Predation by feral cats threatens great albatrosses
International audience Feral cats (Felis catus) are a potential threat for several seabird species including medium sized albatrosses, but studies documenting predation behavior, demographic impacts and effects of predator control are scarce. Here, we present data on feral cat predation behavior on...
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Online Access: | https://hal.science/hal-03191776 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-021-02512-9 |
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ftinraparis:oai:HAL:hal-03191776v1 2024-09-09T19:38:01+00:00 Predation by feral cats threatens great albatrosses Barbraud, Christophe Des Monstiers, Baudouin Chaigne, Adrien Marteau, Cédric Weimerskirch, Henri Delord, Karine Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC) La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE) Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Terres Australes Françaises 2021 https://hal.science/hal-03191776 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-021-02512-9 en eng HAL CCSD Springer Verlag info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1007/s10530-021-02512-9 hal-03191776 https://hal.science/hal-03191776 doi:10.1007/s10530-021-02512-9 ISSN: 1387-3547 EISSN: 1573-1464 Biological Invasions https://hal.science/hal-03191776 Biological Invasions, 2021, 23 (8), pp.2389-2405. ⟨10.1007/s10530-021-02512-9⟩ Breeding success Diomedea exulans Felis catus Population control Population growth rate Predation behavior [SDE]Environmental Sciences info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2021 ftinraparis https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-021-02512-9 2024-06-18T14:46:27Z International audience Feral cats (Felis catus) are a potential threat for several seabird species including medium sized albatrosses, but studies documenting predation behavior, demographic impacts and effects of predator control are scarce. Here, we present data on feral cat predation behavior on one of the world’s largest seabirds, the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) at Kerguelen Island, and show how it affects breeding success and rate of population growth. We assess the effect of a feral cat control experiment on breeding success and population viability. Using 32 camera traps we monitored 25 nests of albatross and detected 295 events showing a potential predator. Of these, 75.2% and 24.8% involved feral cats and giant petrels, respectively. Giant petrels were never implicated in direct predation. We recorded 17 attacks of feral cats on 13 albatross chicks. Attacks lasted in average 52.1 ± 72.9 min, and resulted in the death of 10 of the 13 (76.9%) monitored chicks. Breeding success where attacks were recorded was low (12%) compared to areas with no attack (86%). Mean breeding success during 3 years before cat control was 26% and increased to 80% during the 3 years following the experiment. According to predation scenarios, population modelling showed that the albatross population would decline by 2.7–4.5% per year without cat control. Following cat control the population would increase at 1.8% per year. Our results demonstrate that feral cats predate and have negative impacts on breeding success and population growth rate of wandering albatrosses at Kerguelen Island. We provide recommendations on feral cat control and eradication to mitigate the risk of population decline or local extinction of large albatrosses. Article in Journal/Newspaper Diomedea exulans Giant Petrels Wandering Albatross Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique: ProdINRA Kerguelen Kerguelen Island ENVELOPE(69.500,69.500,-49.250,-49.250) Biological Invasions 23 8 2389 2405 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique: ProdINRA |
op_collection_id |
ftinraparis |
language |
English |
topic |
Breeding success Diomedea exulans Felis catus Population control Population growth rate Predation behavior [SDE]Environmental Sciences |
spellingShingle |
Breeding success Diomedea exulans Felis catus Population control Population growth rate Predation behavior [SDE]Environmental Sciences Barbraud, Christophe Des Monstiers, Baudouin Chaigne, Adrien Marteau, Cédric Weimerskirch, Henri Delord, Karine Predation by feral cats threatens great albatrosses |
topic_facet |
Breeding success Diomedea exulans Felis catus Population control Population growth rate Predation behavior [SDE]Environmental Sciences |
description |
International audience Feral cats (Felis catus) are a potential threat for several seabird species including medium sized albatrosses, but studies documenting predation behavior, demographic impacts and effects of predator control are scarce. Here, we present data on feral cat predation behavior on one of the world’s largest seabirds, the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) at Kerguelen Island, and show how it affects breeding success and rate of population growth. We assess the effect of a feral cat control experiment on breeding success and population viability. Using 32 camera traps we monitored 25 nests of albatross and detected 295 events showing a potential predator. Of these, 75.2% and 24.8% involved feral cats and giant petrels, respectively. Giant petrels were never implicated in direct predation. We recorded 17 attacks of feral cats on 13 albatross chicks. Attacks lasted in average 52.1 ± 72.9 min, and resulted in the death of 10 of the 13 (76.9%) monitored chicks. Breeding success where attacks were recorded was low (12%) compared to areas with no attack (86%). Mean breeding success during 3 years before cat control was 26% and increased to 80% during the 3 years following the experiment. According to predation scenarios, population modelling showed that the albatross population would decline by 2.7–4.5% per year without cat control. Following cat control the population would increase at 1.8% per year. Our results demonstrate that feral cats predate and have negative impacts on breeding success and population growth rate of wandering albatrosses at Kerguelen Island. We provide recommendations on feral cat control and eradication to mitigate the risk of population decline or local extinction of large albatrosses. |
author2 |
Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC) La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE) Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Terres Australes Françaises |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Barbraud, Christophe Des Monstiers, Baudouin Chaigne, Adrien Marteau, Cédric Weimerskirch, Henri Delord, Karine |
author_facet |
Barbraud, Christophe Des Monstiers, Baudouin Chaigne, Adrien Marteau, Cédric Weimerskirch, Henri Delord, Karine |
author_sort |
Barbraud, Christophe |
title |
Predation by feral cats threatens great albatrosses |
title_short |
Predation by feral cats threatens great albatrosses |
title_full |
Predation by feral cats threatens great albatrosses |
title_fullStr |
Predation by feral cats threatens great albatrosses |
title_full_unstemmed |
Predation by feral cats threatens great albatrosses |
title_sort |
predation by feral cats threatens great albatrosses |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://hal.science/hal-03191776 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-021-02512-9 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(69.500,69.500,-49.250,-49.250) |
geographic |
Kerguelen Kerguelen Island |
geographic_facet |
Kerguelen Kerguelen Island |
genre |
Diomedea exulans Giant Petrels Wandering Albatross |
genre_facet |
Diomedea exulans Giant Petrels Wandering Albatross |
op_source |
ISSN: 1387-3547 EISSN: 1573-1464 Biological Invasions https://hal.science/hal-03191776 Biological Invasions, 2021, 23 (8), pp.2389-2405. ⟨10.1007/s10530-021-02512-9⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1007/s10530-021-02512-9 hal-03191776 https://hal.science/hal-03191776 doi:10.1007/s10530-021-02512-9 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-021-02512-9 |
container_title |
Biological Invasions |
container_volume |
23 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
2389 |
op_container_end_page |
2405 |
_version_ |
1809907053753270272 |