| new schistorophine nematodes (acuraiidae) from new zealand shore birds. | viktorocara torea and sciadiocara tarapunga n. spp. are described from specimens from the gizzards of haematopus ostralegus finschi and larus novaehollandiae scopulinus respectively. all hosts were collected in the south island, new zealand. v. torea is characterised by the possession of doubly bifid apices to the long spicule and absence of a subterminal spicular spur; presence of six preanal papillae, the first and second widely spaced: the muscular region of the oesophagus constituting about ... | 1978 | 659825 |
| heritability of fitness components in a wild bird population. | consistently with the prediction that selection should deplete additive genetic variance (v(a)) in fitness, traits closely associated to fitness have been shown to exhibit low heritabilities (h(2)=v(a)/(v(a)+v(r))). however, empirical data from the wild indicate that this is in fact due to increased residual variance (v(r)), rather than due to decreased additive genetic variance, but the studies in this topic are still rare. we investigated relationships between trait heritabilities, additive ge ... | 2009 | 19054048 |
| characterization and locus-specific typing of mhc class i genes in the red-billed gull (larus scopulinus) provides evidence for major, minor, and nonclassical loci. | a major challenge facing studies of major histocompatibility complex (mhc) evolution in birds is the difficulty in genotyping alleles at individual loci, and the consequent inability to investigate sequence variation and selection pressures for each gene. in this study, four mhc class i loci were isolated from the red-billed gull (larus scopulinus), representing both the first characterized mhci genes within charadriiformes (shorebirds, gulls, and allies) and the first full-length mhci sequences ... | 2011 | 21327606 |
| bergmann's rule and climate change revisited: disentangling environmental and genetic responses in a wild bird population. | ecological responses to on-going climate change are numerous, diverse, and taxonomically widespread. however, with one exception, the relative roles of phenotypic plasticity and microevolution as mechanisms in explaining these responses are largely unknown. several recent studies have uncovered evidence for temporal declines in mean body sizes of birds and mammals, and these responses have been interpreted as evidence for microevolution in the context of bergmann's rule-an ecogeographic rule pre ... | 2008 | 18757740 |
| the impact of climate fluctuation on food availability and reproductive performance of the planktivorous red-billed gull larus novaehollandiae scopulinus. | 1. using 41 years of data, we examined annual variations in the reproductive performance of the red-billed gull at the kaikoura peninsula, new zealand and related these to changes in climate, oceanography and the availability of the planktonic euphausiid nyctiphanes australis, the bird's principal food. 2. in 1994 the population began to decline, and between 1983 and 2003 it was reduced by 51%. adult non-breeders comprised an average of 32% of the population between 1983 and 1994, but following ... | 2008 | 18422559 |
| mercury levels in the plumage of red-billed gulls larus novaehollandiae scopulinus of known sex and age. | samples of 4-8 small body feathers were taken from 27 chicks and 35 adult red-billed gulls caught at their nests on the kaikoura peninsula, new zealand, in december 1988. the adults had been ringed as chicks and were of known ages from 2 to 15 years old. analysis of total mercury in the feather samples showed that levels were independent of sex and age in adults. mean fresh weight concentration in adult body feathers was 2.4 microg g(-1). the lack of age accumulation of mercury in gull feathers ... | 1990 | 15092330 |
| morphological and molecular characterisation of a new genus and species of acanthocephalan, tenuisoma tarapungi n. g., n. sp. (acanthocephala: polymorphidae) infecting red-billed gulls in new zealand, with a key to the genera of the polymorphidae meyer, 1931. | acanthocephalans of the family polymorphidae meyer, 1931 are cosmopolitan parasites that infect the intestines of fish-eating birds and mammals. polymorphid acanthocephalans recovered from the intestines of red-billed gulls (chroicocephalus scopulinus (forster)) from the otago coast, new zealand, although morphologically similar to the genus arhythmorhynchus lühe, 1911 nevertheless have a unique molecular profile showing considerable genetic differentation, and are here diagnosed and described a ... | 2020 | 31953792 |
| morphology and molecules resolve the identity and life cycle of an eye trematode, philophthalmus attenuatus n. sp. (trematoda: philophthalmidae) infecting gulls in new zealand. | trematodes of the genus philophthalmus are cosmopolitan parasites that infect the eyes of birds and mammals. they have the potential to affect the survival of their hosts and a few cases of human philophthalmiasis have occurred worldwide. adults of known philophthalmus species have never been recorded from bird hosts in new zealand, despite their cercarial stage being a focus of various studies. here, we describe a new species of philophthalmus infecting new zealand red-billed and black-backed g ... | 2019 | 30859312 |
| population connectivity and traces of mitochondrial introgression in new zealand black-billed gulls (larus bulleri). | black-billed gulls (larus bulleri) are endemic to new zealand and are suspected to be undergoing substantial population declines. they primarily breed on open gravel beds in braided rivers of the south island-a habitat that is diminishing and becoming increasingly modified. although management of this species is increasing, little has been published on their movements and demographics. in this study, both mitochondrial dna (mtdna) control region domain i and nuclear single nucleotide polymorphis ... | 2018 | 30424003 |
| galactosomum otepotiense n. sp. (trematoda: heterophyidae) infecting four different species of fish-eating birds in new zealand: genetically identical but morphologically variable. | trematodes of the genus galactosomum are cosmopolitan parasites that infect the intestines of fish-eating birds and mammals. adults of named galactosomum species have not been recorded from bird hosts in new zealand, despite their cercarial stage being known from various studies of the first intermediate host, zeacumantus subcarinatus. here we describe a new species of galactosomum infecting four different piscivorous birds in new zealand: caspian terns, red-billed and black-backed gulls and lit ... | 2019 | 31500672 |
| piroplasms of new zealand seabirds. | blood and ectoparasitic ticks were collected from migratory seabirds in new zealand, including australasian gannets (n = 13) from two sites and red-billed gulls (n = 9) and white-fronted terns (n = 2) from a third location. blood smears were screened for parasite presence by microscopy, while dna from blood samples was subjected to pcr for the presence of tick-transmitted protozoan haemoparasites belonging to the order piroplasmida. parasites were identified by comparing small subunit ribosomal ... | 2014 | 25204728 |
| indirect genetic effects in a sex-limited trait: the case of breeding time in red-billed gulls. | female reproductive performance can be strongly affected by male care, so that breeding time, a trait expressed only by females, can be seen as one trait determined by both male and female genotypes. animal model analyses of a 46-year study of red-billed gulls (larus novaehollandiae scopulinus) revealed that laying date was not heritable in females (h(2) = 0.001 +/- 0.030), but significantly so in males (h(2) = 0.134 +/- 0.029). heritability of breeding time in males probably reflects genetic va ... | 2010 | 20345824 |
| description and proposed life cycle of maritrema novaezealandensis n. sp. (microphallidae) parasitic in red-billed gulls, larus novaehollandiae scopulinus, from otago harbor, south island, new zealand. | maritrema novaezealandensis n. sp. is described from otago harbor, south island, new zealand, on the basis of adult specimens collected from the red-billed gull, larus novaehollandiae scopulinus, and excysted metacercariae obtained from crabs. it belongs to the "eroliae group" and differs from other related species mainly in the shape, size, and patterns of distributions of the spines on the cirrus, the shape of the metraterm, the presence of an unlobed ovary, and the complete ring of the vitell ... | 2004 | 15165049 |