Abstract
The Steller’s eider Polysticta stelleri is a sea duck that breeds in Arctic tundra regions of Russia and Alaska (USA). The Alaska-breeding population is listed as ‘threatened’ under the US Endangered Species Act because of a perceived contraction of the breeding range in North America. Understanding demography of the listed population is critical for evaluating measures that can lead to increased abundance and thus, long-term viability. Specifically, estimates of return rates to breeding areas by adult females and natal areas by juvenile females are needed for planning effective recovery actions. We used a suite of polymorphic loci to genotype individuals and generated genetic profiles of nesting females and female offspring from nest materials collected between 1995 and 2016 in a ~170 km2 study area near Utqiagvik, Alaska. We analyzed capture histories of genetically identified individuals to estimate breeding site fidelity, temporary emigration, and philopatry. From a sample of 365 nests, we found that breeding site fidelity of adult females was high (0.91 ± 0.07 SE), and temporary emigration was also high (0.77 ± 0.06) and annually variable (range 0.34-0.97). From egg shell remains of 124 hatched females, we observed 9 recaptures as nesting adults, suggesting that philopatry was also high (range 0.6-1.0). Given the relatively high rates of adult female breeding site fidelity and female philopatry that we estimated, management actions that reduce mortality of adult females and increase annual productivity are likely to help maintain the population of a few hundred breeding Steller’s eiders on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska.
Highlights
Three breeding populations of Steller’s eiders Polysticta stelleri are currently recognized: the RussianAtlantic, the Russian-Pacific, and the Alaska-breeding (USFWS 2002)
The Alaska-breeding population is restricted to the Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) of northern Alaska (USFWS 2002, Amundson et al 2019), and counts from annual spring surveys on the ACP averaged ~300 birds between 2007 and 2017
A subpopulation breeding on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD) of Alaska is considered nearly extirpated, with only an occasional nest discovered there in some years (Kertell 1991, Flint & Herzog 1999, USFWS unpubl. data)
Summary
Three breeding populations of Steller’s eiders Polysticta stelleri are currently recognized: the RussianAtlantic, the Russian-Pacific, and the Alaska-breeding (USFWS 2002). Abundance of the Pacific population was indexed by annual aerial counts of eiders during spring migration in southwest Alaska from 1992−2012, and this index averaged 80 000 individuals The Alaska-breeding birds comprise only a small fraction of the Pacific population, and were believed to be more widely distributed and abundant historically, limited historical data exist to make comparisons with current information (USFWS 2002). The Alaska-breeding population is restricted to the Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) of northern Alaska (USFWS 2002, Amundson et al 2019), and counts from annual spring surveys on the ACP averaged ~300 birds between 2007 and 2017 A subpopulation breeding on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD) of Alaska is considered nearly extirpated, with only an occasional nest discovered there in some years (Kertell 1991, Flint & Herzog 1999, USFWS unpubl. data)
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