Macro-and micro-plastics detected in razorbill Alca torda in the western Mediterranean Sea.

The Mediterranean Sea is a hotspot for plastic pollution and, consequently, an area at high risk of plastic exposure for oceanic seabirds. In this work we retrieved plastic items from different tissues/organs of razorbills Alca torda. This is a piscivorous species of the Alcidae family usually thriving along the North Atlantic coasts.

Exposure of an endangered seabird species to persistent organic pollutants: Assessing levels in blood and link with reproductive parameters.

Ocean contamination, particularly from persistent organic pollutants (POPs), remains a significant threat to marine predators that occupy high trophic positions. Long-lived procellariform seabirds are apex predators in marine ecosystems and tend to accumulate contaminants. Prolonged exposure to pollutants negatively affects their fitness including reproductive success.

Optimization and uncertainty assessment of a gas chromatography coupled to Orbitrap mass spectrometry method to determine organic contaminants in blood: A case study of an endangered seabird.

Birds are excellent bioindicators of environmental pollution, and blood provides information on contaminant exposure, although its analysis is challenging because of the low volumes that can be sampled. The objective of the present study was to optimize and validate a miniaturized and functional extraction and analytical method based on gas chromatography coupled to Orbitrap mass spectrometry (GCOrbitrap-MS) for the trace analysis of contaminants in avian blood. Studied compounds included 25 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), 6 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 8 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds.

Plastic pollution is distributed patchily around the world's oceans. Likewise, marine organisms that are vulnerable to plastic ingestion or entanglement have uneven distributions. Understanding where wildlife encounters plastic is crucial for targeting research and mitigation.

No evidence of inbreeding depression despite a historical severe bottleneck in the endangered Bermuda petrel (Pterodroma cahow).

The Bermuda petrel Pterodroma cahow is an island endemic seabird that belongs to the Procellariiformes, one of the most endangered orders of birds. Historical records suggest a significant population size decline following human settlement in Bermuda, bringing the species to near extinction. Since the 1950s, the population has been recovering aided by the implementation of an ongoing conservation plan.

Year-round variation in the isotopic niche of Scopoli's shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) breeding in contrasting sea regions of the Mediterranean Sea.

Top marine predators are key components of marine food webs. Among them, long-distance migratory seabirds, which travel across different marine ecosystems over the year, may experience important year-round changes in terms of oceanographic conditions and availability of trophic resources. We tested whether this was the case in the Scopoli's shearwater (Calonectris diomedea), a trans-equatorial migrant and top predator, by sampling birds breeding in three environmentally different regions of the Mediterranean Sea.

Overlap between marine predators and proposed Marine Managed Areas on the Patagonian Shelf.

Static (fixed-boundary) protected areas are key ocean conservation strategies, and marine higher predator distribution data can play a leading role toward identifying areas for conservation action. The Falkland Islands are a globally significant site for colonial breeding marine higher predators (i.e.

Trace elements' reference levels in blood of breeding black-browed albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris from the Falkland Islands.

Trace elements' concentration in the ocean is fast growing and is a source of major concern. Being charismatic and at the top of food chains, seabirds are often used as biological monitors of contaminants. We studied the concentration of trace elements in blood of black-browed albatross from the Falklands Islands, which we here show, by tracking with geolocators, forage over most of the Patagonian Shelf.

Author Correction: Important At-Sea Areas of Colonial Breeding Marine Predators on the Southern Patagonian Shelf.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

An ontogenetic perspective on migratory strategy of a long-lived pelagic seabird: Timings and destinations change progressively during maturation.

The processes that drive the ontogeny of migratory strategies in long-lived animals with slow maturation remain enigmatic. While some short-lived migrants are known or believed to repeat the same migratory patterns throughout their lives, little is known on the time required for immature long-lived migrants to progressively acquire adult-like migratory behaviours, or which aspects take longer to refine during the maturation process. Here, we studied the ontogeny of long-distance migratory strategies and related patterns of spatial distribution in a long-lived seabird species during the annual cycle.

Important At-Sea Areas of Colonial Breeding Marine Predators on the Southern Patagonian Shelf.

The Patagonian Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem supports high levels of biodiversity and endemism and is one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world. Despite the important role marine predators play in structuring the ecosystems, areas of high diversity where multiple predators congregate remains poorly known on the Patagonian Shelf. Here, we used biotelemetry and biologging tags to track the movements of six seabird species and three pinniped species breeding at the Falkland Islands.

Absence of haemosporidian parasite infections in the long-lived Cory's shearwater: evidence from molecular analyses and review of the literature.

The apparent scarcity or absence of blood parasites in some avian groups, such as seabirds, has been related to intrinsic and extrinsic factors including host immunological capacity, host-parasite assemblage, and ecological parameters, but also to reduced sensitivity of some methods to detect low parasite prevalence/intensities of infection. Here, we examined the haemosporidian parasite prevalence in a breeding population of Cory's shearwater Calonectris diomedea borealis, a long-distance migrant seabird, nesting in the Macaronesian region, in the Eastern Atlantic. Previous studies on Calonectris diomedea complex were based on small sample sizes providing weak evidence for a lack of infections by haemoparasites.

Quantifying space use of breeders and floaters of a long-lived species using individual movement data.

To date, animal movement studies have mostly analysed the movement behaviours of individuals at specific times of their lives, but we lack detailed information on how individual movements may be affected by the various and different changes that individuals experience throughout their life (e.g. life history phases, experience, age).

Population characteristics may reduce the levels of individual call identity.

Individual variability influences the demographic and evolutionary dynamics of spatially structured populations, and conversely ecological and evolutionary dynamics provide the context under which variations at the individual level occur. Therefore, it is essential to identify and characterize the importance of the different factors that may promote or hinder individual variability. Animal signaling is a prime example of a type of behavior that is largely dependent on both the features of individuals and the characteristics of the population to which they belong.

Responses of a top and a meso predator and their prey to moon phases.

We compared movement patterns and rhythms of activity of a top predator, the Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus, a mesopredator, the red fox Vulpes vulpes, and their shared principal prey, the rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus, in relation to moon phases. Because the three species are mostly nocturnal and crepuscular, we hypothesized that the shared prey would reduce its activity at most risky moon phases (i.e.

Individual and spatio-temporal variations in the home range behaviour of a long-lived, territorial species.

Despite the fact that investigations of home range behaviour have exponentially evolved on theoretical, analytical and technological grounds, the factors that shape animal home range behaviour still represent an unsolved question and a challenging field of research. However, home range studies have recently begun to be approached under a new integrated conceptual framework, considering home range behaviour as the result of the simultaneous influences of temporal, spatial and individual-level processes, with potential consequences at the population level. Following an integrated approach, we studied the influence of both external and internal factors on variations in the home range behaviour of 34 radiotagged eagle owl (Bubo bubo) breeders.

Moonlight makes owls more chatty.

Background: Lunar cycles seem to affect many of the rhythms, temporal patterns and behaviors of living things on Earth. Ambient light is known to affect visual communication in animals, with the conspicuousness of visual signals being largely determined by the light available for reflection by the sender. Although most previous studies in this context have focused on diurnal light, moonlight should not be neglected from the perspective of visual communication among nocturnal species.