Population ecology of seabirds in Mexican Islands at the California Current System
Author:
Sánchez Federico MéndezORCID, Guzmán Yuliana Bedolla, Mayoral Evaristo RojasORCID, Aguirre-Muñoz Alfonso, Koleff Patricia, Vargas Alejandro Aguilar, Santana Fernando ÁlvarezORCID, Arnaud Gustavo, Ornelas Alicia Aztorga, Beltrán Morales Luis Felipe, Yáñez Maritza Bello, García Humberto Berlanga, Hernández Esmeralda Bravo, Tapia Ana Cárdenas, Vera Aradit Castellanos, Sauceda Miguel Corrales, Canizales Ariana Duarte, Blanco Alejandra Fabila, Lizárraga María FélixORCID, Robledo Anely Fernández, Montoya Julio Hernández, Ríos Alfonso Hernández, Elías Eduardo Iñigo, Rosas Ángel Méndez, Mayoral Braulio Rojas, Carlos Fernando Solís, Ortega-Rubio Alfredo
Abstract
AbstractThe Baja California Pacific Islands (BCPI) is a seabird hotspot in the southern California Current System supporting 129 seabird breeding populations of 23 species and over one million birds annually. These islands had a history of environmental degradation because of invasive alien species, human disturbance, and contaminants that caused the extirpation of 27 seabird populations. Most of the invasive mammals have been eradicated and breeding colonies have been restored with social attraction techniques. We have systematic information for most of the breeding populations since 2008. To assess population trends, we analyzed data and present results for 19 seabird species on ten island groups. The maximum number of breeding pairs for each nesting season was used to estimate the population growth rate (λ) for each species at every island colony. We performed a nonparametric bootstrapping to assess whether seabird breeding populations are increasing or decreasing. San Benito, Natividad, and San Jerónimo are the top three islands in terms of abundance of breeding pairs. The most widespread species is Cassin’s Auklet with 14 colonies. Twenty-three populations of 13 species are significantly increasing while eight populations of six species are decreasing. We did not find statistical significance for 30 populations, however, 20 have λ>1 which suggest they are growing. Seven of the 18 species for which we estimated a regional population trend are significantly increasing, including three surface-nesting species: Brown Pelican, Elegant Tern and Laysan Albatross, and four burrow-nesting species: Ainley’s and Ashy Storm-Petrels, and Craveri’s and Guadalupe Murrelet. Our results suggest that the BCPI support healthy and growing populations of seabirds that have shown to be resilient to extreme environmental conditions such as the “Blob”, and that such resilience has been strengthen from conservation and restoration actions such as the eradication of invasive mammals and social attraction techniques.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Reference68 articles.
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