Giant petrels are the chief scavenging seabirds in the Southern Ocean. Quantitatively analysed regurgitations from chicks of both Macronectes halli and M. giganteus at Bird Island, South Georgia throughout the chick rearing period consisted predominantly of adult Macaroni penguins Eudyptes chrysolophus. Significant quantities of burrowing petrels and krill were taken but the amount varied in different years. Only male M. halli fed regularly at fur seal carcases. Although 10 species were found in regurgitations, squid were unimportant in the diet. Fish are possibly more important during the winter.
Intersexual differences in diet were of greater significance than interspecific ones with males taking more carrion and females more crustaceans. Chicks were fed during both day and night and in both species males received significantly more food than females during the fledging period. M. giganteus chicks received more than M. halli at all ages.
Despite their extensive reliance on carrion both species take a variety of prey and this may be especially important during the winter when penguin and seal carrion is scarce.
Animal and plant diseases pose a serious and continuing threat to food security, food safety, national economies, biodiversity and the rural environment. New challenges, including climate change, regulatory developments, changes in the geographical concentration and size of livestock holdings, and increasing trade make this an appropriate time to assess the state of knowledge about the impact that diseases have and the ways in which they are managed and controlled. In this paper, the case is explored for an interdisciplinary approach to studying the management of infectious animal and plant diseases. Reframing the key issues through incorporating both social and natural science research can provide a holistic understanding of disease and increase the policy relevance and impact of research. Finally, in setting out the papers in this Theme Issue, a picture of current and future animal and plant disease threats is presented.
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