Behavioural ecology and demography of North Pacific seabirds

北太平洋海鸟的行为生态学和人口统计学

• 批准号: 182591-2013
• 负责人: Jones, Ian
• 金额: $ 1.97万
• 依托单位: Memorial University of Newfoundland
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2013-01-01 至 2014-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=522910
• 关键词: Behavioural; ecology; demography; North; Pacific

My proposal focuses on ecology and behaviour of seabirds, with four major elements: 1) an expanded study of seabird movement and migration in relation to individual characteristics and ocean climate (the 'flagship project'); 2) continued study of behavioural ecology of auklet feather odor, ectoparasites and sexual selection, to clarify the relative importance of odor as a sexually selected trait versus a naturally selected parasite repellant, with expanded field experiments and comparative analysis of all Alcidae; 3) continuing work on climate forcing of demography with an extension to palaeoecology to place present patterns in the perspective of long term population variability; and 4) Aleutian seabird conservation biology with an emphasis on introduced predators, prospecting behaviour, colony formation and island restoration. Our research will make advances in neglected areas in movement and dispersal study, especially for smaller auks, that are the numerically dominant seabirds of the Bering Sea region. It is a paradox of seabird biology that most studies have focused on their activities on land (research at breeding sites) rather than at sea. It is no exaggeration to state that quantitative information about birds' activity at sea outside the breeding season has been a 'holy grail' of seabird biology, because this is so fundamental to understanding these birds' ecology. Apart from closing the gap on a poorly known area of seabird ecology, our work on migration and dispersal will provide a unique insight into patterns of North Pacific ocean productivity and oceanography, and provide assistance to the restoration of damaged islands, one of the world's most threatened ecosystems. Our work on sexual selection, plumage odor and ectoparasites, follows up in a controversial subject area with competing hypotheses for the function of chemical emissions in birds feathers. Our research on auk demography along with the palaeoecological component in Alaska will be at the forefront of work on climate change effects on northern marine ecosystems. Our conservation biology focussed component addresses many questions relating to island conservation and the mitigation of human impacts and restoration of damaged remote islands.

我的提案重点关注海鸟的生态和行为，有四个主要内容：1）对海鸟运动和迁徙与个体特征和海洋气候的关系进行扩展研究（“旗舰项目”）； 2) 继续研究海雀羽毛气味、体外寄生虫和性选择的行为生态学，通过扩大田间实验和对所有海雀科的比较分析，阐明气味作为性选择特征与自然选择寄生虫驱避剂的相对重要性； 3) 继续研究气候对人口的影响，并扩展到古生态学，从长期人口变异的角度来看待目前的模式； 4) 阿留申海鸟保护生物学，重点是引入的捕食者、勘探行为、群体形成和岛屿恢复。我们的研究将在运动和扩散研究中被忽视的领域取得进展，特别是对于较小的海雀，它们是白令海地区数量上占主导地位的海鸟。海鸟生物学的一个悖论是，大多数研究都集中在它们在陆地上的活动（繁殖地的研究）而不是在海上。毫不夸张地说，有关鸟类在繁殖季节之外的海上活动的定量信息一直是海鸟生物学的“圣杯”，因为这对于了解这些鸟类的生态至关重要。除了缩小海鸟生态领域鲜为人知的空白之外，我们在迁徙和扩散方面的工作还将提供对北太平洋生产力和海洋学模式的独特见解，并为恢复受损岛屿（世界上受威胁最严重的生态系统之一）提供帮助。 我们在性选择、羽毛气味和体外寄生虫方面的工作，在一个有争议的主题领域进行，并对鸟类羽毛中化学物质排放的功能提出了相互竞争的假设。 我们对海雀人口统计学以及阿拉斯加古生态成分的研究将处于气候变化对北部海洋生态系统影响研究的前沿。 我们以保护生物学为重点的部分解决了与岛屿保护、减轻人类影响和恢复受损偏远岛屿有关的许多问题。