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- Genomics detects population structure within and between ocean basins in a circumpolar seabird: The white‐chinned petrelPublication . Rexer-Huber, Kalinka; Veale, Andrew; Catry, Paulo; Cherel, Yves; Dutoit, Ludovic; Foster, Yasmin; McEwan, John C.; Parker, Graham C.; Phillips, Richard; Ryan, Peter G.; Stanworth, Andrew J.; Van Stijn, Tracey; Thompson, David R.; Waters, Jonathan; Robertson, BruceThe Southern Ocean represents a continuous stretch of circumpolar marine habitat, but the potential physical and ecological drivers of evolutionary genetic differentiation across this vast ecosystem remain unclear. We tested for genetic structure across the full circumpolar range of the white-chinned petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis) to unravel the potential drivers of population differentiation and test alternative population differentiation hypotheses. Following range-wide comprehensive sampling, we applied genomic (genotyping-by-sequencing or GBS; 60,709 loci) and standard mitochondrial-marker approaches (cytochrome b and first domain of control region) to quantify genetic diversity within and among island populations, test for isolation by distance, and quantify the number of genetic clusters using neutral and outlier (non-neutral) loci. Our results supported the multi-region hypothesis, with a range of analyses showing clear three-region genetic population structure, split by ocean basin, within two evolutionary units. The most significant differentiation between these regions confirmed previous work distinguishing New Zealand and nominate subspecies. Although there was little evidence of structure within the island groups of the Indian or Atlantic oceans, a small set of highly-discriminatory outlier loci could assign petrels to ocean basin and potentially to island group, though the latter needs further verification. Genomic data hold the key to revealing substantial regional genetic structure within wide-ranging circumpolar species previously assumed to be panmictic.
- Seabird migration strategies: Flight budgets, diel activity patterns, and lunar influencePublication . Bonnet-Lebrun, Anne-Sophie; Dias, Maria P.; Phillips, Richard; Granadeiro, José P.; Brooke, M. de L.; Chastel, Olivier; Clay, Thomas A.; Fayet, Annette; GILG, Olivier; González-Solís, Jacob; Guilford, Tim; Hanssen, Sveinn Are; Hedd, April; Jaeger, Audrey; Krietsch, Johannes; Lang, Johannes; Le Corre, Matthieu; Militão, Teresa; Moe, Børge; Montevecchi, William A.; Peter, Hans-Ulrich; Pinet, Patrick; Rayner, Matt J.; Reid, Tim; Reyes-González, José Manuel; Ryan, Peter G.; Sagar, Paul M.; Schmidt, Niels M.; Thompson, David R.; van Bemmelen, Rob; Watanuki, Yutaka; Weimerskirch, Henri; Yamamoto, Takashi; Catry, PauloEvery year, billions of birds undertake extensive migrations between breeding and nonbreeding areas, facing challenges that require behavioural adjustments, particularly to flight timing and duration. Such adjustments in daily activity patterns and the influence of extrinsic factors (e.g., environmental conditions, moonlight) have received much more research attention in terrestrial than marine migrants. Taking advantage of the widespread deployment in recent decades of combined light-level geolocator-immersion loggers, we investigated diel organisation and influence of the moon on flight activities during the non-breeding season of 21 migrant seabird species from a wide taxonomic range (6 families, 3 orders). Migrant seabirds regularly stopped (to either feed or rest) migration, unlike some terrestrial and wetland birds which fly non-stop. We found an overall increase for most seabird species in time in flight and, for several species, also in flight bout duration, during migration compared to when resident at the non-breeding grounds. Additionally, several nocturnal species spent more of the day in flight during migration than at non-breeding areas, and vice versa for diurnal species. Nocturnal time in flight tended to increase during full moon, both during migration and at the nonbreeding grounds, depending on species. Our study provides an extensive overview of activity patterns of migrant seabirds, paving the way for further research on the underlying mechanisms and drivers.
- Comment on “Marine plastic debris emits a keystone infochemical for olfactory foraging seabirds” by Savocaet alPublication . Dell'Ariccia, Gaia; Phillips, Richard; Franeker, Jan A. Van; Gaidet, Nicolas; Catry, Paulo; Granadeiro, José Pedro; Ryan, Peter G.; Bonadonna, FrancescoIn their recent paper, Savoca and collaborators (2016) showed that plastic debris in the ocean may acquire a dimethyl sulfide (DMS) signature from biofouling developing on their surface. According to them, DMS emission may represent an olfactory trap for foraging seabirds, which explains patterns of plastic ingestion among procellariiform seabirds. This hypothesis is appealing, but some of the data that Savoca et al. used to support their claim are questionable, resulting in a misclassification of species, as well as other decisions regarding the variables to include in their models. Furthermore, with their focus on a single lifestyle trait (nesting habit) of dubious relevance for explaining plastic ingestion, Savoca et al. neglect the opportunity to explore other factors that might provide better ecological insight. Finally, we are deeply concerned by the conservation policy recommendation proposed by Savoca et al.-to increase antifouling properties of consumer plastics-which constitutes a substantial environmental risk and delivers the wrong message to decision-makers. The reduction of plastic consumption, waste prevention, and proactive reuse through a circular economy should be at the heart of policy recommendations for future mitigation efforts.