. We established minimum microhabitat use for four native Arizona fish species through developing HSC. Most generalized criteria did not transfer among study streams due to variation in habitat availability and fish community structure. Logistic regression analysis showed that the presence of nonnative fishes was inversely related to the presence of two native fish species, which could have influenced habitat use of both species. The lack of transferability across streams as demonstrated in this study confirms that only HSC developed in the stream of interest or in similar undegraded streams with comparable fish communities should be used for restoration efforts. For projects to restore native fishes in streams where nonnative competitors will not dominate, the least degraded similar streams without coexisting nonnative fishes can guide restoration efforts.

Antarctica during the Pandemic

Oscar Schofield, a Rutgers University professor who is also a coprincipal investigator (PI) for the Palmer Antarctica Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site, was on a research cruise off the West Antarctic peninsula in February 2020 when he first saw news of the increasingly rapid spread of the novel coronavirus. Field research in Antarctica always requires months of planning. Everyone has to go through a rigorous medical evaluation and researchers have to package up their equipment and ship it to designated ports for transport arranged by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The logistics are so complicated that Schofield says he is typically home from the field no more than 3 weeks before it is time to start planning the next season. But in March 2020, with the virus raging, Antarctic researchers knew they were in for more uncertainty and surprises than usual. Program officers at the NSF, which funds most US Antarctic research, were working with international partners to assess fieldwork prospects on the continent during the pandemic. Eventually, they created a three tiered system, says Karla Heidelberg, program director for the NSF's Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems Program in the Office of Polar Programs. While recognizing that sending no one would jeopardize the infrastructure at the various stations, she says that the NSF determined early on that the 2020 to 2021 summer season would be greatly scaled back. The LTER sites and other American research projects in Antarctica look at everything from penguins and seals to phytoplankton and nematodes to atmospheric conditions and glaciers. Polar regions are responding faster than other latitudes to global warming, so they are a focus of climate change research across many disciplines. Instead of close to 10 researchers, this year, just three students tagged seals and collected biometric data that will be used to estimate breeding and survival rates. The McMurdo LTER project did not get to send a single researcher. Despite the frustration and the uncertainty, researchers report that the overall scientific integrity of most studies remains intact, and the impacts are not devastating. Funding agencies and scientists expect they will again have delays and last-minute decisions for the 2021 to 2022 Antarctic summer field season. But Cannone sees one benefit the pandemic brought to Antarctic science.

СТРОЕНИЕ СНЕЖНО-ЛЕДОВЫХ ПЕРЕМЫЧЕК ПРОРЫВНЫХ ОЗЁР ПОЛУОСТРОВА БРОКНЕС (ОАЗИС ХОЛМЫ ЛАРСЕМАНН, ВОСТОЧНАЯ АНТАРКТИДА) ПО ДАННЫМ ГЕОРАДИОЛОКАЦИИ

During the summer field season of the 65 th Russian Antarctic Expedition a research aimed at studying the structure of the snow-­ice dams of the Lakes Progress and Discussion (Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica), which are characterized with annual outburst floods, was carried out. Survey was performed using ground­penetrating radar sounding complemented with non­core drilling and analysis of the aerial photo data acquired with unmanned aerial vehicle during the last field seasons. The results show that location of the waterways, which occur during the outbursts of the both lakes, does not change significantly year in year out and fits a linear depression in basement topography under the dam and a following flexure of the ice layer. During the winter period, the opened channels are being filled with snow, and thereby a natural soſtened zone is being formed. Further outburst flood propagates mainly within this zone. Monitoring survey of the snow­i-ce dam of the Progress Lake during the summer period showed that destruction of the dam does not happen rapidly when the outburst takes place, but begins a few weeks before it with gradual filtration within the snow layer.

Genetic diversity of soil invertebrates corroborates timing estimates for past collapses of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet

During austral summer field seasons between 1999 and 2018, we sampled at 91 locations throughout southern Victoria Land and along the Transantarctic Mountains for six species of endemic microarthropods (Collembola), covering a latitudinal range from 76.0°S to 87.3°S. We assembled individual mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) sequences (n = 866) and found high levels of sequence divergence at both small (<10 km) and large (>600 km) spatial scales for four of the six Collembola species. We applied molecular clock estimates and assessed genetic divergences relative to the timing of past glacial cycles, including collapses of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). We found that genetically distinct lineages within three species have likely been isolated for at least 5.54 My to 3.52 My, while the other three species diverged more recently (<2 My). We suggest that Collembola had greater dispersal opportunities under past warmer climates, via flotation along coastal margins. Similarly increased opportunities for dispersal may occur under contemporary climate warming scenarios, which could influence the genetic structure of extant populations. As Collembola are a living record of past landscape evolution within Antarctica, these findings provide biological evidence to support geological and glaciological estimates of historical WAIS dynamics over the last ca 5 My.

Analysis of the tree stands health status in the near border area of Russia and Finland based on the regular grid of sample plots and GIS-technologies

During the summer field season of 2019, the state of stands in the border zone of Russia and Finland was assessed on the basis of previously established regular network of permanent sample plots (PSP) of the ICP-Forests program. The research was conducted on the territory of the Vyborg district of the Leningrad region located closely to Finnish border. PSP are arranged as a regular network with a step of 4-8 km. Each PSP is a 4-element cluster, strongly oriented to North-South and West-East, consisting of 4 subplots, on each of which evaluated the health state of 6 specially selected model trees. Also occurrence of natural damaging factors such as insects, deceases, wind withdrawals, snow and frost damage as well as manmade such as forest fires, air pollution, garbage dump was registered. Special attention was paid to assessing the availability and stock of dead wood. All collected data was put into special database and analyzed using MapInfo 10.0 Professional software to reveal spatial regularities in tree stands health status characteristics. The concept of tree stand “temperature” was used in statistical analysis of trees distribution over damage classes to interpret the tree stands health status in more holistic and transparent way.

ПРОРЫВ ОЗЕРА ПРОГРЕСС (ВОСТОЧНАЯ АНТАРКТИДА): ПОДХОДЫ К ОЦЕНКЕ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИК ПРОРЫВНОГО ПАВОДКА

При исследованиях в 2018/19 г. в районе станции Прогресс (Восточная Антарктида) авторы наблюдали прорыв системы озёр Прогресс-Сибторп. Приводятся феноменологическое описание этого процесса, а также результаты наблюдений и математического моделирования.

Patterns of Forming the Urban Surface Deposited Sediments

The contemporary sedimentation processes participate in the formation of fluxes of the solid substances in an urban area, forming together a source of pollution, transit and depositing media. The patterns of forming the urban surface deposited sediments were determined on the example of Russian metropolis Nizhny Novgorod. Two schemes of the research were implemented in residential districts of the city in the summer field season 2018. The first research design scheme represented a detailed survey of residential quarters of the city. It included a collection of 25 samples of environmental compartments from five residential quarters with multi-storey buildings. The sampling was conducted in various functional landscape parts at the courtyard and facade areas. Each sample was separated into particle size fractions. Chemical and mineral analysis was performed in each granulometric subsample of the collected samples. The second scheme represented the urban geochemical study based on sampling the sediments from local surface depressed zones of microrelief in the city. The 40 samples were collected at the territory of the city on an irregular grid. The sampling was carried out in residential areas in blocks with multi-storey buildings. One sample represented a combined sample of sediments from local surface zones of microrelief by 3-5 localizations from the area of the block. Chemical analysis of the collected samples was conducted. The maximum content of dust (0.002-0.01 mm) 39% was found in soil, while the lower mean dust content was found in the samples of sediment from local surface depressed zones of microrelief (30 %) and in the road deposited sediments (30 %). The mineral composition of soil and sediment in Nizhny Novgorod is represented by quartz sand (approx. 55 %). In the samples of sediments, the minerals’ content is basically characteristic for acid and metasomatic rocks. Building materials’ content in the sediments reaches up to 20%. The maximum organic matter content was found in fine dust fraction 2-10 microns 21% in soils and 5% on the roads. Differentiation of the mineral content in the samples is observed for the various particle size fractions and different functional parts of the quarters. The highest content of metals of anthropogenic association (such as Pb, Zn and Cu) was found in the dust fraction. The Pb and Zn concentrations in samples of sediment of depressed areas of microrelief and road dust were significantly lower than in the soil.

Abundance estimates of an isolated population of common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in Walvis Bay, Namibia, 2008–2012

The coastal population of common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus found in Namibia is regionally isolated and unique. This population faces several potential anthropogenic threats, especially in Walvis Bay, including boat-based tourism, a commercial harbour undergoing expansion, and aquaculture for oysters and mussels. Between 2008 and 2012, 238 boat-based surveys were conducted, resulting in 170 encounters with bottlenose dolphins. Overall, group sizes varied from 1 to 45 individuals (mean 10.7). Encounter rates, group sizes and total numbers of animals identified were higher in winter than in summer field seasons. The number, and survival and immigration parameters, of bottlenose dolphins using Walvis Bay was investigated using robust design and Huggins closed-population mark-recapture models. The highest numbers estimated were in the first and last years of the study, with estimates of 74–82 in 2008 and 76–77 in 2012 (numbers identified and upper 95% confidence limits). The only previously available data, from an incomplete study in the early 1990s, suggested that the population was between 100 and 150 individuals at the time. Although no linear trend in population size was obvious during the current study, the clear evidence of isolation, small population size, low annual birth rate, and potential long-term decrease in numbers since the early 1990s is concerning. Further work to collect data on demographic parameters is urgently recommended with a view to obtaining increased protection for this species.

Vertical stratification of Culicoides biting midges at a Florida big game preserve

BackgroundMany important vector arthropods are known to stratify vertically in forest environments, a phenomenon which has important implications for vector-borne disease transmission and vector control. Culicoides Latreille biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) have been documented using the forest canopy; however, studies of this phenomenon are lacking for many Culicoides species found in great abundance in the state of Florida, USA, some of which have been implicated as suspected vectors of hemorrhagic diseases of white-tailed deer. The present study aimed to determine whether common Culicoides species in Florida stratify vertically and to determine whether strata used by midges corresponded to host use.MethodsTrapping was conducted at a big game preserve in Gadsden County, FL, USA. Over two summer field seasons in 2016 and 2017, CDC miniature light traps were set at two levels, one set at 1.37 m, designated as the ground trap, and a nearby trap in the forest canopy set at 6 m during 2016 and 9 m during 2017. Species abundance, physiological status, and blood-meal sources were analyzed and compared between trap heights.ResultsSpecies abundances for C. haematopotus, C. stellifer and C. venustus were not significantly different between trap heights during the 2016 season; however, canopy traps were found to have significantly higher abundance of C. arboricola, C. biguttatus, C. debilipalpis, C. haematopotus, C. insignis and C. stellifer than ground traps in 2017. Greater numbers of blood-engorged midges were collected in the canopy compared with ground traps during both study years, and 98.6% and 98.7% of blood meals from canopy collected midges were taken from ground-dwelling mammals in 2016 and 2017, respectively.ConclusionsCulicoides species in Florida, including species implicated as vectors of hemorrhagic disease viruses, are found in great abundance in the forest canopy. Many midges are feeding on host species that are known reservoirs of hemorrhagic disease and then moving into the forest canopy, which has implications for the calculation of vectorial capacity. These data contribute valuable ecological information on Culicoides species found in Florida and provide a framework for developing effective vector control strategies to target these species.

Sensitivity of Adélie and Gentoo penguins to various flight activities of a micro UAV

A recent increase in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—also known as remotely piloted aircraft (RPA)—in the Antarctic in private, commercial and scientific sectors suggests that operational guidelines are urgently needed. One of the factors inhibiting adoption of such guidelines is the lack of knowledge about the impact of UAVs on wildlife. During the austral summer field season of 2014/15, data were gathered on the behavioural reactions to UAVs of Gentoo (Pygoscelis papua) and Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae), both resident breeding species on Ardley Island, King George Island, South Shetland Islands. A series of overflights at different altitudes above the nesting penguins were conducted with a small octocopter UAV, and their behaviour was recorded by video. Penguin behaviour altered as a result of the UAV flights, and behavioural reactions were more pronounced when the UAV was flown at lower altitudes. In Adelie penguins, behavioural reactions caused by the UAV were evident at the highest tested altitude of 50 m, while in Gentoo penguins reactions were evident from 30 m downwards. For both species, the reactions increased markedly when the UAV was flown at low altitudes of 10–20 m. Gentoo penguins showed significant reactions when the UAV was launched at distances closer than 20 m. There was some evidence of habituation to the UAV at some altitudes for horizontal flights, but no evidence of habituation in vertical flights.

Mapping and modeling the breeding habitat of the Western Atlantic Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa) at local and regional scales

ABSTRACT The Western Atlantic population of Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa) has undergone dramatic declines in recent decades and conservation biologists have sought to improve knowledge about the species' ecology in an effort to understand these declines. One major information gap has been the lack of a detailed understanding of range and habitat use during the breeding season, when the species is distributed sparsely across the Canadian Arctic. Airborne radio-telemetry surveys of Red Knots tagged in Delaware Bay, New Jersey, were conducted across the south and central Canadian Arctic, from Victoria Island in the west to Baffin Island in the east. Intensive field surveys were conducted on Southampton Island, Nunavut, over successive summer field seasons to locate nesting Red Knots and record characteristics of their nesting habitat. Maximum entropy modeling (Maxent) and geographic information system (GIS) data on environmental characteristics were used to predict Red Knot habitat suitability at 2 spatia...