Meeting Reproductive Demands in a Dynamic Upwelling System: Foraging Strategies of a Pursuit-Diving Seabird, the Marbled Murrelet

Peery, M. Zachariah; Newman, Scott H.; Storlazzi, Curt D.; Beissinger, Steven R.

doi:10.1525/cond.2009.080094

Cited by 23 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 56 publications

(45 reference statements)

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“…Kittlitz's murrelet abundance appeared to be highest earlier in the day and during the incoming high tide phase. This daily pattern is similar to that ob ser ved in studies of the congeneric marbled murrelet (Speckman et al 2000, Peery et al 2009). Increased abundance and activity during morning hours could indicate that Kitt litz's murrelets are responding to the diurnal movements of potential prey species that feed at the surface at night and migrate to inaccessible water depths during daylight hours; these species may be most sus- ceptible to predation during these transition periods (i.e.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Relationships among Kittlitz’s murrelet habitat use, temperature-depth profiles, and landscape features in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA

Allyn¹,

McKnight²,

McGarigal³

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Although seabirds search large areas for food, their distributions often correlate with physical characteristics of the marine environment that can serve to aggregate prey. Kittlitz's murrelets Brachyramphus brevirostris are found almost exclusively in Alaskan waters, where they are closely associated with glacial fjords, suggesting that the distribution of this bird might be tightly linked to specific physical habitat characteristics of the fjords. We investigated relationships among locations used by Kittlitz's murrelets, water column characteristics, and landscape features in Harriman Fjord and Heather Bay, Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA. In Harriman Fjord, Kittlitz's murrelets were observed in shallow water near upwelling areas, indicated by a cold-water wedge near the surface (~10 m depth) in temperature-depth profiles. In Heather Bay, Kittlitz's murrelets used locations closer to the glacial moraine than the average available habitat. The temperature-depth profiles at these locations showed a cold, fresh surface layer (near surface to 5 m depth); however, the temperature-depth profile variable was statistically insignificant, likely because of small sample size. Although the best temperature-depth profile variables were dramatically different between the 2 fjords, both of these glacially influenced water column characteristics may serve to concentrate prey at an optimal depth, allowing Kittlitz's murrelets to focus their effort at predictable foraging locations. Given the widespread wasting of glaciers throughout their range, Kittlitz's murrelets may face increased pressure as changes in water column dynamics within glacial fjords affect the distribution and concentration of preferred prey.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Relationships among Kittlitz’s murrelet habitat use, temperature-depth profiles, and landscape features in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA

Allyn¹,

McKnight²,

McGarigal³

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…Many predators rely on herring when they move inshore around spawning season. Many crustaceans (Hines 1982, Stone andO'Clair 2001), echinoderms (Mattison et al 1976, Cieciel et al 2009), rockfishes and lingcod (Jorgensen et al 2006, Mitamura et al 2009, Tolimieri et al 2009, Beaudreau and Essington 2011, Green and Starr 2011, Freiwald 2012, harbor seals (Peterson et al 2012, Ward et al 2012, some seabirds (Peery et al 2009, Barbaree et al 2015, Lorenz et al 2017, and some flatfishes (Moser et al 2013), exhibit restricted patterns of movement and are likely to exploit one to several major subpopulations, but generally not the entire spatial distribution of the metapopulation (stock). In contrast, humpback whales (Dalla Rosa et al 2008, Kennedy et al 2014), orcas (Hauser et al 2007, Fearnbach et al 2014, some seabirds (Pearce et al 2005), sea lions (Merrick and Loughlin 1997, Fearnbach et al 2014, Kuhn and Costa 2014, fur seals , halibut (Loher 2008, Seitz et al 2011, Nielsen et al 2014, and gadiforms (Wespestad et al 1983, Hanselman et al 2014, Rand et al 2014 can, given ranges reported, access the geographic area covered by the stock (Table 4, see DataS1: Home_Range_Literature).…”

Section: Insights Into the Benefits Of Population Portfolios To Managmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial variation in exploited metapopulations obscures risk of collapse

Okamoto

Hessing‐Lewis

Samhouri

et al. 2020

Ecological Applications

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Unanticipated declines among exploited species have commonly occurred despite harvests that appeared sustainable prior to collapse. This is particularly true in the oceans where spatial scales of management are often mismatched with spatially complex metapopulations. We explore causes, consequences, and potential solutions for spatial mismatches in harvested metapopulations in three ways. First, we generate novel theory illustrating when and how harvesting metapopulations increases spatial variability and in turn masks local‐scale volatility. Second, we illustrate why spatial variability in harvested metapopulations leads to negative consequences using an empirical example of a Pacific herring metapopulation. Finally, we construct a numerical management strategy evaluation model to identify and highlight potential solutions for mismatches in spatial scale and spatial variability. Our results highlight that spatial complexity can promote stability at large scales, however, ignoring spatial complexity produces cryptic and negative consequences for people and animals that interact with resources at small scales. Harvesting metapopulations magnifies spatial variability, which creates discrepancies between regional and local trends while increasing risk of local population collapses. Such effects asymmetrically impact locally constrained fishers and predators, which are more exposed to risks of localized collapses. Importantly, we show that dynamically optimizing harvest can minimize local risk without sacrificing yield. Thus, multiple nested scales of management may be necessary to avoid cryptic collapses in metapopulations and the ensuing ecological, social, and economic consequences.

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“…Thus, it seems unlikely that murrelets were negatively affected by handling in our study compared to other studies that used telemetry to estimate breeding propensity. Yet another consideration is that transmitter weight negatively affected murrelet breeding propensity because transmitters in our study were 0.3-1.4 g heavier (3.3 g total) than those used in past studies (transmitter weight range ¼ 1.9-3.0 g; Hull et al 2001, Bradley et al 2004, Kuletz 2005, McFarlane Tranquilla et al 2005, Hebert and Golightly 2008, Peery et al 2009, Barbaree et al 2014. Vandenabeele et al (2012) theorized that transmitter weight may disproportionally negatively affect alcids compared to other seabirds.…”

Section: Murrelet Breeding Propensitymentioning

confidence: 60%

“…Thus, marbled murrelets have been the focus of numerous space use studies. These studies have measured marine range size Golightly 2008, Barbaree et al 2015), marine movements (Kuletz 2005, Hebert and Golightly 2008, Peery et al 2009), and nest-sea commuting distances (Whitworth et al 2000, Hull et al 2001, Kuletz 2005, Barbaree et al 2015 to identify important factors for sustaining populations. Notably, however, there have been no published studies on space use by murrelets in Washington, where declines have been observed (Miller et al 2012, Falxa and.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Low breeding propensity and wide‐ranging movements by marbled murrelets in Washington

et al. 2016

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The marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) is a threatened seabird that forages in nearshore marine waters but nests inland, commonly in older coniferous forests. Information on ranging behavior and breeding propensity can be useful for informing management, especially when comparisons can be made between declining or threatened populations and more stable, unthreatened populations. Over 5 years, we measured ranging behavior and breeding propensity of marbled murrelets in Washington, USA where murrelets are considered threatened. Our primary objective was to compare space use and breeding by murrelets in Washington with those from other regions and where the species is not considered threatened. We radio tracked 157 murrelets from 2004 to 2008. Median marine 95% kernel ranges were 487 km2 (truex¯=938±1,348 [SD]) and larger than those reported for non‐threatened populations in Alaska, USA in other studies. Ranges computed from minimum convex polygons (MCPs; median = 404 km2; truex¯=708±847) were on average similar to those reported for threatened populations in California, USA, although larger than those reported for Alaska. Distances traveled between consecutive marine telemetry locations were greater than reported previously in Alaska. Variation in movements in our study were not associated with oceanographic conditions although appeared greater for murrelets captured along the Pacific Coast compared to those occupying interior marine waters in the Salish Sea. Twenty individuals (12.7%) attempted to breed in our study, and we estimated breeding propensity was 13.1–20.0%. This is the lowest breeding propensity reported for a population of murrelets to date. For breeders, nest‐sea commuting distances were greater than reported previously, with 4 breeders traveling farther than the previously reported maximum of 125 km. The low breeding propensity, large marine ranges, and long nest‐sea commutes in this study may point to poor‐quality marine habitat in Washington compared to other parts of the murrelet's range. In combination with reported declines in terrestrial nesting habitat from other studies, this indicates that additional management is needed to improve murrelet breeding habitat in Washington. Future management actions should focus on improving both terrestrial and marine habitat. © 2016 The Wildlife Society.

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Meeting Reproductive Demands in a Dynamic Upwelling System: Foraging Strategies of a Pursuit-Diving Seabird, the Marbled Murrelet

Cited by 23 publications

References 56 publications

Relationships among Kittlitz’s murrelet habitat use, temperature-depth profiles, and landscape features in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA

Relationships among Kittlitz’s murrelet habitat use, temperature-depth profiles, and landscape features in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA

Spatial variation in exploited metapopulations obscures risk of collapse

Low breeding propensity and wide‐ranging movements by marbled murrelets in Washington

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