Abstract
Understanding the dynamics and causes of population trends are essential for seabird conservation. Long-term studies of seabirds at high-latitude (Antarctic, sub-Antarctic and Arctic) regions have shown contrasting species-specific trends in population size in response to climate change and anthropogenic pressures. We have studied for the last 20 years (1992–2012) the population trends of seven seabird species that breed in the Beagle Channel, south-eastern Tierra del Fuego and at Staten Island, a sub-Antarctic region in southern Argentina. The numbers of Magellanic and Gentoo Penguins increased significantly since 1992 (by >15 % year−1). In comparison, the populations of Imperial Cormorants, Dolphin Gulls and Kelp Gulls increased at slower rates (<5 % year−1), while the Rock Cormorant population even decreased by 1.3 % year−1. At Staten Island, the numbers of Rockhopper Penguins decreased by 24 % between the censuses of 1998 and 2010, whereas the population of Magellanic Penguins increased by 227 % during the same period. Over the study period, air and sea-surface temperatures remained stable in our study area, suggesting that the detected population changes are not driven by the climate. This finding contrasts with the detected links between increasing temperature trends and seabird population changes reported from Antarctic and Arctic regions. The level of tourism and size of the permanent human population has increased in the Beagle Channel area during the last 20 years and could be responsible for the increase of gull populations. The seabird species that received the highest number of visitors (Imperial Cormorants and penguin species) seem to be adapted or at least indifferent to pressures exerted by tourism, as their populations increased during the study period. In addition, increasing numbers of seabirds in the area may generally be leading to higher abundances of scavenging species (e.g. gulls).
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Acknowledgments
Research was funded by the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de la República Argentina and the Wildlife Conservation Society. We would like to thank the Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC-CONICET) for institutional support. We also would like to thank G. Scioscia, M. Ghys, N. Dellabianca, S. Harris and several collaborators for their assistance during the surveys. M. Perez from CADIC, Andrés, Jorge and Alejandro Greco from Piratour S.A, and Omar and Luis from Nautilus S.A. provided safe transportation to the islands and S Harris for language editing. We thank Arco Van Strien and Ana Millones for statistical support with TRIM. We are very grateful with two anonymous reviewers and in particular with D Piepenburg and H Otley for language edits and many suggestions that improved to a great extent the first version of the manuscript.
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Raya Rey, A., Rosciano, N., Liljesthröm, M. et al. Species-specific population trends detected for penguins, gulls and cormorants over 20 years in sub-Antarctic Fuegian Archipelago. Polar Biol 37, 1343–1360 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-014-1526-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-014-1526-6