Shearwaters as ecosystem indicators: Towards fishery-independent metrics of fish abundance in the California Current

Lyday, Shannon; Ballance, Lisa T.; Field, David; Hyrenbach, K. David

doi:10.1016/j.jmarsys.2014.08.010

Cited by 14 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Dietary specialists may also serve as sentinels for other predators that feed on the same prey type but that are more difficult to observe (Lyday et al . ). A sentinel species can also signal an integrated ecological effect of climate forcing; for instance, the first indication of a strong ecosystem response to unusually delayed upwelling in the California Current system in 2005 was the widespread colony abandonment by Cassin's auklet ( Ptychoramphus aleuticus ; Sydeman et al .…”

Section: What Is An Ecosystem Sentinel?mentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Changes in the distribution and migration phenology of specialist foragers such as blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) and North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) can indicate relative changes in the distribution and abundance of prey populations (Croll et al 2005;Piatt et al 2007). Dietary specialists may also serve as sentinels for other predators that feed on the same prey type but that are more difficult to observe (Lyday et al 2015). A sentinel species can also signal an integrated ecological effect of climate forcing; for instance, the first indication of a strong ecosystem response to unusually delayed upwelling in the California Current system in 2005 was the widespread colony abandonment by Cassin's auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus; Sydeman et al 2006).…”

Section: Reviewsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Marine top predators as climate and ecosystem sentinels

Hazen

Abrahms

Brodie

et al. 2019

Frontiers in Ecol & Environ

272

157

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The rapid pace of environmental change in the Anthropocene necessitates the development of a new suite of tools for measuring ecosystem dynamics. Sentinel species can provide insight into ecosystem function, identify hidden risks to human health, and predict future change. As sentinels, marine apex (top) predators offer a unique perspective into ocean processes, given that they can move across ocean basins and amplify trophic information across multiple spatiotemporal scales. Because use of the terms “ecosystem sentinel” and “climate sentinel” has proliferated in the scientific literature, there is a need to identify the properties that make marine predators effective sentinels. We provide a clear definition of the term “sentinel”, review the attributes of species identified as sentinels, and describe how a suite of such sentinels could strengthen our understanding and management of marine ecosystems. We contend that the use of marine predators as ecosystem sentinels will enable rapid response and adaptation to ecosystem variability and change.

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Section: What Is An Ecosystem Sentinel?mentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Reviewsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine top predators as climate and ecosystem sentinels

Hazen

Abrahms

Brodie

et al. 2019

Frontiers in Ecol & Environ

272

157

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Fishery-dependent MTL assessments have inherent biases that may fail to detect multiple ecosystem signals such as high trophic-level species loss, prey release, and market targeting shifts (Essington et al, 2006;Estes et al, 2011). Ideal biological indicators are those sampled and approximated from species representing broad ecosystem patterns (Lyday et al, 2015;Reed et al, 2016). The techniques must be robust and reproducible at scale (Gagné et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seabird Trophic Position Across Three Ocean Regions Tracks Ecosystem Differences

et al. 2018

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We analyze recently collected feather tissues from two species of seabirds, the sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscatus) and brown noddy (Anous stolidus), in three ocean regions (North Atlantic, North Pacific, and South Pacific) with different human impacts. The species are similar morphologically and in the trophic levels from which they feed within each location. In contrast, we detect reliable differences in trophic position amongst the regions. Trophic position appears to decline as the intensity of commercial fishing increases, and is at its lowest in the Caribbean. The spatial gradient in trophic position we document in these regions exceeds those detected over specimens from the last 130 years in the Hawaiian Islands. Modeling suggests that climate velocity and human impacts on fish populations strongly align with these differences.

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“…Up to now only few studies on the functional, or predictive, relationships between seabirds and ecosystem properties have been published (e.g. Hatch & Sanger 1992, Roth et al 2007, Lyday et al 2015, Velarde et al 2015. In that context, the results from our study suggest there is a potential for using the post-hatch occurrence of 1 yr old saithe in the shag diet as an early indicator of the recruitment to the pelagic and commercially harvested stock of NEA saithe.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%