Lecture 15 - Birds & Sea Turtles & Citizen Science

what are marine birds classified as?

• Phylum Chordata, Class Aves

what does the classification of Aves consist of?

seabirds and shorebirds

what are characteristics of marine birds?

• Air-breathers

•  Birds are endothermic (warm-blooded) and can regulate their own body temperature

• Can produce their own body heat and don’t depend on external heat sources

• However, during egg development, embryos are ectothermic

• Feathers help with insulation and help birds fly

what are characteristics of seabirds?

• Have webbed feet for moving through water, waterproof plumage (feathers), and glands near their eyes to remove excess salt

• Long-lived species

• Most seabirds have some degree of loss in their ability to walk on land (except gulls)

how far do seabirds travel?

• Seabirds travel great distances across the sea and breed on offshore islands/
  isolated coastal area

what do seabird feed of off?

• Feed on small prey (krill) and larger prey (fish)

  • Feeding involves diving or underwater swimming

where to seabirds usually breed?

• in colonies, in isolation away from predators

what are sea birds believed to be?

monogamous (having or involving a sexual relationship with only one partner at a time)

what are the 5 commonly known seabirds?

1. gulls 

2. pelicans 

3. albatrosses

4. puffins 

5. penguins

what are the characteristics of penguins?

• Flightless birds

• Excellent swimmers

• Dive for their food (10-30 m)

• Live in cold environments (Antarctica and sub-Antarctic)

• Insulation by layer of blubber and thick layer of feathers; some penguins huddle for warmth

what are the stories behind the albatross?

• Considered bad luck in maritime folklore, especially if it is killed or dies on a ship

• Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”

• “Albatross” is used as a metaphor for a source of frustration or guilt

how are albatrosses also considered good luck?

• One flying overhead could mean the soul of a lost sailor is there to protect ship or bring needed winds

what are characteristics of albatrosses

• Large seabirds

• Noted for large wingspans

  • Gliders

• Colonial, bred on open and windswept ground

  • Mate for life

• Spend 80% of their life at sea

• It has the longest incubation time of any bird
  (on average, 79 days)

what are the characteristics of pelicans?

• Large birds

• Mainly tropical, but some species nest in Arctic and Antarctic environment

• Mostly feed on fishes

  • Some species also feed on crustaceans, amphibians, turtles, and other birds

• Some hunt in groups

• Diverse hunting from diving to underwater swimming

• Use elastic throat pouches to scoop up fish, crayfish, tadpoles, and other aquatic creatures

  • Can hold up to 3 gallons of water

  • Do not store food in their pouches

what are characteristics of Gulls?

• Feed on fishes

•  Often very abundant

• Found breeding in a wide variety of shorelines and island habitats

•  Gulls live in many areas of the world (coastlines, bays, lakes)

• Stay close to land, but some travel inland to find food

• Mainly eat fish, insects, mollusks, crustaceans, worms, mice, young birds, bird eggs, seaweed, and berries

• Scavengers

what is courtship?

• Usually involves elaborate displays

• Mating pairs may be formed before or after a nesting site is chosen

• Some species, the mated pairs build the nest together

what are some behaviors of a courtship?

• Head-bobbing

• Feeding

• Rotating bills

• Flapping lower mandible

• Occasional dances

• Pronounced strutting by males

• Giving gifts

nesting is a type of breeding, do all nests very?

• Nesting sites vary in substratum type, degree of slope, and degree of isolation

what are colonial breeders?

• Many species share a given area

what is the breeding cycle?

• Nest site establishment

• Egg laying and incubation

• Fledging (period between hatching and first flight)

how many eggs can a female bird lay?

• One to several eggs can be laid by a female, depending on species

why are seabirds important (short)?

• Ecosystem indicators

• Aid in nutrient transfer

• Seed dispersal

• Environmental engineers

• Contaminant biomagnification

• Food web dynamics

why are seabirds important?

• Ecosystem indicators

• Aid in nutrient transfer

  • Ex: Guano fertilizes soil

•  Seed dispersal

• Environmental engineers

  • Change the environment with burrowing activities

• Contaminant biomagnification

  • Can accumulate contaminants, which can be released into the environment

    • Another indicator of ecosystem health

• Food web dynamics

  • Near-apex predators

what are the 5 types of birds dependent on terrestrial sites?

1. Oystercatchers

2. Plovers, turnstones, surfbirds

3. Sandpipers

4. Avocets, stilts

5. Phalarope

how do shorebirds nest?

• Dependent on terrestrial sites for nesting

  • Migrate between winter feeding grounds and spring-summer nesting grounds

what do shorebirds feed on?

• feed primarily on intertidal soft-bottom and rocky-shore organisms

• Nests are usually simple, sometimes scrapes in the ground, or adorned with
  pebbles or shells

what are predations on shorebirds?

• Predation on eggs by other birds and mammals common

  • Parents try to divert predator attention away from the nest

how does feeding behaviors differ in shorebirds ?

• Many different foraging behaviors and beak types

how do plovers feed?

• Running and stabbing prey with beak

how do Ruddy turnstones feed?

• (GENERAL) chiseling and hammering

  • Use bills to excavate clams and chisel them open

how do oystercatchers feed?

• (GENERAL) chiseling and hammering

  • may chisel a hole in oyster/mussel or bash shell against a rock; can also plunge beak into shell and severe adductor muscle

how do phalaropes feed?

• Swim in the water and use whirling motion to concentrate crustaceans, using a tweezering motion of the beak

how do sandpipers feed?

• Pecking and probing

why are shore birds important (short)?

• Nutrient and energy exchange

• Indicators of ecosystem health

• Coastal wetland restoration

• Biofilm production/feeding

• Conservation

why are shore birds important?

• Nutrient and energy exchange

  • Exchange nutrients between the land and sea

• Indicators of ecosystem health

• Coastal wetland restoration

  • Regulate crab populations (crabs graze on wetland vegetation)

• Biofilm production/feeding

  • Feeding structures help produce biofilm, which contain essential fatty acids to help shorebirds fly

    • Biofilm on mudflats rich in diatoms and other microorganisms

• Conservation

  • Tracking data from shorebirds helps inform conservation actions

what are some threats to marine birds?

• Predation

• Loss of breeding/nesting/resting habitat

• Food scarcity

  • Less food results in longer fledging period

• Oil spills

  • Coat feathers in oil; affects insulation, causes birds to ingest harmful toxins

• Bycatch

• Invasive species

  • Cause local and global seabird extinctions

• Overfishing

• Collisions

• Climate change

  • Changing ecosystems alters the food web; birds need to travel farther to find food

• Plastic pollution

  • Ingestion or entanglement

what are the three immediate responses with marine bird rescue?

1. check 

2. call 

3. care

what does it mean to check?

• Check: Assess the situation from a safe distance to understand the bird’s
  condition and potential injuries.

what does it mean to call?

• Call: Contact a local wildlife rescue organization, stranding network, or
  permitted rehabilitator.

  • Only trained and authorized individuals should attempt to assist animals

what does it mean to care?

• Care: Follow the instructions of the professionals

  • In some cases, this may involve keeping the bird in a quiet, dark, and
    ventilated space until help arrives

what does it mean to do a assessment?

check the birds condition to determine if it needs immediate medical attention

what does it mean to do a safe handling?

using proper techniques and equipment to prevent further injury during capture

what does it mean to do medical treatment?

administer care for fractures, dehydration, infections, or poisoning

what does it mean to do rehabilitation?

• provide a stress-free environment with proper nutrition and exercise

what does it mean to release?

return health birds to their natural habitats once they are fit to survive on their own

what are general information on sea turtles?

• Phylum Chordata, Class Reptilia

• Air-breathers

• Well-known for their nesting habits

  • Female sea turtles lay eggs on specific beaches and migrate between the beach and seasonal feeding grounds, great distances away.

• 1 in every 1,000 hatchlings survives to adulthood

how is the sex of a sea turtle determined?

It’s determined by temperature

• Eggs that incubate below 81.86° Fahrenheit (27.7° Celsius) will hatch into male turtles

• Eggs that incubate above 88.8° Fahrenheit (31° Celsius) will hatch into female turtles

• Eggs that incubate between these temperatures will hatch into a mix of male and female turtles

how many species of sea turtles are there?

7

what are the 7 types of sea turtle species?

1. Loggerhead

2. Green

3. Kemp’s ridley

4. Olive ridley

5. Flatback

6. Leatherback

7. Hawksbill

which is the biggest sea turtle?

a leatherback

what process do hatchling do to go to the sea?

• Move toward the horizon.

• Move in the opposite direction of arriving waves (out to sea)

• Move in the orientation of the earth’s magnetic field

• Once in sea, looks for kept forests to hide in and grow to juvenile size

• Juveniles move into coastal waters, mangroves, or estuaries

do sea turtles eat jellies?

yes, but they eat other species too

what are a green sea turtles eating habits?

• Herbivorous

•  Primary prey:

  • Seagrasses

  • Algae

• Young turtles are not strict herbivores

  • Feed on pelagic snails

• Adults may eat sponges, jellies, and sea
  cucumbers

what are a loggerhead sea turtles eating habits?

• Carnivorous

• Primary prey:

  • Crabs

  • Mollusks

  • Sea pens

• Mollusk shells are a good source of calcium

•  In mid-water, loggerheads mainly feed on gelatinous prey (jellies)

• May also eat seaweed

what are a hawksbill sea turtles eating habits?

• Indiscriminate omnivores

• Primary prey:

  • Sponges

  • Tunicates

• Do not feed on sponges with spongin

• Will eat calcareous algae for added calcium for eggshell production

• Other prey items may include bryozoans, soft corals, mollusks, and marine plants

what are Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles eating habits?

• Carnivorous

• Primary prey:

  • Crabs

• Also feed on fish, sea urchins, squid, mollusks, and jellies

• Gut content analysis studies indicate they also feed on seahorses

what are Olive Ridley sea turtles eating habits?

• Carnivorous

• Feed in open waters, shallow benthic waters, and near estuaries

• Primary prey:

  • Mollusks

  • Crustaceans

  • Fish

• Also consume gelatinous prey items: Tunicates, jellies, salps, and bryozoans

what are Flatback sea turtles eating habits?

• Diet of flatbacks is poorly documented

• Feed in shallow coastal waters with high turbidity

• Stomach content analysis includes corals, jellies, mollusks, bryozoans, and snails

what are leatherback sea turtles eating habits?

• Forages in the open ocean

• Feeds primarily on gelatinous prey:

  • Jellies

  • Salps

  • Tunicates

  • Ctenophores
    (comb jellies)

  • Sea butterflies

why are sea turtles important (short)?

• maintain marine ecosystems

• transport nutrients

• maintain and cultivate seagrass through grazing

• aid in the dispersal of coral larvae in fecal material

• cultural significance

• tourism

why are sea turtles important?

• Maintain marine ecosystems

  •  Key part of food web – regulates populations of other organisms

• Transport nutrients

  • Carry nutrients from ocean to beaches and coastal dunes (stronger vegetation, combats erosion)

• Maintain and cultivate seagrass through grazing

  • Cultivation provides important breeding and development grounds for many species of fish, shellfish, and crustaceans

• Aid in the dispersal of coral larvae in fecal material

• Cultural significance

  • Symbol of strength, longevity, and wisdom in many coastal indigenous tribes, including Hawaii

• Tourism

what are the threats to sea turtles?

• Commercial fishing (bycatch)

• Recreational fishing (fishhooks)

  • Feeding on discarded fish may result in nutritional issues

  • May accidentally eat fishhooks

• Marine debris (entanglement)

• Poaching

  • Sea turtles hunted for eggs, meat, skin, and shells

• Climate change

• Sea level rise

• Ocean acidification (indirectly)

  • Affects their source of calcium

• Loss of nesting habitat (beach erosion, coastal development

• Disease

• Beach activities can disrupt nests

• Artificial lighting

  • Can lead hatchlings away from the sea

• Vessel strikes (boats and ships)

• Plastic pollution (accidental ingesting)

• Changing ocean currents

what is beach erosion?

• Loss of or displacement of land; long-term removal of sediment and rock along the coastline due to wave action, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, and storm impacts

• Erosion can be cause by human activity

• Reduces the amount of shoreline

• Affects nesting habitats

  • Reduces land for nesting

  • Eggs can be washed out of a nest

  • Escarpments (vertical ledges) make it difficult for females to nest in higher areas (preferred nesting habitat)

what is plastic pollution?

• marine debris provides no nutritional value 

• artificial debris may cause mortality 

• plastic items may mimic the appearance of diet items

what is the turtles shell called?

backbone

what are boat strikes?

• Occur because sea turtles need to breathe air and swim near the surface

• Can result in severe injuries, including shell damage, broken limbs, and internal injuries

• With the spine being within the shell, this can also lead to paralysis or death

what do sea turtle rescues entails?

• Responding to calls (picking up injured or deceased animals)

  • Performing necropsies on deceased animals to determine cause of death and other information (gut content analysis for diet; analyzing tissue samples)

• Daily care

• Veterinary care

  • Euthanasia if injuries are too severe

• Rehabilitation

• Release (hopefully)

• Tagging and monitoring

what are the most common reasons for turtle stranding?

• cold-stunning 

• boat strikes 

• entanglement in fishing gear 

• ingesting fishhooks 

• viral or bacterial infections

what is the Karen Beasley sea turtle hospital, in north Carolina’s mission statement?

to conserve and protect all species of marine turtles, both in the water and on the beach 

to rescue, rehabilitate, and release sick and injured sea turtles 

to inform and educate the public regarding the plight of all sea turtles and the threat of their extinction, and 

to provide an experiential learning site for students of biology, wildlife conservation, and/or veterinary medicine from around the world

what are the origins of the Karen Beasley sea turtle project?

• Originally the Topsail Turtle Project, started by Karen Beasley to preserve and protect sea turtle nests

• Her mother, Jean Beasley, continued her work after her death, creating the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle hospital in 1997

• In 2010, the hospital moved to a larger facility, and opened its doors on November 7, 2013

what are the 10 sea turtle rescue center in the USA (there are more but these are the ones listed)?

• Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network (Maine to Texas)

• Southwest Fisheries Science Center (southern California)

• Maryland Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Response Program (with the Smithsonian Institution)

• MLML Stranding Network (Monterey County, California)

• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

• Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Stranding Network

• National Aquarium Stranding Response Center (Maryland)

• Atlantic Marine Conservation Society (Riverhead, New York)

• Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration Animal Rescue Program (Connecticut)

• Some marine mammal stranding centers or departments for natural resources respond to sea turtle strandings

• You can always check to see what agency to contact for strandings when you visit beaches

how are sea turtles rehabilitated?

• Rehabilitation can take up to a few weeks to several years

• Performing husbandry (feeding, cleaning, etc.)

• Run diagnostics and administer medications to help turtles recover

• Animals may be quarantined, and there is usually a hospital area for treatments and check-ups

• Veterinarians remove fishhooks and may perform surgeries

• Sea turtles may get freshwater baths to remove epibiota (e.g., barnacles, algae)

• Increase body temperature for cold-stunned turtles (slow increase)

• Reassessed once recovered to see if ready for release

what are interns duties in a sea turtle conservation?

• We changed and cleaned the filters in the beginning of the day

• We prepared food and fed the turtles

• After feeding, we removed uneaten food

• We worked with the volunteers to clean/bath smaller turtles and cleaned their tubs

• We drained tubs of larger turtles and assisted with medical treatment

• We cleaned the tubs before we refilled them

• We cleaned the filters again before we left

• Sometimes, we set crab traps to get live food for the turtles

what is citizen science?

• Research conducted with help/participation from the general public, or amateur/nonprofessional researchers, for science, social science, and many other disciplines

• It is a form of collaboration between scientists and nonscientists to further scientific knowledge

• Best used in experiments that require data needed from diverse locations, including those that scientists may not be able to explore

what are the benefits to citizen science?

• Improves public understanding of science

• People become more aware of scientific activities and issues

• Improves scientific literacy

• Direct involvement may make citizens more concerned about the issues/science

• Increases trust in science

• Empowers citizens

• Makes science methods accessible to those without formal training

what are the challenges of citizen science?

• Ensuring data quality

• Fostering participant diversity

• Managing project logistics

• Maintained sustained engagement

how can we get involved with citizen science?

• Citizen science projects are volunteer activities.

• Programs can be found online using various sources for various disciplines

• Some organizations have their own projects

• There are even citizen science apps

• Volunteering for a rescue/rehabilitation center is also a form of citizen science

what is an example of a citizen science app?

• naturalist 

• bird 

• bird track

what other projects do GenOcean have?

• The Hydrous

• Kelp Forest Foundation

• Protect Blue: World Ocean Day for Schools

• Save the Waves

what is the purpose of the North Carolina sea turtle project?

• To protect sea turtle nests, respond to strandings, and to collect some unhatched eggs and rear the hatchlings to juvenile stage before release

• improve sea turtle survival numbers

• Has several different organizations involved (name may have change)

• North Carolina Aquarium at Ft. Fisher calls it Sea Turtle Exploration