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Jakubas D, Wojczulanis-Jakubas K, Szeligowska M, Darecki M, Boehnke R, Balazy K, Trudnowska E, Kidawa D, Grissot A, Descamps S, Błachowiak-Samołyk K. Gone with the wind - Wind speed affects prey accessibility for a High Arctic zooplanktivorous seabird, the little auk Alle alle. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 852:158533. [PMID: 36067858 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Foraging ecology of chick rearing seabirds is affected mainly by the food availability on feeding grounds, but it can be also modulated by environmental conditions during the foraging trip, in that wind force. Considering predicted strengthening of surface winds over the Arctic Ocean, this factor may have a growing impact on the foraging performance of Arctic seabirds. Here, we studied how wind speed could affect prey accessibility for the High Arctic zooplanktivorous seabird, the little auk Alle alle breeding in Svalbard in 2015-2019. First, we estimated availability of its preferred prey, a cold water copepod Calanus glacialis, based on wider-scale mesozooplankton biomass model and environmental conditions. Then we estimated prey accessibility by including wind speed, the factor affecting the flapping flight performance of little auks commuting from/to the colony. Finally, we compared reproductive performance of the little auks (chick diet, growth rate and survival and duration of foraging flights of adults) between the studied years differing in wind and food availability conditions. We found that wind speed could affect significantly food accessibility for a zooplanktivorous seabird. Despite high spatial and temporal variability in prey availability and accessibility in shelf waters of SW Spitsbergen, interannual differences in duration of foraging flights and chick growth rate, little auks were able to sustain high breeding success confirming their capacity to buffer suboptimal foraging conditions. Our multidisciplinary work, combining multi-year remote sensing of oceanographic conditions, zooplankton availability and accessibility modelling, little auks diet composition and chick growth and survival emphasizes the importance of including wind conditions in the studies of foraging ecology of seabirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dariusz Jakubas
- Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, PL-80-308 Gdańsk, Poland.
| | - Katarzyna Wojczulanis-Jakubas
- Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, PL-80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Marlena Szeligowska
- Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, PL-81-712 Sopot, Poland
| | - Miroslaw Darecki
- Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, PL-81-712 Sopot, Poland
| | - Rafał Boehnke
- Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, PL-81-712 Sopot, Poland
| | - Kaja Balazy
- Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, PL-81-712 Sopot, Poland
| | - Emilia Trudnowska
- Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, PL-81-712 Sopot, Poland
| | - Dorota Kidawa
- Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, PL-80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Antoine Grissot
- Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, PL-80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
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Campioni L, Dell'Omo G, Vizzini S, De Pascalis F, Badalamenti F, Massa B, Rubolini D, Cecere JG. Year-round variation in the isotopic niche of Scopoli's shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) breeding in contrasting sea regions of the Mediterranean Sea. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 178:105650. [PMID: 35644078 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Top marine predators are key components of marine food webs. Among them, long-distance migratory seabirds, which travel across different marine ecosystems over the year, may experience important year-round changes in terms of oceanographic conditions and availability of trophic resources. We tested whether this was the case in the Scopoli's shearwater (Calonectris diomedea), a trans-equatorial migrant and top predator, by sampling birds breeding in three environmentally different regions of the Mediterranean Sea. The analysis of positional data and stable isotopes (δ1³C and δ15N) of target feathers revealed that birds from the three regions were spatially segregated during the breeding period while they shared non-breeding areas in the Atlantic Ocean. Isotopic baseline levels of N and C (meso-zooplankton) were significantly different among marine regions during breeding. Such variation was reflected at the higher trophic levels of pelagic and demersal fish muscles as well as in shearwater feathers grown in the Mediterranean. δ15N- and δ13C-adjusted values of shearwaters were significantly different among populations suggesting that birds from different breeding areas relied on prey species from different trophic levels. Conversely, the non-breeding spatial and isotopic niches overlapped greatly among the three populations. Shearwater trophic niches during breeding were narrower and segregated compared to the non-breeding period, revealing a high plasticity in trophic resource use. Overall, this study highlights seasonal and region-specific use of trophic resources by Scopoli's shearwater, suggesting a broad trophic plasticity and possibly a high adaptability to environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Letizia Campioni
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Center, Ispa - Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim Do Tabaco 34, 1149-041, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | | | - Salvatrice Vizzini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Della Terra e Del Mare, Università Degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 18, 90123, Palermo, Italy; Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze Del Mare, CoNISMa, Piazzale Flaminio 9, 00196, Roma, Italy
| | - Federico De Pascalis
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26 I, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Fabio Badalamenti
- Institute of Anthropic Impacts and Sustainability in Marine Environment (CNR-IAS), Via Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo 4521, 90149, Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Diego Rubolini
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26 I, 20133, Milano, Italy; Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque, IRSA-CNR, Via Del Mulino 19 I, 20861, Brugherio, (MB), Italy
| | - Jacopo G Cecere
- Area Avifauna Migratrice, Istituto Superiore per La Protezione e La Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Ozzano Emilia, (BO), Italy
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3
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Norambuena HV, Rivera R, Barros R, Silva R, Peredo R, Hernández CE. Living on the edge: genetic structure and geographic distribution in the threatened Markham's Storm-Petrel ( Hydrobates markhami). PeerJ 2022; 9:e12669. [PMID: 35036151 PMCID: PMC8711276 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Migratory birds are threatened by habitat loss and degradation, illegal killings, ineffective conservation policies, knowledge gaps and climate change. These threats are particularly troubling in the Procellariiformes (Aves), one of the most endangered bird groups. For “storm-petrels”, their cryptic breeding behavior, asynchrony between populations, and light pollution pose additional threats that contribute to increased mortality.Markham’s Storm-Petrel (Hydrobates markhami), a poorly known migratory species, is a pelagic bird that breeds in dispersed colonies in the Sechura and Atacama Deserts, with asynchronous reproduction between colonies, and is highly affected by artificial lights. Considering its complex conservation scenario and singular breeding, we expected to find narrow habitat distribution conditions, strong geographic genetic structure, and spatially differentiation related to human population activities (e.g., light pollution) and the climate global change. To evaluate these predictions, we analyzed the phylogeography, current and future potential distribution based on mitochondrial gene ND1 and geographic records.The phylogeographic analyses revealed three well-supported clades (i.e., Paracas, Arica, and Salar Grande), and the geographical distribution modeled using an intrinsic conditional model (iCAR) suggests a positive relationship with the mean temperature of the wettest quarter and of the driest quarter, solar radiation, and anthropogenic disturbance. The future predictions under moderate and severe scenarios of global change indicated a drastic distribution area reduction, especially in the southern zone around Tarapacá and Antofagasta in Chile. These suggest a potential loss of unique genetic diversity and the need for conservation actions particularly focused at the edges of the H. markhami distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heraldo V Norambuena
- Centro Bahía Lomas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Santo Tomás, Concepción, Chile.,Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Filoinformática, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.,Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Reinaldo Rivera
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Filoinformática, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.,Millennium Institute of Oceanography (IMO), Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Barros
- Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Silva
- Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ronny Peredo
- Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Cristián E Hernández
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Filoinformática, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.,Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa, Perú
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4
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Golubova EY. Breeding Biology of the Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella, Alcidae, Charadriiformes) in the Northern Part of the Sea of Okhotsk. BIOL BULL+ 2021. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359021090041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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5
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Lameris TK, Hoekendijk J, Aarts G, Aarts A, Allen AM, Bienfait L, Bijleveld AI, Bongers MF, Brasseur S, Chan YC, de Ferrante F, de Gelder J, Derksen H, Dijkgraaf L, Dijkhuis LR, Dijkstra S, Elbertsen G, Ernsten R, Foxen T, Gaarenstroom J, Gelhausen A, van Gils JA, Grosscurt S, Grundlehner A, Hertlein ML, van Heumen AJ, Heurman M, Huffeldt NP, Hutter WH, Kamstra YJJ, Keij F, van Kempen S, Keurntjes G, Knap H, Loonstra AJ, Nolet BA, Nuijten RJ, Mattijssen D, Oosterhoff H, Paarlberg N, Parekh M, Pattyn J, Polak C, Quist Y, Ras S, Reneerkens J, Ruth S, van der Schaar E, Schroen G, Spikman F, van Velzen J, Voorn E, Vos J, Wang D, Westdijk W, Wind M, Zhemchuzhnikov MK, van Langevelde F. Migratory vertebrates shift migration timing and distributions in a warming Arctic. ANIMAL MIGRATION 2021. [DOI: 10.1515/ami-2020-0112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Climate warming in the Arctic has led to warmer and earlier springs, and as a result, many food resources for migratory animals become available earlier in the season, as well as become distributed further northwards. To optimally profit from these resources, migratory animals are expected to arrive earlier in the Arctic, as well as shift their own spatial distributions northwards. Here, we review literature to assess whether Arctic migratory birds and mammals already show shifts in migration timing or distribution in response to the warming climate. Distribution shifts were most prominent in marine mammals, as expected from observed northward shifts of their resources. At least for many bird species, the ability to shift distributions is likely constrained by available habitat further north. Shifts in timing have been shown in many species of terrestrial birds and ungulates, as well as for polar bears. Within species, we found strong variation in shifts in timing and distributions between populations. Ou r review thus shows that many migratory animals display shifts in migration timing and spatial distribution in reaction to a warming Arctic. Importantly, we identify large knowledge gaps especially concerning distribution shifts and timing of autumn migration, especially for marine mammals. Our understanding of how migratory animals respond to climate change appears to be mostly limited by the lack of long-term monitoring studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas K. Lameris
- Department of Coastal Systems , NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research , Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands ; Department of Animal Ecology , Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) , Wageningen , the Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Hoekendijk
- Department of Coastal Systems , NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research , Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Geert Aarts
- Department of Coastal Systems , NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research , Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
- Wageningen Marine Research , Wage-ningen University and Research , Den Helder , the Netherlands
| | - Aline Aarts
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Andrew M. Allen
- Department of Animal Ecology , Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) , Wageningen , the Netherlands
| | - Louise Bienfait
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Allert I. Bijleveld
- Department of Coastal Systems , NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research , Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Morten F. Bongers
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Sophie Brasseur
- Department of Coastal Systems , NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research , Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
- Wageningen Marine Research , Wage-ningen University and Research , Den Helder , the Netherlands
| | - Ying-Chi Chan
- Department of Coastal Systems , NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research , Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) , University of Groningen , Groningen , the Netherlands
| | - Frits de Ferrante
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Jesse de Gelder
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Hilmar Derksen
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Lisa Dijkgraaf
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Laurens R. Dijkhuis
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Sanne Dijkstra
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Gert Elbertsen
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Roosmarijn Ernsten
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Tessa Foxen
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Jari Gaarenstroom
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Anna Gelhausen
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Jan A. van Gils
- Department of Coastal Systems , NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research , Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) , University of Groningen , Groningen , the Netherlands
| | - Sebastiaan Grosscurt
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Anne Grundlehner
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Marit L. Hertlein
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Anouk J.P. van Heumen
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Moniek Heurman
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Nicholas Per Huffeldt
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources , Nuuk , Greenland & Arctic Ecosystem Ecology, Department of Bioscience , Aarhus University , Roskilde , Denmark
| | - Willemijn H. Hutter
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Ynze J. J. Kamstra
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Femke Keij
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Susanne van Kempen
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Gabi Keurntjes
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Harmen Knap
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | | | - Bart A. Nolet
- Department of Animal Ecology , Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) , Wageningen , the Netherlands
- Theoretical and Computational Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics , University of Amsterdam , Amsterdam , the Netherlands
| | - Rascha J.M. Nuijten
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science, Department of Zoology , University of Oxford , Oxford , UK
| | - Djan Mattijssen
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Hanna Oosterhoff
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Nienke Paarlberg
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Malou Parekh
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Jef Pattyn
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Celeste Polak
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Yordi Quist
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Susan Ras
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Reneerkens
- Department of Coastal Systems , NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research , Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Saskia Ruth
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Evelien van der Schaar
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Geert Schroen
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Fanny Spikman
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Joyce van Velzen
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Ezra Voorn
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Janneke Vos
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Danyang Wang
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Wilson Westdijk
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Marco Wind
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Mikhail K. Zhemchuzhnikov
- Department of Coastal Systems , NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research , Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Frank van Langevelde
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands
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Tate HM, Studholme KR, Domalik AD, Drever MC, Romero LM, Gormally BMG, Hobson KA, Hipfner JM, Crossin GT. Interannual measures of nutritional stress during a marine heatwave (the Blob) differ between two North Pacific seabird species. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 9:coab090. [PMID: 34858598 PMCID: PMC8633633 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coab090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
'The Blob', a mass of anomalously warm water in the Northeast Pacific Ocean peaking from 2014 to 2016, caused a decrease in primary productivity with cascading effects on the marine ecosystem. Among the more obvious manifestations of the event were seabird breeding failures and mass mortality events. Here, we used corticosterone in breast feathers (fCort), grown in the winter period during migration, as an indicator of nutritional stress to investigate the impact of the Blob on two sentinel Pacific auk species (family Alcidae). Feathers were collected from breeding females over 8 years from 2010 to 2017, encompassing the Blob period. Since Pacific auks replace body feathers at sea during the migratory period, measures of fCort provide an accumulated measure of nutritional stress or allostatic load during this time. Changes in diet were also measured using δ15N and δ13C values from feathers. Relative to years prior to the Blob, the primarily zooplanktivorous Cassin's auklets (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) had elevated fCort in 2014-2017, which correlated with the occurrence of the Blob and a recovery period afterwards, with relatively stable feather isotope values. In contrast, generalist rhinoceros auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata) displayed stable fCort values across years and increased δ15N values during the Blob. As marine heatwaves increase in intensity and frequency due to climate change, this study provides insight into the variable response of Pacific auks to such phenomena and suggests a means for monitoring population-level responses to climatological variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi M Tate
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | | | - Alice D Domalik
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Delta, British Columbia, Canada
- Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Mark C Drever
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Delta, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Brenna M G Gormally
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA USA
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA USA
| | - Keith A Hobson
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - J Mark Hipfner
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Delta, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Glenn T Crossin
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Abstract
AbstractTo monitor the rapid changes occurring in Arctic ecosystems and predict their direction, basic information about the current number and structure of the main components of these systems is necessary. Using boat-based surveys, we studied the numbers and distribution of seabirds foraging in Hornsund (SW Spitsbergen) during three summer seasons. The average number of seabirds foraging concurrently in the whole fjord was estimated at 28,000. Little Auks Alle alle were the most numerous, followed by Northern Fulmars Fulmarus glacialis, Brünnich’s Guillemots Uria lomvia and Black-legged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla. The pelagic zone was exploited by some 75% of the birds. Their density was the highest (> 400 ind. km−2) in the tidewater glacier bays, where kittiwakes were predominant, and the lowest in the coastal glacier bays. The seabirds in Hornsund daily consumed c. 12.7 tons of food, i.e. c. 0.2% of the summer mesozooplankton and fish standing stocks available in the fjord. This food consisted primarily of copepods, amphipods and molluscs (c. 70%), whereas fish made up < 15%. More than 50% of this biomass was ingested by pursuit divers, while surface feeders took c. 29% and benthophages c. 13%. About three-quarters of the food biomass was taken from the pelagic zone. This paper describes, for the first time in quantitative terms, the structure and function of a seabird community foraging in an Arctic fjord. It also provides a baseline for future studies on climate-induced changes in the importance of seabirds in the Arctic food web.
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8
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Extreme temperatures compromise male and female fertility in a large desert bird. Nat Commun 2021; 12:666. [PMID: 33531493 PMCID: PMC7854745 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-20937-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Temperature has a crucial influence on the places where species can survive and reproduce. Past research has primarily focused on survival, making it unclear if temperature fluctuations constrain reproductive success, and if so whether populations harbour the potential to respond to climatic shifts. Here, using two decades of data from a large experimental breeding programme of the iconic ostrich (Struthio camelus) in South Africa, we show that the number of eggs females laid and the number of sperm males produced were highly sensitive to natural temperature extremes (ranging from -5 °C to 45 °C). This resulted in reductions in reproductive success of up to 44% with 5 °C deviations from their thermal optimum. In contrast, gamete quality was largely unaffected by temperature. Extreme temperatures also did not expose trade-offs between gametic traits. Instead, some females appeared to invest more in reproducing at high temperatures, which may facilitate responses to climate change. These results show that the robustness of fertility to temperature fluctuations, and not just temperature increases, is a critical aspect of species persistence in regions predicted to undergo the greatest change in climate volatility.
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9
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Flexibility of little auks foraging in various oceanographic features in a changing Arctic. Sci Rep 2020; 10:8283. [PMID: 32427941 PMCID: PMC7237489 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-65210-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Using GPS-tracked individuals, we compared foraging ecology and reproductive output of a High-Arctic zooplanktivorous seabird, the little auk Alle alle, between three years differing in environmental conditions (sea surface temperature). Despite contrasting environmental conditions, average foraging fights distance and duration were generally similar in all studied years. Also, in all years foraging locations visited by the little auk parents during short trips (ST, for chick provisioning) were significantly closer to the colony compared to those visited during long trips (LTs, mainly for adults’ self-maintenance). Nevertheless, we also found some differences in the little auk foraging behaviour: duration of LTs was the longest in the coldest year suggesting more time for resting for adults compared to warmer years. Besides, birds foraged closer to the colony and in significantly colder water in the coldest year. Interestingly, these differences did not affect chick diet: in all the years, the energy content of food loads was similar, with the Arctic copepod, Calanus glacialis copepodite stage V being the most preferred prey item (>73% of items by number and >67% by energy content). Also chick survival was similar in all the study years. However, when examining chicks growth rate we found that their peak body mass was lower in warmer years suggesting that overall conditions in the two warm years were less favourable. While our results, demonstrate a great foraging flexibility by little auks, they also point out their vulnerability to changing environmental conditions.
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Johns ME, Warzybok P, Jahncke J, Lindberg M, Breed GA. Oceanographic drivers of winter habitat use in Cassin's Auklets. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 30:e02068. [PMID: 31872516 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Reduced prey abundance and severe weather can lead to a greater risk of mortality for seabirds during the non-breeding winter months. Resource patterns in some regions are shifting and becoming more variable in relation to past conditions, potentially further impacting survival and carryover to the breeding season. As animal tracking technologies and methods to analyze movement data have advanced, it has become increasingly feasible to draw fine-scale inference about how environmental variation affects foraging behavior and habitat use of seabirds during this critical period. Here, we used archival light-sensing tags to evaluate how interannual variation in oceanography affected the winter distribution of Cassin's Auklets from Southeast Farallon Island, California. Thirty-five out of 93 geolocators deployed from 2015 to 2017 were recovered and successfully recorded light-level data, from which geographic positions were estimated. Step-selection functions were applied to identify environmental covariates that best explained winter movement decisions and habitat use, revealing Cassin's Auklets dispersed farther from the colony during a winter with warm SST anomalies, but remained more centralized near the breeding colony during two average winters. Movement patterns were driven by avoidance of areas with higher sea surface temperatures and possible limits of dispersal from the breeding colony, and selection for areas with well-defined mesoscale fronts and cooler surface waters. Through multiple years of tagging and the application of step-selection functions, a robust and widely applied approach for analyzing animal movement in terrestrial species, we show how interannual differences in the movement patterns of a small seabird are driven by oceanographic variability across years. Understanding the winter habitat use of seabirds can help inform changes in population structure and measures of reproductive success, aiding managers in determining potential causes of breeding failures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael E Johns
- Department of Biology and Wildlife and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 756100, Fairbanks, Alaska, 99775, USA
- Point Blue Conservation Science, 3820 Cypress Drive, Suite 11, Petaluma, California, 94954, USA
| | - Pete Warzybok
- Point Blue Conservation Science, 3820 Cypress Drive, Suite 11, Petaluma, California, 94954, USA
| | - Jaime Jahncke
- Point Blue Conservation Science, 3820 Cypress Drive, Suite 11, Petaluma, California, 94954, USA
| | - Mark Lindberg
- Department of Biology and Wildlife and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 756100, Fairbanks, Alaska, 99775, USA
| | - Greg A Breed
- Department of Biology and Wildlife and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 756100, Fairbanks, Alaska, 99775, USA
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Winding Hansen B. Copepod Embryonic Dormancy: "An Egg Is Not Just an Egg". THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2019; 237:145-169. [PMID: 31714859 DOI: 10.1086/705546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Long-lasting embryonic dormancy in invertebrates defies our understanding of what constitutes life because, for example, eggs of some copepods can delay hatching for decades or even centuries. Copepods, often millimeter-sized crustaceans, are some of the most numerous multicellular organisms on earth and are key organisms in most aquatic food webs. Some important free-living marine and estuarine species overwinter or oversummer by arrested embryogenesis in dormancy. The present contribution discusses the complex mechanisms behind embryonic dormancy by compiling knowledge from the 42 calanoid copepods from the superfamily Centropagoidea with well-described embryonic dormancy, which has been of scientific interest for decades. However, the determination of categories of copepod resting eggs-that is, diapause and quiescence, transitions between categories, the mechanisms controlling arrested development by the embryos, and how they interact with their surroundings-is not fully understood. Moreover, a clear link between the presence of the free-swimming population and their resting eggs in sediments is still not convincingly demonstrated. Here I evaluate the relative significance of potential cues driving the production of and the phase shift between egg categories. Understanding the initiation and termination of embryonic dormancy is of great importance for fundamental science-that is, population and food web ecology as well as climate science, aquaculture live feed, and ballast water research. Molecular techniques are developing rapidly, especially within health sciences, thus providing relevant tools applicable for plankton research. Here I suggest that applying molecular methods in addition to traditional physiological approaches in future research will lead to greater understanding of copepod embryonic dormancy, one of nature's wonders.
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Jones T, Divine LM, Renner H, Knowles S, Lefebvre KA, Burgess HK, Wright C, Parrish JK. Unusual mortality of Tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) in the eastern Bering Sea. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0216532. [PMID: 31141532 PMCID: PMC6541255 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mass mortality events are increasing in frequency and magnitude, potentially linked with ongoing climate change. In October 2016 through January 2017, St. Paul Island, Bering Sea, Alaska, experienced a mortality event of alcids (family: Alcidae), with over 350 carcasses recovered. Almost three-quarters of the carcasses were unscavenged, a rate much higher than in baseline surveys (17%), suggesting ongoing deposition and elevated mortality around St Paul over a 2–3 month period. Based on the observation that carcasses were not observed on the neighboring island of St. George, we bounded the at-sea distribution of moribund birds, and estimated all species mortality at 3,150 to 8,800 birds. The event was particularly anomalous given the late fall/winter timing when low numbers of beached birds are typical. In addition, the predominance of Tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata, 79% of carcass finds) and Crested auklets (Aethia cristatella, 11% of carcass finds) was unusual, as these species are nearly absent from long-term baseline surveys. Collected specimens were severely emaciated, suggesting starvation as the ultimate cause of mortality. The majority (95%, N = 245) of Tufted puffins were adults regrowing flight feathers, indicating a potential contribution of molt stress. Immediately prior to this event, shifts in zooplankton community composition and in forage fish distribution and energy density were documented in the eastern Bering Sea following a period of elevated sea surface temperatures, evidence cumulatively suggestive of a bottom-up shift in seabird prey availability. We posit that shifts in prey composition and/or distribution, combined with the onset of molt, resulted in this mortality event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Jones
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Lauren M. Divine
- Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Ecosystem Conservation Office, St. Paul, Pribilof Islands, Alaska, United States of America
| | - Heather Renner
- Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Homer, Alaska, United States of America
| | - Susan Knowles
- National Wildlife Health Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Kathi A. Lefebvre
- Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Hillary K. Burgess
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Charlie Wright
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Julia K. Parrish
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
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Smith MA, Sullender BK, Koeppen WC, Kuletz KJ, Renner HM, Poe AJ. An assessment of climate change vulnerability for Important Bird Areas in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Arc. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0214573. [PMID: 30995250 PMCID: PMC6469780 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently available downscaled ocean climate models for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Arc offer the opportunity to assess climate vulnerability for upper trophic level consumers such as marine birds. We analyzed seasonal and annual spatial projections from three climate models for two physical climate variables (seawater temperature and sea ice) and three forage variables (large copepods, euphausiids, and benthic infauna), comparing projected conditions from a recent time period (2003–2012) to a future time period (2030–2039). We focused the analyses on core areas within globally significant Important Bird Areas, and developed indices of the magnitude of projected change and vulnerability agreement among models. All three climate models indicated a high degree of change for seawater temperature warming (highest in the central and eastern Aleutian Islands) and ice loss (most significant in the eastern Bering Sea) across scales, and we found those changes to be significant for every species and virtually every core area assessed. There was low model agreement for the forage variables; while the majority of core areas were identified as climate vulnerable by one or more models (72% for large copepods, 73% for euphausiids, and 94% for benthic infauna), very few were agreed upon by all three models (only 6% of euphausiid-forager core areas). Based on the magnitude-agreement score, euphausiid biomass decline affected core areas for fulmars, gulls, and auklets, especially along the outer shelf and Aleutian Islands. Benthic biomass decline affected eiders along the inner shelf, and large copepod decline was significant for storm-petrels and auklets in the western Aleutians. Overall, 12% of core areas indicated climate vulnerability for all variables assessed. Modeling and interpreting biological parameters to project future dynamics remains complex; the strong signal for projected physical changes raised concerns about lagged responses such as distribution shifts, breeding failures, mortality events, and population declines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie A. Smith
- Audubon Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | | | | | - Kathy J. Kuletz
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America
| | - Heather M. Renner
- Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Homer, Alaska, United States of America
| | - Aaron J. Poe
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America
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Golubova EY. Breeding Biology of the Parakeet Auklet (Cyclorrhynchus psittacula) on Talan Island (Northern Sea of Okhotsk). BIOL BULL+ 2018. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359017070081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Sydeman WJ, Poloczanska E, Reed TE, Thompson SA. Climate change and marine vertebrates. Science 2015; 350:772-7. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aac9874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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Edwards AE, Fitzgerald SM, Parrish JK, Klavitter JL, Romano MD. Foraging Strategies of Laysan Albatross Inferred from Stable Isotopes: Implications for Association with Fisheries. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0133471. [PMID: 26230731 PMCID: PMC4521920 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2014] [Accepted: 06/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Fatal entanglement in fishing gear is the leading cause of population decline for albatross globally, a consequence of attraction to bait and fishery discards of commercial fishing operations. We investigated foraging strategies of Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis), as inferred from nitrogen and carbon isotope values of primary feathers, to determine breeding-related, seasonal, and historic factors that may affect the likelihood of association with Alaskan or Hawaiian longline fisheries. Feather samples were collected from live birds monitored for breeding status and breeding success on Midway Atoll in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, birds salvaged as fisheries-bycatch, and birds added to museum collections before 1924. During the chick-rearing season (sampled April-May), means and variances of stable isotope values of birds with the highest, most consistent reproductive success were distinct from less productive conspecifics and completely different from birds caught in Hawaiian or Alaskan longline fisheries, suggesting birds with higher multi-annual reproductive success were less likely to associate with these fisheries. Contemporary birds with the highest reproductive success had mean values most similar to historic birds. Values of colony-bound, courting prebreeders were similar to active breeders but distinct from prebreeders caught in Alaskan longline fisheries. During the breeding season, δ15N values were highly variable for both contemporary and historic birds. Although some historic birds exhibited extremely low δ15N values unmatched by contemporary birds (< 11.2‰), others had values as high as the highest fishery-associated contemporary birds. During the non-breeding season (sampled July-September), isotopic variability coalesced into a more narrow set of values for both contemporary and historic birds. Our results suggest that foraging strategies of Laysan albatross are a complex function of season, breeding status, and multi-annual breeding success, factors that likely affect the probability of association with fisheries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann E. Edwards
- Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Shannon M. Fitzgerald
- Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Julia K. Parrish
- School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - John L. Klavitter
- Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, United States of America
| | - Marc D. Romano
- Migratory Birds and Habitat Programs, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
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Vertical and horizontal distribution of zooplankton and polar cod in southern Baffin Bay (66–71°N) in September 2009. Polar Biol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-014-1633-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Manno K, Loh G, Van Heezik Y. Buffering against food availability? The physical environment has little influence on breeding performance of fairy prions (Pachyptila turtur). AUSTRAL ECOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Manno
- Zoology Department; University of Otago; P.O. Box 56 Dunedin 9056 New Zealand
| | - Graeme Loh
- Department of Conservation; Dunedin New Zealand
| | - Yolanda Van Heezik
- Zoology Department; University of Otago; P.O. Box 56 Dunedin 9056 New Zealand
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Hanssen SA, Moe B, Bårdsen BJ, Hanssen F, Gabrielsen GW. A natural antipredation experiment: predator control and reduced sea ice increases colony size in a long-lived duck. Ecol Evol 2013; 3:3554-64. [PMID: 24223290 PMCID: PMC3797499 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2013] [Revised: 07/23/2013] [Accepted: 07/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic impact on the environment and wildlife are multifaceted and far-reaching. On a smaller scale, controlling for predators has been increasing the yield from local natural prey resources. Globally, human-induced global warming is expected to impose severe negative effects on ecosystems, an effect that is expected to be even more pronounced in the scarcely populated northern latitudes. The clearest indication of a changing Arctic climate is an increase in both air and ocean temperatures leading to reduced sea ice distribution. Population viability is for long-lived species dependent on adult survival and recruitment. Predation is the main mortality cause in many bird populations, and egg predation is considered the main cause of reproductive failure in many birds. To assess the effect of predation and climate, we compared population time series from a natural experiment where a trapper/down collector has been licensed to actively protect breeding common eiders Somateria mollissima (a large seaduck) by shooting/chasing egg predators, with time series from another eider colony located within a nature reserve with no manipulation of egg predators. We found that actively limiting predator activity led to an increase in the population growth rate and carrying capacity with a factor of 3-4 compared to that found in the control population. We also found that population numbers were higher in years with reduced concentration of spring sea ice. We conclude that there was a large positive impact of human limitation of egg predators, and that this lead to higher population growth rate and a large increase in size of the breeding colony. We also report a positive effect of warming climate in the high arctic as reduced sea-ice concentrations was associated with higher numbers of breeding birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sveinn A Hanssen
- Arctic Ecology Department, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Fram Centre N-9296, Tromsø, Norway
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Barros A, Alvarez D, Velando A. Climate influences fledgling sex ratio and sex-specific dispersal in a seabird. PLoS One 2013; 8:e71358. [PMID: 23951144 PMCID: PMC3738640 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0071358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2013] [Accepted: 06/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate influences the dynamics of natural populations by direct effects over habitat quality but also modulating the phenotypic responses of organisms' life-history traits. These responses may be different in males and females, particularly in dimorphic species, due to sex-specific requirements or constraints. Here, in a coastal seabird, the European shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis), we studied the influence of climate (North Atlantic Oscillation, NAO; Sea Surface Temperature, SST) on two sex-related population parameters: fledgling sex ratio and sex-specific dispersal. We found that fledgling sex ratio was female skewed in NAO-positive years and male skewed in NAO-negative years. Accordingly, females dispersed a longer distance in NAO-positive years when females were overproduced, and on the contrary, males dispersed more in NAO-negative years. Overall, our findings provide rare evidence on vertebrates with genetic sex determination that climate conditions may govern population dynamics by affecting sex-specific density and dispersal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Barros
- Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Universidade de Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain.
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Lewison R, Oro D, Godley B, Underhill L, Bearhop S, Wilson RP, Ainley D, Arcos JM, Boersma PD, Borboroglu PG, Boulinier T, Frederiksen M, Genovart M, González-Solís J, Green JA, Grémillet D, Hamer KC, Hilton GM, Hyrenbach KD, Martínez-Abraín A, Montevecchi WA, Phillips RA, Ryan PG, Sagar P, Sydeman WJ, Wanless S, Watanuki Y, Weimerskirch H, Yorio P. Research priorities for seabirds: improving conservation and management in the 21st century. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2012. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Provencher JF, Gaston AJ, Mallory ML, O'hara PD, Gilchrist HG. Ingested plastic in a diving seabird, the thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia), in the eastern Canadian Arctic. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2010; 60:1406-1411. [PMID: 20557901 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2009] [Revised: 05/19/2010] [Accepted: 05/20/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Plastic debris has become ubiquitous in the marine environment and seabirds may ingest debris which can have deleterious effects on their health. In the North Atlantic Ocean, surface feeding seabirds typically ingest high levels of plastic, while the diving auks which feed in the water column typically have much lower levels. We examined 186 thick-billed murres from five colonies in the eastern Canadian Arctic for ingested plastic debris. Approximately 11% of the birds had at least one piece of plastic debris in their gastrointestinal tracts, with debris dominated by user plastics. This is the first report of ingested plastics in an auk species in Canada's Arctic, and the highest incidence of plastic ingestion to date for thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia).
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Harding AMA, Egevang C, Walkusz W, Merkel F, Blanc S, Grémillet D. Estimating prey capture rates of a planktivorous seabird, the little auk (Alle alle), using diet, diving behaviour, and energy consumption. Polar Biol 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-009-0581-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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A latitudinal gradient in climate effects on seabird demography: results from interspecific analyses. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2008; 14:703-713. [PMCID: PMC3597263 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01533.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2007] [Accepted: 10/09/2007] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
For an understanding of the effect of climate change on animal population dynamics, it is crucial to be able to identify which climatologic parameters affect which demographic rate, and what the underlying mechanistic links are. An important reason for why the interactions between demography and climate still are poorly understood is that the effects of climate vary both geographically and taxonomically. Here, we analyse interspecifically how different climate variables affect the breeding success of North Atlantic seabird species along latitudinal and longitudinal gradients. By approaching the problem comparatively, we are able to generalize across populations and species. We find a strong interactive effect of climate and latitude on breeding success. Of the climatic variables considered, local sea surface temperatures during the breeding season tend to be more relevant than the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). However, the effect of NAO on breeding success shows a clear geographic pattern, changing in sign from positive in the south to negative in the north. If this interaction is taken account of, the model explains more variation than any model with sea surface temperature. This superiority of the NAO index is due to its ability to capture effects of more than one season in a single parameter. Mechanistically, however, several lines of evidence suggest that sea surface temperature is the biologically most relevant explanatory variable.
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Brewer JH, O'Reilly KM, Dean Kildaw S, Loren Buck C. Interannual variation in the adrenal responsiveness of black-legged kittiwake chicks (Rissa tridactyla). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2008; 156:361-8. [PMID: 18308320 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2008.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2007] [Revised: 01/15/2008] [Accepted: 01/15/2008] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Over the last decade, field endocrinologists have explored the efficacy of using plasma corticosterone concentrations of breeding seabirds as an indicator of food availability and predictor of breeding success. However, studies have been predominately confined to adults and the results have been inconsistent. We examined the relationship between the productivity of black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) and the baseline and stress-induced corticosterone levels of 12-15 day-old kittiwake chicks in a multi-year study in Chiniak Bay, Kodiak, Alaska. We predicted that corticosterone levels would negatively correlate with productivity. Productivity decreased across years from relatively high levels in 2002, to very low levels in 2004 and 2005. Baseline corticosterone levels of the chicks did not increase consistently across years. Stress-induced corticosterone levels were statistically indistinguishable in high productivity years but increased significantly in low productivity years. The decline in kittiwake productivity coincided with warming ocean conditions, which, historically, are linked to declines in forage abundance for kittiwakes. Inconsistent changes in baseline corticosterone levels suggest some adult kittiwakes were able to buffer their chicks from poor foraging conditions. However, large increases in stress-induced corticosterone levels during the low productivity years indicate chicks were physiologically stressed for some period prior to sampling. Our results suggest that stress-induced corticosterone levels of kittiwake chicks are effective indicators of productivity in poor years, whereas the changes in baseline corticosterone levels across years are not as pronounced and therefore may not be as reliable.
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Affiliation(s)
- John H Brewer
- School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA.
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Croll DA, Demer DA, Hewitt RP, Jansen JK, Goebel ME, Tershy BR. Effects of variability in prey abundance on reproduction and foraging in chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarctica). J Zool (1987) 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00090.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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SANDVIK HANNO, ERIKSTAD KJELLEINAR, BARRETT ROBERTT, YOCCOZ NIGELG. The effect of climate on adult survival in five species of North Atlantic seabirds. J Anim Ecol 2005. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2005.00981.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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Adams J, Takekawa JY, Carter HR. Stable foraging areas and variable chick diet in Cassin's auklets (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) off southern California. CAN J ZOOL 2004. [DOI: 10.1139/z04-140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Planktivorous seabirds readily respond to changes in marine ecosystems and have the ability to integrate information regarding variability in abundance, availability, and community composition of key prey resources. We studied the foraging and breeding ecology of the Cassin's auklet, Ptychoramphus aleuticus (Pallas, 1811), off southern California during three breeding seasons (1999–2001), when large intra- and inter-annual variability occurred in local oceanographic conditions during a prolonged La Niña event. Radio-marked parents used consistent core foraging areas within 30 km of their colony, aggregated in shelf waters (<200 m depth), and occasionally foraged in deeper waters. Parents delivered primarily euphausiids, pelagic larval-juvenile fishes, and minor amounts of cephalopods and other crustaceans. Whereas the euphausiid Thysanoessa spinifera Holmes, 1900 was most important during 1999 and 2001, Euphausia pacifica Hansen, 1911 replaced adult T. spinifera in 2000 after an anomalous eastward inflection of the California Current occurred near the auklets' foraging area. Differences in chick diets, however, did not significantly influence fledging success and growth among first chicks, but the proportion of pairs successfully fledging an alpha chick and initiating a second clutch was exceptional in 1999 (63%) and 2000 (75%), and less in 2001 (7%). We suggest that dietary composition was influenced by modified prey availability driven in part by fluctuations in regional upwelling and circulation.
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Durant JM, Anker-Nilssen T, Stenseth NC. Trophic interactions under climate fluctuations: the Atlantic puffin as an example. Proc Biol Sci 2003; 270:1461-6. [PMID: 12965010 PMCID: PMC1691406 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2003.2397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Co-occurrence in food requirements of offspring and food availability is a key factor determining breeding success. Prey availability is typically dependent on environmental conditions that are different from those influencing the predator's decision regarding whether or not to initiate breeding, and is not always optimal at the peak of reproduction requirements. We investigated this relationship to understand better what determines the fledging success of the Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica). Colony data from Røst (northern Norway) covering a period of 27 years were analysed with parallel data on sea temperature and the size and abundance of the puffins' main prey (the Norwegian spring-spawning herring, Clupea harengus). By fitting statistical models to the fledging success, we found that one effect of climate on this population of Atlantic puffins is indirect and mediated by sea temperature affecting the availability of first-year herring. The best model also demonstrates that the breeding success of the Røst puffins may be quantitatively predicted from the size of first-year herring and sea temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joël M Durant
- Centre d'Ecologie et Physiologie Energétique, CNRS, 23 Rue Becquerel, F-67087 Strasbourg Cedex 02, France
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Kitaysky AS, Kitaiskaia EV, Piatt JF, Wingfield JC. Benefits and costs of increased levels of corticosterone in seabird chicks. Horm Behav 2003; 43:140-9. [PMID: 12614644 DOI: 10.1016/s0018-506x(02)00030-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 275] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Seabird chicks respond to food shortages by increasing corticosterone (cort) secretion, which is probably associated with fitness benefits and costs. To examine this, we experimentally increased levels of circulating cort in captive black-legged kittiwake chicks fed ad libitum. We found that cort-implanted chicks begged more frequently and were more aggressive compared to controls. These behavioral modifications must be beneficial to chicks as they facilitate acquisition of food from the parents and might trigger brood reduction and reduced competition for food. Cort-implanted chicks also increased food intake; however, their growth rates were similar to controls. To examine the costs of chronically increased circulating levels of cort, we removed cort implants and, after a 10-day recovery period, tested cognitive abilities of young kittiwakes. We found that the ability of kittiwakes to associate a visual cue with the presence of food in a choice situation was compromised by the experimental elevation of cort during development. To examine the long-term costs of increased levels of cort, 8 months later we tested the performance of the same individuals in a spatial task requiring them to make a detour around a barrier in order to escape from an enclosure. Individuals treated with cort during development took significantly more time to solve this task compared to controls. The results of this study suggest that the adrenocortical response of a developing bird to environmental stressors is associated with both benefits (increased food intake, foraging behavior, and aggression) and costs (low growth efficiency and compromised cognitive abilities later in life). This provides an evolutionary framework for relating juvenile physiological traits to fitness of birds in subsequent life-history stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- A S Kitaysky
- Department of Zoology, 24 Kincaid Hall, Box 351800, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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Pinaud D, Weimerskirch H. Ultimate and proximate factors affecting the breeding performance of a marine top-predator. OIKOS 2002. [DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0706.2002.990114.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Schiegg K, Pasinelli G, Walters JR, Daniels SJ. Inbreeding and experience affect response to climate change by endangered woodpeckers. Proc Biol Sci 2002; 269:1153-9. [PMID: 12061959 PMCID: PMC1691008 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2002.1966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent decades, female red-cockaded woodpeckers (Picoides borealis) have laid eggs increasingly earlier in response to a changing climate, as has been observed in several other bird species breeding at north temperate latitudes. Within each year, females that lay earlier are more productive than females that lay later. However, inexperienced females, experienced females who change mates and inbred birds have not adjusted to the changing climate by laying earlier, and have suffered reproductive costs as a result. Failure to respond to global climate change may be a further example of the reduced ability of inbred animals to respond to environmental challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Schiegg
- Department of Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg 24061-0406, USA.
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Pyle P, Nettleship D. Age at First Breeding and Natal Dispersal in a Declining Population of Cassin's Auklet. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2001. [DOI: 10.1093/auk/118.4.996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Age of first breeding (AFB) and natal dispersal distance (NDD) were investigated relative to proximate and ultimate factors in 276 known-age Cassin's Auklets (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) breeding during 1981–1999 on Southeast Farallon Island, California. Breeding density in 446 study boxes declined significantly during the period 1987–1999, confirming other information indicating a long-term decline (since at least the 1970s) in the population. Mean AFB was 3.34 years when sexes were combined, ranging from 2–10 (mean 3.36) years in females and 2–9 (mean 3.36) years in males. AFB showed a significant linear increase with decreasing colony density, suggesting that increased stress on the entire population, such as that caused by decreasing food availability, may have prevented younger birds from attaining breeding condition at an early age. Median NDD was 8.84 m, ranging from 0–448.7 m; two individuals of each sex recruited into their natal boxes. NDD showed a significant linear increase with decreasing breeding density but no significant linear or curvilinear correlations with mate fidelity, annual reproductive success, or lifetime reproductive output. A significant proportion (66.9%) of movements after recruitment (breeding dispersal) resulted in closer proximity to the natal site. Thus, although natal philopatry was strongly developed in the Cassin's Auklet, it did not seem to be adaptive. Those paradoxical results suggest that selective equilibrium may be acting on natal philopatry in response to the population decline: a low-philopatry, low-cost (later breeding and increased survival) strategy has become increasingly adaptive in Cassin's Auklets, explaining increases in AFB and NDD with the declining breeding densities. The lack of sex-specific effects on AFB and NDD suggests that an even sex-ratio and roughly equal roles in reproduction among Cassin's Auklets exists on Southeast Farallon Island, and that inbreeding avoidance may be counter-balanced by relatively low mate fidelity in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Pyle
- Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach, California 94970, USA
| | - D. Nettleship
- Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach, California 94970, USA
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Abstract
Environmental variation reflected by the North Atlantic Oscillation affects breeding and survival in terrestrial vertebrates, and climate change is predicted to have an impact on population dynamics by influencing food quality or availability. The North Atlantic Oscillation also affects the abundance of marine fish and zooplankton, but it is unclear whether this filters up trophic levels to long-lived marine top predators. Here we show by analysis of data from a 50-year study of the fulmar that two different indices of ocean climate variation may have lagged effects on population dynamics in this procellariiform seabird. Annual variability in breeding performance is influenced by the North Atlantic Oscillation, whereas cohort differences in recruitment are related to temperature changes in the summer growing season in the year of birth. Because fulmars exhibit delayed reproduction, there is a 5-year lag in the population's response to these effects of environmental change. These data show how interactions between different climatic factors result in complex dynamics, and that the effects of climate change may take many years to become apparent in long-lived marine top predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- P M Thompson
- University of Aberdeen, Department of Zoology, Lighthouse Field Station, Cromarty, Ross-shire IV11 8YJ, UK.
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