The application of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) has accelerated the discovery of novel viruses and the genome sequencing of poorly characterised viruses in fruit crops, revealing a greater complexity of plant viromes than previously understood. Here, we report the identification and genomic characterisation of a novel emaravirus, tentatively named "citrus emaravirus 1" (CiEV1), from Citrus limon leaves collected in the Nor...

Leopard seals ( Hydrurga leptonyx ) occur mainly south of the Antarctic Polar Front, but immatures, in particular, seasonally move beyond this range during the austral winter and spring, typically under increased sea ice conditions. Extralimital occurrences of leopard seals can be observed at several sub-Antarctic islands where they haul out to rest. We present new records of leopard seal sightings at Marion Island, southern I...

In this study, the prevalence and genome diversity of apple stem pitting virus (ASPV) in commercial pear orchards in South Africa were investigated. Leaves were collected from trees in two geographically distinct regions, representing six different pear cultivars covering 12 orchards. Total RNA was extracted and assayed for ASPV using RT-PCR. A subset of 18 samples was subjected to high-throughput sequencing (HTS) for a more d...

The first year of life is critical for large mammals to acquire foraging and predator avoidance skills. Southern elephant seal ( Mirounga leonina ) pups wean at approximately three weeks of age and depart on their first foraging trips in midsummer, typically remaining at sea for three to four months before returning to their natal islands. We describe the foraging trips ( n = 29) of 16 underyearling southern elephant seals fro...

Recent pup population estimates of sympatric Subantarctic ( Arctocephalus tropicalis ) and Antarctic fur seals ( A. gazella ) at Marion Island are presented. Published pup population estimates of A. tropicalis (1995 and 2004) with an unpublished total island count in 2013, and annual counts on subsets of rookeries (2007–2015) were analyzed using a hierarchical Bayesian model. The pup population declined by 46% (95% credible in...