Applied ecology and conservation research groupA live chat with Science journal associate editor, Sacha Vignieri.
In this 48-minute Google+ Hangout, we ask: what is it about large predators that makes them so important in ecosystems? How can we ensure their continued survival in a world with increasing human encroachment? And what would a world without predators look like if we fail?
Chris Johnson, Mike Letnic, Arian Wallach, Adam O’Neill and I are finalists in this year’s Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.
We have been nominated for the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage Eureka Prize for Environmental Research for our work in showing how dingoes help sustain biodiversity in Australia’s ecosystems.
Check out the short nomination video, featuring UNSW’s Dr Mike Letnic.
Authors: Blake M Allan, John PY Arnould, Jennifer K Martin and Euan G Ritchie
In wildlife research, our ability to GPS track sufficient numbers of individuals is always limited by cost, which restricts inference of species–habitat relationships.
Here, we describe the modification and use of a relatively new and inexpensive off-the-shelf GPS device, to provide detailed and accurate information on the movement patterns of individuals (mountain brushtail possums, Trichosurus cunninghami), including how movement varies through time, and how individuals interact with each other.
Our results demonstrated that this technology has enormous potential to contribute to an improved understanding of the movement patterns and habitat preferences of wildlife at a fraction of the cost of traditional GPS technology.
Allan BM, Arnould JPY, Martin JK, Ritchie EG (2013) A cost-effective and informative method of GPS tracking wildlife, Wildlife Research, 40, 345–348 DOI PDF
In wildlife research, our ability to track sufficient numbers of individuals by GPS is typically limited by cost.
This video describes how to modify an inexpensive off-the-shelf GPS device for use in the field.
This video accompanies a paper, recently accepted for publication in Wildlife Research.
Applied ecology and conservation research group