Archivos de diario de febrero 2022

03 de febrero de 2022

Member milestone reached!

Hi everyone,

Thank you to those who got their friends and family excited about the project. The great news is we have reached over 100 members to the Lorikeet Paralysis Project! Fantastic effort by all, and welcome to those who have recently joined us.

This week I would like to update everyone on where we are with the project. Using your observations and the iNaturalist database, we now have approximately 600 records of rainbow lorikeets feeding or the trees that they have been feeding on and have identified more than 70 species of plants on which they feed. Of these 70 species, 21 are potentially toxic and 11 meet the criteria of blooming or fruiting during the same time that LPS cases occur. Thank you to everyone for following the project, and adding your observations to our records!

While the ultimate goal of this study is to identify the plant or plants that are most likely to cause LPS, the data that we are generating is also demonstrating how lorikeets use native and introduced vegetation in an urban environment to meet their nutritional needs.

Tune in next week to hear about what we have coming up for the project this year.

Keep safe, and happy Rainbow Lorikeet spotting!

Regards,
Lauren, David, Maya

Publicado el 03 de febrero de 2022 por lozb97 lozb97 | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

10 de febrero de 2022

What is planned for the project in 2022?

Hi everyone,

To start, thank you to @ninjajuju , @gilliematthew , @petersimple for your observations this week, and as our newest members I would like to welcome to the Lorikeet Paralysis Syndrome project!

This week I would like to fill you all in as to what new developments we have in action for the project this year. Along with all the data you are creating on what lorikeets are feeding on in the LPS affected area, we have teamed up with Rachele at Griffith University. Rachele has developed a screening tool to identify the DNA from the plants that flying-foxes have ingested by testing their faeces. We have done a preliminary ‘proof-of-concept’ study to determine if we can use the same technology to identify the plants rainbow lorikeets have been feeding on just prior to the onset of LPS.

Our preliminary findings show that this tool does work with samples from rainbow lorikeets and suggests that lorikeets with LPS feed on figs (Ficus spp.) and possibly other fruits prior to the onset of LPS. This has made us consider the possibly that a bacterium or a fungus may grow on or in these fruits and may produce the toxin causing LPS, as figs are not thought to be toxic themselves. Another possibility is that a venomous insect inside the fruit (possibly a wasp) might be ingested or sting or bite the lorikeet causing LPS.

The next step will be to run more samples from lorikeets with LPS and control lorikeets that present at the same time, but do not have LPS. We are also examining the possibility that we can use similar technology to screen the droppings of these birds for fungal, insect and arachnid DNA.

We look forward to keeping you updated on this additional aspect of the project, and providing you with analysis of your contributions thus far in the coming months.

Stay safe, and happy Rainbow Lorikeet spotting!

Kind regards,
Lauren, David, Maya

Publicado el 10 de febrero de 2022 por lozb97 lozb97 | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

24 de febrero de 2022

Geo-spatial analysis: We need your observations to make it happen!

Hi everyone,

Some more exciting news this week. Recently we have partnered up with Simon, an experienced ecologist, to do some geospatial analysis of our collated data, comparing sick bird locations with tree locations. We are thrilled to have Simon on board, bringing with him experience and expertise in conservation, geographical information systems and environmental data management. It is hoped this analysis will allow us to narrow down our toxic culprit.

Your observations of tree/plant locations will be used in this analysis! It is hoped Simon will begin working on this in the coming weeks, and with every observation counting to the dataset, our aim this week is to increase our observations to assist in the geospatial analysis.

Let us know what you see lorikeets feeding on in the coming weeks to give Simon the best chance with the geospatial analysis.

Keep safe, and Happy Rainbow Lorikeet spotting!

Kind regards,
Lauren, David, Maya

Publicado el 24 de febrero de 2022 por lozb97 lozb97 | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario