Range-wide changes in the North American Tufted Puffin Fratercula cirrhata breeding population over 115 years
Summary Regional and local studies suggest that the Tufted Puffin Fratercula cirrhata in North America is declining in portions of its range. However, whether the overall population is declining, or its range is contracting with little change to the overall population size, is unknown. To examine po...
Published in: | Bird Conservation International |
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0959270922000193 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0959270922000193 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0959270922000193 2024-03-03T08:43:15+00:00 Range-wide changes in the North American Tufted Puffin Fratercula cirrhata breeding population over 115 years Pearson, Scott F. Keren, Ilai Hodum, Peter J. Drummond, Brie A. Hipfner, J. Mark Rojek, Nora A. Renner, Heather M. Thomas, Susan M. US Fish and Wildlife Service US Fish and Wildlife Service 2022 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0959270922000193 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0959270922000193 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 Bird Conservation International volume 33 ISSN 0959-2709 1474-0001 Nature and Landscape Conservation Animal Science and Zoology Ecology journal-article 2022 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959270922000193 2024-02-08T08:38:57Z Summary Regional and local studies suggest that the Tufted Puffin Fratercula cirrhata in North America is declining in portions of its range. However, whether the overall population is declining, or its range is contracting with little change to the overall population size, is unknown. To examine population trends throughout its North American range, we assembled 11 datasets that spanned 115 years (1905–2019) and included at-sea density and encounter estimates and at-colony burrow and bird counts. We assessed trends for the California Current, Gulf of Alaska, and Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands large marine ecosystems (LME). We found: (1) nearly uniform and long-term declines of Puffins breeding in the California Current ecosystem, with most ecosystem colonies surveyed, (2) declining trends at two large colonies and in one at-sea dataset in the Gulf of Alaska LME, with the fourth smaller colony exhibiting no significant trend, and (3) positive trends at four out of five colonies in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands ecosystem complex, with no detectable trend at the fifth very large colony. The general pattern of Tufted Puffin declines across the California Current and Gulf of Alaska LMEs may be attributable to a variety of factors, but additional study is needed to evaluate the relative influence of potential population drivers both independently and synergistically. Potential mechanisms driving population increases in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands ecosystem include reduced depredation and bycatch, intrinsic population growth, and immigration. We found strong evidence for declines in two of the three LMEs evaluated representing approximately three quarters of the species’ North American range. This region of decline includes the Gulf of Alaska LME, which contains a significant portion of the species’ estimated total North American population. Despite data limitations, our analysis coupled with more focused and local studies indicates that the Tufted Puffin is a species of conservation concern. Article in Journal/Newspaper Bering Sea fratercula Alaska Aleutian Islands Cambridge University Press Bering Sea Gulf of Alaska Bird Conservation International 1 10 |
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Open Polar |
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Cambridge University Press |
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crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
topic |
Nature and Landscape Conservation Animal Science and Zoology Ecology |
spellingShingle |
Nature and Landscape Conservation Animal Science and Zoology Ecology Pearson, Scott F. Keren, Ilai Hodum, Peter J. Drummond, Brie A. Hipfner, J. Mark Rojek, Nora A. Renner, Heather M. Thomas, Susan M. Range-wide changes in the North American Tufted Puffin Fratercula cirrhata breeding population over 115 years |
topic_facet |
Nature and Landscape Conservation Animal Science and Zoology Ecology |
description |
Summary Regional and local studies suggest that the Tufted Puffin Fratercula cirrhata in North America is declining in portions of its range. However, whether the overall population is declining, or its range is contracting with little change to the overall population size, is unknown. To examine population trends throughout its North American range, we assembled 11 datasets that spanned 115 years (1905–2019) and included at-sea density and encounter estimates and at-colony burrow and bird counts. We assessed trends for the California Current, Gulf of Alaska, and Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands large marine ecosystems (LME). We found: (1) nearly uniform and long-term declines of Puffins breeding in the California Current ecosystem, with most ecosystem colonies surveyed, (2) declining trends at two large colonies and in one at-sea dataset in the Gulf of Alaska LME, with the fourth smaller colony exhibiting no significant trend, and (3) positive trends at four out of five colonies in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands ecosystem complex, with no detectable trend at the fifth very large colony. The general pattern of Tufted Puffin declines across the California Current and Gulf of Alaska LMEs may be attributable to a variety of factors, but additional study is needed to evaluate the relative influence of potential population drivers both independently and synergistically. Potential mechanisms driving population increases in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands ecosystem include reduced depredation and bycatch, intrinsic population growth, and immigration. We found strong evidence for declines in two of the three LMEs evaluated representing approximately three quarters of the species’ North American range. This region of decline includes the Gulf of Alaska LME, which contains a significant portion of the species’ estimated total North American population. Despite data limitations, our analysis coupled with more focused and local studies indicates that the Tufted Puffin is a species of conservation concern. |
author2 |
US Fish and Wildlife Service US Fish and Wildlife Service |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Pearson, Scott F. Keren, Ilai Hodum, Peter J. Drummond, Brie A. Hipfner, J. Mark Rojek, Nora A. Renner, Heather M. Thomas, Susan M. |
author_facet |
Pearson, Scott F. Keren, Ilai Hodum, Peter J. Drummond, Brie A. Hipfner, J. Mark Rojek, Nora A. Renner, Heather M. Thomas, Susan M. |
author_sort |
Pearson, Scott F. |
title |
Range-wide changes in the North American Tufted Puffin Fratercula cirrhata breeding population over 115 years |
title_short |
Range-wide changes in the North American Tufted Puffin Fratercula cirrhata breeding population over 115 years |
title_full |
Range-wide changes in the North American Tufted Puffin Fratercula cirrhata breeding population over 115 years |
title_fullStr |
Range-wide changes in the North American Tufted Puffin Fratercula cirrhata breeding population over 115 years |
title_full_unstemmed |
Range-wide changes in the North American Tufted Puffin Fratercula cirrhata breeding population over 115 years |
title_sort |
range-wide changes in the north american tufted puffin fratercula cirrhata breeding population over 115 years |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0959270922000193 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0959270922000193 |
geographic |
Bering Sea Gulf of Alaska |
geographic_facet |
Bering Sea Gulf of Alaska |
genre |
Bering Sea fratercula Alaska Aleutian Islands |
genre_facet |
Bering Sea fratercula Alaska Aleutian Islands |
op_source |
Bird Conservation International volume 33 ISSN 0959-2709 1474-0001 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959270922000193 |
container_title |
Bird Conservation International |
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1 |
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10 |
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1792498680245256192 |