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Beetles with fighting experience make better mothers
Beetle
Burying beetle and larva.

Fighters spend more time tending to their young

A study commissioned by The University of Edinburgh shows that female beetles with a greater history of conflict, make better mothers.

The study revealed that the offspring of beetles whom had engaged in more fights spent twice as much time tending to their young, ensuring a higher survival rate.

The study also showed that these female beetles made better mothers, regardless of whether they had won or lost. They laid the same quantity of eggs but more of their hatchlings survived to adulthood.

Female burying beetles regularly fight over the decaying bodies of rodents and small birds, in order to feed their young. Fighting indicates competition within the population to female beetles, signifying that opportunities to mate may be scarce and therefore forcing them to make more effort at each breeding attempt.

Natalie Pilakouta, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Biological Sciences, who led the study, said: “Our findings show that fighting contests have much wider consequences than previously thought. We now know that fighting experience can affect parents' decisions about how much care to provide to their offspring.”

The team at Edinburgh University stated that in most species where fighting takes place, physical conflict often affects a mother’s reproductive decisions, in turn having an effect on her offspring.

The study, published in the journal The American Naturalist, was funded by the University of Edinburgh and Campus Hungary. The research was carried out in collaboration with the University of Debrecen, Hungary. 

Image (C) Per Smiseth

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.