Plentiful food in the ocean: Some wildlife still face breeding challenges as ocean variability increases

Press Release for August 11, 2010

Contact:  Jaime Jahncke, PhD, PRBO Marine Ecology Division Director, (707) 781-2555 ext 305, jjahncke@prbo.org

The ocean off California’s central coast is now full of food for marine wildlife, despite starting the year with El Nino conditions in the tropics that normally portend warmer water and less food.  This is good news for some seabirds and marine mammals, however other seabirds nesting on the Farallon Islands are still struggling to produce young. 

These results come from two ongoing research programs: PRBO Conservation Science’s ongoing monitoring of nesting seabirds in collaboration with US Fish and Wildlife Service, at the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge; and the ACCESS partnership, which includes biologists from PRBO, Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries. 

The scientists monitoring the ocean during the 10 day ACCESS research cruise found that krill—shrimp-like crustaceans that drive the rich food web off California’s coast—were extremely abundant in July.  This bodes well for krill-eating seabirds, whales and fish that depend upon a thriving marine food web to survive.

The abundance of krill has attracted many whales to the region.  Over the course of the survey over 200 humpback whales, 20 blue whales, six minke whales, one fin whale and four pods of killer whales were observed. 

“There were dense aggregations of krill in the water column--some were up to 10 to 20 meters [30-60 feet] thick where humpback whales were actively diving and feeding,” observed Dr. Jaime Jahncke, Marine Ecology Director at PRBO.

Reports from the Farallon Islands show mixed success for nesting seabirds.  Seabirds generally lay only one egg per year, making each year critical to sustaining healthy population levels.  This summer, Cassin’s Auklets, Common Murres, and Pigeon Guillemots had a successful nesting year, while Brandt’s Cormorants and Western Gulls had a very poor nesting year.

It’s not surprising the Cassin’s Auklets fared well.  The Cassin’s Auklet is a robin-sized seabird which feeds almost entirely on krill.  This year most of the auklets successfully produced at least one chick, and 70% of successful breeders went on to lay a second clutch of young, a rare occurrence for seabirds.  This late abundance of krill will likely help the second brood of auklet chicks survive, making this a great year for the Cassin’s Auklets at the Farallones, explained Russ Bradley, PRBO’s Farallon Program Manager. 

Common Murres which feed on fish, including juvenile rockfish and other small forage fish are also having a good year. Common Murre parents have been observed feeding juvenile rockfish to their young at unusually high rates, indicating that young rockfish are plentiful. 

In contrast, and hard to explain, is the result from the Farallones that Western Gulls and Brandt’s Cormorants are having a poor nesting year.  These species, which feed their young small forage fish, are failing. 

Brandt’s Cormorants, which experienced almost complete breeding failure in 2008 and 2009, likely due to the lack of anchovies, began nesting late this summer.  They appeared to be benefitting from the July surge in food and mounted a significant breeding effort, however, recent nest abandonment and dead chicks have been observed .

Western Gulls, which also feed on small forage fish appear headed for what might be their worst nesting year ever recorded on the Farallones in over 40 years of data collection.

Dr. Jahncke explained that “this dramatic variability over the past 5 years and this year’s mixed success among different seabirds can be hard to understand.  We are only just beginning to piece together the complex ocean food web puzzle off our coast as ocean conditions swing from very low to very high productivity.  Our ongoing observations, season after season and year after year, are essential to documenting these changes, especially as climate change impacts become more evident.”  

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About PRBO Conservation Science (www.prbo.org)
PRBO Conservation Science, founded as Point Reyes Bird Observatory in 1965, works to conserve birds, other wildlife and ecosystems through innovative scientific research and outreach.  We partner with hundreds of governmental and non-governmental agencies as well as private interests to ensure that every dollar invested in conservation yields the most for biodiversity -- benefiting our environment, our economy and our communities.  Visit PRBO on the web at www.prbo.org.
Note to reporters:  Our organizational name is PRBO Conservation Science, as written with the acronym (not Point Reyes Bird Observatory Conservation Science).

About ACCESS (www.accessoceans.org)
ACCESS cruises collect data on the oceanographic conditions, zooplankton community (focusing on krill and copepods), seabird and marine mammal distribution and abundance within the offshore and near shore regions of Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones and northern extend of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries.  See more at the ACCESS Facebook page. 

Penguins aren’t sitting ducks
Press Release for June 23, 2010 
Contact:  Kate Dugger, Katie.dugger@oregonstate.edu, 541-737-2473
Grant Ballard, PRBO Conservation Science, gballard@prbo.org, 415-676-8179David Ainley, dainley@penguinscience.com, 415-332-5718 

Contrary to popular belief held over the last 100 years, Adélie Penguins will indeed move when conditions for raising young get bad, according to a new study conducted by researchers from Oregon State University, H.T. Harvey and Associates, PRBO Conservation Science, and Landcare Research New Zealand.  The study entitled Survival differences and the effect of environmental instability on breeding dispersal in an Adélie penguin meta-population is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

Adélie penguins live a long time, have a high survival rate, and adults breed in the same location where they were raised as young, but when a change in their environment becomes severe enough, they aren’t afraid to move and raise their own offspring elsewhere. This finding is noteworthy because it has traditionally been thought that long-lived seabirds, such as penguins, stay faithful to the site where they were born, returning year after year.  It is also significant because it shows the way in which penguins may cope with changing environmental conditions and how they have coped in the past, such as during the ice ages.

Scientists were able to make this observation because they have been studying the Adélie penguin colony in the Ross Sea for the last 14 years, during which time a ‘natural experiment’ occurred.  For five years, midway in the period, a huge iceberg blocked passage of the penguins to the sea during a critical nesting time.  Some birds then moved to new nesting sites, choosing colonies that had access to better feeding sites, regardless of the size of the colony.  

“Witnessing large numbers of adult birds who have already successfully nested in one location switching to a new site in the face of environmental change has rarely been documented and is indeed surprising,” says Dr. Kate Dugger, Oregon State University. 

The idea of nesting penguins and perhaps other animals having the ability to change their behavior (in this case move to new nesting sites) due to abrupt environmental changes is interesting to scientists especially during this time of rapid climate change. However, scientists caution that while this can be a good strategy, there is often a cost to moving, which is why it is a relatively rare behavior for some species.   

Antarctic penguins have few options for relocation.  For Adélie penguins it’s tough to find ice free ground to rear their young, and as the climate changes it also changes the amount and distribution of the sea ice off shore, which is critical to the penguins success at finding food, and something with which they may ultimately be unable to cope depending on its rapidity. 

“We are always learning how resourceful these penguins are – when faced with extreme environmental challenges they do their best to cope. However, like animals living near the tops of mountains, polar animals have limited options if the planet warms beyond a certain point” says Dugger. 

This study underscores the importance of long-term studies of animals and their environments – even when so much is known about well studied organisms, dramatic changes in the environment can show us there is often something new to discover about the flexibility of some species.  In addition,  this study also helps scientists predict how penguins, other animals and even humans  might respond to our changing climate. 

A link to the published paper’s abstract can be found here: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/06/10/1000623107.abstract  

About PRBO Conservation Science:PRBO Conservation Science, founded as Point Reyes Bird Observatory in 1965, works to conserve birds, other wildlife and ecosystems through innovative scientific research and outreach.  We partner with hundreds of governmental and non-governmental agencies as well as private interests to ensure that every dollar invested in conservation yields the most for biodiversity -- benefiting our environment, our economy and our communities.  Visit PRBO on the web at www.prbo.org.  

Note to reporters:  Our organizational name is PRBO Conservation Science, as written with the acronym (not Point Reyes Bird Observatory Conservation Science). 

Oil that was being transferred from a barge to an oil tanker (Dubai Star) was reported as being spilled into the bay south of the Bay Bridge on October 30, 2009 at 7:35 am, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Currently it is unclear how much oil has spilled or if there are any impacts to wildlife.

Members of PRBO's oil spill response team, a key participant in the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, are on the way to the scene to assess impacts to birds and wildlife. Other members of the team are standing by and ready to be activated in case we are needed to help with field response or oiled wildlife documentation and processing.

This may be the same type of fuel spilled by the Cosco Busan in November 2007. This spill appears to be much smaller than the 50,000 gallons spilled during the Cosco Busan event. However, it is too early to know for sure. Please visit http://www.prbo.org to learn more about the recent oil spill and we will keep you posted on future significant developments.

To learn more about the incident, see the most recent U.S Coast Guard update , or the San Francisco Chronicle’s story here .

Press Release: 9/29/09 Using Lasers to Map Bird Habitat

Contact:  Nat Seavy, PhD, Terrestrial Ecology Research Director, PRBO (415) 868-0655 ext 311, nseavy@prbo.org
Melissa Pitkin, Outreach Director, (707) 781-2555 ext. 307, mpitkin@prbo.org

Using Lasers to Map Bird Habitat

Lasers are providing scientists with new tools for mapping, protecting, and restoring bird habitat along rivers. In a paper published in the October issue of Ecological Applications, scientists from PRBO Conservation Science and the Information Center for the Environment at UC Davis used aerial laser technology known as LiDAR (short for Light Detection And Ranging) to predict where different bird species occur in the Cosumnes River Preserve in central California, USA.

LiDAR data are generated using lasers mounted on an airplane that is flown over the study area.  Sensors on the aircraft record the laser light that is reflected from the vegetation and the ground.  These data are then used to develop detailed maps of the forest structure (for example, the height of the tallest trees).  Scientists can then use their knowledge of what types of forest structure birds need to predict where birds will occur.  With LiDAR, they can do this over large geographic areas more quickly and easily than with traditional methods.

”By combining this advanced imaging technology with traditional field research, we are able to measure and predict ecosystem components in unprecedented ways. Not only can we provide managers with very detailed information about ecosystem services such as carbon storage and its associated biodiversity, but we can do so over very large areas,” says Dr. Josh Viers, Watershed Scientist at UC Davis.

Scientists have long known that many birds are often found in specific types of forest structure. In the past, these associations have been established by counting birds in areas where vegetation was painstakingly measured on the ground.   “Using the LiDAR measurements of vegetation, we can predict where the birds will be over areas much too large to survey by foot,” explains Dr. Nat Seavy, Terrestrial Ecologist Research Director at PRBO Conservation Science.

Maps of bird habitat help scientists understand what areas should be protected and what forest conditions are important for different bird species.  “We want to make sure common birds stay common,” says Dr. Chrissy Howell, an ecologist at PRBO Conservation Science. “This technique helps us identify areas to protect and understand how we can design restoration to create new habitat.”

Authors were Nathaniel Seavy and Julian Wood (PRBO Conservation Science) and Joshua Viers (UC Davis).  LiDAR data were collected by Watershed Sciences, LLC, based in Portland, Oregon.  The research was funded in part by the CALFED Science Fellows Program.

 Why Climate Change Makes River Restoration More Important than Ever

Press Release for August 31, 2009

Contact:  Nat Seavy, PhD, Terrestrial Ecology Research Director, (415) 868-0655 ext 311, nseavy@prbo.org  Melissa Pitkin, Outreach Director, (707) 781-2555 ext. 307, mpitkin@prbo.org

PRBO Conservation Science (PRBO) and six other organizations evaluated how protecting and restoring river ecosystems (riparian areas) can enhance the ability of these ecosystems to cope with climate change.  This work appears in the September issue of Ecological Restoration (http://er.uwpress.org/cgi/reprint/27/3/330) with a collection of articles dedicated to the theme of restoration and climate change.  In the paper, the scientists discuss the importance of replanting riparian vegetation and ensuring that rivers have sufficient water to maintain flows that benefit birds, other wildlife, and human communities.

Riparian restoration can play an important role in connecting one area to another, enabling plants and animals to move as the climate shifts.  Riparian restoration can also create thermal refugia – places where stream temperatures remain relatively unchanged – that buffer wildlife from increasing temperatures.  Based on these and other benefits of riparian restoration, the authors recommend that river restoration activities continue and expand as the climate changes.

“I often hear people ask: ‘if climate change is going to disrupt natural systems, why should we bother to restore them?’” explains Nat Seavy, of PRBO Conservation Science, “Restoration, especially of riparian areas, is a critical step toward protecting the integrity of ecosystems and the benefits they provide – including clean water, pollination, and flood protection – to wildlife and humans in a time of rapid climate change.”

The authors also discuss the need to modify restoration strategies to prepare for the uncertain conditions predicted to accompany climate change, and for ongoing research and monitoring to evaluate and improve restoration practices. 

Recommendations include planting a mix of riparian plants that are both drought and flood tolerant, ensuring that rivers have sufficient water to provide for periodic flooding of natural areas, and emphasizing restoration on private lands. 

For decades, conservationists have been aware that increasing human populations, development, and changing land use threaten biodiversity and ecosystem services.  Ecological restoration was originally developed to help speed the recovery of ecosystems disrupted by human activities.  Today, there is a growing awareness that ecological restoration must also look ahead to consider the potential consequences of a changing climate. 

“Because dams and water diversions have disrupted natural water regimes, simply protecting the river isn’t enough” explains Thomas Griggs, a restoration ecologist from River Partners, an organization that has led large-scale restoration efforts on the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers.  “Over the last 20 years, we’ve learned how to speed the return of birds and other wildlife to these important habitats by planting the vegetation that would have come back as a result of natural flooding.  In the next 20 years, we will need to look ahead to understand how climate change will impact these systems, and ensure that our efforts are successful into the future.”

"Protecting genetic diversity and native biodiversity with restoration projects will boost the resilience of society and nature to potentially catastrophic climate change impacts," says Stacy Small, co-author, from Environmental Defense Fund's Center for Conservation Incentives.  "Working with landowners to restore private lands will also enhance restoration efforts on adjacent public lands."

Working collaboratively with multiple partners across many disciplines is increasingly important for effective restoration. The authors that collaborated on this project work for government agencies (USDI Bureau of Land Management), academic institutions (UC Davis), and non-profit organizations (PRBO Conservation Science, The Nature Conservancy, Audubon California, Environmental Defense Fund, and River Partners). 

“This paper exemplifies the importance of partnering to prepare for climate change,” explains Ellie Cohen, the Executive Director of PRBO Conservation Science. “By building diverse teams with unique knowledge and on-the-ground experience we can develop practical solutions supported by sound science.”

Authors were Nathaniel Seavy, Thomas Gardali, and Christine Howell (PRBO Conservation Science), Gregory Golet (The Nature Conservancy), Thomas Griggs (River Partners), Rodd Kelsey (Audubon California), Stacy Small (Environmental Defense Fund), Joshua Viers (UC Davis), and James Weigand (Bureau of Land Management).

Boilerplates

PRBO Conservation Science is a non-profit conservation and education organization dedicated to advancing conservation through birds and ecosystem research.   Founded in 1965 as Point Reyes Bird Observatory, PRBO Conservation Science partners with hundreds of governmental and non-governmental agencies as well as private interests to ensure that every dollar invested in conservation yields the most for biodiversity -- benefiting our environment, our economy, and our communities.  Visit PRBO on the web at www.prbo.org.

Audubon California is building a better future for California by bringing people together to appreciate, enjoy and protect our spectacular outdoor treasures. Audubon California is a field program of Audubon, which has more than 50,000 members in California and an affiliated 48 local chapters dedicated to protecting birds, wildlife and the habitats that support them. Visit Audubon California on the web at www.ca.audubon.org.

Environmental Defense Fund is a national nonprofit organization that links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF's Center for Conservation Incentives (CCI) is an initiative to develop and expand landowner incentives for the conservation of natural resources and rare plants and animals. For more information visit: www.edf.org. Contact: Stacy Small, PhD, Conservation Scientist, (202)572-3263, ssmall@edf.org

Over the last 11 years, River Partners has restored more than 6,000 acres of river banks and floodplains, providing critical habitat for wildlife and sustainable solutions for California’s rivers. Its habitat restoration work supports efforts to sequester greenhouse gases, improve water and air quality, recover endangered species, improve public safety, and protect open space.  A nonprofit organization, River Partners’ mission is to create wildlife habitat for the benefit of people and the environment.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.  To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 18 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 117 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages more land - 256 million acres - than any other Federal agency. About 15 million acres are in California and comprise some of the most biologically diverse areas in the State.  These public lands, officially known as the National System of Public Lands, stretch from the Sierra to the Pacific and from northern ancient forests to southern desert expanses.  BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

This work was funded in part by the CALFED Science Fellows Program.  Beginning with the class of 2003, the CALFED Science Fellows Program has paired graduate students and postdoctoral researchers with CALFED Program agency scientists and senior research mentors. Fellows work on collaborative data analysis and research projects applicable to the California Bay-Delta system.

Citation
Seavy, N. E., T. Gardali, G. H. Golet, F. T. Griggs, C. A. Howell, R. Kelsey, S. Small, J. H. Viers, J. F. Weigand. 2009. Why climate change makes riparian restoration more important than ever: Recommendations for Practice and Research. Ecological Restoration 27:330-338. (open access available at: http://er.uwpress.org/cgi/reprint/27/3/330 ) 

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Press Release for August 1, 2009
Contact:  Meredith Elliott, PRBO Marine Ecologist (707) 781-2555 ext 304, Melissa Pitkin, Outreach Director, (707) 781-2555 ext 307

Double-crested Cormorants in Sharp Decline

Is the Double Crested Cormorant the big black canary in the coal mine of the changing San Francisco Bay ecosystem?  Data collected by PRBO Conservation Science biologists from the Bay Bridge and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge nesting colonies are showing a steep decline.  Number of breeding birds dropped by 90% at the Bay Bridge.  Not since PRBO began studying these cormorants in 1989 has there been such a drop in numbers. This is yet another signal from the seabirds of a stressed marine food web in our region.

Already 2009 will be remembered as the worst year for all Bay Area cormorants in memory.  Cormorants have been particularly impacted by food shortages this season. Heavy sustained March winds resulting in an over-mixing of the marine nutrients were attributed to cause prey disruption and the commencement of a starvation event, especially noticeable among Brandt’s Cormorants along the central coast of California. Preliminary results from Kathy Hieb (California Department of Fish and Game) confirm this, as the abundance of large anchovy – the most common fish in the Bay – is far below normal this year. This lack of food resulted in severely reduced or halted nesting at many colonies in the Bay Area, including the Farallon Islands.  SF Bay cormorants were also hard hit, with Double-crested Cormorant carcasses found with the Brandt’s Cormorants, no nesting of Brandt’s Cormorants on Alcatraz Island, and the Double-crested Cormorant colony on the Bay Bridge dropping from 813 nests to 80 nests in the last two years.  Other Double-crested colonies in the Bay Area are showing similar declines, as corroborated by Caitlin Robinson  of San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory.

“Such dramatic changes don’t just happen by chance. The cormorants are telling us that something is amiss in these environments; now we need to see if they can also tell us what it is.” Says Dr John Wiens, PRBO Chief Conservation Science Officer.

Another reproductive study is warranted to try to determine what is causing the steep decline in Double-crested Cormorant nesting colonies in SF Bay.  There could be many factors at play including food shortage, human disturbance, and pollution. Given similar declines in nesting seabirds in the region this year (Common Murre and Brandt’s Cormorants), food shortage appears to be the dominant factor.  Such an extreme drop in numbers is alarming; when a species as abundant as the Double-crested Cormorant disappears from the Bay, it indicates the forage fish species of the marine ecosystem are ailing.