Pollution—Lights, plastics, oil, and contaminants

Gilmour, Morgan E.; Borrelle, Stephanie B.; Elliott, Linda R.; Okawa, Rae; Rodríguez, Airam

doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-88539-3.00012-1

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 210 publications

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seabirds are one of the most at-risk groups of birds, and attraction to anthropogenic light is a risk for at least 73 seabird species, mainly procellariiforms [1][2][3][4]. Globally, thousands of seabirds strand annually around brightly lit coastal and offshore structures [2][3][4][5][6][7]. Stranded seabirds are subject to predation, dehydration, starvation, collisions with structures or vehicles, and oiling or injury by machinery [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Small tube-nosed seabirds fledge on the full moon and throughout the lunar cycle

Collins,

Hedd,

Montevecchi

et al. 2023

Biol. Lett.

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Many seabirds are attracted to anthropogenic light, and the risk is greater for recent fledglings. Moon phase predicts the probability of stranding (fewer birds strand on the full moon), but it remains uncertain whether moon phase is associated with when young seabirds fledge. Fledging behaviour of nocturnal, burrowing seabirds can be difficult to monitor using traditional methods but can provide insight into environmental factors that influence the risk of stranding. We used passive integrated transponder tags to monitor the fledging dates and times of Leach's storm-petrel ( Hydrobates leucorhous ) chicks across four breeding seasons (2017, 2018, 2021, 2022) at a major colony in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. We also assessed whether moon phase and incident illumination related to fledging date and time. The median fledge time was 1.6 h after sunset (0.6–11.7 h). The median fledge date was 10 October, and fledging dates ranged from 13 September to 13 November. Most importantly, moon phase was not associated with the time and date that Leach's storm-petrel chicks fledged. These results suggest that recently fledged storm-petrels are less attracted to anthropogenic light during high levels of natural illumination, which could indicate periods of higher stranding risk and help concentrate conservation efforts.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small tube-nosed seabirds fledge on the full moon and throughout the lunar cycle

Collins,

Hedd,

Montevecchi

et al. 2023

Biol. Lett.

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“…Of the seabird orders, Procellariiformes is among the most vulnerable to the effects of ALAN [ 15 ]. The Leach’s Storm-Petrel ( Hydrobates leucorhous ) is one of the most nocturnally active procellariiforms [ 16 ] and is particularly vulnerable to the effects of ALAN in the North Atlantic [ 4 , 10 , 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reduction of coastal lighting decreases seabird strandings

Burt,

Collins,

Green

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Artificial light at night (ALAN) is negatively impacting numerous species of nocturnally active birds. Nocturnal positive phototaxis, the movement towards ALAN, is exhibited by many marine birds and can result in stranding on land. Seabird species facing major population declines may be most at risk. Leach’s Storm-Petrels (Hydrobates leucorhous) are small, threatened seabirds with an extensive breeding range in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. The Atlantic population, which represents approximately 40–48% of the global population, is declining sharply. Nocturnal positive phototaxis is considered to be a key contributing factor. The Leach’s Storm-Petrel is the seabird species most often found stranded around ALAN in the North Atlantic, though there is little experimental evidence that reduction of ALAN decreases the occurrence of stranded storm-petrels. During a two-year study at a large, brightly illuminated seafood processing plant adjacent to the Leach’s Storm-Petrel’s largest colony, we compared the number of birds that stranded when the lights at the plant were on versus significantly reduced. We recorded survival, counted carcasses of adults and juveniles, and released any rescued individuals. Daily morning surveys revealed that reducing ALAN decreased strandings by 57.11% (95% CI: 39.29% - 83.01%) per night and night surveys revealed that reducing ALAN decreased stranding of adult birds by 11.94% (95% CI: 3.47% - 41.13%) per night. The peak stranding period occurred from 25 September to 28 October, and 94.9% of the birds found during this period were fledglings. These results provide evidence to support the implementation of widespread reduction and modification of coastal artificial light as a conservation strategy, especially during avian fledging and migration periods.

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“…Departing at night, true as well among sea turtles, is a suggested strategy, along with cavity‐nesting, to reduce predation (Gaston, 2004; Warham, 1990). At least 73 seabird species have been documented in light pollution‐induced mortality events, mostly belonging to cavity‐nesting Procellariiformes species (Gilmour et al, 2023). Approximately 60% of these 73 species have exhibited population declines and 28 are globally threatened according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria (Gilmour et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moonlight diminishes seabird attraction to artificial light

Rodríguez,

Atchoi,

Rodríguez

et al. 2023

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Rescue programs aiming to mitigate light‐induced mortality of seabird fledglings have reported that fewer birds are grounded (and rescued) during full moon nights. Two non‐mutually exclusive hypotheses have been proposed as explanations: (1) reduction of strandings because birds are less attracted to and disorientated by light pollution during full moon nights; and (2) reduction of fledging activity, that is, chicks avoid departing the colony during nights with increased moonlight. We argue that evidence from rescue programs and other studies supports the first but not the second hypothesis. The evidence supports the conclusion that a higher proportion of fledglings make it safely to sea during full moon nights than during moonless nights. Thus, there is a decrease in the severity of light pollution on seabirds around the full moon.

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Pollution—Lights, plastics, oil, and contaminants

Cited by 6 publications

References 210 publications

Small tube-nosed seabirds fledge on the full moon and throughout the lunar cycle

Small tube-nosed seabirds fledge on the full moon and throughout the lunar cycle

Reduction of coastal lighting decreases seabird strandings

Moonlight diminishes seabird attraction to artificial light

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