Spain, Alister V.

14 publications

Spain, Alister V.; Heinsohn, George Edwin (detail)
1973Cyclone associated feeding changes in the dugong (Mammalia: Sirenia).
Mammalia 37(4): 678-680. 1 tab. Dec. 1973.
—Reports (on the basis of stomach contents) a dietary shift in Queensland dugongs from seagrasses to Sargassum and other brown and red algae following the destruction of seagrass beds by a cyclone. Hydroids, holothurian and ascidian remains, and silt and sand were also found in the dugongs' stomachs.
Spain, Alister V.; Heinsohn, George Edwin (detail)
1974A biometric analysis of measurement data from a collection of North Queensland dugong skulls, Dugong dugon (Müller).
Austral. Jour. Zool. 22: 249-257. 3 tabs. 8 figs.
—A study of size allometry in 52 skulls and mandibles using 26 variables indicated that condylo-premaxillary length at the attainment of sexual maturity is about 34 cm, and that the snout region shows positive allometry, the cranial region, negative or no allometry.
Heinsohn, George Edwin; Spain, Alister V. (detail)
1974Effects of a tropical cyclone on littoral and sub-littoral biotic communities and on a population of dugongs (Dugong dugon (Müller)).
Biol. Conserv. 6(2): 143-152. 2 tabs. 5 figs. Apr. 1974.
—Analyzes data on sex and age ratios of dugongs caught in shark nets before and after a cyclone; discusses an apparent increase in their movements, and a change in their feeding habits to include brown algae in addition to seagrasses.
Spain, Alister V.; Heinsohn, George Edwin (detail)
1975Size and weight allometry in a North Queensland population of Dugong dugon (Müller) (Mammalia: Sirenia).
Austral. Jour. Zool. 23(2): 159-168. 2 tabs. 6 figs. May 1975.
—Concludes, from a sample of 53 animals, that body weight (the dependent variable) and length are related by the equation y = (-34.251) - 14.976x + 55.218xý; that there are no sexual weight-length differences; that weight at puberty (about 2.4 m length) is about 248 kg; that only the large intestine and not the small intestine or cecum shows positive allometry; and that dorsal and ventral skin thicknesses are isometric while lateral skin thickness is more or less constant.
Heinsohn, George Edwin; Marsh, Helene D.; Spain, Alister V. (detail)
1976Extreme risk of mortality to dugongs (Mammalia: Sirenia) from netting operations.
Austral. Jour. Wildl. Res. 3(2): 117-121. 1 tab. 1 fig.
—Account of techniques used in catching Australian dugongs for research, behavior of dugongs in nets, and effects on dugong populations of netting operations in Queensland and Kenya.
Heinsohn, George Edwin; Spain, Alister V.; Anderson, Paul K. (detail)
1976Populations of dugongs (Mammalia: Sirenia): aerial survey over the inshore waters of tropical Australia.
Biol. Conserv. 9(1): 21-23. 1 tab. Jan. 1976.
—Results of surveys in the Townsville and Cape York areas, Sept.-Dec. 1974; several large aggregations seen.
Spain, Alister V.; Heinsohn, George Edwin; Marsh, Helene D.; Correll, R. L. (detail)
1976Sexual dimorphism and other sources of variation in a sample of dugong skulls from North Queensland (Mammalia: Sirenia).
Austral. Jour. Zool. 24(4): 491-497. 3 tabs. 1 fig.
—Analysis of 26 variables in 32 adult skulls found sexual dimorphism principally in the snout region; also found were lesser amounts of allometric variation, again mainly in the anterior part of the skull.
Heinsohn, George Edwin; Wake, Judith Ann; Marsh, Helene D.; Spain, Alister V. (detail)
1977The dugong (Dugong dugon (Müller)) in the seagrass system.
Aquaculture 12(3): 235-248. 4 figs.
—Abstr.: Heinsohn (1981b). Review, mainly from published literature, of dugong feeding habits, movements, trophic relations, exploitation, and conservation problems. Suggests dugongs should be studied for possible sustained-yield meat production.
Murray, R. M.; Marsh, Helene D.; Heinsohn, George Edwin; Spain, Alister V. (detail)
1977The role of the midgut caecum and large intestine in the digestion of sea grasses by the dugong (Mammalia: Sirenia).
Compar. Biochem. Physiol. 56A: 7-10. 2 tabs.
—Reports on the analysis of gut contents for plant species, apparent digestibilities, and volatile fatty acids; the blood was analyzed for phosphorus and urea. Digestion was found to occur principally in the hindgut.
Marsh, Helene D.; Heinsohn, George Edwin; Spain, Alister V. (detail)
1977The stomach and duodenal diverticula of the dugong (Dugong dugon). In: R. J. Harrison (ed.), Functional anatomy of marine mammals.
London, Academic Press: Vol. 3: 271-295. 1 tab. 10 figs.
—Describes the gross anatomy, histology, and histochemistry of the stomach and diverticula and discusses their functional and ecological implications. Reports occurrences of the parasites Paradujardinia halichoris and Lankatrema sp.
Marsh, Helene D.; Spain, Alister V.; Heinsohn, George Edwin (detail)
1978Minireview: physiology of the dugong.
Compar. Biochem. Physiol., Part A, 61(2): 159-168. 1 tab. 3 figs.
—Briefly summarizes published literature and some unpublished data on dugong anatomy, feeding, digestion, fat composition, excretion, reproduction, respiration, circulation, nervous and endocrine systems, social behavior, and vocalizations.
Heinsohn, George Edwin; Marsh, Helene D.; Gardner, Blair R.; Spain, Alister V.; Anderson, Paul K. (detail)
1979bAerial surveys of dugongs. In: Proceedings of workshop on aerial surveys of fauna populations, Canberra, Feb. 22-25, 1977.
Austral. Natl. Parks & Wildl. Serv., Spec. Publ. No. 1: 85-96. 4 figs.
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Spain, Alister V.; Marsh, Helene D. (detail)
1981bDugong skull measurements. In: H. Marsh (ed.), The dugong. Proceedings of a seminar/workshop held at James Cook University of North Queensland 8-13 May 1979 (q.v.).
[Townsville (Australia)], James Cook Univ. (vii + 400): 286-301. 1 tab. 5 figs.
—Describes in detail a set of 79 standard cranial measurements, noting which are important in studies of allometry, sexual dimorphism, and geographic variation within Queensland.
Spain, Alister V.; Marsh, Helene D. (detail)
1981aGeographic variation and sexual dimorphism in the skulls of two Australian populations of Dugong dugon (Müller) (Mammalia: Sirenia). In: H. Marsh (ed.), The dugong. Proceedings of a seminar/workshop held at James Cook University of North Queensland 8-13 May 1979 (q.v.).
[Townsville (Australia)], James Cook Univ. (vii + 400): 143-161. 2 tabs.
—Compares adult skulls from the Townsville and Wellesley Island areas, Queensland, on the basis of 74 variables. Sexual dimorphism was found in a wider range of characters than previously known, and geographic differences were also found.