Magpie Goose, Anseranas-Semipalmata, Nesting on the Mary River Floodplain, Northern-Territory, Australia - Extent and Frequency of Flooding Losses

Whitehead, Peter; Tschirner, Kurt

doi:10.1071/wr9900147

Cited by 32 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…We conclude that the proximity of the Od nesting colony to water provides additional evidence for this view of aquatic enantiornithines. Nesting in close proximity to water brings the danger of flooding (Kharatinov and Siegel-Causey 1988); this is a major cause of nest mortality in extant waterfowl (Whitehead and Tschimer 1990;Flint and Grand 1996), terns (Sidle et al 1992;Ludwig et al 1993), plovers (Espie et al 1998), flamingos (Brown 1957) and other birds, and can cause destruction of an entire Fig. 4 Eggshell, some adult and neonate avialan bones from the Od accumulation: a SEM image of sample eggshell section with two main structural layers indicated with arrows.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A drowned Mesozoic bird breeding colony from the Late Cretaceous of Transylvania

Dyke

Vremir²,

Kaiser

et al. 2012

Naturwissenschaften

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Despite a rapidly improving fossil record, the reproductive biology of Mesozoic birds remains poorly known: only a handful of undisputed, isolated Cretaceous eggs (some containing embryonic remains) are known. We report here the first fossil evidence for a breeding colony of Mesozoic birds, preserved at the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Oarda de Jos (Od) site in the Sebeş area of Transylvania, Romania. A lens of calcareous mudstone with minimum dimensions of 80 cm length, 50 cm width and 20 cm depth contains thousands of tightly packed, morphologically homogenous eggshell fragments, seven near-complete eggs and neonatal and adult avialan skeletal elements. Eggshell forms 70-80 % of the matrix, and other fossils are entirely absent. The bones exhibit clear characters of the Cretaceous avialan clade Enantiornithes, and the eggshell morphology is also consistent with this identification. Both taphonomy and lithology show that the components of this lens were deposited in a single flood event, and we conclude that it represents the drowned remains of a larger enantiornithine breeding colony, swamped by rising water, washed a short distance and deposited in a shallow, low-energy pond. The same fate often befalls modern bird colonies. Such a large concentration of breeding birds suggests aquatic feeding in this species, augments our understanding of enantiornithine biology and shows that colonial nesting was not unique to crown birds.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A drowned Mesozoic bird breeding colony from the Late Cretaceous of Transylvania

Dyke

Vremir²,

Kaiser

et al. 2012

Naturwissenschaften

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“…In 1-year-old young and 2-and 3-year-old mature birds, whose skeletal growth is almost completed and mineralisation is predominantly related to appositional bone growth, the ALP level is remarkably lower than that in chicks (see e.g. Mathiasson 1980Mathiasson , 2005Miller et al 1988;Whitehead and Tschirner 1990;Badzinski et al 2002). We found that the final stabilisation of ALP at a minimum level occurs in mature birds and it is probably associated with the completion of skeletal mineralisation and the achievement of the final structural size.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasma alkaline phosphatase as a sensitive indicator of age and skeletal development in wild coscoroba swans

et al. 2010

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Context. Recent studies have suggested that plasma alkaline phosphatase (ALP) can be used to assess skeletal development as well as health status in wild animals.Aims. However, the information about age-related dynamics of ALP in birds, especially in precocial species, is very scarce. Therefore, before ALP measurements can be effectively interpreted, it is necessary to determine its normal variation for each species, age group and sex.Methods. Here, we report total-ALP levels of free-living coscoroba swans (Coscoroba coscoroba) from the most important breeding and moulting population in Brazil. Data were gathered during the moulting period and categorised according to sex and the following three different age classes: chick (n = 11), young (n = 14) and mature (n = 29).Key results. ALP levels were related to the longitudinal measure of the bones, gradually diminishing with age and showing significant differences among birds of different age classes. In all age groups, no effect of sex on T-ALP concentration was detected.Conclusions. We conclude that measuring ALP facilitates the discrimination among different-aged individuals with similar plumage characteristics and body size.

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“…Magpie Geese are dependent on extensive subcoastal wetlands for foraging and breeding sites (Frith and Davies 1961;Whitehead and Tschirner 1990). During the dry months of June to October, Geese congregate in numbers in excess of 250 000 on shallow wetlands and grub for tubers of the sedge Eleocharis dulcis (Cyperaceae), gaining body condition in the process (Frith and Davies 1961;Whitehead 1998).…”

Section: Magpie Geese (Anseranas Semipalmata)mentioning

confidence: 99%

How will climate change affect plant—herbivore interactions? A tropical waterbird case study

Traill

Whitehead

Brook

2009

Emu - Austral Ornithology

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We review interactions between waterfowl and wetlands and outline the shifts that are likely to occur within these relationships through global climate change. We highlight the relative paucity of research on populations of tropical waterfowl and their food plants, and use an iconic tropical species of waterfowl, the Magpie Goose (Anseranas semipalmata), as a case study. We provide background on the known and hypothesised interactions between Magpie Geese and wetlands and provide a hypothetical framework of the mechanistic changes to these relationships through climatic change, including rises in sea level, temperature increases, elevated CO 2 levels and altered rainfall regimes. Intrusion of saline water through sea-level rise and extended periods of inundation following increased annual rainfall are the two plausible drivers of change in the wetland sedge plants that support Magpie Geese populations. We show how the relative importance of these, and other, threatening factors can be challenged with data from the field and laboratory under multiple working hypotheses. Understanding the imminent shifts in the structure of wetland plant communities and the likely response of waterfowl populations will focus management on key threats and critical habitat. This includes identification of important wetlands and the construction of buffers at them to slow salt-water intrusion.

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Magpie Goose, Anseranas-Semipalmata, Nesting on the Mary River Floodplain, Northern-Territory, Australia - Extent and Frequency of Flooding Losses

Cited by 32 publications

References 7 publications

A drowned Mesozoic bird breeding colony from the Late Cretaceous of Transylvania

A drowned Mesozoic bird breeding colony from the Late Cretaceous of Transylvania

Plasma alkaline phosphatase as a sensitive indicator of age and skeletal development in wild coscoroba swans

How will climate change affect plant—herbivore interactions? A tropical waterbird case study

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