Plastic pollution is distributed patchily around the world’s oceans. Likewise, marine organisms that are vulnerable to plastic ingestion or entanglement have uneven distributions. Understanding where wildlife encounters plastic is crucial for targeting research and mitigation. Oceanic seabirds, particularly petrels, frequently ingest plastic, are highly threatened, and cover vast distances during foraging and migration. However, the spatial overlap between petrels and plastics is poorly understood. Here we combine marine plastic density estimates with individual movement data for 7137 birds of 77 petrel species to estimate relative exposure risk. We identify high exposure risk areas in the Mediterranean and Black seas, and the northeast Pacific, northwest Pacific, South Atlantic and southwest Indian oceans. Plastic exposure risk varies greatly among species and populations, and between breeding and non-breeding seasons. Exposure risk is disproportionately high for Threatened species. Outside the Mediterranean and Black seas, exposure risk is highest in the high seas and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the USA, Japan, and the UK. Birds generally had higher plastic exposure risk outside the EEZ of the country where they breed. We identify conservation and research priorities, and highlight that international collaboration is key to addressing the impacts of marine plastic on wide-ranging species.

The distribution of wildlife informs conservation planning. In marine systems, spatial information for seabirds is acquired primarily using vessel-based at-sea survey, aerial survey or animal-borne tracking devices. Many factors contribute to geographic biases in marine spatial research and we use a structured database search to review global patterns resulting from these biases. Although survey effort has been substantial, many large marine sectors were poorly represented. Poor representation often coincided spatially with hotspots of seabird species richness or areas experiencing high cumulative human impact, particularly in southern hemisphere and equatorial regions. Therefore, future seabird research priorities should reflect high species-richness areas including the south-west Pacific, particularly waters surrounding New Zealand. Furthermore, under-represented areas of Asia, and the Atlantic coasts of South America and Africa require greater research effort because of high cumulative human impacts in these areas. National gross domestic product (GDP) was positively related to the number of papers a country produced (determined by the first author’s address). This is indicative of constraints imposed by inherent costs of marine research. We recommend international collaboration between scientists from high-GDP nations with those in developing countries to address this. Further uptake of platforms of opportunity may also reduce this imbalance.

Ecological restoration in rural environments is a global challenge for the 21st century. Restoration measures—such as agri‐environment activities, woodlots, natural regeneration and conservation plantings—collectively alter landscape structure with the aim of restoring conservation values that are characteristic of natural ecosystems. We tested the landscape‐scale benefits of restoration for woodland birds, species of conservation concern in southern Australia, by assessing the richness and composition of avian communities in rural landscapes along a gradient in habitat restoration, benchmarked against landscapes with comparable extent of native vegetation. We selected 43 landscapes (each 8 km²) in Victoria, Australia, representing: (a) a trajectory of decline in the extent of remnant native wooded vegetation (‘remnant’ landscapes), (b) a trajectory of gain in planted vegetation (‘revegetation’ landscapes) and (c) a similar gradient comprising a mix of remnants and planted vegetation (‘mixed’ landscapes). In each landscape, repeat surveys of birds were undertaken at 12 sites, stratified in relation to land cover. Species richness of all terrestrial and woodland birds showed similar positive responses to total wooded cover in each landscape type, but woodland birds had reduced richness in ‘revegetation’ relative to ‘remnant’ and ‘mixed’ landscapes. Across all landscapes, key factors influencing richness were the extent of wooded cover and proportion comprised of plantings, scattered trees in farmland and mean annual rainfall. The composition of woodland bird assemblages differed between ‘remnant’ and ‘revegetation’ landscapes with predictable differences associated with foraging traits. Synthesis and applications. Restoration plantings stimulate recolonisation of otherwise‐depleted landscapes, effectively reversing a decline in woodland birds. Key insights include: (a) benchmarking ‘revegetation’ against ‘remnant’ landscapes provides a valuable means to quantify restoration outcomes at the landscape scale; (b) time‐lags in vegetation maturation contribute to a trajectory of recovery that differs from a trajectory of decline, in both richness and composition of the avifauna; (c) scattered trees have a critical role for avifaunal conservation in farm landscapes; (d) restoration plantings are most effective in ‘mixed’ landscapes, where complementary resources from remnant and planted vegetation are juxtaposed; and (e) restoration plantings on individual farms contribute to landscape‐scale biodiversity gains while also having socio‐ecological and production benefits.

The carnivorous pitcher plant genus Nepenthes grows in nutrient-deficient substrates and produce jug-shaped leaf organs (pitchers) that trap arthropods as a source of N and P. A number of Bornean Nepenthes demonstrate novel nutrient acquisition strategies. Notably, three giant montane species are engaged in a mutualistic association with the mountain treeshrew, Tupaia montana, in which the treeshrew defecates into the pitchers while visiting them to feed on nectar secretions on the pitchers' lids. Although the basis of this resource mutualism has been elucidated, many aspects are yet to be investigated. We sought to provide insights into the value of the mutualism to each participant. During initial observations we discovered that the summit rat, R. baluensis, also feeds on sugary exudates of N. rajah pitchers and defecates into them, and that this behavior appears to be habitual. The scope of the study was therefore expanded to assess to what degree N. rajah interacts with the small mammal community. We found that both T. montana and R. baluensis are engaged in a mutualistic interaction with N. rajah. T .montana visit pitchers more frequently than R. baluensis, but daily scat deposition rates within pitchers do not differ, suggesting that the mutualistic relationships are of a similar strength. This study is the first to demonstrate that a mutualism exists between a carnivorous plant species and multiple members of a small mammal community. Further, the newly discovered mutualism between R. baluensis and N. rajah represents only the second ever example of a multidirectional resource-based mutualism between a mammal and a carnivorous plant.