Seabird guild composition and distribution relative to biophysical cues throughout the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea
Seabird distributions reflect physical and biological features of the marine environment and their variability on different spatial and temporal scales. Different species assemblages are associated with specific oceanic habitats and concentrations of birds typically occur in areas of high biological...
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UiT Norges arktiske universitet
2021
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Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10037/22776 |
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ftunivtroemsoe:oai:munin.uit.no:10037/22776 2023-05-15T13:45:59+02:00 Seabird guild composition and distribution relative to biophysical cues throughout the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea Ollus, Victoria Marja Sofia 2021-08-16 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/22776 eng eng UiT Norges arktiske universitet UiT The Arctic University of Norway https://hdl.handle.net/10037/22776 Copyright 2021 The Author(s) VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Marinbiologi: 497 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Marine biology: 497 VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Økologi: 488 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Ecology: 488 VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Zoogeografi: 486 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Zoogeography: 486 BIO-3950 Master thesis Mastergradsoppgave 2021 ftunivtroemsoe 2021-10-20T22:53:55Z Seabird distributions reflect physical and biological features of the marine environment and their variability on different spatial and temporal scales. Different species assemblages are associated with specific oceanic habitats and concentrations of birds typically occur in areas of high biological productivity. Here I explore seabird distributions and habitat use relative to biophysical cues of biological productivity throughout the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea in austral summer. Data on seabird at-sea distributions were collected through strip-transect counts using tourism vessels as opportunistic sampling platforms. Multivariate statistical methods and generalized additive models (GAM) were used to relate seabird guild composition, abundance, and species richness to environmental covariates. Sea surface temperature (SST) and distance to coast were the most important predictors of seabird distributions. Species assemblages differed between oceanographic zones and increased abundance and species richness were encountered in generally productive areas, such as coastal regions and oceanographic fronts. Coastal areas, particularly South Georgia, were important for seabirds at the time of our survey, which coincided with the breeding season for several bird species in the area. These findings highlight the importance of environmental features on seabird distributions and habitat use. Fine-resolution community-level data on marine top predator distributions are needed when assessing change, predicting habitat shifts, and ultimately to base successful conservation measures and management decisions on. This study shows that seabird distribution data collected cost-effectively using tourism vessels as platforms of opportunity can be a valuable addition to structured surveys. Master Thesis Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Scotia Sea University of Tromsø: Munin Open Research Archive Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Austral Gam ENVELOPE(-57.955,-57.955,-61.923,-61.923) Scotia Sea The Antarctic |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Tromsø: Munin Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtroemsoe |
language |
English |
topic |
VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Marinbiologi: 497 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Marine biology: 497 VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Økologi: 488 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Ecology: 488 VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Zoogeografi: 486 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Zoogeography: 486 BIO-3950 |
spellingShingle |
VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Marinbiologi: 497 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Marine biology: 497 VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Økologi: 488 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Ecology: 488 VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Zoogeografi: 486 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Zoogeography: 486 BIO-3950 Ollus, Victoria Marja Sofia Seabird guild composition and distribution relative to biophysical cues throughout the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea |
topic_facet |
VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Marinbiologi: 497 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Marine biology: 497 VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Økologi: 488 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Ecology: 488 VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Zoogeografi: 486 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Zoogeography: 486 BIO-3950 |
description |
Seabird distributions reflect physical and biological features of the marine environment and their variability on different spatial and temporal scales. Different species assemblages are associated with specific oceanic habitats and concentrations of birds typically occur in areas of high biological productivity. Here I explore seabird distributions and habitat use relative to biophysical cues of biological productivity throughout the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea in austral summer. Data on seabird at-sea distributions were collected through strip-transect counts using tourism vessels as opportunistic sampling platforms. Multivariate statistical methods and generalized additive models (GAM) were used to relate seabird guild composition, abundance, and species richness to environmental covariates. Sea surface temperature (SST) and distance to coast were the most important predictors of seabird distributions. Species assemblages differed between oceanographic zones and increased abundance and species richness were encountered in generally productive areas, such as coastal regions and oceanographic fronts. Coastal areas, particularly South Georgia, were important for seabirds at the time of our survey, which coincided with the breeding season for several bird species in the area. These findings highlight the importance of environmental features on seabird distributions and habitat use. Fine-resolution community-level data on marine top predator distributions are needed when assessing change, predicting habitat shifts, and ultimately to base successful conservation measures and management decisions on. This study shows that seabird distribution data collected cost-effectively using tourism vessels as platforms of opportunity can be a valuable addition to structured surveys. |
format |
Master Thesis |
author |
Ollus, Victoria Marja Sofia |
author_facet |
Ollus, Victoria Marja Sofia |
author_sort |
Ollus, Victoria Marja Sofia |
title |
Seabird guild composition and distribution relative to biophysical cues throughout the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea |
title_short |
Seabird guild composition and distribution relative to biophysical cues throughout the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea |
title_full |
Seabird guild composition and distribution relative to biophysical cues throughout the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea |
title_fullStr |
Seabird guild composition and distribution relative to biophysical cues throughout the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea |
title_full_unstemmed |
Seabird guild composition and distribution relative to biophysical cues throughout the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea |
title_sort |
seabird guild composition and distribution relative to biophysical cues throughout the antarctic peninsula and scotia sea |
publisher |
UiT Norges arktiske universitet |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10037/22776 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-57.955,-57.955,-61.923,-61.923) |
geographic |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Austral Gam Scotia Sea The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Austral Gam Scotia Sea The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Scotia Sea |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Scotia Sea |
op_relation |
https://hdl.handle.net/10037/22776 |
op_rights |
Copyright 2021 The Author(s) |
_version_ |
1766234613998419968 |