ORCID Profile
0000-0003-1124-9330
Current Organisation
Deakin University
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In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology) | Ecology | Marine And Estuarine Ecology (Incl. Marine Ichthyology) | Wildlife and Habitat Management | Other Biological Sciences | Global Change Biology | Fisheries Sciences | Fisheries Management | Fisheries Sciences not elsewhere classified | Sociobiology And Behavioural Ecology | Conservation And Biodiversity | Wildlife And Habitat Management | Behavioural Ecology |
Marine Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity | Other | Climate variability | Living resources (incl. impacts of fishing on non-target species) | Living resources (flora and fauna) | Wild Caught Fin Fish (excl. Tuna) | Oceanic processes (excl. climate related) | Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences | Biological sciences | Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Marine Environments
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 06-2022
DOI: 10.1098/RSOS.211171
Abstract: Quantifying prey characteristics is important for understanding the foraging behaviour of predators, which ultimately influence the structure and function of entire ecosystems. However, information available on prey is often at magnitudes which cannot be used to infer the fine-scale behaviour of predators, especially so in marine environments where direct observation of predator–prey interactions is rarely possible. In the present study, animal-borne video data loggers were used to determine the influence of prey type and patch density on the foraging behaviour of the little penguin ( Eudyptula minor ), an important predator in southeastern Australia. We found that numerical density positively influenced time spent foraging at a patch. However, when accounting for calorific value in density estimates, in iduals spent longer at dense patches of low-quality prey. This may reflect a trade-off between capture effort and calorific gain as lower quality prey were captured at higher rates. During the breeding season, foraging trip distance and duration is constrained by the need to return to the colony each day to feed offspring. The results of the study suggest that, under these spatio-temporal constraints, little penguins maximize foraging performance by concentrating efforts at larger quantities of prey, irrespective of their calorific quality.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 13-09-2021
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0250916
Abstract: Seabirds play a vital role in marine ecosystems and the long-term study of their responses to environmental variations can be used to monitor the effects of climate change on marine fauna. However, slight differences in similar seabird species result in a range of responses which complicates our understanding of the effects of environmental changes to marine ecosystems. The present study investigated inter-annual differences in the breeding biology (breeding phenology, chick growth rates and breeding success) and environmental conditions (seasonal sea surface temperatures) of important foraging areas in two sympatric small Procellariiform species, the fairy prion ( Pachyptila turtur ) and the common ing petrel ( Pelecanoides urinatrix ), over four reproductive seasons (2017–2020) in Bass Strait, south-eastern Australia. Marine heatwaves occurred during the years of 2018/19 and 2019/20 and coincided with years of delayed laying dates, slower chick growth and reduced breeding success, in both species. While fairy prions maintained a relatively high breeding success and broadly constant breeding phenology, common ing petrels delayed the start of the breeding season by up to 50 days and experienced dramatic collapses in breeding success in years of high marine heat wave occurrence. The difference in foraging ecology and physiological capacity (largely in the production of stomach oils and fasting abilities of adults and chicks) between both species are likely to influence the variability and phenology in the observed breeding seasons.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 10-2021
DOI: 10.1098/RSOS.211052
Abstract: The highly dynamic nature of the marine environment can have a substantial influence on the foraging behaviour and spatial distribution of marine predators, particularly in pelagic marine systems. However, knowledge of the susceptibility of benthic marine predators to environmental variability is limited. This study investigated the influence of local-scale environmental conditions and large-scale climate indices on the spatial distribution and habitat use in the benthic foraging Australian fur seal ( Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus AUFS). Female AUFS provisioning pups were instrumented with GPS or ARGOS platform terminal transmitter tags during the austral winters of 2001–2019 at Kanowna Island, south-eastern Australia. In iduals were most susceptible to changes in the Southern Oscillation Index that measures the strength of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, with larger foraging ranges, greater distances travelled and more dispersed movement associated with 1-yr lagged La Niña-like conditions. Additionally, the total distance travelled was negatively correlated with the current year sea surface temperature and 1-yr lagged Indian Ocean Dipole, and positively correlated with 1-yr lagged chlorophyll- a concentration. These results suggest that environmental variation may influence the spatial distribution and availability of prey, even within benthic marine systems.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2022
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 05-2022
DOI: 10.1098/RSOS.220134
Abstract: Effective conservation assessments require detailed information of species' ecological niches during the whole annual cycle. For seabirds, this implies investigating the at-sea distribution and foraging behaviour during both the breeding and non-breeding periods. However, until recently, collecting information about small species has been precluded by the excessive size of the required devices. This lack of knowledge is exacerbated in the case of polytypic genera with species sharing very similar appearance and behaviour, such as the super-abundant prions ( Pachyptila spp.). The present study investigates the year-round at-sea distribution and foraging ecology of the fairy prion ( Pachyptila turtur ) in southeastern Australia. Miniaturized GPS loggers during the breeding season and geolocators (GLS) during the non-breeding period were used over 4 consecutive years (2017–2021), with results that highlight the importance of the continental shelf-edge waters for fairy prions throughout the year. In addition, contrary to previous assumptions, the GLS data revealed an unsuspected post-breeding migration to the waters south of Australia, during which in iduals probably undergo a rapid moult of flight feathers. Understanding the at-sea distribution and ecology of prions during the whole annual cycle will be fundamental to their conservation as it can reveal species- or population-specific threats that have been overlooked because of their status as abundant species.
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 05-03-2021
Abstract: Highly-threatened seabirds connect many countries and the high seas and therefore depend on coordinated ocean governance.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2023
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.9790
Abstract: Information on resource use and trophic dynamics of marine predators is important for understanding their role in ecosystem functioning and predicting population‐level responses to environmental change. Where separate populations experience different local environmental conditions, geographic variability in their foraging ecology is often expected. Within populations, in iduals also vary in morphology, physiology, and experience, resulting in specialization in resource use. In this context, isotopic compositions of incrementally grown tissues such as keratinous hairs offer a valuable opportunity to study long‐term variation in resource and habitat use. We investigated the trophic ecology of female Cape fur seals ( Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus ) using carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of serially s led whiskers collected at four breeding sites along the coast of South Africa. Drawing on over 900 isotopic measurements, we assessed geographic variability in isotopic niche width between colonies and the degree of in idual specialization. We found slight, but clear geographic differences in isotopic ratios and isotopic niche widths, seemingly related to ecological setting, with niche widths being proportional to the area of available shelf and shelf‐slope habitat surrounding the colony. We further identified periodic oscillations in isotopic ratios, which likely reflect temporal patterns in foraging distribution and prey type, linked to shifts in the availability of prey resources and their interaction with constraints on in idual females throughout their breeding cycle. Finally, in idual specialization indices revealed that each of the study populations contain specialist in iduals that utilize only a small subset of the total population niche width. The degree of in idual specialization was, however, not consistent across colonies and may reflect an interactive influence between density‐dependent effects and habitat heterogeneity. Overall, this study provides important information on the trophic ecology of Cape fur seals breeding in South Africa and highlights the need to consider geographic and in idual variability when assessing the foraging ecology of marine predators.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 04-2022
DOI: 10.1098/RSOS.211399
Abstract: Knowledge of factors affecting a species' breeding biology is crucial to understanding how environmental variability impacts population trajectories and enables predictions on how species may respond to global change. The Australian fur seal ( Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus , AUFS) represents the largest marine predator biomass in southeastern Australia, an oceanic region experiencing rapid warming that will impact the abundance and distribution of prey. The present study (1997–2020) investigated breeding phenology and pup production in AUFS on Kanowna Island, northern Bass Strait. The pupping period varied by 11 days and the median pupping date by 8 days and were negatively correlated to 1- and 2-year lagged winter zonal winds, respectively, within Bass Strait. While there was no temporal trend over the study period, annual pup production (1386–2574 pups) was negatively correlated to 1-year lagged summer zonal winds in the Bonney Upwelling region and positively correlated to the current-year Southern Oscillation Index (SOI). In addition, a fecundity index (ratio of new-born pups to adult females at the median pupping date) was positively correlated with current-year Southern Annular Mode (SAM) conditions. Periods of positive SOI and positive SAM conditions are forecast to increase in coming decades, suggesting advantageous conditions for the Kanowna Island AUFS population.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 19-04-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.04.19.440428
Abstract: Seabirds play a vital role in marine ecosystems and are determinant sentinels of the productivity of their environments. The long-term study of their breeding biology and their responses to environmental variations can be used to monitor the effects of climate change on marine fauna. However, the ecological and physiological differences among seabirds induce a large range of responses complicating our understanding of the effects of environmental changes on marine ecosystems. The present study investigated the impact of environmental variability on breeding biology in two sympatric small Procellariiform species, the fairy prion ( Pachyptila turtur ) and the common ing petrel ( Pelecanoides urinatrix ), over four reproductive seasons (2017-2020) in Bass Strait, south-eastern Australia. Marine heatwaves had a negative effect on chick growth, breeding success, and induced a delay in laying dates in both species. While fairy prions maintained a relatively high breeding success and broadly constant breeding phenology, common ing petrels delayed the start of the breeding season by up to 50 days and experienced dramatic collapses in breeding success in years of high marine heat wave occurrence. The high wing loading and absence of stomach oils in the common ing petrel are likely to have limited the capacity of this species to increase foraging effort in years of low food availability.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 10-2019
DOI: 10.1098/RSOS.191369
Abstract: While marine top predators can play a critical role in ecosystem structure and dynamics through their effects on prey populations, how the predators function in this role is often not well understood. In the Benguela region of southern Africa, the Cape fur seal ( Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus ) population constitutes the largest marine top predator biomass, but little is known of its foraging ecology other than its diet and some preliminary e records. Dive information was obtained from 32 adult females instrumented with e recorders at the Kleinsee colony (29°34.17′ S, 16°59.80′ E) in South Africa during 2006–2008. Most es were in the depth range of epipelagic prey species (less than 50 m deep) and at night, reflecting the reliance of Cape fur seals on small, vertically migrating, schooling prey. However, most females also performed benthic es, and benthic ing was prevalent in some in iduals. Benthic ing was significantly associated with the frequency with which females exceeded their aerobic e limit. The greater putative costs of benthic ing highlight the potential detrimental effects to Cape fur seals of well-documented changes in the availability of epipelagic prey species in the Benguela.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 08-2023
DOI: 10.1098/RSOS.221595
Abstract: Investigation of foraging decisions can help understand how animals efficiently gather and exploit food. Prey chase and handling times are important aspects of foraging efficiency, influencing the net energy gain derived from a prey item. However, these metrics are often overlooked in studies of foraging behaviour due to the difficulty in observing them. The present study used animal-borne cameras to investigate the type, duration and energetic consequences of predator–prey interactions in little penguins ( Eudyptula minor ) ( n = 32) from two colonies in Bass Strait, south-eastern Australia. A total of seven main prey items were observed and consumed by little penguins. Penguins were observed to consume prey types and use strategies that have not been previously documented. These included consumption of bellowsfish ( Macror hosus scolopax ) and other fish species captured sheltering around jellyfish or extracted dead from the tentacles. Chase and handling time varied with prey type and lasted approximately 2 s for most prey. Profitability varied among prey types, with a greater amount of low profitable prey being consumed, suggesting a trade-off between minimizing energetic costs, and increasing capture rates. These results highlight the use of animal-borne video data loggers to further understand the foraging adaptations of important predators in the marine environment.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-08-2021
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 27-10-2021
Abstract: Animal-attached devices have transformed our understanding of vertebrate ecology. To minimize any associated harm, researchers have long advocated that tag masses should not exceed 3% of carrier body mass. However, this ignores tag forces resulting from animal movement. Using data from collar-attached accelerometers on 10 erse free-ranging terrestrial species from koalas to cheetahs, we detail a tag-based acceleration method to clarify acceptable tag mass limits. We quantify animal athleticism in terms of fractions of animal movement time devoted to different collar-recorded accelerations and convert those accelerations to forces (acceleration × tag mass) to allow derivation of any defined force limits for specified fractions of any animal's active time. Specifying that tags should exert forces that are less than 3% of the gravitational force exerted on the animal's body for 95% of the time led to corrected tag masses that should constitute between 1.6% and 2.98% of carrier mass, depending on athleticism. Strikingly, in four carnivore species encompassing two orders of magnitude in mass ( ca 2–200 kg), forces exerted by ‘3%' tags were equivalent to 4–19% of carrier body mass during moving, with a maximum of 54% in a hunting cheetah. This fundamentally changes how acceptable tag mass limits should be determined by ethics bodies, irrespective of the force and time limits specified.
Publisher: The Company of Biologists
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1242/BIO.047514
Abstract: Knowledge of the factors influencing foraging efficiency in top predators can provide insights into the effects of environmental variability on their populations. Seabirds are important marine predators foraging in a highly temporally and spatially variable environment. While numerous studies have focussed on search time and its effects on foraging energetics in seabirds, relatively little is known of the factors influencing capture success and prey profitability in these predators. In the present study, animal-borne cameras were used to investigate the chase durations, capture success, handling durations and profitability of prey consumed by Australasian gannets (Morus serrator) (n=95) from two breeding colonies in south-eastern Australia exposed to different oceanographic conditions. Capture success was generally lower when in iduals foraged alone. However, foraging in multi-species groups and in high prey densities increased chase time, while larger prey elicited longer handling times. While prey type influenced profitability, high prey density and foraging in multispecies groups was found to lower prey profitability due to increased time expenditure. While previous studies have found group foraging reduces search time, the increased profitability explains why some animals may favour solitary foraging. Therefore future studies should combine search time and the currently found factors.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-11-2018
DOI: 10.1111/OIK.05579
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 11-2020
DOI: 10.1098/RSOS.191511
Abstract: Most Procellariform seabirds are pelagic, breed in summer when prey availability peaks, and migrate for winter. They also display a dual foraging strategy (short and long trips) and sex-specific foraging. The Westland petrel Procellaria westlandica , a New Zealand endemic, is one of the rare seabirds breeding in winter. Preliminary findings on this large and sexually dimorphic petrel suggest a foraging behaviour with no evidence of a dual strategy, within a narrow range and with shared areas between sexes. To investigate further this unusual strategy, the present study determined the fine-scale at-sea behaviours (global positioning system and accelerometer data loggers) and trophic niches (stable isotopes in whole blood) of chick-rearing in iduals (16 males and 13 females). All in iduals foraged on the shelf-slope of the west coast of New Zealand's South Island with short, unimodal trips. Both sexes foraged at similar intensity without temporal, spatial or isotopic niche segregation. These findings suggest the presence of a winter prey resource close to the colony, sufficient to satisfy the nutritional needs of breeding without increasing the foraging effort or intra-specific competition avoidance during winter. Additional data are needed to assess the consistency of foraging niche between the sexes and its reproductive outcomes in view of anticipated environmental changes.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 08-2022
Abstract: Past climatic change as a driving force of marine ersification is still largely unclear, particularly for Southern Hemisphere species. Here, we present a case using the brown fur seal, Arctocephalus pusillus, assessing the geographical structure and demographic history using mitochondrial and nuclear data. Results show the two previously defined subspecies (one from Australia and the other from southern Africa) are phylogeographically distinct. Migration analyses based on nuclear data suggest the absence of migrants among the two genetically close assemblages. The demographic history of A. pusillus is characterized by a glacial population expansion (approx. 18 kya) in the southern African lineage, which coincides with time estimates of population expansion of prey species of seals. Approximate Bayesian calculations support an eastward dispersal event during the Last Glacial Maximum when sea levels were lower, followed by a postglacial ergence event, approximately 13 kya. The demographic history of the brown fur seal in the Southern Oceans provides support that recent palaeoclimatic changes could have facilitated expansions in some marine species and that postglacial sea-level rise may have acted as a dispersal barrier for species mostly confined to continental shelves.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 02-2022
Abstract: Fisheries can generate feeding opportunities for large marine predators in the form of discards or accessible catch. How the use of this anthropogenic food may spread as a new behaviour, across in iduals within populations over time, is poorly understood. This study used a 16-year (2003–2018) monitoring of two killer whale Orcinus orca subantarctic populations ( regular and Type-D at Crozet), and Bayesian multistate capture–mark–recapture models, to assess temporal changes in the number of in iduals feeding on fish caught on hooks (‘depredation’ behaviour) of a fishery started in 1996. For both populations, the number of depredating in iduals increased during the study period (34 to 94 for regular 17 to 43 for Type-D ). Increasing abundance is unlikely to account for this and, rather, the results suggest depredation was acquired by increasing numbers of existing in iduals. For regular killer whales, a plateau reached from 2014 suggests that it took 18 years for the behaviour to spread across the whole population. A more recent plateau was apparent for Type-D s but additional years are needed to confirm this. These findings show how changes in prey availability caused by human activities lead to rapid, yet progressive, innovations in killer whales, likely altering the ecological role of this top-predator.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 11-2020
DOI: 10.1098/RSOS.200670
Abstract: The non-breeding period plays a major role in seabird survival and population dynamics. However, our understanding of the migratory behaviour, moulting and feeding strategies of non-breeding seabirds is still very limited, especially for small-sized species. The present study investigated the post-breeding behaviour of three distant populations (Kerguelen Archipelago, southeastern Australia, New Zealand) of the common ing petrel (CDP) ( Pelecanoides urinatrix ), an abundant, widely distributed zooplanktivorous seabird breeding throughout the southern Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. The timing, geographical destination and activity pattern of birds were quantified through geolocator deployments during the post-breeding migration, while moult pattern of body feathers was investigated using stable isotope analysis. Despite the high energetic cost of flapping flight, all the in iduals quickly travelled long distances (greater than approx. 2500 km) after the end of the breeding season, targeting oceanic frontal systems. The three populations, however, clearly erged spatially (migration pathways and destinations), and temporally (timing and duration) in their post-breeding movements, as well as in their period of moult. Philopatry to distantly separated breeding grounds, different breeding phenologies and distinct post-breeding destinations suggest that the CDP populations have a high potential for isolation, and hence, speciation. These results contribute to improving knowledge of ecological ergence and evolution between populations, and inform the challenges of conserving migratory species.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 30-11-2021
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0259961
Abstract: Stable isotope analyses, particularly of carbon ( δ 13 C) and nitrogen ( δ 15 N), are used to investigate ecological relationships among species. For marine predators, research has shown the main factors influencing their intra-specific and intra-in idual isotopic variation are geographical movements and changes in the composition of diet over time. However, as the differences seen may be the result of changes in the prey items consumed, a change in feeding location or the combination of both, knowledge of the temporal and spatial consistency in the isotopic values of prey becomes crucial for making accurate inferences about predator diets. This study used an abundant marine predator, the Australasian gannet ( Morus serrator ), as prey s ler to investigate the annual variation in fish and squid prey isotope values over a four-year period (2012–2015) and the geographic variation between two sites with contrasting oceanographic conditions. Significant inter-annual variation was observed in δ 13 C and/or δ 15 N values of five of the eight prey species analysed. The strongest inter-annual variation in both δ 13 C and δ 15 N values occurred in 2015, which coincided with a strong El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This may suggest a temporal fluctuation in the geographic source of prey or the origin of their nutrients. These results suggest that it is important to consider the potential significant differences in isotopic values within the prey assemblages that predators consume. This is important to improve the interpretation of marine predator isotope results when determining the influence of environmental variability on their diets.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 04-08-2023
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0289592
Abstract: It is challenging to collect robust, long-term datasets to properly monitor the viability and social structure of large, long-lived animals, especially marine mammals. The present study used a unique long-term dataset to investigate the population parameters and social structure of a poorly studied population of bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops sp.) in southern Port Phillip Bay, south-eastern Australia. Photo-identification images have been collected between 2012–2022 both opportunistically and following a protocol by patrons, staff, and volunteers of ecotourism companies using their vessels as platforms. The resulting large dataset was available to be processed through the online platform Flukebook and used in capture recapture models to estimate abundance and demographic parameters. In addition, the social structure of the population and the reproductive parameters were investigated. The marked adult population abundance (45.2 ± 2.7 in iduals) was found to be stable over the last decade and the calving rate ranged between 0.06–0.19 new calves per identified in iduals per year, while the inter-birth interval was 3.7 ± 0.8 years. Social analysis suggested the population has a fission-fusion structure with no apparent clusters. The stability of the population over the study period suggests no deleterious effect of anthropogenic or environmental factors during the last decade. This study is the outcome of the effort of the ecotourism organisations and the results obtained, along with their similarity to those of other dolphin populations worldwide, highlight the importance of such data sources for long-term information that would otherwise be too expensive or logistically difficult to obtain.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 14-06-2021
Abstract: Management of gases during ing is not well understood across marine mammal species. Prior to ing, phocid (true) seals generally exhale, a behaviour thought to assist with the prevention of decompression sickness. Otariid seals (fur seals and sea lions) have a greater reliance on their lung oxygen stores, and inhale prior to ing. One otariid, the Antarctic fur seal ( Arctocephalus gazella ), then exhales during the final 50–85% of the return to the surface, which may prevent another gas management issue: shallow-water blackout. Here, we compare data collected from animal-attached tags (video cameras, hydrophones and conductivity sensors) deployed on a suite of otariid seal species to examine the ubiquity of ascent exhalations for this group. We find evidence for ascent exhalations across four fur seal species, but that such exhalations are absent for three sea lion species. Fur seals and sea lions are no longer genetically separated into distinct subfamilies, but are morphologically distinguished by the thick underfur layer of fur seals. Together with their smaller size and energetic es, we suggest their air-filled fur might underlie the need to perform these exhalations, although whether to reduce buoyancy and ascent speed, for the avoidance of shallow-water blackout or to prevent other cardiovascular management issues in their ing remains unclear. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Measuring physiology in free-living animals (Part I)’.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-03-2021
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.7337
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Start Date: 10-2016
End Date: 07-2021
Amount: $388,704.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 01-2006
End Date: 12-2009
Amount: $219,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 06-2011
End Date: 06-2014
Amount: $190,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2007
End Date: 08-2011
Amount: $263,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
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