Use of bird-borne radar to examine shearwater interactions with legal and illegal fisheries.

Seabirds interact with fishing vessels to consume fishing discards and baits, sometimes resulting in incidental capture (bycatch) and the death of the bird, which has clear conservation implications. To understand seabird-fishery interactions at large spatiotemporal scales, researchers are increasing their use of simultaneous seabird and fishing vessel tracking. However, vessel tracking data can contain gaps due to technical problems, illicit manipulation, or lack of adoption of tracking monitoring systems. These gaps might lead to underestimating the fishing effort and bycatch rates and jeopardize the effectiveness of marine conservation. We deployed bird-borne radar detector tags capable of recording radar signals from vessels. We placed tags on 88 shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea, Calonectris borealis, and Calonectris edwardsii) that forage in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem. We modeled vessel radar detections registered by the tags in relation to gridded automatic identification system (AIS) vessel tracking data to examine the spatiotemporal dynamics of seabird-vessel interactions and identify unreported fishing activity areas. Our models showed a moderate fit (area under the curve >0.7) to vessel tracking data, indicating a strong association of shearwaters to fishing vessels in major fishing grounds. Although in high-marine-traffic regions, radar detections were also driven by nonfishing vessels. The tags registered the presence of potential unregulated and unreported fishing vessels in West African waters, where merchant shipping is unusual but fishing activity is intense. Overall, bird-borne radar detectors showed areas and periods when the association of seabirds with legal and illegal fishing vessels was high. Bird-borne radar detectors could improve the focus of conservation efforts.

Uso de radares en aves para analizar las interacciones de las pardelas con las pesquerías legales e ilegales Resumen Las aves marinas interactúan con los barcos pesqueros para consumir los cebos y lo que descartan, lo que a veces resulta en la captura accesoria y la muerte del ave, por lo que esto tiene implicaciones claras para la conservación. Los investigadores cada vez usan más el rastreo simultáneo de las aves marinas y los barcos pesqueros para comprender las interacciones aves marinas ­ pesquerías a gran escala espaciotemporal. Sin embargo, los datos del rastreo de barcos pueden incluir vacíos por problemas técnicos, manipulación ilícita o porque no adoptan sistemas para monitorear el rastreo. Estos vacíos pueden llevar a subestimar el esfuerzo de pesca y las tasas de captura accesoria y a comprometer la efectividad de la conservación marina. Desplegamos marcas detectoras de radar encima de aves capaces de registrar las señales de radar de los barcos. Colocamos estas marcas en 88 pardelas (Calonectris diomedea, C. borealis, y C. edwardsii) que forrajean en el noroeste del Mar Mediterráneo y el Gran Ecosistema Marino de Canarias. Modelamos las detecciones del radar de los barcos registradas por las marcas en relación con los datos reticulados de rastreo de barcos del sistema de identificación automático (AIS) para analizar las dinámicas espaciotemporales de las interacciones aves marinas­barcos e identificar áreas con actividad pesquera no reportada. Nuestros modelos mostraron un ajuste moderado (área bajo la curva > 0.7) a los datos de rastreo de barcos, lo que indica una fuerte asociación entre las pardelas y los barcos en los principales sitios de pesca, aunque en las regiones con alto tránsito de barcos las detecciones por radar también fueron causadas por barcos no pesqueros. Las marcas registraron la presencia del potencial de barcos pesqueros sin regular y sin reportar en aguas del oeste de África, en donde los buques mercantes son poco comunes pero la actividad pesquera es intensa. En general, los detectores por radar en las aves mostraron áreas y periodos en donde la asociación entre las aves marinas y los barcos pesqueros legales e ilegales es alta. Estos detectores por radar podrían mejorar el enfoque de los esfuerzos de conservación.

Species delimitation using genomic data to resolve taxonomic uncertainties in a speciation continuum of pelagic seabirds.

Speciation is a continuous and complex process shaped by the interaction of numerous evolutionary forces. Despite the continuous nature of the speciation process, the implementation of conservation policies relies on the delimitation of species and evolutionary significant units (ESUs). Puffinus shearwaters are globally distributed and threatened pelagic seabirds. Due to remarkable morphological status the group has been under intense taxonomic debate for the past three decades. Here, we use double digest Restriction-Site Associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD-Seq) to genotype species and subspecies of North Atlantic and Mediterranean Puffinus shearwaters across their entire geographical range. We assess the phylogenetic relationships and population structure among and within the group, evaluate species boundaries, and characterise the genomic landscape of divergence. We find that current taxonomies are not supported by genomic data and propose a more accurate taxonomy by integrating genomic information with other sources of evidence. Our results show that several taxon pairs are at different stages of a speciation continuum. Our study emphasises the potential of genomic data to resolve taxonomic uncertainties, which can help to focus management actions on relevant taxa, even if they do not necessarily coincide with the taxonomic rank of species.

Potential for redistribution of post-moult habitat for Eudyptes penguins in the Southern Ocean under future climate conditions.

Anthropogenic climate change is resulting in spatial redistributions of many species. We assessed the potential effects of climate change on an abundant and widely distributed group of diving birds, Eudyptes penguins, which are the main avian consumers in the Southern Ocean in terms of biomass consumption. Despite their abundance, several of these species have undergone population declines over the past century, potentially due to changing oceanography and prey availability over the important winter months. We used light-based geolocation tracking data for 485 individuals deployed between 2006 and 2020 across 10 of the major breeding locations for five taxa of Eudyptes penguins. We used boosted regression tree modelling to quantify post-moult habitat preference for southern rockhopper (E. chrysocome), eastern rockhopper (E. filholi), northern rockhopper (E. moseleyi) and macaroni/royal (E. chrysolophus and E. schlegeli) penguins. We then modelled their redistribution under two climate change scenarios, representative concentration pathways RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 (for the end of the century, 2071-2100). As climate forcings differ regionally, we quantified redistribution in the Atlantic, Central Indian, East Indian, West Pacific and East Pacific regions. We found sea surface temperature and sea surface height to be the most important predictors of current habitat for these penguins; physical features that are changing rapidly in the Southern Ocean. Our results indicated that the less severe RCP4.5 would lead to less habitat loss than the more severe RCP8.5. The five taxa of penguin may experience a general poleward redistribution of their preferred habitat, but with contrasting effects in the (i) change in total area of preferred habitat under climate change (ii) according to geographic region and (iii) the species (macaroni/royal vs. rockhopper populations). Our results provide further understanding on the regional impacts and vulnerability of species to climate change.

Hidden demographic impacts of fishing and environmental drivers of fecundity in a sea turtle population.

Fisheries bycatch is a critical threat to sea turtle populations worldwide, particularly because turtles are vulnerable to multiple gear types. The Canary Current is an intensely fished region, yet there has been no demographic assessment integrating bycatch and population management information of the globally significant Cabo Verde loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) population. Using Boa Vista island (Eastern Cabo Verde) subpopulation data from capture-recapture and nest monitoring (2013-2019), we evaluated population viability and estimated regional bycatch rates (2016-2020) in longline, trawl, purse-seine, and artisanal fisheries. We further evaluated current nesting trends in the context of bycatch estimates, existing hatchery conservation measures, and environmental (net primary productivity) variability in turtle foraging grounds. We projected that current bycatch mortality rates would lead to the near extinction of the Boa Vista subpopulation. Bycatch reduction in longline fisheries and all fisheries combined would increase finite population growth rate by 1.76% and 1.95%, respectively. Hatchery conservation increased hatchling production and reduced extinction risk, but alone it could not achieve population growth. Short-term increases in nest counts (2013-2021), putatively driven by temporary increases in net primary productivity, may be masking ongoing long-term population declines. When fecundity was linked to net primary productivity, our hindcast models simultaneously predicted these opposing long-term and short-term trends. Consequently, our results showed conservation management must diversify from land-based management. The masking effect we found has broad-reaching implications for monitoring sea turtle populations worldwide, demonstrating the importance of directly estimating adult survival and that nest counts might inadequately reflect underlying population trends.

Impactos demográficos ocultos de la pesca y determinantes ambientales de la fecundidad en una población de tortugas marinas Resumen La captura accidental de las pesquerías es una amenaza importante para la población mundial de tortugas marinas pues estos reptiles son vulnerables a muchos tipos de artes de pesca. Aunque la Corriente de Canarias es una zona de pesca intensa, no se han realizado análisis demográficos que integren información de la captura accidental y el manejo poblacional de la tortuga caguama de Cabo Verde (Caretta caretta), una población de importancia mundial. Usamos datos de captura-recaptura y monitoreo de nidos (2013-2019) de la subpoblación de la isla Boa Vista (Cabo Verde occidental) para evaluar la viabilidad poblacional y además estimamos el volumen de captura accidental a nivel regional (2016-2020) de las pesquerías de palangre, arrastre, red de cerco y artesanal. También analizamos las tendencias de la anidación en el contexto de las estimas actuales de captura accidental, del posible impacto del traslado de las puestas a viveros y de la variabilidad ambiental (productividad primaria neta) en la zona donde se alimentan las tortugas. Proyectamos que, de persistir, la tasa actual de mortalidad por captura accidental llevaría a la subpoblación de Boa Vista al borde de la extinción. La reducción de la captura accidental en la flota de palangre incrementaría la tasa finita de crecimiento poblacional en un 1.76% y la reducción en todas las flotas un 1.95%. El traslado de las puestas a viveros incrementó la producción de crías y redujo el riesgo de extinción, pero no logra el crecimiento poblacional por sí solo. Los incrementos a corto plazo en el conteo de nidos (2013-2021), causados posiblemente por los incrementos temporales en la productividad primaria neta, pueden estar ocultando un declive poblacional. Cuando relacionamos la fecundidad con la productividad primaria neta, nuestros modelos retrospectivos pronosticaron correctamente ambas tendencias, a corto y largo plazo. Como consecuencia, nuestros resultados mostraron que la gestión de la conservación debe diversificarse más allá de las medidas aplicadas durante la fase terrestre. Los efectos ocultos que descubrimos tienen implicaciones generales para el monitoreo de las poblaciones de tortugas marinas en otras partes del mundo, lo que demuestra la importancia de la estimación directa de la supervivencia de adultos y que el conteo de nidos podría no refleja correctamente las tendencias poblacionales subyacentes.

Integrating Sequence Capture and Restriction Site-Associated DNA Sequencing to Resolve Recent Radiations of Pelagic Seabirds.

The diversification of modern birds has been shaped by a number of radiations. Rapid diversification events make reconstructing the evolutionary relationships among taxa challenging due to the convoluted effects of incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) and introgression. Phylogenomic data sets have the potential to detect patterns of phylogenetic incongruence, and to address their causes. However, the footprints of ILS and introgression on sequence data can vary between different phylogenomic markers at different phylogenetic scales depending on factors such as their evolutionary rates or their selection pressures. We show that combining phylogenomic markers that evolve at different rates, such as paired-end double-digest restriction site-associated DNA (PE-ddRAD) and ultraconserved elements (UCEs), allows a comprehensive exploration of the causes of phylogenetic discordance associated with short internodes at different timescales. We used thousands of UCE and PE-ddRAD markers to produce the first well-resolved phylogeny of shearwaters, a group of medium-sized pelagic seabirds that are among the most phylogenetically controversial and endangered bird groups. We found that phylogenomic conflict was mainly derived from high levels of ILS due to rapid speciation events. We also documented a case of introgression, despite the high philopatry of shearwaters to their breeding sites, which typically limits gene flow. We integrated state-of-the-art concatenated and coalescent-based approaches to expand on previous comparisons of UCE and RAD-Seq data sets for phylogenetics, divergence time estimation, and inference of introgression, and we propose a strategy to optimize RAD-Seq data for phylogenetic analyses. Our results highlight the usefulness of combining phylogenomic markers evolving at different rates to understand the causes of phylogenetic discordance at different timescales. [Aves; incomplete lineage sorting; introgression; PE-ddRAD-Seq; phylogenomics; radiations; shearwaters; UCEs.].

Sexual segregation in the foraging behaviour of a slightly dimorphic seabird: Influence of the environment and fishery activity.

Sexual segregation in foraging strategies has been little studied in marine species with slight sexual size dimorphism (SSD), particularly regarding the role of environmental conditions and fishery activities. Sexual differences in fishery attendance are of particular concern because uneven mortality associated with bycatch may exacerbate impacts in wildlife populations. Using a seabird species with slight SSD, the Scopoli's shearwater Calonectris diomedea, we assessed sexual differences in foraging strategies and evaluated whether annual environmental conditions and fishery activity shaped such differences. We used a 4-year dataset combining bird GPS tracking, stable isotope analysis, the North Atlantic Oscillation index (NAO, as main proxy of the annual environmental conditions), and fishing vessel positioning data (Vessel Monitoring System, VMS) from the North Western Mediterranean, a region under intense fishery pressure. From 2012 to 2015, we tracked 635 foraging trips from 78 individuals. Females showed a greater foraging effort, a lower fishery attendance, a lower trophic level, and a narrower isotopic niche width than males. Moreover, in years with unfavourable environmental conditions, both sexes showed a lower fishery attendance and increased foraging effort compared to the year with most favourable conditions. Our results revealed that environmental conditions influence space use, feeding resources and fishery attendance differently in males and females, overall suggesting competitive exclusion of females by males from main foraging areas and feeding resources, particularly in unfavourable environmental conditions. We highlight the importance of evaluating sexual segregation under disparate environmental conditions, particularly in species with slight SSD, since segregation may pass otherwise unnoticed if only years with similar environmental conditions are considered. The higher fishery attendance of males likely explains the male-biased bycatch ratio for this species. Thus, inter-sexual differences in foraging strategies can lead to an unbalanced exposure to relevant threats and have implications for the conservation of long-lived species.

La segregación sexual en especies con dimorfismo sexual poco acusado ha sido escasamente estudiada, particularmente en relación al papel de las condiciones ambientales y las pesquerías en las estrategias de búsqueda de alimento. Diferencias entre sexos en la asociación con pesquerías son de especial interés, ya que el impacto de las capturas accidentales sobre la dinámica poblacional podría magnificarse. En este trabajo exploramos las diferencias entre sexos en las estrategias de búsqueda de alimento en la pardela cenicienta (Calonectris diomedea) en el noroeste del Mediterráneo, y evaluamos si cambios anuales en las condiciones ambientales y las pesquerías modulan dichas diferencias. Utilizamos cuatro años de datos, integrando el seguimiento GPS de las aves, el análisis de isótopos estables, el índice NAO, y el seguimiento remoto de barcos pesqueros que operan en la zona (datos VMS). Entre 2012 y 2015 obtuvimos 635 viajes de alimentación de 78 individuos. Encontramos diferencias en las estrategias de búsqueda de alimento entre sexos a pesar del dimorfismo sexual poco acusado de esta especie. En comparación con los machos, las hembras mostraron mayor esfuerzo (viajes más largos en tiempo y distancia), menor asociación con barcos de pesca, menor nivel trófico (es decir, valores de δ15 N en plasma que apuntan a un menor consumo de descartes) y un nicho isotópico más estrecho. Nuestros resultados revelaron que las condiciones ambientales influyen en las diferencias sexuales en las estrategias de búsqueda y uso de recursos de alimentación, así como en la interacción con pesquerías. En general, esto sugiere cierta exclusión competitiva de machos hacia hembras, particularmente en años desfavorables. Incluir años con condiciones ambientales dispares en el análisis puede ayudar a determinar la segregación sexual en especies con dimorfismo sexual poco acusado. Además, en especies longevas, las diferencias sexuales en las estrategias de búsqueda de alimento pueden conllevar diferente exposición a ciertas amenazas como las capturas accidentales en artes de pesca, lo que debe considerarse en el diseño de estrategias de conservación.

Sex-specific costs of reproduction on survival in a long-lived seabird.

Costs of reproduction on survival have captured the attention of researchers since life history theory was formulated. Adults of long-lived species may increase survival by reducing their breeding effort or even skipping reproduction. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the costs of current reproduction on survival and whether skipping reproduction increases adult survival in a long-lived seabird. We used capture-mark-recapture data (1450 encounters) from two populations of Bulwer's petrel (Bulweria bulwerii), breeding in the Azores and Canary Islands, North Atlantic Ocean. Using a multi-event model with two different breeding statuses (breeders versus non-breeders), we calculated probabilities of survival and of transitions between breeding statuses, evaluating potential differences between sexes. Females had lower survival probabilities than males, independent of their breeding status. When considering breeding status, breeding females had lower survival probabilities than non-breeding females, suggesting costs of reproduction on survival. Breeding males had higher survival probabilities than non-breeding males, suggesting that males do not incur costs of reproduction on survival and that only the highest quality males have access to breeding. The highest and the lowest probabilities of skipping reproduction were found in breeding males from the Azores and in breeding males from the Canary Islands, respectively. Intermediate values were observed in the females from both populations. This result is probably due to differences in the external factors affecting both populations, essentially predation pressure and competition. The existence of sex-specific costs of reproduction on survival in several populations of this long-lived species may have important implications for species population dynamics.

The importance of migratory connectivity for global ocean policy.

The distributions of migratory species in the ocean span local, national and international jurisdictions. Across these ecologically interconnected regions, migratory marine species interact with anthropogenic stressors throughout their lives. Migratory connectivity, the geographical linking of individuals and populations throughout their migratory cycles, influences how spatial and temporal dynamics of stressors affect migratory animals and scale up to influence population abundance, distribution and species persistence. Population declines of many migratory marine species have led to calls for connectivity knowledge, especially insights from animal tracking studies, to be more systematically and synthetically incorporated into decision-making. Inclusion of migratory connectivity in the design of conservation and management measures is critical to ensure they are appropriate for the level of risk associated with various degrees of connectivity. Three mechanisms exist to incorporate migratory connectivity into international marine policy which guides conservation implementation: site-selection criteria, network design criteria and policy recommendations. Here, we review the concept of migratory connectivity and its use in international policy, and describe the Migratory Connectivity in the Ocean system, a migratory connectivity evidence-base for the ocean. We propose that without such collaboration focused on migratory connectivity, efforts to effectively conserve these critical species across jurisdictions will have limited effect.

Cryptic species and independent origins of allochronic populations within a seabird species complex (Hydrobates spp.).

Humans are inherently biased towards naming species based on morphological differences, which can lead to reproductively isolated species being mistakenly classified as one if they are morphologically similar. Recognising cryptic diversity is needed to understand drivers of speciation fully, and for accurate estimates of global biodiversity and assessments for conservation. We investigated cryptic species across the range of band-rumped storm-petrels (Hydrobates spp.): highly pelagic, nocturnal seabirds that breed on tropical and sub-tropical islands in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In many breeding colonies, band-rumped storm-petrels have sympatric but temporally isolated (allochronic) populations; we sampled all breeding locations and allochronic populations. Using mitochondrial control region sequences from 754 birds, cytochrome b sequences from 69 birds, and reduced representation sequencing of the nuclear genomes of 133 birds, we uncovered high levels of genetic structuring. Population genomic analyses revealed up to seven unique clusters, and phylogenomic reconstruction showed that these represent seven monophyletic groups. We uncovered up to six independent breeding season switches across the phylogeny, spanning the continuum from genetically undifferentiated temporal populations to full allochronic species. Thus, band-rumped storm-petrels encompass multiple cryptic species, with non-geographic barriers potentially comprising strong barriers to gene flow.

Spatial and Interspecies Heterogeneity in Concentrations of Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in Seabirds of the Southern Ocean.

In this study, we evaluate the main factors driving the exposure of Southern Ocean seabirds to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) across a wide geographic range. Five perfluoroalkane sulfonates (PFSAs, C4-12), 10 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs, C4-13), and perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA) were analyzed in plasma (n = 128) from eight species, including penguins, giant petrels, skuas, albatrosses, and shearwaters, breeding at four sites in the Antarctic, sub-Antarctic, and adjacent cool-temperate regions. Mean ∑PFAS concentrations ranged from 0.53 to 53 ng/g wet weight from black-browed albatross to giant petrels, respectively. As expected due to biomagnification, greater concentrations of most PFASs were found in species near the top of marine food webs such as giant petrels. However, our results suggest that other factors, i.e., metabolic capabilities and spatial movements, can mask interspecies differences in PFASs, especially PFCAs, expected from trophic structure. For instance, trans-equatorial migratory seabirds exhibited PFAS levels and profiles that are consistent with northern hemisphere exposure, reflecting their potential biovector role in the global transport of these pollutants. Among resident species, greater concentrations of PFASs, especially long-chain PFCAs, were found in seabirds breeding or foraging north of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) than in those restricted to Antarctic/sub-Antarctic distributions. Moreover, composition profiles of PFAS in Antarctic seabirds agree well with those expected from long-range transport. Our results confirm the importance of the ACC in protecting Antarctic food webs from water-phase-transported PFASs.

Costs of breeding are rapidly buffered and do not affect migratory behavior in a long-lived bird species.

Life history theory states that individual fitness in one stage of life is conditioned by what occurred in previous stages. In migratory species, reproductive effort during breeding has often been found to influence body condition, molt schedule, self-provisioning and migration of individuals in subsequent seasons (i.e., carryover effects of breeding). However, there is a current uncertainty in understanding how long-distance migrants trade off among such energy-demanding activities (i.e., breeding, molting and migrating). To provide evidence to the field, we experimentally reduced the parental effort of a long-lived Procellariform, the Cory's shearwater (Calonectris borealis), by inducing failure at the incubation stage. Treatment and control birds were tracked during their subsequent migration by means of light-level and immersion loggers and sampled for six specific feathers (molted at different periods along the migratory cycle) upon the recovery of the loggers 1 yr later. Feathers were used to perform stable isotope analysis (SIA) and determine corticosterone levels (CORT). By these means, we evaluated the effect of breeding effort on migratory strategy, at-sea activity patterns, molt patterns, and levels of stress experienced by birds along the non-breeding period. We did not detect any difference between birds in the induced failure group and successful breeders in terms of spatio-temporal distribution: all birds shared common foraging areas throughout the study period and the timing of major phenological events did not differ. Failed birds significantly advanced their molt, as revealed by SIA and flying activity patterns. The stress levels of failed birds, inferred through CORT concentrations in feathers, were found to be consistently lower than in successful breeders, through the end of the breeding to the non-breeding period. Thus, we provide robust evidence that the costs of reproduction can be physiologically mediated from the breeding to the non-breeding period through molting schedules and CORT levels. However, we failed to detect clear effects on migratory behavior or subsequent breeding success, suggesting that costs of breeding in long-lived species may be rapidly buffered during the post-breeding period, as would be expected from life history theory.

Seabird diversity hotspot linked to ocean productivity in the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem.

Upwelling regions are highly productive habitats targeted by wide-ranging marine predators and industrial fisheries. In this study, we track the migratory movements of eight seabird species from across the Atlantic; quantify overlap with the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) and determine the habitat characteristics that drive this association. Our results indicate the CCLME is a biodiversity hotspot for migratory seabirds; all tracked species and more than 70% of individuals used this upwelling region. Relative species richness peaked in areas where sea surface temperature averaged between 15 and 20°C, and correlated positively with chlorophyll a, revealing the optimum conditions driving bottom-up trophic effects for seabirds. Marine vertebrates are not confined by international boundaries, making conservation challenging. However, by linking diversity to ocean productivity, our research reveals the significance of the CCLME for seabird populations from across the Atlantic, making it a priority for conservation action.

Latitudinal exposure to DDTs, HCB, PCBs, PBDEs and DP in giant petrels (Macronectes spp.) across the Southern Ocean.

Studies on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Antarctic wildlife are scarce, and usually limited to a single locality. As a result, wildlife exposure to POPs across the Southern Ocean is poorly understood. In this study, we report the differential exposure of the major southern ocean scavengers, the giant petrels, to POPs across a wide latitudinal gradient. Selected POPs (PCBs, HCB, DDTs, PBDEs) and related compounds, such as Dechlorane Plus (DP), were analyzed in plasma of southern giant petrels (Macronectes giganteus) breeding on Livingston (62°S 61°W, Antarctica), Marion (46°S 37°E, sub-Antarctic), and Gough (40°S 10°W, cool temperate) islands. Northern giant petrels (Macronectes halli) from Marion Island were also studied. Stable isotope ratios of C and N (δ(13)C and δ(15)N) were used as dietary tracers of the marine habitat and trophic level, respectively. Breeding locality was a major factor explaining petrel exposure to POPs compared with species and sex. Significant relationships between δ(13)C values and POP burdens, at both inter- and intra-population levels, support latitudinal variations in feeding grounds as a key factor in explaining petrel pollutant burdens. Overall, pollutant levels in giant petrels decreased significantly with latitude, but the relative abundance (%) of the more volatile POPs increased towards Antarctica. DP was found at negligible levels compared with legacy POPs in Antarctic seabirds. Spatial POP patterns found in giant petrels match those predicted by global distribution models, and reinforce the hypothesis of atmospheric long-range transport as the main source of POPs in Antarctica. Our results confirm that wildlife movements out of the polar region markedly increase their exposure to POPs. Therefore, strategies for Antarctic wildlife conservation should consider spatial heterogeneity in exposure to marine pollution. Of particular relevance is the need to clarify the exposure of Antarctic predators to emerging contaminants that are not yet globally regulated.

New species of the feather mite genus Promegninia Gaud & Atyeo (Acari: Avenzoariidae) from petrels and shearwaters (Procellariiformes: Procellariidae).

Two new species of the feather mite genus Promegninia Gaud & Atyeo, 1967 (Avenzoariidae: Bonnetellinae) are described from procellariids in the northeasterm Atlantic Ocean: Promegninia bulweriae n. sp. from the Bulwer's petrel Bulweria bulwerii (Jardine & Selby) and P. calonectris n. sp. from the Cory's shearwater Calonectris borealis (Cory) (Procellariiformes: Procellariidae). Males of P bulweriae n. sp. are most clearly distinguished from the other known species in the genus by having short legs III extending only to the level of lobar apices and short conical tarsi III with lanceolate ventral seta w; females of this species are characterised by the absence of additional sclerites at postero-lateral angles of the prodorsal shield. Males of P. calonectris differ from the other known species in having bidentate terminal lamellae on the lobar apices and the entire adanal shield; females of this species are distinguished by having well-developed pygidial shields and a hysteronotal shield encompassing the bases of setae c2. Sequence data of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene fragment (COI) are also obtained for the new species. An updated diagnosis of Promegninia and a key to the known species are provided.

Long antibody persistence and transgenerational transfer of immunity in a long-lived vertebrate.

Although little studied in natural populations, the persistence of immunoglobulins may dramatically affect the dynamics of immunity and the ecology and evolution of host-pathogen interactions involving vertebrate hosts. By means of a multiple-year vaccination design against Newcastle disease virus, we experimentally addressed whether levels of specific antibodies can persist over several years in females of a long-lived procellariiform seabird-Cory's shearwater-and whether maternal antibodies against that antigen could persist over a long period in offspring several years after the mother was exposed. We found that a single vaccination led to high levels of antibodies for several years and that the females transmitted antibodies to their offspring that persisted for several weeks after hatching even 5 years after a single vaccination. The temporal persistence of maternally transferred antibodies in nestlings was highly dependent on the level at hatching. A second vaccination boosted efficiently the level of antibodies in females and thus their transfer to offspring. Overall, these results stress the need to consider the temporal dynamics of immune responses if we are to understand the evolutionary ecology of host-parasite interactions and trade-offs between immunity and other life-history characteristics, in particular in long-lived species. They also have strong implications for conservation when vaccination may be used in natural populations facing disease threats.

Population connectivity buffers genetic diversity loss in a seabird.

BACKGROUND: Ancient DNA has revolutionized conservation genetic studies as it allows monitoring of the genetic variability of species through time and predicting the impact of ecosystems' threats on future population dynamics and viability. Meanwhile, the consequences of anthropogenic activities and climate change to island faunas, particularly seabirds, remain largely unknown. In this study, we examined temporal changes in the genetic diversity of a threatened seabird, the Cory's shearwater (Calonectris borealis). FINDINGS: We analysed the mitochondrial DNA control region of ancient bone samples from the late-Holocene retrieved from the Canary archipelago (NE Atlantic) together with modern DNA sequences representative of the entire breeding range of the species. Our results show high levels of ancient genetic diversity in the Canaries comparable to that of the extant population. The temporal haplotype network further revealed rare but recurrent long-distance dispersal between ocean basins. The Bayesian demographic analyses reveal both regional and local population size expansion events, and this is in spite of the demographic decline experienced by the species over the last millennia. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that population connectivity of the species has acted as a buffer of genetic losses and illustrate the use of ancient DNA to uncover such cryptic genetic events.

Animal behaviour on the move: the use of auxiliary information and semi-supervision to improve behavioural inferences from Hidden Markov Models applied to GPS tracking datasets.

BACKGROUND: State-space models, such as Hidden Markov Models (HMMs), are increasingly used to classify animal tracks into behavioural states. Typically, step length and turning angles of successive locations are used to infer where and when an animal is resting, foraging, or travelling. However, the accuracy of behavioural classifications is seldom validated, which may badly contaminate posterior analyses. In general, models appear to efficiently infer behaviour in species with discrete foraging and travelling areas, but classification is challenging for species foraging opportunistically across homogenous environments, such as tropical seas. Here, we use a subset of GPS loggers deployed simultaneously with wet-dry data from geolocators, activity measurements from accelerometers, and dive events from Time Depth Recorders (TDR), to improve the classification of HMMs of a large GPS tracking dataset (478 deployments) of red-billed tropicbirds (Phaethon aethereus), a poorly studied pantropical seabird. METHODS: We classified a subset of fixes as either resting, foraging or travelling based on the three auxiliary sensors and evaluated the increase in overall accuracy, sensitivity (true positive rate), specificity (true negative rate) and precision (positive predictive value) of the models in relation to the increasing inclusion of fixes with known behaviours. RESULTS: We demonstrate that even with a small informed sub-dataset (representing only 9% of the full dataset), we can significantly improve the overall behavioural classification of these models, increasing model accuracy from 0.77 ± 0.01 to 0.85 ± 0.01 (mean ± sd). Despite overall improvements, the sensitivity and precision of foraging behaviour remained low (reaching 0.37 ± 0.06, and 0.06 ± 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the use of a small subset of auxiliary data with known behaviours can both validate and notably improve behavioural classifications of state space models of opportunistic foragers. However, the improvement is state-dependant and caution should be taken when interpreting inferences of foraging behaviour from GPS data in species foraging on the go across homogenous environments.

Diversity and structure of feather mite communities on seabirds from the north-east Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea.

The richness and structure of symbiont assemblages are shaped by many factors acting at different spatial and temporal scales. Among them, host phylogeny and geographic distance play essential roles. To explore drivers of richness and structure of symbiont assemblages, feather mites and seabirds are an attractive model due to their peculiar traits. Feather mites are permanent ectosymbionts and considered highly host-specific with limited dispersal abilities. Seabirds harbour species-rich feather mite communities and their colonial breeding provides opportunities for symbionts to exploit several host species. To unravel the richness and test the influence of host phylogeny and geographic distance on mite communities, we collected feather mites from 11 seabird species breeding across the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Using morphological criteria, we identified 33 mite species, of which 17 were new or recently described species. Based on community similarity analyses, mite communities were clearly structured by host genera, while the effect of geography within host genera or species was weak and sometimes negligible. We found a weak but significant effect of geographic distance on similarity patterns in mite communities for Cory's shearwaters Calonectris borealis. Feather mite specificity mainly occurred at the host-genus rather than at host-species level, suggesting that previously inferred host species-specificity may have resulted from poorly sampling closely related host species. Overall, our results show that host phylogeny plays a greater role than geography in determining the composition and structure of mite assemblages and pinpoints the importance of sampling mites from closely-related host species before describing mite specificity patterns.

Between-year and spatial variation in body condition across the breeding cycle in a pelagic seabird, the Red-billed Tropicbird.

Body condition in pelagic seabirds impacts key fitness-related traits such as reproductive performance and breeding frequency. Regulation of body condition can be especially important for species with long incubation periods and long individual incubation shifts between foraging trips. Here, we show that body condition of adult Red-billed Tropicbirds (Phaethon aethereus) at St Helena Island, South Atlantic Ocean, exhibited considerable variation between years (2013-2017) and between different stages of the breeding cycle. Females took the first incubation shift following egg laying, after which males and females alternated incubation shifts of varying length, ranging from <1 to 12 days. Body condition declined in both sexes during an incubation shift by an average of 22 g (2.83% of starting mass) per day and over the incubation period; mass loss was significantly greater during longer incubation shifts, later within a shift and later in the total incubation period. There was also significant differences in incubation behaviour and body condition between years; in 2015, coinciding with a moderate coastal warming event along the Angolan-Namibian coastlines, adults on average undertook longer incubation shifts than in other years and had lower body condition. This suggests that substantial between-year prey fluctuations in the Angola Benguela upwelling system may influence prey availability, in turn affecting incubation behaviour and regulation of body condition. Adults rearing chicks showed a significant reduction in body condition when chicks showed the fastest rate of growth. Chick growth rates during 2017 from two localities in the Atlantic Ocean: an oceanic (St Helena) versus neritic (Cabo Verde) population were similar, but chicks from St Helena were overall heavier and larger at fledging. Results from this multi-year study highlight that flexibility and adaptability in body condition regulation will be important for populations of threatened species to optimise resources as global climate change increasingly influences prey availability.