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González-Trujillo JD, Alagador D, González-Del-Pliego P, Araújo MB. Exposure of protected areas in Central America to extreme weather events. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024:e14251. [PMID: 38462849 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Central America and the Caribbean are regularly battered by megadroughts, heavy rainfall, heat waves, and tropical cyclones. Although 21st-century climate change is expected to increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of these extreme weather events (EWEs), their incidence in regional protected areas (PAs) remains poorly explored. We examined historical and projected EWEs across the region based on 32 metrics that describe distinct dimensions (i.e., intensity, duration, and frequency) of heat waves, cyclones, droughts, and rainfall and compared trends in PAs with trends in unprotected lands. From the early 21st century onward, exposure to EWEs increased across the region, and PAs were predicted to be more exposed to climate extremes than unprotected areas (as shown by autoregressive model coefficients at p < 0.05 significance level). This was particularly true for heat waves, which were projected to have a significantly higher average (tested by Wilcoxon tests at p < 0.01) intensity and duration, and tropical cyclones, which affected PAs more severely in carbon-intensive scenarios. PAs were also predicted to be significantly less exposed to droughts and heavy rainfall than unprotected areas (tested by Wilcoxon tests at p < 0.01). However, droughts that could threaten connectivity between PAs are increasingly common in this region. We estimated that approximately 65% of the study area will experience at least one drought episode that is more intense and longer lasting than previous droughts. Collectively, our results highlight that new conservation strategies adapted to threats associated with EWEs need to be tailored and implemented promptly. Unless urgent action is taken, significant damage may be inflicted on the unique biodiversity of the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan David González-Trujillo
- Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Diogo Alagador
- Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - Pamela González-Del-Pliego
- Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - Miguel B Araújo
- Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
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2
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Gu S, Qi T, Rohr JR, Liu X. Meta-analysis reveals less sensitivity of non-native animals than natives to extreme weather worldwide. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:2004-2027. [PMID: 37932385 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02235-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
Extreme weather events (EWEs; for example, heatwaves, cold spells, storms, floods and droughts) and non-native species invasions are two major threats to global biodiversity and are increasing in both frequency and consequences. Here we synthesize 443 studies and apply multilevel mixed-effects metaregression analyses to compare the responses of 187 non-native and 1,852 native animal species across terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems to different types of EWE. Our results show that marine animals, regardless of whether they are non-native or native, are overall insensitive to EWEs, except for negative effects of heatwaves on native mollusks, corals and anemone. By contrast, terrestrial and freshwater non-native animals are only adversely affected by heatwaves and storms, respectively, whereas native animals negatively respond to heatwaves, cold spells and droughts in terrestrial ecosystems and are vulnerable to most EWEs except cold spells in freshwater ecosystems. On average, non-native animals displayed low abundance in terrestrial ecosystems, and decreased body condition and life history traits in freshwater ecosystems, whereas native animals displayed declines in body condition, life history traits, abundance, distribution and recovery in terrestrial ecosystems, and community structure in freshwater ecosystems. By identifying areas with high overlap between EWEs and EWE-tolerant non-native species, we also provide locations where native biodiversity might be adversely affected by their joint effects and where EWEs might facilitate the establishment and/or spread of non-native species under continuing global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shimin Gu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Tianyi Qi
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jason R Rohr
- Department of Biological Sciences, Environmental Change Initiative, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Xuan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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3
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Ameca EI, Chamart L, Garber PA. A conceptual framework for assessing behavioral flexibility of species in response to extreme climatic events. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18478. [PMID: 37898656 PMCID: PMC10613232 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45756-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Inherent differences in the adaptive capacity of species to flexibly respond to extreme climatic events (ECEs) represent a key factor in their survivorship. We introduce and apply a conceptual framework linking knowledge about species' current ecology and biology with variation in behavioral flexibility to ECEs. We applied it to 199 non-human primate species currently exposed to cyclones across the global tropics. Our findings suggest that species characterized by an increased ability to exploit a broad range of food types, social systems that permit subgrouping, and habitat types that span a range of environmental conditions may have greater success in coping with cyclones than more narrowly constrained or less adaptable primates. Overall, 15% of species, predominantly of the families Atelidae and Cercopithecidae, were assessed as having high or very high flexibility. In contrast, ~ 60% of primates were assessed with low or very low flexibility. These were species mainly belonging to the Cheirogaleidae, Lemuridae, Lepilemuridae, and Indriidae. While much work remains to better understand mechanisms driving differences in behavioral flexibility of species exposed to extreme climate across vertebrate lineages, our framework provides a workable approach that can improve estimates of current vulnerability to these phenomena and better inform conservation and management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric I Ameca
- Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
- Climate Change Specialist Group, Species Survival Commission, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Gland, Switzerland.
| | - Lucy Chamart
- Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Paul A Garber
- International Centre of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China
- Department of Anthropology and Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
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4
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Saavedra I, Rabadán-González J, Aragonés D, Figuerola J. Can Citizen Science Contribute to Avian Influenza Surveillance? Pathogens 2023; 12:1183. [PMID: 37764991 PMCID: PMC10535995 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12091183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Global change is an important driver of the increase in emerging infectious diseases in recent decades. In parallel, interest in nature has increased, and different citizen science platforms have been developed to record wildlife observations from the general public. Some of these platforms also allow registering the observations of dead or sick birds. Here, we test the utility of live, sick and dead observations of birds recorded on the platform Observation.org for the early detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) outbreaks in the wild in Belgium and The Netherlands. There were no significant differences in the morbidity/mortality rate through Observation.org one to four weeks in advance. However, the results show that the HPAIV outbreaks officially reported by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) overlapped in time with sudden increases in the records of sick and dead birds in the wild. In addition, in two of the five main HPAIV outbreaks recorded between 2016 and 2021, wild Anseriformes mortality increased one to two months before outbreak declaration. Although we cannot exclude that this increase was related to other causes such as other infectious diseases, we propose that Observation.org is a useful nature platform to complement animal health surveillance in wild birds. We propose possible approaches to improve the utility of the platform for pathogen surveillance in wildlife and discuss the potential for HPAIV outbreak detection systems based on citizen science to complement current surveillance programs of health authorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Saavedra
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Estación Biológica de Doñana, C/Américo Vespucio 26, E-41092 Sevilla, Spain;
| | | | - David Aragonés
- Remote Sensing and GIS Laboratory (LAST-EBD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Estación Biológica de Doñana, C/Américo Vespucio 26, E-41092 Sevilla, Spain;
| | - Jordi Figuerola
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Estación Biológica de Doñana, C/Américo Vespucio 26, E-41092 Sevilla, Spain;
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), E-28028 Madrid, Spain
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5
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Tamian A, Edwards PD, Neuhaus P, Boonstra R, Ruckstuhl AN, Emmanuel P, Pardonnet S, Palme R, Filippi D, Dobson FS, Saraux C, Viblanc VA. Weathering the storm: Decreased activity and glucocorticoid levels in response to inclement weather in breeding Columbian ground squirrels. Horm Behav 2023; 155:105426. [PMID: 37716083 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023]
Abstract
Inclement weather can rapidly modify the thermal conditions experienced by animals, inducing changes in their behavior, body condition, and stress physiology, and affecting their survival and breeding success. For animals living in variable environments, the extent to which they have adapted to cope with inclement weather is not established, especially for hibernating species with a short active season that are constrained temporally to breed and store energy for subsequent hibernation. We examined behavioral (foraging activity) and physiological (body mass and fecal cortisol metabolites) responses of Columbian ground squirrels (Urocitellus columbianus), small hibernating rodents inhabiting open meadows in Rocky Mountains, to 3 events of inclement weather (two snow storms in May 2021 and May 2022, one heavy rainfall in June 2022). We found that individuals adapted to inclement weather conditions by (1) reducing above-ground activity, including foraging, (2) decreasing the mobilization of stored resources as indicated by a decrease in the activity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and lower fecal cortisol metabolites in the hours/days following periods of inclement weather; and (3) compensating through increased foraging and more local activity when favorable conditions resumed. As a result, body mass and growth did not decrease following short periods of inclement weather. Columbian ground squirrels were well-adapted to short periods of inclement weather, coping via modifications of their behavior and the activity of the HPA axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anouch Tamian
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, 23 Rue du Loess, 67037 Strasbourg, France.
| | - Phoebe D Edwards
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Peter Neuhaus
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | | | - Patience Emmanuel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Sylvia Pardonnet
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, 23 Rue du Loess, 67037 Strasbourg, France
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dominique Filippi
- Sextant Technology Ltd., 131 Tutaenui Rd, RD2, 4788 Marton, New Zealand
| | - F Stephen Dobson
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, 23 Rue du Loess, 67037 Strasbourg, France; Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Claire Saraux
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, 23 Rue du Loess, 67037 Strasbourg, France
| | - Vincent A Viblanc
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, 23 Rue du Loess, 67037 Strasbourg, France
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6
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Layton‐Matthews K, Reiertsen TK, Erikstad K, Anker‐Nilssen T, Daunt F, Wanless S, Barrett RT, Newell MA, Harris MP. Consequences of cross-season demographic correlations for population viability. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10312. [PMID: 37456077 PMCID: PMC10338798 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Demographic correlations are pervasive in wildlife populations and can represent important secondary drivers of population growth. Empirical evidence suggests that correlations are in general positive for long-lived species, but little is known about the degree of variation among spatially segregated populations of the same species in relation to environmental conditions. We assessed the relative importance of two cross-season correlations in survival and productivity, for three Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) populations with contrasting population trajectories and non-overlapping year-round distributions. The two correlations reflected either a relationship between adult survival prior to breeding on productivity, or a relationship between productivity and adult survival the subsequent year. Demographic rates and their correlations were estimated with an integrated population model, and their respective contributions to variation in population growth were calculated using a transient-life table response experiment. For all three populations, demographic correlations were positive at both time lags, although their strength differed. Given the different year-round distributions of these populations, this variation in the strength population-level demographic correlations points to environmental conditions as an important driver of demographic variation through life-history constraints. Consequently, the contributions of variances and correlations in demographic rates to population growth rates differed among puffin populations, which has implications for-particularly small-populations' viability under environmental change as positive correlations tend to reduce the stochastic population growth rate.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kjell‐Einar Erikstad
- Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchFRAM CentreTromsøNorway
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics CBDNorwegian University of Science and TechnologyTrondheimNorway
| | | | - Francis Daunt
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush EstatePenicuikUK
| | - Sarah Wanless
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush EstatePenicuikUK
| | | | - Mark A. Newell
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush EstatePenicuikUK
| | - Mike P. Harris
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush EstatePenicuikUK
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7
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PVA-based assessment of resiliency, redundancy, and representation in an imperiled freshwater turtle. Glob Ecol Conserv 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
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8
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Conquet E, Ozgul A, Blumstein DT, Armitage KB, Oli MK, Martin JGA, Clutton-Brock TH, Paniw M. Demographic consequences of changes in environmental periodicity. Ecology 2023; 104:e3894. [PMID: 36208282 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The fate of natural populations is mediated by complex interactions among vital rates, which can vary within and among years. Although the effects of random, among-year variation in vital rates have been studied extensively, relatively little is known about how periodic, nonrandom variation in vital rates affects populations. This knowledge gap is potentially alarming as global environmental change is projected to alter common periodic variations, such as seasonality. We investigated the effects of changes in vital-rate periodicity on populations of three species representing different forms of adaptation to periodic environments: the yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventer), adapted to strong seasonality in snowfall; the meerkat (Suricata suricatta), adapted to inter-annual stochasticity as well as seasonal patterns in rainfall; and the dewy pine (Drosophyllum lusitanicum), adapted to fire regimes and periodic post-fire habitat succession. To assess how changes in periodicity affect population growth, we parameterized periodic matrix population models and projected population dynamics under different scenarios of perturbations in the strength of vital-rate periodicity. We assessed the effects of such perturbations on various metrics describing population dynamics, including the stochastic growth rate, log λS . Overall, perturbing the strength of periodicity had strong effects on population dynamics in all three study species. For the marmots, log λS decreased with increased seasonal differences in adult survival. For the meerkats, density dependence buffered the effects of perturbations of periodicity on log λS . Finally, dewy pines were negatively affected by changes in natural post-fire succession under stochastic or periodic fire regimes with fires occurring every 30 years, but were buffered by density dependence from such changes under presumed more frequent fires or large-scale disturbances. We show that changes in the strength of vital-rate periodicity can have diverse but strong effects on population dynamics across different life histories. Populations buffered from inter-annual vital-rate variation can be affected substantially by changes in environmentally driven vital-rate periodic patterns; however, the effects of such changes can be masked in analyses focusing on inter-annual variation. As most ecosystems are affected by periodic variations in the environment such as seasonality, assessing their contributions to population viability for future global-change research is crucial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Conquet
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Arpat Ozgul
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.,The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, Colorado, USA
| | - Kenneth B Armitage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Madan K Oli
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Julien G A Martin
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Tim H Clutton-Brock
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Kalahari Research Trust, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa.,Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Maria Paniw
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Conservation and Global Change, Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
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9
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Silber KM, Mohankumar NM, Hefley TJ, Boyle WA. Emigration and survival correlate with different precipitation metrics throughout a grassland songbird's annual cycle. J Wildl Manage 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Katy M. Silber
- Kansas State University, Division of Biology Manhattan KS 66506 USA
| | | | - Trevor J. Hefley
- Kansas State University, Department of Statistics Manhattan KS 66506 USA
| | - W. Alice Boyle
- Kansas State University, Division of Biology Manhattan KS 66506 USA
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10
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Searle KR, Butler A, Waggitt JJ, Evans PGH, Bogdanova MI, Hobbs NT, Daunt F, Wanless S. Opposing effects of spatiotemporal variation in resources and temporal variation in climate on density dependent population growth in seabirds. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:2384-2399. [PMID: 36177549 PMCID: PMC10092667 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how ecological processes combine to shape population dynamics is crucial in a rapidly changing world. Evidence has been emerging for how fundamental drivers of density dependence in mobile species are related to two differing types of environmental variation-temporal variation in climate, and spatiotemporal variation in food resources. However, to date, tests of these hypotheses have been largely restricted to mid-trophic species in terrestrial environments and thus their general applicability remains unknown. We tested if these same processes can be identified in marine upper trophic level species. We assembled a multi-decadal data set on population abundance of 10 species of colonial seabirds comprising a large component of the UK breeding seabird biomass, and covering diverse phylogenies, life histories and foraging behaviours. We tested for evidence of density dependence in population growth rates using discrete time state-space population models fit to long time-series of observations of abundance at seabird breeding colonies. We then assessed if the strength of density dependence in population growth rates was exacerbated by temporal variation in climate (sea temperature and swell height), and attenuated by spatiotemporal variation in prey resources (productivity and tidal fronts). The majority of species showed patterns consistent with temporal variation in climate acting to strengthen density dependent feedbacks to population growth. However, fewer species showed evidence for a weakening of density dependence with increasing spatiotemporal variation in prey resources. Our findings extend this emerging theory for how different sources of environmental variation may shape the dynamics and regulation of animal populations, demonstrating its role in upper trophic marine species. We show that environmental variation leaves a signal in long-term population dynamics of seabirds with potentially important consequences for their demography and trophic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adam Butler
- Bioinformatics and Statistics ScotlandEdinburghUK
| | | | | | | | - N. Thompson Hobbs
- Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability & Graduate Degree Program in EcologyColorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
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11
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Brlík V, Pakanen VM, Jaakkonen T, Arppe H, Jokinen J, Lakka J, Blomqvist D, Hahn S, Valkama J, Koivula K. Survival fluctuation is linked to precipitation variation during staging in a migratory shorebird. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19830. [PMID: 36400908 PMCID: PMC9674593 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24141-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how weather conditions affect animal populations is essential to foresee population changes in times of global climate shifts. However, assessing year-round weather impacts on demographic parameters is hampered in migratory animals due to often unknown occurrence in space and time. We addressed this by coupling tracking and weather data to explain extensive variation in apparent survival across 19 years in a northern European population of little ringed plovers (Charadrius dubius). Over 90% (n = 21) of tracked individuals followed migration routes along the Indo-European flyway to south India. Building on capture-recapture histories of nearly 1400 individuals, we found that between-year variation in precipitation during post-breeding staging in northern South Asia explained 47% of variation in apparent adult survival. Overall, the intensity of the monsoon in South Asia explained 31-33% of variability in apparent survival. In contrast, weather conditions in breeding, final non-breeding and pre-breeding quarters appeared less important in this species. The integration of multi-source data seems essential for identifying key regions and periods limiting population growth, for forecasting future changes and targeting conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vojtěch Brlík
- grid.4491.80000 0004 1937 116XDepartment of Ecology, Charles University, Viničná 7, 12844 Prague, Czech Republic ,grid.448077.80000 0000 9663 9052Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Květná 8, 60365 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Veli-Matti Pakanen
- grid.10858.340000 0001 0941 4873Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, 90014 Oulu, Finland ,grid.8761.80000 0000 9919 9582Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 463, 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Tuomo Jaakkonen
- grid.10858.340000 0001 0941 4873Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, 90014 Oulu, Finland ,grid.444812.f0000 0004 5936 4802Vietnam-Finland International School, Ton Duc Thang University, 01, D1 Street, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | | | - Jaakko Jokinen
- grid.10858.340000 0001 0941 4873Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, 90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Johanna Lakka
- grid.9668.10000 0001 0726 2490School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box-111, 80101 Joensuu, Finland
| | - Donald Blomqvist
- grid.8761.80000 0000 9919 9582Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 463, 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Steffen Hahn
- grid.419767.a0000 0001 1512 3677Department of Bird Migration, Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, 6204 Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Jari Valkama
- grid.7737.40000 0004 0410 2071Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, P. O. Box 17, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kari Koivula
- grid.10858.340000 0001 0941 4873Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, 90014 Oulu, Finland
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12
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Cruz-Flores M, Pradel R, Bried J, Militão T, Neves VC, González-Solís J, Ramos R. Will climate change affect the survival of tropical and subtropical species? Predictions based on Bulwer's petrel populations in the NE Atlantic Ocean. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 847:157352. [PMID: 35843319 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157352] [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: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Climate change has repeatedly been shown to impact the demography and survival of marine top predators. However, most evidence comes from single populations of widely distributed species, limited mainly to polar and subpolar environments. Here, we aimed to evaluate the influence of environmental conditions on the survival of a tropical and migratory seabird over the course of its annual cycle. We used capture-mark-recapture data from three populations of Bulwer's petrel (Bulweria bulwerii) spread across the NE Atlantic Ocean, from the Azores, Canary, and Cabo Verde Islands (including temperate to tropical zones). We also inferred how the survival of this seabird might be affected under different climatic scenarios, defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Among the environmental variables whose effect we evaluated (North Atlantic Oscillation index, Southern Oscillation Index, Sea Surface Temperature [SST] and wind speed), SST estimated for the breeding area and season was the variable with the greatest influence on adult survival. Negative effects of SST increase emerged across the three populations, most likely through indirect trophic web interactions. Unfortunately, our study also shows that the survival of Bulwer's petrel will be profoundly affected by the different scenarios of climate change, even with the most optimistic trajectory involving the lowest greenhouse gas emission. Furthermore, for the first time, our study predicts stronger impacts of climate change on tropical populations than on subtropical and temperate ones. This result highlights the devastating effect that climate change may also have on tropical areas, and the importance of considering multi-population approaches when evaluating its impacts which may differ across species distributions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Cruz-Flores
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Av. Diagonal 643, Barcelona 08028, Spain; Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain; Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, FR-17000 La Rochelle, France.
| | - Roger Pradel
- CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier - EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | - Joël Bried
- Ocean Sciences Institute - Okeanos, University of the Azores, Horta, Portugal; 8 avenue de la reine Nathalie, 64200 Biarritz, France
| | - Teresa Militão
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Av. Diagonal 643, Barcelona 08028, Spain; Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Verónica C Neves
- Ocean Sciences Institute - Okeanos, University of the Azores, Horta, Portugal
| | - Jacob González-Solís
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Av. Diagonal 643, Barcelona 08028, Spain; Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raül Ramos
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Av. Diagonal 643, Barcelona 08028, Spain; Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
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Patterson A, Gilchrist HG, Robertson GJ, Hedd A, Fifield DA, Elliott KH. Behavioural flexibility in an Arctic seabird using two distinct marine habitats to survive the energetic constraints of winter. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2022; 10:45. [PMID: 36329536 PMCID: PMC9635182 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-022-00344-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Homeothermic marine animals in Polar Regions face an energetic bottleneck in winter. The challenges of short days and cold temperatures are exacerbated for flying seabirds with small body size and limited fat stores. We use biologging approaches to examine how habitat, weather, and moon illumination influence behaviour and energetics of a marine bird species, thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia). METHODS We used temperature-depth-light recorders to examine strategies murres use to survive winter in the Northwest Atlantic, where contrasting currents create two distinct marine habitats: cold (-0.1 ± 1.2 °C), shallower water along the Labrador Shelf and warmer (3.1 ± 0.3 °C), deep water in the Labrador Basin. RESULTS In the cold shelf water, murres used a high-energy strategy, with more flying and less diving each day, resulting in high daily energy expenditure and also high apparent energy intake; this strategy was most evident in early winter when day lengths were shortest. By contrast, murres in warmer basin water employed a low-energy strategy, with less time flying and more time diving under low light conditions (nautical twilight and night). In warmer basin water, murres increased diving at night when the moon was more illuminated, likely taking advantage of diel vertically migrating prey. In warmer basin water, murres dove more at night and foraging efficiency increased under negative North Atlantic Oscillation (calmer ocean conditions). CONCLUSIONS The proximity of two distinct marine habitats in this region allows individuals from a single species to use dual (low-energy/high-energy) strategies to overcome winter energy bottlenecks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison Patterson
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada.
| | - H Grant Gilchrist
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Raven Road, Ottawa, ON, K1A OH3, Canada
| | - Gregory J Robertson
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NL, A1N 4T3, Canada
| | - April Hedd
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NL, A1N 4T3, Canada
| | - David A Fifield
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NL, A1N 4T3, Canada
| | - Kyle H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
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14
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Christensen-Dalsgaard S, Ytrehus B, Langset M, Wiig JR, Bærum KM. Seabird beachcast events associated with bycatch in the Norwegian purse seine fishery. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 177:105625. [PMID: 35462230 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105625] [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: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Beachcast events, where a large number of seabird carcasses drift ashore, occur with irregular intervals. These events are due to specific situations where mass mortality of seabirds have occurred. Disentangling the cause of these events can provide valuable information on stressors impacting seabird populations. Following several mass mortality events involving gulls in northern Norway, an investigation of the probable cause of death was initiated. In total 75 dead gulls were collected at two occasions and necropsies were carried out. The findings from the necropsy of the gulls were consistent with drowning as the primary cause of death. Bycatch in coastal purse seine fishery was considered a potential cause of the mortality and monitoring of seabird bycatch in this fishery was thus initiated. The monitoring of fishing operations revealed that 10% of 91 fishing events observed led to bycatch, with a total of 32 bycaught seabirds. These bycatch events resulted in a total estimated bycatch rate of 0.356 (95% CI = 0.133-0.949) birds per haul. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the registered mortality events were caused by bycatch in the purse seine fishery. The highly episodic and unpredictable nature of these events makes it demanding to achieve solid estimates of the occurrence and extent of bycatch without a very high monitoring effort. Our study shows that systematic investigation following beachcast events can shed light on the occurrence of such extreme events.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bjørnar Ytrehus
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), P.O. Box PO 5685 Torgarden, 7485, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), SE-75007,Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Magdalene Langset
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), P.O. Box PO 5685 Torgarden, 7485, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Jørgen Ree Wiig
- Directorate of Fisheries, Sea Surveillance Unit, P.O. Box 185 Sentrum, 5804, Bergen, Norway
| | - Kim Magnus Bærum
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Vormstuguvegen 40, 2624, Lillehammer, Norway
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15
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Johns ME, Warzybok P, Jahncke J, Doak P, Lindberg M, Breed GA. Episodes of high recruitment buffer against climate-driven mass mortality events in a North Pacific seabird population. J Anim Ecol 2021; 91:345-355. [PMID: 34741333 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Longitudinal studies of marked animals provide an opportunity to assess the relative contributions of survival and reproductive output to population dynamics and change. Cassin's auklets are a long-lived seabird that maximizes annual reproductive effort in resource-rich years through a behaviour called double brooding, the initiation of a second breeding attempt following the success of the first during the same season. Our objective was to explore whether double brooding influenced population change by contributing a greater number of future recruits. We fit temporal symmetry models to 32 years of mark-recapture data of Cassin's auklets to infer the mechanisms underlying the observed variability in per capita recruitment rates. We found that periodic peaks in recruitment were explained by an increase in available nest sites, the proportion of the population double brooding 4 years prior, and spring upwelling conditions. Estimates of population change suggests a relatively stable population throughout the time series, attributable to a 'floating' demographic class of sexually mature individuals excluded from breeding by competition which quickly fill vacant sites following periods of low adult survival. Our results highlight the importance of recruitment in maintaining the population of a long-lived seabird periodically impacted by adverse environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael E Johns
- Department of Biology and Wildlife and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA.,Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Pat Doak
- Department of Biology and Wildlife and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Mark Lindberg
- Department of Biology and Wildlife and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Greg A Breed
- Department of Biology and Wildlife and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
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16
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Kucheravy CE, Waterman JM, Dos Anjos EAC, Hare JF, Enright C, Berkvens CN. Extreme climate event promotes phenological mismatch between sexes in hibernating ground squirrels. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21684. [PMID: 34737436 PMCID: PMC8568959 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01214-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Hibernating ground squirrels rely on a short active period for breeding and mass accrual, and are thus vulnerable to extreme climate events that affect key periods in their annual cycle. Here, we document how a heatwave in March 2012 led to a phenological mismatch between sexes in Richardson’s ground squirrels (Urocitellus richardsonii). Females emerged from hibernation and commenced breeding earlier in 2012 relative to average female emergence. Although males had descended testes and pigmented scrota, it appeared that not all males were physiologically prepared to breed since 58.6% of males had non-motile sperm when breeding commenced. Body condition, relative testes size, and the relative size of accessory glands were significant predictors of sperm motility. Males with non-motile sperm had smaller accessory glands than males with motile sperm. There was no decrease in the number of juveniles that emerged in 2012 or female yearlings recruited in 2013, nor did juveniles emerge later than other years. The impact of this heatwave on male ground squirrels emphasizes the importance of assessing the consequences of climate change on the breeding success of hibernating species in both sexes, since the different sensitivity to external cues for emergence led to a mismatch in timing under this event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caila E Kucheravy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Jane M Waterman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada.
| | - Elaine A C Dos Anjos
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - James F Hare
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Chris Enright
- Assiniboine Park Zoo, 2595 Roblin Boulevard, Winnipeg, MB, R3R 0B8, Canada
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17
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Godin S, Reitz F, Bacon L, Bro E. Recent changes in the reproductive success of farmland birds: conservation and management implications. The declining grey partridge Perdix perdix as a case study. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.2981/wlb.00806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain Godin
- S. Godin, F. Reitz and E. Bro, Research Dept, French Biodiversity Agency (OFB), Auffargis, France
| | - François Reitz
- S. Godin, F. Reitz and E. Bro, Research Dept, French Biodiversity Agency (OFB), Auffargis, France
| | - Léo Bacon
- L. Bacon, Research Dept, French Biodiversity Agency (OFB), Juvignac, France
| | - Elisabeth Bro
- S. Godin, F. Reitz and E. Bro, Research Dept, French Biodiversity Agency (OFB), Auffargis, France
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18
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Clairbaux M, Mathewson P, Porter W, Fort J, Strøm H, Moe B, Fauchald P, Descamps S, Helgason HH, Bråthen VS, Merkel B, Anker-Nilssen T, Bringsvor IS, Chastel O, Christensen-Dalsgaard S, Danielsen J, Daunt F, Dehnhard N, Erikstad KE, Ezhov A, Gavrilo M, Krasnov Y, Langset M, Lorentsen SH, Newell M, Olsen B, Reiertsen TK, Systad GH, Thórarinsson TL, Baran M, Diamond T, Fayet AL, Fitzsimmons MG, Frederiksen M, Gilchrist HG, Guilford T, Huffeldt NP, Jessopp M, Johansen KL, Kouwenberg AL, Linnebjerg JF, Major HL, Tranquilla LM, Mallory M, Merkel FR, Montevecchi W, Mosbech A, Petersen A, Grémillet D. North Atlantic winter cyclones starve seabirds. Curr Biol 2021; 31:3964-3971.e3. [PMID: 34520704 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Each winter, the North Atlantic Ocean is the stage for numerous cyclones, the most severe ones leading to seabird mass-mortality events called "winter wrecks."1-3 During these, thousands of emaciated seabird carcasses are washed ashore along European and North American coasts. Winter cyclones can therefore shape seabird population dynamics4,5 by affecting survival rates as well as the body condition of surviving individuals and thus their future reproduction. However, most often the geographic origins of impacted seabirds and the causes of their deaths remain unclear.6 We performed the first ocean-basin scale assessment of cyclone exposure in a seabird community by coupling winter tracking data for ∼1,500 individuals of five key North Atlantic seabird species (Alle alle, Fratercula arctica, Uria aalge, Uria lomvia, and Rissa tridactyla) and cyclone locations. We then explored the energetic consequences of different cyclonic conditions using a mechanistic bioenergetics model7 and tested the hypothesis that cyclones dramatically increase seabird energy requirements. We demonstrated that cyclones of high intensity impacted birds from all studied species and breeding colonies during winter but especially those aggregating in the Labrador Sea, the Davis Strait, the surroundings of Iceland, and the Barents Sea. Our broad-scale analyses suggested that cyclonic conditions do not increase seabird energy requirements, implying that they die because of the unavailability of their prey and/or their inability to feed during cyclones. Our study provides essential information on seabird cyclone exposure in a context of marked cyclone regime changes due to global warming.8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon Clairbaux
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France.
| | - Paul Mathewson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Warren Porter
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Jérôme Fort
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR7266 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Hallvard Strøm
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, PO Box 6606 Langnes, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Børge Moe
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research - NINA, PO Box 5685 Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Per Fauchald
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research - NINA, PO Box 5685 Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Sebastien Descamps
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, PO Box 6606 Langnes, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Hálfdán H Helgason
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, PO Box 6606 Langnes, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Vegard S Bråthen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research - NINA, PO Box 5685 Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Benjamin Merkel
- Akvaplan-niva AS, Fram Centre, PO Box 6606 Langnes, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Tycho Anker-Nilssen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research - NINA, PO Box 5685 Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Ingar S Bringsvor
- Norwegian Ornithological Society, Sandgata 30 B, 7012 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Olivier Chastel
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS/La Rochelle Univ, La Rochelle, France
| | | | - Jóhannis Danielsen
- Faroe Marine Research Institute, PO Box 3051, Nóatún 1, 110 Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
| | - Francis Daunt
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik EH26 0QB, UK
| | - Nina Dehnhard
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research - NINA, PO Box 5685 Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Kjell Einar Erikstad
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway; Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Alexey Ezhov
- Murmansk Marine Biological Institute, 17 Vladimirskaya Street, 183010 Murmansk, Russia
| | - Maria Gavrilo
- Association Maritime Heritage, Saint Petersburg, Russia; National Park Russian Arctic, 57 Sovetskikh Kosmonavtove Avenue, Archangelsk, Russia
| | - Yuri Krasnov
- Murmansk Marine Biological Institute, 17 Vladimirskaya Street, 183010 Murmansk, Russia
| | - Magdalene Langset
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research - NINA, PO Box 5685 Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Svein-H Lorentsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research - NINA, PO Box 5685 Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Mark Newell
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik EH26 0QB, UK
| | - Bergur Olsen
- Faroe Marine Research Institute, PO Box 3051, Nóatún 1, 110 Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
| | - Tone K Reiertsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Geir Helge Systad
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research - NINA, PO Box 5685 Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Mark Baran
- Atlantic Laboratory for Avian Research, University of New Brunswick, PO Box 4400, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada
| | - Tony Diamond
- Atlantic Laboratory for Avian Research, University of New Brunswick, PO Box 4400, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada
| | - Annette L Fayet
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Michelle G Fitzsimmons
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NL A1N 4T3, Canada
| | - Morten Frederiksen
- Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Hugh G Gilchrist
- National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Tim Guilford
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Nicholas P Huffeldt
- Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Kivioq 2, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Mark Jessopp
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Distillery Field, North Mall, Cork, Ireland; MaREI Centre, Environmental Research Inst., Univ. College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Kasper L Johansen
- Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | - Jannie F Linnebjerg
- Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Heather L Major
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Brunswick, PO Box 5050, Saint John, NB E2L 4L5, Canada
| | | | - Mark Mallory
- Biology, Acadia University, 15 University Avenue, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada
| | - Flemming R Merkel
- Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - William Montevecchi
- Psychology and Biology Departments, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1C 5S7, Canada
| | - Anders Mosbech
- Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | - David Grémillet
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS/La Rochelle Univ, La Rochelle, France; Percy FitzPatrick Institute, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa.
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Drummond BA, Orben RA, Christ AM, Fleishman AB, Renner HM, Rojek NA, Romano MD. Comparing non-breeding distribution and behavior of red-legged kittiwakes from two geographically distant colonies. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0254686. [PMID: 34270622 PMCID: PMC8284784 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of non-breeding distributions is a crucial component to seabird conservation, as conditions during the non-breeding period can play an important role in regulating seabird populations. Specifically, if seabirds from different colonies share the same wintering grounds, conditions in that shared region could have a widespread impact on multiple breeding populations. Red-legged kittiwakes (Rissa brevirostris) are endemic to the Bering Sea and may be especially susceptible to effects of climate change due to a restricted breeding range, small population size, and specialized diet. To examine whether red-legged kittiwakes from different breeding colonies overlapped in winter distribution and activity patterns, we used geolocation loggers to simultaneously track individuals from the two largest red-legged kittiwake breeding colonies in Alaska (separated by over 1000 km) during two consecutive non-breeding periods. We found that non-breeding activity patterns were generally similar between birds originating from the two colonies, but birds employed different migratory strategies during the early winter. Kittiwakes from Buldir Island in the western Aleutian Islands left the colony in September and immediately headed west, spending October through December around the Sea of Okhotsk and the Kuril Islands. In contrast, birds from St. George Island in the Pribilof Islands remained in the eastern Bering Sea or around the eastern Aleutian Islands for a couple months before traveling farther west. During late winter however, from January through March, birds from both colonies converged south of Kamchatka and east of the Kuril Islands over the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench and in the Western Subarctic Gyre before returning to their respective colonies in the spring. This late winter overlap in distributions along the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench suggests the region is a winter hotspot for red-legged kittiwakes and highlights the importance of this region for the global kittiwake population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brie A. Drummond
- Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Homer, Alaska, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Rachael A. Orben
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Aaron M. Christ
- Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Homer, Alaska, United States of America
| | - Abram B. Fleishman
- Conservation Metrics, Inc., Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Heather M. Renner
- Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Homer, Alaska, United States of America
| | - Nora A. Rojek
- Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Homer, Alaska, United States of America
| | - Marc D. Romano
- Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Homer, Alaska, United States of America
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Caetano GHDO, Colli GR. Climate instability causing the decline of a Neotropical savanna lizard population (Squamata: Tropiduridae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Populations that evolved in predictable seasonal environments might not have mechanisms to deal with unpredictable climate change. Assessing whether these populations can cope with recent increases in climate extremes and variability can better inform conservation efforts. We investigated the effects of climate deviations and fire on the population dynamics of the lizard Tropidurus torquatus in the Cerrado of Brazil. We decomposed six climate variables into seasonal and non-seasonal components and assessed which factors, along with long- and short-term effects of fire, better accounted for variation in the survival and recruitment of a T. torquatus population monitored for 12 years. Survival was not associated with climate seasonality, and instead minor fluctuations were related to temperature extremes. Recruitment benefited from long-term fire effects and had a strong seasonal component accounting for most of the variation in the population. Climate deviations caused severe changes in the number of recruits each year, with an overall negative effect on population growth. Population growth was more sensitive to recruitment than to survival, resulting in a sharp population decline over the study period. Tropidurus torquatus, and perhaps other species that evolved in similar conditions, can mitigate the demographic effects of fire but lack mechanisms to deal with climate deviation occurring over relatively short periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Henrique De Oliveira Caetano
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
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21
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Hou J, Li L, Wang Y, Wang W, Zhan H, Dai N, Lu P. Influences of submerged plant collapse on diet composition, breadth, and overlap among four crane species at Poyang Lake, China. Front Zool 2021; 18:24. [PMID: 34001190 PMCID: PMC8130136 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-021-00411-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Interannual variation in resource abundance has become more unpredictable, and food shortages have increasingly occurred in the recent decades. However, compared to seasonal fluctuations in resource abundance, the influences of interannual variation in resource abundance on the dietary niches of consumers remain poorly understood. Poyang Lake, China, is a very important wintering ground for the globally endangered Siberian Crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus), White-naped Crane (Grus vipio), and Hooded Crane (G. monacha), as well as the non-endangered Eurasian Crane (G. grus). Tubers of Vallisneria spp., the dominant submerged macrophytes at Poyang Lake, is an important food for cranes. Nevertheless, submerged macrophytes have experienced serious degradation recently. In this study, we used metabarcoding technology to explore the consequences of Vallisneria tuber collapse on the diet compositions, breadths, and overlaps of the four crane species based on fecal samples collected in winter 2017 (a year with tuber collapse) and winter 2018 (a year with high tuber abundance). Results Compared to previous studies, our study elucidates crane diets in an unprecedented level of detail. Vallisneria tubers was confirmed as an important food source of cranes. Surprisingly, the grassland plant Polygonum criopolitanum was also found to be an important food source in the feces of cranes. Agricultural fields were important foraging sites for Siberian Cranes, White-naped Cranes, and Hooded Cranes, providing foods that allowed them to survive in winters with natural food shortages. However, the three crane species preferred natural wetlands to agricultural fields when the abundance of natural foods was high. The abundance of Vallisneria tubers, and probably P. criopolitanum, greatly influenced the dietary compositions, breadths and overlap of cranes. During periods of preferred resource shortage, White-naped Cranes and Hooded Cranes widened their dietary niches, while Siberian Cranes maintained a stable niche width. The dietary niche overlap among crane species increased substantially under conditions of plentiful preferred food resources. Conclusions Our study emphasizes the superior quality of natural wetlands compared to agricultural fields as foraging habitats for cranes. To provide safer and better foraging areas for cranes, it is urgent to restore the submerged plants at Poyang Lake. While high dietary niche overlap is often interpreted as intense interspecific competition, our study highlights the importance of taking food abundance into account. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12983-021-00411-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinjin Hou
- Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecosystem Change and Biodiversity, Center for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and School of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China
| | - Lei Li
- Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecosystem Change and Biodiversity, Center for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and School of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China.,Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China.,Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland Conservation and Restoration National Permanent Scientific Research Base, National Ecosystem Research Station of Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland, Nanchang, 330031, China
| | - Yafang Wang
- Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecosystem Change and Biodiversity, Center for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and School of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China
| | - Wenjuan Wang
- Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecosystem Change and Biodiversity, Center for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and School of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China. .,Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China. .,Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland Conservation and Restoration National Permanent Scientific Research Base, National Ecosystem Research Station of Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland, Nanchang, 330031, China.
| | - Huiying Zhan
- Jiangxi Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve Authority, Nanchang, 330038, China
| | - Nianhua Dai
- The Institute of Biology and Resources, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanchang, 330096, China
| | - Ping Lu
- The Institute of Biology and Resources, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanchang, 330096, China
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Messmer DJ, Warren JM, Deane CE, Clark RG. Prefledging Growth and Recruitment of Female Lesser Scaup. J Wildl Manage 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David J. Messmer
- Department of Biology, 112 Science Place University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon SK S7N 5E2 Canada
| | - Jeffrey M. Warren
- Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, US Fish and Wildlife Service 27650B South Valley Road Lakeview MT 59739 USA
| | - Cody E. Deane
- Biology & Wildlife Department University of Alaska 101 Murie Building Fairbanks AK 99775 USA
| | - Robert G. Clark
- Department of Biology, 112 Science Place University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon SK S7N 5E2 Canada
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Acker P, Daunt F, Wanless S, Burthe SJ, Newell MA, Harris MP, Grist H, Sturgeon J, Swann RL, Gunn C, Payo‐Payo A, Reid JM. Strong survival selection on seasonal migration versus residence induced by extreme climatic events. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:796-808. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paul Acker
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Institutt for Biologi NTNU Trondheim Norway
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Hannah Grist
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
- Scottish Association for Marine Science Scottish Marine Institute Oban UK
| | - Jenny Sturgeon
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
| | | | - Carrie Gunn
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Midlothian UK
| | - Ana Payo‐Payo
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
| | - Jane M. Reid
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Institutt for Biologi NTNU Trondheim Norway
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24
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Dependence on a human structure influences the extinction of a non-native lizard population after a major environmental change. Biol Invasions 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-020-02405-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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25
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Gangoso L, Viana DS, Dokter AM, Shamoun‐Baranes J, Figuerola J, Barbosa SA, Bouten W. Cascading effects of climate variability on the breeding success of an edge population of an apex predator. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2631-2643. [PMID: 33439490 PMCID: PMC7692887 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Large-scale environmental forces can influence biodiversity at different levels of biological organization. Climate, in particular, is often associated with species distributions and diversity gradients. However, its mechanistic link to population dynamics is still poorly understood. Here, we unravelled the full mechanistic path by which a climatic driver, the Atlantic trade winds, determines the viability of a bird population. We monitored the breeding population of Eleonora's falcons in the Canary Islands for over a decade (2007-2017) and integrated different methods and data to reconstruct how the availability of their prey (migratory birds) is regulated by trade winds. We tracked foraging movements of breeding adults using GPS, monitored departure of migratory birds using weather radar and simulated their migration trajectories using an individual-based, spatially explicit model. We demonstrate that regional easterly winds regulate the flux of migratory birds that is available to hunting falcons, determining food availability for their chicks and consequent breeding success. By reconstructing how migratory birds are pushed towards the Canary Islands by trade winds, we explain most of the variation (up to 86%) in annual productivity for over a decade. This study unequivocally illustrates how a climatic driver can influence local-scale demographic processes while providing novel evidence of wind as a major determinant of population fitness in a top predator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Gangoso
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem DynamicsUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Estación Biológica de DoñanaCSICSevillaSpain
| | - Duarte S. Viana
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
| | | | - Judy Shamoun‐Baranes
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem DynamicsUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | | | | | - Willem Bouten
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem DynamicsUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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26
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Nilsson ALK, Reitan T, Skaugen T, L’Abée-Lund JH, Gamelon M, Jerstad K, Røstad OW, Slagsvold T, Stenseth NC, Vøllestad LA, Walseng B. Location Is Everything, but Climate Gets a Share: Analyzing Small-Scale Environmental Influences on Breeding Success in the White-Throated Dipper. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.542846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Vulnerability of a top marine predator to coastal storms: a relationship between hydrodynamic drivers and stranding rates of newborn pinnipeds. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12807. [PMID: 32732896 PMCID: PMC7393492 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69124-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Coastal storms have increased in recent decades, affecting many species, including the South American sea lion (Otaria byronia). Reports of stranded sea lion pups are becoming common in Chile, presumably due to the increase in the frequency and intensity of coastal storms. To validate this assumption, a 10-year database was built by coupling wave generation and coastal propagation models to correlate pure wave parameters (significant wave height Hs, peak period Tp, normalized wave power Hs2 Tp) and wave parameters including the tidal level (maximum surface elevation η, modified wave power η2 Tp) with records of stranded pups in Cobquecura, the largest breeding colony in central Chile. The correlation between the number of pups stranded per day and wave parameters in the first half of January and the last half of February is poor, while they are stronger for the second half of January and the first half of February. The higher number of stranded pups coincide with coastal storms with normalized wave power values exceeding a threshold of 100 m2/s. Conversely, below this threshold there is wide dispersion between the number of strandings and wave parameters. Identifying wave parameter thresholds could be used to predict when newborn pups will be most affected by coastal storms, and thus help institutions to develop remediation techniques for animals at risk.
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28
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Ghosh S, Sheppard LW, Reuman DC. Tail associations in ecological variables and their impact on extinction risk. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shyamolina Ghosh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Kansas Biological Survey University of Kansas Lawrence Kansas66045USA
| | - Lawrence W. Sheppard
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Kansas Biological Survey University of Kansas Lawrence Kansas66045USA
| | - Daniel C. Reuman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Kansas Biological Survey University of Kansas Lawrence Kansas66045USA
- Laboratory of Populations Rockefeller University 1230 York Ave New York New York10065USA
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Field CR, Ruskin KJ, Cohen JB, Hodgman TP, Kovach AI, Olsen BJ, Shriver WG, Elphick CS. Framework for quantifying population responses to disturbance reveals that coastal birds are highly resilient to hurricanes. Ecol Lett 2019; 22:2039-2048. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.13384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R. Field
- National Socio‐Environmental Synthesis Center University of Maryland 1 Park Place Annapolis MD 21401 USA
| | - Katharine J. Ruskin
- Ecology and Environmental Sciences program University of Maine 107 Nutting Hall Orono ME 04469 USA
| | - Jonathan B. Cohen
- Department of Environmental and Forest Biology State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry 1 Forestry Drive Syracuse NY 13210 USA
| | - Thomas P. Hodgman
- Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Bird Group 650 State Street Bangor ME 04401 USA
| | - Adrienne I. Kovach
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment University of New Hampshire 56 College Road Durham NH 03824 USA
| | - Brian J. Olsen
- School of Biology and Ecology University of Maine 200 Clapp Greenhouse Orono ME 04469 USA
| | - W. Gregory Shriver
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology University of Delaware 257 Townsend Hall Newark DE 19716 USA
| | - Chris S. Elphick
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Center of Biological Risk University of Connecticut 75 North Eagleville Road, U‐43 Storrs CT 06269 USA
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Miller JAO, Furness RW, Trinder M, Matthiopoulos J. The sensitivity of seabird populations to density‐dependence, environmental stochasticity and anthropogenic mortality. J Appl Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Julie A. O. Miller
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
| | | | | | - Jason Matthiopoulos
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
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31
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Sexual Dimorphism and Foraging Trips of the Laysan Albatross ( Phoebastria immutabilis) on Guadalupe Island. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:ani9060364. [PMID: 31212935 PMCID: PMC6617548 DOI: 10.3390/ani9060364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary We evaluated the existence of sexual dimorphism in Laysan albatross from Guadalupe Island. Males were larger than females across all the morphological variables analyzed. We created a sex predictor model for Laysan albatross individuals that requires a minimum number of input variables and will considerably reduce the handling times and field costs of future studies. Laysan albatross foraging trips were recorded during their breeding season over multiple years and no significant differences were found between the distances travelled by males versus females. Abstract Sexual dimorphism in the Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) on Guadalupe Island was evaluated during the breeding seasons of 2015–2018 by measuring and comparing 10 morphological attributes: cranial length, bill length, nostril length, cranial width, bill height, bill width, tarsus length, closed wing length, opened wing length, and wingspan length in reproductive adults (n = 135). Males were larger than females across all traits (Student’s t-test, p < 0.05, p < 0.05). We created a logistic model using stepwise regression to predict sex based on morphological variables. This model indicated four significant morphological predictor variables (z < 0.05) and was able to successfully predict the sex of P. immutabilis individuals in more than 90% of the cases. Based on these predictor variables, a web app was developed to determine the sex of the Laysan albatross in the field, providing a non-invasive method for rapid data collection that reduces costs and handling times while improving conservation efforts. We tracked Laysan albatross (n = 36) during breeding seasons and found no significant differences between females and males for either trip length (GLMM, F = 0.017, DF = 1, 1, p = 0.917 > 0.05) or maximum trip distance (GLMM, F = 0.374, DF = 1, 1, p = 0.651 > 0.05). Our results suggest that both sexes show a strong preference to travel to highly productive coastal waters northeast of the breeding colony that are influenced by the California Current. The present research will serve to establish a baseline to protect this species on Guadalupe Island and highlights the importance of understanding sexual dimorphism in at-risk seabird species.
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32
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Manning JA, McLoughlin PD. Environmental and demographic drivers of male mating success vary across sequential reproductive episodes in a polygynous breeder. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:5106-5117. [PMID: 31110665 PMCID: PMC6509369 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2017] [Revised: 10/17/2018] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological and social factors underpinning the inequality of male mating success in animal societies can be related to sex ratio, sexual conflict between breeders, effects of nonbreeders, resource dispersion, climatic conditions, and the various sequential stages of mating competition that constitute the sexual selection process. Here, we conducted an individual-based study to investigate how local resource availability and demography interact with annual climate conditions to determine the degree of male mating inequality, and thus opportunity for sexual selection across two sequential reproductive episodes (harem and subsequent mate acquisition) in a naturally regulated (feral) horse population in Sable Island National Park Preserve, Canada. Using a 5-year, spatially explicit, mark-resight dataset and hierarchical mixed-effects linear modeling, we evaluated the influence of adult sex ratio (ASR) on mating success and then tested for effects of freshwater availability, density, unpaired male abundance, and precipitation during each breeding season. Unpaired male abundance, freshwater availability, and ASR differed in their effects on male mating success according to year and selection episode. Opportunity for sexual selection in males associated with harem acquisition increased with ASR, and unpaired male abundance further explained weather-related interannual variation after accounting for ASR. In contrast, once a harem was secured, ASR had little effect on male mating inequality in regard to acquiring additional females, while interannual variation in mating inequality increased with decreasing freshwater availability. Our findings show that local demography, resource availability, and weather effect opportunity for sexual selection in males differently depending on selection episode, and can attenuate or accentuate effects of ASR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey A. Manning
- Department of BiologyUniversity of SaskatchewanSaskatoonSaskatchewanCanada
- Present address:
School of the EnvironmentWashington State UniversityPullmanWashington
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33
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Abstract
In the context of climate change, how extreme climatic events, such as cyclones, will affect the foraging abilities of marine vertebrates is still poorly known. During the course of a study on the foraging behaviour of two tropical seabirds, red-footed boobies and great frigatebirds, several cyclones have affected their breeding grounds and foraging zones, allowing us to study their response to extreme wind conditions. We examined whether adults and young naïve birds were able to predict the arrival of a cyclone and behave accordingly to reduce mortality risks and optimise foraging. We show that when a cyclone approached, juveniles and adults of the two species differed in their decisions to leave the colony for the sea. When the winds reached gale force, the juveniles of both species and adult frigatebirds remained at the colony, whereas adult boobies continued their foraging routine. The mortality of the individuals remaining on land remained limited. When encountering at-sea gale conditions, adult birds were able to avoid the centre of the low pressure systems and moved westward to bypass the route of the cyclones and circumvent the moving cyclone. Frigatebirds climb to high altitudes when close to the eye of the cyclone to bypass it at high speeds. These movements likely reduce the mortality risk at sea but can temporarily cause birds to move outside their normal range at sea or over land masses. We discuss the potential consequences of an increase in cyclonic conditions on seabird populations.
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Soldatini C, Albores‐Barajas YV, Ramos‐Rodriguez A, Munguia‐Vega A, González‐Rodríguez E, Catoni C, Dell'Omo G. Tracking reveals behavioural coordination driven by environmental constraints in the Black‐vented Shearwater
Puffinus opisthomelas. POPUL ECOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/1438-390x.1024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Soldatini
- Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada – Unidad La Paz La Paz Mexico
| | - Yuri V. Albores‐Barajas
- Department of Marine Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur La Paz Mexico
- CONACYT. Dept. Catedras. Av. Insurgentes Mexico
| | | | - Adrian Munguia‐Vega
- Conservation Genetics Laboratory, School of Natural Resources and the Environment University of Arizona Tucson Arizona
- PANGAS Science Coordination Department. Comunidad y Biodiversidad A.C Guaymas Mexico
| | | | - Carlo Catoni
- Animal Tracking Department, Ornis italica Rome Italy
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Burggren WW. Inadequacy of typical physiological experimental protocols for investigating consequences of stochastic weather events emerging from global warming. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2019; 316:R318-R322. [PMID: 30698987 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00307.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Increasingly variable, extreme, and nonpredictable weather events are predicted to accompany climate change, and such weather events will especially affect temperate, terrestrial environments. Yet, typical protocols in comparative physiology that examine environmental change typically employ simple step-wise changes in the experimental stressor of interest (e.g., temperature, water availability, oxygen, nutrition). Such protocols fall short of mimicking actual natural environments and may be inadequate for fully exploring the physiological effects of stochastic, extreme weather events. Indeed, numerous studies from the field of thermal biology, especially, indicate nonlinear and sometimes counterintuitive findings associated with variable and fluctuating (but rarely truly stochastic) protocols for temperature change. This Perspective article suggests that alternative experimental protocols should be employed that go beyond step-wise protocols and even beyond variable protocols employing circadian rhythms, for example, to those that actually embrace nonpredictable elements. Such protocols, though admittedly more difficult to implement, are more likely to reveal the capabilities (and, importantly, the limitations) of animals experiencing weather, as distinct from climate. While some possible protocols involving stochasticity are described as examples to stimulate additional thought on experimental design, the overall goal of this Perspective article is to encourage comparative physiologists to entertain incorporation of nonpredictable experimental conditions as they design future experimental protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren W Burggren
- Developmental Integrative Biology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas , Denton, Texas
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36
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Thomsen SK, Mazurkiewicz DM, Stanley TR, Green DJ. El Niño/Southern Oscillation-driven rainfall pulse amplifies predation by owls on seabirds via apparent competition with mice. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.1161. [PMID: 30355706 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Most approaches for assessing species vulnerability to climate change have focused on direct impacts via abiotic changes rather than indirect impacts mediated by changes in species interactions. Changes in rainfall regimes may influence species interactions from the bottom-up by increasing primary productivity in arid environments, but subsequently lead to less predictable top-down effects. Our study demonstrates how the effects of an EL Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-driven rainfall pulse ricochets along a chain of interactions between marine and terrestrial food webs, leading to enhanced predation of a vulnerable marine predator on its island breeding grounds. On Santa Barbara Island, barn owls (Tyto alba) are the main predator of a nocturnal seabird, the Scripps's murrelet (Synthliboramphus scrippsi), as well as an endemic deer mouse. We followed the links between rainfall, normalized difference vegetation index and subsequent peaks in mouse and owl abundance. After the mouse population declined steeply, there was approximately 15-fold increase in the number of murrelets killed by owls. We also simulated these dynamics with a mathematical model and demonstrate that bottom-up resource pulses can lead to subsequent declines in alternative prey. Our study highlights the need for understanding how species interactions will change with shifting rainfall patterns through the effects of ENSO under global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah K Thomsen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
| | | | - Thomas R Stanley
- US Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
| | - David J Green
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
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McLean LJ, George S, Ierodiaconou D, Kirkwood RJ, Arnould JPY. Impact of rising sea levels on Australian fur seals. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5786. [PMID: 30356954 PMCID: PMC6195111 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Global warming is leading to many unprecedented changes in the ocean-climate system. Sea levels are rising at an increasing rate and are amplifying the impact of storm surges along coastlines. As variability in the timing and strength of storm surges has been shown to affect pup mortality in the Australian fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus), there is a need to identify the potential impacts of increased sea level and storm surges on the breeding areas of this important marine predator in Bass Strait, south-eastern Australia. Using high-resolution aerial photography and topographic data, the present study assessed the impacts of future inundation levels on both current and potential breeding habitats at each colony. Inundation from storm surges, based on a predicted rise in sea level, was modeled at each colony from 2012 to 2100. As sea level increases, progressively less severe storm surge conditions will be required to exceed current inundation levels and, thus, have the potential for greater impacts on pup mortality at Australian fur seal colonies. The results of the present study indicate that by 2100, a 1-in-10 year storm will inundate more habitat on average than a present-day 1-in-100 year storm. The study highlights the site-specific nature of storm surge impacts, and in particular the importance of local colony topography and surrounding bathymetry with small, low-lying colonies impacted the most. An increased severity of storm surges will result in either an increase in pup mortality rates associated with storm surges, or the dispersal of individuals to higher ground and/or new colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lachlan J McLean
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
| | - Steve George
- National Centre for Atmospheric Science-Climate, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Ierodiaconou
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia
| | - Roger J Kirkwood
- Research Department, Phillip Island Nature Parks, Cowes, Victoria, Australia
| | - John P Y Arnould
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
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Maldonado-Chaparro AA, Blumstein DT, Armitage KB, Childs DZ. Transient LTRE analysis reveals the demographic and trait-mediated processes that buffer population growth. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:1693-1703. [PMID: 30252195 PMCID: PMC6849557 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 07/29/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Temporal variation in environmental conditions affects population growth directly via its impact on vital rates, and indirectly through induced variation in demographic structure and phenotypic trait distributions. We currently know very little about how these processes jointly mediate population responses to their environment. To address this gap, we develop a general transient life table response experiment (LTRE) which partitions the contributions to population growth arising from variation in (1) survival and reproduction, (2) demographic structure, (3) trait values and (4) climatic drivers. We apply the LTRE to a population of yellow‐bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) to demonstrate the impact of demographic and trait‐mediated processes. Our analysis provides a new perspective on demographic buffering, which may be a more subtle phenomena than is currently assumed. The new LTRE framework presents opportunities to improve our understanding of how trait variation influences population dynamics and adaptation in stochastic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana A Maldonado-Chaparro
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1606, USA.,Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, Konstanz, 78315, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätstraße 10, Konstanz, 78464, Germany
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1606, USA.,Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Box 519, Crested Butte, CO, 81224, USA
| | - Kenneth B Armitage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
| | - Dylan Z Childs
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
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39
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Gibson D, Riecke TV, Keyes T, Depkin C, Fraser J, Catlin DH. Application of Bayesian robust design model to assess the impacts of a hurricane on shorebird demography. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Gibson
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Blacksburg Virginia 24060 USA
| | - Thomas V. Riecke
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology; Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science; University of Nevada Reno; Mail Stop 186 Reno Nevada 89557 USA
| | - Tim Keyes
- Georgia Department of Natural Resources; 1 Conservation Way Brunswick Georgia 31520 USA
| | - Chris Depkin
- Georgia Department of Natural Resources; 1 Conservation Way Brunswick Georgia 31520 USA
| | - James Fraser
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Blacksburg Virginia 24060 USA
| | - Daniel H. Catlin
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Blacksburg Virginia 24060 USA
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40
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Desprez M, Jenouvrier S, Barbraud C, Delord K, Weimerskirch H. Linking oceanographic conditions, migratory schedules and foraging behaviour during the non‐breeding season to reproductive performance in a long‐lived seabird. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marine Desprez
- Biology Department MS‐50 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole Massachusetts
| | - Stéphanie Jenouvrier
- Biology Department MS‐50 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole Massachusetts
| | - Christophe Barbraud
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372 CNRS/Université La Rochelle Villiers en Bois France
| | - Karine Delord
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372 CNRS/Université La Rochelle Villiers en Bois France
| | - Henri Weimerskirch
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372 CNRS/Université La Rochelle Villiers en Bois France
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41
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Oro D, Álvarez D, Velando A. Complex demographic heterogeneity from anthropogenic impacts in a coastal marine predator. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2018; 28:612-621. [PMID: 29297945 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Revised: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Environmental drivers, including anthropogenic impacts, affect vital rates of organisms. Nevertheless, the influence of these drivers may depend on the physical features of the habitat and how they affect life history strategies depending on individual covariates such as age and sex. Here, the long-term monitoring (1994-2014) of marked European Shags in eight colonies in two regions with different ecological features, such as foraging habitat, allowed us to test several biological hypotheses about how survival changes by age and sex in each region by means of multi-event capture-recapture modeling. Impacts included fishing practices and bycatch, invasive introduced carnivores and the severe Prestige oil spill. Adult survival was constant but, unexpectedly, it was different between sexes. This difference was opposite in each region. The impact of the oil spill on survival was important only for adults (especially for females) in one region and lasted a single year. Juvenile survival was time dependent but this variability was not synchronized between regions, suggesting a strong signal of regional environmental variability. Mortality due to bycatch was also different between sex, age and region. Interestingly the results showed that the size of the fishing fleet is not necessarily a good proxy for assessing the impact of bycatch mortality, which may be more dependent on the fishing grounds and the fishing gears employed in each season of the year. Anthropogenic impacts affected survival differently by age and sex, which was expected for a long-lived organism with sexual size dimorphism. Strikingly, these differences varied depending on the region, indicating that habitat heterogeneity is demographically important to how environmental variability (including anthropogenic impacts) and resilience influence population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Oro
- Population Ecology Group, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, Spain
- Theoretical Ecology Lab, CEAB (CSIC), Blanes, Spain
| | | | - Alberto Velando
- Departamento de Ecología y Biología Animal, Universidad de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
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42
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Delord K, Cherel Y, Barbraud C, Chastel O, Weimerskirch H. High variability in migration and wintering strategies of brown skuas (Catharacta antarctica lonnbergi) in the Indian Ocean. Polar Biol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-017-2169-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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43
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Additive effects of climate and fisheries drive ongoing declines in multiple albatross species. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E10829-E10837. [PMID: 29158390 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1618819114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental and anthropogenic factors often drive population declines in top predators, but how their influences may combine remains unclear. Albatrosses are particularly threatened. They breed in fast-changing environments, and their extensive foraging ranges expose them to incidental mortality (bycatch) in multiple fisheries. The albatross community at South Georgia includes globally important populations of three species that have declined by 40-60% over the last 35 years. We used three steps to deeply understand the drivers of such dramatic changes: (i) describe fundamental demographic rates using multievent models, (ii) determine demographic drivers of population growth using matrix models, and (iii) identify environmental and anthropogenic drivers using ANOVAs. Each species was affected by different processes and threats in their foraging areas during the breeding and nonbreeding seasons. There was evidence for two kinds of combined environmental and anthropogenic effects. The first was sequential; in wandering and black-browed albatrosses, high levels of bycatch have reduced juvenile and adult survival, then increased temperature, reduced sea-ice cover, and stronger winds are affecting the population recovery potential. The second was additive; in gray-headed albatrosses, not only did bycatch impact adult survival but also this impact was exacerbated by lower food availability in years following El Niño events. This emphasizes the need for much improved implementation of mitigation measures in fisheries and better enforcement of compliance. We hope our results not only help focus future management actions for these populations but also demonstrate the power of the modelling approach for assessing impacts of environmental and anthropogenic drivers in wild animal populations.
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44
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Pardo D, Jenouvrier S, Weimerskirch H, Barbraud C. Effect of extreme sea surface temperature events on the demography of an age-structured albatross population. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 372:20160143. [PMID: 28483873 PMCID: PMC5434094 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate changes include concurrent changes in environmental mean, variance and extremes, and it is challenging to understand their respective impact on wild populations, especially when contrasted age-dependent responses to climate occur. We assessed how changes in mean and standard deviation of sea surface temperature (SST), frequency and magnitude of warm SST extreme climatic events (ECE) influenced the stochastic population growth rate log(λs) and age structure of a black-browed albatross population. For changes in SST around historical levels observed since 1982, changes in standard deviation had a larger (threefold) and negative impact on log(λs) compared to changes in mean. By contrast, the mean had a positive impact on log(λs). The historical SST mean was lower than the optimal SST value for which log(λs) was maximized. Thus, a larger environmental mean increased the occurrence of SST close to this optimum that buffered the negative effect of ECE. This 'climate safety margin' (i.e. difference between optimal and historical climatic conditions) and the specific shape of the population growth rate response to climate for a species determine how ECE affect the population. For a wider range in SST, both the mean and standard deviation had negative impact on log(λs), with changes in the mean having a greater effect than the standard deviation. Furthermore, around SST historical levels increases in either mean or standard deviation of the SST distribution led to a younger population, with potentially important conservation implications for black-browed albatrosses.This article is part of the themed issue 'Behavioural, ecological and evolutionary responses to extreme climatic events'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Pardo
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372 CNRS, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
- British Antarctic Survey, Madingley Road High Cross, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
| | - Stéphanie Jenouvrier
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372 CNRS, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Mailstop 50, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Henri Weimerskirch
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372 CNRS, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Christophe Barbraud
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372 CNRS, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
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45
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Grist H, Daunt F, Wanless S, Burthe SJ, Newell MA, Harris MP, Reid JM. Reproductive performance of resident and migrant males, females and pairs in a partially migratory bird. J Anim Ecol 2017; 86:1010-1021. [PMID: 28502109 PMCID: PMC6849534 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2016] [Accepted: 03/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Quantifying among‐individual variation in life‐history strategies, and associated variation in reproductive performance and resulting demographic structure, is key to understanding and predicting population dynamics and life‐history evolution. Partial migration, where populations comprise a mixture of resident and seasonally migrant individuals, constitutes a dimension of life‐history variation that could be associated with substantial variation in reproductive performance. However, such variation has rarely been quantified due to the challenge of measuring reproduction and migration across a sufficient number of seasonally mobile males and females. We used intensive winter (non‐breeding season) resightings of colour‐ringed adult European shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) from a known breeding colony to identify resident and migrant individuals. We tested whether two aspects of annual reproductive performance, brood hatch date and breeding success, differed between resident and migrant males, females and breeding pairs observed across three consecutive winters and breeding seasons. The sex ratios of observed resident and migrant shags did not significantly differ from each other or from 1:1, suggesting that both sexes are partially migratory and that migration was not sex‐biased across surveyed areas. Individual resident males and females hatched their broods 6 days earlier and fledged 0.2 more chicks per year than migrant males and females on average. Resident individuals of both sexes therefore had higher breeding success than migrants. Hatch date and breeding success also varied with a pair's joint migratory strategy such that resident–resident pairs hatched their broods 12 days earlier than migrant–migrant pairs, and fledged 0.7 more chicks per year on average. However, there was no evidence of assortative pairing with respect to migratory strategy: observed frequencies of migrant–migrant and resident–resident pairs did not differ from those expected given random pairing. These data demonstrate substantial variation in two key aspects of reproductive performance associated with the migratory strategies of males, females and breeding pairs within a partially migratory population. These patterns could reflect direct and/or indirect mechanisms, but imply that individual variation in migratory strategy and variation in pairing among residents and migrants could influence selection on migration and drive complex population and evolutionary dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Grist
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.,Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Midlothian, UK.,Scottish Ornithologists' Club, Waterston House, Aberlady, UK.,Scottish Association for Marine Science, Argyll, UK
| | - Francis Daunt
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Midlothian, UK
| | - Sarah Wanless
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Midlothian, UK
| | - Sarah J Burthe
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Midlothian, UK
| | - Mark A Newell
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Midlothian, UK
| | - Mike P Harris
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Midlothian, UK
| | - Jane M Reid
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
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46
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Tanner EP, Elmore RD, Fuhlendorf SD, Davis CA, Dahlgren DK, Orange JP. Extreme climatic events constrain space use and survival of a ground-nesting bird. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:1832-1846. [PMID: 27633847 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2016] [Revised: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 09/11/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Two fundamental issues in ecology are understanding what influences the distribution and abundance of organisms through space and time. While it is well established that broad-scale patterns of abiotic and biotic conditions affect organisms' distributions and population fluctuations, discrete events may be important drivers of space use, survival, and persistence. These discrete extreme climatic events can constrain populations and space use at fine scales beyond that which is typically measured in ecological studies. Recently, a growing body of literature has identified thermal stress as a potential mechanism in determining space use and survival. We sought to determine how ambient temperature at fine temporal scales affected survival and space use for a ground-nesting quail species (Colinus virginianus; northern bobwhite). We modeled space use across an ambient temperature gradient (ranging from -20 to 38 °C) through a maxent algorithm. We also used Andersen-Gill proportional hazard models to assess the influence of ambient temperature-related variables on survival through time. Estimated available useable space ranged from 18.6% to 57.1% of the landscape depending on ambient temperature. The lowest and highest ambient temperature categories (<-15 °C and >35 °C, respectively) were associated with the least amount of estimated useable space (18.6% and 24.6%, respectively). Range overlap analysis indicated dissimilarity in areas where Colinus virginianus were restricted during times of thermal extremes (range overlap = 0.38). This suggests that habitat under a given condition is not necessarily a habitat under alternative conditions. Further, we found survival was most influenced by weekly minimum ambient temperatures. Our results demonstrate that ecological constraints can occur along a thermal gradient and that understanding the effects of these discrete events and how they change over time may be more important to conservation of organisms than are average and broad-scale conditions as typically measured in ecological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan P Tanner
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - R Dwayne Elmore
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Samuel D Fuhlendorf
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Craig A Davis
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - David K Dahlgren
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, 5230 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Jeremy P Orange
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
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47
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Nicoll MAC, Nevoux M, Jones CG, Ratcliffe N, Ruhomaun K, Tatayah V, Norris K. Contrasting effects of tropical cyclones on the annual survival of a pelagic seabird in the Indian Ocean. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:550-565. [PMID: 27178393 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2015] [Revised: 04/13/2016] [Accepted: 03/23/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Tropical cyclones are renowned for their destructive nature and are an important feature of marine and coastal tropical ecosystems. Over the last 40 years, their intensity, frequency and tracks have changed, partly in response to ocean warming, and future predictions indicate that these trends are likely to continue with potential consequences for human populations and coastal ecosystems. However, our understanding of how tropical cyclones currently affect marine biodiversity, and pelagic species in particular, is limited. For seabirds, the impacts of cyclones are known to be detrimental at breeding colonies, but impacts on the annual survival of pelagic adults and juveniles remain largely unexplored and no study has simultaneously explored the direct impacts of cyclones on different life-history stages across the annual life cycle. We used a 20-year data set on tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean, tracking data from 122 Round Island petrels and long-term capture-mark-recapture data to explore the impacts of tropical cyclones on the survival of adult and juvenile (first year) petrels during both the breeding and migration periods. The tracking data showed that juvenile and adult Round Island petrels utilize the three cyclone regions of the Indian Ocean and were potentially exposed to cyclones for a substantial part of their annual cycle. However, only juvenile petrel survival was affected by cyclone activity; negatively by a strong cyclone in the vicinity of the breeding colony and positively by increasing cyclone activity in the Northern Indian Ocean where they spend the majority of their first year at sea. These contrasting effects raise the intriguing prospect that the projected changes in cyclones under current climate change scenarios may have positive as well as the more commonly perceived negative impacts on marine biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm A C Nicoll
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Marie Nevoux
- INRA, UMR Ecologie et Santé des Ecosystèmes, Equipe Conservation et Restauration des Ecosystèmes Aquatiques, 65 rue de Saint-Brieuc, 35042, Rennes Cedex, France
| | - Carl G Jones
- Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Les Augres Manor, Trinity, Jersey, UK
- Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Grannum Road, Vacoas, Mauritius
| | - Norman Ratcliffe
- British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
| | - Kevin Ruhomaun
- National Parks and Conservation Service (Government of Mauritius), Reduit, Mauritius
| | - Vikash Tatayah
- Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Grannum Road, Vacoas, Mauritius
| | - Ken Norris
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
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48
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Hinke JT, Trivelpiece SG, Trivelpiece WZ. Variable vital rates and the risk of population declines in Adélie penguins from the Antarctic Peninsula region. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jefferson T. Hinke
- Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration La Jolla California 92037 USA
| | - Susan G. Trivelpiece
- Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration La Jolla California 92037 USA
| | - Wayne Z. Trivelpiece
- Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration La Jolla California 92037 USA
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49
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Thanou E, Sponza S, Nelson EJ, Perry A, Wanless S, Daunt F, Cavers S. Genetic structure in the European endemic seabird, Phalacrocorax aristotelis, shaped by a complex interaction of historical and contemporary, physical and nonphysical drivers. Mol Ecol 2016; 26:2796-2811. [PMID: 28028864 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2015] [Revised: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Geographically separated populations tend to be less connected by gene flow, as a result of physical or nonphysical barriers preventing dispersal, and this can lead to genetic structure. In this context, highly mobile organisms such as seabirds are interesting because the small effect of physical barriers means nonphysical ones may be relatively more important. Here, we use microsatellite and mitochondrial data to explore the genetic structure and phylogeography of Atlantic and Mediterranean populations of a European endemic seabird, the European shag, Phalacrocorax aristotelis, and identify the primary drivers of their diversification. Analyses of mitochondrial markers revealed three phylogenetic lineages grouping the North Atlantic, Spanish/Corsican and eastern Mediterranean populations, apparently arising from fragmentation during the Pleistocene followed by range expansion. These traces of historical fragmentation were also evident in the genetic structure estimated by microsatellite markers, despite significant contemporary gene flow among adjacent populations. Stronger genetic structure, probably promoted by landscape, philopatry and local adaptation, was found among distant populations and those separated by physical and ecological barriers. This study highlights the enduring effect of Pleistocene climatic changes on shag populations, especially within the Mediterranean Basin, and suggests a role for cryptic northern refugia, as well as known southern refugia, on the genetic structure of European seabirds. Finally, it outlines how contemporary ecological barriers and behavioural traits may maintain population divergence, despite long-distance dispersal triggered by extreme environmental conditions (e.g. population crashes).
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Affiliation(s)
- Evanthia Thanou
- Section of Animal Biology, Department of Biology, University of Patras, Patras, GR-26504, Greece.,Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Penicuik, EH26 0QB, UK
| | - Stefano Sponza
- Department of Mathematics and Geosciences, University of Trieste, I-34127, Trieste, Italy
| | - Emily J Nelson
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Penicuik, EH26 0QB, UK.,Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK
| | - Annika Perry
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Penicuik, EH26 0QB, UK
| | - Sarah Wanless
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Penicuik, EH26 0QB, UK
| | - Francis Daunt
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Penicuik, EH26 0QB, UK
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50
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Ganendran LB, Sidhu LA, Catchpole EA, Chambers LE, Dann P. Effects of ambient air temperature, humidity and rainfall on annual survival of adult little penguins Eudyptula minor in southeastern Australia. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2016; 60:1237-1245. [PMID: 26698160 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-015-1119-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2015] [Revised: 11/20/2015] [Accepted: 12/05/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Seabirds are subject to the influences of local climate variables during periods of land-based activities such as breeding and, for some species, moult; particularly if they undergo a catastrophic moult (complete simultaneous moult) as do penguins. We investigated potential relationships between adult penguin survival and land-based climate variables (ambient air temperature, humidity and rainfall) using 46 years of mark-recapture data of little penguins Eudyptula minor gathered at a breeding colony on Phillip Island in southeastern Australia. Our results showed that adult penguin survival had a stronger association with land-based climate variables during the moult period, when birds were unable to go to sea for up to 3 weeks, than during the breeding period, when birds could sacrifice breeding success in favour of survival. Annual adult survival probability was positively associated with humidity during moult and negatively associated with rainfall during moult. Prolonged heat during breeding and moult had a negative association with annual adult survival. Local climate projections suggest increasing days of high temperatures, fewer days of rainfall which will result in more droughts (and by implication, lower humidity) and more extreme rainfall events. All of these predicted climate changes are expected to have a negative impact on adult penguin survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- L B Ganendran
- School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences, Australian Defence Force Academy, University of New South Wales Canberra, PO Box 7916, Canberra, BC, 2610, Australia
| | - L A Sidhu
- School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences, Australian Defence Force Academy, University of New South Wales Canberra, PO Box 7916, Canberra, BC, 2610, Australia.
| | - E A Catchpole
- , 8 Bondfield Street, Gungahlin, ACT, 2912, Australia
| | - L E Chambers
- Bureau of Meteorology, GPO Box 1289, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia
| | - P Dann
- School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences, Australian Defence Force Academy, University of New South Wales Canberra, PO Box 7916, Canberra, BC, 2610, Australia
- Research Department, Phillip Island Nature Parks, PO Box 97, Cowes, VIC, 3922, Australia
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