Patterns and processes of marine habitat selection: foraging ecology, competition and coexistence among coastal seabirds
Changes in the marine ecosystem can affect the distribution, survival, and reproductive success of seabirds. Therefore, a better understanding of factors influencing the marine distribution and abundance of seabirds can provide insight into ecological hypotheses and have important conservation impli...
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ftuvicpubl:oai:dspace.library.uvic.ca:1828/941 2023-05-15T15:56:04+02:00 Patterns and processes of marine habitat selection: foraging ecology, competition and coexistence among coastal seabirds Ronconi, Robert Alfredo Burger, Alan E Dower, John F. 2008 application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/1828/941 English en eng http://hdl.handle.net/1828/941 Available to the World Wide Web seabirds murrelets conservation biology habitat selection competition niche foraging ecology UVic Subject Index::Sciences and Engineering::Biology::Ecology Thesis 2008 ftuvicpubl 2022-05-19T06:13:10Z Changes in the marine ecosystem can affect the distribution, survival, and reproductive success of seabirds. Therefore, a better understanding of factors influencing the marine distribution and abundance of seabirds can provide insight into ecological hypotheses and have important conservation implications. Yet at-sea habitat selection by seabirds has received far less attention than have investigations of their breeding biology. I studied the patterns and processes of marine habitat selection by seabirds in nearshore waters of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The study focused on comparative analyses among five sympatric species: marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus), common murre (Uria aalge), rhinoceros auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata), pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba) and pelagic cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus). I used a multi-scaled and multi-disciplined approach combining shore-based telescope observations, vessel-based surveys, and developed new techniques for mapping nearshore seabird distributions. Patterns of habitat selection were examined through vessel-based surveys and species-habitat modeling. Vessel-based transects are fundamental to studies of seabird ecology, yet standardized protocols often fail to account for detectability biases. Distance-sampling methods were used to quantify seabird detectability along transects and showed extensive variability (20-80% of birds detected) depending on species, year, and observer. Corrected estimates of bird densities were used in habitat selection modeling, which demonstrated inter-specific and inter-annual differences in species-habitat associations. Most species showed distinct partitioning in habitats, particularly with respect to substrate and along gradients of depth and sea-surface temperature/salinity. Thus, environmental variability is a key factor structuring habitat use and coexistence in this community of piscivorous seabirds. Processes of habitat selection were studied through observations of ... Thesis Common Murre Uria aalge uria University of Victoria (Canada): UVicDSpace Pacific |
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Open Polar |
collection |
University of Victoria (Canada): UVicDSpace |
op_collection_id |
ftuvicpubl |
language |
English |
topic |
seabirds murrelets conservation biology habitat selection competition niche foraging ecology UVic Subject Index::Sciences and Engineering::Biology::Ecology |
spellingShingle |
seabirds murrelets conservation biology habitat selection competition niche foraging ecology UVic Subject Index::Sciences and Engineering::Biology::Ecology Ronconi, Robert Alfredo Patterns and processes of marine habitat selection: foraging ecology, competition and coexistence among coastal seabirds |
topic_facet |
seabirds murrelets conservation biology habitat selection competition niche foraging ecology UVic Subject Index::Sciences and Engineering::Biology::Ecology |
description |
Changes in the marine ecosystem can affect the distribution, survival, and reproductive success of seabirds. Therefore, a better understanding of factors influencing the marine distribution and abundance of seabirds can provide insight into ecological hypotheses and have important conservation implications. Yet at-sea habitat selection by seabirds has received far less attention than have investigations of their breeding biology. I studied the patterns and processes of marine habitat selection by seabirds in nearshore waters of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The study focused on comparative analyses among five sympatric species: marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus), common murre (Uria aalge), rhinoceros auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata), pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba) and pelagic cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus). I used a multi-scaled and multi-disciplined approach combining shore-based telescope observations, vessel-based surveys, and developed new techniques for mapping nearshore seabird distributions. Patterns of habitat selection were examined through vessel-based surveys and species-habitat modeling. Vessel-based transects are fundamental to studies of seabird ecology, yet standardized protocols often fail to account for detectability biases. Distance-sampling methods were used to quantify seabird detectability along transects and showed extensive variability (20-80% of birds detected) depending on species, year, and observer. Corrected estimates of bird densities were used in habitat selection modeling, which demonstrated inter-specific and inter-annual differences in species-habitat associations. Most species showed distinct partitioning in habitats, particularly with respect to substrate and along gradients of depth and sea-surface temperature/salinity. Thus, environmental variability is a key factor structuring habitat use and coexistence in this community of piscivorous seabirds. Processes of habitat selection were studied through observations of ... |
author2 |
Burger, Alan E Dower, John F. |
format |
Thesis |
author |
Ronconi, Robert Alfredo |
author_facet |
Ronconi, Robert Alfredo |
author_sort |
Ronconi, Robert Alfredo |
title |
Patterns and processes of marine habitat selection: foraging ecology, competition and coexistence among coastal seabirds |
title_short |
Patterns and processes of marine habitat selection: foraging ecology, competition and coexistence among coastal seabirds |
title_full |
Patterns and processes of marine habitat selection: foraging ecology, competition and coexistence among coastal seabirds |
title_fullStr |
Patterns and processes of marine habitat selection: foraging ecology, competition and coexistence among coastal seabirds |
title_full_unstemmed |
Patterns and processes of marine habitat selection: foraging ecology, competition and coexistence among coastal seabirds |
title_sort |
patterns and processes of marine habitat selection: foraging ecology, competition and coexistence among coastal seabirds |
publishDate |
2008 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/1828/941 |
geographic |
Pacific |
geographic_facet |
Pacific |
genre |
Common Murre Uria aalge uria |
genre_facet |
Common Murre Uria aalge uria |
op_relation |
http://hdl.handle.net/1828/941 |
op_rights |
Available to the World Wide Web |
_version_ |
1766391558532235264 |