Olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) laying eggs habitat mapping in Penimbangan Beach, Bali Island

Penimbangan beach is one of the tourist destinations located in Buleleng Regency, Bali Province, Indonesia. This beach is also a nesting place for one of the sea turtle species in Indonesia, which is olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea). The problem that exists on the island of Bali today is most of the land in coastal areas were experienced land degradation. This land degradation occurs due to human activities or natural factors, it harms the turtle nesting habitat around the coastal area of Bali Island. Conservation of nesting turtle habitat is needed through spatial analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This study uses the parameters of sand particle, beach slope, width beach, humidity, and temperature parameter to determine the suitability of the turtle nesting habitat. Penimbangan beach area which is very suitable for turtle nesting locations has an area of 163,45 m2, suitable for laying eggs 4.886,44 m2, and not suitable for laying eggs 10.201,64 m2. The map of the suitability for laying turtle eggs is dominated by areas that are not suitable because the width of the beach is not too long and the humidity is still relatively high.

Nesting habitat and honey production of asiatic honey bees (Apis cerana) in the protected forest in Enrekang Regency, Indonesia

This study aims to determine the characteristics of nesting habitat, harvesting techniques, and honey production of Asiatic honey bee (Apis cerana) in the protected forest in Enrekang Regency, Indonesia. Data was collected in the form of primary and secondary data. Data is collected by observation, survey, and literature study then analyzed by descriptive statistical methods. The results showed that the Asiatic honey bee hunting technique by local communities in the protected forest in Enrekang Regency was carried out traditionally during the flowering season, especially in September and October. Asiatic honey bees nest in stone cavities or cracked stones around flowering plants in elevation 976.9-1.085.1 masl. Depth of stone cavities nest ranges between 40-70 cm, height ranges between 20-60 cm, width ranges between 60-100 m, temperature and humidity in stone cavities nest vary between 23-26,9 °C and 70-87%, respectively. The average weight of honeycomb is 1.137,5 g produces an average honey 250.58 g, beeswax 250.58 g, bee bread 169.17 g, and bee brood (eggs, larvae, pupa) 105.42 g. Honey bee yields average is 17.20%, bee wax 60.05%, bee bread 13.97%, and bee brood (larvae, eggs, and pupae) 8.78%.

The influence of subcolony-scale nesting habitat on the reproductive success of Adélie penguins

Group-size variation is common in colonially breeding species, including seabirds, whose breeding colonies can vary in size by several orders of magnitude. Seabirds are some of the most threatened marine taxa and understanding the drivers of colony size variation is more important than ever. Reproductive success is an important demographic parameter that can impact colony size, and it varies in association with a number of factors, including nesting habitat quality. Within colonies, seabirds often aggregate into distinct groups or subcolonies that may vary in quality. We used data from two colonies of Adélie penguins 73 km apart on Ross Island, Antarctica, one large and one small to investigate (1) How subcolony habitat characteristics influence reproductive success and (2) How these relationships differ at a small (Cape Royds) and large (Cape Crozier) colony with different terrain characteristics. Subcolonies were characterized using terrain attributes (elevation, slope aspect, slope steepness, wind shelter, flow accumulation), as well group characteristics (area/size, perimeter-to-area ratio, and proximity to nest predators). Reproductive success was higher and less variable at the larger colony while subcolony characteristics explained more of the variance in reproductive success at the small colony. The most important variable influencing subcolony quality at both colonies was perimeter-to-area ratio, likely reflecting the importance of nest predation by south polar skuas along subcolony edges. The small colony contained a higher proportion of edge nests thus higher potential impact from skua nest predation. Stochastic environmental events may facilitate smaller colonies becoming “trapped” by nest predation: a rapid decline in the number of breeding individuals may increase the proportion of edge nests, leading to higher relative nest predation and hindering population recovery. Several terrain covariates were retained in the final models but which variables, the shapes of the relationships, and importance varied between colonies.