A once critically endangered species of parrot now under threat from a highly contagious virus may be offered a renewed chance of survival by a conservationist at the University of Kent.

Mauritius parrot. Copyright: Gregory Guida 2007

Dr Jim Groombridge, Lecturer in Biodiversity Conservation at the University’s Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), has been awarded £215,594 from the Leverhulme Trust to lead a three-year project that aims to determine what factors drive the Mauritius parakeet’s susceptibility to infection, and in particular the spread of the highly contagious (and often lethal) parrot-specific virus Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD) that has recently infected this endangered parrot.

This project is all the more important given that the once widespread population of the Mauritius parakeet (Psittacula echo) fell to just 12 individuals by 1987, following a century of habitat loss and competition from the introduced ringneck parakeet. However, following a highly successful avian restoration programme, numbers of Mauritian parakeets eventually recovered to 350 birds (resulting in its downgrading from critically endangered to endangered) but in 2004 an outbreak of PBFD threatened this still recovering population.

Alongside its principal aim of providing important guidance for managing the disease-problems encountered by this endangered parrot, the project will also provide equally important guidance for managing infectious disease in species conservation programmes worldwide. In addition, it will provide a rare opportunity to study the epidemiology of infectious disease as extensive data is available from 20 years of careful monitoring of both the Mauritius parakeet and a closely related, introduced species of parakeet.

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Cloud Illumination Photograph of the Earth in which agglomerations of clouds and the brightness reflected by the illuminated face of our planet can be seen. Terrestrial clouds can reflect up to 80% of the light they receive. Credit: Gabriel Pérez, IAC (Multimedia Service) 3DClouds Clouds are indicative of atmospheric pressure and existing temperature. Terrestrial cloud cover can be seen this three-dimensional representation, obtained from combined measurments from various meteorological satellites. The cloud distribution is represented during the phenomenon known as "El Niño" (1997-98) and shows anomalies in sea surface temperatures. Credit: NASA.

From data obtained over two decades (1984-2005) by a network of meteorological satellites from all over the world, astronomers Enric Pallé, Pilar Monañés-Rodríguez and Manuel Vázquez from the IAC, together with Eric Ford from the University of Florida and Sara Seager of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have produced a computer-generated model of the Earth's brightness. Results have shown that, if observed as a point source, such as an extraterrestrial observer would view it, the Earth's cloud mass would follow a repetitive pattern with a certain frequency.

"The trick lies in interpreting the movement of the Earth's surface and the clouds as periodical signals, just as if we were to observe the spots on a spinning ball appearing and disappearing", explains Enric Pallé, first author of an article to be published next month in the American Astrophysical Journal.

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With a size of 10 metres wide, 20 metres long and 6 metres high, the ALMA antenna transporter is a real colossus. (c) ESO

The transporter was named 'Otto' in honour of Otto Rettenmaier, the owner of the Scheuerle company. "The rather unusual move to name a vehicle is a recognition of the remarkable achievement these unique machines represent," said Hans Rykaczewski, the European ALMA Project Manager. "Their sizes alone would justify using superlatives to describe them. But they are also outstanding as they will operate at 5000 metres altitude, where the air is rare, and they have to be able to place 115-ton antennas with a precision of a few millimetres," he added.

"The ALMA antenna transporters are the proof of the excellence of our staff and of our ability to build heavy vehicles that are at the limits of the possible," said Otto Rettenmaier. "Never in the history of our company have we had to comply with such exceptional requirements on material and techniques as we had to do with these machines. We are proud as a company to have been able to contribute with such an exceptional piece of technology for astronomical research."

The ALMA Project, in which ESO leads the construction and the operations on behalf of Europe, is a giant, international observatory currently in construction on the high-altitude Chajnantor site in Chile, which will be composed initially of 66 high-precision telescopes, operating at wavelengths of 0.3 to 9.6 mm. The ALMA antennas will be electronically combined and provide astronomical observations which are equivalent to a single large telescope of tremendous size and resolution.

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