Large-scale univariate climate indices (such as NAO) are thought to outperform local weather variables in the explanation of trends in animal numbers but are not always suitable to describe regional scale patterns. We advocate the use of a Multivariate Oceanic and Climatic index (MOCI), derived from 'synthetic' and independent variables from a linear combination of the total initial variables objectively obtained from Principal Component Analysis. We test the efficacy of the index using long-term data from marine animal populations. The study area is the southern half of the Bay of Biscay (431-471N; western Europe). Between 1974 and 2000 we monitored cetaceans and seabirds along 131000 standardized line transects from ships. Fish abundance was derived from commercial fishery landings. We used 44 initial variables describing the oceanic and atmospheric conditions and characterizing the four annual seasons in the Bay of Biscay. The first principal component of our MOCI is called the South Biscay Climate (SBC) index. The winter NAO index was correlated to this SBC index. Inter-annual fluctuations for most seabird, cetacean and fish populations were significant. Boreal species (e.g. gadiformes fish species, European storm petrel and Razorbill . . .) with affinities to cold temperate waters declined significantly over time while two (Puffin and Killer Whale) totally disappeared from the area during the study period. Meridional species with affinities to hotter waters increased in population size. Those medium-term demographic trends may reveal a regime shift for this part of the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the specific observed trends were highly correlated to the SBC index and not to the NAO. Between 40% and 60% of temporal variations in species abundance were explained by the multivariate SBC index suggesting that the whole marine ecosystem is strongly affected by a limited number of physical parameters revealed by the multivariate SBC index. Aside the statistical error of the field measurements, the remaining variation unexplained by the physical characteristics of the environment correspond to the impact of anthropogenic activities such overfishing and oil-spills.
Using the binomial law we modelled field data to estimate the probability (p̂) of detecting pairs of breeding White‐throated Dippers, and the population size (N̂± confidence limits). The model was divided into two parts according to whether the actual size of the population under study was known or not; in the latter case the truncated binomial model was used. Dipper abundance data were collected from three 4‐km‐long river tracts in the Pyrénées (France) during the breeding seasons of different years. Goodness‐of‐fit tests indicated that the binomial model fitted the data well. For a given visit during the survey, the estimated probability of detecting any pair of Dippers if they were present was always high (0.63–0.94) and constant from year to year but not between sites. Estimations (N̂) of the size of the population provided by the binomial model were very close to that derived from mapping techniques. This study provides the first ever quantification of the number of visits required to detect birds on linear territories: three visits were necessary to detect the whole breeding population.
We investigated the impact of the "Erika" oil spill in the Bay of Biscay (France) on seabird populations. Relative abundance and spatial distribution at sea between 1980−1999 and 2000−2002 periods were compared. This study took place in a standardized monitoring at sea carried out with Coast Guard vessels following the line transect method. This work rests on 107 551 standardized counts of one minute before "Erika" and 23 449 after the oil spill. There was not a simple correlation between the number of individuals found oiled and the numerical variation of the populations at sea during the two years following the accident. The guillemot Uria aalge, the most frequently collected species in the north of the Bay of Biscay, showed no decrease in at sea abundance during the two years following the pollution. Conversely, some species found in small numbers on the coast (e.g. divers Gavia sp., razorbill Alca torda, common scoter Melanitta nigra) decreased significantly at sea (20 to 80%). Overall, marine bird populations declined significantly in the northern sector of the Bay of Biscay (48 • 32 to 46 • 58 north) and increased in the southern sector (45 • 13 to 43 • 15 north), whereas decreases and increases occurred in the central sector (46 • 57 to 45 • 14 north). Changes in the spatial distribution of the species after the "Erika" oil spill occurred through disappearance or retraction (Bay of Vilaine, Houat-Hoedic archipelago), or through displacement and reinforcement (Gouf of Capbreton). Overall, this suggests a redistribution of the populations within the Bay of Biscay, depending on the level of injuries to the ecosystems caused by the pollution.
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