Hobart

Seminar Abstract

Tuesday 1 December 2009, 11.30am (Tas time)
CSIRO Auditorium, Hobart

Alexander L Bond
Department of Biology
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
Canada

Kiska Island: Natural History and an Uncertain Future

Kiska Island in the western Aleutian Islands of Alaska, USA has a recorded history dating back to the second voyage of 18th-century explorer Vitus Bering. Shortly thereafter, the natural ecosystem was disturbed by the first of two introductions of non-native predators – Arctic foxes for fur farming. During occupation during World War II, Norway rats arrived on the island, and have had a devastating effect on the native avifauna. Here, I describe the effect of rats on the demographics of the two most abundant seabirds on Kiska Island: Least and Crested Auklets (Aethia pusilla and A. cristatella). Our research group has measured reproductive success and adult interannual survival on Kiska from 2001-2009. Reproductive success varied significantly, and was very low in 2001 and 2002 – years of high rat abundance. Survival also shows a high degree of interannual variability. Population viability analyses for Least Auklets predict a 63% decline over the next 20 years. I will discuss these results in the context of invasive species eradication plans and also considering the effects of vegetative succession on habitat availability.

Seminar recording

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Location:
CSIRO = Marine Laboratories Auditorium, Castray Esplanade, Hobart

For further information, or to schedule a seminar, contact:
To schedule a seminar, contact:
Clothilde Langlais, (Oceanographic seminars) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (03) 6232 5399
Natalie Kelly, (Biology/Modelling seminars) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research 0438 452 483
Jillian Enraght-Moony, (seminar administrator) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (03) 6232 5320
Communications Manager, Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC (03) 6226 2265
Margaret Hazelwood, Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies (IASOS) University of Tasmania (03) 6226 2971

Last updated 8/12/09