Stage Set For Barrenjoey High's New Performance Space
The Sky Should Be The Limit: Meet The Researcher Working Towards New Horizons For Women In Astronomy
March 22nd, 2019by Ivy ShihUNSW MediaAssociate Professor Sarah Brough wants to know how time has shaped our galaxies – and she is a gender equity champion for the next generation of astronomers.
Observational Astronomer Professor Sarah Brough is taking Australian astronomy to greater heights.
As an observational astronomer, Associate Professor Sarah Brough looks to the stars for answers – but that wasn’t always crystal clear.
After completing an undergraduate degree in Physics, A/Prof Brough spent a year travelling and working, uncertain of what to do next.
It was a New Scientist article that pulled her back into the trajectory of scientific research and astronomy. The article was about an amazing new discovery, exploring how the universe was not only expanding, but swelling at an accelerating rate, an unknown force pushing it apart.
The work was jointly led by Astrophysicist Professor Brian Schmidt, who would go on to be awarded the 2011 Nobel prize for this work. He is now the Vice Chancellor at Australian National University.
This would be the catalyst to A/Prof Brough embarking onto the path to research.
“I found myself missing my identity as a scientist,” says A/Prof Brough.
“I remember just being really excited by the idea I could study really big galaxies.”
Using telescopes to time travel A/Prof Brough is particularly interested in what changes the shape of a galaxy over time. For instance, how did the Milky Way galaxy, home to our own solar system, evolve to get its distinctive beautiful spiral arms?
The pursuit of such an answer has taken A/Prof Brough to observatories around the world, as a key member of three major Australian-led surveys of galaxies. She has visited telescopes at observatories including one next to the Warrumbungle National Park in Australia and one more than two kilometres above sea level in the Canary Islands.
“It is about having those conversations more openly and having that top-down leadership.”
March 22nd, 2019
by Ivy Shih
UNSW Media
Associate Professor Sarah Brough wants to know how time has shaped our galaxies – and she is a gender equity champion for the next generation of astronomers.
Observational Astronomer Professor Sarah Brough is taking Australian astronomy to greater heights.
As an observational astronomer, Associate Professor Sarah Brough looks to the stars for answers – but that wasn’t always crystal clear.
After completing an undergraduate degree in Physics, A/Prof Brough spent a year travelling and working, uncertain of what to do next.
It was a New Scientist article that pulled her back into the trajectory of scientific research and astronomy. The article was about an amazing new discovery, exploring how the universe was not only expanding, but swelling at an accelerating rate, an unknown force pushing it apart.
The work was jointly led by Astrophysicist Professor Brian Schmidt, who would go on to be awarded the 2011 Nobel prize for this work. He is now the Vice Chancellor at Australian National University.
This would be the catalyst to A/Prof Brough embarking onto the path to research.
“I found myself missing my identity as a scientist,” says A/Prof Brough.
“I remember just being really excited by the idea I could study really big galaxies.”
Using telescopes to time travel
A/Prof Brough is particularly interested in what changes the shape of a galaxy over time. For instance, how did the Milky Way galaxy, home to our own solar system, evolve to get its distinctive beautiful spiral arms?
The pursuit of such an answer has taken A/Prof Brough to observatories around the world, as a key member of three major Australian-led surveys of galaxies. She has visited telescopes at observatories including one next to the Warrumbungle National Park in Australia and one more than two kilometres above sea level in the Canary Islands.
“It is about having those conversations more openly and having that top-down leadership.”
Anzac Day Schools' Awards 2019
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) hosts the Anzac Day Schools’ Awards each year.This national competition encourages students and teachers to plan, deliver and report on the commemoration of Anzac Day in their local community.
We encourage schools to involve local veterans, current serving members of the Australian Defence Force and other important local people as a way for students to discover wartime experience.
Participating in a student competition helps children and teenagers to challenge themselves, test their ideas and show their talents.
It’s open to all primary and secondary schools in Australia.
Entries for 2019 are now open. Submission closes on 24 May 2019.
Find out:
Helpful resourcesPlan your school’s commemorative activities and research with the following resources.
We create educational resources linked to the Australian Curriculum, including commemorative publications and interviews with veterans.
Explore government records about Australians and New Zealanders in World War I. Enhance a profile dedicated to the wartime journey of someone who served. Uncover the personal stories of service men and women through original archival records.
Commemorating those who have served, here you will find listings of members of Australia’s defence forces who served during the Second World War, Korean War, Vietnam War and First Gulf War.
Local memorabilia and memorialsYour local war memorial, war graves, ex-service organisations and history associations can also be a useful starting point.
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) hosts the Anzac Day Schools’ Awards each year.
This national competition encourages students and teachers to plan, deliver and report on the commemoration of Anzac Day in their local community.
We encourage schools to involve local veterans, current serving members of the Australian Defence Force and other important local people as a way for students to discover wartime experience.
Participating in a student competition helps children and teenagers to challenge themselves, test their ideas and show their talents.
It’s open to all primary and secondary schools in Australia.
Entries for 2019 are now open. Submission closes on 24 May 2019.
Find out:
Helpful resources
Plan your school’s commemorative activities and research with the following resources.
We create educational resources linked to the Australian Curriculum, including commemorative publications and interviews with veterans.
Explore government records about Australians and New Zealanders in World War I. Enhance a profile dedicated to the wartime journey of someone who served. Uncover the personal stories of service men and women through original archival records.
Commemorating those who have served, here you will find listings of members of Australia’s defence forces who served during the Second World War, Korean War, Vietnam War and First Gulf War.
Local memorabilia and memorials
Your local war memorial, war graves, ex-service organisations and history associations can also be a useful starting point.
Super Smut Fungus To Combat Smothering Weed
March 22nd, 2019: from CSIRO
Wandering trad (Tradescantia fluminensis) has become a significant environmental weed in parts of eastern Australia where it forms dense carpets on forest floors, smothering native vegetation and clogging waterways.
CSIRO senior research scientist Dr Louise Morin said weeds like wandering trad had a significant economic, environmental and social impact in Australia.
“Weeds are one of the biggest threats to Australia’s unique environment – in many areas across Australia they are damaging native vegetation, which threatens whole ecosystems including native wildlife,” Dr Morin said.
“Last year Australia spent almost $30 million protecting the natural environment from weeds. In the agriculture sector, weeds cost the industry more than $4.8 billion per year.”
“The fungus is spread through spores and needs the leaves of the wandering trad to survive – if there is no wandering trad to infect, the fungus dies,” Dr Morin said. “We know from decades of research in this field, that specialised fungi, like the leaf smut, have specific genes that enable them to successfully infect and cause disease only on single or a narrow range of plant species. “So we look at plants that are related to wandering trad including native plants to make sure the fungus will only infect the weed.” Wandering trad has infested native forests across eastern Australia, from eastern parts of NSW and south-east Queensland, to the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria where the biocontrol agent will first be released.
CSIRO field biologist Dr Ben Gooden, who is coordinating the rollout of the biocontrol program across Australia, said highly targeted and tested biocontrol agents like the fungus were a more environmentally sustainable option than other available tools.
“Scientifically tested biocontrol agents like this fungus provide a longer term, environmentally sustainable way of controlling weeds like wandering trad, without harming Australian plants or animals,” Dr Gooden said.
“Currently, the only tools available to the community and local councils against the weed are hand-pulling and chemical herbicides, which only bring short-term control and have the unintended consequence of killing native plants and disrupting complex rainforest ecosystems.”
Release of biocontrol agents are approved by the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water.
Biodiversity Patterns In Antarctic Dry Valleys
March 20, 2019: Virginia Tech
Antarctica is a nearly uninhabited, ice-covered continent ravaged by cold, windy, and dry conditions. Virginia Tech researcher Jeb Barrett was part of an international collaborative team that analysed biodiversity patterns in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica.
"Surprisingly, we found that biotic, or living, interactions are crucial in shaping biodiversity patterns even in the extreme ecosystems of the Antarctic Dry Valleys. Antarctic soils are model ecosystems, limited by the extreme climate and lack of vascular plants, and they host simple food webs with few species," said Barrett, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Science.
These findings were recently published in two separate papers in Communications Biology. A paper on biotic interactions analyzes the entire community of soil organisms; its companion paper focuses on the soil nematode community using a modeling approach.
Characteristics of Antarctic communities, such as simple food webs and low species richness, allow for a greater understanding of the whole community, from bacteria to multi-cellular invertebrates.
This research is the product of an international collaboration of scientists from half a dozen countries: the United States, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, and South Africa. Organised by the University of Waikato and the New Zealand Antarctic Program, it is the first of its kind to study a soil community in its entirety at a regional scale.
Barrett has been conducting research in Antarctica for 20 years; he deployed for this research collaboration in 2009 and 2010. Research in the Barrett lab addresses the influences of soils, climate variability, hydrology, and biodiversity on biogeochemical cycling from the scale of microorganisms to regional landscapes.
"My research in the Antarctic has been focused on analysing the physical and geochemical drivers that predict biodiversity patterns. I focused initially on the nematode communities, and my work has now expanded into the bacterial communities, as well," said Barrett, an affiliated faculty member of the Global Change Center, housed within the Fralin Life Science Institute.
The Communications Biology paper on biotic interactions considers the entire community of soil organisms: cyanobacteria, heterotrophic bacteria, nematodes, and other microscopic invertebrates. The scientists studied the factors that determine the distribution and abundance of these organisms, as well as temperature, topography, distance to the coast, and soil properties, such as water and pH levels, in their analysis.
"What makes this paper truly unique is that we considered the entire community of soil organisms and all the possible biotic and abiotic interactions that potentially shape the species composition and diversity," said Barrett. "We used the statistical technique of structural equation modelling to tease out what the drivers of these communities are."
Biogeochemistry and climate have strong effects on biodiversity, but this new data demonstrated that there are two other important factors. They found that biogeography and species interactions are stronger drivers of biodiversity than originally expected. Biogeographic processes occur when an organism moves through space, interacting with its community as it moves. Species interactions, such as predator-prey relationships and competition, also influence biodiversity.
In the companion paper, the researchers used a modeling approach to study the co-occurrence and distribution of three dominant nematode species found in the soil. Nematodes, also known as roundworms, are a group of simple organisms that have successfully adapted to nearly every ecosystem on Earth. The researchers demonstrated that competition is a more important driver of diversity patterns in the nematode community than previously thought.
"We modeled three nematode species -- Plectus, Scottnema, and Eurdoylaimus -- that are potentially interacting. Our results show that it is not just environmental drivers that influence species distribution across the polar landscape but that competition and interactions are playing a large role in diversity patterns as well," said Barrett.
The future challenge for researchers is to understand how the effects of climate change on these interactions will alter species coexistence in Antarctica. They expect that with increasing temperatures, the thawing of ice will create environments that select for nematode species more adapted to warmer and wetter environments. Early indications of this have already been observed in the team's long-term monitoring studies of soil communities, as reported in the journal Ecology last year.
Barrett's ongoing research is funded by the National Science Foundation's Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program. His research goal with the LTER is to use a combination of manipulative experiments and long-term observations to understand how climate variability influences Antarctic organisms and ecosystems.
Journal References:
Charles K. Lee, Daniel C. Laughlin, Eric M. Bottos, Tancredi Caruso, Kurt Joy, John E. Barrett, Lars Brabyn, Uffe N. Nielsen, Byron J. Adams, Diana H. Wall, David W. Hopkins, Stephen B. Pointing, Ian R. McDonald, Don A. Cowan, Jonathan C. Banks, Glen A. Stichbury, Irfon Jones, Peyman Zawar-Reza, Marwan Katurji, Ian D. Hogg, Ashley D. Sparrow, Bryan C. Storey, T. G. Allan Green, S. Craig Cary. Biotic interactions are an unexpected yet critical control on the complexity of an abiotically driven polar ecosystem. Communications Biology, 2019; 2 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0274-5
Tancredi Caruso, Ian D. Hogg, Uffe N. Nielsen, Eric M. Bottos, Charles K. Lee, David W. Hopkins, S. Craig Cary, John E. Barrett, T. G. Allan Green, Bryan C. Storey, Diana H. Wall, Byron J. Adams. Nematodes in a polar desert reveal the relative role of biotic interactions in the coexistence of soil animals. Communications Biology, 2019; 2 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0260-y
McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica. Credit: McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER
PITTWATER YHA OFFERS FREE BEDS FOR GREEN HEARTS
This May, Pittwater YHA opens its doors to green-hearted and green-thumbed guests who'll save the gorgeous Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park from imminent asparagus fern invasion. Yes, seriously.
WHAT IS IT?
Bush Regeneration sees eco-conscious, kind hearted humans restore and rehabilitate the gorgeous, sprawling Aussie bush from its weed-infested, degraded state into a healthy, thriving plant community, which will prosper and delight forevermore. Far from just weed removal; Regenerators focus on habitat, drainage, weed sources and establishing native communities. These are big words which probably don’t make much sense – but we have an interactive learning opportunity for you!
WHERE IS IT?
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Sydney’s protected north coast, is home to rock engravings, red ochre rock paintings, the fuzziest wildlife you ever did see and the most breathtaking views a Sydneysider or visitor could comprehend; and is currently under threat from invasive asparagus fern; which needs removing. Who knew your Aunty’s fave veggie could be so aggressive?
ALRIGHT - SIGN ME UP!
The blissed-out, babbling-brooked, spectacular-viewed, fresh-aired oasis that is our Pittwater YHA, alongside the Northern Beaches Council, are offering you fine green-thumbed and hearted folk the opportunity to volunteer alongside professional Regenerators for a weekend of Pittwater Restoration from May 3 - 5, 2019. Spend two mornings of tending to the gorgeous surrounds and you’ll be rewarded with two nights’ accommodation, two days of meals (morning teas, BBQ lunches and evening dinners) and kayak use throughout your stay. Plus, you’ll be chuffed with yourself for doing your bit for the planet and our futures.
Along with your towels, two sheets, a pillowcase and, sturdy shoes, sunscreen and your breakfasts; you’ll need a $20 contribution for the weekend. For all the T&Cs; head to Pittwater YHA, shoot them an email (Subject: 'Bush Regeneration Weekend') or give them a ring on (02 9999-5748) – the only thing those guys love more than a regenerated bushland is chatting to ladies and gentleman who are keen on the idea!
Archie's Pittwater Clean Up
My name is Archie Mandin
I am a Seabin Ambassador, I started this campaign because I want to take a stand against ocean plastics!
My goal is to raise enough money to bring a minimum of 20 Seabins to Pittwater NSW as I want to give The Northern Beaches the opportunity to reduce its plastic pollution impact on the ocean. Its amazing how much accidental rubbish comes down our creeks and into our waterways
I need your help to raise money to buy the Seabins a revolutionary ocean cleaning technology which is essentially a floating rubbish bin that operates 24/7 catching all floating debris in the water.
The Seabin helps clean the ocean of floating debris which in turn creates cleaner oceans and we all benefit from this in one way or another. I mean, who really wants to swim in pollution? Not me that’s for sure!
Did you know that 300 million tons of plastic are produced in the world every year, half of which is for single use products, from this more than 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans every year. We need to do something about it and now with the purchase of a Seabin we can all participate and make a difference!
Join me and my campaign to help ensure cleaner oceans!
What’s a Seabin?
The Seabin is a floating rubbish bin that is located in the water at marinas, docks, yacht clubs and commercial ports.
The Seabin can catch an average of 3.9kgs of floating debris per day which adds up to 1.4 tons per year. (depending on weather conditions and debris volumes) The Seabins is catching large plastic bags, bottles, plastic straws, coffee cups, food wrappers, surface oils and micro plastics down to 2 mm small.
How can a Seabin contribute to cleaner oceans?
The Seabin contributes to cleaner oceans by removing 1.4 tons of floating debris per unit per year. The location of the Seabin in marinas is ideal and where it matters most, close to the source of entry for floating debris. Ports and Marinas are perfect locations to stop floating debris from entering the open ocean and ocean plastics are also brought in by wind and currents.
Are the Seabins a danger to marine life?
The fish According to the team at Seabin, stay away from the surface of the water where the Seabin sucks in the water. They are deterred by the force of the water current. If there are swarms of jellyfish or bait fish it is recommended that the Seabins are turned off until the swarms pass. If a fish was to accidentally go into the Seabin, it would be caught in the Seabin and stay submerged in water until the marina staff retrieve the filter and throw the fish still alive back into the water.
How does it work?
Water is sucked in from the surface and passes through a catch bag inside the Seabin, with a submersible water pump capable of displacing 25.000 LPH (liters per hour). The water is then pumped back into the marina leaving litter and debris trapped in the catch bag to be disposed of properly.
Who is responsible for the Seabin?
This is the best part of it all, the marina will be the one responsible for the upkeep of the Seabins and also they will be paying for the energy consumption of the Seabin which is around $2 - $3 a day.
The marina enjoys a cleaner marina and the rest of us and the marine life enjoy cleaner oceans with less floating debris polluting our oceans!
Seabins part of a whole solution
Seabins whole solution is Technology, Education, Science, Research and Community. The reason for this is that Technology alone is not the solution to stopping ocean plastics, education is the real solution.
Great! Can our local community be involved also?
Yes! The team at Seabin have interactive programs and lessons designed for schools, community and youth to interact with the Seabins and have over 2000 school students engaged around the world, this is something that we can do locally also with support from the team at Seabin Project.
What will we be doing if we participate in these programs?
You would be joining an international community contributing important data and feedback on ocean plastics to the Seabin central data base. Renowned scientists, universities and environmental agencies are all a part of the programs also.
The lessons range from identifying ocean plastics to data collection of what the Seabins are catching weekly. The data collection is a very easy activity and where we can all see the measurable impact of debris the Seabins are taking out of the water in all weather conditions.
It’s as simple as counting how many plastic bags, plastic particles, food wrappers and then noting it down on a spreadsheet or app. Weather conditions and location information is also entered into the data base.
How can you help our campaign and make a difference in the world?
Every contribution to this crowdfunding campaign helps, be it $1 or $50 dollars, it all adds up and bring us closer to our goal.
Even if you cannot afford a donation, please help by sharing this campaign with your friends and family on social media. The more people that know about the campaign the better!
Thanks everyone for taking the time to check out our campaign!
FOR CLEANER OCEANS!
Archie
FAQS SHEET
Seabin Project FAQs
Q: Can someone pay out the crowdfunding campaign goal?
A: Yes! We need help! The more money we can raise, the more Seabins we can buy.
Q: Why crowdfund a Seabin?
A: Until now, the Seabins were not for the everyday person to purchase because marinas ports and yacht clubs are the target market for Seabin Group. This is a way where everyday people can give something back to the oceans.
Q: How do Seabins work in tidal areas?
A: Seabins at present are designed for floating docks and pontoons. The Seabins move up and down with the tide on the floating dock.
Q. How are the pumps run?
A. The pumps are currently electric, and around $2-$3 a day to run.
Q: When are the Seabins available?
A: Depending on your countries location, Seabins will be available Feb 2019.
Q: Do any fish get sucked into the Seabins? What about smaller marine life?
A: There is a possibility of fish to enter the Seabins, however in the last 2 years of development, the Seabins have only caught a handful of small bait fish. Most of which have been thrown back into the water alive. The fish simply stay away from the flow of water entering the Seabin and with the current fine tuning of the Seabin, the risk is now minimal.
Q: I don’t have any money to donate, how can I help?
A: Don’t worry! Your amazing anyways and thanks for even contacting us. We need help to share this project around with any media we can. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, websites, bloggers. Also with newspapers, magazines, tv, radio and journalists. Also friends and family!
More Than One In Four High School Students Have Experienced Signs Of Depression
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Tiny Song Bird Makes Record Migration
March 19, 2019: University of GuelphFor the first time, University of Guelph biologists have tracked an annual migration of up to 20,000 kilometres made by the 12-gram blackpoll warbler, one of the fastest declining songbirds in North America.
The bird's trek between its breeding grounds in the central and western boreal forest of North America and its winter home in the Amazon Basin -- one of the longest songbird migrations recorded -- is the topic of a new paper by a research team headed by U of G biologist Ryan Norris.
The paper was published today in the journal Ecology.
Describing a "great circle route" arcing across North America and including a transoceanic flight to South America, the study confirms an epic migration journey that scientists had long suspected but not yet proved.
In 2015, Norris and other biologists were the first to show that blackpolls breeding in the Maritimes and New England complete a non-stop transoceanic flight of up to three days and about 2,700 km along the eastern coast of the United States.
For this new study, they looked at the full migration of birds from central and western breeding populations.
"It's amazing," said Norris, who worked on the study with Hilary Cooke, associate conservation scientist with Wildlife Conservation Society Canada. "A bird weighing a couple of loonies travels from the western edge of North America all the way to the Amazon basin -- and, in between, traverses the Atlantic Ocean."
Other co-authors were integrative biology professor Amy Newman and U of G grad students Bradley Woodworth, Nikole Freeman and Alex Sutton, as well as researchers from other universities, conservation groups and national parks in Canada, the U.S. and Australia.
For the study, researchers tracked birds outfitted with tiny geolocators from four boreal forest sites across northern Canada and Alaska.
Total southward migration took about 60 days on average over distances ranging from 6,900 km for birds breeding in Churchill, Manitoba, to 10,700 km for populations on the western edge of the continent in Nome, Alaska.
Blackpolls from Nome took 18 days to fly across North America to the Atlantic coast of the Carolinas. There, the birds spent almost a month fattening up to double their body weight before a non-stop, 2 ½-day flight across open water to overwintering grounds in northern Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil.
They covered between 2,250 and 3,400 km for that transoceanic hop.
Norris said scientists had long believed that blackpolls followed the great circle route. Few of the birds have ever been found in the central or western States during fall migration.
He said population numbers have fallen in recent years, perhaps caused by habitat loss and declines in insect prey related to climate change.
"To understand what's causing the decline, we need to know their full annual cycle," he said.
In their paper, the researchers say climate change may make extreme coastal weather events more frequent and more extreme, with unknown impacts on long-distance migratory birds.
"As a conservation scientist, what strikes me most is that in a single year a blackpoll warbler has to navigate 20,000 kilometres across land and ocean, facing risks of cat predation, storms and collisions with buildings and vehicles, all while trying to find islands of habitat to rest and refuel in our human-dominated landscapes,"said Cooke. "In comparison, the boreal region of northern Canada provides safe and high-quality breeding habitat for this declining species. Protecting Canada's boreal forest is critical to saving this amazing songbird."
Norris is now working with biologists in Colombia looking at the overwintering portion of the warblers' life cycle. He said learning whether populations from across the boreal forest overwinter separately or together in South American rainforests may help improve habitat management along the migration route.
William V. DeLuca, Bradley K. Woodworth, Stuart A. Mackenzie, Amy E. M. Newman, Hilary A. Cooke, Laura M. Phillips, Nikole E. Freeman, Alex O. Sutton, Lila Tauzer, Carol McIntyre, Iain J. Stenhouse, Scott Weidensaul, Philip D. Taylor, D. Ryan Norris. A boreal songbird's 20,000 km migration across North America and the Atlantic Ocean. Ecology, 2019 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2651
Blackpoll warbler wearing tiny 'backpack.' Credit: Vermont Centres for EcoStudies
March 19, 2019: University of Guelph
For the first time, University of Guelph biologists have tracked an annual migration of up to 20,000 kilometres made by the 12-gram blackpoll warbler, one of the fastest declining songbirds in North America.
The bird's trek between its breeding grounds in the central and western boreal forest of North America and its winter home in the Amazon Basin -- one of the longest songbird migrations recorded -- is the topic of a new paper by a research team headed by U of G biologist Ryan Norris.
The paper was published today in the journal Ecology.
Describing a "great circle route" arcing across North America and including a transoceanic flight to South America, the study confirms an epic migration journey that scientists had long suspected but not yet proved.
In 2015, Norris and other biologists were the first to show that blackpolls breeding in the Maritimes and New England complete a non-stop transoceanic flight of up to three days and about 2,700 km along the eastern coast of the United States.
For this new study, they looked at the full migration of birds from central and western breeding populations.
"It's amazing," said Norris, who worked on the study with Hilary Cooke, associate conservation scientist with Wildlife Conservation Society Canada. "A bird weighing a couple of loonies travels from the western edge of North America all the way to the Amazon basin -- and, in between, traverses the Atlantic Ocean."
Other co-authors were integrative biology professor Amy Newman and U of G grad students Bradley Woodworth, Nikole Freeman and Alex Sutton, as well as researchers from other universities, conservation groups and national parks in Canada, the U.S. and Australia.
For the study, researchers tracked birds outfitted with tiny geolocators from four boreal forest sites across northern Canada and Alaska.
Total southward migration took about 60 days on average over distances ranging from 6,900 km for birds breeding in Churchill, Manitoba, to 10,700 km for populations on the western edge of the continent in Nome, Alaska.
Blackpolls from Nome took 18 days to fly across North America to the Atlantic coast of the Carolinas. There, the birds spent almost a month fattening up to double their body weight before a non-stop, 2 ½-day flight across open water to overwintering grounds in northern Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil.
They covered between 2,250 and 3,400 km for that transoceanic hop.
Norris said scientists had long believed that blackpolls followed the great circle route. Few of the birds have ever been found in the central or western States during fall migration.
He said population numbers have fallen in recent years, perhaps caused by habitat loss and declines in insect prey related to climate change.
"To understand what's causing the decline, we need to know their full annual cycle," he said.
In their paper, the researchers say climate change may make extreme coastal weather events more frequent and more extreme, with unknown impacts on long-distance migratory birds.
"As a conservation scientist, what strikes me most is that in a single year a blackpoll warbler has to navigate 20,000 kilometres across land and ocean, facing risks of cat predation, storms and collisions with buildings and vehicles, all while trying to find islands of habitat to rest and refuel in our human-dominated landscapes,"said Cooke. "In comparison, the boreal region of northern Canada provides safe and high-quality breeding habitat for this declining species. Protecting Canada's boreal forest is critical to saving this amazing songbird."
Norris is now working with biologists in Colombia looking at the overwintering portion of the warblers' life cycle. He said learning whether populations from across the boreal forest overwinter separately or together in South American rainforests may help improve habitat management along the migration route.
William V. DeLuca, Bradley K. Woodworth, Stuart A. Mackenzie, Amy E. M. Newman, Hilary A. Cooke, Laura M. Phillips, Nikole E. Freeman, Alex O. Sutton, Lila Tauzer, Carol McIntyre, Iain J. Stenhouse, Scott Weidensaul, Philip D. Taylor, D. Ryan Norris. A boreal songbird's 20,000 km migration across North America and the Atlantic Ocean. Ecology, 2019 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2651
Blackpoll warbler wearing tiny 'backpack.' Credit: Vermont Centres for EcoStudies
Website Puts Fears About Depression Genes Into Perspective
March 21, 2019: Lachlan Gilbert, UNSW Media
A new interactive website launched by UNSW mental health researchers allows people with a family history of major depressive or bipolar disorder to work out how likely it is that they – or any of their offspring – could develop these mental illnesses.
And according to the research article published in BMC Psychiatrywhich reported on the trial of this website with 202 participants, this new psychoeducational tool fills a gap in knowledge that is unmet by existing online interventions.
After setting up a free account on the website at links.neura.edu (titled Links: Understanding depression in the family), users begin with a short anonymous questionnaireabout the individual’s and immediate family members’ history in experiencing episodes of major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar disorder (BD).
The user is then taken on an educational journey about the types of depression, the degree to which genetics and environmental factors play a part, the likelihood of experiencing MDD or BD if there is a family history, as well as prevention and coping strategies.
Lead author of the study Professor Bettina Meiser says the website was developed by UNSW, Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and collaborators at other universities to address a gap in treatment that is currently not available to people concerned about their own or family members’ vulnerability to depression.
“There aren’t really any specialised genetic counsellors who cover psychiatric illnesses in Australia,” she says.
“The vast majority of genetic counsellors do prenatal genetic counselling or cancer genetic counselling. So we identified a gap and for that reason we set up this website to cater for what we believe is a sizeable group of people.”
Evaluation tool
Part of the user’s education involves using a tool that estimates how likely he or she could develop MDD or BD if these have been experienced by close blood relatives (parents, siblings or children).
Professor Meiser, who is also head of UNSW’s Psychosocial Research Group, says people may be relieved to find out that the chances of developing MDD or BD is not as high as people typically think if there is already a history of it in the family.
“The good news is that while there is certainly a genetic component to both MDD and BD, the chances of a child developing the same condition as their parents is considerably lower than fifty-fifty,” she says.
For example, a person with two or more close blood relatives who have bipolar disorder has an 18% chance of developing the condition themselves in their lifetime or 12% in the next year. This compares with 1% when looking at the Australian population as a whole for both timeframes.
“Our study showed that many people with a family history of MDD or BD greatly overestimate the risk of passing on this condition to their children,” Professor Meiser says.
“We found that the Links website improved participants’ accuracy at estimating the future risk of bipolar disorder. So this is clearly a resource that can allay fears around this, and we believe it may also lead to decreased self-stigmatisation about having the condition.”
Environmental factors
While assessing genetic risk is an important component of an understanding of depressive disorders, the Links website resource shows that environmental factors are critical in determining whether or not a person develops MDD or BD.
“All of us have a fixed predisposition to depressive disorders that our experience in the world adds to which can make us more vulnerable to depression – things like relationships, work, stress, socioeconomic backgrounds, our social networks and health,” Professor Meiser says.
To illustrate this point, the Links website uses an analogy it calls the ‘mental illness jar model’. This model says that everyone is born with a fixed number of genetic factors in their jar, which will not change over their lifetime. The space left in the jar represents someone’s vulnerability to MDD or BP. Once the jar is filled up by environmental factors added over time, a period of depression can occur.
“So someone who has more genetic factors in their jar may take fewer environmental factors to become full,” says Professor Meiser.
“But it is possible to have all these genetic factors and still not develop MDD or BP due to resilience and good prevention strategies.”
The Links website lists a number of tested prevention strategies, with the most effective listed as psychological strategies (including therapy and mind exercises), regular physical exercise and adequate amounts of sleep.
Interestingly, seeing a mental health practitioner is recommended as a pre-emptive strategy for people with a family history of MDD or BD, even if they are showing no symptoms of the illness.
“Our study showed that the Links website increased users’ intention to adopt psychological therapy as a preventative measure against depression,” Professor Meiser says.
“In fact, the increase in the proportion of individuals who intended to undergo or had undergone psychological therapy from before and after undertaking the online educational course was 22%.”
Professor Meiser says that more than 5000 people have registered for the website already and the researchers plan to promote the website further through mental health and GP organisations.