The summer distribution, habitat associations and abundance of seabirds in the sub-polar frontal zone of the Northwest Atlantic

Wakefield, E. D. et al. (2021) The summer distribution, habitat associations and abundance of seabirds in the sub-polar frontal zone of the Northwest Atlantic. Progress in Oceanography, 198, 102657. (doi: 10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102657)

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Abstract

Biological production in the oceanic zone (i.e. waters beyond the continental shelves) is typically spatially patchy and strongly seasonal. In response, seabirds have adapted to move rapidly within and between ocean basins, making them important pelagic consumers. Studies in the Pacific, Southern and Indian Oceans have shown that seabirds are relatively abundant in major frontal systems, with species composition varying by water mass. In contrast, surprisingly little was known about seabird distribution in the oceanic North Atlantic until recent tracking showed that relative abundance and diversity peak in the Sub-polar Frontal Zone, west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, now proposed as a Marine Protected Area. However, absolute seabird abundance, distribution, age and species composition, and their potential environmental drivers in the oceanic temperate NW Atlantic remain largely unknown. Consequently, we systematically surveyed seabirds and environmental conditions across this area by ship in June, 2017, then modelled the density of common species as functions of environmental covariates, validating model predictions against independent tracking data. Medium-sized petrels (99.8%), especially Great Shearwaters (Ardenna gravis, 63%), accounted for the majority of total avian biomass, which correlated at the macroscale with net primary production and peaked at the sub-polar front. At the mesoscale, the density of each species was associated with sea surface temperature, indicating zonation by water mass. Most species also exhibited scale-dependent associations with eddies and fronts. Approximately 51, 26, 23, 7 and 1 % of the currently estimated Atlantic populations of Cory's Shearwaters (Calonectris borealis), Great Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwaters (A. grisea), Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) and Leach’s Storm-petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) occurred in the area during our survey, many of which were undergoing moult (a vital maintena nce activity). For some species, these estimates are higher than suggested by tracking, probably due to the presence of immatures and birds from untracked populations. Our results support the conclusion that MPA status is warranted and provide a baseline against which future changes can be assessed. Moreover, they indicate potential drivers of seabird abundance and diversity in the oceanic zone of the North Atlantic that should be investigated further.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Pinder, Mr Simon and Wakefield, Dr Ewan and Matthiopoulos, Professor Jason and Miller, Dr Julie
Authors: Wakefield, E. D., Miller, D. L., Bond, S. L., le Bouard, F., Carvalho, P. C., Catry, P., Dilley, B. J., Fifield, D. A., Gjerdrum, C., González-Solís, J., Hogan, H., Laptikhovsky, V., Merkel, B., Miller, J. A.O., Miller, P. I., Pinder, S. J., Pipa, T., Ryan, P. M., Thompson, L. A., Thompson, P. M., and Matthiopoulos, J.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
Journal Name:Progress in Oceanography
Publisher:Elsevier
ISSN:0079-6611
ISSN (Online):1873-4472
Published Online:08 August 2021
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2021 The Authors
First Published:First published in Progress in Oceanography 198: 102657
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License
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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
171561Seabirds and wind - the consequences of extreme prey taxis in a changing climateEwan WakefieldNatural Environment Research Council (NERC)NE/M017990/1Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine