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Behavioural contagion is a curious phenomenon of human social life which is believed to facilitate group living. It has also been demonstrated in animals that some behaviours may be contagious: how widespread this phenomenon is remains unclear, as only a few species have been tested. In this context, we examined whether three behaviours commonly exhibited by moulting southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina): "sneezing", scratching and yawning could be contagious. Using the randomization approach, we found this to be the case in general for all the behaviours, although the pattern was not that obvious or present at all for all the social groups. This indicates there is a potential for social contagion but the issue is complex. Despite limitations associated with observational study on small-size social groups, this is the first report of contagious behaviours in marine mammals and is to encourage further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article documents a custom sensor-actuator network designed and implemented as a part of experimental setup, where a long-term phenological response of antarctic plants is studied. The first part of our work presents the context of the study, reports experimental methods used in antarctic plant field studies, and characterizes the environmental conditions and logistics facilities available on the measurement spot. After contextualization of the research, we present, in detail, both the network itself and some results obtained during the Antarctic summer seasons between 2019 and 2022 on the King George Island, South Shetlands. The results collected with our network and correlated with selected data registered with a reference automatic meteorological station reveal the thermal plants response. The groups of plants individuals, which were actively warmed using thermal actuators, show the nighttime temperature difference, in reference to the air temperature, of 5 ∘C, which complements the daytime difference caused by the passive method of open top chamber (OTC) used in previous studies carried out in the same localization.

The importance of nest characteristics for birds breeding in the extreme climate conditions of polar regions, has been greatly understudied. Nest parameters, like nest orientation, exposure and insulation, could strongly influence microclimate and protection against precipitation of the nest, thereby affecting breeding success. A burrow nesting seabird, the Wilson's storm-petrel (Oceanites oceanicus) is an excellent model species to investigate the importance of nest characteristics, as it is the smallest endotherm breeding in the Antarctic. Here, we investigated the effects of nest parameters such as internal nest dimensions, nest micro-topography and thermal properties of the nest burrow and the influence of weather conditions on breeding output, measured as hatching success, chick survival, and chick growth. We collected data during the austral summers of 2017 and 2018, on King George Island, maritime Antarctica. Our results showed that the thermal microclimate of the nest burrow was significantly improved by a small entrance size, a low nest height, and insulation and tended to be enhanced by a low wind exposition index and an eastern nest site orientation. In addition, an eastern nest site orientation significantly reduced the chance of snow blocking. However, the relationships between nest characteristics and breeding output were complex and might be affected by other parameters like food availability and parental quality. The relation between chick growth and nest air temperature remained especially indistinct. Nevertheless, our results indicate that nest characteristics that enhance the thermal microclimate and reduce the risk of snow blocking favoured both hatching success and chick survival. Due to climate change in the Antarctic, snowfall is expected to increase in the future, which will likely enhance the importance of nest characteristics that determine snow blocking. Additionally, despite global warming, thermally favourable nest burrows will likely still be advantageous in the highly variable and challenging Antarctic climate., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the inorganic chemistry of flowing water at the western shore of Admiralty Bay. In the water samples, ions, and major and trace metals (and B) were detected and quantified. Additionally, the parameters of pH, specific electrolytic conductivity (SEC 25 ) and total organic carbon (TOC) were determined. Moreover, multivariate data set was created and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed. Generally, the water has low total content of the measured mineral constituents <100mgL -1 . PCA analysis we distinguished two groups of chemical variables shaping water chemistry in the investigated creeks: I - components of marine aerosol origin (presence of Na + , Cl - and B) and II - those associated with chemical weathering processes (presence of Al and Fe). Furthermore, the results showed that the flowing water in the newly-formed periglacial areas (formed over the last 30years) are rich in easily soluble Al and Fe and have lower total measured contents of mineral constituents during the summer period than creeks in non-glacial catchments. Permafrost influence on water chemistry is difficult to identify. The rather insignificant difference between TOC concentrations in waters during summer indicates that permafrost is not a store of organic matter in the studied area. Moreover, local biological factors (lichens and mosses) and those limited to the sea-shore vicinity (seabirds and mammals activity) are significant sources of PO 4 3- , NO 3 - , and NH 4 + . Despite the described geological and biological features influencing water chemistry, the impact of anthropogenic activity still needs to be verified, especially in terms of heavy metal concentrations., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)