1. The role of waterbirds as vectors of plants and invertebrates within and between aridzone wetlands is poorly understood. We present the first detailed study of passive dispersal by nomadic birds in Australasia. We investigated the numbers and types of invertebrate and plant propagules within freshly collected faecal samples as well as their viability. We compared dispersal among Grey Teal (Anas gracilis), Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra) and Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) in the Macquarie Marshes, a complex of temporary to semi-permanent wetlands in New South Wales. 2. When faecal samples (n ¼ 60) were inundated in the laboratory and monitored over 3 weeks, ciliates (75% of samples), nematodes (22%), ostracods (13%) and rotifers (5%) were recorded, with higher taxon richness in coot samples. Faecal samples (n ¼ 71) were also sieved to quantify intact propagules, and ostracod eggs (70% of samples), large branchiopod eggs (31%) and bryozoan statoblasts (31%) were the most abundant invertebrates. Diaspores of 19 plant taxa were recorded, 14 of which were germinated in the laboratory or shown to be viable at the end of germination trials. The abundance and diversity of invertebrate propagules was highest in coot samples, whereas the abundance and diversity of diaspores was highest in teal samples. 3. One Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) sample was obtained and found to contain more taxa and far more propagules than any sample from other waterbirds, suggesting that piscivorous birds might have an important role in the indirect dispersal of propagules ingested by fish. 4. Our results support a role for birds in explaining the distributions of cosmopolitan plant genera such as Lemna, Typha, Myriophyllum and Nitella. The alien plants Ranunculus sceleratus, Medicago polymorpha and Polygonum arenastrum were recorded, demonstrating the potential role of waterfowl in the spread of exotic species. As the frequency and duration of flooding of arid-zone wetlands decreases owing to human activities, the importance of waterbirds in facilitating recolonisation of temporary wetlands is likely to increase.

Accessible summary• Choosing can be easy, such as when deciding what biscuit to eat.• Sometimes it is hard to choose, such as deciding on who to have as a boyfriend or girlfriend.• Sometimes even choosing a biscuit can be hard if your doctor says it is not healthy for you.• There are lots of reasons why we choose to do things.• Everyone needs to think about these reasons to help people with learning disabilities make good choices. SummaryChoice plays an important role in a person's quality of life. This paper looks at the issue of choice for people with learning disabilities. It considers the extent to which people with learning disabilities are able to choose and are provided with real choices. It also covers the extent to which true choice may or may not be advantageous for some people with learning disabilities. By concentrating particularly on the issue of choice about food and diet, this paper indicates how seemingly simplistic choices, such as decisions over food consumed, can cause major health problems for the decision-maker and hence be a more complex and vital decision than at times it is perceived to be. Additionally, this paper focuses on important factors surrounding choice for people with learning disabilities that previous research may have overlooked. One such factor is how past experience affects the decision-making process. Another, is the issue of the range of choice that is possible, relative to a person's cognitive ability to be fully aware of this range. In particular, this paper emphasizes the important role of the carer. It addresses the impact which the carer's own, perhaps unconscious personal choices, beliefs and ideologies may have on the 'choices' made by people with learning disabilities, and more worryingly, on the 'choices' offered to them. This paper highlights problems with current research into the area of choice for people with learning disabilities and provides suggestions for future study.

Accessible summary Sometimes people are worried about saying things to staff even if they are usually  good at talking. Sometimes they think if they say something then someone might blame them. It can help to use picture symbols to help you say what you want. Symbols help you remember what you have said because the pictures are there in  front of you. This article tells you how these picture symbols in Talking Mats work. It also tells you how one woman was helped to say what she wanted. Abstract This article presents the case of a woman with mild learning disability and with good verbal and expressive language ability. However, she was unable to explore verbally with her clinical psychologist issues concerning her low mood and to discuss strategies to address this. Talking Mats provided a low‐tech communication framework to help the woman think about the issues and express her views. This article explores this approach and the woman’s response and considers the advantages of using Talking Mats in such cases.

We present a new well dated Holocene record of environmental change from Little Llangothlin Lagoon in eastern Australia derived from aquatic plant macrofossils, macroscopic charcoal flux, and sediment stratigraphy from multiple cores. Little Llangothlin was an ephemeral freshwater wetland exhibiting frequent dry phases between 9800 and 9300 calendar years before present (cal. yr BP). There was a switch to a more positive water balance after 9300 cal. yr BP, and by 8000 cal. yr BP, there was a lake that persisted until 6100 cal. yr BP. The period between 6100 and 1000 cal. yr BP was much drier, and there is no evidence for a permanent lake during this period. The Little Llangothlin record provides evidence for a wet phase during the Early to Middle Holocene (9000–6000 cal. yr BP) from the boundary region between temperate and tropical influences in eastern Australia. We propose that generally enhanced circulation after 9000 cal. yr BP explains the pattern of increasing moisture at the site at this time. The later Holocene climate at the site is consistent with other sites in south east Australia with a switch to generally drier conditions after 6000 cal. yr BP.

Summary The present paper clarifies the legal situation with respect to people with a learning disability who wish to vote. It also considers other barriers to full participation in the voting franchise, which is a right that many of us see as a sign of our full participation in the democratic process and one that ensures that we have proper representation at the highest level. This paper also considers how many of the obstacles may be overcome.