Exam 3

weather

current atmospheric

scale of weather

small, short period of time

examples of weather

rainfall, temperature, wind speed

climate

average pattern of weather over a time frame

scale of climate

large

climate variability

natural changes in climate patterns over months/years/decades

climate change

significant variation in the mean state of the climate or its variability, persisting for an extended period (many decades or centuries)

what does weather and climate impact in seabirds

ability and energy to find food

timing of breeding and choice to breed

clutch size

reproductive success

thermoregulation

survival

distribution

acute events

weathers

semi-prolonged events

climate variability

prolonged events

climate cahnge

how do seabirds withstand weather events and some climate variability

longevity and frequency of breeding means its okay to miss a year

high mobility - can move when conditions unfavorable

acute heating

usually doesn’t last long enough to effect adult physiology

acute heavy rainfall

flooding of nest areas

loss of chicks due to lack of thermoregulatory ability

highly variable environments select for:

boom/bust unstable populations, higher clutch sizes

less variable environments select for:

populations more stable, smaller clutch sizes

effects of el nino in the north specific

contraction of N.Pacfic gyre

moves TZCF further south

which species does el nino benefit

albatross bc TZCF is closer to their breeding colonies

effects of el nino in equatorial pacifc

creates warm pool in equatorial pacific

reduced upwelling along equator - less productivity

weather changes of el nino in equatorial pacific

increased rainfall, frequency of storms

effects of el nino for seabirds in equatorial pacific

reproductive failure (abandonment of nests)

changes to foraging behavior, diet

delayed breeding

reduced juvenile survival

adult mortality (severe events)

what was different about the 1982-1983 el nino event

strong, long lasting

most devestating of century

effects of 1982-1983 el nino

heavy rains, very wam ocean off of peru

widespread abandonment

humboldt current seabirds did not breed

high adult mortality

specifc factors affecting seabird responses to el nino events

duration and severity

time between el nino events

species-specific reponses

location of seabird colonies

what is expected to happen to el nino events under climate change scenarios?

increase in frequency and strength

why is it important to study seabirds and environmental variability?

seabirds indicate changes to marine environments

predicting future change

understanding how changes today in response to variability will indicate changes in future from climate change

climate change impacts

changes to oceanographic processes

extreme weather events

sea level rise

severe rainfall storms

warming at breeding colonies

changes in wind patterns

increased occurrence and virulence of avian pathogens

avian cholera

bacterial infection

has led to mortality events in antartic seabirds

poxvirus

highly contagious, can be spread to remote locations through animal movement and human visitors

associated with disease or death, particularly in chicks or fledgelings

HPAI H5N1

latest strain of avian flu

highly contagious

affected global populations

mass death in adults as well as chicks

seabird life history traits

long lived, low reproductive output

conservation implications of seabird life history

increases in adult mortality result in low fecundity and low survival and drastic pop decline

physical contaminants

plastics

chemical contaminants

oil spills, mercury, DDT, hydrocarbons

primary sources of plastics

industry dumping, recreational dumping

secondary sources of plastics

chemical and physical breakdown of plastics within the ocean environments

macroplastics

greater than 5mm

habitat disturbance, entanglement, nesting material

meso and microplastics

less than 5mm

ingestion (physically injure or death)

how do seabirds ingest meso and microplastics

secondarily (consuming marine foods)

primarily (foraging - olfactory sesnes)

why do procellariformes consume more plastic than other seabirds?

plastics remaining in the ocean may colonize bacteria and emit dimethyl sufide which is a key infochemical for olfactory seabirds

lato plastic methods

nest samples dried and sieved into different size classes

microplastics sorted by type and color

results of lato plastic stuy

more urban colonies had larger abundances of microplastics than the non-urban colony

blue and black most common

flexible plastics most common at jamaica bay

rigid plastics most common at youngs island

discussion in lato plastic study

urbanization broadly linked to microplastic abundance

additional local factors could have influenced findings

sampling nests is less invasive and inexpensive to study microplastics and seabirds

sources of chemical contaminants

industries, farms, households, water treatment plants, sewage, atmosohere

direct source of chemical contaminants

dumping of contaminant/waster

indirect source of chemical contaminants

runoff from land

effects of chemical contaminants depends on:

toxicity

exposure

susceptibility

types of exposure of chemical contaminants

external contact

inhalation

ingestion of food and water

factors of contaminant exposure

distribution

habitat

trophic level

foraging behavior

susceptibility

intrinsic property of the receptor based on genetics, nutritional status, health (varies with age, reproductive stage, gender)

vulnerability

whether an organism is likely to be exposed to a significant dose based on location, ecology and behavior

long lived v short lived

long lived

juvenile v adult

adult

one egg v multiple eggs

one egg

nearshore v offshore feeding

nearshore

higher v lower trophic level

higher

major types of metal pollutants

lead

mercury

types of chemical pollutants

metals

hydrocarbons

organochlorines

source of metals

from burning of fossil fuels

pathways of metal contaminants

atmospheric deposition

runoff inputs

mercury sources

natural Hg input

anthropogenic Hg inputs

how does mercury become harmful?

inorganic forms of mercury gets fixed into monomethyl mercury by marine bacteria

bioaccumulation

an increase in the concentration of a chemical in organism over time

biomagnification

an increase in the concentration of a chemical in organisms at successively higher trophic levels

seabirds with ____ trophic levels typically have higher MeHg concentrations

higher

seabirds feeding ____ have higher MeHg concentrations

offshore

why does offshore have higher MeHg concentrations

sulfate rich environments have more sulfur reducing bacteria that fix MeHg

how do seabirds combat effects of MeHg?

eggs and feather growth represent pathways to expel MeHg from the body

selenium may actually buffer seabirds against MeHg toxicity by chemically binding to MeHg

primary source of oil

small, chronic spills

hydrocarbons

oil spills and leaks

hydrocarbon exposure

inhalation

ingestion

coats feathers

hydrocarbon lethal effects

decreases thermoregulation by covering feathers

decreases buoyancy

hydrocarbon sub-lethal effects

reduced reproductive success and hatchability

developmental defects

disruption to metabolic processes

why are death counts for oil spills only estimated?

not all carcasses of dead birds can be recovered or wash up on shore (sink in ocean, get scooped up in oil cleanup, lost at sea)

organochlorine example

DDT

DDT

common pesticide used following world war 2

which book raised awareness for DDT

rachel carson’s silent spring

effects of ddt

egg-shell thinning

EDF

environmental defense fund

achievements of EDF

initial ban in suffolk county → ban statewide → nationwide banw

when was nationwide on DDT

1972

why are seabirds goof bioindicators of contaminants

large, wide ranging, long lived, easily observed

philopatric - allows for individual studies

advantages of seabirds as bioindicators

bioaccumulate and biomagnify

widespread - can live in habitats with high pollution

integrate contamination over time and space(represent large area. and require fewer samples)

disadvantages of seabirds as bioindicators

integrate over space and time (need to understand many factors to understand significance and cant identify location of point source pollution)

direct human impacts

hunting/harvesting

tourism/research

interaction with wind farms

fisheries interactions

direct (bycatch)

indirect (overfishing)

how many seabirds are endangered/threatened

102 of 328

how many seabird species have gone extinct in modern years

5

why have seabirds gone extinct in modern years

hunting

legal or illegal harvest occurs in many countries for

eggs

down

meat

oil

lacey act date

1900

lacey act

prohibited interstate transfer of certain killed wildlife

migratory bird treaty act date

1918

migratory bird treaty act

prohibited the hunt or sell of migratory birds and their featehrs/eggs

endangered species act date

1973

endangered species act

protects species and their habitats

ecotourism

tourism intended to observe wildlife and support conservation efforts

dangers of ecotourism

tourists can destroy nesting areas, cause adults to abandon nests

how to manage research

restrictions on species that can be studied

permits required

restrictions on research techniques

wind farm impacts on seabirds

collisions with turbine blades

habitat modification, displacement