Rachel P. Hickcox

Proteus Research And Consulting Limited

Conservation of the endangered yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) in New Zealand has principally sought to manage terrestrial threats, while relatively little has been done to understand or address marine threats, such as reduced prey availability, commercial fisheries interactions, and habitat destruction. We assessed spatial similarities...

With the extinction of yellow-eyed penguins Megadyptes antipodes on mainland New Zealand predicted within the next few decades, identifying preventable causes of mortality during the juvenile dispersal period is critical. Between 2017 and 2019, we tracked 30 juvenile yellow-eyed penguins during their post-fledging dispersal to determine their dispe...

Endangered yellow-eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes) are central-place, benthic-diving foragers that search for prey in the productive marine areas off the coast of the South Island, New Zealand. Like other seabirds, they target specific, reliable areas of high prey abundance, which are often associated with oceanographic characteristics such as...

The endangered yellow-eyed penguin/hoiho (Megadyptes antipodes) predominantly forages benthically within its mainland range and shows high foraging site fidelity. Identifying consistencies in foraging locations can allow effective conservation, especially when managing bycatch risk. This study investigated the at-sea distribution of penguins breedi...

Establishing protected areas (PAs) ranks among the top priority actions to mitigate the global scale of modern biodiversity declines. However, the distribution of biodiversity is spatially asymmetric among regions and lineages, and the extent to which PAs offer effective protection for species and ecosystems remains uncertain. Penguins, regarded as...

Penguins face a wide range of threats. Most observed population changes have been negative and have happened over the last 60 years. Today, populations of 11 penguin species are decreasing. Here we present a review that synthesizes details of threats faced by the world’s 18 species of penguins. We discuss alterations to their environment at both br...

Chemical communication plays a pivotal role in shaping sexual and ecological interactions among animals. In lizards, fundamental mechanisms of sexual selection such as female mate choice have rarely been shown to be influenced by quantitative phenotypic traits (e.g., ornaments), while chemical signals have been found to potentially influence multip...

This study investigates the conservation of penguins by IUCN protected areas.

This study investigates the conservation of penguins by IUCN protected areas.

Heterosigma akashiwo is a toxic, halo-tolerant raphidophyte known to cause harmful algal blooms (HABs) worldwide. The mechanism for bloom formation in this species is largely unknown. Previous research has shown that the growth rate of H. akashiwo is constant across a range of salinities given ample light and nutrients. To understand H. akashiwo’s...