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Reproductive Success of Nesting Terns and Black Skimmers On REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS OF NESTING TERNS AND BLACK SKIMMERS ON THE CENTRAL TEXAS COAST A Thesis by RACHEL R. FERN Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University and the Graduate Faculty of The Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the joint degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Chair of Committee, Kim Withers Committee Members, John Tunnell Graham Hickman Head of Department, Gilbert Rowe December 2013 Major Subject: Marine Biology Copyright 2013 Rachel R. Fern REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS OF NESTING TERNS AND BLACK SKIMMERS ON THE CENTRAL TEXAS COAST A Thesis prepared by RACHEL R. FERN Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the joint degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE ! ! ! ! November,!2013! ! ! ! ! Major!Subject:!Marine!Biology! ABSTRACT Reproductive Success of Nesting Terns and Black Skimmers on the Central Texas Coast (October, 2013) Rachel R. Fern, B.S., Texas State University M.S., Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Kim Withers Seabirds are top predators at sea and are particularly sensitive to changes in the marine environment. This gives them significant potential as bioindicators of the current state of and shifts in marine ecosystems. Nest site selection is important because the demands of reproduction can be substantial and the reproducing pair is often confined to the area selected for the duration of the breeding season. Location of the nest in relation to vegetative cover, colony density and richness can strongly influence reproductive success via exposure to predators or weather events and competition for food resources and optimal nest sites. Additionally, the timing of nesting in the breeding season can influence the outcome of the breeding effort due to storm events and increasing ambient temperatures. This study defines temporal effects and correlations between reproductive success of nesting terns and skimmers and environmental characteristics of the nest site: area (ha), vegetative coverage, Spartina spp. coverage, elevation, nest density, assemblage richness and human disturbance. The four species included in this research (Forster’s Tern Sterna forsteri, Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica, Least Tern Sternula antillarum and Black Skimmer Rhynchops niger) were monitored at various nesting sites during the 2012 and 2013 breeding seasons. Reproductive success of Forster’s Terns ! i! seemed to be influenced by human disturbance, nest density and species richness of the nest site. Elevation and Spartina spp. coverage both positively influenced the success of Least Terns. The nesting success of Gull-billed Terns was positively correlated with elevation and species richness of the nest site, and success of Black Skimmers was negatively correlated with species richness and positively correlated with elevation. All species that nested early in the breeding season suffered nest failure due to storm events; however, Gull-billed Terns were only marginally impacted. Establishing these correlations in environmental nest site characteristics and reproductive success of nesting terns and skimmers provides a baseline understanding of tern and skimmer breeding biology in the central Coastal Bend region of Texas, which may assist future management decisions and restoration efforts. ! ii! TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………….. i TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………………. iii LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………… iv LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………….. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………….. vi BACKGROUND AND RELEVANCE…………………………………………… 1 SPECIES DESCRIPTIONS……………………………………………………….. 4 OBJECTIVES………………………………………………………………………. 7 METHODS………………………………………………………………………….. 8 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION……………………………………………………. 13 Forster’s Tern Sterna forsteri ……………………………………………... 13 Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica……………………………………. 18 Least Tern Sternula antillarum……………………………………………. 21 Black Skimmer Rynchops niger…………………………………………… 25 TRENDS AND MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS……………………………. 30 LITERATURE CITED……………………………………………………………. 33 ! iii! LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Data measured for all nest site environmental characteristics: area, elevation, Spartina coverage, vegetative cover, disturbance and richness…....................14 Table 2. Nesting success data for Forster’s Terns at the NBSR and Oso Bay sites pooled for the 2012 and 2013 breeding seasons……………………………………15 Table 3. Pearson’s correlation coefficients for relationships between measured environmental nest site characteristics and reproductive success of Forster’s, Least, and Gull-billed Terns and Black Skimmers……………………………………....15 Table 4. Nesting success data for Gull-billed Terns at the NBSR and Oso Bay sites pooled for the 2012 and 2013 breeding seasons……………………………………19 Table 5. Nesting success data for Least Terns at the NBSR and Campus beach sites pooled for the 2012 and 2013 breeding seasons.…………………………………...22 Table 6. Nesting success data for Black Skimmers at the NBSR and TxDoT island sites pooled for the 2012 and 2013 breeding seasons…………………………….26 ! iv! LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 1. Map showing study sites in the central Coastal Bend region of Texas.…………………………………………………………………………….……..9 Fig. 2. Map showing the ten islands within site 4, the Nueces Bay Salt Marsh Restoration site that were monitored during the 2012 and 2013 breeding season……….10 Fig. 3. Temporal distribution of total nest density, initiation, and success of nesting Forster’s Terns at the NBSR site pooled from the 2012 and 2013 breeding seasons…………………………………………………………………………15 Fig.!4.!Temporal distribution of total nest density, initiation, and success of nesting Forster’s Terns at the Oso Bay site pooled from the 2012 and 2013 breeding seasons…………………………………………………………………………16 Fig. 5. Temporal distribution of total nest density, initiation, and success of nesting Gull-billed Terns at the NBSR site pooled from the 2012 and 2013 breeding seasons…………………………………………………………………………19 Fig. 6. Temporal distribution of total nest density, initiation, and success of nesting Gull-billed Terns at the Oso Bay site pooled from the 2012 and 2013 breeding seasons…………………………………………………………………………20 Fig. 7. Temporal distribution of total nest density, initiation, and nest success for nesting Least Terns at the NBSR site pooled for the 2012 and 2013 breeding seasons…………………………………………………………………………22 Fig. 8. Temporal distribution of total nest density, initiation, and nest success for nesting Least Terns at the Campus beach site pooled for the 2012 and 2013 breeding seasons…………………………………………………………………………23 Fig. 9. Temporal distribution of total nest density, initiation and success of nesting Black Skimmers at the NBSR site pooled for the 2012 and 2013 seasons…………………………………………………………………………………...26 Fig. 10. Temporal distribution of total nest density, initiation and success of nesting Black Skimmers at the NBSR site pooled for the 2012 and 2013 seasons…………………………………………………………………………………...27 Fig. 11. Temporal distribution of total nest density, initiation and success of nesting Black Skimmers at the TxDoT leased island pooled for the 2012 and 2013 seasons…………………………………………………………………………………...27 ! v! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to, first, thank my advisor Dr. Kim Withers, and my committee members, Dr. John W. Tunnell and Dr. Graham C. Hickman for their help and guidance in the completion of this graduate thesis. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the Center of Coastal Studies for the use of vehicles and equipment as well as providing funding through the Hans and Patricia Suter Endowment Fund. Also, I would like to offer a genuine thank you to the Coastal Bend Audubon Society for their generous financial contribution. Additionally, I want to express my appreciation for David Newstead and Owen Fitzsimmons of the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program and Beau Hardegree of United States Fish and Wildlife Service for their patience and assistance throughout the duration of this research. This project would have never succeeded without your help. I would also like to thank my field help: Lee Schoech, Lindsey George, Jessica Durgin and Jacob Harrison. I would have not been able to complete the field monitoring alone, and I sincerely appreciate the time each of you took to help make this happen. To my family, although you are many miles away, your support for my educational strides is felt, and I appreciate your patience and eagerness to provide me with emotional, financial or physical support whenever it is needed. To everyone that helped me through this process, thank you. ! vi! ! 1! BACKGROUND AND RELEVANCE Although most seabirds spend the majority of their time in pelagic zones, their influence on the coastal environment can be substantial. Terns (Family Sternidae) in particular, are top marine predators at sea and carry nutrients from the open ocean to terrestrial systems where they can significantly alter plant communities and soil properties (Moller et al. 2000). Considering the integral role they play in linking pelagic and coastal landscapes, discerning the interactions between seabirds and the environment is crucial in establishing any baseline understanding of coastal ecology. Terns show particular sensitivity to biotic changes in the marine environment and these changes often manifest in abnormal reproductive behavior or output (Le Corre and Jaquemet 2004). Thus, terns have significant potential as bioindicators in marine ecosystems
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