Colony Attendance Patterns and Recruitment in Immature Common Murres (Uria aalge)

The Auk ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 947-957 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Harris ◽  
S. Wanless
Keyword(s):  
Uria Aalge ◽  
Attendance Patterns ◽  
Common Murres ◽  
Colony Attendance

Common Murre (Uria aalge) attendance patterns at Cape St. Mary's, Newfoundland

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 1530-1534 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. Piatt ◽  
Ruth L. McLagan
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Uria Aalge ◽  
Seasonal Fluctuations ◽  
Individual Study ◽  
Common Murre ◽  
Attendance Patterns ◽  
Common Murres ◽  
Significant Change ◽  
Small Decline

Attendance patterns of common murres (Uria aalge) at Cape St. Mary's, Newfoundland, were observed during hatching to post-fledging periods of 1980 to 1984. Six study plots on breeding ledges (ca. 450 birds total) and a "club" on the water were monitored for seasonal fluctuations in numbers attending. Attendance on ledges was similar between years, being relatively stable from hatching through to median fledging, and declining steadily thereafter. Attendance at the club usually peaked between median hatching and fledging, then declined rapidly during the fledging period. Numbers of murres attending neighboring study plots were often significantly correlated, but correlations were much weaker between distant plots. There were few significant correlations between attendance and wind speed or tidal oscillations in any year of study. Numbers of murres attending individual study plots varied significantly between years; four declined, one increased, and one showed no significant change. Overall, there was a small decline in total numbers of murres attending all study plots between 1980 and 1984.

scholarly journals Ecological interactions and habitat modification in nesting Common Murres, Uria aalge

1996 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia K. Parrish ◽  
Robert T. Paine
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Habitat Modification ◽  
Haliaeetus Leucocephalus ◽  
Uria Aalge ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Bald Eagles ◽  
Predator Removal ◽  
Common Murre ◽  
Corvus Caurinus ◽  
Common Murres

SummarySeabird populations suffer from a variety of natural and human-induced sources of mortality and loss of lifetime reproductive output. On the outer coast of Washington State, Common Murre Uria aalge populations have been in decline for approximately the last decade and are currently reproductively active only at Tatoosh Island. These murres nest in two basic habitat types: crevices (25% of the population) and larger cliff-top subcolonies (75%). Murres in cliff-top subcolonies have suffered dramatic reductions in reproductive success in recent years relative to conspecifics nesting in the crevices, primarily due to egg predation by Glaucous-winged Gulls Larus glaucescens and Northwestern Crows Corvus caurinus, facilitated by the presence of Bald Eagles Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Because predator removal is not feasible and creation of additional crevice habitat is difficult, expensive and potentially ineffective, we have designed a temporary habitat modification (the “silk forest”) which replaces the natural vegetation cover and modifies the interaction between murres and eagles. Within the test subcolony, murres nesting under and immediately adjacent to the silk forest produced nearly twice as many eggs per square metre as their conspecifics nesting in adjacent exposed-ground areas.

Exceptional variation in the appearance of Common Murre eggs reveals their potential as identity signals

The Auk ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim R Birkhead ◽  
Jamie E Thompson ◽  
Amelia R Cox ◽  
Robert D Montgomerie
Keyword(s):  
Uria Aalge ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
Breeding Group ◽  
Common Murre ◽  
Trimodal Distribution ◽  
Common Murres ◽  
Egg Traits ◽  
Breeding Groups ◽  
Different Parts

Abstract We studied the ground colors and maculations of 161 Common Murre (Uria aalge) eggs laid by 43 females in 3 small breeding groups on the cliffs of Skomer Island, Wales, in 2016–2018. Both the colors and maculations varied much more among than within females, providing quantitative evidence for the egg traits that might facilitate the parents’ ability to identify their own eggs on the crowded breeding ledges where the density is typically ~20 eggs m–2. Ground colors had a trimodal distribution of hue values (whitish to pale brown, pale blue, or vivid blue-green) and maculations ranged from none to complex squiggles and blotches. The eggs laid by each female in different years were similar to one another, and replacement eggs laid by females within years were also more similar to their first egg than to other eggs in the same breeding group. Egg appearance did not differ among the 3 breeding groups that we studied. Our findings thus support anecdotal observations that, within and between years, female Common Murres lay eggs that have similar ground colors and maculations. We do not, however, find evidence that there is much difference among the eggs laid in different parts of a colony.

Restriction fragment analysis of mitochondrial DNA in Common Murres, Uria aalge, from four Norwegian seabird colonies

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 1577-1584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Truls Moum ◽  
Kjell Einar Erikstad ◽  
Eirik Bjørklid
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Restriction Analysis ◽  
Sequence Divergence ◽  
Ancestral Population ◽  
Population Divergence ◽  
Uria Aalge ◽  
Population Bottlenecks ◽  
Geographic Population ◽  
Common Murres ◽  
Seabird Colonies

Alcid species (auks) breed in a restricted number of large seabird colonies and are considered highly philopatric. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Common Murres, Uria aalge, from four Norwegian colonies was investigated by restriction analysis to assess the amount of geographic population structure and genetic variability in a colonial breeder. Eleven restriction endonucleases revealed 13 mtDNA genotypes among 51 individuals. Genetic diversity was low, with an average of 0.11% (range 0.0–0.55%) sequence divergence between all individuals. Population divergence within the surveyed region seems to be minimal, demonstrated by the low levels of sequence divergence between colonies and lack of spatial structuring of genotypes. Such results can be expected if birds originated from a smaller ancestral population during glaciation, and may have been reinforced by repeated population bottlenecks and considerable gene flow between colonies.

Extra-pair copulations in common murres I: a mate attraction strategy?

Behaviour ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 143 (10) ◽  
pp. 1241-1262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen L. Cameron-Macmillan ◽  
Carolyn J. Walsh ◽  
Sabina I. Wilhelm ◽  
Anne E. Storey
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Uria Aalge ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Mate Attraction ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity ◽  
Socially Monogamous ◽  
Common Murres ◽  
Breeding Seasons

AbstractWe investigated the behavioural context of pair (PCs) and extra-pair copulations (EPCs) in individually-marked socially-monogamous, long-lived seabirds, common murres (Uria aalge). Since forced EPCs have been documented for this species, we first examined which sex controls successful (cloacal contact achieved) copulation. The finding that all successful copulations required female cooperation and crouching suggested that benefits of successful EPCs accrue primarily to females. In a group of murres for which paternity analyses indicated no extra-pair paternity, behavioural observations over five breeding seasons showed that individual females engaged in EPCs primarily under two circumstances: (1) before they were reunited with their mates, and (2) when they were in the process of re-pairing. There was no such relationship between EPCs and re-pairing for males. Successful EPCs occurred with familiar neighboring males of apparent high quality, indicated by their high ledge attendance and prior reproductive success rates. Thus, EPCs may be used by females to attract potential high quality mates in situations where females are attempting to re-pair as a result of divorce or mate death.

Population genetic structure in Atlantic and Pacific Ocean common murres (Uria aalge): natural replicate tests of post-Pleistocene evolution

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (22) ◽  
pp. 4859-4873 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. MORRIS-POCOCK ◽  
S. A. TAYLOR ◽  
T. P. BIRT ◽  
M. DAMUS ◽  
J. F. PIATT ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Population Genetic Structure ◽  
Population Genetic ◽  
Uria Aalge ◽  
Common Murres

Ecological segregation among Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia) and Common Murres (Uria aalge) in the Northwest Atlantic persists through the nonbreeding season

2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
pp. 447-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. McFarlane Tranquilla ◽  
W.A. Montevecchi ◽  
A. Hedd ◽  
P.M. Regular ◽  
G.J. Robertson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Data ◽  
Uria Aalge ◽  
Uria Lomvia ◽  
Ecological Segregation ◽  
Nonbreeding Season ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Common Murres ◽  
Movement Strategy ◽  
Wintering Areas ◽  
Latitudinal Range

To study the influence of inter- and intra-specific interactions on patterns of ecological segregation in nonbreeding habitat, we used geolocators to track year-round movements of congeneric and partially sympatric Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia (L., 1758)) and Common Murres (Uria aalge (Pontoppidan, 1763)) from seven Canadian colonies during 2007–2011. Locations from 142 individuals were (i) examined for species- and colony-specific spatiotemporal patterns, (ii) mapped with environmental data, and (iii) used to delineate core wintering areas. Compared with Common Murres, Thick-billed Murres dispersed across a wider range of latitudes and environments, had larger winter ranges, and showed greater variation in seasonal timing of movements. These interspecific differences were consistent at two scales: among colonies spanning a wide latitudinal range and at a sympatric colony. Intraspecifically, nonbreeding ecological segregation was more pronounced among colonies of Thick-billed Murres than of Common Murres: colonies of Thick-billed Murres tended to follow distinct movement patterns and segregate by latitude, whereas colonies of Common Murres segregated very little; moreover, the extent of segregation was more variable among Thick-billed Murres than Common Murres. For Thick-billed Murres, rather than complete divergence of winter ecological niche from Common Murres, we found a “widening” of an overlapping niche. This strategy of increased movement flexibility may enable Thick-billed Murres to mitigate competition both intra- and inter-specifically; we propose this movement strategy may have played a role in species divergence.

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