The Critically Endangered Newell’s Shearwater Puffinus newelli, one of the species featured in the publication, photograph by Lindsay Young

David Ainley (HT Harvey & Associates, Los Gatos, California, USA) and colleagues have published in the open-access journal Marine Ornithology on ‘floating’ adult seabirds that are able to breed but choose not to.  “Floaters are individuals in a population that are physiologically mature and able to breed but do not because they lack suitable breeding habitat, lack mates, or are dissuaded by the presence of predators.”

The paper’s abstract follows:

“'Floating' portions of seabird populations (mature but non-breeding individuals) are generally ignored in seabird research and management despite frequent evidence of their existence, especially in cavity-nesting species for whom nest habitat is often limiting. Here we demonstrate, using a few among an appreciable number of cases, that often more adults contribute to regional populations than colony-based censuses reveal, and that these birds are able to breed but do not. Once given the chance through the creation of nesting habitat, either by natural or human-caused processes, these populations reveal themselves by occupying the newly created habitats to become breeders. We include a brief discussion of the degree to which natal philopatry contributes to relatively sudden colony establishment. Not recognizing the existence of floating populations due to exclusively colony-based management, which is often politically necessary (e.g., Wildlife Refuge management), hinders conservation because it ignores the source and role of potential immigrants. Instead, management tends to emphasize supposed natal philopatry. Floaters will exploit mortality-caused vacancies in a breeding population, masking temporal variation in adult mortality, falsely indicating colony-size stability as a measure of the ‘health' or resilience of a colony/habitat. In addition, the most successful efforts at establishing new colonies or restoring others by ‘social attraction' are those in which a floating population is present, although unrecognized until it is revealed by the social attraction ‘experiment.' Success comes when the artificially established breeding aggregation becomes an attractant to ‘floaters.' Thus, recruitment of these floaters (especially on a predator-free colony or island) accelerates the limited growth provided by the return of hand-raised translocated nestlings. A lack of appreciation for the presence of floaters also limits the validity of assessments of the impact of bird wrecks and the ability of populations."

Reference:

Ainley, D.G., Divoky, G.J., Baird, P. & Spencer, G.C. 2024.  ‘Floating populations’ of seabirds: the bane of demographic modelers and managers.  Marine Ornithology 52: 379-386.

06 November 2024

 
Patricia Serafini presents her talk “Biochemical and molecular biomarkers in Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus and associations to marine pollution” at the 16th International Seabird Conference in Coimbra, Portugal in September 2024

Patricia Pereira Serafini is a Brazilian wildlife veterinarian specializing in ecology and conservation, particularly focusing on albatrosses, petrels and other seabirds.  She is also Co-convenor of ACAP’s Population and Conservation Status Working Group (PaCSWG).

Patricia is an environmental analyst at the National Center for Research and Conservation of Wild Birds (CEMAVE/ICMBio/Ministry of Environment), in Brazil.  Her expertise lies in a One Health approach to the conservation crisis facing pelagic seabirds, and her research involves population monitoring, molecular biology, biochemistry, ecotoxicology and epidemiology.  Currently she is on a study visit to the United Kingdom and has spent the last few months based at the Department of Biology, University of Oxford, with fieldwork conducted on Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus on the three United Kingdom islands of Skomer, Wales, Lighthouse (Copeland Bird Observatory), Northern Ireland, and Rum, Scotland.

 
Manx Shearwater at night in the biggest colony in the world on the island of Skomer. Wales, UK, photograph during field work by Patricia Serafini

Patricia is currently undertaking PhD research at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) in southern Brazil, investigating the health impact of ocean pollution on albatrosses and petrels, using mostly a molecular approach.  She writes:

“My PhD research focuses on assessing how environmental impacts affect pelagic seabirds at biochemical and molecular levels. Through research collaborations with the University of Oxford and the British Antarctic Survey, our work bridges important research institutions across continents.  The study addresses a critical gap in our understanding of ocean pollution's impact on pelagic seabirds.  Although plastic ingestion and pollutants are frequently detected in albatrosses and petrels, the mere presence of contaminants doesn't necessarily indicate immediate threats to their health and survival.  Population-level impacts from chronic pollution may take years to become detectable, highlighting the importance of understanding sublethal effects.

“Using Manx Shearwaters as a model procellariiform species, so far we have analysed 155 liver samples from seabirds stranded along Brazilian beaches.  The study revealed significant associations between specific pollutants and sub-lethal responses:

Organochlorine pesticides (particularly Mirex and Drins) showed significant associations with biotransformation enzymatic activity
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) demonstrated notable impacts on classical ecotoxicological molecular biomarkers
Higher levels of certain pollutants appear to suppress rather than stimulate biotransformation gene transcription
HCB showed potential endocrine-disrupting effects at a molecular level
Interestingly, no consistent correlation was found between plastic ingestion and the selected ecotoxicological biomarkers for Manx Shearwaters.”

More information is available in the published first chapter of Patricia’s thesis.

Patricia continues: “My research is now advancing into an exciting new phase focusing on two ACAP-listed species, the Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans and Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche chlororhynchos.  Through a collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio) and Instituto Tecnológico Vale (ITV), high-quality, chromosome-level genome sequencing and liver transcriptome data have been obtained for both species.  Our current work focuses on completing the genome/transcriptome assembly and annotation for these remarkable seabirds.  This groundbreaking genetic work aims to understand better these magnificent seabirds’ phenotypic plasticity, responses to xenobiotics and immunity under anthropogenic pressure.  The project is scheduled for completion in 2026.”

All smiles at the 11th Meeting of the ACAP Advisory Committee, May 2019.  From left Tatiana Neves, Advisory Committee Vice Chair, John Cooper, ACAP Emeritus Information Officer and Patricia Serafini

Patricia concludes that her PhD research demonstrates the value of seabirds as indicators of marine pollution and will provide new tools for detecting sublethal impacts before they manifest at population levels.  These early indicators could prove crucial for informing timely management decisions to protect these remarkable species.

The Black-browed Albatross is a regular visitor to the waters of Brazil

On a more personal note I have met Patricia at several ACAP meetings, the last in 2019 in her home country when she most ably co-hosted the 11th Meeting of the ACAP Advisory Committee.  She has also willingly and efficiently provided Portuguese texts for an ongoing series of ACAP Species Infographics for the six ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels that regularly visit Brazilian waters.  It remains a pleasure to continue to work with her!

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 05 November 2024

Geraldine on Sand Island, Midway Atoll in October 2024, photograph by Chris Forster

UPDATE:  George and Geraldine are now reported as sharing incubation stints on an egg so their seventh breeding season is properly underway.  News from the Facebook page of the Friends of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.

George incubating

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Everyone’s favourite couple, George and Geraldine, the sole breeding Short-tailed Albatross Phoebastria albatrus pair on the USA’s Midway Atoll,have returned to Sand Island.

The Facebook page of the Friends of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge has reported this month: “Chris Forster with Government Chugach Solutions sighted and then photographed Geraldine who appeared to be looking around to find her mate George but soon took off.  A few days later both Geraldine and her mate George were spotted by the wildlife cam”.

This will be the seventh breeding season for the famous pair, which to date has raised five chicks to fledging – some of which have been seen back on the atoll as juveniles, giving hope for more breeding pairs in time.

Access earlier articles in ACAP Latest News on previous breeding seasons from here.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 23 October 2024, upfdated 04 November 2024

Northern Royal Albatross by ABUN artist Lenina Villela‎ for ACAP

Thirty-three chicks of the 2023/24 breeding season have left the mainland colony of globally Endangered and Nationally Vulnerable Northern Royal Albatrosses Diomedea sanfordi at Pukekura/Taiaroa Head near Dunedin, North Island, New Zealand, according to a Department of Conservation media release.

“Coastal Otago ranger Sharyn Broni said it was a fantastic breeding season, equalling last year for the most chicks successfully fledged in a season.”  Last year, when 33 chicks also fledged, was the then best breeding season; the previous highest number of chicks fledging was 30 in the 2020/2021 season.  The colony has grown from one breeding pair in 1937 to more than 60 pairs in 2024. (click here).  One chick died due to ingesting plastic regurgitated to it by a parent.

The 2023/2024 Royal Cam chick (named Kiwa) fledged on 23 September with a GLS (and colour band) fitted, photograph from Department of Conservation

“We’re also researching where the fledging toroa go with two types of trackers.  Global Location Sensors (GLS) were fitted to 20 fledglings, to record location data for three years. GLS tags record ambient light level to determine the birds’ approximate location. The data [are] stored so we will recover [them] from the tags when the birds return to the colony in four to ten years.  Global Positioning System tracking tags were fitted to another 10 fledglings, thanks to crowdfunding by the Royal Albatross Centre. These trackers are solar powered and give us accurate, real-time updates of the bird’s position for about a year.  Some of this year’s fledglings have almost made it to South America already.”

Recently fledged Northern Royal Albatrosses are now being tracked across the Pacific Ocean to South America

Read more here.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 01 November 2024