NDLI: Long-term dataset reveals declines in breeding success and high fluctuations in the number of breeding pairs in two skua species breeding on King George Island

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Krietsch, Johannes Esefeld, Jan Braun, Christina Lisovski, Simeon Peter, Hans Ulrich
Copyright Year	2015
Abstract	Marine ecosystems face a variety of threats induced by environmental changes and anthropogenic activities. Seabirds are predators often used as indicator species to monitor the status and health of their communities and the environment. Here, we present the results from a 35-year monitoring time series of Brown Skuas (Catharacta antarctica lonnbergi) and South Polar Skuas (C. maccormicki) breeding sympatrically in the Maritime Antarctic on Fildes Peninsula and Potter Peninsula, King George Island. Our results reveal high annual variability in the number and proportions of breeding pairs across the entire study period. Apart from that, the breeding pair numbers of Brown Skuas were relatively stable. By contrast, the breeding pair number of mixed species and South Polar Skua pairs increased substantially until 2003/2004 and 2010/2011, respectively. Both pair types experienced a decline in the breeding pair numbers within recent years. Despite the strong fluctuations in the number of breeding pairs, the sum of occupied territories has been stable during the last 9 years. The breeding success of all pair types declined significantly, and within recent years, both South Polar Skuas and mixed species pairs completely failed to produce offspring. The ultimate causes driving the breeding success decline remain unclear. The overall increase in the number of skuas might have raised density-dependent factors and resulted in a higher predation rate between conspecifics. The more recent total breeding failures, however, indicate a drastic shortage in local food availability.
Starting Page	573
Ending Page	582
Page Count	10
File Format	PDF
ISSN	07224060
Journal	Polar Biology
Volume Number	39
Issue Number	4
e-ISSN	14322056
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Publisher Date	2015-10-15
Publisher Place	Berlin, Heidelberg
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Seabirds Population trends Apex predators Brown Skua South Polar Skua Catharacta spp. Stercorarius spp. Maritime Antarctic Ecology Oceanography Microbiology Plant Sciences Zoology
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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Demography studies of seabirds at admiralty bay, king george island.

Skeletal morphoanatomy of the Brown Skua Stercorarius antarcticus lonnbergi and the South Polar Skua Stercorarius maccormicki

Diet of the south polar skua Catharacta maccormicki and the brown skua C. antarctica lonnbergi at Cierva Point, Antarctic Peninsula

Hybridisation between South polar skua (Catharacta maccormicki) and Brown skua (C. antarctica lonnbergi) in the Antarctic Peninsula region

Abundance and spatial distribution of sympatrically breeding Catharacta spp. (skuas) in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica

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Mixed pair of South Polar Skua male (left) and Brown Skua female Speciation and hybridisation in skuas (Catharacta spp.)

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King penguin brooding and defending a sub-Antarctic skua chick

Long-term dataset reveals declines in breeding success and high fluctuations in the number of breeding pairs in two skua species breeding on King George Island

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