YEP reproductive study

Melanie Massaro and Alvin Setiawan, research students from Otago University, 2000-2001

This year the Trust has sponsored two PhD students to study reproductive success in yellow-eyed penguins. Both students will be based on the Otago Peninsula, studying the resident penguin population there.

Melanie Massaro will investigate biological and behavioural factors related to reproductive success, while Alvin Setiawan will look at the hormonal mechanisms which underlie the reproductive behaviour observed by Melanie, and the energetics involved with raising chicks.

The students will be supervised by Lloyd Davis in the Zoology Department, Otago University. Their advisor is John Darby.