Using citizen-science data to identify local hotspots of seabird occurrence
Seabirds have been identified and used as indicators of ecosystem processes such as climate change and human activity in nearshore ecosystems around the globe. Temporal and spatial trends have been documented at large spatial scales, but few studies have examined more localized patterns of spatiotem...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2015-01-01
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| Series: | PeerJ |
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/704.pdf |
| _version_ | 1827606281023651840 |
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| author | Eric J. Ward Kristin N. Marshall Toby Ross Adam Sedgley Todd Hass Scott F. Pearson Gerald Joyce Nathalie J. Hamel Peter J. Hodum Rob Faucett |
| author_facet | Eric J. Ward Kristin N. Marshall Toby Ross Adam Sedgley Todd Hass Scott F. Pearson Gerald Joyce Nathalie J. Hamel Peter J. Hodum Rob Faucett |
| author_sort | Eric J. Ward |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Seabirds have been identified and used as indicators of ecosystem processes such as climate change and human activity in nearshore ecosystems around the globe. Temporal and spatial trends have been documented at large spatial scales, but few studies have examined more localized patterns of spatiotemporal variation, by species or functional group. In this paper, we apply spatial occupancy models to assess the spatial patchiness and interannual trends of 18 seabird species in the Puget Sound region (Washington State, USA). Our dataset, the Puget Sound Seabird Survey of the Seattle Audubon Society, is unique in that it represents a seven-year study, collected with a focus on winter months (October–April). Despite historic declines of seabirds in the region over the last 50 years, results from our study are optimistic, suggesting increases in probabilities of occurrence for 14 of the 18 species included. We found support for declines in occurrence for white-winged scoters, brants, and 2 species of grebes. The decline of Western grebes in particular is troubling, but in agreement with other recent studies that have shown support for a range shift south in recent years, to the southern end of California Current. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:34:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-39442e9fb67b46dab2248b29cc8b262b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:34:59Z |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-39442e9fb67b46dab2248b29cc8b262b2023-12-03T10:59:11ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592015-01-013e70410.7717/peerj.704704Using citizen-science data to identify local hotspots of seabird occurrenceEric J. Ward0Kristin N. Marshall1Toby Ross2Adam Sedgley3Todd Hass4Scott F. Pearson5Gerald Joyce6Nathalie J. Hamel7Peter J. Hodum8Rob Faucett9Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USAConservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USASeattle Audubon Society, Seattle, WA, USASeattle Audubon Society, Seattle, WA, USASchool of Marine and Environmental Affairs, Seattle, WA, USAWildlife Science Division, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia, WA, USAScience Committee, Seattle Audubon Society, Seattle, WA, USAScience Committee, Seattle Audubon Society, Seattle, WA, USAScience Committee, Seattle Audubon Society, Seattle, WA, USAScience Committee, Seattle Audubon Society, Seattle, WA, USASeabirds have been identified and used as indicators of ecosystem processes such as climate change and human activity in nearshore ecosystems around the globe. Temporal and spatial trends have been documented at large spatial scales, but few studies have examined more localized patterns of spatiotemporal variation, by species or functional group. In this paper, we apply spatial occupancy models to assess the spatial patchiness and interannual trends of 18 seabird species in the Puget Sound region (Washington State, USA). Our dataset, the Puget Sound Seabird Survey of the Seattle Audubon Society, is unique in that it represents a seven-year study, collected with a focus on winter months (October–April). Despite historic declines of seabirds in the region over the last 50 years, results from our study are optimistic, suggesting increases in probabilities of occurrence for 14 of the 18 species included. We found support for declines in occurrence for white-winged scoters, brants, and 2 species of grebes. The decline of Western grebes in particular is troubling, but in agreement with other recent studies that have shown support for a range shift south in recent years, to the southern end of California Current.https://peerj.com/articles/704.pdfPuget SoundSeabirdsCitizen-scienceHotspotsSpatial modelsOccupancy models |
| spellingShingle | Eric J. Ward Kristin N. Marshall Toby Ross Adam Sedgley Todd Hass Scott F. Pearson Gerald Joyce Nathalie J. Hamel Peter J. Hodum Rob Faucett Using citizen-science data to identify local hotspots of seabird occurrence PeerJ Puget Sound Seabirds Citizen-science Hotspots Spatial models Occupancy models |
| title | Using citizen-science data to identify local hotspots of seabird occurrence |
| title_full | Using citizen-science data to identify local hotspots of seabird occurrence |
| title_fullStr | Using citizen-science data to identify local hotspots of seabird occurrence |
| title_full_unstemmed | Using citizen-science data to identify local hotspots of seabird occurrence |
| title_short | Using citizen-science data to identify local hotspots of seabird occurrence |
| title_sort | using citizen science data to identify local hotspots of seabird occurrence |
| topic | Puget Sound Seabirds Citizen-science Hotspots Spatial models Occupancy models |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/704.pdf |
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