| contaminants and sea ducks in alaska and the circumpolar region. | we review nesting sea duck population declines in alaska during recent decades and explore the possibility that contaminants may be implicated. aerial surveys of the surf scoter (melanitta perspicillata), white-winged scoter (m. fusca), black scoter (m. nigra), oldsqaw (clangula hyemalis), spectacled eider (somateria fischeri), and steller's eider (polysticta stellei) show long-term breeding population declines, especially the latter three species. the spectacled eider was recently classified th ... | 1995 | 7556023 |
| sex-biased gene flow in spectacled eiders (anatidae): inferences from molecular markers with contrasting modes of inheritance. | genetic markers that differ in mode of inheritance and rate of evolution (a sex-linked z-specific microsatellite locus, five biparentally inherited microsatellite loci, and maternally inherited mitochondrial [mtdna] sequences) were used to evaluate the degree of spatial genetic structuring at macro- and microgeographic scales, among breeding regions and local nesting populations within each region, respectively, for a migratory sea duck species, the spectacled eider (somateria fisheri). disjunct ... | 2001 | 11761069 |
| environmental contaminants in four eider species from alaska and arctic russia. | population declines in four species of eider; common (somateria mollissima), king (somateria spectabilis), spectacled (somateria fischeri) and steller's (polysticta stelleri), have raised concerns about exposure to contaminants. livers and kidney tissues were collected from eiders in alaska and russia for organic and elemental analyses. results showed that organochlorine and many elemental levels were below toxic thresholds; however, in many cases, cadmium, copper, lead and serenium appeared hig ... | 2002 | 12152828 |
| modeling marine protected areas for threatened eiders in a climatically changing bering sea. | delineating protected areas for sensitive species is a growing challenge as changing climate alters the geographic pattern of habitats as well as human responses to those shifts. when human impacts are expected within projected ranges of threatened species, there is often demand to demarcate the minimum habitat required to ensure the species' persistence. because diminished or wide-ranging populations may not occupy all viable (and needed) habitat at once, one must identify thresholds of resourc ... | 2009 | 19769106 |
| the body size-dependent diet composition of north american sea ducks in winter. | daily food requirements scale with body mass and activity in animals. while small species of birds have higher mass-specific field metabolic rates than larger species, larger species have higher absolute energy costs. under energy balance, we thus expect the small species to have a higher energy value diet. also the weight and time constraints for flighted and diurnal foragers should set a maximum to the amount of prey items taken in one meal and to the daily number of meals, respectively. furth ... | 2013 | 23755266 |
| trace elements in sea ducks of the alaskan arctic coast: patterns of variation among species, sexes, and ages. | climate change and increasing industrialization in the arctic call for the collection of reference data for assessing changes in contaminant levels. for migratory birds, measuring and interpreting changes in trace element burdens on arctic breeding areas require insights into factors such as sex, body size, or wintering area that may modify patterns independently of local exposure. in the alaskan arctic, we determined levels of trace elements in liver and kidney of common eiders (somateria molli ... | 2016 | 27272534 |
| the influence of year, laying date, egg fertility and incubation, individual hen, hen age and mass and clutch size on maternal immunoglobulin y concentration in captive steller's and spectacled eider egg yolk. | steller's eiders and spectacled eiders are sea duck species whose populations have declined significantly and infectious diseases could influence offspring survival. therefore, the maternal transfer of immunoglobulin y (igy) into yolk was investigated in captive steller's and spectacled eiders during the 2007-2013 breeding seasons. this project had two objectives: establish baseline igy levels in steller's and spectacled eider yolk under controlled captive conditions and evaluate the effect of y ... | 2015 | 25892022 |
| carbon isotopic fractionation in eider adipose tissue varies with fatty acid structure: implications for trophic studies. | carbon isotopic fractionation was investigated in fatty acids (fa) of adipose tissue and blood serum of threatened steller's eiders (polysticta stelleri) and spectacled eiders (somateria fischeri) relative to the fa in their diets. captive eiders were fed a known diet for 180 days with serum sampled at 60, 120 and 180 days immediately after a 12 fast; adipose was collected at 180 days. essential fa (efa) in the adipose showed varying degrees of isotope fractionation (0-4‰), depending on fa struc ... | 2011 | 22031744 |
| validating quantitative fatty acid signature analysis to estimate diets of spectacled and steller's eiders (somateria fischeri and polysticta stelleri). | fatty acid (fa) signature analysis has been used to study foraging ecology and food webs in marine ecosystems. this powerful method provides information about diets over an extended time period (e.g., 2-4 weeks), rather than just the most recent meal as with most traditional approaches. using consumer fa signatures, along with a comprehensive database of diet fa signatures, and accounting for consumer fa metabolism, it is possible to estimate the proportions of diet items in the consumer's diet ... | 2010 | 19652982 |
| variable wind, pack ice, and prey dispersion affect the long-term adequacy of protected areas for an arctic sea duck. | with changing climate, delineation of protected areas for sensitive species must account for long-term variability and geographic shifts of key habitat elements. projecting the future adequacy of protected areas requires knowing major factors that drive such changes, and how readily the animals adjust to altered resources. in the arctic, the viability of habitats for marine birds and mammals often depends on sea ice to dissipate storm waves and provide platforms for resting. however, some wind c ... | 2014 | 24689150 |
| longitudinal monitoring of sex steroid hormones in excrement of spectacled eiders (somateria fischeri). | from the 1970s to the 1990s, the breeding population of spectacled eiders (somateria fischeri) in western alaska declined by 96%, which led to the listing of this species as threatened under the endangered species act in 1993. since then, the population has stabilized, but has not recovered to pre-decline numbers. while little is known about reproductive endocrinology in spectacled eiders, in other avian species, estrogen and testosterone are known to initiate and modulate various reproductive p ... | 2014 | 24406512 |
| coupling contaminants with demography: effects of lead and selenium in pacific common eiders. | we coupled intensive population monitoring with collection of blood samples from 383 nesting pacific common eiders (somateria mollisima v-nigrum) at two locations in alaska (usa) from 2002 to 2004. we investigated annual, geographic, and within-season variation in blood concentrations of lead and selenium; compared exposure patterns with sympatrically nesting spectacled eiders (somateria fischeri); and examined relationships with clutch size, egg viability, probability of hatching, and apparent ... | 2007 | 17665680 |
| polychlorinated biphenyls in eggs of spectacled eiders (somateria fischeri) from the yukon-kuskokwim delta, alaska. | | 2005 | 16400558 |
| concentrations of metals and trace elements in blood of spectacled and king eiders in northern alaska, usa. | in 1996, we measured concentrations of arsenic, barium, cadmium, lead, mercury, and selenium in blood of adult king (somateria spectabilis) and spectacled (somateria fischeri) eiders and duckling spectacled eiders from northern alaska, usa. concentrations of selenium exceeded background levels in all adults sampled and 9 of 12 ducklings. mercury was detected in all adult spectacled eiders and 5 of 12 ducklings. lead concentrations were above the clinical toxicity threshold in one duckling (0.64 ... | 2004 | 14982389 |
| concentrations of trace elements in eggs and blood of spectacled and common eiders on the yukon-kuskokwim delta, alaska, usa. | we examined the relations among nesting success, egg viability, and blood and egg concentrations of as, cd, pb, hg, and se in a threatened population of spectacled eiders (somateria fischeri) and a sympatric population of common eiders (s. mollissima) on the yukon-kuskokwim delta, alaska, usa, during 1995 and 1996. during the early breeding season, males and females had mean se concentrations in their blood of 19.2 microg/g and 12.8 microg/g wet weight, respectively. blood se concentrations of f ... | 2002 | 12152768 |
| contaminant exposure and biomarker responses in spectacled eiders (somateria fischeri) from st. lawrence island, alaska. | effects of chemical contaminant exposure may be contributing to the decline of spectacled eiders (somateria fischeri) nesting in coastal areas of western alaska. we evaluated chemical exposure and potential effects in 20 male eiders collected near st. lawrence island, alaska. analytes included metals, trace elements, chlorinated organics, and (137)cesium ((137)cs). effects of contaminant exposure were evaluated using histopathology and biochemical measures of porphyrin profiles, cytochrome p450 ... | 2000 | 10556377 |
| lead poisoning of spectacled eiders (somateria fischeri) and of a common eider (somateria mollissima) in alaska. | lead poisoning was diagnosed in four spectacled eiders (somateria fischeri) and one common eider (somateria mollissima) found dead or moribund at the yukon delta national wildlife refuge, alaska (usa) in 1992, 1993, and 1994. ingested lead shot was found in the lower esophagus of one spectacled eider and in the gizzard of the common eider. lead concentrations in the livers of the spectacled eiders were 26 to 38 ppm wet weight, and 52 ppm wet weight in the liver of the common eider. a blood sampl ... | 1995 | 8583651 |
| non-linear effect of sea ice: spectacled eider survival declines at both extremes of the ice spectrum. | understanding the relationship between environmental factors and vital rates is an important step in predicting a species' response to environmental change. species associated with sea ice are of particular concern because sea ice is projected to decrease rapidly in polar environments with continued levels of greenhouse gas emissions. the relationship between sea ice and the vital rates of the spectacled eider, a threatened species that breeds in alaska and russia and winters in the bering sea, ... | 2018 | 30598778 |
| evidence for haemosporidian parasite infections in spectacled eiders ( somateria fischeri) sampled in alaska, usa during the breeding season. | we assessed hematozoa infection in spectacled eiders ( somateria fischeri) at two areas in alaska, us. no haemoproteus or plasmodium species were detected. leucocytozoon prevalence was 6.5% for adults across sites and 41.9% for juveniles sampled in the arctic, providing evidence for local transmission. all leucocytozoon haplotypes were previously detected in waterfowl. | 2018 | 29902130 |