Progressing delineations of key biodiversity areas for seabirds, and their application to management of coastal seas

Aim: Decision-making products that support effective marine spatial planning are essential for guiding efforts that enable conservation of biodiversity facing increasing pressures. Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are a product recently agreed upon by an international network of organizations for identifying globally important areas. Utilizing the KBA framework, and by developing a conservative protocol to identify sites, we identify globally importants places for breeding seabirds throughout the coastal seas of a national territory. We inform marine spatial planning by evaluating potential activities that may impact species and how a proposed network of Marine Management Areas (MMAs) overlap with important sites. Location: Southwest Atlantic Ocean. Methods: We collated a national inventory of all breeding locations for seabirds, including abundance records where available, and complementary estimates of at-sea distribution. We delineated areas of importance in coastal seas following approaches tailored to the ecology of species and assessed areas against global KBA criteria. To determine opportunities for species conservation and management, we reviewed which human activities have been documented to impact the target species globally via IUCN Red List accounts, and also assessed the overlap of important sites with a proposed MMA network. Results: We identified global KBAs for nine seabird species (Anatidae, Diomedeidae, Laridae, Procellariidae, Spheniscidae, Stercorariidae) throughout national coastal seas. Globally important areas where multiple species overlapped were only partially accounted for in key zones of the proposed MMA network. Main Conclusions: Development of a conservative protocol to identify marine sites for assessment against KBA criteria, revealed opportunities for enhancing a network of proposed Marine Management Areas in coastal seas. The framework we apply in this study has broad relevance for other systems where the design or review of management plans for the marine environment is required.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Phylogeography of Rattus norvegicus in the South Atlantic Ocean

Acknowledgments Funding for sample collection was provided by the Shackleton Scholarship Fund, Antarctic Research Trust, the Wyoming Biodiversity Institute, PVE/CAPES (Proposal 235453) and Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BPD/88854/2012). Thanks to Martin Collins, Andy Black, Darren Christie and the Government of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands for the provision of samples from South Georgia, Annalea Beard for providing the rat sample from St Helena Island, Joaquim Tapisso, Rita Monarca and Ana Cerveira for samples from Portugal, and Emily Puckett for help validating South American SNP haplotypes. Funding for DNA sequencing was provided by Island LandCare, the University of Auckland. Thanks to two anonymous reviewers for the constructive comments.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Integrating habitat and partial survey data to estimate the regional population of a globally declining seabird species, the sooty shearwater

Many animal populations are thought to be in flux due to anthropogenic impacts. However, censusing organisms to understand such changes is often impractical. For example, while it is thought that over half of pelagic seabird populations are declining, most breed in burrows or on cliffs, in large, remote colonies, making them difficult to count. Burrow-nesting sooty shearwaters (Ardenna grisea) are abundant but declining in their core (South Pacific) breeding range, potentially due to introduced rodents and habitat loss. In contrast, Kidney Island, their largest colony in the Falkland Islands (Southwest Atlantic), purportedly grew by several orders of magnitude since the mid-1900s. This island is rodent-free, and native tussac grass (Poa flabellata) has increased following cessation of historical exploitation. To estimate the sooty shearwater population in the Falkland Islands, and its relationship with breeding habitat availability, we sampled burrow density and occupancy on Kidney Island and modeled these as functions of habitat. Both indices responded positively to a proxy for historical increases in tussac cover. We estimate that breeding sooty shearwaters occupy ∼140,000 (95% CI: 90,000–210,000) burrows on Kidney Island. Moreover, using additional survey data and Generalized Functional Response models to account for intra-island variation in habitat availability, we estimate that 25,000 (95% CI: 20,100 - 30,500) burrows could be occupied on nearby islands from which non-native rodents have been recently eradicated. Our study shows that habitat selection functions, generalized where necessary, not only improve population estimates but provide biological insights needed to reverse declines in seabirds and other species

Plasticity in the foraging behavior of male Southern Rockhopper Penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome) during incubation in the Falkland/Malvinas Islands

Environmental changes often affect the persistence of species or populations at different spatial and temporal scales. Thus, species must either adapt to these changes or experience negative impacts at the individual or population levels. Southern Rockhopper Penguins Eudyptes chrysocome are distributed throughout the Southern Ocean and have experienced substantial declines in the past which were linked to various anthropogenic and environmental factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the foraging behavior of male Southern Rockhopper Penguins at Berkeley Sound, East Falkland, Falkland/Malvinas Islands, during incubation, a period at-sea which is crucial for replenishing body condition between two extended fasting periods ashore. Thus, birds are forced to forage efficiently during that time to balance their energy demands. We linked their at-sea distribution and foraging behavior to satellite-derived sea surface temperatures and temperature-depth profiles which were recorded by devices attached to the birds. While Southern Rockhopper Penguins usually travel several hundreds of km out into the open sea on multiple-day trips during incubation, we found in our study that most birds foraged close inshore, less than 9 km away from their colony, and regularly returned to their breeding site. We propose that this behavior occurred in response to the close proximity of the 8 °C SST isotherm and the vertical stratification of the waters therein. Also, while usually feeding pelagically in open waters, there are strong indications that Southern Rockhopper Penguins performed benthic or, at least, near-bottom dives to catch their prey during these short trips. The consequences of this behavioral plasticity in response to variations in sea temperatures and inferred prey availability are discussed, especially with regard to predicted global climate change

Comparative isotopic natural history of two native passerines (Troglodytes cobbi and Cinclodes antarcticus) and the invasive rats (Rattus norvegicus) that extirpate them

While several studies have shown that invasive rats can have negative effects on island birds through predation (both direct predation and nest predation), other mechanisms for the effects of invasives on island biota have been given less attention. Here we explore another potential mechanism by which invasive rats can affect native island birds: the competitive use of common resources. We used stable isotope analyses to estimate the fraction of marine and terrestrial sources incorporated into the tissues of two species of passerines (Troglodytes cobbi, Troglodytidae; and Cinclodes antarcticus, Furnariidae) and Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus, Muridae) in the Falkland Islands. These two passerines are absent on islands where rats are present. We found significant incorporation of marine resources in the three species, with the highest incorporation in tissues of T. cobbi. This species appears to be one of the passerines most reliant on marine sources and the most marine member of the family Troglodytidae. We also used the results of these isotopic analyses to estimate the isotopic niche breadth of each of these species and the isotopic niche overlap among them. Rattus norvegicus had a large isotopic niche that overlapped broadly with those of the two passerine species. We propose that different ways of both depicting and estimating isotopic niche widths are complementary rather than alternative. Our results are consistent with the notion that invasive rats might have an impact on these two species of Falkland Island passerines by using common resources, but do not rule out the possibility that part of their effect is through direct predation.MT and CMR were partially funded by National Science Foundation Grants # 0841298 and DIOS-0848028, respectively. SP and KP were funded by Antarctic Research Trust, UK Overseas Territories Environment Programme, Royal Society for Protection of Birds, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, and the Falkland Islands Government.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1442-99932017-10-31hb2017Zoology and Entomolog

Developing UAV monitoring of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands’ iconic land-based marine predators

Many remote islands present barriers to effective wildlife monitoring in terms of challenging terrain and frequency of visits. The sub-Antarctic islands of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are home to globally significant populations of seabirds and marine mammals. South Georgia hosts the largest breeding populations of Antarctic fur seals, southern elephant seals and king penguins as well as significant populations of wandering, black-browed and grey-headed albatross. The island also holds important populations of macaroni and gentoo penguins. The South Sandwich Islands host the world’s largest colony of chinstrap penguins in addition to major populations of Adélie and macaroni penguins. A marine protected area was created around these islands in 2012 but monitoring populations of marine predators remains a challenge, particularly as these species breed over large areas in remote and often inaccessible locations. During the 2019/20 austral summer, we trialed the use of an unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV; drone) to monitor populations of seals, penguins and albatross and here we report our initial findings, including considerations about the advantages and limitations of the methodology. Three extensive southern elephant seal breeding sites were surveyed with complete counts made around the peak pupping date, two of these sites were last surveyed 24 years ago. A total of nine islands, historically recorded as breeding sites for wandering albatross, were surveyed with 144 fledglings and 48 adults identified from the aerial imagery. The UAV was effective at surveying populations of penguins that nest on flat, open terrain, such as Adélie and chinstrap penguin colonies at the South Sandwich Islands, and an extensive king penguin colony on South Georgia, but proved ineffective for monitoring macaroni penguins nesting in tussock habitat on South Georgia as individuals were obscured or hidden by vegetation. Overall, we show that UAV surveys can allow regular and accurate monitoring of these important wildlife populations

Nurses' experiences, expectations, and preferences for mind-body practices to reduce stress

BACKGROUND: Most research on the impact of mind-body training does not ask about participants\u27 baseline experience, expectations, or preferences for training. To better plan participant-centered mind-body intervention trials for nurses to reduce occupational stress, such descriptive information would be valuable. METHODS: We conducted an anonymous email survey between April and June, 2010 of North American nurses interested in mind-body training to reduce stress. The e-survey included: demographic characteristics, health conditions and stress levels; experiences with mind-body practices; expected health benefits; training preferences; and willingness to participate in future randomized controlled trials. RESULTS: Of the 342 respondents, 96% were women and 92% were Caucasian. Most (73%) reported one or more health conditions, notably anxiety (49%); back pain (41%); GI problems such as irritable bowel syndrome (34%); or depression (33%). Their median occupational stress level was 4 (0 = none; 5 = extreme stress). Nearly all (99%) reported already using one or more mind-body practices to reduce stress: intercessory prayer (86%), breath-focused meditation (49%), healing or therapeutic touch (39%), yoga/tai chi/qi gong (34%), or mindfulness-based meditation (18%). The greatest expected benefits were for greater spiritual well-being (56%); serenity, calm, or inner peace (54%); better mood (51%); more compassion (50%); or better sleep (42%). Most (65%) wanted additional training; convenience (74% essential or very important), was more important than the program\u27s reputation (49%) or scientific evidence about effectiveness (32%) in program selection. Most (65%) were willing to participate in a randomized trial of mind-body training; among these, most were willing to collect salivary cortisol (60%), or serum biomarkers (53%) to assess the impact of training. CONCLUSIONS: Most nurses interested in mind-body training already engage in such practices. They have greater expectations about spiritual and emotional than physical benefits, but are willing to participate in studies and to collect biomarker data. Recruitment may depend more on convenience than a program\u27s scientific basis or reputation. Knowledge of participants\u27 baseline experiences, expectations, and preferences helps inform future training and research on mind-body approaches to reduce stress