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Anthropogenic global warming is expected to cause major changes in the phenology of tropical rainforests in the short term and cause significant structural changes in the long term that will result in local species losses and possibly extinctions. Monitoring these changes is labour intensive and with steadily reducing funding for field environmental research, it is unlikely that such monitoring will take place, thus opportunities for some corrective actions will most certainly be lost. We propose to utilise flying foxes, Pteropus spp., which are large and highly mobile herbivorous megabats, as “flying monitors” of the changes to forest resources, by fitting them with GPS-logger collars. To allow us to economically track multiple animals with high spatial and temporal resolution, we have developed a solar-powered GPS-based logger, that following further size reduction small enough can be carried by an adult Spectacled Flying-fox Pteropus conspicillatus and costing less than one fifth of an Argos GPS-based system. This logger (capable of storing over 60,000 locations) will permit us to monitor detailed shifts in flying-fox feeding behaviour and energetics to monitor forest phenology with changing climate. Data are remotely downloaded without having to capture the animal or wait for the collar to fall off. Each collar has a radio-beacon to permit location of the animal for data download. Data from the loggers can be plotted on a GIS topographical and vegetation map data base.

Eby P. 1991. Seasonal Movements of Grey-headed Flying Foxes, Pteropus poliocephalus(Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) fro two materinity camps in northern New South Wales. Australian Wildlife Research 18: 155-185
Eggert C. 1994. Is tick paralysis in the spectacled flying fox, Pteropus conspicillatus, related to a change in the foraging behaviour? Hons. Thesis. Southern Cross University, Lismore.
Forsyth D.M, Scroggie M.P and McDonald-Madden E. 2005. Accuracy and precision of grey-headed flying fox ( Pteropus poliocephalus) flyout counts. Wildlife Research 33: 57-65.
Fox S., Luly J., Mitchell C., Maclean J. and Westcott D. 2008. Demographic Indications of decline in the spectacled flying fox ( Pteropus conspicillatus) on the Atherton Tablelands of northern Queensland. Wildlife Research 35: 417-424
Garnett, S., Whybird, O. and Spencer, H. 1999. The conservation status of the Spectacled Flying Fox Pteropus conspicillatus in Australia. Australian Zoologist 31: 38-54.
von Hünerbein, K. and Rüter E. 2001. “Homing in with GPS”. Galileo's World 2:14-22.
von Hünerbein K, Wiltschko W and Rüter E. 2001. Flight tracks of homing pigeons measured with GPS. The Journal of Navigation 54: 167-75.
McIlwee, A.P. and Martin, L. 2002. On the intrinsic capacity for increase of Australian flying-foxes ( Pteropus spp., Megachiroptera). Australian Zoologist 32: 76-100.
Roberts B R, Catterall C., Kanowski J and Eby P. 2008. The Role of habitat in the conservation and management of the Grey headed flying fox. Quarterly Progress report. Nov 2007- Jan 2008 Griffith University.
Shilton L., Latch P., McKeown A., Pert P., and Westcott D. 2008. Landscape-scale redistribution of a highly mobile threatened species, Pteropus conspicillatus, in response to Tropical Cyclone Larry. Austral Ecology 33: 549-61.
Spencer H.J. 1988. Cheap compact synthesised receiver for radiotracking fruit bats. Australian.Wildlife. Research 15: 689-93.
Spencer H.J., Palmer C. and Parry Jones K. 1991. The movements of fruit bats in eastern Australia determined by radio tracking. Australian Wildlife Research 18: 463-468.
Westcott, D., Dennis, A., McKeown, A., Bradford, M. and Margules. C. 2001. An assessment of the Spectacled Flying Fox, Pteropus conspicillatus, in the context of the World Heritage values of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. CSIRO. Report to the Commonwealth Department of the Environment.
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References

Eby P. 1991. Seasonal Movements of Grey-headed Flying Foxes, Pteropus poliocephalus(Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) fro two materinity camps in northern New South Wales. Australian Wildlife Research 18: 155-185
Eggert C. 1994. Is tick paralysis in the spectacled flying fox, Pteropus conspicillatus, related to a change in the foraging behaviour? Hons. Thesis. Southern Cross University, Lismore.
Forsyth D.M, Scroggie M.P and McDonald-Madden E. 2005. Accuracy and precision of grey-headed flying fox ( Pteropus poliocephalus) flyout counts. Wildlife Research 33: 57-65.
Fox S., Luly J., Mitchell C., Maclean J. and Westcott D. 2008. Demographic Indications of decline in the spectacled flying fox ( Pteropus conspicillatus) on the Atherton Tablelands of northern Queensland. Wildlife Research 35: 417-424
Garnett, S., Whybird, O. and Spencer, H. 1999. The conservation status of the Spectacled Flying Fox Pteropus conspicillatus in Australia. Australian Zoologist 31: 38-54.
von Hünerbein, K. and Rüter E. 2001. “Homing in with GPS”. Galileo's World 2:14-22.
von Hünerbein K, Wiltschko W and Rüter E. 2001. Flight tracks of homing pigeons measured with GPS. The Journal of Navigation 54: 167-75.
McIlwee, A.P. and Martin, L. 2002. On the intrinsic capacity for increase of Australian flying-foxes ( Pteropus spp., Megachiroptera). Australian Zoologist 32: 76-100.
Roberts B R, Catterall C., Kanowski J and Eby P. 2008. The Role of habitat in the conservation and management of the Grey headed flying fox. Quarterly Progress report. Nov 2007- Jan 2008 Griffith University.
Shilton L., Latch P., McKeown A., Pert P., and Westcott D. 2008. Landscape-scale redistribution of a highly mobile threatened species, Pteropus conspicillatus, in response to Tropical Cyclone Larry. Austral Ecology 33: 549-61.
Spencer H.J. 1988. Cheap compact synthesised receiver for radiotracking fruit bats. Australian.Wildlife. Research 15: 689-93.
Spencer H.J., Palmer C. and Parry Jones K. 1991. The movements of fruit bats in eastern Australia determined by radio tracking. Australian Wildlife Research 18: 463-468.
Westcott, D., Dennis, A., McKeown, A., Bradford, M. and Margules. C. 2001. An assessment of the Spectacled Flying Fox, Pteropus conspicillatus, in the context of the World Heritage values of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. CSIRO. Report to the Commonwealth Department of the Environment.
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