Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted ascending) Filter | PMID Filter |
|---|
| toxaphene in the aquatic environment of greenland. | the octa- and nonachlorinated bornanes (toxaphene) chbs 26, 40, 41, 44, 50 and 62 were analysed in arctic char (salvelinus alpinus), shorthorn sculpin (myoxocephalus scorpius), ringed seal (pusa hispida) and black guillemot eggs (cepphus grylle) from greenland. despite their high trophic level, ringed seals had the lowest concentrations of these species, with a σ6toxaphene median concentration of 13-20 ng/g lipid weight (lw), suggesting metabolisation. the congener composition also suggests tran ... | 2015 | 25728301 |
| biological effects of marine pcb contamination on black guillemot nestlings at saglek, labrador: liver biomarkers. | black guillemots (cepphus grylle) in saglek bay, labrador have elevated polychlorinated biphenyl (pcb) concentrations due to marine sediment contamination around a former military site. we measured liver biomarkers and sigmapcb concentrations in 31 nestlings from three pcb-exposure groups: reference group (range: 15-46 ng/g liver, wet wt.), moderately exposed islands group (24-150 ng/g), and highly exposed beach group (170-6200 ng/g). biomarker responses were dose-dependent and in some cases sex ... | 2015 | 12739867 |
| trends of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and hexabromocyclododecane in eggs of canadian arctic seabirds reflect changing use patterns. | due to the substantial use and release of polybrominated diphenyl ether (pbde) flame retardants in north america, pbde concentrations in north american marine biota are among the highest in the world. in this study, we compared pbde concentrations and congener patterns in eggs of five seabird species (thick-billed murres, northern fulmars, black guillemots, glaucous gulls, black-legged kittiwakes) breeding at a colony in the canadian arctic in 1993, 2008 and 2013. temporal trends of pbdes (1975- ... | 2015 | 26342589 |
| epidemiology and molecular phylogeny of babesia sp. in little penguins eudyptula minor in australia. | blood parasites are potential threats to the health of penguins and to their conservation and management. little penguins eudyptula minor are native to australia and new zealand, and are susceptible to piroplasmids (babesia), hemosporidians (haemoproteus, leucocytozoon, plasmodium) and kinetoplastids (trypanosoma). we studied a total of 263 wild little penguins at 20 sites along the australian southeastern coast, in addition to 16 captive-bred little penguins. babesia sp. was identified in seven ... | 2015 | 25853053 |
| temporal and spatial trends of pcbs, ddts, hchs, and hcb in swedish marine biota 1969-2012. | in the 1960s, the baltic sea was severely polluted by organic contaminants such as pcbs, hchs, hcb, and ddts. elevated concentrations caused severe adverse effects in baltic biota. since then, these substances have been monitored temporally and spatially in baltic biota, primarily in herring (clupea harengus) and in guillemot (uria aalge) egg, but also in cod (gadus morhua), perch (perca fluviatilis), eelpout (zoarces viviparous), and blue mussel (mytilus edulis). these chemicals were banned in ... | 2015 | 26022330 |
| transport characteristics and morphology of the colon and coprodeum in two wild birds of different habitats, the rock ptarmigan (lagopus mutus) and the common murre (uria aalge). | dietary salt intake in domestic fowl affects epithelial transport and morphology of the lower intestine (colon and coprodeum). this study investigated lower intestinal morphology and transport activity in two wild bird species with natural diets containing either low or high salt. tissues from rock ptarmigan (lagopus mutus) and common murres (uria aalge) were sampled for histology and electrophysiological analyses. the ptarmigan exists on a low salt diet, while the murre lives on a high protein ... | 2015 | 25937620 |
| mercury in wintering seabirds, an aggravating factor to winter wrecks? | every year, thousands of seabirds are cast ashore and are found dead along the coasts of north america and western europe. these massive mortality events called 'winter wrecks' have generally been attributed to harsh climatic conditions and prolonged storms which affect bird energy balance and impact their body condition. nevertheless, additional stress factors, such as contaminant body burden, could potentially cumulate to energy constraints and actively contribute to winter wrecks. however, th ... | 2015 | 25984703 |
| the stress hormone corticosterone in a marine top predator reflects short-term changes in food availability. | in many seabird studies, single annual proxies of prey abundance have been used to explain variability in breeding performance, but much more important is probably the timing of prey availability relative to the breeding season when energy demand is at a maximum. until now, intraseasonal variation in prey availability has been difficult to quantify in seabirds. using a state-of-the-art ocean drift model of larval cod gadus morhua, an important constituent of the diet of common guillemots uria aa ... | 2015 | 25859335 |
| chlamydiaceae in north atlantic seabirds admitted to a wildlife rescue center in western france. | birds are the primary hosts of chlamydia psittaci, a bacterium that can cause avian chlamydiosis in birds and psittacosis in humans. wild seabirds are frequently admitted to wildlife rescue centers (wrc) at european atlantic coasts, for example, in connection with oil spills. to investigate the extent of chlamydial shedding by these birds and the resulting risk for animals in care and the medical staff, seabirds from a french wrc were sampled from may 2011 to january 2014. by use of a quantitati ... | 2015 | 25934619 |
| first characterization of avian influenza viruses from greenland 2014. | in late february 2014, unusually high numbers of wild thick-billed murres (uria lomvia) were found dead on the coast of south greenland. to investigate the cause of death, 45 birds were submitted for laboratory examination in denmark. avian influenza viruses (aivs) with subtypes h11n2 and low pathogenic h5n1 were detected in some of the birds. characterization of the viruses by full genome sequencing revealed that all the gene segments belonged to the north american lineage of aivs. the seemingl ... | 2016 | 27309071 |
| temporal trends of mercury in eggs of five sympatrically breeding seabird species in the canadian arctic. | we compared temporal trends of total mercury (hg) in eggs of five seabird species breeding at prince leopold island in the canadian high arctic. as changes in trophic position over time have the potential to influence contaminant temporal trends, hg concentrations were adjusted for trophic position (measured as δ(15)n). adjusted hg concentrations in eggs of thick-billed murres (uria lomvia) and northern fulmars (fulmarus glacialis) increased from 1975 to the 1990s, followed by a plateauing of le ... | 2016 | 27074200 |
| persistent organic pollutant and mercury concentrations in eggs of ground-nesting marine birds in the canadian high arctic. | we collected eggs of eight marine bird species from several colony sites in the canadian high arctic located at approximately 76°n and analyzed them for concentrations of legacy persistent organic pollutants (pops) and mercury. we provide the first report on concentrations of pops in eggs of three arctic species (thayer's gull larus thayeri, sabine's gull xema sabini, ross's gull rhodostethia rosea), and we found significant differences in each of the pop profiles among the five species with suf ... | 2016 | 26971212 |
| arctic sea ice a major determinant in mandt's black guillemot movement and distribution during non-breeding season. | mandt's black guillemot (cepphus grylle mandtii) is one of the few seabirds associated in all seasons with arctic sea ice, a habitat that is changing rapidly. recent decreases in summer ice have reduced breeding success and colony size of this species in arctic alaska. little is known about the species' movements and distribution during the nine month non-breeding period (september-may), when changes in sea ice extent and composition are also occurring and predicted to continue. to examine bird ... | 2016 | 27601723 |
| differential responses of arctic vegetation to nutrient enrichment by plankton- and fish-eating colonial seabirds in spitsbergen. | the role of seabirds as sea-land biovectors of nutrients is well documented. however, no studies have examined whether and how colonial seabirds that differ in diet may influence terrestrial vegetation. therefore, the purpose of the study was to describe and compare plant communities located in the vicinity of the two most common types of seabird colonies in arctic, occupied by piscivorous or planktivorous species. within 46 plots arranged in four transects in the vicinity of planktivorous (litt ... | 2016 | 28083002 |
| the use of an unsupervised learning approach for characterizing latent behaviors in accelerometer data. | the recent increase in data accuracy from high resolution accelerometers offers substantial potential for improved understanding and prediction of animal movements. however, current approaches used for analysing these multivariable datasets typically require existing knowledge of the behaviors of the animals to inform the behavioral classification process. these methods are thus not well-suited for the many cases where limited knowledge of the different behaviors performed exist. here, we introd ... | 2016 | 26865961 |
| [genetic characterization of new komandory virus (komv; bunyaviridae, phlebovirus) isolated from the ticks ixodes uriae, collected in guillemot (uria aalge) nesting sites on komandorski islands, the bering sea]. | unclassified virus named komandory virus (komv) isolated in komandorski islands from the ticks ixodes uriae in 1986 was partially sequenced. the komv nucleocapsid (n) protein sequence shows 30-40% identity level with the mosquito-borne phleboviruses and 43% with the uukuniemi virus (uukv) group (phlebovirus, bunyaviridae). the maximum identity (65%) for the komv n protein is observed for the manawa virus. the komv glycoprotein identity with the uukv group viruses ranges from 45% to 59%. the komv ... | 2016 | 24772641 |
| mortality during treatment: factors affecting the survival of oiled, rehabilitated common murres (uria aalge). | after major oil spills, hundreds to thousands of live stranded birds enter rehabilitative care. to target aspects of rehabilitative efforts for improvement and to evaluate which initial physical examination and biomedical parameters most effectively predict survival to release, medical records were examined from 913 common murres ( uria aalge ; comus) oiled during the november 2001-january 2003 oil spill associated with the sunken s.s. jacob luckenbach off san francisco, california, us. results ... | 2016 | 27187030 |
| ophthalmic effects of petroleum dispersant exposure on common murres (uria aalge): an experimental study. | the safety of chemical dispersants used during oil spill responses is largely unknown in birds. we captured common murres in monterey bay, ca and exposed them to corexit ec9500a, crude oil, or a combination in artificial seawater. we performed ophthalmic examinations and measured intraocular pressures and tear production before and after exposure. loglinear analysis found that exposure to oil or dispersant was related to the development of conjunctivitis and corneal ulcers. odds ratios for birds ... | 2016 | 27743656 |
| sex-specific, inverted rhythms of breeding-site attendance in an arctic seabird. | in contrast to daily rhythms that are common in the presence of the geophysical light-dark cycle, organisms at polar latitudes exhibit many diel activity patterns during natural periods of continuous solar light or darkness (polar day and night, respectively), from 24 h rhythms to arrhythmicity. in arctic greenland (73.7° n, 56.6° w) during polar day, we observed breeding-site attendance rhythms of thick-billed murres (uria lomvia; n = 21 pairs), a charadriiform seabird, which provide biparental ... | 2016 | 27651530 |
| assessing the role of seabirds in the ecology of influenza a viruses. | wild waterbirds, specifically waterfowl, gulls, and shorebirds, are recognized as the primordial reservoir of influenza a viruses (iavs). however, the role of seabirds, an abundant, diverse, and globally distributed group of birds, in the perpetuation and transmission of iavs is less clear. here we summarize published and publicly available data for influenza viruses in seabirds, which for the purposes of this study are defined as birds that exhibit a largely or exclusively pelagic lifestyle and ... | 2016 | 27309082 |
| perfluoroalkyl acids (pfaas) and selected precursors in the baltic sea environment: do precursors play a role in food web accumulation of pfaas? | the present study examined the presence of perfluoroalkyl acids (pfaas) and selected precursors in the baltic sea abiotic environment and guillemot food web, and investigated the relative importance of precursors in food web accumulation of pfaas. sediment, water, zooplankton, herring, sprat, and guillemot eggs were analyzed for perfluoroalkane sulfonic acids (pfsas; c4,6,8,10) and perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (pfcas; c6-15) along with six perfluoro-octane sulfonic acid (pfos) precursors and ... | 2016 | 27192404 |
| [patterns in circulation and transmission of marine bird parasites in high arctic: a case of acanthocephalan polymorphus phippsi (palaeacanthocephala, polymorphidae)]. | this study, based on the materials on parasitic infection of marine birds and invertebrates in frantz josef land (fjl) collected in 1991-1993, focussed on the acanthocephalan polymorphus phippsi. we identified this parasite, confirmed its species status and analysed its circulation and transmission patterns in high arctic. the causes of its erroneous identification as p. minutus in several studies were also examined. in contrast to p. minutus, the transmission of p. phippsi is realized in marine ... | 2016 | 27055327 |
| variation in growth drives the duration of parental care: a test of ydenberg's model. | the duration of parental care in animals varies widely, from none to lifelong. such variation is typically thought to represent a trade-off between growth and safety. seabirds show wide variation in the age at which offspring leave the nest, making them ideal to test the idea that a trade-off between high energy gain at sea and high safety at the nest drives variation in departure age (ydenberg's model). to directly test the model assumptions, we attached time-depth recorders to murre parents (f ... | 2017 | 28410026 |
| comparison of anterior segment health in wild and captive common murres. | to evaluate and compare the anterior segment health of wild and captive common murres. | 2017 | 28845603 |
| sea ice phenology and primary productivity pulses shape breeding success in arctic seabirds. | spring sea ice phenology regulates the timing of the two consecutive pulses of marine autotrophs that form the base of the arctic marine food webs. this timing has been suggested to be the single most essential driver of secondary production and the efficiency with which biomass and energy are transferred to higher trophic levels. we investigated the chronological sequence of productivity pulses and its potential cascading impacts on the reproductive performance of the high arctic seabird commun ... | 2017 | 28674385 |
| bayesian joint models with inla exploring marine mobile predator-prey and competitor species habitat overlap. | understanding spatial physical habitat selection driven by competition and/or predator-prey interactions of mobile marine species is a fundamental goal of spatial ecology. however, spatial counts or density data for highly mobile animals often (1) include excess zeros, (2) have spatial correlation, and (3) have highly nonlinear relationships with physical habitat variables, which results in the need for complex joint spatial models. in this paper, we test the use of bayesian hierarchical hurdle ... | 2017 | 29242741 |
| dna damage in arctic seabirds: baseline, sensitivity to a genotoxic stressor, and association with organohalogen contaminants. | environmental contaminants are found throughout arctic marine ecosystems, and their presence in seabirds has been associated with toxicological responses. however, there are few studies of genotoxicity in arctic avian wildlife. the purpose of the present study was to quantify deoxyribonucleic acid (dna) damage in lymphocytes of selected seabird species and to examine whether accumulation of organohalogen contaminants (σohcs) affects dna damage. blood was sampled from common eider (somateria moll ... | 2017 | 29120089 |
| investigating the effects of age-related spatial structuring on the transmission of a tick-borne virus in a colonially breeding host. | higher pathogen and parasite transmission is considered a universal cost of colonial breeding due to the physical proximity of colony members. however, this has rarely been tested in natural colonies, which are structured entities, whose members interact with a subset of individuals and differ in their infection histories. we use a population of common guillemots,uria aalge, infected by a tick-borne virus,great island virus, to explore how age-related spatial structuring can influence the infect ... | 2017 | 29299270 |
| molecular characterization of babesia peircei and babesia ugwidiensis provides insight into the evolution and host specificity of avian piroplasmids. | there are 16 recognized species of avian-infecting babesia spp. (piroplasmida: babesiidae). while the classification of piroplasmids has been historically based on morphological differences, geographic isolation and presumed host and/or vector specificities, recent studies employing gene sequence analysis have provided insight into their phylogenetic relationships and host distribution and specificity. in this study, we analyzed the sequences of the 18s rrna gene and its-1 and its-2 regions of t ... | 2017 | 28913165 |
| a description of the gross pathology of drowning and other causes of mortality in seabirds. | mortality of seabirds due to anthropogenic causes, especially entrapment in fishing gear, is a matter of increasing international concern. this study aimed at characterising the gross pathology of seabirds that drowned in fishing nets and comparing it with that in other common causes of mortality. | 2017 | 29025396 |
| balancing personal maintenance with parental investment in a chick-rearing seabird: physiological indicators change with foraging conditions. | seabird parents use a conservative breeding strategy that favours long-term survival over intensive parental investment, particularly under harsh conditions. here, we examine whether variation in several physiological indicators reflects the balance between parental investment and survival in common murres (uria aalge) under a wide range of foraging conditions. blood samples were taken from adults during mid-chick rearing from 2007 to 2014 and analysed for corticosterone (cort, stress hormone), ... | 2017 | 28979786 |
| seabird species vary in behavioural response to drone census. | unmanned aerial vehicles (uavs) provide an opportunity to rapidly census wildlife in remote areas while removing some of the hazards. however, wildlife may respond negatively to the uavs, thereby skewing counts. we surveyed four species of arctic cliff-nesting seabirds (glaucous gull larus hyperboreus, iceland gull larus glaucoides, common murre uria aalge and thick-billed murre uria lomvia) using a uav and compared censusing techniques to ground photography. an average of 8.5% of murres flew of ... | 2017 | 29263372 |
| taking movement data to new depths: inferring prey availability and patch profitability from seabird foraging behavior. | detailed information acquired using tracking technology has the potential to provide accurate pictures of the types of movements and behaviors performed by animals. to date, such data have not been widely exploited to provide inferred information about the foraging habitat. we collected data using multiple sensors (gps, time depth recorders, and accelerometers) from two species of diving seabirds, razorbills (alca torda, n = 5, from fair isle, uk) and common guillemots (uria aalge, n = 2 from fa ... | 2017 | 29238552 |
| responses of two marine top predators to an offshore wind farm. | quantifying the likely effects of offshore wind farms on wildlife is fundamental before permission for development can be granted by any determining authority. the effects on marine top predators from displacement from important habitat are key concerns during offshore wind farm construction and operation. in this respect, we present evidence for no significant displacement from a uk offshore wind farm for two broadly distributed species of conservation concern: common guillemot (uria aalge) and ... | 2017 | 29152170 |
| levels of ingested debris vary across species in canadian arctic seabirds. | plastic debris has become a major pollutant in the world's oceans and is found in many seabird species from low to high latitudes. here we compare levels of plastic ingestion from two surface feeders, northern fulmars (fulmarus glacialis) and black-legged kittiwakes (rissa tridactyla), and two pursuit diving species, thick-billed murres (uria lomvia) and black guillemots (cepphus grylle) in the canadian high arctic. this is the first report quantifying plastic ingestion in kittiwakes in this reg ... | 2017 | 28069276 |
| effects of added lipids on digestibility and nitrogen balance in oiled common murres ( uria aalge ) and western grebes ( aechmophorus occidentalis ) fed four formulations of a critical care diet. | nutritional support is a primary therapy administered to oiled animals during responses to oil spills, but data informing nutritional decision-making during events are limited. in this study, 44 common murres ( uria aalge ) and 6 western grebes ( aechmophorus occidentalis ), naturally oiled by oceanic seeps off the coast of ventura and santa barbara counties, ca, usa, were assigned to 1 of 4 groups fed diets with varying levels (6.8% [no added oil], 11%, and 20%) and types (salmon, corn) of oil ... | 2017 | 28644081 |
| breeding density, fine-scale tracking, and large-scale modeling reveal the regional distribution of four seabird species. | population-level estimates of species' distributions can reveal fundamental ecological processes and facilitate conservation. however, these may be difficult to obtain for mobile species, especially colonial central-place foragers (ccpfs; e.g., bats, corvids, social insects), because it is often impractical to determine the provenance of individuals observed beyond breeding sites. moreover, some ccpfs, especially in the marine realm (e.g., pinnipeds, turtles, and seabirds) are difficult to obser ... | 2017 | 28653410 |
| endosulfan, short-chain chlorinated paraffins (sccps) and octachlorostyrene in wildlife from greenland: levels, trends and methodological challenges. | besides globally banned "legacy" persistent organic pollutants, other compounds might be present in arctic wildlife, for which regulation was introduced recently (the insecticide endosulfan), is considered (short-chain chlorinated paraffins, sccps) or does not exist (octachlorostyrene, ocs, a byproduct of manufacturing and combustion processes involving chlorine). the purpose of this study was to analyze the time trend of endosulfan (1986-2012) in ringed seals and to address the levels of sccps ... | 2017 | 28667423 |
| an experimental study of the effects of chemically dispersed oil on feather structure and waterproofing in common murres ( uria aalge). | following an oil spill in the marine environment, chemical dispersants, which increase oil droplet formation and distribution into the water column, are assumed to provide a net benefit to seabirds by reducing the risk of exposure to oil on the water surface. however, few data are available regarding acute, external impacts of exposure to dispersed oil. we evaluated the effects of known concentrations of dispersant and crude oil in artificial seawater on live common murres ( uria aalge). waterpr ... | 2018 | 29148886 |
| the endogenous bioactive lipid prostaglandin d2-glycerol ester reduces murine colitis via dp1 and pparγ receptors. | cyclooxygenase-2 (cox-2) has long been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (ibds). cox-2 is mostly known for the production of prostaglandins (pgs) from arachidonic acid. however, it also metabolizes the endocannabinoids 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-ag) and anandamide into the less well-studied bioactive lipids pg-glycerol esters (pg-gs) and pg-ethanolamides (pg-eas or prostamides). we previously showed that pgd2-g, a product of 2-ag oxygenation by cox-2, has anti-inflamma ... | 2018 | 29630407 |
| investigation of a largescale common murre ( uria aalge) mortality event in california, usa, in 2015. | from august through december 2015, beachcast bird survey programs reported increased deposition of common murres ( uria aalge) on central and northern california beaches, but not on southern california beaches. coastal wildlife rehabilitation centers received more than 1,000 live, stranded, and debilitated murres from sonoma county to san luis obispo county during august-october. approximately two-thirds of admitted birds were after-hatch-year birds in emaciated body condition and in various sta ... | 2018 | 29547358 |
| changes in mercury exposure of marine birds breeding in the gulf of maine, 2008-2013. | mercury is a potent contaminant that can disrupt an organism's behavior and physiology, ultimately affecting reproductive success. over the last 100 years, environmental deposition of anthropogenic sourced mercury has increased globally, particularly in the u.s. northeast region. marine birds are considered effective bioindicators of ecosystem health, including persistent marine contaminants. goodale et al. (2008) found that mercury exposure exceeded adverse effects levels in some marine bird sp ... | 2018 | 29571358 |
| comparing marine distribution maps for seabirds during the breeding season derived from different survey and analysis methods. | understanding how seabirds use the marine environment is key for marine spatial planning, and maps of their marine distributions derived from transect-based surveys and from tracking of individual bird's movements are increasingly available for the same geographic areas. although the value of integrating these different datasets is well recognised, few studies have undertaken quantitative comparisons of the resulting distributions. here we take advantage of four existing distribution maps and co ... | 2018 | 30157191 |
| combined bottom-up and top-down pressures drive catastrophic population declines of arctic skuas in scotland. | understanding drivers of population change is critical for effective species conservation. in the northeast atlantic ocean, recent changes amongst seabird communities are linked to human and climate change impacts on food webs. many species have declined severely, with food shortages, and increased predation reducing productivity. arctic skua stercorarius parasiticus, a kleptoparasite of other seabirds, is one such species. the aim of the study was to determine relative effects of bottom-up and ... | 2018 | 30155905 |
| combined measurements of prey availability explain habitat selection in foraging seabirds. | understanding links between habitat characteristics and foraging efficiency helps predict how environmental changes influence populations of top predators. this study examines whether measurements of prey (clupeids) availability varied over stratification gradients, and determined if any of those measurements coincided with aggregations of foraging seabirds (common guillemot uria aalge and manx shearwater puffinus puffinus) in the celtic sea, uk. the probability of encountering foraging seabirds ... | 2018 | 30068542 |
| how the egg rolls: a morphological analysis of avian egg shape in the context of displacement dynamics. | very little is known about how morphology affects the motion, spatial stability and resulting viability of avian eggs. the limited existing research focuses on the uniquely pyriform egg shapes found in the alcidae bird family. this unusual shell shape was originally thought to suppress displacement and prevent egg loss on the cliffside nesting habitat of the uria genus. unfortunately, these early studies never isolated or quantified the specific morphological features (elongation, asymmetry and ... | 2018 | 30026240 |
| design and demonstration of a seabird-inspired fixed-wing hybrid uav-uuv system. | this paper looks to the natural world for solutions to many of the challenges associated with the design of fixed-wing cross-domain vehicles. one example is the common murre, a seabird that flies from nesting locations to feeding areas, dives underwater to catch prey and returns. this hunting expedition provides an outline of a possible mission for a cross-domain vehicle. while the challenges of cross-domain vehicles are many, the focus of this paper was on buoyancy management and propulsion. po ... | 2018 | 30024386 |
| changes to polychlorinated biphenyl (pcb) signatures and enantiomer fractions across different tissue types in guillemots. | two guillemot carcases were dissected, each providing 12 discrete tissue samples and 3 samples of partially digested food. one hundred and five pcbs from the 209 pcbs determined by gcxgc-tofms were detected. the relative proportions of individual pcbs did not vary greatly within tissue types, although the pcb profile from undigested food could be distinguished. enantiomer fractions (efs) were determined for cb-95, cb-136 and cb-149 by gc-hrqtofms. efs in the partially digested food were near rac ... | 2018 | 29886934 |
| black guillemot ecology in relation to tidal stream energy generation: an evaluation of current knowledge and information gaps. | the black guillemot cepphus grylle has been identified as a species likely to interact with marine renewable energy devices, specifically tidal turbines, with the potential to experience negative impacts. this likelihood is primarily based on the species being a diving seabird, and an inshore, benthic forager often associating with tidal streams. these behavioural properties may bring them into contact with turbine blades, or make them susceptible to alterations to tidal current speed, and/or ch ... | 2018 | 29370936 |
| accurately quantifying the shape of birds' eggs. | describing the range of avian egg shapes quantitatively has long been recognized as difficult. a variety of approaches has been adopted, some of which aim to capture the shape accurately and some to provide intelligible indices of shape. the objectives here are to show that a (four-parameter) method proposed by preston (1953, the auk, 70, 160) is the best option for quantifying egg shape, to provide and document an r program for applying this method to suitable photographs of eggs, to illustrate ... | 2018 | 30386570 |
| common guillemot (uria aalge) eggs are not self-cleaning. | birds are arguably the most evolutionarily successful extant vertebrate taxon, in part because of their ability to reproduce in virtually all terrestrial habitats. common guillemots, uria aalge, incubate their single egg in an unusual and harsh environment; on exposed cliff ledges, without a nest, and in close proximity to conspecifics. as a consequence, the surface of guillemot eggshells is frequently contaminated with faeces, dirt, water and other detritus, which may impede gas exchange or fac ... | 2018 | 30322981 |
| earlier colony arrival but no trend in hatching timing in two congeneric seabirds (uria spp.) across the north atlantic. | a global analysis recently showed that seabird breeding phenology (as the timing of egg-laying and hatching) does not, on average, respond to temperature changes or advance with time (keogan et al. 2018 nat. clim. change8, 313-318). this group, the most threatened of all birds, is therefore prone to spatio-temporal mismatches with their food resources. yet, other aspects of the breeding phenology may also have a marked influence on breeding success, such as the arrival date of adults at the bree ... | 2019 | 31640526 |
| incidence of plastic ingestion in seabirds from the bay of biscay (southwestern europe). | seabirds have been widely used to monitor marine debris by the analysis of plastic ingestion. with the aim of obtaining the first data on ingestion of plastics by different seabird species in the bay of biscay and evaluating their suitability as biomonitors of plastic pollution in this area, a total of 159 seabirds of fifteen species were analyzed. plastics were found in 26 birds (16% of the individuals) of nine species (60% of the species). frequency of occurrence of plastics varied between 0% ... | 2019 | 31426171 |
| entangled seabird and marine mammal reports from citizen science surveys from coastal california (1997-2017). | marine fauna in the california current system is susceptible to entanglement in anthropogenic debris. we examined beach survey data from six california counties to describe trends of entangled marine birds and mammals (1997-2017). surveyors reported 357 cases of entanglements among 65,604 carcasses. monterey county had the greatest average entanglement rate (0.007) of surveyed counties, however, was not statistically different from santa cruz (p > 0.05). twenty-six seabird species (97%) and thre ... | 2019 | 31542598 |
| temporal trends of legacy organochlorines in eggs of canadian arctic seabirds monitored over four decades. | we compared temporal trends of legacy organochlorine pesticides and pcbs in eggs of five seabird species breeding at prince leopold island in the canadian high arctic. concentrations of most of the major organochlorine groups/compounds have either declined (e.g. σ35pcb, σddt, σcbz, σchl, octachlorostyrene) or shown no consistent directional change (e.g. heptachlor epoxide) since 1975 in eggs of thick-billed murres (uria lomvia), northern fulmars (fulmarus glacialis) and black-legged kittiwakes ( ... | 2019 | 30059916 |
| linking demographic and food-web models to understand management trade-offs. | alternatives in ecosystem-based management often differ with respect to trade-offs between ecosystem values. ecosystem or food-web models and demographic models are typically employed to evaluate alternatives, but the approaches are rarely integrated to uncover conflicts between values. we applied multistate models to a capture-recapture dataset on common guillemots uria aalge breeding in the baltic sea to identify factors influencing survival. the estimated relationships were employed together ... | 2019 | 31410264 |
| upstroke-based acceleration and head stabilization are the norm for the wing-propelled swimming of alcid seabirds. | alcids, a family of seabirds including murres, guillemots and puffins, exhibit the greatest mass-specific dive depths and durations of any birds or mammals. these impressive diving capabilities have motivated numerous studies on the biomechanics of alcid swimming and diving, with one objective being to compare stroke-acceleration patterns of swimming alcids with those of penguins, where upstroke and downstroke are used for horizontal acceleration. studies of free-ranging, descending alcids have ... | 2019 | 31160426 |
| does perspective matter? a case study comparing eulerian and lagrangian estimates of common murre (uria aalge) distributions. | studies estimating species' distributions require information about animal locations in space and time. location data can be collected using surveys within a predetermined frame of reference (i.e., eulerian sampling) or from animal-borne tracking devices (i.e., lagrangian sampling). integration of observations obtained from eulerian and lagrangian perspectives can provide insights into animal movement and habitat use. however, contemporaneous data from both perspectives are rarely available, mak ... | 2019 | 31031946 |
| the chemical basis of a signal of individual identity: shell pigment concentrations track the unique appearance of common murre eggs. | in group-living species with parental care, the accurate recognition of one's own young is critical to fitness. because discriminating offspring within a large colonial group may be challenging, progeny of colonial breeders often display familial or individual identity signals to elicit and receive parental provisions from their own parents. for instance, the common murre (or common guillemot: uria aalge) is a colonially breeding seabird that does not build a nest and lays and incubates an egg w ... | 2019 | 30966949 |
| individual variability in contaminants and physiological status in a resident arctic seabird species. | while migratory seabirds dominate ecotoxicological studies within the arctic, there is limited knowledge about exposure and potential effects from circulating legacy and emerging contaminants in species who reside in the high-arctic all year round. here, we focus on the case of the mandt's black guillemot (cepphus grylle mandtii) breeding at kongsfjorden, svalbard (79.00°n, 11.66°e) and investigate exposure to legacy and emerging contaminants in relation to individual physiological status, i.e. ... | 2019 | 30889502 |
| spatial and temporal variations in seabird bycatch: incidental bycatch in the norwegian coastal gillnet-fishery. | the general decline of seabird populations worldwide raises large concerns. although multiple factors are interacting to cause the observed trends, increased mortality from incidental bycatch in fisheries has proven to be important for many species. however, the bulk of published knowledge is derived from longline fisheries, whereas bycatch in gillnet fisheries is less studied and even overlooked in some areas. we present seabird bycatch data from a 10-year time-series of fishery data from the l ... | 2019 | 30865723 |
| breeding synchrony and predator specialization: a test of the predator swamping hypothesis in seabirds. | reproductive synchrony is a widespread phenomenon that is predicted to be adaptive for prey with specialist predators but not for those with generalist ones. i tested this prediction in three polar seabird species characterized by different levels of predator specialization. in the antarctic petrel, for which the only predator was highly specialized, hatching dates were highly synchronous and chicks that hatched close to the mean hatching date had a higher survival. in black-legged kittiwakes an ... | 2019 | 30805171 |
| field-based hearing measurements of two seabird species. | hearing is a primary sensory modality for birds. for seabirds, auditory data is challenging to obtain and hearing data are limited. here, we present methods to measure seabird hearing in the field, using two alcid species: the common murre uria aalge and the atlantic puffin fratercula arctica tests were conducted in a portable semi-anechoic crate using physiological auditory evoked potential (aep) methods. the crate and aep system were easily transportable to northern iceland field sites, where ... | 2019 | 30777874 |
| circumpolar diversification of the ixodes uriae tick virome. | ticks (order: ixodida) are a highly diverse and ecologically important group of ectoparasitic blood-feeding organisms. one such species, the seabird tick (ixodes uriae), is widely distributed around the circumpolar regions of the northern and southern hemispheres. it has been suggested that ix. uriae spread from the southern to the northern circumpolar region millions of years ago and has remained isolated in these regions ever since. such a profound biographic subdivision provides a unique oppo ... | 2020 | 32745135 |
| effects of offshore windfarms on seabird abundance: strong effects in spring and in the breeding season. | the increasing development of offshore wind farms (owfs) worldwide leads to possible conflicts with the ecological requirements of top predators that largely depend on offshore areas. seabird species exhibit different behavioural reactions to owfs, ranging from avoidance resulting in habitat loss, to attraction causing an increased risk of colliding with the turbines. we investigated how owfs affected the densities and distributions of guillemots and kittiwakes breeding in the southern north sea ... | 2020 | 33080559 |
| polycyclic aromatic compounds (pacs) and trace elements in four marine bird species from northern canada in a region of natural marine oil and gas seeps. | there is a growing understanding of how oil pollution can affect aquatic ecosystems, including physical and chemical effects. one of the biggest challenges with detecting the effects of oil-related contaminants on biota from resource development is understanding the background levels and potential effects of the exposure of biota to contaminants from various natural and anthropogenic sources prior to large scale oil and gas operations. seabirds are effective indicators of pollution, and can be u ... | 2020 | 32711326 |
| plastic ingestion by four seabird species in the canadian arctic: comparisons across species and time. | plastic pollution ingestion by seabirds is an increasing environmental problem even in remote areas such as the arctic, yet knowledge on plastic pollution ingestion by several arctic seabirds is limited, making it difficult to assess trends. we examined plastic pollution ingestion by northern fulmars (fulmarus glacialis), black-legged kittiwakes (rissa tridactyla), thick-billed murres (uria lomvia) and black guillemots (cepphus grylle) in the canadian arctic to assess species-specific and tempor ... | 2020 | 32568085 |
| isotopic discrimination (δ15n, δ13c) in captive and wild common murres (uria aalge) and atlantic puffins (fratercula arctica). | studying the diet of consumers using stable isotopes provides insight into the foraging ecology of individuals and species. to accurately reconstruct the integrated diet of animals using stable isotope values, we must quantify diet-tissue discrimination factors (dtdfs), or the way in which stable isotopes in prey are incorporated into the tissues of consumers. to quantify dtdfs, controlled experiments are needed, whereby consumers are fed a constant diet. however, relatively few controlled-diet ... | 2020 | 32485127 |
| egg patterns as identity signals in colonial seabirds: a comparison of four alcid species. | the ability to recognize mates, kin, offspring and neighbors by their individually distinctive traits-individual recognition (ir)-is widespread in animals. much work has investigated ir from the perspective of the recognizer, but less is known about the extent to which signals have evolved to facilitate ir. to explore this, one approach is to compare putative identity signals among species that differ in life history and extent of ir. in common murres (uria aalge), a colonially breeding seabird, ... | 2020 | 32400035 |
| a year in the life of a north atlantic seabird: behavioural and energetic adjustments during the annual cycle. | during their annual cycles, animals face a series of energetic challenges as they prioritise different life history events by engaging in temporally and potentially spatially segregated reproductive and non-breeding periods. investigating behaviour and energy use across these periods is fundamental to understanding how animals survive the changing conditions associated with annual cycles. we estimated year-round activity budgets, energy expenditure, location, colony attendance and foraging behav ... | 2020 | 32265524 |
| algal toxins in alaskan seabirds: evaluating the role of saxitoxin and domoic acid in a large-scale die-off of common murres. | elevated seawater temperatures are linked to the development of harmful algal blooms (habs), which pose a growing threat to marine birds and other wildlife. during late 2015 and early 2016, a massive die-off of common murres (uria aalge; hereafter, murres) was observed in the gulf of alaska coincident with a strong marine heat wave. previous studies have documented illness and death among seabirds resulting from exposure to the hab neurotoxins saxitoxin (stx) and domoic acid (da). given the unus ... | 2020 | 32113594 |
| extreme mortality and reproductive failure of common murres resulting from the northeast pacific marine heatwave of 2014-2016. | about 62,000 dead or dying common murres (uria aalge), the trophically dominant fish-eating seabird of the north pacific, washed ashore between summer 2015 and spring 2016 on beaches from california to alaska. most birds were severely emaciated and, so far, no evidence for anything other than starvation was found to explain this mass mortality. three-quarters of murres were found in the gulf of alaska and the remainder along the west coast. studies show that only a fraction of birds that die at ... | 2020 | 31940310 |
| fatty acid-based diet estimates suggest ringed seal remain the main prey of southern beaufort sea polar bears despite recent use of onshore food resources. | polar bears (ursus maritimus) from the southern beaufort sea (sb) subpopulation have traditionally fed predominantly upon ice-seals; however, as the proportion of the subpopulation using onshore habitat has recently increased, foraging on land-based resources, including remains of subsistence-harvested bowhead whales (balaena mysticetus) and colonial nesting seabirds has been observed. adipose tissue samples were collected from this subpopulation during the springs of 2013-2016 and analyzed for ... | 2020 | 32128141 |
| the common murre (uria aalge), an auk seabird, reacts to underwater sound. | marine mammals have fine-tuned hearing abilities, which makes them vulnerable to human-induced sounds from shipping, sonars, pile drivers, and air guns. many species of marine birds, such as penguins, auks, and cormorants, find their food underwater where light is often limited, suggesting sound detection may play a vital role. yet, for most marine birds, it is unknown whether they are using, and can thereby be affected by, underwater sound. the authors conducted a series of playback experiments ... | 2020 | 32611143 |
| investigation of the 2018 thick-billed murre (uria lomvia) die-off on st. lawrence island rules out food shortage as the cause. | die-offs of seabirds in alaska have occurred with increased frequency since 2015. in 2018, on st. lawrence island, seabirds were reported washing up dead on beaches starting in late may, peaking in june, and continuing until early august. the cause of death was documented to be starvation, leading to the conclusion that a severe food shortage was to blame. we use physiology and colony-based observations to examine whether food shortage is a sufficient explanation for the die-off, or if evidence ... | 2020 | 33716412 |
| organohalogen compounds of emerging concern in baltic sea biota: levels, biomagnification potential and comparisons with legacy contaminants. | while new chemicals have replaced major toxic legacy contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (ddt), knowledge of their current levels and biomagnification potential in baltic sea biota is lacking. therefore, a suite of chemicals of emerging concern, including organophosphate esters (opes), short-chain, medium-chain and long-chain chlorinated paraffins (sccps, mccps, lccps), halogenated flame retardants (hfrs), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substan ... | 2020 | 32835922 |
| ecological costs of climate change on marine predator-prey population distributions by 2050. | identifying and quantifying the effects of climate change that alter the habitat overlap of marine predators and their prey population distributions is of great importance for the sustainable management of populations. this study uses bayesian joint models with integrated nested laplace approximation (inla) to predict future spatial density distributions in the form of common spatial trends of predator-prey overlap in 2050 under the "business-as-usual, worst-case" climate change scenario. this w ... | 2020 | 32015865 |
| relationship between the pacific decadal oscillation (pdo) and persistent organic pollutants in sympatric alaskan seabird (uria aalge and u. lomvia) eggs between 1999 and 2010. | although climate change occurs alongside other anthropogenic ecosystem impacts, little is known about how sea-surface temperature variability influences the ecotoxicology of persistent organic pollutants (pops). we analyzed pop contaminant levels, and stable isotopes δ15n and δ13c as measures of trophic position, in eggs collected from the gulf of alaska and bering sea between 1999 and 2010 from two similar avian species with different trophic positions: common murres (uria aalge) and thick-bill ... | 2021 | 32791363 |