Biology subjects

Doiron, P. B.

Publications and source records attributed to Doiron, P. B..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Geographic, ecological, and temporal patterns of seabird mortality during the 2022 HPAI H5N1 outbreak on the island of Newfoundland

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 caused mass seabird mortality across the North Atlantic in 2022. Following outbreaks in Europe, the first case in North America was detected on the island of Newfoundland (NFLD), Canada in November 2021, before spreading through all North American flyways. During the following breeding season, NFLD experienced the second-highest number of seabird mortalities in Canadian provinces. Surveys and citizen reports identified 13543 seabird mortalities from April to September 2022. Many carcasses occurred on the west coast of NFLD in May and June 2022. Reported mortalities peaked in July along the southeastern coast. In August and September, mortalities were concentrated along the northeastern coast. With the exception of two colony surveys, reported mortalities decreased in September. Most mortality was found among Northern Gannet (6622), Common Murre (5992), Atlantic Puffin (282), and Black-legged Kittiwake (217). Using comprehensive knowledge of seabird ecology, we formulated exploratory hypotheses regarding traits that could contribute to mortality. Species differences in mortality were most strongly associated with nesting density, timing of breeding, and at-sea overlap with allospecifics from other colonies. Unprecedented seabird mortality and ongoing transmission within the circulating avian influenza viruses highlight the need for continued monitoring and development of conservation strategies.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2023

Reduction of coastal lighting decreases seabird strandings

Leachs 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. Positive phototaxis, the movement towards artificial light at night (ALAN), is considered to be a key contributing factor. Many seabirds exhibit positive phototaxis, which can result in stranding on land. The Leachs Storm-Petrel is the seabird most often found stranded around ALAN in the North Atlantic, though there is little experimental evidence showing that reducing ALAN will decrease the occurrence of stranded storm-petrels. During a two-year study at a large, brightly illuminated seafood processing plant adjacent to the Leachs Storm-Petrels largest colony, we compared the number of birds that stranded when the lights at the plant were turned on versus off. We recorded survival, performed carcass counts of both adults and juveniles, and released any rescued individuals. Turning the lights off reduced strandings by 39.15% (CI: 11.45% - 58.19%). The peak stranding period occurred from 25 September to 28 October, and most of the stranded birds were fledglings. These results provide evidence to support the widespread reduction and modification of coastal artificial light, especially during avian fledging and migration periods.

animal behavior and cognition↗