Biosciences Seminar Speaker 24 October 2019

Biosciences Seminar Series - Autumn 2019
24 October 2019 - 1pm - Zoology Museum

Multimodal foraging and intraspecific sensory variation in wild capuchin monkeys

Dr Amanda Melin

(University of Calgary, Canada)

Image from monkeyworlds.com

Our Biosciences Seminar Series continues for the 2019 autumn term with a talk by Dr Amanda Melin from the University of Calgary, in Alberta (Canada). Amanda is a behavioural ecologist and research in her lab involves questions concerning the behaviour, sensory ecology, and dietary outcomes of nonhuman and human primates. The broad questions tackled are about primate origins and evolution, and are adressed using an integrative approach, combining assessment of sensory systems with molecular ecology, microbiome analysis, metagenomics, and field observations of primates.

Abstract

Senses serve as the interface between animals and their environment and play a critical role in food detection and evaluation. Color and/or scent changes during ripening may attract frugivores and inform their investigation behaviors. While numerous studies have assessed the impact of color on fruit selection, comparatively little is known about fruit scent, and how olfactory and visual data are integrated during foraging.

We combine behavioral data on white-faced capuchins, black-handed spider monkeys, and mantled howler monkeys with measurements of fruit reflectance spectra (color) and plant volatile organic compounds (scents) from 18 dietary plant species at different ripeness stages. We show that the frequency of sniffing behaviors – a proxy for reliance on the sense of smell – is positively correlated with increases in the volume of fruit odorants during ripening. Additionally, monkeys with red-green colorblindness (dichromacy) sniffed fruits more often, indicating that increased reliance on olfaction may be a general behavioral strategy that mitigates decreased capacity to detect red-green chromatic contrast. These results demonstrate a complex interaction among fruit traits, sensory capacities and foraging strategies. By examining fruit traits and sensory investigation of seed dispersing mammals, we help elucidate the evolutionary relationships between plants and frugivores and explain variation in primate behavior.

  

Hope to see many of you - everyone most welcome to attend!


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here

Wallace Coffee Talks - 29 October 2019

Wallace Coffee Talks - Autumn 2019 

29 October- 1pm - Zoology Museum

Sayali Pawar (Swansea University, UK)

Creating global river obstruction inventories using a citizen science approach.

River obstructions in the form of dams, locks, and other such barriers, are a globally important impact that humans have had on the movement of water, sediment, organisms, and nutrients from land to sea. Despite existing datasets of the world’s largest dams like GRanD, there is not a global inventory of obstructions to rivers. Hence, the goal of this project is to identify and categorise human-built river barriers for rivers wider than ~30 meters across the globe. By using Google Earth Engine and the Global River Widths from Landsat (GRWL) dataset, I am trying to create a global inventory for categorised obstructions on rivers across the globe. 

@PawarSayali20

Konstans Wells (Swansea University, UK)

The devil (survival) is in the detail – scrutinising the evidence for biological extinction risks

Informed management of threatened wildlife species often requires more than just identifying the source of threat. This is because the adverse effects of environmental stressors on wildlife performance may unfold differently over time and space or affect individuals to different extents. But how can we establish the evidence of which particular biological processes drive wildlife extinction risk and how can we use such insights for more targeted conservation efforts and better forecasting? 

This short talk invites discussion over a cuppa about the use of individual-based models and model evaluation techniques for exploring extinction dynamics if ‘landscapes of danger’ are heterogeneous or if individuals are prone to different treats, using Tasmanian devils and their Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease burden as a case study.

@KonsWells

Biosciences Seminar Speaker 10 October 2019

Biosciences Seminar Series - Autumn 2019
10 October 2019 - 1pm - Zoology Museum

Rebuilding the reptile communities of Mauritius

Dr Nik Cole

(Durrell Conservation Trust, UK & Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Mauritius)

Our Biosciences Seminar Series resumes for the 2019 autumn term with a talk by Dr Nik Cole from the Durrell Conservation Trust, UK and the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Mauritius. Nik is a world expert in island restoration and reptile conservation, having saved several species from extinction and is restoring native ecosystems on several Mauritian islands. Further conservation work routinely takes him also to other islands across the Indian ocean and the Caribbean. A particularly interesting aspect of his conservation work is the drive to rebuild stable communities, building up one trophic level after the others.

Abstract

The island of Mauritius has suffered from extensive habitat degradation and species invasion since the 16th Century, resulting in multiple reptile extinctions and extirpations. Several endemic reptile species became restricted to single islet populations, threatened by the presence of introduced mammalian herbivores and predators. Between 1979 and 1998, introduced mammals were removed from the northern islets with the aim to prevent further reptile extinctions. These actions permitted the rebuilding of the reptile communities on the islets through species reintroductions to reduce future extinction risks. Only four small reptile species survived the presence of rats on the northern islet, Gunner’s Quoin (0.70 km2). Having been freed from invasive terrestrial predators and competitors, maintaining suitable habitat structure and closed to public access, Gunner’s Quoin was selected as a suitable recipient islet to rebuild its lost reptile community. 

The keel-scaled boa and Telfair’s skink were present on Gunner’s Quoin until rats invaded in the mid-1800s, but survived on the rat-free Round Island (2.19 km2). Smaller reptile species, such as the orange-tailed skink that became restricted to Flat Island (2.53 km2), were also once part of the wider reptile community on the northern islets. In this presentation, I will summarise the process of reintroducing the Telfair’s skink and keel-scaled boa, and the emergency translocation of orange-tailed skinks to Gunner’s Quoin, which prevented their extinction. Frequent monitoring of the reptile populations has shown the resident species have remained abundant and healthy, that the translocated skinks are established and the boa population size is increasing.

  

Hope to see many of you - everyone most welcome to attend!


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here

Wallace Coffee Talks - 8 October 2019

Wallace Coffee Talks - Autumn 2019 

8 October- 1pm - Zoology Museum

Jess Ware (Swansea University, UK)

The assessment of artificial floating islands as a method of habitat creation in marine environments.

Eco-engineering and the installation of urban green infrastructure such as artificial floating islands (AFIs) are novel methods used to add complexity and support biodiversity on localised scales in terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats. AFIs have primarily been used in freshwater ecosystems including reservoirs, ponds and river systems for water quality improvement and habitat creation. In order to assess the potential application of AFIs in marine environments, this comparative study focused on bird, fish and macroinvertebrate species interactions with three AFIs installed in Swansea Marina and Swansea Docks; sites that have both been heavily modified for commercial and recreational activities. The successful growth of five halophytes was also investigated both in a laboratory experiment and in the field. In addition to ecological monitoring of the islands, a social study was conducted to gain information on the public’s understanding of AFIs, aesthetic preferences and concerns about their installation in marine environments. By addressing gaps in current research on habitat creation using AFIs, this study aimed to support future projects that seek to mitigate the loss of coastal wetlands or provide an alternative habitat within inshore marine habitats such as marinas and docks.

@JessWare2

Kasper Brandt (Swansea University, UK)

Finding an optimal location for a seaweed farm using publicly available data: a case study in the Milford Haven waterway.

The Milford Haven Waterway is a natural harbour in Pembrokeshire wales. The waterway and the Daugleddau estuary it is connected to have a lot of potential for aquaculture activities such as a seaweed farm. However, the fluctuations in nutrients, salinity and various physical parameters (e.g. tides) make it a challenge to choose where to place these kinds of aquaculture facilities. By combining publicly available datasets with a growth model and some experimental results I am trying to find the optimal location for a seaweed farm. In this coffee talk I will discuss how I am approaching this problem and show some preliminary results. 

@KMFBrandt

Wallace Coffee Talks - 24 September 2019

Wallace Coffee Talks - Autumn 2019 

24 September - 1pm - Zoology Museum

Sam Holmes (Swansea University, UK)

Harboring aliens: Ports as habitats for non-native species.

Invasive non-native species (INNS) can pose a significant threat to native ecosystems, altering ecosystem services and having a wider impact economically. Ports are frequently at the center of research into aquatic INNS and are often described as ‘hotspots’ for INNS due to links to the global maritime trade industry. Environmental conditions can, however, differ greatly between ports, including ports that are local to one another, meaning communities will often be highly varied from port to port. Continued efforts to monitor port communities are therefore paramount in documenting the introduction, spread and overall distribution of INNS within Wales. The main aim of the current research project, working closely with Associated British Ports (ABP), is to develop an understanding of fouling communities present within five ports in the South Wales region (Newport, Cardiff, Barry, Port Talbot and Swansea), paying particular interest to any INNS present. This presentation will cover some of the reasons why this PhD research project is so important, some of the progress made so far in field surveys as well as a few preliminary findings, focusing on non-native species.

Fraser Hartley (Swansea University, UK)

The multiple dimensions of biodiversity – human interest relationships

Activities involving observation of wild organisms (e.g. wildlife watching, tidepooling) can provide recreational and learning opportunities, with biologically diverse animal assemblages expected to be more stimulating to humans. Here we explore whether having more animals in an ecosystem that we can view really does drive more human interest, and if so what is it about more diverse communities that we find so interesting?

@Nasolituratus

Evie Furness (Swansea University, UK and Project Seagrass, UK)

The multiple dimensions of biodiversity – human interest relationships

Activities involving observation of wild organisms (e.g. wildlife watching, tidepooling) can provide recreational and learning opportunities, with biologically diverse animal assemblages expected to be more stimulating to humans. Here we explore whether having more animals in an ecosystem that we can view really does drive more human interest, and if so what is it about more diverse communities that we find so interesting?

@ProjectSeagrass on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Wallace Coffee Talks - 3 September 2019

Wallace Coffee Talks - Summer 2019 

3 September - 1pm - Zoology Museum

Megan Jones (Swansea University, UK)

Welfare benefits of physical activity and microalgal feed supplementation in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Using exercise & diet interventions to ID whether we can advance aquaculture farming procedures sustainably whilst keeping animal welfare the main priority.

@MeganJonesEco

Paul Deacon (Swansea University, UK)

To Leap or not to Leap: A minnow story.

Investigation into the effects of river fragmentation, on the non-migratory species European minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus). How does group size and time of day effect movements over barriers?

Ben Nichols (Swansea University, UK)

Comparative study on the effect of algae biostimulants on chilli peppers (Capsicum Annum)

Algae shows promise to become a renewable and non toxic material to stimulate plant growth.  Master student Ben Nichols will discuss how different algae strains affected the growth of cayenne chili peppers

Gina Lewis (Swansea University, UK)

My year in industry: an insight into the use of molecular genetic techniques to study animal behaviour

Having completed the first month of my ‘Year in Industry’, assisting Dr Hazel Nichols with her research into sociality in the banded mongoose, I’d like to share a bit about my experience so far and the research that I am getting involved with.

Wallace Coffee Talks - 20 August 2019

Wallace Coffee Talks - Summer 2019 

20 August - 12pm - Zoology Museum

Mark White (Swansea University, UK)

Ground reaction force patterns in human vertical jumping

What can be learned from human movement that may be applicable to the study of animal movement patterns? I would like to share some of the new techniques that are being developed in the field of human biomechanics that may be applicable to the study of animal movement patterns. Sports biomechanics focuses on maximising human performance. In professional team sports, such as football and rugby, players’ fitness and training development are monitored on a regular basis. One of the most important tests is the standing vertical jump, a countermovement jump, since jump height and peak power output are so well correlated with other athletic tests, such as sprints. The ground reaction force provides an excellent recording of how the jump is executed. Traditionally, scientists have focused on discrete points on the curve but recently interest has turned to the patterns and shape of the curve itself. Using functional principal component analysis and regression models I will show the critical importance for performance of a final peak in the ground reaction force immediately before take-off and how arm swing helps enhance it. I will share how understanding these patterns is the basis for my next step in research that will analysis patterns from accelerometer signals to re-create the ground reaction forces. This has the potential for accelerometers to replace expense force platforms for field-based testing.

968344@swansea.ac.uk

@runningmark

Tom Fairchild (Swansea University, UK)

The multiple dimensions of biodiversity – human interest relationships

Activities involving observation of wild organisms (e.g. wildlife watching, tidepooling) can provide recreational and learning opportunities, with biologically diverse animal assemblages expected to be more stimulating to humans. Here we explore whether having more animals in an ecosystem that we can view really does drive more human interest, and if so what is it about more diverse communities that we find so interesting?

@Tom_Fairchild