American Oystercatcher Haematopus Palliatus Research Articles

Breeding biology of the American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus on a key site for conservation in southern Brazil

Breeding biology of the American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus on a key site for conservation in southern Brazil

Minimum population of American Oystercatchers Haematopus palliatus frazari wintering in northwestern Mexico

Minimum population of American Oystercatchers Haematopus palliatus frazari wintering in northwestern Mexico

Off‐road vehicles affect nesting behaviour and reproductive success of American Oystercatchers Haematopus palliatus

As human populations and associated development increase, interactions between humans and wildlife are occurring with greater frequency. The effects of these interactions, particularly on species whose populations are declining, are of great interest to ecologists, conservationists, land managers and natural resource policy‐makers. The American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus, a species of conservation concern in the USA, nests on coastal beaches subject to various forms of anthropogenic disturbance, including aircraft overflights, off‐road vehicles and pedestrians. This study assessed the effects of these human disturbances on the incubation behaviour and reproductive success of nesting American Oystercatchers at Cape Lookout National Seashore, on the Atlantic coast of the USA. We expanded on‐going monitoring of Oystercatchers at Cape Lookout National Seashore by supplementing periodic visual observations with continuous 24‐h video and audio recording at nests. Aircraft overflights were not associated with changes in Oystercatcher incubation behaviour, and we found no evidence that aircraft overflights influenced Oystercatcher reproductive success. However, Oystercatchers were on their nests significantly less often during off‐road vehicle and pedestrian events than they were during control periods before the events, and an increase in the number of off‐road vehicles passing a nest during incubation was consistently associated with significant reductions in daily nest survival (6% decrease in daily nest survival for a one‐vehicle increase in the average number of vehicles passing a nest each day; odds ratio = 0.94; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.90, 0.98) and hatching success (12% decrease in hatching success for a one‐vehicle increase in the average number of vehicles passing a nest each day; odds ratio = 0.88; 95% CI 0.76, 0.97). Management of vehicles and pedestrians in areas of Oystercatcher breeding is important for the conservation of American Oystercatchers.

Shorebird roost‐site selection at two temporal scales: is human disturbance a factor?

Summary Roost‐site selection in shorebirds is governed by ambient factors, including environmental conditions and human disturbance. Determination of the extent to which these factors affect roost use and the associated implications for shorebird habitat protection is important for conservation strategies and informed management of human recreational use of these habitats. Shorebird conservation as a whole is a high priority world‐wide because a large proportion of shorebird species is in decline. However, little is understood about the consistency of roost use by different species, what conditions affect species‐specific roost‐site selection, and at what spatial and temporal scales conditions influence selection. We studied high‐tide roost‐site selection by eight species of non‐breeding shorebirds on a critically important stopover and wintering refuge. We calculated spatial and temporal variability in roost use for each species based on counts and consistency of incidence. We then examined roost‐site selection in relation to structural, environmental and human disturbance factors, and how this varied across spatial and temporal scales. Most roosts were used less than 50% of the time, although larger roosts were used more consistently. This varied among species, with red knot Calidris canutus tending to concentrate at a few roosts and American oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus, dowitcher Limnodromus griseus and Limnodromus scolopaceus and ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres more diffusely distributed among roosts. At an annual scale, the principal factors affecting shorebird presence at roosts were roost length (size), local region, substrate and aspect. The extent and direction of these effects varied among species. Among years, red knots avoided roosts that had high average boat activity within 1000 m, but disturbance did not appear to be a factor for other species. Daily roost use was influenced primarily by wind speed and the ability of roosts to provide shelter from the wind. Only dowitchers appeared to track daily disturbance, avoiding prospective roosts when boat activity within 100 m was high. Synthesis and applications. Our findings emphasize the need to consider species‐specific differences in temporal‐ and spatial‐scale effects of roost‐site selection factors, including human disturbance, when employing conservation measures for shorebirds. We suggest that conservation management should aim to provide a wide range of potential roosts (both natural and artificial) that could be used under different wind conditions and that are within reasonable travelling distance of preferred feeding areas. Roost use is often highly variable, and monitoring efforts must take this into account before making inferences about changes in use or selection of roost sites.

Identifying repaired shell damage and abnormal calcification in the stout razor clam Tagelus plebeius as a tool to investigate its ecological interactions

Analysis of acetate peels of shell sections of the stout razor clam Tagelus plebeius from the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon (37° 32′S, 57°19′W, Argentina) revealed the presence of a series of repaired shell margin breaks and different types of abnormal calcifications on the inner surface of their valves. Shell damage and subsequent repair was observed in 73% of the specimens analysed (70.3% of them with scars in both valves around the shell margin, 54.5% with the posterior shell area damaged in one or both valves, 30% with more than one damage). There were only few sediment grains incorporated in the shell matrix when scars occurred around the shell margin. A field experiment suggests that this pattern of shell damage results from natural re-burrowing (vertical movement) activities. However, 10% of the individuals showed an inner shell alteration forming a blister full of sediment grains in the area of the shell pallial sinus. These blisters were associated with repaired shell breaks in the posterior part of the valve, which was confirmed with a field experiment. The development of such blisters could be an indirect consequence of sub-lethal predatory attacks by the American oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus, given that this species breaks the posterior part of the shells of stout razor clams when extracting them from the sediments. The third type of shell alteration (94.3% of the shells) was an orange to brown coloration on the inner shell surface concurrently with irregular carbonate deposition that, in some cases, results in the formation of localised calcium carbonate concretions. This pattern is associated with the presence of metacercariae of gymnophallid parasites. In conclusion, Tagelus plebeius is able to repair its shell after damage produced by different agents. These repairs are very distinctive and, thus, they can be used as evidence of interactions between this clam and its environment (e.g. sediment characteristics) and the associated community (e.g., predators, parasites).

Shorebird predation may explain the origin of Holocene beds of stout razor clams in life position

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 167:301-306 (1998) - doi:10.3354/meps167301 Shorebird predation may explain the origin of Holocene beds of stout razor clams in life position Oscar Iribarne*, Juan Valero, Mariano M. Martinez, Luis Lucifora, Silvina Bachmann Departamento de Biología (FCEyN), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CC 573 Correo Central (7600), Mar del Plata, Argentina *E-mail: osiriba@mdp.edu.ar Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origin of death assemblages of stout razor clams Tagelus plebeius buried in life position found in Holocene sediments in coastal Argentina and Uruguay: (1) a rapid decrease of sea level, (2) obstruction of the mouth of a coastal lagoon and episodic deposition of fluvial sediments in the mouth of a creek, and (3) a 'taphonomic feedback' process. Hypothesis 1 has been discarded, Hypothesis 2 only has a local explanation, while based on current information Hypothesis 3 is unlikely. A bird predation hypothesis is proposed here on the basis of a study of an extant population. The density of an extant population at the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon, Argentina (37°46'S, 57°27'W), is higher in the lower intertidal (up to 200 clams m-2) and decreases towards the upper intertidal, and clam size is correlated with burial depth. However, live individuals there coexist with large densities (up to 1500 clams m-2) of dead clams in life position, with densities peaking at the middle-upper intertidal. These shells showed no size-depth of burial correlation. Stout razor clams in fossil deposits (1500 yr BP) also showed large densities of shells in life position (528 clams m-2, SD = 16, n = 20) with no clam size-burial depth relationship. Predation by the American oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus is an important cause of mortality year-round, taking 28 clam h-1 during 3:43 h d-1. Half of the successful attacks left shells in life position buried in the sediment. A computer simulation based on this information showed that predation by 1 oystercatcher produces 9.2 life-position shells m-2 yr-1 (SD = 3.7 life-position shells m-2 yr-1, n = 10000). Thus, 89.5 yr (95% CL = 50-422 yr) are required to generate a mean shell density similar to the one found on our study site (824 clams m-2). Thus, predation by oystercatchers generates a pattern similar to fossil assemblages and is the most likely explanation for the Holocene shell assemblages of the stout razor clams. Intertidal · Predation · Paleoecology · Stout razor clams · Oystercatchers Full text in pdf format PreviousExport citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 167. Publication date: June 18, 1998 Print ISSN:0171-8630; Online ISSN:1616-1599 Copyright © 1998 Inter-Research.