Ocean climate and El Niño impacts on survival of Cassin's Auklets from upwelling and downwelling domains of British Columbia

Bertram, Douglas F.; Harfenist, Anne; Smith, Barry D.

doi:10.1139/f05-190

Cited by 43 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…As suggested or shown in several seabird species (e.g., Kitayski and Golubova 2000; Durant et al 2003;Harris et al 2005;Bertram et al 2005), we strongly suspect an indirect effect of sea surface temperatures and food abundance and/or accessibility, which in turn affect the birds' energetics and population parameters. In the shag population nesting on the Isle of May, attendance of breeders, timing of breeding, annual chick production and first year survival were shown to be linked to herring (Clupea harengus) abundance or the size of sandeels (Ammodytes marinus) taken by puffins (Fratercula arctica) breeding on the island (Aebischer and Wanless 1992).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

The demography and ecology of the European shagPhalacrocorax aristotelisin Mor Braz, France

Fortin¹,

Bost²,

Maes³

et al. 2013

Aquat. Living Resour.

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-An integrated research program was initiated to evaluate if the European shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis can be used as a robust indicator of the marine environment in Mor Braz, Brittany, France. This program focuses on aspects of the ecology of the shag including its abundance, demography, diet and at-sea distribution measured at three breeding colonies. The annual population growth rate was estimated at 1.01 for the period 1987-2009. The number of breeding pairs (mean: 565) was highly variable from year to year. Part of this interannual variation was explained by variations in sea surface temperature and sea surface height in winter and spring: the number of breeding pairs was negatively related to sea surface temperature and sea surface height. First year, second year and adult survival probabilities were 0.44, 0.76 and 0.81, respectively. Juvenile survival rate varied between colonies, despite the short distances separating these islets. Average productivity was one young fledged per nest, but it varied between years and islets. Density of individuals at sea varied between 1.40 ind.km −2 during the breeding season and 3.08 ind.km −2 after the breeding season had ended. Individuals foraged up to 7 km from the nest and performed on average 2.7 foraging trips per day. The average number of dives deeper than 5 m varied from 126 to 400 per day. Mean diving depth, dive duration and time spent at bottom were 13 m, 28 s, and 19 s respectively. Regurgitated pellets were collected regularly. Four fish families (Gadidae, Gobiidae, Atherinidae and Labridae) represented more than 65% of the preys throughout the year, a percentage reaching more than 95% of the prey from May to October. The other fish in the diet were Cottidae, Ammodytidae, and Clupeidae. The diet of the European shag consisted of benthic fish throughout the year, and also included pelagic fish more frequently between June and October. The synchronous variations of productivity between colonies suggest that some common environmental factors affect this demographic parameter at the regional scale. Thus, the European shag has a good potential for being a reliable ecological indicator of the state of this marine environment. Finally, improved knowledge on the foraging ecology of shags will be useful in the process of designing Marine Protected Areas in the Mor Braz to help ensure sustainable management of marine resources and biodiversity conservation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

The demography and ecology of the European shagPhalacrocorax aristotelisin Mor Braz, France

Fortin¹,

Bost²,

Maes³

et al. 2013

Aquat. Living Resour.

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“…We argue that the opportunity for a temporal mismatch between Cassin's auklet provisioning and Neocalanus prey timing has a latitudinal component and is greater on Triangle Island than on Frederick Island in warm years such as 1996 and the El Niño event of 1998 (which are both known years of reproductive failure on Triangle Island but not on Frederick Island; Bertram et al 2001Bertram et al , 2005. Note that it is not only the timing of the peak of, but also the duration of, the Neocalanus availability in surface waters that affects foraging Cassin's auklet parents.…”

Section: Peak Timing and Duration Of Availability Of Neocalanusmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Higher local adult annual survival of Cassin's auklets at Frederick Island, in the northern downwelling domain, than at Triangle Island, at the northern boundary of the California Current Ecosystem in the upwelling domain, indicates that British Columbia is a key location for the detection and investigation of latitudinal variation in oceanographic influences on upper trophic level predator demographics in the northeast Pacific (Bertram et al 2005). Moreover, in striking contrast to Triangle Island, there have been no reports of reproductive failures on Frederick Island from historical reports (Vermeer 1985) or more recent comparisons (1994( , 2000( cited in Bertram et al 2005.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seabird nestling diets reflect latitudinal temperature-dependent variation in availability of key zooplankton prey populations

Bertram¹,

Harfenist²,

Hedd³

2009

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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We report on historical (1978 to 1982) and more recent (1996 to 2000) variation in the nestling diet of Cassin's auklet Ptychoramphus aleuticus breeding at Triangle Island (southern) and Frederick Island (northern), British Columbia, Canada; these islands are influenced by the California and the Alaska Current ecosystems, respectively. Ocean climate conditions off the British Columbia coast varied tremendously between 1978 and 2000. At both colonies, the nestling diet was composed largely of copepods and euphausiids, with fish contributing substantially in some of the warmer years at Triangle Island. The copepod Neocalanus cristatus was the single most important prey item at both colonies, and Stage V copepodites dominated in all sampling periods. We used a recently published temperature-dependent phenology equation to estimate the timing of peak biomass of Neocalanus near Triangle and Frederick Islands. During warm water years (such as 1996 and the El Niño of 1998), the timing and duration of N. cristatus availability in surface waters near Triangle Island was early and limited (mismatched) in contrast to cooler years (such as 1999 and 2000), when this prey was available to birds throughout the breeding season (matched). We argue that Cassin's auklet nestling diet data reflect the temperature-related timing of Neocalanus prey availability to seabirds in surface waters. Our results support the argument that inadequate overlap of prey availability and predator breeding (i.e. temporal trophic mismatch) is more likely on Triangle Island, where zooplankton peaks often occur earlier and are narrower, than on Frederick Island, where prey peaks are later and more protracted. Poor reproductive performance is the biological consequence of such trophic mismatch for Cassin's auklet. If the frequency of El Niño-like events increases and if ocean temperatures rise in the future, we predict an increase in the frequency of trophic mismatch events in the northeast Pacific Ocean. KEY WORDS:Copepod availability · Ocean temperature · Match-mismatch · Seabirds · Cassin's auklet Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher Contribution to the Theme Section 'Marine ecosystems, climate and phenology: impacts on top predators'OPEN PEN

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“…The warm period continued through 2006, but there was a return to cold conditions in 2007 associated with La Niña that persisted through 2008 (DFO 2008). It also included extreme climate events in 1997 to 1998 (a strong El Niño), 1999 (a strong La Niña) and 2005 (an anomalous atmospheric blocking event), all of which had dramatic effects on the demography of Cassin's auklet across the CCS (Bertram et al 2005, Sydeman et al 2006, Lee et al 2007, Wolf et al 2009). …”

Section: Resale or Republication Not Permitted Without Written Consenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Euphausiids in the diet of a North Pacific seabird: annual and seasonal variation and the role of ocean climate

Hipfner¹

2009

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Across the California Current System (CCS), euphausiid crustaceans are important prey for many vertebrate predators, including the seabird Cassin's auklet Ptychoramphus aleuticus. However, the effects of ocean climate on euphausiid biology, and their consequences for predators, remain poorly understood. Over a 13 yr period (1996 to 2008), Euphausia pacifica, Thysanoessa spinifera and T. inspinata cumulatively averaged about 35% of the annual biomass in the nestling diets of auklets at Triangle Island, but there was marked inter-annual variation. Whereas ocean climate had little influence on the amounts of E. pacifica or T. inspinata delivered, diets included more T. spinifera if spring sea-surface temperatures in the previous year had been lower. Cold conditions might facilitate the production of a strong annual cohort, thus increasing adult biomass in the following year. Within seasons, the amount of E. pacifica in diets declined with date, and the decline was consistent across both warm-and cold-water years. In contrast, diets were especially rich in both Thysanoessa spp. late in the provisioning period in warm-water years, when the harvest of Neocalanus cristatus declined dramatically due to a temporal mismatch between the auklet predator and this copepod prey. Both the annual nestling survival rate and the mean fledging masses of Cassin's auklets were tightly correlated to the amount of N. cristatus in their diets, and for fledging mass there was a further small, additive effect of increased amounts of T. inspinata. Results of the present study add new insight into effects of ocean climate on euphausiid biology in the northern CCS, and their potential consequences for population processes of an important euphausiid predator. KEY WORDS: Auklet · Diet · Euphausiids · Ocean climate · Prey-switching Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 390: [277][278][279][280][281][282][283][284][285][286][287][288][289] 2009 Tanasichuk 2002, Brinton & Townsend 2003, Croll et al. 2005, Suntsov & Brodeur 2008. Research has shown that the population biology of both of these euphausiids is influenced by ocean climate (Tanasichuk 1998a,b, Marinovic et al. 2002, Brinton & Townsend 2003, Dorman et al. 2005), but in a complex manner that remains poorly understood (Abraham & Sydeman 2004). In this marine system, studies on the breeding ecology of Cassin's auklet Ptychoramphus aleuticus, a regionally abundant zooplanktivorous seabird, have provided considerable insight (Ainley et al. 1996, Sydeman et al. 2001, Adams et al. 2004.At breeding colonies in the southern and central CCS, Euphausia pacifica and Thysanoessa spinifera are the primary prey fed to Cassin's auklet Ptychoramphus aleuticus nestlings. Over the course of the birds' spring and summer breeding season, the amount of adult E. pacifica in nestling diets tends to decrease, while the amount of juvenile and adult T. spinifera tends to increase (Adams et al. 2004, Abraham & Sydeman 2006. This dietary switch...

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Ocean climate and El Niño impacts on survival of Cassin's Auklets from upwelling and downwelling domains of British Columbia

Cited by 43 publications

References 41 publications

The demography and ecology of the European shagPhalacrocorax aristotelisin Mor Braz, France

The demography and ecology of the European shagPhalacrocorax aristotelisin Mor Braz, France

Seabird nestling diets reflect latitudinal temperature-dependent variation in availability of key zooplankton prey populations

Euphausiids in the diet of a North Pacific seabird: annual and seasonal variation and the role of ocean climate

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