Katherine Keogan (Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, UK) and a suite of colleagues have published a study of no less than 62 seabird species in the journal Nature Climate Change that shows that breeding seasons have not altered in relation to sea temperature rise.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Reproductive timing in many taxa plays a key role in determining breeding productivity¹, and is often sensitive to climatic conditions². Current climate change may alter the timing of breeding at different rates across trophic levels, potentially resulting in temporal mismatch between the resource requirements of predators and their prey³. This is of particular concern for higher-trophic-level organisms, whose longer generation times confer a lower rate of evolutionary rescue than primary producers or consumers⁴. However, the disconnection between studies of ecological change in marine systems makes it difficult to detect general changes in the timing of reproduction⁵. Here, we use a comprehensive meta-analysis of 209 phenological time series from 145 breeding populations to show that, on average, seabird populations worldwide have not adjusted their breeding seasons over time (−0.020 days yr⁻¹) or in response to sea surface temperature (SST) (−0.272 days °C⁻¹) between 1952 and 2015. However, marked between-year variation in timing observed in resident species and some Pelecaniformes and Suliformes (cormorants, gannets and boobies) may imply that timing, in some cases, is affected by unmeasured environmental conditions. This limited temperature-mediated plasticity of reproductive timing in seabirds potentially makes these top predators highly vulnerable to future mismatch with lower-trophic-level resources.”

An albatross breeding colony, photograph by Rachael Alderman

For popular accounts of the publication click here and here.

With thanks to Susan Mvungi and Richard Phillips.

Reference:

Keogan, K., Daunt, F., Wanless, S., Phillips, R.A. et al. 2018. Global phenological insensitivity to shifting ocean temperatures among seabirds.  Nature Climate Change 8: 313-318.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 10 April 2018

Dominic Rollinson (FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa) and colleagues have published in the journal Antarctic Science on at-sea tracking of both breeding and non-breeding White-chinned Petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“White-chinned petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis L. are the most frequently recorded procellariiform species in the bycatch of Southern Hemisphere longline fisheries. Our study investigated the year-round movements of ten adult white-chinned petrels (seven breeders, three non-breeders/suspected pre-breeders) from Marion Island tracked with global location sensor (GLS) loggers for three years. Additionally, 20 global positioning system (GPS) tracks were obtained from breeding white-chinned petrels during incubation (n=9) and chick-rearing (n=11). All GLS-tagged birds remained, year-round, in the area between southern Africa and Antarctica, not making any major east/west movements. Three core areas (50% kernels) were utilized: around the Prince Edward Islands (PEI; incubation and early chick-rearing), c. 1000 km west of PEI (pre-breeding and early incubation) and around South Africa (non-breeding birds). The only area where 50% utilization kernels overlapped with intensive longline fishing effort was off the Agulhas Bank (non-breeding season). Our results confirm the lack of foraging overlap between the two subspecies; nominate birds (South Georgia/south-western Indian Ocean) utilize separate areas to P. a. steadi (New Zealand/sub-Antarctic islands), and thus should be treated as separate management units. Knowledge of the year-round movements of a vagile species, such as the white-chinned petrel, is important for its continued conservation.”

White-chinned Petrels display, photograph by Ben Phalan

With thanks to Susan Mvungi, Niven Librarian, University of Cape Twon.

Reference:

Rollinson, D.P. Dilley, B.J., Davies, D. & Ryan, P.G. 2018. Year-round movements of white-chinned petrels from Marion Island, south-western Indian Ocean.  Antarctic Science doi.org/10.1017/S095410201800005.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 09 April 2018

Erica Donnelly-Greenan (Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge, Santa Cruz, California, U.S.A.) and colleagues have published in the open-access journal Marine Ornithology on plastic ingestion by globally Vulnerable Short-tailed Albatrosses Phoebastria albatrus.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“We investigated the sex, age, body condition, and ingested plastics in six Short-tailed Albatross Phoebastria albatrus, bycaught or opportunistically salvaged in US North Pacific groundfish fisheries. Necropsies revealed a 1:1 sex ratio, and a 2:1 juvenile (≤4 years of age) to adult (≥5 years of age) ratio, with five birds in healthy body condition and four in active molt. Of the six birds examined, two females (one adult, one juvenile) and two males (both juvenile), contained ingested plastics. Of the four birds with plastic, the number and mass of total plastic per bird was variable (number: mean 4.75, SD 2.1; mass: mean 0.2921 g, SD 0.3250 g). Plastics were categorized as fragments (n = 11), sheets (n = 4), foam (n = 2), and rubber (n = 2). Fragments were the most numerous type, occurring in all four birds that had ingested plastic and accounting for 57.9% of the plastic items and 90.5% of the plastic mass (dry weight). We documented greater incidence of ingested plastic in the ventriculus (75.0%) than in the proventriculus (16.7%). The overall plastic incidence was 75.0% in juveniles and 50.0% in adults. While this research provides quantitative evidence that Short-tailed Albatross juveniles and adults ingest plastics, additional analyses are needed to fully quantify the prevalence of plastic ingestion and to investigate potential persistent organic pollutants and plasticizers in Short-tailed Albatross”.

Short-tailed Albatross at sea, photograph by Aleks Terauds

Reference:

Donnelly-Greenan, E., Hyrenbach, D., Beck, J., Fitzgerald, S., Nevins, H. & Hester, M. 2018. First quantification of plastic ingestion by Short-tailed Albatross Phoebastria albatrus. Marine Ornithology 46: 79-84.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 06 April 2018

Trapping of introduced predators takes place year round within the mainland breeding colony of globally Endangered Northern Royal Albatrosses Diomedea sanfordi at Taiaroa Head at the end of New Zealand's Otago Peninsula.  Since the start of the current breeding season on 1 October last year totals of 53 rats Rattus sp., nine Stoats Mustela erminea, one Ferret M. putorius furo and two feral cats Felis catus have been trapped.

“We use kill traps baited with rabbit or hen’s eggs. There has been year-round trapping effort here since 1967 and seasonal trapping effort since the 1940s. This makes Taiaroa Head trapping one of the longest running trapping programmes in New Zealand” (click here).

A Northern Royal Albatross family at Taiaroa Head, photograph by Junichi Sugushita

Unlike albatross breeding sites on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, Taiaroa Head is not protected by a predator-proof fence. However, a fence does halt entry by humans, domestic dogs and European Rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus, although cats, Stoats, Ferrets and rats are able to climb over it.  As previously reported by ACAP Latest News a predator-proof fence would need to be 600-m long to extend across the neck of the headland and would have to have a self-closing gate allowing both vehicle and pedestrian access (click here).

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 05 April 2018