A Wandering Albatross incubating an egg on the nest; photograph by Alexis Wandering

Fionnuala R. McCully (School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK) and colleagues have published open access in Ecology and Evolution on the influence of Wandering Albatross pair members’ traits in foraging behaviour.

The abstract follows:

“Long-lived monogamous species gain long-term fitness benefits by equalizing effort during biparental care. For example, many seabird species coordinate care by matching foraging trip durations within pairs. Age affects coordination in some seabird species; however, the impact of other intrinsic traits, including personality, on potential intraspecific variation in coordination strength is less well understood. The impacts of pair members' intrinsic traits on trip duration and coordination strength were investigated using data from saltwater immersion loggers deployed on 71 pairs of wandering albatrosses Diomedea exulans. These were modeled against pair members' age, boldness, and their partner's previous trip duration. At the population level, the birds exhibited some coordination of parental care that was of equal strength during incubation and chick-brooding. However, there was low variation in coordination between pairs and coordination strength was unaffected by the birds' boldness or age in either breeding stage. Surprisingly, during incubation, foraging trip duration was mainly driven by partner traits, as birds which were paired to older and bolder partners took shorter trips. During chick-brooding, shorter foraging trips were associated with greater boldness in focal birds and their partners, but age had no effect. These results suggest that an individual's assessment of their partner's capacity or willingness to provide care may be a major driver of trip duration, thereby highlighting the importance of accounting for pair behavior when studying parental care strategies.”

Reference:

McCully, F.R., Weimerskirch, H., Cornell, S. J., Hatchwell, B. J., Cairo, M., & Patrick, S.C. 2022 . Partner intrinsic characteristics influence foraging trip duration, but not coordination of care in wandering albatrosses Diomedea exulans. Ecology and Evolution 12, e9621. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9621

11 January 2023

Black-browed Albatross on Marion Island by Snah, after a photograph by Kim Stevens, with a disposable plastic bottle

A ballpoint pen artist, who goes under the pseudonym Snah, has created the first artworks for ABUN Project #43 “Plastic Pollution” in support of this year’s World Albatross Day.  The project, which will run until 31 March, is the fourth collaboration between ACAP and Artists and Biologists Unite for Nature in support of World Albatross Day on 19 June.

A Black-footed Albatross by Snah, after a photograph by Cynthia Vanderlip taken on Kure Atoll, stands next to a washed-up plastic bottle

Snah writes to ACAP Latest News:  “I live in Germany in a little town near Hanover.  I have been painting with a ballpoint pen for the last three years.  I haven't had any professional training.  I also work with aquarell, pastel chalk, airbrush, charcoal and acrylic.  But I now prefer to use ballpoint pens, because I can use them while sitting on my sofa.”

A collage of Black-footed and Laysan Albatrosses by Snah for ‘WAD2022’

Snah also produced ballpoint pen artwork to help illustrate last year’s World Albatross Day, with its theme of Climate Change.

Thanks Snah!

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 10 January 2023

Flesh-footed Shearwaters; photograph by Ian Hutton

Bianca Keys (Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, Tasmania, Australia) and colleagues have published in Environmental Science & Technology on a new detection method for nano- and ultrafine plastics using Flesh-footed and Short-tailed shearwaters as case studies.

 The paper’s abstract follows:

“Plastic ingestion has been documented in a plethora of taxa. However, there is a significant gap in the detection of nano- and ultrafine particles due to size limitations of commonly used techniques. Using two Australian seabird species as case studies, the flesh-footed shearwater (FFSH) Ardenna carneipes and short-tailed shearwater (STSH) A. tenuirostris, we tested a novel approach of flow cytometry to quantify ingested particles <70 μm in the fecal precursor (guano; colon and cloacal contents) of both species. This method provided the first baseline data set for these species for plastics in the 200 nm–70 μm particle size ranges and detected a mean of 553.50 ± 91.21 and 350.70 ± 52.08 plastics (count/mg fecal precursor, wet mass) in STSH and FFSH, respectively, whereas Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) provided accurate measurements of polymer compositions and quantities in the size range above 5.5 × 5.5 μm2. The abundance of nano- and ultrafine particles in the guano (count/mg) was not significantly different between species (p-value = 0.051), suggesting that foraging distribution or prey items, but not species, may contribute to the consumption of small plastics. In addition, there was no correlation between macroplastics in the stomach compared to the fecal precursor, indicating that small particles are likely bioaccumulating (e.g., through shedding and digestive fragmentation) and/or being directly ingested. Combining flow cytometry with FT-IR provides a powerful quantitative and qualitative analysis tool for detecting particles orders of magnitude smaller than that are currently explored with wider applications across taxa and marine environments.”

Reference:

Keys, B.C., Grant, M.L., Rodemann, R., Mylius, K.A., Pinfold, T.L., Rivers-Auty, J. & Lavers, J.L. 2022. New Methods for the Quantification of Ingested Nano- and Ultrafine Plastics in Seabirds. Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c06973.

9 January 2023

Figure 2. Diversity of terrestrial ecosystem changes that have been documented to follow island introduction of invasive mammals. The ecosystem changes are linked to the ecology of the invasive mammal, and some of the stereotyped shifts are captured. (A) Pigs are a common invader across islands, often introduced deliberately by humans for food. (B) Rats and other rodents are often introduced accidentally, traveling aboard ships and colonizing islands worldwide. (C) Goats can be introduced to islands for their perceived value as livestock, but without management can lead to dramatic shifts to island ecosystems. Note that the effects of invasive mammals will vary based upon the natural history of the island and the exact species of invader.

The eradication of invasive pests from islands has far-reaching benefits beyond the immediate terrestrial ecosystem with seabirds identified as playing a key role as a “connector species” whose activities provide a crucial link between, and benefits to, terrestrial and marine ecosystems. 

The new perspective titled, "Harnessing island–ocean connections to maximize marine benefits of island conservation" by Stuart Sandin (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, U.S.A) and colleagues has been published open access in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The abstract follows:

“Islands support unique plants, animals, and human societies found nowhere else on the Earth. Local and global stressors threaten the persistence of island ecosystems, with invasive species being among the most damaging, yet solvable, stressors. While the threat of invasive terrestrial mammals on island flora and fauna is well recognized, recent studies have begun to illustrate their extended and destructive impacts on adjacent marine environments. Eradication of invasive mammals and restoration of native biota are promising tools to address both island and ocean management goals. The magnitude of the marine benefits of island restoration, however, is unlikely to be consistent across the globe. We propose a list of six environmental characteristics most likely to affect the strength of land–sea linkages: precipitation, elevation, vegetation cover, soil hydrology, oceanographic productivity, and wave energy. Global databases allow for the calculation of comparable metrics describing each environmental character across islands. Such metrics can be used today to evaluate relative potential for coupled land–sea conservation efforts and, with sustained investment in monitoring on land and sea, can be used in the future to refine science-based planning tools for integrated land–sea management. As conservation practitioners work to address the effects of climate change, ocean stressors, and biodiversity crises, it is essential that we maximize returns from our management investments. Linking efforts on land, including eradication of island invasive mammals, with marine restoration and protection should offer multiplied benefits to achieve concurrent global conservation goals.”

Reference:

Sandin, S.A., Becker, P.A., Becker, C. et al. 2022.  Harnessing island–ocean connections to maximize marine benefits of island conservation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Vol. 119, No. 51. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2122354119. 

06 January 2023