DOCSLIB.ORG

Common Murre •.• Thick-Billed Murre

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Common Murre •.• Thick-Billed Murre j. Field Ornithol., 54(3):266-274 THE FLEDGING OF COMMON AND THICK-BILLED MURRES ON MIDDLETON ISLAND, ALASKA BY SCOTT A. HATCH Three speciesof alcids,Common and Thick-billed murres (Uria aalge and U. lornvia)and the Razorbill (Alca torda),have post-hatchingdevel- opmental patterns intermediate to precocialand semi-precocialmodes (Sealy1973). The youngleave their cliff nestsites at aboutone quarter of adult weight and completetheir growth at sea.At departure, an event here looselyreferred to as "fledging," neither primary nor secondary flight feathersare grown, but well-developedwing covertsenable lim- ited, descendingflight. The adaptivesignificance of thispattern maybe that leadingthe young to distantfeeding areasis more efficientthan lengthy foraging flights by adultsonce the chicks'energetic requirements exceed some critical level (Sealy 1973, Birkhead 1977). The risk to predation is probably greater in exposednest sitesthan at sea, contributing further to the selectiveadvantage of earlyfledging (Cody 1971, Birkhead1977). Given these constraints,however, larger chickswould be expected to better survivethe rigorsof fledging,increased activity at sea,and the vagaries of weather. Hedgren (1981) analyzed278 recoveriesof CommonMurres banded as fledglingsand found no significantrelationship between fledging weight and subsequentsurvival. This result is paradoxicalin view of a strong expectationto the contrary and evidencethat such an effect occursin other speciesof birds (Perrins 1965, Perrinset al. 1973, O'Con- ner 1976). Hedgren suggestedthe nestlingperiod of murres,averaging about3 weeks,is determinednot by a thresholdin bodysize, but by the relativelyconstant time requiredto completefeather growth.Birkhead (1977) alsoemphasized the need for chicksto attain a critical weight: wing-arearatio prior to fledging. Clearly, however,body weight and feather developmentare not mutuallyexclusive factors affecting fledg- ling survival. Murres breeding on Middleton Island, Alaska use nest siteslocated sofar from the water'sedge that direct flightsto the seaby the fledglings are impossible.In 1978, I capturednearly 400 fledglingsas they made their wayoverland to the sea.In thispaper I analyzemensural data for thesebirds with a viewto testingthe abovehypotheses regarding optimal fledging condition. My data also document population changesand breedingphenology of murres in a region for which there is little pub- lished information. STUDY AREA AND METHODS Middleton Island is in the north-central Gulf of Alaska about 115 km from the mainland and 18 km from the edge of the continental shelf 266 Vol.54, •o. • FledgingofMurres in Alaska [267 ,, I 'L,..,• Alaska \ /I ,//••', '.,--.....'"'-'-'.... ,'// /// Present low water ' ' •-'•, reefs ?'- I km F•cuRE1. Map of MiddletonIsland showing changes in the shorelineand the distribution of murres in 1978. CM, Common Murres; TBM, Thick-billed Murres. (Fig. 1). The islandis generallyflat, and reachesa maximum elevation of about 40 m on its southwestside. The Alaskan earthquakeof 1964 raisedthe islandabout 4.5 m, exposinglarge areasof previouslysub- merged land. On the east, south, and southwestthe distancebetween the sea cliffs and the present high water mark averagesabout 400 m. The intertidal zone extends another 200 to 1200 m seaward. Most murres nested near the top of a steep cliff surrounding the southernthird of the island.Nesting ledges did not exceedabout 35 m in height. The largestgroup of Common Murres, designatedthe "main colony," nestedon a broad ledge only 10-15 m high but 500 m from the high water level. Flatsbelow the cliffsconsisted of marshyground with a scatteringof large bouldersand numerousshallow ponds of fresh or brackish water. A censusof murres was carried out on 26 July when all birds were counted with a spotting scopefrom the flats. The proportions of the two speciesin the populationwere estimatedfrom the ratio of Common to Thick-billed murres in the population of chicksleaving the cliffs in August. 268] s.A. Hatch j. FieldOrn,thol. Summer 1983 Chicksfrequently did not completethe journey to seaon the same eveningthey left the cliffs,but spentone or moreof the followingdays accompaniedby adultsin the ponds.Chicks were capturedby hand duringdaily searches of the pondsbetween 26July and 16 August.Wing chord wasmeasured to the nearestmm with a stoppedruler; weight wasdetermined to within 1 g with a 300 g Pesolascale. All chickswere marked with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicemetal leg bandsat first capture,which permitted me to separaterecaptured chicks from those newlyarrived in the pondseach day. Everychick present in the ponds was captured each day, and the measurementof weight was repeated on recaptured chicks. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Censusand populationchange.--A total of 6803 murres was counted in the census.This figure agreeswith independentcounts by Gouldand Zabloudil,and Gouldand Nysewanderin 1981 and 1982, respectively (P. J. Gould, pers. comm.). Southern et al. (1965) showedthat the pro- portion of murrespresent on ledgesat any time during incubationand broodingis about 60% of the total population(including both breeders and nonbreedingnest-site holders). Extensivecounts at the Semidi Is- lands, Alaska (Hatch, unpubl• data) substantiatethis value as a conser- vativeadjustment for nest-siteattendance. Thus, the total population on MiddletonIsland in 1978 wasabout 11,000 birds(Fig. 1). Thick-billedMurres occurredonly north of the main colonyon the westside of the island.Here, theymade up about7.4% of the population, asestimated from the numberof Thick-billed Murres among311 chicks capturedin the area during fledging.I assumethe two specieshad similar nestingsuccess. The ratio agreeswith my general impressionfrom ob- servationsof birds on the ledges.Thick-billed Murres thus made up only 3% of the censustotal, or about 350 birds. Rausch(1958) visited Middleton Island in 1956 and found a popu- lation of only about 400 murres, mostlyThick-billed Murres. Thus, although the population of Thick-bills has changed little, Common Murres increasedgreatly between 1956 and 1978. The increaseis all the more remarkablein view of physicalchanges brought about by the 1964 earthquakewhich might havebeen expectedto discouragemurres from nestingon Middleton Island. The changein numbersof murres was paralleled by large increasesin the populationsof Black-legged Kittiwakes(Rissa tridactyla) and PelagicCormorants (Phalacrocorax pe- lagicus)(Hatch, unpubl. data). Timingoffledging.--The distribution of fledgingbetween 26 July and 16 Augustwas approximately normal, exceptfor a conspicuousdecline in the number of chicksleaving the cliffson 31 July and 1 August(Fig. 2). The lull occurredduring an unusualspell of foggyweather, although suchconditions might have been expectedto have the oppositeeffect. Peak numbersof birds left the cliffsas soonas the fog lifted. A few chicksprobably fledged before daily observationswere begun. vo•.54, No. • Fledgingof Murres in Alaska [269 50 Common Murres (exceptmain colony) 40 Thick-billed Murres Fog Common Murres (maincolony) '• 50 o '" 20 I0 ? I •5 50 5 July August FIGURE 2. Distributionof fledgingdates of murres on Middleton Island in 1978. On 27 May severalhundred murres were flushed from ledgesand only 3 eggswere present.This date probablymarked the commencementof egg-laying.If an incubationperiod of 33 daysand a nestlingperiod of 21 daysare assumed(Tuck 1960, Hedgren and Linnman 1979), these young shouldhave fledged about 20 July. Back-calculatingthe latest fledgingdates, I estimatethe lasteggs were laid about 23 June. There wasno discernibledifference between species in breedingphe- nology.The fledgingof CommonMurres in the main colony,however, seemedto be more synchronousthan elsewhereon the island. There was also evidencethat egg-layingmay have occurred later within the main colony(see below). Turr•overand survival in po•ds.--Lacking information on rates of breedingsuccess or the total productionof chicks,I cannotestimate the proportionof fledglingsthat remainedin the pondslong enoughto be banded.There islittle question,however, that the majorityof fledglings of both speciesreached the seawithin hoursof leavingthe cliff and were thereby excludedfrom this study. Thick-billedMurres showeda greatertendency to linger in the ponds than did Common Murres. More than 70% of Thick-billed Murres that remainedin the pondslong enoughto be bandedstayed at leastanother full day; 23c/cstill remainedafter 3 days(Fig. 3). By comparison,only 24% of CommonMurres were recapturedone or more times. 270] S.A.Hatch j. FieldOmithal. Summer 1983 Common(rl =352)Murre •.•Thick-billed (n = 22) Murre I 25 5O i i No. Days After First Capture FmURE 3. Length of residencyand mortalityof chicksin pondsafter fledging. Most chicksreceived no food while they stayedin the ponds.They lost weight at a mean rate of 17.7 g/day (samplesfor both species combined)and facedan increasedprobability of deatheach day. Of 374 chicksbanded on or before 12 August, 18% were later recovereddead. In contrast,Thick-billed Murres had cumulativemortality of nearly50% (Fig. 3). These data suggestThick-billed Murres are behaviorallyless capableof dealing with the unusualcircumstances that have existedon Middleton Island sincethe earthquake.Possibly this is a contributing factor in their failure to increase their numbers. A few chickswere fed while in the pondsand surviveda week or more in fresh water, either maintainingweight or showinglimited gl*owth. An adult wasobserved delivering a meal to one suchchick. This
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Population Status, Reproductive Ecology, and Trophic Relationships of Seabirds in Northwestern Alaska
    POPULATION STATUS, REPRODUCTIVE ECOLOGY, AND TROPHIC RELATIONSHIPS OF SEABIRDS IN NORTHWESTERN ALASKA by Alan M. Springer, Edward C. Murphy, David G. Roseneau, and Martha 1. Springer LGL Alaska Research Associates, Inc. P. O. BOX 80607 Fairbanks, Alaska 99708 Final Report Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program Research Unit 460 April 1982 127 TABLE OF CONTENTS ~ I. SUMMARY OF OBJECTIVES, CONCLUSIONS, AND IMPLICATIONS WITH RESPECT TO OCS OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT. 131 II. INTRODUCTION. 131 III. CURRENT STATEOFKNOWLEDGE . 133 IV. STUDY AREAS. 133 Va. MURRE NUMBERS - METHODS. 135 VIa. MURRE NUMBERS-RESULTS.. 140 VIIa. MURRE NUMBERS-DISCUSSION . 145 VIIb. FOOD HABITS-METHODS. 162 VIIb . FOOD HABITS-RESULTS. 163 VIIb . FOOD HABITS -DISCUSSION. , . 168 VIIc . KITTIWAKES -METHODS. 203 VIIc . KITTIWAKES -RESULTS. 204 VIIC . KITTIWAKES -DISCUSSION. 206 VIId . OTHER SPECIES-METHODS.. 209 VId & VIId. OTHER SPECIES - RESULTS AND DISCUSSION . 209 VIII. CONCLUSIONS. 231 IX. NEEDS FORFUTURESTUDY . 232 x. LITEMITURECITED. 233 129 I. SUMMARY OF OBJECTIVES, CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS WITH REGARD TO OCS OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT A. Objectives The objective of RU 460 is to describe important components of the biology of seabirds in northern Alaska, including relationships among seabirds, their supporting food webs and the physical environment. To accomplish this objective we have concentrated on studies of thick-billed murres (Uris lomvia), common murres (U. aazge) and black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyZa), the most wide-spread, and among the most numerous, of all seabird species in the region. Moreover, murres and kittiwakes are easily studied compared to other species, and are sensitive indicators of environmental change. B: Conclusions Our principal conclusions are that numbers of murres at two major breeding colonies in northern Alaska are declining and that annual vari- ability is high in a variety of elements of murre and kittiwake breeding biology.
    [Show full text]
  • Population Estimates and Temporal Trends of Pribilof Island Seabirds
    POPULATION ESTIMATES AND TEMPORAL TRENDS OF PRIBILOF ISLAND SEABIRDS by F. Lance Craighead and Jill Oppenheim Alaska Biological Research P.O. BOX 81934 Fairbanks, Alaska 99708 Final Report Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program Research Unit 628 November 1982 307 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dan Roby and Karen Brink, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, were especially helpful to us during our stay on St. George and shared their observations with us. Bob Day, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, also provided comparative data from his findings on St. George in 1981. We would like to thank the Aleut communities of St. George and St. Paul and Roger Gentry and other NMFS biologists on St. George for their hospitality and friendship. Bob Ritchie and Jim Curatolo edited an earlier version of this report. Mary Moran drafted the figures. Nancy Murphy and Patty Dwyer-Smith typed drafts of this report. Amy Reges assisted with final report preparation. Finally, we’d like to thank Dr. J.J. Hickey for initiating seabird surveys on the Pribi of Islands, which were the basis for this study. This study was funded by the Bureau of Land Management through interagency agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- tion, as part of the Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program. 308 TABLE OF CONTENTS ~ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. ● . ● . ● . ● . 308 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . ✎ . ● ✎ . ● . ● ● . ✎ . ● ● . 311 INTRODUCTION. ✎ . ● ✎ . ✎ . ✎ ✎ . ● ✎ ● . ● ✎ . 313 STUDY AREA. ● . ✎ ✎ . ✎ . ✎ ✎ . ✎ ✎ ✎ . , . ● ✎ . ● . 315 METHODS . ● . ✎
    [Show full text]
  • Alcid Identification in Massachusetts
    ALCID IDENTIFICATION IN MASSACHUSETTS by Richard R. Veit, Tuckernuck The alcldae, a northern circvimpolar family of sesbirds, are memhers of the order Charadrilformes and thus most closely related to the gulls, skuas, and shorehirds. All alcids have approximately elliptical bodies and much reduced appendages, adaptations for insulation as well as a streamlined trajectory under water. Their narrow flipperlike wings are modified to reduce drag durlng underwater propulsión, and are, therefore, comparatively inefficient for flight. Razorbills, murres, and puffins feed predominately on fish, such as the sand launce, capelin, Arctic cod, herring, and mackerel. The Dovekie, by far the smallest Atlantic alcid, eats zooplankton exclusively, such as the superabundant "krill." The Black Guillemot, unique.in its con- finement to the shallow littoral zone, feeds largely on rock eels or gunnel. As with many pelagic birds, the alcids' dependence on abundant marine food restricts them to the productive vaters of the high latitudes. Bio- logical productivity of the oceans increases markedly towards the poles, largely because the low surface temperaturas there maintain convection currents which serve to raise large quantities of dissolved mineral nu­ triente to the siirface. The resultant high concentration of nutriente near the surface of polar seas supports enormous populations of plankton and, ultimately, the fish upon which the largar alcids feed. Alcids are comparatively weak flyers and are not regularly migratory, but rather disperse from their breeding ranga only when forced to do so by freezing waters or food scarcity. Massachusetts lies at the periphery of the ranges of these birds, with the exception of the Razorbill. It i& only under exceptional circumstances, such as southward irruptions coupled with strong northeasterly storms that substantial numbers of alcids are observad along the Massachusetts coastline.
    [Show full text]
  • May 2019 Northern California Common Murre Mortality Fact Sheet Version 1.1 Last Updated June 13, 2019 by COASST with Input from Partners
    May 2019 Northern California Common Murre Mortality Fact Sheet Version 1.1 last updated June 13, 2019 by COASST with input from partners Who: The Common Murre, Uria aalge, is a medium-sized (800-1100g/28-40 oz) seabird that feeds mostly on fish but also on small invertebrates, which it hunts by diving. white underwing linings white-tipped secondaries white-tipped secondaries breeding – dark head non-breeding – white face On the Pacific Coast of North America, Common Murres breed from Monterey County, California to Cape Lisburne, Alaska. Resembling penguins, this species is generally black above and white below, the head transitioning from black in the breeding season to white with a black eye-line in the winter. The black bill is smooth, straight, and pointed. As beached birds, murres are often identified by their white-tipped secondary feathers and white underwing linings. Population Size: ~13-20 million worldwide, ~4-8 million in western North America. Upwards of 1.5 million murres breed in the "Lower 48," centered in Oregon. Longevity: up to 25 years. Clutch Size: 1 egg annually; can sometimes lay a replacement egg if the first is lost early on. Conservation Status: Abundant population, listed as “Least Concern” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. What, Where and How Many: Starting in late May 2019, beachgoers began reporting unusual numbers of Common Murres washing ashore from Sonoma County north to Humboldt County, with most reports centered in the Fort Bragg area. Reports of floating dead murres have also been forthcoming. Over 550 murre carcasses have been reported to COASST from May 22nd through June 13th.
    [Show full text]
  • Comparison of Capelin Mallotus Villosus in The
    Bennett et al.: Capelin prey of Common Murres and Northern Gannets 179 COMPARISON OF CAPELIN MALLOTUS VILLOSUS IN THE PREY LOADS OF COMMON MURRES URIA AALGE AND NORTHERN GANNETS MORUS BASSANUS FORAGING FROM THE SAME BREEDING SITE IN THE NORTHWEST ATLANTIC SETH G. BENNETT, CHANTELLE M. BURKE, APRIL HEDD & WILLIAM A. MONTEVECCHI Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Program, Psychology Department, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1B 3X7 ([email protected]) Received 22 December 2012, accepted 4 July 2013 Forage fishes often play key roles in the food web dynamics of top Species differences in diving capabilities can result in differential predators (Cury et al. 2012), especially in marine systems in which availability of capelin (i.e. capelin below 20 m are inaccessible to a diversity of large predators prey on focal forage species (Bakun gannets), while all capelin available to gannets are presumably also 2006). In such circumstances, different seabird predators often available to murres. focus on different age classes, sexes or densities of prey (Piatt 1990, Davoren & Montevecchi 2003, Frederiksen et al. 2006). To gain insight into the prey selectivity and foraging behavior of common murres, we compared simultaneous collections of murre During the energy-demanding chick-rearing period, seabird parents parental prey-loads with the prey-loads of non-breeding, roosting are constrained by foraging from, and returning to, the breeding gannets, which are not constrained by parental demands and site — a situation referred to as Central Place Foraging (CPF; are less likely to selectively target prey. Owing to their foraging Orians & Pearson 1979).
    [Show full text]
  • Trace Element Concentrations in Harvested Auks from Newfoundland: Toxicological Risk of a Traditional Hunt
    Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 115 (2015) 1–6 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ecoenv Trace element concentrations in harvested auks from Newfoundland: Toxicological risk of a traditional hunt Alexander L. Bond a,b,n, Gregory J. Robertson c, Jennifer L. Lavers d, Keith A. Hobson b, Pierre C. Ryan e a Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5E2 b Environment Canada, 11 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 3H5 c Environment Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1N 4T3 d Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 20 Castray Esplanade, Hobart, Tasmania 7004, Australia e Canadian Wildlife Service, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1N 4T3 article info abstract Article history: Common (Uria aalge) and Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia) are apex predators in the North Atlantic Received 11 February 2014 Ocean, and are also subject to a traditional hunt in Newfoundland and Labrador during the winter Received in revised form months, along with small numbers of illegally harvested Razorbills (Alca torda). Because of their high 23 January 2015 trophic position, auks are at risk from high contaminant burdens that bioaccumulate and biomagnify, Accepted 31 January 2015 and could therefore pose a toxicological risk to human consumers. We analysed trace element con- centrations from breast muscle of 51 auks collected off Newfoundland in the 2011–2012 hunting season. Keywords: There were few differences in contaminant concentrations among species. In total, 14 (27%) exceeded Alca torda Health Canada or international guidelines for arsenic, lead, or cadmium; none exceeded guidelines for Murre mercury.
    [Show full text]
  • NOTES First Record of the Bridled Morph of the Common Murre in the Pacific Annie E
    NOTES FIRST RECORD OF THE BRIDLED MORPH OF THE COMMON MURRE IN THE PACIFIC ANNIE E. SCHMIDT, Department of Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, California 95616 and PRBO Conservation Science, Marine Ecology Division, 3820 Cypress Drive #11, Petaluma California 94954; [email protected] PETE WARZYBOK, PRBO Conservation Science, Marine Ecology Division, 3820 Cypress Drive #11, Petaluma California 94954 The Common Murre (Uria aalge) is one of the most numerous marine birds in the Northern Hemisphere (Ainley et al. 2002), widely distributed in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In the Atlantic, breeding colonies range from eastern Canada to Iceland, the British Isles, and Norway. In the Pacific, the species breeds in the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, Sea of Okhotsk, and down the west coast of North America into California (Gaston et al. 1998). Northern populations tend to move south in the winter and are generally restricted to waters of the continental shelf (Gaston et al. 1998). Atlantic populations are frequently dimorphic, with the “bridled” morph distin- guished from the nonbridled by having a white eye-ring and white extending down the auricular groove. Bridling is thought to be controlled by a recessive variant of a single gene on one of the autosomes (Jefferies and Parslow 1976). The proportion of the bridled morph in Atlantic increases from south to north, particularly in the eastern Atlantic, from 0% bridled in Portugal through Britain and Norway to 50% bridled at Bear Island, Svalbard (Birkhead 1984). Aside from a report of a single male with incomplete bridling (white down the auricular groove but not around the eye) at Cape Thompson, Alaska (Swartz 1966), the bridled morph has never been reported in the Pacific.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Prey Consumption of a Dominant Seabird, the Common Murre, in the California Current System
    1046 Annual prey consumption of a dominant seabird, the common murre, in the California Current system Jennifer E. Roth, Nadav Nur, Pete Warzybok, and William J. Sydeman Roth, J. E., Nur, N., Warzybok, P., and Sydeman, W. J. 2008. Annual prey consumption of a dominant seabird, the common murre, in the California Current system. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 1046–1056. Information compiled from the literature on population size, diet composition, field metabolic rate, prey energy densities, and assi- milation efficiency is used to estimate annual prey consumption by common murres (Uria aalge), between Cape Blanco, OR, and Point Conception, CA, USA. The population consumed an estimated 172 313 t of prey based on population estimates and diet data from the mid- to the late 1980s, including 50 125 t consumed by breeding adults, 36 940 t by non-breeding birds during the breeding season, 85 098 t by all birds during the wintering period, and 150 t by dependent chicks before their leaving the breeding colonies. The popu- lation in the mid-2000s consumed 225 235 t of prey based on population estimates from 2004, including 65 516 t consumed by breed- ing adults, 48 283 t by non-breeding birds during the breeding season, 111 226 t by all birds during the wintering period, and 210 t by chicks at breeding colonies. Monte Carlo simulations indicated that the coefficients of variation around our overall prey consumption estimates were +14.4% for the 1980s and +13.2% for the 2000s. Keywords: bioenergetics model, common murre, ecosystem-based management, top predators, Uria aalge.
    [Show full text]
  • Digestion Strategies of North Atlantic Seabirds
    Digestion Strategies of North Atlantic Seabirds Geoff M. Hilton Presented in candidature for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, to the Faculty of Science, University of Glasgow. April 1998. ProQuest Number: 13815589 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 13815589 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 This thesis is dedicated with love, to Robert Hilton and Phyllis Firth. A cknowledgements I am grateful to Professor Graeme Coombs and to Professor Felicity Huntingford, Heads of Zoology (as it was) and Environmental & Evolutionary Biology (as it is) respectively, for allowing me to come and study in Glasgow. I would also like to record my thanks to my co-supervisors, David Houston and Bob Furness, for three and a half years of support, advice and encouragement. It has been a privilege to be part of their research groups. Their unfailing ability to pull rabbits from hats, just as the logistical nightmares of this project were overwhelming me, never ceased to amaze me. My colleagues, particularly the members, ex-members and near-members of room 512 have made my time in Glasgow productive and enjoyable.
    [Show full text]
  • Black-Legged Kittiwakes, Common Murres, and Pelagic Cormorants
    - ~ . '· - U B.R. '· · USFW~ Anchorage Population and Productivity Surveys of Black-Legged Kittiwakes, Common Murres, and Pelagic Cormorants at Cape Peirce, Alaska, Summer 1987 by Lisa Haggblom and Allyn O'Neil Togiak NWR ·Volunteers Key Words: black-legged kittiwake, common murre, pelagic cormorant, Cape Peirce, seabird population, seabird productivity U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Togiak National Wildlife Refuge P.O. Box 270 Dillingham, Alaska 99576 I' . Novembe r 30, 1987 ' j ... \ . .,-· ., ( .. 1 INTRODUCTION There is a growing ·concern over the recent decline of many seabird species in the Bering Sea. Cape Peirce, within Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, reportedly has the largest seabird colony along the mainland coast of Alaska <Lloyd, 1985). The refuge has enlisted the help.of volunteers to monitor seabird populations and productivity at Cape Peirce sine~ 1984, althoucih seabird studies have been conducted intermittently since 1976 •. · A cabin to house researchers is within walking distance of the major bird colonies at Cape Peirce, making the area convenient for thes~ studies <Figure• ~and 2>. The primary species, to which this study is devoted, are black-legged kittiwakes CRissa tridactyla>, common murres CUria aalge>, and pelagic cormorants <Phalacrocora>:,,pelagicus). Horned and tufted puffins <Fratercul a cor·ni CLtl ata and · rhata> , pigeon guillemots (Cepphus calumba), and glaL us-winge gulls CLarus glaucescens) also nest at the Cape an~'f¥ ai·ak Island, but in lower numbers. / USFWS 11\pchorage MATERIALS .AND METHODS Population Counts The 1987 seabird study . began May 25, shortly after volunteers arrived at Cape Peirce, and ended September 9. Black­ legged kittiwakes, common murres, and pelagic cormorants were studied because they were most visible on the cliff ledges and the most ~bundant species.
    [Show full text]
  • Recovery of the Common Murre (Uria Aalge) in Central California
    Recovery of the Common Murre (Uria aalge) in Central California Gerard J. McChesney*, Harry R. Carter, Michael W. Parker, Richard T. Golightly, Phillip J. Capitolo, Lisa E. Eigner, Sandra J. Rhoades, and Stephen W. Kress ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Apex Houston Trustee Council Command Trustee Council Luckenbach Trustee Council California Department of Fish and Game NOAA - Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Point Reyes National Seashore California Coastal National Monument U.S. Geological Survey - WERC Common Murre Marine, diving birds: feed on small fish, krill, squid; Colonial; Population in CA has changed dramatically since 19th century. South Farallon Islands First Decline: 1848-1959 Common Murre population size, South Farallon Islands, 1850-1959. Data from Ainley & Lewis (1974), Carter et al. (2001). 1960-1982: Partial Recovery . In 1969, the South Farallon Islands were protected in the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge. Murre colony on Farallones increased to 103,000 breeding birds by 1982. Central California population estimated 200,000 breeding birds in 1979-1982. 1983-1995: Second decline Common Murres caught in a gill net. Oiled Common Murre on a California beach. DEVIL’S SLIDE ROCK . Between 1982-1986, a colony of nearly 3,000 murres was extirpated. 1996-2010: Path to recovery In 1996, murre colony restoration began with settlement funds from the Apex Houston oil spill. Set gill net fishery in central California discontinued – murre mortality reduced. Productive ocean and foraging conditions. Murre population responded with increases. COMMON MURRE RESTORATION DEVIL’S SLIDE ROCK 600 Territorial sites 500 Breeding sites 117 400 86 300 51 200 84 394 361 88 45 43 23 100 190 9 10 16 164 113 123 110 5 9 13 100 6 70 0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 “Social attraction” restoration plot.
    [Show full text]
  • A Complex Copy Number Variant Underlies Differences in Both Colour Plumage and Cold Adaptation in A
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/507384; this version posted December 28, 2018. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. A complex copy number variant underlies differences in both colour plumage and cold adaptation in a dimorphic seabird. Anna Tigano1,4,*, Tone K. Reiertsen2, James R. Walters3, Vicki L. Friesen1 1Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7K 3N6, Canada 2Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), FRAM - High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment, 9296 Tromsø, Norway 3Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66046, USA 4Present address: Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA *Correspondence: [email protected] Highlights • Differences in plumage colour in Atlantic common murres are associated with different thermal adaptations • A single region is highly differentiated between bridled and unbridled morphs • A complex copy number variant in a non-coding region underlies the dimorphism • Transposable elements and adaptive introgression from the thick-billed murre seem to explain the origin of the dimorphism SUMMARY Colour morphs associated with different physiological adaptations offer unique opportunities to study the genomic basis of otherwise elusive adaptive traits. These complex balanced polymorphisms are often controlled by groups of tightly linked genes, and understanding how these ‘supergenes’ evolve and are maintained is an active area of research in evolutionary biology (Shwander et al.
    [Show full text]