Common risks among declining marine predators suggests ecosystem change
Presentation Abstract
Identifying drivers of ecosystem change in large marine ecosystems is central for their effective management and conservation. This is a sizable challenge, particularly in ecosystems transcending international borders, where logistical constrains can hinder effective monitoring and conservation. In public health, epidemiology helps target goals of preventive medicine by identifying risk factors of health-related states or events, and thus better inform policy decisions. We use this approach in the Salish Sea—a 17,000-square-kilometer transboundary marine ecosystem in North America’s Pacific Northwest—to discern risks increasing the likelihood of species undergoing population declines within a community of marine birds, and thus pinpoint possible drivers of ecosystem change. Using survey data from long-term monitoring programs run by federal, state and provincial wildlife agencies as well as citizen science, we identified specific foraging strategies and natural histories linked with declines in Salish Sea winter counts among 39 taxa of marine birds. We found that species most at risk of experiencing declines were pursuit divers that specialize on forage fish species for prey, such as common murres (Uria aalge) and western grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis). Life at sea is intrinsically perilous for most marine bird species, and while the synergy of a combination of risk factors is most likely driving declines of diving birds in the Salish Sea, changes in the availability of low-trophic prey may be increasing the challenges diving birds face. This synthesis of long-term ecological monitoring using an epidemiological framework can help elucidate potential drivers of local extinctions and ecosystem change in large marine ecosystems—information that is paramount for species-specific and ecosystem-wide conservation.
Session Title
Session S-05D: Marine Birds and Mammals of the Salish Sea: Identifying Patterns and Causes of Change - II
Conference Track
Species and Food Webs
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 10:30 AM
End Date
1-5-2014 12:00 PM
Location
Room 611-612
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Marine ecosystem health--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Sea birds--Monitoring--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.);
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Common risks among declining marine predators suggests ecosystem change
Room 611-612
Identifying drivers of ecosystem change in large marine ecosystems is central for their effective management and conservation. This is a sizable challenge, particularly in ecosystems transcending international borders, where logistical constrains can hinder effective monitoring and conservation. In public health, epidemiology helps target goals of preventive medicine by identifying risk factors of health-related states or events, and thus better inform policy decisions. We use this approach in the Salish Sea—a 17,000-square-kilometer transboundary marine ecosystem in North America’s Pacific Northwest—to discern risks increasing the likelihood of species undergoing population declines within a community of marine birds, and thus pinpoint possible drivers of ecosystem change. Using survey data from long-term monitoring programs run by federal, state and provincial wildlife agencies as well as citizen science, we identified specific foraging strategies and natural histories linked with declines in Salish Sea winter counts among 39 taxa of marine birds. We found that species most at risk of experiencing declines were pursuit divers that specialize on forage fish species for prey, such as common murres (Uria aalge) and western grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis). Life at sea is intrinsically perilous for most marine bird species, and while the synergy of a combination of risk factors is most likely driving declines of diving birds in the Salish Sea, changes in the availability of low-trophic prey may be increasing the challenges diving birds face. This synthesis of long-term ecological monitoring using an epidemiological framework can help elucidate potential drivers of local extinctions and ecosystem change in large marine ecosystems—information that is paramount for species-specific and ecosystem-wide conservation.
