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Mallard release in the UK has been increasing over recent years and now ~1.3-2.6 million are released annually Problems are likely to be especially acute (and benefits less) on large "driven duck only" days We call for markedly more research into Mallard release and management

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Evidence is currently limited and often weak (especially considering wider ecosystem effects) Releases and associated management have both positive (e.g. habitat creation, feeding) and negative (e.g. interbreeding, disease, eutrophication) ecological impacts

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Millions of Mallard are artificially reared and released annually across the world in UK, Europe and North America We conducted a literature review (37 papers, 41 effects) of their genetic, direct & associated effects on wild conspecifics, other waterbirds and aquatic ecosystems

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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

What are the ecological effects of releasing and managing mallard ducks for hunting? Our new OA paper with @ecoevoenviro.bsky.social authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S... What did we find? A short 🧵

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Cognitive Level Specificity of Entities Structure of Cognition

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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

Cognition Cognitive Entity Cognitive Performance

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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

What are we talking about when we're talking about "cognition"? Terminology in this field has become confused and confusing. While writing our recent review, we tried to structure terms for our own sanity, and provide a template in a Glossary royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

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Why is the apparent link between cognition and fitness so weak? Could it be that our proposed causal link between cognition, behaviour and fitness/selection is too simplistic and linear? We discuss possible alternative models

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Studies that measured fitness as "survival" (survival to next season, mass gain, foraging success etc) were more likely to report sig relationships than those measuring "reproductive" fitness (attractiveness, provisioning levels, offspring production etc)

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Studies that measured "broad" forms of cognition (innovation, problem solving) were more likely to report sig relationships than those measuring more "specific", defined forms (reversal learning, spatial memory etc)

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Studies using larger sample sizes were LESS likely to report a significant relationship

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Positive relationships (‘smarter is better’) outnumbered negative ones (‘dumber is better’) among the significant results, but these still comprised >20% Selection might reduce cognitive performance as well as enhance it

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We found generally weak support for a relationship between cognition & fitness, with >70% of raw PUBLISHED relationships being statistically non-significant, with an even smaller likelihood once co-variates were accounted for (what if any publication bias were accounted for?)

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We reviewed 45 studies that adopted a within-species approach where cognitive performance is correlated with fitness benefits and assumed to be selected for Included 26 species & 211 relationships between behavioural measures of cognition & fitness royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

NEW PAPER🎺 How does cognition determine an individual’s fitness? A systematic review of the links between cognition, behaviour and fitness in non-human animals Lots of studies try to explain how cognition might evolve, by taking a behavioural ecology approach Has this approach made any progress?🧵

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I really enjoyed talking with the Shoothub team about our work on rearing better gamebirds, the economics & ecology of game release, and my progression from bowerbirds to pheasants. Well worth a listen if you want to understand more about game rearing open.spotify.com/episode/6ktj...

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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

The short story by Saki - "Reginald on House Parties" - outlines when it might not be acceptable.... americanliterature.com/author/hh-mu...

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These differences between the two sites may reflect different optimal foraging strategies driven by different lengths of occupation by beavers in the vicinity, perhaps due to changed forage availability

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We asked how their choice of the size of tree, species and distance from the river differed between one site where beavers were recent occupants (River Otter, Devon) and one site where they had lived for centauries (River Gjov, Norway)

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In another life, I'm the River Warden for ~6 miles of the beautiful River Taw, in Devon. About 4 years ago, beavers "appeared" on our beat and I started to get interested in their behaviour A keen Norwegian MSc student, Are Vaeroyvik, set out to look at what they were gnawing

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