Cetacean skin microbiome samples are traditionally collected by swabbing the skin of captured animals or using skin tissue from remote biopsies. The effects of different sampling methods are not well understood, and factors such as swab type and storage methods may affect the microbiome. The objective of this study was to determine if samples collected by swabbing biopsied skin from bottlenose dolphins yield sufficient microbi...

Theory suggests that large social groups of carnivores should be unsustainable, due to reduced foraging efficiency because of overlapping perception radii. Using Serengeti lions as a case study, we apply behaviourally based foraging models to show that fragmentation of social groups into smaller subgroups or mutual cooperation during hunting are both plausible hypothetical mechanisms capable of sustaining larger lion prides. D...

Aim To determine which riverine invertebrate traits respond consistently to anthropogenic impacts across multiple biogeographic regions. Location Europe. Time Period 1981–2021. Major Taxa Studied Riverine invertebrates. Methods We compiled a database of riverine invertebrate community time series for 673 sites across six European countries spanning six freshwater ecoregions. We compared trait responses to anthropogenic impacts...

Aim Identifying the maximum coral cover that a coral community can sustain (i.e., its ‘upper limit’) is important for predicting community dynamics and improving management strategies. Here, we quantify the relationship between estimated upper limits and key environmental factors on coral reefs: hard substrate availability, temperature and water clarity. Location Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia (over 1400 km). Time Period...

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a common cause of infertility in women, characterised by amenorrhea and elevated FSH under the age of 40 years. In some cases, POI is syndromic in association with other features such as sensorineural hearing loss in Perrault syndrome. POI is a heterogeneous disease with over 80 causative genes known so far; however, these explain only a minority of cases. Using whole-exome sequencing (...

With ongoing introductions into Australia since the 1700s, the European rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) has become one of the most widely distributed and abundant vertebrate pests, adversely impacting Australia's biodiversity and agroeconomy. To understand the population and range dynamics of the species and its impacts better, occurrence and abundance data have been collected by researchers and citizens from sites covering a...

Aim Tropical forests store 25% of global carbon and harbour 96% of the world's tree species, but it is not clear whether this high biodiversity matters for carbon storage. Few studies have teased apart the relative importance of forest attributes and environmental drivers for ecosystem functioning, and no such study exists for the tropics. Location Neotropics. Methods We relate aboveground biomass ( AGB ) to forest attributes...

R abbit H aemorrhagic D isease V irus ( RHDV ) was introduced into A ustralia in 1995 as a biological control agent against the wild E uropean rabbit ( O ryctolagus cuniculus ). We evaluated its evolution over a 16‐year period (1995–2011) by examining 50 isolates collected throughout A ustralia, as well as the original inoculum strains. Phylogenetic analysis of capsid protein VP 60 sequences of the A ustralian isolates, compar...

Packer et al . reported that fenced lion populations attain densities closer to carrying capacity than unfenced populations. However, fenced populations are often maintained above carrying capacity, and most are small. Many more lions are conserved per dollar invested in unfenced ecosystems, which avoid the ecological and economic costs of fencing.