<p>Breeding colony = black star. Frequency histograms of SSHA at GPS locations along each o... more <p>Breeding colony = black star. Frequency histograms of SSHA at GPS locations along each of the mapped foraging trips in May 2013 (a,b), November 2013 (c,d), and December 2014 (e,f). Blue boxes = ARS locations; gray boxes = non-ARS locations. Each trip/plot combination corresponds to a unique individual.</p
<p>Physical oceanographic variables and the hypothesized link with foraging behavior of Mas... more <p>Physical oceanographic variables and the hypothesized link with foraging behavior of Masked Boobies nesting at Isla Muertos, Mexico, May 2013 and November 2013, and December 2014.</p
<p>Foraging trips were recorded from nesting Masked Boobies tracked from Isla Muertos (blac... more <p>Foraging trips were recorded from nesting Masked Boobies tracked from Isla Muertos (black star) in May 2013 (19 female, 18 male; 0 incubating, 37 chick-rearing), November 2013 (31 female, 27 male; 41 incubating, 17 chick-rearing), and December 2014 (18 female, 22 male; 10 incubating, 30 chick-rearing). Generalized dominant mesoscale fronts of each sampling period are shown, including the Campeche Bank Shelf-Slope Front (red dotted line) and the Campeche Bank Coastal Front (red solid line).</p
<p>The locations which correspond to foraging at each scale (delineated by colors) are nest... more <p>The locations which correspond to foraging at each scale (delineated by colors) are nested from largest to smallest. Points indicate GPS locations, circles and numbers indicate search radii in km.</p
<p>Summary statistics (mean, sd, range) for foraging behavior of Masked Boobies during incu... more <p>Summary statistics (mean, sd, range) for foraging behavior of Masked Boobies during incubation and chick-rearing.</p
<p>Shading represents a significant effect (p < 0.05) as determined by perMANOVA, which ... more <p>Shading represents a significant effect (p < 0.05) as determined by perMANOVA, which tests whether the group centroids differ in multivariate space (e.g. different foraging behavior between sampling periods). A thick black border indicates a significant effect of origin using Betadisperser followed by ANOVA, which tests whether the dispersion of a group from its median is different from the dispersion of other groups (e.g. different relative redundancy in foraging behavior between sampling periods).</p
<p>Th N = 135 birds. Each boxplot represents the relative variable importance for a given v... more <p>Th N = 135 birds. Each boxplot represents the relative variable importance for a given variable, bootstrapped 1000 times to account for multiple days of foraging contributed by each bird during each trip; central line of each boxplot = mean of means.</p
<p>Lines correspond to GAM smooths of partial dependence of each day during each sampling p... more <p>Lines correspond to GAM smooths of partial dependence of each day during each sampling period: May 2013 (green), November 2013 (yellow), and December 2014 (blue), and shading corresponds to 95% confidence intervals. N = 364 bird-days.</p
The island of Bonaire is a nesting location for at least four tern species: a subspecies of the... more The island of Bonaire is a nesting location for at least four tern species: a subspecies of the Least Tern (Sternula antillarum antillarum), the Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), the Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus), and a subspecies of the Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis eurygnathus). The island is also a significant nesting site for the Caribbean Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) population. Our main objectives were to: a) measure and compare breeding success at five known nesting sites on northern Bonaire, b) document and compare the impact of natural and introduced predators on each site, and c) give management recommendations for increasing breeding success based on our results. Our nest counts from 2014 indicate a significant decline in nest abundance compared to historical observations from the 1950s, matching previous studies and observations from the last two decades. Among the five nesting sites in our study, terns at the two island sites had the largest number of breed...
Sin lugar a dudas, la reproducción es el evento más importante en la vida de los seres vivos pues... more Sin lugar a dudas, la reproducción es el evento más importante en la vida de los seres vivos pues ello les permite transmitir sus genes a las siguientes generaciones, perpetuando así su linaje. En muchas especies se establece, previo al apareamiento, un sistema de comunicación consistente en una combinación de señales químicas (feromonas), visuales (elaborados despliegues y colores llamativos) y auditivas, que le permite a la pareja identificarse como miembros de la misma especie y a las hembras, evaluar la calidad de los machos. Los machos más exitosos son aquellos que consiguen emitir las señales de manera más eficiente mientras que las hembras más exitosas son aquellas que perciben e interpretan dicha información de manera correcta. Sin embargo, dicha comunicación involucra costos, los machos invierten muchos recursos tanto en el desarrollo de sus atributos sexualmente atractivos, como en la realización de los despliegues. Ello además, los hace más vulnerables tanto a los depredadores como a los parásitos. Las hembras también incurren en costos. Por ejemplo, en rechazar el acoso de los machos no deseados. Esta comunicación es modulada en buena medida por el sistema endócrino, que puede ser alterado por compuestos químicos entre ellos plaguicidas y metales pesados. En este trabajo, usando como ejemplo a las aves y peces, explicamos el porqué los disruptores endócrinos, al disminuir la confiabilidad de las señales emitidas por los machos y la capacidad de las hembras para elegir a los machos más atractivos, ponen, en sinergia con la selección sexual, en grave peligro la existencia de las poblaciones
The way how Mexico applies the normative and other management strategies, regarding coastal wetla... more The way how Mexico applies the normative and other management strategies, regarding coastal wetland and wetlands birds conservation of the Península de Yucatán following the Ramsar Strategic Plan 2009- 2015 is analyzed. Regulatory criteria within Management Programs of Natural Protected Areas and Ecologic Ordinance Instruments were analyzed identifying strengths and weaknesses under an ecological integrity concept. Results show the need to homogenize the concept of integrity within regulation, to develop a hierarchical spatial structure for management strategies. It will: a) promotes connectivity, b) strength the perception of buffer zones and critical habitats, c) emphasize in the protection of biologic heterogeneity in space and time, ecological processes and trophic networks and, develop regulation about wetland restoration. We conclude that current normative framework is still very inefficient and a systemic vision is required to protect these ecosystems. Nine suggestions to imp...
Traditionally, reproductive isolation between disjoint populations has been thought to emerge as ... more Traditionally, reproductive isolation between disjoint populations has been thought to emerge as a result of the accumulation of different mutations, genetic drift, or through the effects of natural and sexual selection^1^. Alternatively, the ability of an organism to express different phenotypes depending on the environment (i.e. phenotypic plasticity) could produce reproductive isolation^2,3^. Sexually selected traits are expected to be phenotypically plastic and can result in modifications of the species recognition system and thus originate new species^4^. Here we show that the population-characteristic male courtship behaviour of a fish (Girardinichthys multiradiatus) is modified in the presence of females from other populations, that this is due to the males responding to subtle cues from females, and that they fail to emulate the female's population-characteristic behaviour. We conclude that plasticity has led to the creation of local dialects in the courtship pattern tha...
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are dispersed all over the world while polycyclic aromatic h... more Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are dispersed all over the world while polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are released into the environment from pyrogenic and petrogenic sources and are not very mobile or persistent. The aim of this study was to identify POPs and PAHs from eggs of Least and Sooty Terns nesting in two protected marine areas with different anthropogenic impacts in the southern Gulf of Mexico. ΣHCHs were higher in Terminos in 2010 and higher in Alacranes in 2011. ΣDienes and ΣDDTs were higher in 2011 in both study sites. ΣEndosulfan was higher in Terminos than in Alacranes in both years. ΣDienes, ΣDDT and ΣHeptachlor were the highest in both species both years. Acenaphtylene and Fluoranthene were higher in Terminos while Pyrene was higher in Alacranes. No differences were present within species between years. In 2011 PAHs in eggs could have reflected the BP oil spill input.
We tested whether in two-chick broods of the blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) elevated circulati... more We tested whether in two-chick broods of the blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) elevated circulating corticosterone in the socially subordinate broodmate facilitates submissive behavior and/or enhances food solicitation. Implanting corticosterone in 17 subordinate chicks (experimental broods) produced changes in the behavior of chicks and parents over the first two days, relative to 17 matched families (control broods) where subordinate chicks were implanted with empty capsules. Experimental broods showed increased activity/wakefulness of the dominant broodmate and, consequently, increased simultaneous activity of both broodmates, but there was scant evidence that subordinates submitted more readily when attacked. Implanted subordinates increased their rate of spontaneous submission over the total observation time, but this increase was mostly explained by the additional time when both broodmates were simultaneously active. There was little sign that extra corticosterone induced more begging, except possibly by eliciting increased activity. Experimental broods increased their rate of feeding, and most if not all of the increase was due to the increased activity and increased feeding rate of dominant broodmates. On the third and fourth days after implantation all effects of implanted corticosterone disappeared, except for the elevated activity and feeding rates of dominant chicks. At the end of four days, subordinates implanted with corticosterone showed no increase in circulating corticosterone and experimental broods showed no gain in mass or body size, relative to controls. Extra corticosterone, above the high level that normally circulates in subordinate chicks, apparently does not enhance submission to aggression or food solicitation, but provokes a cascade of changes in the behavior of broodmates and parents.
Brown Boobies (Sula leucogaster) are known to roost on the northwestern coast of Bonaire, Caribbe... more Brown Boobies (Sula leucogaster) are known to roost on the northwestern coast of Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands. A published account from the 1950s reported ~200 Brown Boobies roosting in this area, along with smaller numbers of two other seabird species, and described regular hunting raids by fishermen in which up to 100 birds were harvested. In 1969, this roosting area and its surroundings were designated as a 30-km2 nature reserve, and hunting became illegal. Although seabird assemblages were not monitored subsequently, anecdotal reports suggest that the number of roosting seabirds had decreased dramatically to < 60 individuals. In 2008–2010, we conducted roost counts at seven sites in Washington-Slagbaai National Park in northwestern Bonaire. Most counts were substantially higher than the anecdotal reports, with a maximum of 240 Brown Boobies in July 2009. We saw no evidence of breeding and did not observe any banded birds. Other roosting birds—Masked Boobies (Sula dactylatra...
<p>Breeding colony = black star. Frequency histograms of SSHA at GPS locations along each o... more <p>Breeding colony = black star. Frequency histograms of SSHA at GPS locations along each of the mapped foraging trips in May 2013 (a,b), November 2013 (c,d), and December 2014 (e,f). Blue boxes = ARS locations; gray boxes = non-ARS locations. Each trip/plot combination corresponds to a unique individual.</p
<p>Physical oceanographic variables and the hypothesized link with foraging behavior of Mas... more <p>Physical oceanographic variables and the hypothesized link with foraging behavior of Masked Boobies nesting at Isla Muertos, Mexico, May 2013 and November 2013, and December 2014.</p
<p>Foraging trips were recorded from nesting Masked Boobies tracked from Isla Muertos (blac... more <p>Foraging trips were recorded from nesting Masked Boobies tracked from Isla Muertos (black star) in May 2013 (19 female, 18 male; 0 incubating, 37 chick-rearing), November 2013 (31 female, 27 male; 41 incubating, 17 chick-rearing), and December 2014 (18 female, 22 male; 10 incubating, 30 chick-rearing). Generalized dominant mesoscale fronts of each sampling period are shown, including the Campeche Bank Shelf-Slope Front (red dotted line) and the Campeche Bank Coastal Front (red solid line).</p
<p>The locations which correspond to foraging at each scale (delineated by colors) are nest... more <p>The locations which correspond to foraging at each scale (delineated by colors) are nested from largest to smallest. Points indicate GPS locations, circles and numbers indicate search radii in km.</p
<p>Summary statistics (mean, sd, range) for foraging behavior of Masked Boobies during incu... more <p>Summary statistics (mean, sd, range) for foraging behavior of Masked Boobies during incubation and chick-rearing.</p
<p>Shading represents a significant effect (p < 0.05) as determined by perMANOVA, which ... more <p>Shading represents a significant effect (p < 0.05) as determined by perMANOVA, which tests whether the group centroids differ in multivariate space (e.g. different foraging behavior between sampling periods). A thick black border indicates a significant effect of origin using Betadisperser followed by ANOVA, which tests whether the dispersion of a group from its median is different from the dispersion of other groups (e.g. different relative redundancy in foraging behavior between sampling periods).</p
<p>Th N = 135 birds. Each boxplot represents the relative variable importance for a given v... more <p>Th N = 135 birds. Each boxplot represents the relative variable importance for a given variable, bootstrapped 1000 times to account for multiple days of foraging contributed by each bird during each trip; central line of each boxplot = mean of means.</p
<p>Lines correspond to GAM smooths of partial dependence of each day during each sampling p... more <p>Lines correspond to GAM smooths of partial dependence of each day during each sampling period: May 2013 (green), November 2013 (yellow), and December 2014 (blue), and shading corresponds to 95% confidence intervals. N = 364 bird-days.</p
The island of Bonaire is a nesting location for at least four tern species: a subspecies of the... more The island of Bonaire is a nesting location for at least four tern species: a subspecies of the Least Tern (Sternula antillarum antillarum), the Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), the Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus), and a subspecies of the Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis eurygnathus). The island is also a significant nesting site for the Caribbean Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) population. Our main objectives were to: a) measure and compare breeding success at five known nesting sites on northern Bonaire, b) document and compare the impact of natural and introduced predators on each site, and c) give management recommendations for increasing breeding success based on our results. Our nest counts from 2014 indicate a significant decline in nest abundance compared to historical observations from the 1950s, matching previous studies and observations from the last two decades. Among the five nesting sites in our study, terns at the two island sites had the largest number of breed...
Sin lugar a dudas, la reproducción es el evento más importante en la vida de los seres vivos pues... more Sin lugar a dudas, la reproducción es el evento más importante en la vida de los seres vivos pues ello les permite transmitir sus genes a las siguientes generaciones, perpetuando así su linaje. En muchas especies se establece, previo al apareamiento, un sistema de comunicación consistente en una combinación de señales químicas (feromonas), visuales (elaborados despliegues y colores llamativos) y auditivas, que le permite a la pareja identificarse como miembros de la misma especie y a las hembras, evaluar la calidad de los machos. Los machos más exitosos son aquellos que consiguen emitir las señales de manera más eficiente mientras que las hembras más exitosas son aquellas que perciben e interpretan dicha información de manera correcta. Sin embargo, dicha comunicación involucra costos, los machos invierten muchos recursos tanto en el desarrollo de sus atributos sexualmente atractivos, como en la realización de los despliegues. Ello además, los hace más vulnerables tanto a los depredadores como a los parásitos. Las hembras también incurren en costos. Por ejemplo, en rechazar el acoso de los machos no deseados. Esta comunicación es modulada en buena medida por el sistema endócrino, que puede ser alterado por compuestos químicos entre ellos plaguicidas y metales pesados. En este trabajo, usando como ejemplo a las aves y peces, explicamos el porqué los disruptores endócrinos, al disminuir la confiabilidad de las señales emitidas por los machos y la capacidad de las hembras para elegir a los machos más atractivos, ponen, en sinergia con la selección sexual, en grave peligro la existencia de las poblaciones
The way how Mexico applies the normative and other management strategies, regarding coastal wetla... more The way how Mexico applies the normative and other management strategies, regarding coastal wetland and wetlands birds conservation of the Península de Yucatán following the Ramsar Strategic Plan 2009- 2015 is analyzed. Regulatory criteria within Management Programs of Natural Protected Areas and Ecologic Ordinance Instruments were analyzed identifying strengths and weaknesses under an ecological integrity concept. Results show the need to homogenize the concept of integrity within regulation, to develop a hierarchical spatial structure for management strategies. It will: a) promotes connectivity, b) strength the perception of buffer zones and critical habitats, c) emphasize in the protection of biologic heterogeneity in space and time, ecological processes and trophic networks and, develop regulation about wetland restoration. We conclude that current normative framework is still very inefficient and a systemic vision is required to protect these ecosystems. Nine suggestions to imp...
Traditionally, reproductive isolation between disjoint populations has been thought to emerge as ... more Traditionally, reproductive isolation between disjoint populations has been thought to emerge as a result of the accumulation of different mutations, genetic drift, or through the effects of natural and sexual selection^1^. Alternatively, the ability of an organism to express different phenotypes depending on the environment (i.e. phenotypic plasticity) could produce reproductive isolation^2,3^. Sexually selected traits are expected to be phenotypically plastic and can result in modifications of the species recognition system and thus originate new species^4^. Here we show that the population-characteristic male courtship behaviour of a fish (Girardinichthys multiradiatus) is modified in the presence of females from other populations, that this is due to the males responding to subtle cues from females, and that they fail to emulate the female's population-characteristic behaviour. We conclude that plasticity has led to the creation of local dialects in the courtship pattern tha...
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are dispersed all over the world while polycyclic aromatic h... more Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are dispersed all over the world while polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are released into the environment from pyrogenic and petrogenic sources and are not very mobile or persistent. The aim of this study was to identify POPs and PAHs from eggs of Least and Sooty Terns nesting in two protected marine areas with different anthropogenic impacts in the southern Gulf of Mexico. ΣHCHs were higher in Terminos in 2010 and higher in Alacranes in 2011. ΣDienes and ΣDDTs were higher in 2011 in both study sites. ΣEndosulfan was higher in Terminos than in Alacranes in both years. ΣDienes, ΣDDT and ΣHeptachlor were the highest in both species both years. Acenaphtylene and Fluoranthene were higher in Terminos while Pyrene was higher in Alacranes. No differences were present within species between years. In 2011 PAHs in eggs could have reflected the BP oil spill input.
We tested whether in two-chick broods of the blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) elevated circulati... more We tested whether in two-chick broods of the blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) elevated circulating corticosterone in the socially subordinate broodmate facilitates submissive behavior and/or enhances food solicitation. Implanting corticosterone in 17 subordinate chicks (experimental broods) produced changes in the behavior of chicks and parents over the first two days, relative to 17 matched families (control broods) where subordinate chicks were implanted with empty capsules. Experimental broods showed increased activity/wakefulness of the dominant broodmate and, consequently, increased simultaneous activity of both broodmates, but there was scant evidence that subordinates submitted more readily when attacked. Implanted subordinates increased their rate of spontaneous submission over the total observation time, but this increase was mostly explained by the additional time when both broodmates were simultaneously active. There was little sign that extra corticosterone induced more begging, except possibly by eliciting increased activity. Experimental broods increased their rate of feeding, and most if not all of the increase was due to the increased activity and increased feeding rate of dominant broodmates. On the third and fourth days after implantation all effects of implanted corticosterone disappeared, except for the elevated activity and feeding rates of dominant chicks. At the end of four days, subordinates implanted with corticosterone showed no increase in circulating corticosterone and experimental broods showed no gain in mass or body size, relative to controls. Extra corticosterone, above the high level that normally circulates in subordinate chicks, apparently does not enhance submission to aggression or food solicitation, but provokes a cascade of changes in the behavior of broodmates and parents.
Brown Boobies (Sula leucogaster) are known to roost on the northwestern coast of Bonaire, Caribbe... more Brown Boobies (Sula leucogaster) are known to roost on the northwestern coast of Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands. A published account from the 1950s reported ~200 Brown Boobies roosting in this area, along with smaller numbers of two other seabird species, and described regular hunting raids by fishermen in which up to 100 birds were harvested. In 1969, this roosting area and its surroundings were designated as a 30-km2 nature reserve, and hunting became illegal. Although seabird assemblages were not monitored subsequently, anecdotal reports suggest that the number of roosting seabirds had decreased dramatically to < 60 individuals. In 2008–2010, we conducted roost counts at seven sites in Washington-Slagbaai National Park in northwestern Bonaire. Most counts were substantially higher than the anecdotal reports, with a maximum of 240 Brown Boobies in July 2009. We saw no evidence of breeding and did not observe any banded birds. Other roosting birds—Masked Boobies (Sula dactylatra...
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