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Paper of the Week Archive
21
Shiffman, D.S. (2012), “Twitter as a tool for conservation education and outreach: what scientific conferences can do to promote live-tweeting”, Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Vol. 2 No. 3, pp. 257–262.
23/06/2022
After an extended period of time I'm back with more recommendations. This week I'm recommending Shiffman, D.S. (2012), “Twitter as a tool for conservation education and outreach: what scientific conferences can do to promote live-tweeting”, Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Vol. 2 No. 3, pp. 257–262.
I felt this was an appropriate paper as I was sitting working away with twitter open in a window keeping an eye on the updates coming through from the BIAZA annual conference last week. Shiffman talks through how important it is for us to remember that it is all well and good for us, as researchers to meet at conferences to discuss conservation, but it is also just as important to share what is discussed at these events with the public.
Making use of social media gives us an easy to use and available platform to share what's going on in real time. The perfect example of that is using live updates on Twitter. Anyone in the audience can create a twitter account and have it ready on their phone while listening to speakers and presentations. With planning on behalf on the organising committee there can be live tweets from the main account which can be replied to, creating threads that permanently record the goings on for both those present and those who couldn't make it.
One important thing that must be kept in mind here however is the language and terminology used when sharing anything to the public. Many scientists have now created twitter accounts to share their research to peers and the public in an easy manner. However, some are better than others at making their accounts approachable and easy to understand, even enjoyable to keep up to date with.
Overall, Twitter and other social media are a valuable tool and asset for us as researchers that we need to adapt to using more often and in different settings.
20
Zhang, C., Juniper, D.T. and Meagher, R.K. (2021), “Effects of physical enrichment items and social housing on calves’ growth, behaviour and response to novelty”, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Vol. 237, p. 105295.
26/05/2022
This time around, I'd like to recommend a research paper looking at enrichment outside my primary field of captive animals in zoos. Zhang, C., Juniper, D.T. and Meagher, R.K. (2021), “Effects of physical enrichment items and social housing on calves’ growth, behaviour and response to novelty”, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Vol. 237, p. 105295.
Through this project, Zhang and their colleagues examine the influence enrichment and social housing can have on the rearing of calves. In this study, calves were housed in groups to test whether this would influence their growth. Calves were also provided with enrichment in the form of brushes, plastic chains, teats and hay-nets.
Results seemed to indicate that while the social housing had little to no influence on the growth rates of calves, the enrichment provided did seem to have a positive influence on the growth of the calves. Plenty of studies have shown provision of enrichment to animals can help reduce stress by providing an outlet to the animals for excess energy and allowing them to engage in naturalistic behaviours. Allowing calves to feed from hay-nets seemed to improve their intake of roughage in their diet and thereby improve their weight gain.
The reason I am recommending this paper is because it shows that concepts used in zoo research can successfully be applied in other settings to the benefit of both animals and humans. Improving weight gain and growth of calves using simple methods such as the enrichment objects tested in this study can provide economical advantages to the farms implementing enrichment techniques.
19
Rovero, F., Zimmermann, F., Bersi, D. and Meek, P. (2013), “‘Which camera trap type and how many do I need?’ A review of camera features and study designs for a range of wildlife research applications”, Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy, Vol. 24 (2), pp. 148–156.
13/05/2022
For this weeks recommendation, I'm sharing a thorough review of camera trapping types and the techniques they are used for. Rovero, F., Zimmermann, F., Bersi, D. and Meek, P. (2013), “‘Which camera trap type and how many do I need?’ A review of camera features and study designs for a range of wildlife research applications”, Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy, Vol. 24 (2), pp. 148–156.
I found this quite useful as an introduction to camera trapping as I had never previously used or been taught how to use camera traps. The authors give a clear breakdown of the types of cameras that are commonly used and how they work. They show how the technology has progressed since it first became a popular method for research projects.
In one of the most useful sections, the authors go through the specifications of cameras that should be considered when designing a project and the limitations that cameras have. For example, when using photos for identification purposes it's important to consider the clarity of the images produced and whether the camera's bulb will be LED or infrared to provide colour in the phots.
The authors clearly go through the pros and cons of using trap camera in many of the popular study types where they are deployed such as capture-mark recapture, detection or count studies and occupancy studies. Overall, the study provides a fantastic introduction to camera trapping usage and is a must read for anyone considering using the technique in their research.
18
Quadros, S., Goulart, V.D.L., Passos, L., Vecci, M.A.M. and Young, R.J. (2014), “Zoo visitor effect on mammal behaviour: Does noise matter?”, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Vol. 156, pp. 78–84.
26/04/2022
I'm going to encourage you to go and read Quadros, S., Goulart, V.D.L., Passos, L., Vecci, M.A.M. and Young, R.J. (2014), “Zoo visitor effect on mammal behaviour: Does noise matter?”, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Vol. 156, pp. 78–84 this week.
I enjoyed this paper as the authors highlighted an area of study that has been under-represented in the literature regarding zoo animal research and animal welfare measures. So many researchers have focused on the effects of visitors on zoo animals over the past decade and our understanding of how visitors can impact animals differently has expanded exponentially.
This doesn't mean that we have a complete understanding. Realistically, what we do know is a drop in an ocean of the unknown. This paper dives into part of that by exploring how noise levels in a zoo may also impact on animal's welfare. This is something I'll be investigating in respect to cheetahs where I'll be trying to establish if the numbers of visitors present or the noise level produced has a higher impact on the cheetah's behaviour.
Quadros et al. begin to explore this in their paper by examining the effect of noise levels on twelve different species in captive settings. While the results of their study had low levels of response from animal's to the noise produced this does not necessarily mean this area of research should not be further explored.
As has been seen from other visitor research, animal's may have species- and even individual-specific reactions to visitor effects and the same may be true for noise levels. The only way to quantify this and to understand how this can be used to better manage captive animals is to do more research!
17
Baker, K. and Pullen, P.K. (2013), “The Impact of housing and husbandry on the personality of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)”, Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research, Vol. 1(1), pp. 35–40.
21/04/2022
This week's paper that I'm recommending is Baker, K. and Pullen, P.K. (2013), “The Impact of housing and husbandry on the personality of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)”, Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research, Vol. 1(1), pp. 35–40.
Baker and Pullen dive into the reasoning behind why researching personality in the zoo setting is an important field worth expanding, while conducting their own research on cheetah personality in captivity. Since I will also be looking into the effects of cheetah personality on captive animals this paper is a perfect reference point as to how this research can impact management strategies.
This paper shows that combining the novel object test with personality questionnaires can successfully provide accurate personality types, which when assigned to individuals can be employed for analysing individual factors of an animal's environment such as their age, proximity to visitors, relationships with keepers etc.
From the study, animals shown to have a dominant personality designation were to shown to be significantly impacted by housing conditions, gender and management strategies. The researchers did not make any recommendations for management practices but did strongly recommend that further research into the relationship between personality and breeding success could lead to improving the success rate in breeding programmes with difficult to breed species such as cheetah.
16
Damasceno, J., Genaro, G., Quirke, T., McCarthy, S., McKeown, S. and O’Riordan, R. (2017), “The effects of intrinsic enrichment on captive felids”, Zoo Biology, Vol. 36 No. 3, pp. 186–192.
14/04/22
This week I'm sharing a fellow cheetah researcher's paper, Damasceno, J., Genaro, G., Quirke, T., McCarthy, S., McKeown, S. and O’Riordan, R. (2017), “The effects of intrinsic enrichment on captive felids”, Zoo Biology, Vol. 36 No. 3, pp. 186–192. This research was conducted in Fota Wildlife Park with some of the same individuals I'll be working with.
Damasceno's research looked into the impact of olfactory enrichment techniques on cheetahs and tigers housed in Fota. The research results showed that by using relatively simple enrichment items such as hay ball sprayed with different scents such as cinnamon and catnip can lead to a measurably significant change in the animal's behaviour.
The results from this paper showed that using these enrichment devices reduced the instances of pacing behaviour which is considered an abnormal or stereotypic behaviour in felid species, namely, a bad thing. By seeing a decrease in these behaviours, there is an indication that the addition of the hay balls had a positive impact on the welfare of the animals and is something that could be implemented in other zoos and parks to help improve felid species' quality of life.
I also like this paper because it shows that having some imagination and thinking a little bit outside of the box can lead to significant results. Hay balls provide an easy option for keepers as they can be put together quickly, cheaply, and can be given to the animals easily by simply throwing them over a fence. When we are required to create new enrichment objects it's important to use a little imagination and not be afraid to experiment.
15
Alston, J.M., Maitland, B.M., Brito, B.T., Esmaeili, S., Ford, A.T., Hays, B., Jesmer, B.R., et al. (2019), “Reciprocity in restoration ecology: When might large carnivore reintroduction restore ecosystems?”, Biological Conservation, Vol. 234, pp. 82–89.
06/04/2022
This week I'd like to recommend Alston, J.M., Maitland, B.M., Brito, B.T., Esmaeili, S., Ford, A.T., Hays, B., Jesmer, B.R., et al. (2019), “Reciprocity in restoration ecology: When might large carnivore reintroduction restore ecosystems?”, Biological Conservation, Vol. 234, pp. 82–89.
In this paper the researchers dive into an assumption made by many biologists and conservationists and examine the accuracy of the belief. Namely, the assumption is that the removal or reintroduction of apex predators to a habitat causes a trophic cascade whereby all other organisms within the habitat feel the effect of the absence/presence of the predators.
Alston et al. do a thorough review of studies looking at the effects of reintroduction or removal of apex predators and are able to show that in most cases, the effect can be more minimal than might be expected. This may be due to an over-simplification of trophic relationships by researchers and investigators.
This review reminds us how complicated the real-life situation is for wild habitats and when planning for conservation efforts we must take an overall view of the situation. Simply assuming that a predator or any element of a habitat will have cascade effect upon it's removal or introduction could lead to unexpected results. When planning management strategies we must do thorough investigations into the relationships and ensure there is a deeper understanding of a specific habitat and the relationships it contains, rather than relying on assumptions held from long-term beliefs or other studies.
14
Jule, K.R., Leaver, L.A. and Lea, S.E.G. (2008), “The effects of captive experience on reintroduction survival in carnivores: A review and analysis”, Biological Conservation, Vol. 141 No. 2, pp. 355–363.
28/03/2022
I'd like to suggest the following this week, Jule, K.R., Leaver, L.A. and Lea, S.E.G. (2008), “The effects of captive experience on reintroduction survival in carnivores: A review and analysis”, Biological Conservation, Vol. 141 No. 2, pp. 355–363. I found this paper really helpful as it clearly defines the differences in translocation projects versus re-introduction projects.
Both translocation and re-introduction projects have become more common techniques being used for the conservation and management of wild species populations. The basic concept behind the techniques is that by moving or introducing a species to an area where the population is struggling or has already gone extinct the population can be bolstered or re-established to fill the niche in their habitat.
The main differentiation between the two techniques comes from where the animals are sourced. Translocations are defined as the movement of wild-caught animals from one area they reside in to another while re-introductions are usually bringing captive-born animals to an area where the species has locally gone extinct and tryin to re-establish a population.
Jule et al. cover much more than the basics in their paper, looking at the factors that make an introduction successful, the difference in successes between wild-caught and captive-bred population founders. Reading this paper is vital for any researcher getting involved in these kinds of projects as it will provide a solid foundation for understanding and building up a successful project.
13
Harvey, R.G. (2020), “Towards a cost-benefit analysis of South Africa’s captive predator breeding industry”, Global Ecology and Conservation, Vol. 23, p. e01157.
07/03/2022
I'd like to recommend the following paper, Harvey, R.G. (2020), “Towards a cost-benefit analysis of South Africa’s captive predator breeding industry”, Global Ecology and Conservation, Vol. 23, p. e01157.
I'm recommending this as the author digs into the rather thorny question of how valuable are predator breeding "sanctuaries" in Africa. Some of these organisations make claims, which lead to significant debate, that they provide a valuable contribution to conservation efforts by safely breeding predators, such as lions, in captivity. These centers advertise their activities as methods of funneling finances into conservation efforts to attract eco-tourists.
These tourists provide significant income to the centers which offer experiences of handling cubs, taking photos, etc. These centers may also collect income from volunteers, who engage with these locations seeking to make a difference.
This paper quantifies the actual financial benefits of these centers to conservation efforts in Africa as well as investigating whether the centers could be used more efficiently to protect species. I've recommended it as it is important for conservation scientists to look at these uncomfortable questions and find ways of addressing them in a manner which lays out the facts clearly, and also investigates such questionable practices in a professional and objective manner.
12
Cross, S.L., Cross, A.T., Tomlinson, S., Clark-Ioannou, S.M., Nevill, P.G. and Bateman, P.W. (2021), “Mitigation and management plans should consider all anthropogenic disturbances to fauna”, Global Ecology and Conservation, Vol. 26, p. e01500.
24/02/2022
I'd like to recommend the following this week: Cross, S.L., Cross, A.T., Tomlinson, S., Clark-Ioannou, S.M., Nevill, P.G. and Bateman, P.W. (2021), “Mitigation and management plans should consider all anthropogenic disturbances to fauna”, Global Ecology and Conservation, Vol. 26, p. e01500.
I find this paper important because it shines a light on areas of research which can be easily overlooked by people both within the conservation research community and outside of it. When considering the impacts which humans have on our environment, people tend to think on the macro scale and pay attention to the more news-worthy and "popular" talking points such as deforestation, greenhouse gases and species extinctions.
In this review, more background effects of human activities are highlighted such as noise pollution, light pollution or heavy metal toxicities building up through plant and animal food-webs. These types of issues can be just as harmful as the larger scale, more talked about environmental impacts. One example that can be considered is noise pollution impacting on the migration patterns of marine animals.
I believe this paper highlights the importance for research to focus on the picture as a whole when examining environmental impacts. Humans can have a multitude of impacts on their surrounding environments, many of which can go under the proverbial radar. As researchers, it is our responsibility to take into account all of the variables which can cause a decrease in the quality of the animal and plant life we share the planet with.
11
Sutherland, W.J. (1998), “The importance of behavioural studies in conservation biology”, Animal Behaviour, Vol. 56 No. 4, pp. 801–809.
16/02/2022
This week my recommendation is Sutherland's “The importance of behavioural studies in conservation biology”. In this review paper Sutherland gives a thorough look into the gaps that existed between the areas of conservation biology and animal behaviour research.
In the review, Sutherland suggests twenty different areas of research in which behaviour and conservation can be tied together to give the best results. This review is very useful for understanding how the progress of integrating the two areas has developed in the past several decades as this review clearly highlights the fact that both a lot of work was remaining at the time to create an interdisciplinary bridge.
In today's research landscape, interdisciplinary research has become such a focus of many institutions and funding bodies that it is an aim of many researchers to expand their specialities to use multi-discipline approaches in their research.
When designing research or conservation efforts it is important to look into the core variables that may result in success or failure. Sutherland gives many examples of work done showing where integrating behaviour research into conservation projects could have improved the outcomes or where innovative solutions to conservation issues were built up around an understanding of species-typical behaviours.
10
Macdonald, D.W. and Loveridge, A.J. (Eds.). (2010), Biology and Conservation of Wild Felids, Oxford University Press, Oxford ; New York.
09/02/2022
Another book recommendation for you all this week. For your perusal, I give to you Biology and Conservation of Wild Felids edited by D.W. MacDonald and A.J. Loveridge.
For anyone that knows me, they know that I have a long-running obsession with felid species. I have been drawn from a very young age to understanding and learning about cat species, especially tigers. I love those majestic stripes. I have no idea where the obsession comes from, it just exists and I don't even try to pretend otherwise.
The reason I'm recommending this book is because it is a highly comprehensive overview on the current standing of conservation efforts and statuses of felids in the wild. This book has been compiled from the knowledge and input of dozens of specialists with first-hand understanding of what is required to successfully undertake conservation research for the purposes of protecting felids.
For anyone interested in working in this area, such as myself, this book will be an invaluable resource for years. Not just as reference material but also as a source of ideas for future research and conservation efforts.
9
Williams, E., Carter, A., Rendle, J. and Ward, S.J. (2021), “Understanding impacts of zoo visitors: Quantifying behavioural changes of two popular zoo species during COVID-19 closures”, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Vol. 236, p. 105253.
02/02/2022
I'd like to recommend to you all this week an interesting paper where the research was done while in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Understanding impacts of zoo visitors: Quantifying behavioural changes of two popular zoo species during COVID-19 closures” by Williams, E., Carter, A., Rendle, J. and Ward, S.J. investigates the differences in behaviours witnessed in slender-tailed meerkats and African penguins during periods of time when visitors were not allowed to the zoo due to COVID-19 restrictions compared to after restrictions were lifted and visitors returned.
I like this study for two reasons. Firstly, it's a clear example of taking the good from the bad, where a group of researchers took the opportunity COVID-19 provided to conduct research that would have been incredibly difficult to do otherwise.
Secondly, the research shows us how important visitors are as a factor for zoo research. It has been shown repeatedly that visitors in a zoo can have an impact on the behaviour of the animals present. This impact can range across the spectrum of good to bad, depending on the species of animal being studied. From the research conducted in this study, penguins were seen to have a neutral reaction to the return of visitors. Interestingly, the meerkats had some mixed results, showing increased distance from the viewing areas that visitors stopped at, but increases in social behaviours and positive interactions with humans.
This study is an example of why visitor research to zoos is important, as it provides insight into one of the many effects that can play a role in the welfare of animals in captivity.
8
Kelly, A. (2020), How Scientists Communicate: Dispatches from the Frontiers of Knowledge, Oxford University Press, New York, NY.
21/01/2022
So it's been a while since I've posted because of Christmas and being busy etc but I'm back and to make up for missing a few weeks I'm recommending a whole book today! The book I recommend you take a look at is Kelly, A. (2020), How Scientists Communicate: Dispatches from the Frontiers of Knowledge, Oxford University Press, New York, NY.
This book was written by a professor in my University, Professor Alan Kelly, who has been teaching postgraduates for years how to navigate the academic world. He has taken the years of his experience seeing the most common pitfalls and traps that students fall into as they begin to progress past the undergraduate level to try and build an academic career for themselves.
The book is written in an informal and easily read format with plenty of anecdotes and stories of Professor Kelly's experiences from his own career and from his students. The material covers everything a fresh researcher could want to know, from the writing process and how to format and prepare papers, to the process of publishing and how best to go about approaching such a large undertaking for the first time.
The best thing by far is the fact that the book continuously provides small tips that may not ever occur to an experienced researcher to explain to a fresh academic. These include things like which positions on an authorship list are the best (not necessarily the ones you may think), how murky the copyright of publishing papers can be and the dangers that lurk out there to new researchers such as predatory publishers.
Overall, this is an invaluable resource for new postgraduate researchers and those planning to go down the road of an academic career.
7
Sampson, L, Riley J.V. and Carpenter A.I. (2020), “Applying IUCN reintroduction guidelines: An effective medium for raising public support prior to conducting a reintroduction project”, Journal for Nature Conservation, Vol. 58, 125914.
10/12/2021
Today I'm going to recommend Sampson, L, Riley J.V. and Carpenter A.I. (2020), “Applying IUCN reintroduction guidelines: An effective medium for raising public support prior to conducting a reintroduction project”, Journal for Nature Conservation, Vol. 58, 125914. This paper investigates the implementation of a zoo conservation project and how educating the visitors to the zoo may encourage them to take action to support conservation efforts.
In their paper, Samson et al. discuss how important it is for conservation researcher's to gain the support of the public for their projects before implementation to encourage passive or active support from individuals not directly involved with the project. The paper defines passive support as individuals simply appreciating the need for and encouraging the success of a conservation project while active support involves some form of investment in the form of financial support or the individual's time.
The paper details the importance of having public support in ways such as influencing the decision of funding and governmental bodies whether or not to provide for conservation efforts. It also details how negative public views can cause issues for projects when members of the public raise concerns over the effect the project will have on current existing wildlife or changes to the landscape to accommodate conservation efforts.
As conservation scientists we should be aware of the consequences our projects could possibly have for the locals living near the regions of re-introduction or protection. By communicating and trying to be understanding of people's concerns and issues we can hopefully gain their support and encourage individuals who were against a project to enter a state of mind of passive support and possibly encourage those that already support projects passively to begin actively investing in projects, no matter how small it may be.
Obviously changing the opinions and views of people is not easy, but in my opinion it is part of our responsibility as researchers to at least try. Remaining patient in the face of difficult opinions and trying to encourage people to an understanding of how important conservation is through education can be frustrating and make you want to tear your hair out by the roots. But remember! Deep breaths! And just keep swimming.
6
Szokalski, M.S., Litchfield, C.A. and Foster, W.K. (2013), “What Can Zookeepers Tell Us About Interacting With Big Cats in Captivity?: Zookeeper-Big Cat Interactions”, Zoo Biology, Vol. 32 No. 2, pp. 142–151.
01/12/2021
This week the paper I'm going to recommend is Szokalski, M.S., Litchfield, C.A. and Foster, W.K. (2013), “What Can Zookeepers Tell Us About Interacting With Big Cats in Captivity?: Zookeeper-Big Cat Interactions”, Zoo Biology, Vol. 32 No. 2, pp. 142–151.
I'm recommending this paper because this research idea is actually the idea I originally had when I went about looking into postgraduate options. I had watched a documentary where I had learned about the different zoos and collections in Australia that had their keepers use hands-on techniques to care for their tigers.
After watching this I started wondering about the implications of this management technique. This practice is more common in Australia and America than across Europe and I wanted to look into the welfare implications for the animals that experience the different methods of care. I was curious about whether the relationship that could develop between a keeper and an animal with hands on management practices would actually improve the welfare of the animals.
In their paper Szokalski et al. summarise the pros and cons of the practices succinctly and show that while keepers acknowledge the benefits to animals from developing a relationship with them, the best practice for all groups in the study seemed to be protected contact where keepers would be allowed to interact and be in contact with animals but only with a protective screen such as the cage between them.
Interestingly, Szokalski et al. also address an issue that may be overlooked in zoo settings where photos of keepers or visitors interacting directly with exotic animals can encourage the exotic pet trade, especially in areas where it is not illegal such as in some US states. Discouraging the trade of exotic animals should be an important aim of zoos and if management practices and handling techniques can indirectly have an influence, this is something that should also be taken into consideration.
5
Geiger, N., Swim, J.K., Gasper, K., Fraser, J. and Flinner, K. (2021), “How do I feel when I think about taking action? Hope and boredom, not anxiety and helplessness, predict intentions to take climate action”, Journal of Environmental Psychology, Vol. 76, p. 101649.
22/11/2021
This week I'm posting my recommended paper a bit earlier since I forgot to do so last week. I'm suggesting Geiger et al's. “How do I feel when I think about taking action? Hope and boredom, not anxiety and helplessness, predict intentions to take climate action” as my paper of the week this week, as I feel it introduces a key point for communication that environmental scientists should be aware of.
In our role as researchers it is key that we share and communicate findings with the public to help grow our understanding of our environment and how we, as human beings, shape and influence the natural world. When we communicate issues regarding climate change and sustainability, we must be so careful to set the right tone for people not in our line of work.
There does seem to be a movement growing toward more sustainable and environmentally aware activities within the general public but we must be careful to not overburden people with worries about the environment as fear can lead to immobility and lack of progress.
It is difficult but it is our responsibility to communicate with the public the seriousness of climate change and the devastating effects that could result from the changing world in a way that inspires hope in our ability to turn the tide and find sustainable solutions. This paper by Geiger et al, is important simply because it shows hope is a far more motivating force for people than anxiety in relation to actions against climate change.
4
Plowman, A.B. (2003), “A note on a modification of the spread of participation index allowing for unequal zones”, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Vol. 83 No. 4, pp. 331–336.
10/11/2021
This week I'm recommending one of my favourite papers which is, Plowman, A.B. (2003), “A note on a modification of the spread of participation index allowing for unequal zones”, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Vol. 83 No. 4, pp. 331–336.
I like this paper because it provides a really important tool for analysing an animal's use of their enclosure. It's been used frequently across a range of species since it's development. Plowman adapted their version from the original formula created by Dickens (Dickens, M., 1955. A statistical formula to quantify the “spread of participation” in group discussion. Speech Monogr. 22, 28–31) which had a significant restriction in that it could only be applied to enclosures that can be divided up into equal zones.
Plowman's design allows us to analyse any enclosure as it incorporates a correction for uneven zone size. After using the index, the result obtained should be between a range of 0 and 1. The closer the value is to one, the more uneven an animal's or group of animals' enclosure usage is.
Understanding an animal's enclosure use is so important because it provides us with an understanding of where animals may spend the majority of their time. It helps to improve the design of enclosures if results indicate animals are avoiding particular areas or if animals spend an inordinate amount of time in a defined zone. The SPI is a tool that every zoo researcher should know of as it can always come in handy and is both simple and efficient to use.
3
Gajendragadkar, P.R., Moualed, D.J., Nicolson, P.L.R., Adjei, F.D., Cakebread, H.E., Duehmke, R.M. and Martin, C.A. (2013), “The survival time of chocolates on hospital wards: covert observational study”, BMJ, Vol. 347 No. dec13 7, pp. f7198–f7198.
04/11/2021
For my favourite paper this week I'm going away from zoology briefly to recommend Gajendragadkar, P.R., Moualed, D.J., Nicolson, P.L.R., Adjei, F.D., Cakebread, H.E., Duehmke, R.M. and Martin, C.A. (2013), “The survival time of chocolates on hospital wards: covert observational study”, BMJ, Vol. 347 No. dec13 7, pp. f7198–f7198, which can be found at this link.
This paper is actually a bit of a comical article looking at how quickly chocolates placed on medical wards are eaten. The reason I'm recommending this paper is because it was written with the intention of guiding new researchers through writing an article.
The paper shows quite clearly how each section of a research article should be written which can sometimes catch out new researchers when trying to distinguish between what is relevant to the results section, discussion section etc.
Beyond the usefulness of the paper, it's just a fun read. Seeing how such a simple thing can be turned into an experiment and then actually published as an article. I think these kind of articles should be produced more often to give new researchers easy to read and understand articles.
2
Altmann J. Observational Study of Behaviour: Sampling Methods. Behaviour. 1974. 49 No 3/4. 227-267
27/10/2021
This week I'm recommending Altmann J. Observational Study of Behaviour: Sampling Methods. Behaviour. 1974. 49 No 3/4. 227-267. A PDF of the paper can be downloaded from this link.
While this paper is almost fifty years old it is still extremely relevant to researchers in the field of ethology today. This is one of the best resources for describing techniques for collecting and monitoring behaviours of animals.
This paper clearly describes how to perform focal sampling, instantaneous scan sampling, one-zero sampling and ad libitum sampling. It also addresses areas of concern that may influence the quality of data such researcher fatigue and observer biases.
This paper is a key read if you do any research on animal behaviour and whether you are just starting out in the field or have previous experience I think this is a definite requirement for your library!
1
Goswami et al., “Effects of Personality and Rearing-History on the Welfare of Captive Asiatic Lions (Panthera leo persica).” PeerJ. 8. (2020): e8425
19/10/2021
My favourite paper I've found this week is by Goswami et al., “Effects of Personality and Rearing-History on the Welfare of Captive Asiatic Lions (Panthera leo persica).” PeerJ. 8. (2020): e8425. Which can be found at this link.
This paper takes a brilliant, in-depth look into the charachteristics displayed by animals with different personalities in captivity and displays how this should be a key consideration when designing captive care strategies.
I also enjoyed this paper as it focuses on Asiatic Lions which are the species I did my undergraduate thesis on. I spent several months getting to know the six lions in Fota very well.
This paper really shows us that personality as a variable may play more of an important role than we previously realised and can influence the welfare of animals kept in captivity.
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