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1.
During the period 17–22 December 2001, the onshore distribution and the abundance of Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella and Subantarctic fur seals A. tropicalis were determined for Prince Edward Island. Two breeding colonies of Antarctic fur seals were located on the south-east coast of the island; the first a mixed (with Subantarctic fur seals) breeding colony with an estimated 24 pups on a vegetated promontory on the northern section of Boggel Beach, and the second, a presumably pure Antarctic fur seal breeding colony with an estimated 380 pups, at Penguin Beach. At a mean intrinsic rate of natural increase of 16.2% per year, Antarctic fur seals appear to be in the rapid recolonization phase of population growth. Breeding colonies of Subantarctic fur seals, largely found on the entire east coast, produced an estimated 15 000 pups, and the population had maintained a mean intrinsic rate of natural increase of some 9.5% per year since 1987/88.  相似文献   

2.
We estimated population abundance of New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) pups on Bench Island off Stewart Island, New Zealand seven times between 1996 and 2012. Overall, there was a 29% increase in pup abundance from 1996 to 2012 at the Main Beach colony, corresponding to a mean annual growth rate of 1.6% and a doubling time of approximately 40 years. At the Sprat Point colony, there was an overall increase of 29% between 2003 and 2012 corresponding to a mean annual growth rate of 2.9% and a doubling time of approximately 25 years. The area occupied by both colonies has also increased. In 2006, we surveyed East Beach and counted a total of 201 pups. We obtained traditional ecological knowledge of fur seal distribution and breeding status from local Māori for 46 locations around Stewart Island, 36 of which have not been surveyed since Wilson in 1971–1974; this supports an expansion of fur seal presence and breeding areas in the region in the last 41 years.  相似文献   

3.
During the period April 1991–March 1996, 10 entangled Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella, 28 entangled Subantarctic fur seals A. tropicalis and one entangled southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina were observed at Marion Island, Southern Ocean. Entanglement of fur seals was estimated at between 0.01 and 0.15% of the combined population of both species.  相似文献   

4.
Breeding numbers of Laridae and other surface-nesting seabirds have been monitored at sub-Antarctic Marion Island since 1996/1997 and counts of breeding birds were made at nearby Prince Edward Island in December 2001 and December 2008. Four species are regular breeders at the islands: Subantarctic skua Catharacta antarctica, kelp gull Larus dominicanus, Antarctic tern Sterna vittata and Kerguelen tern S. virgata. The latter three species currently each have populations of below 150 breeding pairs at the islands. Kelp gull numbers appear to be relatively stable though they may have decreased since the 1980s. Kerguelen tern numbers decreased and then recovered at Marion Island, but numbers of the species have declined at Prince Edward Island and it maintains a tenuous foothold there. The small Antarctic tern population appears to be stable.  相似文献   

5.
The first midsummer survey of surface-nesting seabirds at Prince Edward Island was conducted during December 2001. It was also the first census for most species since the early 1980s. Despite concerns about the impacts of longline fishing mortality on various albatrosses and giant petrels, there was no evidence that populations of these species had decreased. Indeed, the estimate of wandering albatrosses Diomedea exulans (Vulnerable) has increased significantly, making Prince Edward Island equal with Marion Island as supporting the largest single-island populations of this species. Species that underwent significant decreases were macaroni penguins Eudyptes chrysolophus (Vulnerable), Crozet shags Phalacrocorax [atriceps] melanogenis and Kerguelen terns Sterna virgata (Near-Threatened). The reasons for these decreases are unclear, but for macaroni penguins may be partly a consequence of competition for space with the burgeoning population of fur seals Arctocephalus spp. The 2001 survey increased the population estimates for Subantarctic skuas Catharacta antarctica, lightmantled sooty albatrosses Phoebetria palpebrata (Vulnerable) and southern giant petrels Macronectes giganteus (Vulnerable), mostly as a result of greater coverage than for previous counts. The 2001 survey confirms that Prince Edward Island remains a globally important breeding site for seabirds.  相似文献   

6.
The second mid-summer survey of surface-nesting seabirds at the Prince Edward Island group (Marion and Prince Edward islands) was conducted during December 2008, seven years after the initial mid-summer survey. Wandering albatrosses Diomedea exulans may have decreased slightly at Prince Edward Island, mirroring a decrease of roughly 2% per year at Marion Island from 1998 to 2005, a decline that has since reversed. Numbers of grey-headed albatrosses Thalassarche chrysostoma on Marion Island have remained stable, whereas the population on Prince Edward Island decreased by 20% from 2001 to 2008 (3% per year). The estimate of Indian yellow-nosed albatrosses T. carteri at Prince Edward Island was similar in 2001 and 2008. Counts of both sooty albatrosses Phoebetria spp. were substantially higher at Prince Edward Island in 2008, possibly as a result of better coverage compared to 2001. Dark-mantled sooty albatrosses P. fusca on Marion Island have decreased by almost 2% per year since 1996, continuing a negative trend from the early 1980s, whereas light-mantled sooty albatrosses P. palpebrata have increased by almost 6% per year at Marion Island since 1996. Counts of both giant petrels increased at Prince Edward Island (northern Macronectes halli by 44%; southern M. giganteus by 28%), whereas their numbers have remained stable at Marion Island. Current best estimates for annual breeding populations (pairs) at the two islands are 3 650 wandering albatrosses, 9 500 grey-headed albatrosses, 7 000 Indian yellow-nosed albatrosses, 2 900 dark-mantled sooty albatrosses, 800 light-mantled sooty albatrosses, 750 northern giant petrels and 2 800 southern giant petrels, confirming the global importance of the Prince Edward Islands for these seven species. Apart from the dark-mantled sooty albatross, their populations are reasonably healthy despite fishing mortality.  相似文献   

7.
Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus were estimated to kill some 6 000 Cape gannet Morus capensis fledglings around Malgas Island in the 2000/01 breeding season, 11 000 in 2003/04 and 10 000 in 2005/06. This amounted to about 29%, 83% and 57% of the overall production of fledglings at the island in these breeding seasons respectively. Preliminary modelling suggests this predation is not sustainable. There was a 25% reduction in the size of the colony, the second largest of only six extant Cape gannet colonies, between 2001/02 and 2005/06. There has been a large increase in predation by Cape fur seals on seabirds around southern African islands since the mid-1980s, coincidental with both an increase in the seal population, altered management of the islands and an altered distribution of prey for gannets and seals. At Malgas Island, most gannet fledglings were killed between 10:00 and 18:00, the period when most are in the water around the island, from mid-January to mid-March, the main fledging period. The Cape gannet is classified as Vulnerable.  相似文献   

8.
In January 1970, 309 pups of the New Zealand fur seal, Arctocephalus forsteri (Lesson, 1828), were tagged on Taumaka Island, one of the Open Bay Islands, Westland, New Zealand (43°52’ S, 168°53’ E). At about 6 weeks old, male pups have longer flippers and are longer and heavier than female pups.

A population estimate of seals on Taumaka Island is based on a count of pups of the year, to which data from related species of fur seals were applied (incidence of pregnancy and age at first pupping from Arctocephalus pusillus, immature mortality from Callorhinus ursinus), and on the assumptions that the sex ratio and sexual mortalities are equal. There were at that time 2,000–3,000 seals, including pups, on the island.  相似文献   

9.
Hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers provide opportunities for detailed and rapid mapping of features, including biological ones, further enhanced by the removal during 2000 of "selective availability". GPS was used to map, describe and compare nest densities within wandering albatross Diomedea exulans colonies at subantarctic Marion and Prince Edward islands. On Prince Edward Island, the coordinates of 1 061 wandering albatross nests were determined and, on Marion Island, 1 779 nests. For describing nest densities of wandering albatrosses, a 50-m grid is recommended, at which scale, the densest area of Prince Edward Island was in Albatross Valley, where the area of the colony was 46 ha and nest density was 22.3 nests ha?1. For Marion Island, the total area of the wandering albatross colonies was 306 ha and the nest density was 5.8 nests ha?1. In the three study colonies there (Macaroni Bay, 28 nests; Sealer's Beach, 117 nests; Goney Plain, 140 nests), the density statistics did not differ greatly from the overall densities on the island, with overall mean densities of 4.9, 5.7 and 8.0 birds ha?1 respectively. Although comparisons with nest densities at other breeding colonies are uncertain because of differing methods of computing them, the nest densities in Albatross Valley lie within the reported ranges for other colonies of great albatrosses.  相似文献   

10.
The Cape fur seal Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus colony at Robberg Peninsula, Plettenberg Bay, on the south-east coast of South Africa, was driven to extinction by indiscriminate harvesting by the late 1800s. Seals only began to recolonise this site in the 1990s. This study describes the recolonisation process from 2000 to 2009, exploring both within- and between-year count data of seals using the site. Counts increased over the study period from <300 animals to >3 100. Generalised linear models indicated the importance of year and month in explaining variability in the counts. Withinyear variability in the counts decreased over the study period, which may be related to an increasing proportion of resident (as opposed to transient) seals in the colony. However, the colony is currently still in a transition phase with a low ratio of breeding to non-breeding animals, based on the low numbers of pups born in the colony (currently still <100 per year). The influx of seals to the Robberg area may be associated with shifts in prey availability at the ecosystem level. The colony benefits from the protection afforded by the reserve status of the Robberg Peninsula and the existence of a marine protected area adjacent to it. However, human interference associated with fishing and/or ecotourism on the peninsula may inhibit development into a substantial breeding colony. Potential interventions for the conservation and management of this colony are discussed.  相似文献   

11.
Surveys of alien plants at subantarctic Prince Edward Island in 2001 show that the ranges of all three introduced species have increased since the last survey in 1998. Poa annua, the longest-established species, increased its range substantially after 1987, prior to which it was confined to a single site for more than 20 years. It remains largely restricted to sites characterized by intense disturbance by seals and seabirds. Sagina procumbens, the most recently discovered alien plant, has spread even more rapidly (up to 800 m year?1) and has colonized the west coast of the island (a leap of at least 3 km). Unlike Poa annua, it is not restricted to animal-disturbed areas, although its seeds probably are dispersed by both birds and fur seals. Cerastium fontanum also continues to spread at the island, but remains confined to the western coastal plain, where it occurs mostly on dry feldmark slopes or erosion scars. All three species have expanded their ranges faster than at Marion Island, possibly because of a warmer recent climate and higher densities of seabirds and seals at Prince Edward Island. The ranges of alien plants are likely to continue to expand, with S. procumbens causing considerable changes in the island's terrestrial ecology.  相似文献   

12.
During three summer surveys at Prince Edward Island (PEI), southern Indian Ocean (2001, 2004 and 2008), 416 southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina were inspected for identification tags. In all, 42 seals that had been tagged as weaned pups at their natal site were found on Marion Island (MI), 38 of which could be individually identified by resighting their tag numbers. The majority of the MI-tagged seals were yearlings or subadults, and all but one were hauled out at PEI for the annual moult. The attendance rate of the known individuals at their natal island during the annual moult was only 40%, based on their resighting histories. This was significantly lower than the 77 ± 6% moult attendance rate estimated for a random MI population sample drawn from the same cohorts (based on 10 000 replications). Annual resight probabilities (considering all haulout phases) was 58% per annum for the MI seals seen at PEI, and 80 ± 4% for the simulation. Seasonal and annual absences of seals from MI violate the ‘homogeneity of capture’ assumption of mark-recapture models. When multiple sightings during any year are treated as a single sighting, resights during other haulouts (e.g. breeding) compensate only partially for absences during the moult. Therefore, mark-recapture studies undertaken in archipelagos should ideally include both marking and resighting of individuals on all islands which will allow discrimination between mortality and local migration.  相似文献   

13.
A juvenile Subantarctic fur seal Arctocephalus tropicalis was recorded on the Indian Ocean island of Rodrigues and two were seen on Mauritius. These records are at least 2 500 km from the closest breeding colony (Amsterdam Island) and are the most easterly by some 1 800 km of all previous records of vagrants of this species.  相似文献   

14.
From 1987 to 2005, numbers of African penguins Spheniscus demersus breeding in South Africa's Western Cape Province increased by about 50%. Numbers decreased at the four northernmost colonies in the region: Lambert's Bay and the three colonies in Saldanha Bay, although at Jutten Island the decrease is inferred from an estimate for 1987, derived from interpolation. Numbers also decreased at Geyser Rock and Dyer Island on the South Coast. At five colonies between Saldanha Bay and Dyer Island there were large increases. At a sixth colony in that region, Seal Island, where Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus limit breeding space, numbers remained stable. At two colonies that were initiated in the early 1980s, Robben Island and Boulders, increases were initially rapid (>20% per annum) and matched growth of the South African stock of sardine Sardinops sagax. Strong growth at Dassen and Vondeling islands, between Robben Island and Saldanha Bay, was observed from about 1996–2002, when there was a large increase in the biomass of pelagic fish off South Africa. Increases at colonies between Saldanha Bay and Boulders slowed after 2002, whereas the colony at Dyer Island stabilised at that time. In 2003, a new colony was initiated east of Dyer Island at De Hoop Nature Reserve. These latter trends followed an eastward shift in the distribution of sardine. Small penguin colonies may act as foci for growth in a period when the distribution of prey is changing. Hence, it is important that they be maintained, especially those that, if lost, would increase the isolation of regional populations. Some of the small colonies are less susceptible to oil spills than colonies in the proximity of harbours, and for that reason also are important.  相似文献   

15.
Pup mortality in the South African (Cape) fur seal Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus was measured throughout the pupping seasons over consecutive years (1987–1991) at two large mainland colonies in Namibia. Cumulative rates of mortality were obtained by counting live and dead pups every second day. Most young pups die shortly after birth in November/December each year, following which there is a decline in the rate of mortality. The average rate of mortality from birth to age 30 days at the Atlas Bay colony was 20 per cent. There was little inter-colony variation in the mortality rates of pups over the four years of the study. Differential rates of mortality between the sexes were found, significantly more female pups dying. Environmental factors are influential in the deaths of newborn pups at these mainland colonies, a combination of changes in wind velocity and direction leading to heat stress in pups being the most important.  相似文献   

16.
The distribution and abundance of the New Zealand fur seal, Arctocephalus forsteri (Lesson), on the Snares Islands, New Zealand, were investigated during November and December 1970. Excluding pups, 1,021 seals were counted on the main island in late November, giving an amended total of 1,156 when correction factors for time of day were applied. The greatest number of seals was ashore between 1200 h and 1500 h daily.

Fur seals were widely but discontinuously distributed along the coast of the main island. Rookeries were present only on the boulder beaches of the west and south‐west coasts and the South‐West Promontory. Non‐breeding seals aggregated on rocky headlands, points and spurs mainly on the east coast.

Breeding bulls defended territories containing, on average, three females. The first pup was seen on 30 November 1970, and pupping continued throughout December. On 30 December, when pupping appeared to have finished, 234 pups were counted on the island.  相似文献   

17.
Four species of penguin breed regularly at South Africa's Prince Edward Islands: king penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus, gentoo penguin Pygoscelis papua, macaroni penguin Eudyptes chrysolophus and southern rockhopper penguin E. chrysocome. In December 2008, it was estimated that some 65 000 pairs of king penguins were incubating eggs at Marion Island, the larger of the two islands in the group, and 2 000 pairs at Prince Edward Island. At Marion Island from 1987 to 2008, there was no long-term trend in numbers of king penguin chicks that survived to the end of the winter period, but there was considerable fluctuation in chick production in the 1990s. It was roughly estimated that on average 88% of king penguin chicks survived the winter period (from April to September/October). Numbers of gentoo penguins at Marion Island decreased from more than 1 300 pairs in the mid-1990s to fewer than 800 pairs in 2003, and then increased to almost 1 100 pairs in 2008 as breeding success improved. Between 1994/1995 and 2008/2009, numbers of macaroni and southern rockhopper penguins at Marion Island decreased by about 30% and 70% respectively. In 2008/2009, some 290 000 pairs of macaroni penguins bred at this island, mostly in two large colonies where there was a progressive decrease in the density of nests. At both these colonies, decreases in numbers breeding followed outbreaks of disease. Inadequate breeding success has influenced the decreases of macaroni and rockhopper penguins. In 2008/2009, some 42 000 pairs of southern rockhopper penguins bred at Marion Island and 12 000 pairs of macaroni penguins and 38 000 pairs of southern rockhopper penguins at Prince Edward Island.  相似文献   

18.
Subantarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus tropicalis) appear as stragglers on New Zealand coasts. Four records are noted, the most recent at Antipodes Island in December 1989.  相似文献   

19.
Annual direct counts of seal pups can indicate long‐term trends in population size, but mark‐recapture estimates are needed to deduce absolute numbers. A calibration between results from these two methods would facilitate the use of direct counts to estimate absolute numbers, an outcome that is relatively quick, cheap and minimises disturbance of animals. Mark‐recapture estimates for the numbers of New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) pups in 2003 at 10 colonies at Otago, southeastern New Zealand, were compared with independent single counts at the same colonies. A single ratio to estimate absolute numbers (y) from direct counts x was not statistically significant. Instead, two ratios were deduced, based on differences in habitat among colonies: y = 1.51x for colonies with hiding places for pups and y = 0.96x for colonies without hiding places. Application of these calibrations and their 95% prediction intervals produce estimates and ranges for the absolute numbers of pups from single annual counts.  相似文献   

20.
The range of the Cape fur seal Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus population largely coincides with the region of the cold, nutrient-rich Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) adjoining the west coast of South Africa, Namibia and Angola. Range-wide scientific monitoring of the seal population was initiated in the 1970s to inform on population management questions related to commercial seal harvesting and seal–fishery interactions. Since the 1970s, seal-related management goals have changed, especially in South Africa where seal harvesting ceased in 1990 and government has conformed to scientific advice against the culling of seals for the intended benefit of fisheries. However, renewed impetus has been provided to seal research and monitoring through the expansion of the ‘ecosystem-based management’ concept in the region, as well as improved international cooperation in the management of marine resources. Together with wide-scale ecosystem changes in the marine environment, and forecast effects of global climate changes, this has justified the continuation and improvement of range-wide scientific monitoring of Cape fur seals. We prioritised seal monitoring based on cost, effort, and relevance to monitoring objectives that have been identified for the region, with consideration given to the conservation status of top predators, interspecific and predator-fishery interactions and the potential use of Cape fur seals as indicators of ecosystem health. An integrated approach incorporating a suite of life-history attributes of seals is recommended, useful monitoring tools are discussed and the need for coordinated monitoring effort and standardisation of sampling techniques is emphasised.  相似文献   

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