The use of technology in the study of seabirds’ spatial ecology: implications for conservation

BLANCO, GABRIELA S.; QUINTANA, FLAVIO

Congreso; XXXVIII Encontro Anual de Etologia, III Reuniao de Biologia do Comportamento do Cone Sul (RBC); 2021

Spatial ecology focuses on understanding the role of space on ecological processes. During the last two decades this field has arisen together with the development of new technologies and computing capacities. As such, the study of marine vertebrates in space was possible because of improvement and miniaturization of tracking devices, which overcame previous limitations, adding information on animal behavior. In addition, remote sensing made available environmental data that has led to a better understanding of oceanographic processes. Seabirds are one of the most threatened group within birds, they are considered to be indicators of the health of marine ecosystems as they respond to spatial changes at sea by modifying their behavior. Tracking devices have been employed to understand foraging behavior of seabirds. For example the use of GPS and GLS attached to Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus), helped to understand foraging strategies along the year, showing how these birds respond to changes in oceanographic conditions by modifying foraging behavior. In contrast, southern giant petrels (Macronectes giganteus) and other Procellariiformes, nesting in remote locations, where recapture of individuals to recover devices is not possible; the loggers with remote downloading gave the opportunity to obtain high quality data understanding detailed animal movement. The utilization of innovative technology enabled to understand that seabirds distribute and behave differently depending on environmental conditions, time of the year, age, and sex, making different groups the subject of different threats. Among those threats bycatch, overfishing, climate change, extreme climatic events, and pollution have been recognize as detrimental for several seabird species. The study of spatial ecology helps to elucidate how seabirds behave during different stages of their life cycle and how they interact with different threats, adding tools to propose management strategies and contribute to the creation of marine protected areas that would mitigate these environmental issues.