Habitat categorisation and mapping of a seabird reserve: Ilhéu da Praia, Azores

The removal of invasive species and mitigation of habitat loss are vital conservation tools for species such as seabirds. We surveyed habitats across the entirety of a small seabird islet reserve, Ilhéu da Praia, in the Azores, two decades on from mammalian eradication and floral restoration. Here, we present a fine-scale map, to a 12 metre resolution, representing the first full habitat survey of this islet. This resource can serve as a baseline for monitoring future habitat changes to this internationally important seabird islet. Following restoration efforts in the 1990s, the islet’s dominant habitats are meadow, grassland dominated by Festuca petraea, or a combination of the two. We also report a novel observation of both Band-rumped Hydrobates castro and Monteiro’s H. monteiroi Storm Petrels breeding in the cavities of Tamarix africana, an invasive tree species

Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds

Plastic pollution is distributed patchily around the world’s oceans. Likewise, marine organisms that are vulnerable to plastic ingestion or entanglement have uneven distributions. Understanding where wildlife encounters plastic is crucial for targeting research and mitigation. Oceanic seabirds, particularly petrels, frequently ingest plastic, are highly threatened, and cover vast distances during foraging and migration. However, the spatial overlap between petrels and plastics is poorly understood. Here we combine marine plastic density estimates with individual movement data for 7137 birds of 77 petrel species to estimate relative exposure risk. We identify high exposure risk areas in the Mediterranean and Black seas, and the northeast Pacific, northwest Pacific, South Atlantic and southwest Indian oceans. Plastic exposure risk varies greatly among species and populations, and between breeding and non-breeding seasons. Exposure risk is disproportionately high for Threatened species. Outside the Mediterranean and Black seas, exposure risk is highest in the high seas and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the USA, Japan, and the UK. Birds generally had higher plastic exposure risk outside the EEZ of the country where they breed. We identify conservation and research priorities, and highlight that international collaboration is key to addressing the impacts of marine plastic on wide-ranging species

Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds

Plastic pollution is distributed patchily around the world’s oceans. Likewise, marine organisms that are vulnerable to plastic ingestion or entanglement have uneven distributions. Understanding where wildlife encounters plastic is crucial for targeting research and mitigation. Oceanic seabirds, particularly petrels, frequently ingest plastic, are highly threatened, and cover vast distances during foraging and migration. However, the spatial overlap between petrels and plastics is poorly understood. Here we combine marine plastic density estimates with individual movement data for 7137 birds of 77 petrel species to estimate relative exposure risk. We identify high exposure risk areas in the Mediterranean and Black seas, and the northeast Pacific, northwest Pacific, South Atlantic and southwest Indian oceans. Plastic exposure risk varies greatly among species and populations, and between breeding and non-breeding seasons. Exposure risk is disproportionately high for Threatened species. Outside the Mediterranean and Black seas, exposure risk is highest in the high seas and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the USA, Japan, and the UK. Birds generally had higher plastic exposure risk outside the EEZ of the country where they breed. We identify conservation and research priorities, and highlight that international collaboration is key to addressing the impacts of marine plastic on wide-ranging species

Intra-annual variability in responses of a canopy forming kelp to cumulative low tide heat stress: implications for populations at the trailing range edge

Anthropogenic climate change is driving the redistribution of species at a global scale. For marine species, populations at trailing edges often live very close to their upper thermal limits and, as such, poleward range contractions are one of the most pervasive effects of ongoing and predicted warming. However, the mechanics of processes driving such contractions are poorly understood. Here, we examined the response of the habitat forming kelp, Laminaria digitata, to realistic terrestrial heatwave simulations akin to those experienced by intertidal populations persisting at the trailing range edge in the northeast Atlantic (SW England). We conducted experiments in both spring and autumn to determine temporal variability in the effects of heatwaves. In spring, heatwave scenarios caused minimal stress to L. digitata but in autumn all scenarios tested resulted in tissue being nonviable by the end of each assay. The effects of heatwave scenarios were only apparent after consecutive exposures, indicating erosion of resilience over time. Monthly field surveys corroborated experimental evidence as the prevalence of bleaching (an indication of physiological stress and tissue damage) in natural populations was greatest in autumn and early winter. Overall, our data showed that L. digitata populations in SW England persist close to their upper physiological limits for emersion stress in autumn. As the intensity of extreme warming events is likely to increase with anthropogenic climate change, thermal conditions experienced during periods of emersion will soon exceed physiological thresholds and will likely induce widespread mortality and consequent changes at the population level

Habitat associations of hawkfish: depth, distribution, and density at two sites in Kenya

Hawkfish (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Cirrhitidae) are a family of carnivorous, coral-dwelling fishes. Some of these have been identified as obligate coral-dwelling, facultative coral-dwelling, substratum-dwelling, or water column-dwelling, depending on the species and habitat. Research on hawkfish density and habitat associations has been conducted in the Atlantic, Pacific, and the eastern and central Indian oceans. However, little is known about the density or habitat associations on the coast of East Africa. This study investigates distribution and density patterns of hawkfish species off Kenya, as well as relationships with available coral habitats, at both shallow (<5 m) and deeper (5–15 m) coral reef sites. In addition, habitat associations of the two most abundant hawkfish species of the same genus [Paracirrhites arcatus (Cuvier, 1829) and Paracirrhites forsteri (Schneider, 1801)] are identified. Findings showed species-specific macrohabitat associations, whereby higher densities of P. arcatus were found on deep reefs, and higher densities of P. forsteri were found on shallow reefs. In addition, P. arcatus showed a positive association with the hard-branching coral Pocillopora. However, as there was less Pocillopora on the deep reefs, P. arcatus does not prefer the deep reefs simply because there is more Pocillopora present, lending support that these species are facultative coral dwellers. The increased density of hawkfish on deeper reefs could be an indication of mesopredator release, as the study's deep reef locations were within national reserves, which are open to some types of artisanal fishing, reducing the number of apex predators

Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds

Acknowledgements: B.L.C., C.H., and A.M. were funded by the Cambridge Conservation Initiative’s Collaborative Fund sponsored by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. E.J.P. was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council C-CLEAR doctoral training programme (Grant no. NE/S007164/1). We are grateful to all those who assisted with the collection and curation of tracking data. Further details are provided in the Supplementary Acknowledgements. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Funder: Cambridge Conservation Initiative’s Collaborative Fund sponsored by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. Cambridge, UK.Plastic pollution is distributed patchily around the world’s oceans. Likewise, marine organisms that are vulnerable to plastic ingestion or entanglement have uneven distributions. Understanding where wildlife encounters plastic is crucial for targeting research and mitigation. Oceanic seabirds, particularly petrels, frequently ingest plastic, are highly threatened, and cover vast distances during foraging and migration. However, the spatial overlap between petrels and plastics is poorly understood. Here we combine marine plastic density estimates with individual movement data for 7137 birds of 77 petrel species to estimate relative exposure risk. We identify high exposure risk areas in the Mediterranean and Black seas, and the northeast Pacific, northwest Pacific, South Atlantic and southwest Indian oceans. Plastic exposure risk varies greatly among species and populations, and between breeding and non-breeding seasons. Exposure risk is disproportionately high for Threatened species. Outside the Mediterranean and Black seas, exposure risk is highest in the high seas and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the USA, Japan, and the UK. Birds generally had higher plastic exposure risk outside the EEZ of the country where they breed. We identify conservation and research priorities, and highlight that international collaboration is key to addressing the impacts of marine plastic on wide-ranging species

Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds.

Plastic pollution is distributed patchily around the world's oceans. Likewise, marine organisms that are vulnerable to plastic ingestion or entanglement have uneven distributions. Understanding where wildlife encounters plastic is crucial for targeting research and mitigation. Oceanic seabirds, particularly petrels, frequently ingest plastic, are highly threatened, and cover vast distances during foraging and migration. However, the spatial overlap between petrels and plastics is poorly understood. Here we combine marine plastic density estimates with individual movement data for 7137 birds of 77 petrel species to estimate relative exposure risk. We identify high exposure risk areas in the Mediterranean and Black seas, and the northeast Pacific, northwest Pacific, South Atlantic and southwest Indian oceans. Plastic exposure risk varies greatly among species and populations, and between breeding and non-breeding seasons. Exposure risk is disproportionately high for Threatened species. Outside the Mediterranean and Black seas, exposure risk is highest in the high seas and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the USA, Japan, and the UK. Birds generally had higher plastic exposure risk outside the EEZ of the country where they breed. We identify conservation and research priorities, and highlight that international collaboration is key to addressing the impacts of marine plastic on wide-ranging species.B.L.C., C.H. and A.M. were funded by the Cambridge Conservation Initiative’s Collaborative Fund sponsored by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. E.J.P. was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council C-CLEAR doctoral training programme (Grant no. NE/S007164/1)