Corncrake Crex crex census estimates: a conservation application of vocal individuality.—Vocal in... more Corncrake Crex crex census estimates: a conservation application of vocal individuality.—Vocal individuality could be used to estimate numbers of individuals in species otherwise difficult to monitor. However, the usefulness of this technique in providing conservation information is little studied. The vocalisations of the Corncrake show a high level of individual distinctiveness. This fact was used to examine current counting methods and estimate movement patterns within one breeding season. Information on individual identity gained from vocalisations increased census estimates by 20-30% and showed that male Corncrakes called less frequently than previous studies had suggested. Males moved greater distances in areas with lower availability of suitable habitat. The conservation implications of these results are discussed.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2021
A key goal of conservation is to protect biodiversity by supporting the long-term persistence of ... more A key goal of conservation is to protect biodiversity by supporting the long-term persistence of viable, natural populations of wild species. Conservation practice has long been guided by genetic, ecological and demographic indicators of risk. Emerging evidence of animal culture across diverse taxa and its role as a driver of evolutionary diversification, population structure and demographic processes may be essential for augmenting these conventional conservation approaches and decision-making. Animal culture was the focus of a ground-breaking resolution under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), an international treaty operating under the UN Environment Programme. Here, we synthesize existing evidence to demonstrate how social learning and animal culture interact with processes important to conservation management. Specifically, we explore how social learning might influence population viability and be an important resource in response to ...
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 2020
Reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) are one of the ocean's largest and most charismatic species.... more Reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) are one of the ocean's largest and most charismatic species. Pressure from targeted and bycatch fisheries coupled with their conservative life‐history traits including slow growth, late maturity, and low fecundity has led to catastrophic declines of the global population. The species is now listed as Vulnerable to Extinction on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The global M. alfredi population is widely distributed in highly fragmented subpopulations. The Maldives supports the world's largest known subpopulation that undergoes seasonal migrations which are thought to be linked to peaks in ocean productivity induced by the South Asian Monsoon. Although the species is protected from targeted fisheries in the region, increasing pressures from habitat degradation and unsustainable tourism activities mean their effective conservation relies upon knowledge of the species' habitat use, seasonal distribution, and the environmental influences o...
Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society, Jun 29, 2016
The ecological impact of night-time lighting is of concern because of its well-demonstrated effec... more The ecological impact of night-time lighting is of concern because of its well-demonstrated effects on animal behaviour. However, the potential of light pollution to change plant phenology and its corresponding knock-on effects on associated herbivores are less clear. Here, we test if artificial lighting can advance the timing of budburst in trees. We took a UK-wide 13 year dataset of spatially referenced budburst data from four deciduous tree species and matched it with both satellite imagery of night-time lighting and average spring temperature. We find that budburst occurs up to 7.5 days earlier in brighter areas, with the relationship being more pronounced for later-budding species. Excluding large urban areas from the analysis showed an even more pronounced advance of budburst, confirming that the urban 'heat-island' effect is not the sole cause of earlier urban budburst. Similarly, the advance in budburst across all sites is too large to be explained by increases in te...
relationship between the acoustic behaviour and surface activity of killer whales (Orcinus orca) ... more relationship between the acoustic behaviour and surface activity of killer whales (Orcinus orca) that feed on herring (Clupea harengus)
Male Uca tangeri place mudballs in the area surrounding their burrows each low tide to delineate ... more Male Uca tangeri place mudballs in the area surrounding their burrows each low tide to delineate territory boundaries. We investigated the sequence of mudball placement by noting the distance at which each mudball was placed and its location in one of eight sectors around the burrow. Ten of the 13 focal males placed their mudballs in a pattern that was significantly different from random. No relationship was found between mudball distance from burrow and order of placement in the mudball sequence. However, most males placed each mudball in the same or a nearby sector to that of the previous mudball.
Page 1. Animal Communication Networks Edited by Peter McGregor CAMBRIDGE Page 2. Page 3. Page 4. ... more Page 1. Animal Communication Networks Edited by Peter McGregor CAMBRIDGE Page 2. Page 3. Page 4. Page 5. Animal Communication Networks Most animal communication has evolved and now takes place in the context ...
Communication in the natural environment often involves more than a simple sender-receiver dyad b... more Communication in the natural environment often involves more than a simple sender-receiver dyad because signals may be detected by more than one individual (i.e. communication occurs in networks). The presence of individuals other than those involved in the signalling interaction has been shown to change signallers' behaviour. Previous experiments have shown that intra-sexual communication of male fighting fish (Betta splendens) is affected by the presence of a female but not by a male conspecific. However the experimental design did not allow the effect of the sex of the audience to be compared. We used an experimental design that allowed direct investigation of the effect of the sex of an audience on male-male fighting fish interactions. Our results show that the sex of a conspecific audience influences male-male aggressive displays. When a male audience was present subjects attempted significantly more bites and spent less time near the opponent than with a female audience. The results of this experiment support the view that the presence and sex of an audience is important in determining how individuals should display during an interaction.
Corncrake Crex crex census estimates: a conservation application of vocal individuality.—Vocal in... more Corncrake Crex crex census estimates: a conservation application of vocal individuality.—Vocal individuality could be used to estimate numbers of individuals in species otherwise difficult to monitor. However, the usefulness of this technique in providing conservation information is little studied. The vocalisations of the Corncrake show a high level of individual distinctiveness. This fact was used to examine current counting methods and estimate movement patterns within one breeding season. Information on individual identity gained from vocalisations increased census estimates by 20-30% and showed that male Corncrakes called less frequently than previous studies had suggested. Males moved greater distances in areas with lower availability of suitable habitat. The conservation implications of these results are discussed.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2021
A key goal of conservation is to protect biodiversity by supporting the long-term persistence of ... more A key goal of conservation is to protect biodiversity by supporting the long-term persistence of viable, natural populations of wild species. Conservation practice has long been guided by genetic, ecological and demographic indicators of risk. Emerging evidence of animal culture across diverse taxa and its role as a driver of evolutionary diversification, population structure and demographic processes may be essential for augmenting these conventional conservation approaches and decision-making. Animal culture was the focus of a ground-breaking resolution under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), an international treaty operating under the UN Environment Programme. Here, we synthesize existing evidence to demonstrate how social learning and animal culture interact with processes important to conservation management. Specifically, we explore how social learning might influence population viability and be an important resource in response to ...
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 2020
Reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) are one of the ocean's largest and most charismatic species.... more Reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) are one of the ocean's largest and most charismatic species. Pressure from targeted and bycatch fisheries coupled with their conservative life‐history traits including slow growth, late maturity, and low fecundity has led to catastrophic declines of the global population. The species is now listed as Vulnerable to Extinction on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The global M. alfredi population is widely distributed in highly fragmented subpopulations. The Maldives supports the world's largest known subpopulation that undergoes seasonal migrations which are thought to be linked to peaks in ocean productivity induced by the South Asian Monsoon. Although the species is protected from targeted fisheries in the region, increasing pressures from habitat degradation and unsustainable tourism activities mean their effective conservation relies upon knowledge of the species' habitat use, seasonal distribution, and the environmental influences o...
Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society, Jun 29, 2016
The ecological impact of night-time lighting is of concern because of its well-demonstrated effec... more The ecological impact of night-time lighting is of concern because of its well-demonstrated effects on animal behaviour. However, the potential of light pollution to change plant phenology and its corresponding knock-on effects on associated herbivores are less clear. Here, we test if artificial lighting can advance the timing of budburst in trees. We took a UK-wide 13 year dataset of spatially referenced budburst data from four deciduous tree species and matched it with both satellite imagery of night-time lighting and average spring temperature. We find that budburst occurs up to 7.5 days earlier in brighter areas, with the relationship being more pronounced for later-budding species. Excluding large urban areas from the analysis showed an even more pronounced advance of budburst, confirming that the urban 'heat-island' effect is not the sole cause of earlier urban budburst. Similarly, the advance in budburst across all sites is too large to be explained by increases in te...
relationship between the acoustic behaviour and surface activity of killer whales (Orcinus orca) ... more relationship between the acoustic behaviour and surface activity of killer whales (Orcinus orca) that feed on herring (Clupea harengus)
Male Uca tangeri place mudballs in the area surrounding their burrows each low tide to delineate ... more Male Uca tangeri place mudballs in the area surrounding their burrows each low tide to delineate territory boundaries. We investigated the sequence of mudball placement by noting the distance at which each mudball was placed and its location in one of eight sectors around the burrow. Ten of the 13 focal males placed their mudballs in a pattern that was significantly different from random. No relationship was found between mudball distance from burrow and order of placement in the mudball sequence. However, most males placed each mudball in the same or a nearby sector to that of the previous mudball.
Page 1. Animal Communication Networks Edited by Peter McGregor CAMBRIDGE Page 2. Page 3. Page 4. ... more Page 1. Animal Communication Networks Edited by Peter McGregor CAMBRIDGE Page 2. Page 3. Page 4. Page 5. Animal Communication Networks Most animal communication has evolved and now takes place in the context ...
Communication in the natural environment often involves more than a simple sender-receiver dyad b... more Communication in the natural environment often involves more than a simple sender-receiver dyad because signals may be detected by more than one individual (i.e. communication occurs in networks). The presence of individuals other than those involved in the signalling interaction has been shown to change signallers' behaviour. Previous experiments have shown that intra-sexual communication of male fighting fish (Betta splendens) is affected by the presence of a female but not by a male conspecific. However the experimental design did not allow the effect of the sex of the audience to be compared. We used an experimental design that allowed direct investigation of the effect of the sex of an audience on male-male fighting fish interactions. Our results show that the sex of a conspecific audience influences male-male aggressive displays. When a male audience was present subjects attempted significantly more bites and spent less time near the opponent than with a female audience. The results of this experiment support the view that the presence and sex of an audience is important in determining how individuals should display during an interaction.
Uploads
Papers by Peter McGregor