Coexistence and Spatial Distributions of Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) and Other Alcids Off Southwest Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Niche overlap and resource partitioning have seldom been investigated in the marine habitats of seabirds but are obvious determinants of community and population status. We investigated interspecific differences in densities and spatial aggregations of seabirds during summer (June–August) off southw...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Auk 2008-01, Vol.125 (1), p.192-204
Main Authors: Burger, Alan E, Hitchcock, Christine L, Stewart, E. Anne, Davoren, Gail K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggregation
Alcidae
Aquatic birds
Aquatic habitats
Behavior
Birds
Brachyramphus marmoratus
Cepphus columba
Cerorhinca monocerata
Coasts
Competition
Foraging
Habitat conservation
Interspecific competition
Marbled Murrelet
Marine
marine habitats
National parks
Parks & recreation areas
Population status
Research s
Residential segregation
Resource partitioning
Sea birds
Spatial distribution
Species
Uria aalge
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Niche overlap and resource partitioning have seldom been investigated in the marine habitats of seabirds but are obvious determinants of community and population status. We investigated interspecific differences in densities and spatial aggregations of seabirds during summer (June–August) off southwest Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Two 300-m-wide parallel transects were sampled along 66.6 km of shoreline in 1993–1996, centered 200 m and 600 m from shore. Analysis focused on the threatened Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) and three other fish-eating alcids. Densities of Marbled Murrelets were among the highest reported at sea in the species' range; they were concentrated close to shore (>75% within 0.6 km and virtually all within 2.0 km of shore), usually in water
ISSN:0004-8038
1938-4254
2732-4613
DOI:10.1525/auk.2008.125.1.192