previous DNA paternity analysis has revealed that about one in six baby swans are ‘ bastard ’, resulting from close matings between a female and a male early than her own partner .
“ What is unusual about these findings is that male swans are typically very protective of their female companions. How then can a female be promiscuous in this relationship ? Is she sneaking off in the middle of the nox to meet other swans ? In addition, the male is besides seeking bonus sexual intercourse with other females, ” says Dr Mulder.
Dr Mulder says the much close mating habits of birds have proven difficult or impossible to monitor in the barbarian. He says the plan ’ s advanced technology will, for the first gear time, provide researchers with a way of monitoring the swans ’ close sexual demeanor .
A research team led by Dr Mulder will be capturing and tagging the swans that live around the lake as character of a long-run study .
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On top of the standard procedures for monitoring the birds, each of the males will have a bantam chip attached to one of its stern feathers .
Dr Mulder explains that during the breed season, the females will be temporarily fitted with a miniature state-of-the-art electronic track device, or ‘ decoder. He says the decoder recognises individual microchips alike to how e-tags function .
“ The devices look alike to small backpacks and are placed on the dame ’ s lower back, ” he says
“ When a male and female copulate, the female ’ second decoder unit of measurement detects the chip implanted in the male ’ s buttocks feathers, registering the male ’ mho identity, vitamin a well as the time of sexual intercourse. ”
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“ All coupling events are logged onto the decoder unit, so that a complete record of her mating demeanor over respective weeks can be downloaded when the roll is recaptured. ”
The results of the study will be presented for scientific publication. “ Our research hopes to provide raw material for nature documentaries and unwrap to the earth, the true intimate nature of these iconic birds. ”
The study at Albert Park Lake is funded by a concession from the australian Research Council, with permission from Parks Victoria, the Department of Sustainability and Environment, the australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme and the University of Melbourne ’ s Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee .
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.