Yves Cherel (Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Villiers-en-Bois, France) and colleagues have published in the journal Environmental Pollution on mercury levels in feathers from 20 albatross species.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Albatrosses (Diomedeidae) are iconic pelagic seabirds whose life-history traits (longevity, high trophic position) put them at risk of high levels of exposure to methylmercury (MeHg), a powerful neurotoxin that threatens humans and wildlife. Here, we report total Hg (THg) concentrations in body feathers from 516 individual albatrosses from 35 populations, including all 20 taxa breeding in the Southern Ocean. Our key finding is that albatrosses constitute the family of birds with the highest levels of contamination by Hg, with mean feather THg concentrations in different populations ranging from moderate (3.8 μg/g) to exceptionally high (34.6 μg/g). Phylogeny had a significant effect on feather THg concentrations, with the mean decreasing in the order Diomedea > Phoebetria > Thalassarche. Unexpectedly, moulting habitats (reflected in feather δ¹³C values) was the main driver of feather THg concentrations, indicating increasing MeHg exposure with decreasing latitude, from Antarctic to subtropical waters. The role of moulting habitat suggests that the majority of MeHg eliminated into feathers by albatrosses is from recent food intake (income strategy). They thus differ from species that depurate MeHg into feathers that has been accumulated in internal tissues between two successive moults (capital strategy). Since albatrosses are amongst the most threatened families of birds, it is noteworthy that two albatrosses listed as Critical by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) that moult and breed in temperate waters are the most Hg-contaminated species (the Amsterdam and Tristan albatrosses). These data emphasize the urgent need for robust assessment of the impact of Hg contamination on the biology of albatrosses and they document the high MeHg level exposure of wildlife living in the most remote marine areas on Earth.”

A female Tristan Albatross incubates on Gough Island, photograph by John Cooper

Reference:

Cherel Y., Barbraud, C., Lahournat, M., Jaeger, A., Jaquemet, S., Wanless, R.M., Phillips, R.A., Thompson, D.R. & Bustamante, P. 2018.  Accumulate or eliminate? Seasonal mercury dynamics in albatrosses, the most contaminated family of birds.  Environmental Pollution 241: 124-135.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 29 June 2018

Jenn Lavers (Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia) and colleagues report on plastics ingested by Wedge-tailed Shearwaters Ardenna pacifica on Lord Howe Island in the Marine Pollution Bulletin.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Annual rates of plastic production have been increasing rapidly since the 1950s. Inadequate or improper disposal of plastic products has contributed to a significant increase in plastic debris in the world's oceans and a corresponding increase in the number of species negatively affected by this debris. Here we investigate trends in the type, amount, and colour of ingested plastic over time, and determine whether ingested plastic contributes to reduced health of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters (Ardenna pacifica) on Lord Howe Island, Australia. The results show no clear influence of ingested plastic on body condition, while trends in the prevalence, number, and mass of plastic items ingested per bird during 2005 and 2013–2018 were more variable. There was some evidence adult birds are selecting plastic by colour. Future monitoring of this pan-tropical seabird would provide a unique opportunity to gather data from multiple sites, concurrently.”

Wedge-tailed Shearwaters

Reference:

Lavers, J.L., Ian Hutton, I & Bond, A.L. 2018.  Ingestion of marine debris by Wedge-tailed Shearwaters (Ardenna pacifica) on Lord Howe Island, Australia during 2005–2018.  Marine Pollution Bulletin 133: 616-621.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 28 June 2018

José Granadeiro (Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Lisbon, Portugal.) and colleagues have published in the journal Bird Conservation International on Black-browed Albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris bathing at sea near to their colonies.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Tracking studies of seabirds have generally focused in identifying areas used for foraging, in the hope of highlighting regions of energy transfer which may be important for seabird and general ecosystem conservation and special management. However, some sea areas may serve functions other than providing nutritional resources, which may be equally relevant, particularly if used by large numbers of individuals. In this paper, based on a study of 4 breeding colonies in the Falkland Islands and on 314 individuals tracked, we show that virtually all (97.8%) black-browed albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris (BBA) bathe in the close vicinity of the colony, remaining in the area for nearly an hour, before departing on a foraging trip. This compares with only 20 to 40% of the individuals landing close to the colony at the end of a foraging trip. The observed utilization of marine areas by BBA in a radius of 1 to 5 km around the nesting colony is one order of magnitude higher than elsewhere, including foraging hotspots. Clearly, even long-range flying birds such as albatrosses can make an intensive use of the sea-surface in the immediate vicinity of the colonies, and therefore any threats to seabirds in these areas (disturbance, pollutants, collision with artificial structures and light attraction) can potentially have a major impact at the population level. As such, the close neighbourhood of seabird colonies are potentially highly sensitive areas, and this needs to be taken into account when carrying out risk assessments or during marine spatial planning exercises.”

Blcak-browed Albatross on the sea surface, photograph by Kollette Grobler

Reference:

Granadeiro, J.P., Campioni, L. & Catry, P. 2018.  Albatrosses bathe before departing on a foraging trip: implications for risk assessments and marine spatial planning. Bird Conservation International 28: 208-215.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 27 June 2018

Stéphanie Jenouvrier (Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA) and colleagues have published open access in the Journal of Animal Ecology on climate effects on Black-browed Albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Recent studies unravelled the effect of climate changes on populations through their impact on functional traits and demographic rates in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, but such understanding in marine ecosystems remains incomplete.

Here, we evaluate the impact of the combined effects of climate and functional traits on population dynamics of a long‐lived migratory seabird breeding in the southern ocean: the black‐browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophris, BBA). We address the following prospective question: “Of all the changes in the climate and functional traits, which would produce the biggest impact on the BBA population growth rate?”

We develop a structured matrix population model that includes the effect of climate and functional traits on the complete BBA life cycle. A detailed sensitivity analysis is conducted to understand the main pathway by which climate and functional trait changes affect the population growth rate.

The population growth rate of BBA is driven by the combined effects of climate over various seasons and multiple functional traits with carry‐over effects across seasons on demographic processes. Changes in sea surface temperature (SST) during late winter cause the biggest changes in the population growth rate, through their effect on juvenile survival. Adults appeared to respond to changes in winter climate conditions by adapting their migratory schedule rather than by modifying their at‐sea foraging activity. However, the sensitivity of the population growth rate to SST affecting BBA migratory schedule is small. BBA foraging activity during the pre‐breeding period has the biggest impact on population growth rate among functional traits. Finally, changes in SST during the breeding season have little effect on the population growth rate.

These results highlight the importance of early life histories and carry‐over effects of climate and functional traits on demographic rates across multiple seasons in population response to climate change. Robust conclusions about the roles of various phases of the life cycle and functional traits in population response to climate change rely on an understanding of the relationships of traits to demographic rates across the complete life cycle.”

Black-browed Albatross, photograph by Oli Yates

Read a popular article on the paper here.

Reference:

Jenouvrier, S., Desprez, M., Fay, R., Barbraud, C., Weimerskirch, H., Delord. K. & Caswell, H. 2018.  Climate change and functional traits affect population dynamics of a long-lived seabird.  Journal of Animal Ecology https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.12827.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 26 June 2018