✨New #AdriftLab paper✨ “Pumice ingestion in #seabirds: interannual variation, and relationships with chick growth and plastic ingestion” 🐦🌋 #OpenAccess (free to download) HERE ➡️ https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-023-04203-6
We analysed the amount of ingested #pumice (on LEFT in photo) from 739 Flesh-footed & 173 Wedge-tailed #Shearwaters from #LordHoweIsland during 2011-2022 #LongTermMonitoring
Pumice mass did not vary over time, except for one higher year for each species (2016 for FFSH & 2014 for WTSH), and there was no effect of pumice mass on chick body size at fledgling.
Our results are consistent with the coexistence over geological time of seabirds and floating pumice & provides further evidence that ingested pumice does not cause #Plasticosis or other harm like #IngestedPlastic does
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389422019112
Big thanks to Gabbi for providing the photo used in Figure 1 and to @nhm_london and Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation for their endless support!! 🙏 @SeabirdSentinel @TheLabAndField
Many species of seabird ingest or are provisioned with pumice stones, buoyant volcanic rocks that are thought to aide in digestion, occasionally during times of poor prey availability. Unlike other indigestible matter, like plastics, the effect of pumice on chick growth, its relationship with ingested plastics, and variation among years has not yet been examined. We analysed the amount of ingested pumice from 739 Flesh-footed (Ardenna carneipes) and 173 Wedge-tailed Shearwaters (A. pacifica) from Lord Howe Island, Australia sampled using stomach lavage between 2011 and 2022. The total mass of ingested pumice was positively related to the mass of ingested plastics in Flesh-footed, but not Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, but not when using mean stone mass. Pumice mass did not vary over time, except for one higher year for each species (2016 for Flesh-footed Shearwaters and 2014 for Wedge-tailed Shearwaters), and there was no effect of pumice mass on chick body size at fledgling. Our results are consistent with the coexistence over geological time of seabirds and floating pumice, and future work should focus on aspects of retention in the digestive system and potential interactions with and efficacy in the presence of novel materials, like plastics.
🎉New @AdriftLab paper 🎉 in ICES Journal of Marine Science!! Download it for free (#OpenAccess) HERE ➡️ https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/advance-article/doi/10.1093/icesjms/fsad048/7083385
So, what did we find? Well, in young #seabirds, body mass influences the likelihood of survival in the critical period between nest departure & recruitment to the breeding population. For this study, we measured #shearwater chicks to determine how body condition changed over 13 years (an incredible long-term dataset!).
During 2010–2022, we found chick body mass & 3 measures of size (eg. wing length) declined by up to 0.23 mm/yr with body mass declining by 16 g/yr 📏📉😢
In the 1st photo, a healthy chick is shown on the LEFT while an undersized chick which we more commonly observed is shown on the RIGHT.
Overall, the number of chicks fledging (leaving the nest) at <400 g has increased sharply in recent years (see photo 2), meaning significant numbers of birds are unlikely to survive after departing the island
This paper highlights the value of #LongTermMonitoring & critical role #philanthropy has played: literally NONE of this world-class science would have been possible without support from generous donors, especially Detached Hobart - we are forever grateful! 😍🐦💙 Huge thanks to Justin Gilligan for providing the stunning (yet sad) 📸, they made all the difference to this paper! Finally, a massive thanks to @nhmscience and Esperance Tjaltjraak for supporting our team 🙏
#AdriftLab #Morphometrics #LordHoweIsland #OceanHealth #BioIndicator #TippingPoint #BiodiversityCrisis #Sentinel @TheLabAndField
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