The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users ar... more The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record.
Six new species of coccidia are described from endangered Phelsuma spp. geckoes (Sauria: Gekkonid... more Six new species of coccidia are described from endangered Phelsuma spp. geckoes (Sauria: Gekkonidae) endemic to Mauritius, Indian Ocean. Five new species (3 Eimeria and 2 Isospora species) are described from Phelsuma rosagularis Vinson et Vinson; all lack a micropyle and an oocyst residuum, and all have a sporocyst residuum. Oocysts of Eimeria swinnertonae sp.
In the abstract of this paper, the specific name of the new taxon was accidentally misspelled. Th... more In the abstract of this paper, the specific name of the new taxon was accidentally misspelled. The correct spelling of this species is Caryospora durrelli, as given in the body of the paper.
A wide range of biologging devices are now commonly deployed to study the movement ecology of bir... more A wide range of biologging devices are now commonly deployed to study the movement ecology of birds, but deployment of these devices is not without its potential risks and negative impacts on the welfare, behaviour and fitness of tagged individuals. However, empirical evidence for the effects of tags is equivocal. Global location sensing (GLS) loggers are small, light level recording devices that are well suited to studying the large-scale migratory movements of many birds. However, few published studies have examined their impact on adult survival, a key demographic rate for long-lived species, such as seabirds. To address this, we collate a long-term mark-recapture data set in conjunction with a 10-year GLS tagging programme and examine the impact of tarsus-mounted GLS loggers on the adult apparent survival probabilities of a medium-sized tropical gadfly petrel. We found no evidence to indicate that deployment of GLS loggers affected apparent adult survival probabilities either in the short-term, i.e., during deployment, or in the long-term, i.e., from carrying a device at some point in the past. Annual adult apparent survival was estimated at 0.965 (CIs 0.962, 0.968) during 1993-2018. Our findings suggest that using GLS loggers to document the movements of medium-sized gadfly petrels over multiple years is a viable technique without negatively impacting adult survival. This result has potential relevance to movement ecology studies of other ecologically and morphologically similar seabirds through GLS logger deployments.
The original publication of this article was published with an old version of Additional file 1 d... more The original publication of this article was published with an old version of Additional file 1 due to an error in the publication process. This old version did not contain Additional file 1: Table S8. The updated additional file is available via this correction article, the original article has also been updated. The publisher apologizes to the authors and readers for the inconvenience.
Background In migratory species, the extent of within- and between-individual variation in migrat... more Background In migratory species, the extent of within- and between-individual variation in migratory strategies can influence potential rates and directions of responses to environmental changes. Quantifying this variation requires tracking of many individuals on repeated migratory journeys. At temperate and higher latitudes, low levels of within-individual variation in migratory behaviours are common and may reflect repeated use of predictable resources in these seasonally-structured environments. However, variation in migratory behaviours in the tropics, where seasonal predictability of food resources can be weaker, remains largely unknown. Methods Round Island petrels (Pterodroma sp.) are tropical, pelagic seabirds that breed all year round and perform long-distance migrations. Using multi-year geolocator tracking data from 62 individuals between 2009 and 2018, we quantify levels of within- and between-individual variation in non-breeding distributions and timings. Results We fou...
A light-phase Round Island Petrel (#5H09320), ringed as a chick on Round Island on 12 December 19... more A light-phase Round Island Petrel (#5H09320), ringed as a chick on Round Island on 12 December 1995, was recaptured in southern India on 21 February 1996. It had apparently been blown inland by strong wings, and had travelled more than 4,000 km. Recovery details were supplied by the Avian Demography Unit (‘SAFRING’), University of Cape Town, South Africa, and they indicated that the bird was ‘found exhausted, sick or injured; blown inland by gale-force winds’. This record was first published 28 years later in Jones et al. (2013). The apparent unlikely occurrence of P. arminjoniana had resulted in this record being listed as doubtful for India (Kazmierczak 2009), and hypothetical for South Asia (Rasmussen & Anderton 2012), the latter referring to an unpublished report from southern India. In a recent review of pelagic rarities from India, Praveen et al. A ringed Pterodroma petrel was reported from southern India on 21 February 1996, by V. S. Vijayan, then the Director of the Salim Al...
Background: Flying foxes (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) are large bats that often roost in the sun, h... more Background: Flying foxes (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) are large bats that often roost in the sun, hence solar-powered GPS/GSM devices can track their movements over extended periods. The endemic Mauritian flying fox (Pteropus niger) has recently been subjected to large-scale culling because of perceived damage to commercial fruit, and a consequent reduction in numbers of > 50% since 2015 resulted in its IUCN Red List Status being up-listed to Endangered. Determining its movements will be important for management and conservation, for understanding potential responses to environmental change, and for understanding population admixture. Methods: Twelve bats were tagged with solar-powered GPS/GSM devices in 2014-2016. Tags remained active for up to almost a year (maximum 359 days: average 139 days (males) and 93 days (females)), providing some of the longest-term data on the movement ecology of bats yet obtained. Eight bats were probably hunted illegally, highlighting the scale of unauthorised persecution. Results: Males travelled on average 9 km each night, females 6 km. The nightly distance covered by adults of both sexes was higher in winter than in summer, though the opposite pattern occurred for immature males. These differences are probably related to seasonal changes in fruit availability (adults) and to dispersal by immature males. The maximum distance covered during one night was > 92 km. Home ranges of males averaged 74,633 ha, females 31,072 ha. Core foraging areas averaged 2222 ha for males, 1364 ha for females. Fifty roosts were identified, mainly in forest fragments. As the bats disperse seeds of native plants that form forest canopies, conservation of the bats will potentially maintain and enhance native forest cover, in turn providing roosting sites for the bats. Conclusions: Solar-powered GSM tagging provides unprecedented potential for understanding the movement ecology of flying foxes. Mauritian flying foxes often move between the few remnant native forest fragments, which remain important for their conservation, and have potentially important roles in seed dispersal. Their nomadic movement fits with their panmictic genetic structure. Although their ability for long distance movements, sometimes over short timescales, permits rapid responses to local threats and environmental change, being restricted to Mauritius renders the bats extremely vulnerable to intense culling.
The endemic Mauritian flying fox Pteropus niger is perceived to be a major fruit pest. Lobbying o... more The endemic Mauritian flying fox Pteropus niger is perceived to be a major fruit pest. Lobbying of the Government of Mauritius by fruit growers to control the flying fox population resulted in national culls in 2015 and 2016, with a further cull scheduled for 2018. A loss of c. 38,318 individuals has been reported and the species is now categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. However, until now there were no robust data available on damage to orchards caused by bats. During October 2015–February 2016 we monitored four major lychee Litchi chinensis and one mango (Mangifera spp.) orchard, and also assessed 10 individual longan Dimocarpus longan trees. Bats and introduced birds caused major damage to fruit, with 7–76% fruit loss (including natural fall and losses from fungal damage) per tree. Bats caused more damage to taller lychee trees (> 6 m high) than to smaller ones, whereas bird damage was independent of tree height. Bats damaged more fruit than birds in tall lychee t...
The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users ar... more The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record.
Tropical cyclones are renowned for their destructive nature and are an important feature of marin... more Tropical cyclones are renowned for their destructive nature and are an important feature of marine and coastal tropical ecosystems. Over the last 40 years, their intensity, frequency and tracks have changed, partly in response to ocean warming, and future predictions indicate that these trends are likely to continue with potential consequences for human populations and coastal ecosystems. However, our understanding of how tropical cyclones currently affect marine biodiversity, and pelagic species in particular, is limited. For seabirds, the impacts of cyclones are known to be detrimental at breeding colonies, but impacts on the annual survival of pelagic adults and juveniles remain largely unexplored and no study has simultaneously explored the direct impacts of cyclones on different life-history stages across the annual life cycle. We used a 20-year data set on tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean, tracking data from 122 Round Island petrels and long-term capture-mark-recapture da...
Biosketch Jamie Copsey has over 15 years training experience in the field of biodiversity conserv... more Biosketch Jamie Copsey has over 15 years training experience in the field of biodiversity conservation. His research interests include natural resource use and invasive species management.
*Methods for maximum likelihood estimates of heterozygosity and data on a further 225 individuals... more *Methods for maximum likelihood estimates of heterozygosity and data on a further 225 individuals (including methods and genotypes for all populations) are available at http://www.qmw.ac.uk/~ugbt112/programs/Mauritius_kestrel/ †Significantly different from restored Mauritius population (Edwards likelihood ratio criterion, P<0.01).
In the abstract of this paper, the specific name of the new taxon was accidentally misspelled. Th... more In the abstract of this paper, the specific name of the new taxon was accidentally misspelled. The correct spelling of this species is Caryospora durrelli, as given in the body of the paper.
In western parts of its native range, the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) is sympatri... more In western parts of its native range, the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) is sympatric with one or both of two slightly larger congeners. In the eastern part of its range, these species are absent. The small Indian mongoose was introduced, about a century ago, to the West Indies, the Hawaiian islands, Mauritius, the Fijian islands, and Okinawa. All introductions except possibly that to Mauritius were from the region of Calcutta and Bangladesh, where it is sympatric with both congeners. No other mongoose is present on any of these islands. In each instance, the introduced population derived from a small propagule. We examined size variation in the maximum diameter of the upper canine tooth (the prey-killing organ) and skull length. In the eastern (allopatric) part of its native range, males of the small Indian mongoose are much larger in both traits than in the western (sympatric) regions, approaching the size of the smaller of its absent two congeners, Herpestes edwardsii. Females from the allopatric part of the range are also larger than those of the source region. The species is more sexually dimorphic in the region of allopatry. On all islands to which it has been introduced, in 100-200 generations the small Indian mongoose has increased in male size and in sexual dimorphism; changes in female size have been slight and inconsistent. In general, sizes of island individuals are approximately intermediate in size between those in the region of origin (where they are sympatric and small) and those in the region of allopatry. Sexual dimorphism is greatest for canine diameter. Thus, H. javanicus shows variation consistent with ecological release from competition with its congeners. There is no evidence on whether this variation is genetic, nor on what dietary items might be partitioned between species and between sexes. However, morphological variation is consistently smaller for both traits and both sexes on the islands of introduction than in any part of the native range, consistent with idea of a genetic bottleneck imposed by the small propagule size. Neither of the two congeneric mongooses shows morphological variation consistent with ecological release from competition with H. javanicus in the southern part of their ranges, where the latter species is absent.
In 1982, house sparrows Passer domesticus were confirmed as having established a naturalized popu... more In 1982, house sparrows Passer domesticus were confirmed as having established a naturalized population on Round Island (Mauritius). A planned pending translocation of an endangered Mauritian endemic bird, Mauritius fody Foudia rubra to Round Island suggested eradication of sparrows to be pertinent as they were potentially a resource competitor and vector of parasites and pathogens. An attempted eradication using a combination of techniques was undertaken from 19 August 2008 to 25 February 2009. Following food preference trials, microwave-sterilized millet seed was used as bait for trapping and for narcotisation with alphachloralose. House sparrows were also shot, caught in mist nets and on glue sticks, and some nests and chicks were removed. In total, 320 house sparrows were killed, with trapping accounting for 87% (277) of birds removed. However, the population was not eradicated. The assumption that the Round Island house sparrow population was derived from one storm-driven event and is closed to further immigrants needs to be investigated in order to determine whether long-term eradication is in fact feasible. Suggestions for improving the prospects for eradication or ongoing management of the population are presented.
This study was conducted over a 7-month period in the southwest of Mauritius and investigates the... more This study was conducted over a 7-month period in the southwest of Mauritius and investigates the diet of the endemic flying fox Pteropus niger and its potential role as pollinator and seed disperser. The identification of food plants and seed dispersal events were made by direct observations of bats or indirectly by the analysis of ejecta found on the ground. P. niger was observed to visit 22 plant species for food of which 20 were visited for fruit, two for floral resources, and one for foliage (one species was visited for both fruit and floral resources). Two thousand thirty-two P. niger fruit ejecta from 16 species were collected containing 2460 seeds. Ejecta from eight of these species (including five endemic to Mauritius) contained seeds, all of which were mature and intact (with one possible exception) and some were germinating. Forty-seven observations were made of the dispersal of seeds in fruit, ejecta and faeces, including seeds from three endemic and one native plant species. All seeds in dispersed ejecta were found to be mature and undamaged by bats. Pollen smears from the lips of six dead and 12 captured bats showed that these animals carried a minimum of 18 pollen species. Each smear had an average of 2.2 pollen species and a pollen load of 17.7 grains. Our results suggest that P. niger plays an important role in maintaining plant diversity in the heavily fragmented landscape of Mauritius.
A new species, Eimeria mauritiensis (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) is reported from the pink pigeon, N... more A new species, Eimeria mauritiensis (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) is reported from the pink pigeon, Nesoenas mayeri (Aves: Columbiformes) in Mauritius. Oocysts are sub-spherical 17.8 × 19.7 (16-19 × 18-22) μm: Shape index (mean length / mean width) 1.1. A micropyle, oocyst residuum and polar granules are absent. Sporocysts are 6.6 × 12.0 (6-7 × 8-14) μm with Stieda and substieda bodies.
The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users ar... more The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record.
Six new species of coccidia are described from endangered Phelsuma spp. geckoes (Sauria: Gekkonid... more Six new species of coccidia are described from endangered Phelsuma spp. geckoes (Sauria: Gekkonidae) endemic to Mauritius, Indian Ocean. Five new species (3 Eimeria and 2 Isospora species) are described from Phelsuma rosagularis Vinson et Vinson; all lack a micropyle and an oocyst residuum, and all have a sporocyst residuum. Oocysts of Eimeria swinnertonae sp.
In the abstract of this paper, the specific name of the new taxon was accidentally misspelled. Th... more In the abstract of this paper, the specific name of the new taxon was accidentally misspelled. The correct spelling of this species is Caryospora durrelli, as given in the body of the paper.
A wide range of biologging devices are now commonly deployed to study the movement ecology of bir... more A wide range of biologging devices are now commonly deployed to study the movement ecology of birds, but deployment of these devices is not without its potential risks and negative impacts on the welfare, behaviour and fitness of tagged individuals. However, empirical evidence for the effects of tags is equivocal. Global location sensing (GLS) loggers are small, light level recording devices that are well suited to studying the large-scale migratory movements of many birds. However, few published studies have examined their impact on adult survival, a key demographic rate for long-lived species, such as seabirds. To address this, we collate a long-term mark-recapture data set in conjunction with a 10-year GLS tagging programme and examine the impact of tarsus-mounted GLS loggers on the adult apparent survival probabilities of a medium-sized tropical gadfly petrel. We found no evidence to indicate that deployment of GLS loggers affected apparent adult survival probabilities either in the short-term, i.e., during deployment, or in the long-term, i.e., from carrying a device at some point in the past. Annual adult apparent survival was estimated at 0.965 (CIs 0.962, 0.968) during 1993-2018. Our findings suggest that using GLS loggers to document the movements of medium-sized gadfly petrels over multiple years is a viable technique without negatively impacting adult survival. This result has potential relevance to movement ecology studies of other ecologically and morphologically similar seabirds through GLS logger deployments.
The original publication of this article was published with an old version of Additional file 1 d... more The original publication of this article was published with an old version of Additional file 1 due to an error in the publication process. This old version did not contain Additional file 1: Table S8. The updated additional file is available via this correction article, the original article has also been updated. The publisher apologizes to the authors and readers for the inconvenience.
Background In migratory species, the extent of within- and between-individual variation in migrat... more Background In migratory species, the extent of within- and between-individual variation in migratory strategies can influence potential rates and directions of responses to environmental changes. Quantifying this variation requires tracking of many individuals on repeated migratory journeys. At temperate and higher latitudes, low levels of within-individual variation in migratory behaviours are common and may reflect repeated use of predictable resources in these seasonally-structured environments. However, variation in migratory behaviours in the tropics, where seasonal predictability of food resources can be weaker, remains largely unknown. Methods Round Island petrels (Pterodroma sp.) are tropical, pelagic seabirds that breed all year round and perform long-distance migrations. Using multi-year geolocator tracking data from 62 individuals between 2009 and 2018, we quantify levels of within- and between-individual variation in non-breeding distributions and timings. Results We fou...
A light-phase Round Island Petrel (#5H09320), ringed as a chick on Round Island on 12 December 19... more A light-phase Round Island Petrel (#5H09320), ringed as a chick on Round Island on 12 December 1995, was recaptured in southern India on 21 February 1996. It had apparently been blown inland by strong wings, and had travelled more than 4,000 km. Recovery details were supplied by the Avian Demography Unit (‘SAFRING’), University of Cape Town, South Africa, and they indicated that the bird was ‘found exhausted, sick or injured; blown inland by gale-force winds’. This record was first published 28 years later in Jones et al. (2013). The apparent unlikely occurrence of P. arminjoniana had resulted in this record being listed as doubtful for India (Kazmierczak 2009), and hypothetical for South Asia (Rasmussen & Anderton 2012), the latter referring to an unpublished report from southern India. In a recent review of pelagic rarities from India, Praveen et al. A ringed Pterodroma petrel was reported from southern India on 21 February 1996, by V. S. Vijayan, then the Director of the Salim Al...
Background: Flying foxes (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) are large bats that often roost in the sun, h... more Background: Flying foxes (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) are large bats that often roost in the sun, hence solar-powered GPS/GSM devices can track their movements over extended periods. The endemic Mauritian flying fox (Pteropus niger) has recently been subjected to large-scale culling because of perceived damage to commercial fruit, and a consequent reduction in numbers of > 50% since 2015 resulted in its IUCN Red List Status being up-listed to Endangered. Determining its movements will be important for management and conservation, for understanding potential responses to environmental change, and for understanding population admixture. Methods: Twelve bats were tagged with solar-powered GPS/GSM devices in 2014-2016. Tags remained active for up to almost a year (maximum 359 days: average 139 days (males) and 93 days (females)), providing some of the longest-term data on the movement ecology of bats yet obtained. Eight bats were probably hunted illegally, highlighting the scale of unauthorised persecution. Results: Males travelled on average 9 km each night, females 6 km. The nightly distance covered by adults of both sexes was higher in winter than in summer, though the opposite pattern occurred for immature males. These differences are probably related to seasonal changes in fruit availability (adults) and to dispersal by immature males. The maximum distance covered during one night was > 92 km. Home ranges of males averaged 74,633 ha, females 31,072 ha. Core foraging areas averaged 2222 ha for males, 1364 ha for females. Fifty roosts were identified, mainly in forest fragments. As the bats disperse seeds of native plants that form forest canopies, conservation of the bats will potentially maintain and enhance native forest cover, in turn providing roosting sites for the bats. Conclusions: Solar-powered GSM tagging provides unprecedented potential for understanding the movement ecology of flying foxes. Mauritian flying foxes often move between the few remnant native forest fragments, which remain important for their conservation, and have potentially important roles in seed dispersal. Their nomadic movement fits with their panmictic genetic structure. Although their ability for long distance movements, sometimes over short timescales, permits rapid responses to local threats and environmental change, being restricted to Mauritius renders the bats extremely vulnerable to intense culling.
The endemic Mauritian flying fox Pteropus niger is perceived to be a major fruit pest. Lobbying o... more The endemic Mauritian flying fox Pteropus niger is perceived to be a major fruit pest. Lobbying of the Government of Mauritius by fruit growers to control the flying fox population resulted in national culls in 2015 and 2016, with a further cull scheduled for 2018. A loss of c. 38,318 individuals has been reported and the species is now categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. However, until now there were no robust data available on damage to orchards caused by bats. During October 2015–February 2016 we monitored four major lychee Litchi chinensis and one mango (Mangifera spp.) orchard, and also assessed 10 individual longan Dimocarpus longan trees. Bats and introduced birds caused major damage to fruit, with 7–76% fruit loss (including natural fall and losses from fungal damage) per tree. Bats caused more damage to taller lychee trees (> 6 m high) than to smaller ones, whereas bird damage was independent of tree height. Bats damaged more fruit than birds in tall lychee t...
The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users ar... more The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record.
Tropical cyclones are renowned for their destructive nature and are an important feature of marin... more Tropical cyclones are renowned for their destructive nature and are an important feature of marine and coastal tropical ecosystems. Over the last 40 years, their intensity, frequency and tracks have changed, partly in response to ocean warming, and future predictions indicate that these trends are likely to continue with potential consequences for human populations and coastal ecosystems. However, our understanding of how tropical cyclones currently affect marine biodiversity, and pelagic species in particular, is limited. For seabirds, the impacts of cyclones are known to be detrimental at breeding colonies, but impacts on the annual survival of pelagic adults and juveniles remain largely unexplored and no study has simultaneously explored the direct impacts of cyclones on different life-history stages across the annual life cycle. We used a 20-year data set on tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean, tracking data from 122 Round Island petrels and long-term capture-mark-recapture da...
Biosketch Jamie Copsey has over 15 years training experience in the field of biodiversity conserv... more Biosketch Jamie Copsey has over 15 years training experience in the field of biodiversity conservation. His research interests include natural resource use and invasive species management.
*Methods for maximum likelihood estimates of heterozygosity and data on a further 225 individuals... more *Methods for maximum likelihood estimates of heterozygosity and data on a further 225 individuals (including methods and genotypes for all populations) are available at http://www.qmw.ac.uk/~ugbt112/programs/Mauritius_kestrel/ †Significantly different from restored Mauritius population (Edwards likelihood ratio criterion, P<0.01).
In the abstract of this paper, the specific name of the new taxon was accidentally misspelled. Th... more In the abstract of this paper, the specific name of the new taxon was accidentally misspelled. The correct spelling of this species is Caryospora durrelli, as given in the body of the paper.
In western parts of its native range, the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) is sympatri... more In western parts of its native range, the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) is sympatric with one or both of two slightly larger congeners. In the eastern part of its range, these species are absent. The small Indian mongoose was introduced, about a century ago, to the West Indies, the Hawaiian islands, Mauritius, the Fijian islands, and Okinawa. All introductions except possibly that to Mauritius were from the region of Calcutta and Bangladesh, where it is sympatric with both congeners. No other mongoose is present on any of these islands. In each instance, the introduced population derived from a small propagule. We examined size variation in the maximum diameter of the upper canine tooth (the prey-killing organ) and skull length. In the eastern (allopatric) part of its native range, males of the small Indian mongoose are much larger in both traits than in the western (sympatric) regions, approaching the size of the smaller of its absent two congeners, Herpestes edwardsii. Females from the allopatric part of the range are also larger than those of the source region. The species is more sexually dimorphic in the region of allopatry. On all islands to which it has been introduced, in 100-200 generations the small Indian mongoose has increased in male size and in sexual dimorphism; changes in female size have been slight and inconsistent. In general, sizes of island individuals are approximately intermediate in size between those in the region of origin (where they are sympatric and small) and those in the region of allopatry. Sexual dimorphism is greatest for canine diameter. Thus, H. javanicus shows variation consistent with ecological release from competition with its congeners. There is no evidence on whether this variation is genetic, nor on what dietary items might be partitioned between species and between sexes. However, morphological variation is consistently smaller for both traits and both sexes on the islands of introduction than in any part of the native range, consistent with idea of a genetic bottleneck imposed by the small propagule size. Neither of the two congeneric mongooses shows morphological variation consistent with ecological release from competition with H. javanicus in the southern part of their ranges, where the latter species is absent.
In 1982, house sparrows Passer domesticus were confirmed as having established a naturalized popu... more In 1982, house sparrows Passer domesticus were confirmed as having established a naturalized population on Round Island (Mauritius). A planned pending translocation of an endangered Mauritian endemic bird, Mauritius fody Foudia rubra to Round Island suggested eradication of sparrows to be pertinent as they were potentially a resource competitor and vector of parasites and pathogens. An attempted eradication using a combination of techniques was undertaken from 19 August 2008 to 25 February 2009. Following food preference trials, microwave-sterilized millet seed was used as bait for trapping and for narcotisation with alphachloralose. House sparrows were also shot, caught in mist nets and on glue sticks, and some nests and chicks were removed. In total, 320 house sparrows were killed, with trapping accounting for 87% (277) of birds removed. However, the population was not eradicated. The assumption that the Round Island house sparrow population was derived from one storm-driven event and is closed to further immigrants needs to be investigated in order to determine whether long-term eradication is in fact feasible. Suggestions for improving the prospects for eradication or ongoing management of the population are presented.
This study was conducted over a 7-month period in the southwest of Mauritius and investigates the... more This study was conducted over a 7-month period in the southwest of Mauritius and investigates the diet of the endemic flying fox Pteropus niger and its potential role as pollinator and seed disperser. The identification of food plants and seed dispersal events were made by direct observations of bats or indirectly by the analysis of ejecta found on the ground. P. niger was observed to visit 22 plant species for food of which 20 were visited for fruit, two for floral resources, and one for foliage (one species was visited for both fruit and floral resources). Two thousand thirty-two P. niger fruit ejecta from 16 species were collected containing 2460 seeds. Ejecta from eight of these species (including five endemic to Mauritius) contained seeds, all of which were mature and intact (with one possible exception) and some were germinating. Forty-seven observations were made of the dispersal of seeds in fruit, ejecta and faeces, including seeds from three endemic and one native plant species. All seeds in dispersed ejecta were found to be mature and undamaged by bats. Pollen smears from the lips of six dead and 12 captured bats showed that these animals carried a minimum of 18 pollen species. Each smear had an average of 2.2 pollen species and a pollen load of 17.7 grains. Our results suggest that P. niger plays an important role in maintaining plant diversity in the heavily fragmented landscape of Mauritius.
A new species, Eimeria mauritiensis (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) is reported from the pink pigeon, N... more A new species, Eimeria mauritiensis (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) is reported from the pink pigeon, Nesoenas mayeri (Aves: Columbiformes) in Mauritius. Oocysts are sub-spherical 17.8 × 19.7 (16-19 × 18-22) μm: Shape index (mean length / mean width) 1.1. A micropyle, oocyst residuum and polar granules are absent. Sporocysts are 6.6 × 12.0 (6-7 × 8-14) μm with Stieda and substieda bodies.
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