SECOND ANNUAL REPORT of the
WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH CHAIR
Dr. Fred Cooke
Senior Chair, Wildlife Ecology
Simon Fraser University
JANUARY 1995
I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 3
II. THE CHAIR IN ACTION................................................................................................. 6
A. Specific Projects................................................................................................7
1. The Population Dynamics of Western Sandpiper ................................. 7
i. Alaska ................................................................................7
ii. Boundary Bay, BC ..............................................................8
iii. Sidney Island, BC.................................................................8
iv. Ensenada, Mexico...............................................................8
v. Chitre, Panama ...................................................................8
2. Winter Ecology of Dunlin.................................................................... 9
3. Migration Physiology of Dunlin and Western Sandpipers .................... 9
i. Fat deposition and body condition............................................9
ii. Fatty acid binding protein and flight muscle conditioning.......9
4. Reproductive Physiology of Arctic-Nesting Shorebirds ........................ 10
5. Ecotoxicological Studies of Dunlin and Western Sandpipers................ 10
6. The Triangle Island Project ................................................................. 11
7. Demographic Studies of the Pacific Pop'n of the Lesser Snow Goose ... 12
8. Winter Population Ecology of Brant in the Fraser Delta....................... 13
9. Population Studies of Trumpeter Swans............................................... 14
10. Population Studies of Harlequin Ducks ................................................ 14
i. Strait of Georgia, BC ..........................................................14
ii. Jasper National Park, ALTA ...............................................14
11. Winter Studies of Grebes ..................................................................... 15
12. Breeding Biology of Grebes ................................................................. 15
13. Population Status of Marbled Murrelets ............................................... 16
14. Molting Ecology of Barrow's Goldeneye .............................................. 16
15. Population Modelling and Demography............................................... 17
i. Estimation of transients using mark-recapture.....................17
ii. Estimation of age-specific breeding propensity using
mark-recapture ....................................................................17
iii. Estimation of survival rates under conditions of capture
heterogeneity: robust design analysis ...................................17
B. Other Initiatives .............................................................................................18
C. Community Involvement ................................................................................19
D. Funding ..........................................................................................................20
1. Research Funding Obtained (1994)......................................................... 20
2. Research Funding Obtained or Applied For (1995)................................. 21
(continued on next page)
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WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH CHAIR
E. Publications ...................................................................................................... 22
1. Publications in Refereed Journals in 1994 ............................................22
2. Books Published in 1994 ......................................................................23
3. Invited Papers Presented at Conferences in 1994 ..................................23
F. Personnel .......................................................................................................... 25
1. Board of Directors................................................................................25
2. Research Team.....................................................................................25
i. Faculty .................................................................................... 25
ii. Research Group...................................................................... 25
3. Workshops/Meetings............................................................................26
i. Attended by Chair Representatives .......................................... 26
ii. To be attended by Chair Representatives ................................ 27
III. APPENDIX I. MISSION STATEMENT (January 1995 - F. Cooke) ................................28
A. Conservation Goals, The CWS Perspective ....................................................... 28
1. Habitats................................................................................................29
2. Bird Species .........................................................................................29
3. Integrated Population Approach ...........................................................31
i. Population Ecology ................................................................. 32
ii. Behavioural Ecology .............................................................. 32
iii. Physiological Ecology ........................................................... 33
B. Academic Goals, The SFU Perspective ............................................................. 34
1. Population Ecology ..............................................................................34
2. Behavioural Ecology ............................................................................35
3. Physiological Ecology ..........................................................................35
4. General Points......................................................................................36
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SECOND ANNUAL REPORT - JANUARY 1995
I. INTRODUCTION
The aim of this Second Annual Report is to:
i) give an overview of our second year of activities
ii) outline the progress on new and continuing projects
iii) describe the personnel involved
iv) give some indicators of our scientific and community involvement.
We are now almost 18 months into the program of the Chair. The first year was mainly
one of planning the program, defining the objectives and establishing some of the research
projects. Now in the second year, we are consolidating our activities, collecting and
analysing data and creating networks to improve the coverage of our research objectives.
Perhaps the most important event of the year was the arrival of Dr. Tony Williams as
Associate Chair. He arrived in August and has already equipped his lab and taken on his
first graduate student, Chris Guglielmo. We moved into our new offices at SFU and thus
consolidated our activities in the same area of the department. This has improved
communication among the group.
Our presence at the Pacific Wildlife Research Centre on Westham Island has been
expanded considerably now that several of our graduate students and volunteers have
centred their research activities in the area. Brian Carter's study of Trumpeter Swans,
Barbara Pohl's observations of Snow Geese, Pippa Shepherd's work with Dunlins and Eric
Reed's research in Brant are all carried out from the CWS facilities.
Several projects are now well established. A research station was constructed on Triangle
Island in March 1994, and a full field season of data was collected under the capable
direction of Dr. Ian Jones. An annual report on the first field season is now being
prepared.
Field work on wintering Western Sandpipers is currently under way in Ensenada, Mexico
in conjunction with Drs. L. Oring and H. de la Cueva, and in Chitre, Panama in
cooperation with Dr. Francisco Delgado.
Research on a summer population of Marbled Murrelets provided the first successful
banding program ever with this species. More than 170 birds were marked and data
collected for a detailed investigation of the breeding ecology and physiology of this
threatened species. This work was carried out in close collaboration with Gary Kaiser and
Kathy Martin of CWS and Andy Derocher of the BC Ministry of Forests.
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WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH CHAIR
Dr. Evan Cooch established a banding program on the Banks Island population of Snow
Geese which should provide much of the missing information necessary for the effective
management of the 3 western populations of this species. Our collaboration with Russian
scientists increased when Barbara Ganter participated in their goose banding program on
Wrangel Island, off the north-western tip of Siberia.
We concentrated on those species identified in the First Annual Report. We failed to make
the expected headway on the Wigeon. However we expanded our studies to include the
Barrow's Goldeneye, a species whose centre of breeding and wintering distribution occurs
in British Columbia. Debbie van de Wetering began a Masters program studying the
molting populations of this species in the Old Crow Flats, Yukon.
In addition to the core funding of $330,000 provided by the CWS, NSERC and SFU, we
had external grants and contracts in the amount of $361,681.94, and an additional $75,000
provided by CWS for the establishment of a Research Network Program. (A list of
research projects and scientists funded by the Research Network Program in 1994-1995
follows on the next page.)
1994 was the first year of the operation of this program. With the funds provided, we
were able to reach out to other students and researchers to enhance the program and
expand the network of scientists concentrating their research efforts to those areas
designated in the mandate of the Chair.
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SECOND ANNUAL REPORT - JANUARY 1995
Senior Advisor
(Affiliation)
Research Network Funding Proposal
Funding
Amount
Jamie Smith
(UBC)
Prospecting, breeding site selection, and predation avoidance
through dispersal by colonial seabirds
$6,542.00
Ian Jones
(SFU)
Reproductive decisions and demography of Tufted Puffins
at Triangle Island
$6,705.00
Ian Jones
(SFU)
Demographic consequences of Cassin's Auklets' coexistence with nest-predatory
native deer mice at Triangle Island
$5,780.00
Evan Cooch
(SFU)
Estimation of proportions of residents and transients in local wintering population
of Black Brant
$8,450.00
Fred Cooke
(SFU)
Comparative survival and philopatry of Eared and Horned Grebes
in the Chilcotin/Caribou Region
$5,200.00
Peter Beninger
(Univ. Moncton)
Feeding mechanisms in Dunlin and Western Sandpiper
$5,200.00
Lew Oring (U.Reno)
Dov Lank (SFU)
Survivorship of Western Sandpipers on northern wintering grounds
$15,000.00
Leah Bendell-Young
(SFU)
The relative importance of the Fraser River Estuary in contributing to overall
contaminant residues in the Western Sandpiper
$5,200.00
Colin Clark
(UBC)
Dynamic programming model for Western Sandpiper migration
$4,000.00
Larry Dill
(SFU)
The underwater foraging behaviour of the Rhinoceros Auklet
$5,545.00
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WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH CHAIR
II. THE CHAIR IN ACTION
Fourteen projects are outlined in the following table. Each of them are already under way
and are beginning to generate the data necessary for our conservation and research
program. They illustrate the close collaboration between the Chair and CWS.
CWS
Initiatives
CWS / SFU
Joint Ventures
SFU
Initiatives
Breeding Studies of Western
and Eared Grebes
The Population Ecology of
Western Sandpipers
Population Studies of
Trumpeter Swans
Winter Ecology of Dunlin
Wintering Study of Western
Grebes
Migration Physiology of
Dunlin and Western
Sandpipers
Ecotoxicological Studies of
Dunlin and Western
Sandpipers
Reproductive Physiology of
Arctic-nesting Shorebirds
Triangle Island: A Population
Study of 6 Species of Seabirds
Demography of the Pacific
Population of Lesser Snow
Geese
Population Studies of
Harlequin Ducks
Studies of a Summering
Population of Marbled
Murrelets
Winter Population Ecology of
Brant in the Fraser Delta
Molt Studies in Barrow's
Goldeneye
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SECOND ANNUAL REPORT - JANUARY 1995
A. Specific Projects
At present, we have made no attempt to prioritize the projects below. They are presented
to give an account of the initiatives started to date.
1. The Population Dynamics of Western Sandpiper
The long-term objective of this study is to provide an understanding of the factors
controlling the population of this long-distance migrant which occupies several locations
and habitats during its annual cycle. One important question is what factors influence the
species in these different locations and determine when migration between the different
locations occurs. Of more immediate conservation interest is the consequence of the
removal or deterioration of one or more of these habitats to the survival of the species.
Events in Panama could influence the populations of Western Sandpipers as far away as
Alaska. We will achieve this objective by carrying out long term demographic work in at
least one breeding area (Seward Peninsula, Alaska), two migration locations (Boundary
Bay and Sidney Island, BC) and two wintering sites (Chitre, Panama and Ensenada,
Mexico).
i. Alaska
Brett Sandercock, a Ph.D. candidate, headed a research team at Safety Sound, near Nome,
Alaska that studied breeding populations of Western and Semipalmated Sandpipers in
terms of energetics and reproductive biology. This work was initiated in 1993, and Brett
has now finished his second field season. More than 100 nests were found in each season
and over 2000 adults and juveniles were banded. Some radio-collared and color-banded
birds were subsequently relocated in Boundary Bay, showing a direct connection between
the birds in our breeding site and those studied during migration. More than 50% of the
banded adults from the 1993 field season returned in 1994 but few banded juvenile
sandpipers were found nesting in the study area as yearlings. Preliminary estimates of
annual local survival rates for adult Semipalmated Sandpipers were obtained in
collaboration with Dr. C. Gratto.
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WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH CHAIR
ii. Boundary Bay, BC
Drs. B. Elner and R. Butler are studying food availability, distribution, morphometrics and
energetics of Western Sandpipers during their migratory stop-overs at Boundary Bay.
This is being continued by Dr. Mary Sewell (a PDF funded under the Fraser River Action
Plan (FRAP ) program), who has been analysing food availability and utilisation in the
Bay.
iii. Sidney Island, BC
Under the direction of Dr. R. Butler, studies of habitat use and energetics of Western
Sandpipers continue in the Fall along with a long term banding program. Dr. Butler may
expand the study to the Tofino area in 1995.
iv. Ensenada, Mexico
With funding from the Latin American Program (LAP) and the Research Network Funds,
a collaborative field program has been established. Dr. Nils Warnock, a Post Doctoral
Fellow is coordinating the work and Dr. H. de la Cueva, of the Centro de Investigacion
Cientifica y de Educacion Superior de Ensenada (CICESE) is providing local direction.
Some limited field work was carried out in the winter of 1993-94 but much more
extensive studies are taking place in 1994-95. 210 Western Sandpipers have been colour
banded to date. In November there was considerable spatial segregation of age classes, but
not in December. In all catches, males were greatly in the majority. Numbers declined
from more than 3000 in November to less than 2000 in December. Banding will continue
for the rest of the winter. Approximately 10% of the December population was banded. A
highlight was the resighting of a bird banded at our study site near Nome, Alaska.
v. Chitre, Panama
A banding program was initiated in 1988 under the direction of Dr. F. Delgado and funded
through LAP. This long term study has yielded valuable data for assessing local winter
survival rates. Last year, a research program involving Panamanian students under the
direction of Dr. Delgado, and Canadian students under the direction of the Chair was
agreed on. The program comprises a detailed understanding of the relationship between
the Western Sandpipers and their winter habitat, including food, predators and
competitors. In addition, the continuing long term data base will be analysed for local
survival rate and philopatry estimations. Patrick O'Hara, an M.Sc. student with the Chair,
has embarked on this study and is working closely with Dr. J. Christy of the Smithsonian
Tropical Research Institute (STRI ) and with Dr. Delgado. Patrick is currently in Panama,
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SECOND ANNUAL REPORT - JANUARY 1995
and has initiated observations on habitat use and population dynamics of Western
Sandpipiers in collaboration with Dr. Delgado's banding program.
2. Winter Ecology of Dunlin
Capitalizing on the information learned about the food resource base in Boundary Bay, we
have initiated a study of the population and feeding ecology of the large population of
Dunlin which winter on Boundary Bay. Pippa Shepherd started this project in November
for her Ph.D. research. She is working under the supervision of Dr. D. Lank, and works
closely with Drs. R. Butler and R. Elner. She has embarked on a program of catching
Dunlin and plans to radio-track a number of birds to discover habitat use during the
winter.
3. Migration Physiology of Dunlin and Western Sandpipers
i. Fat deposition and body condition.
Sampling of birds wintering on the Fraser River estuary (Dunlin, Dr. T.D. Williams and
Chris Guglielmo) and in Chitre, Panama (Western Sandpipers, Patrick O'Hara) is already
underway, and blood and tissue samples for both species will be obtained throughout the
Spring and Fall migration in 1995. Plasma samples will be analyzed for a range of
biochemical parameters related to lipid and protein metabolism, and these will be
compared to standard indices of body condition (e.g. fat scores) and body composition
(lean muscle mass, fat content, organ weights, etc). The aim of this work is to gain a
better understanding of the causes of individual, sex, and age variation in nutrient (protein
and lipid) acquisition and utilisation which may influence survival during migration and
over-wintering. It is hoped that this work might also provide an improved, and easy-touse, index of body condition or nutrient status, i.e. bird 'quality'.
ii. Fatty acid binding protein (FABP) and flight muscle conditioning.
This study will be conducted by Chris Guglielmo and will form the basis of his Ph.D.
research, supervised by Dr. T.D. Williams. FABP is involved in the intracellular transport
and metabolism of free fatty acids (FFAs) and is a major protein in flight muscles of
insects adapted for sustained flight activity. Although FABP has not been studied in birds
it is known that FFAs provide most of the energy during migratory flight and we predict
that FABP may also have an important role in determining the migratory ability of birds. In
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WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH CHAIR
collaboration with Dr. Norbert Haunerland (SFU) we have already isolated FABP from
the flight muscle of Dunlin and are in the process of developing an assay for avian FABP.
The application of this novel technique will allow us to investigate individual and agespecific variation in muscle functioning during migration in shorebirds. Adaptive
modulation of muscle structure for migratory flight and in particular changes which occur
during pre-migratory muscle hypertrophy will also be investigated using electron
microscopy techniques.
4. Reproductive Physiology of Arctic-Nesting Shorebirds
A study of the physiological basis of variation in reproductive investment in Arctic-nesting
shorebirds will be initiated in 1995. Preliminary data will be obtained in collaboration with
Brett Sandercock at his study site at Safety Sound, near Nome, but it is the intention to
take on a Graduate student to conduct this work (supervised by Dr. T.D. Williams). This
study will focus on the mechanisms underlying individual and age-specific variation in
breeding propensity and breeding effort (laying date, egg and clutch size). In addition we
will consider the interplay between spring migration and reproduction to investigate how
physiological adaptations for migratory flight may affect, and possibly constrain, breeding
performance.
5. Ecotoxicological Studies of Dunlin and Western Sandpipers
This work is being carried out by Christine Thomas, a M.Sc. student at SFU, supervised
by Dr. Leah Bendell-Young and in collaboration with Dr. T. D. Williams. Tissues (liver,
kidney, feathers) from over-wintering and migrating birds will analyzed for heavy metals,
and compared to heavy metal concentrations of the main invertebrate prey items in the
Fraser River estuary. Prey species will also be analyzed for energy and nutrient content (by
Chris Guglielmo and Dr. T.D. Williams) and these data will be used in the study of fat and
protein utilisation described above.
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SECOND ANNUAL REPORT - JANUARY 1995
6. The Triangle Island Project
The CWS has had a long standing interest in establishing a permanent field station on
Triangle Island, a remote wilderness island and ecological reserve off the northern tip of
Vancouver Island. Triangle Island is the ideal location for studying the demographic
processes in five important BC seabirds species: Cassin's Auklet, Rhinoceros Auklet,
Tufted Puffin, Pigeon Guillemot and Common Murre. The island is the site of the largest
concentration of any wild terrestrial vertebrate in western Canada: an enormous colony of
over one million Cassin's Auklets. It has the biggest and most diverse seabird population in
western Canada. Research on Triangle Island began in March 1994, with the erection of a
weather proof cabin capable of housing 6 researchers. Permission to work on the island
was granted by the Ecological Reserves Branch of the BC Ministry of Environment, Land
and Parks. Funding for the cabin was provided by the Vancouver Foundation, and an
NSERC equipment grant was provided for a Zodiac inflatable boat and related equipment.
Invaluable logistic aid was provided by the Canadian Coast Guard, with four visits to the
island by their helicopter-equipped ships.
In addition to seabird demography, the research program of this station aims to investigate
the link between natural and human-caused environmental variation and seabird
productivity. Previous studies of seabirds at Triangle Island have shown that their
reproductive success varies widely from year to year and total failures are frequent. The
causes of these catastrophes have not been determined, because there has been no detailed
work comparing consecutive years. We will be testing the hypothesis that low success
results primarily from food shortages due to conditions at sea such as El Nino (unusually
warm water). This work will require some collaboratiion with DFO.
Research activities in 1994 concentrated on Cassin's Auklets (1,700 captures) and
Rhinoceros Auklets (700 captures, 85 bill food loads collected, growth rate of 40 chicks
measured), with additional work on Tufted Puffin, Pigeon Guillemots and Leach's Storm
Petrels. To investigate population trends, Moira Lemon visited and rechecked the CWS
permanent monitoring plots for burrow nesters. In conjunction with a national migration
monitoring network, we established a passerine banding station that recorded 1,800
captures with numerous unusual species documented. Hugh Knechtel (M.Sc. student with
Fred Cooke and Ian Jones) and Joanna Smith (prospective Ph.D. student with Fred Cooke
and Ian Jones) completed pilot projects on Cassin's Auklets and Tufted Puffins,
respectively. Yolanda Morbey (M.Sc. student with Dr. Ron Ydenberg) completed her first
year of field work on the behavioural ecology of Cassin's Auklet fledging decisions.
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WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH CHAIR
7. Demographic Studies of the Pacific Population of the Lesser Snow Goose
At a workshop held in February 1993 at the Westham Island Headquarters of CWS, we
defined the key management and theoretical questions associated with the Snow Geese of
the Pacific Coast. There are 3 populations with some gene exchange occurring among
them. These are:
i) Wrangel Island breeding birds which winter in the Fraser and Skagit Deltas,
i) Wrangel Island breeding birds which winter in California, and some of which are
transients in the Fraser and Skagit Deltas
iii) Banks Island breeding birds which also winter in California.
The population ecology of the Wrangel Island birds is reasonably well known through the
long-term studies of Syroechkovsky, Litvin, Baranyuk and colleagues. The wintering
population dynamics of the Fraser-Skagit population is well understood through the
research of Mr. S. Boyd of the Ecosystems Research Division CWS. The California
wintering population is under study by Dr. J. Takekawa and colleagues from the National
Biological Surveys Division, US Fish and Wildlife Sciences, Dixon, California, with
assistance from the Pacific Flyway Council. The breeding ecology of the Banks Island
colony is poorly understood.
Developments on this topic in 1994 include.
i) Continuing the integrated metapopulation approach needed to optimise management
and maintain the integrity and sustainability of Arctic goose populations. We continue
to collate all the existing data for these populations and to build up a comprehensive
data base for modelling the population demographics using matrix models on this
metapopulation to assess the stability and sensitivity of the overall population. These
studies are currently being carried out by Drs. E. Cooch and S. Brault (U. of Mass,
formerly with CWS),
ii) Initiating a banding program on the breeding population on Banks Island, NWT.
This work took place in 1994 with funds from the Arctic Goose Joint Venture
(AGJV), and was coordinated by Dr. E. Cooch. More than 600 Geese were neck and
radio collared. Plans are under way to continue this work in 1995 and beyond.
iii) Continuing the population counts in the Fraser and Skagit deltas, and observations of
family structure, age ratios and individually banded geese on the wintering ground on
Westham Island. Aerial counts are being carried out by Sean Boyd and Saul
Schneider.
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SECOND ANNUAL REPORT - JANUARY 1995
Observations of the wintering populations were made by Barbara Pohl, a post-graduate
student from Germany. She investigated the rate of neck collar loss in the banded snow
geese. This is essential for accurate estimates of survival rates. She also compared the
two populations of Snow Geese that use the Fraser Delta in the Fall (transient Californian
wintering birds and resident wintering Fraser Delta birds). This involved a comparison of
activity budgets, breeding success, facial patterns, local habitat use patterns and relative
lengths of stay of resident vs. transient birds.
iv) Assisting the Russian scientists with the increasingly difficult task of maintaining the
breeding ground study in the face of declining financial resources in Russia. This
involved sending a Ph.D. student Barbara Ganter to assist with the banding of the
Wrangel Island geese. Neck collars were put on more than 600 geese and 59 geese
were radio collared. A large proportion of these birds were sighted in the Fraser Delta
and elsewhere and formed an important party of the studies described in iii).
v) Investigating the effects of density on population dynamics of Snow Geese, in
collaboration with Solange Brault (U Mass.) and Hal Caswell (Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institute). Using recent advances in matrix modelling, we are
assessing the sensitivity and elasticity of population growth under density-dependant
conditions. This has relevance not only to the Snow Geese but also to several other
Chair projects.
vi) Collaboration with Dr. John Takekawa and Dr. Mike Samuel on the possible role of
Avian Cholera in the survival of Snow Geese.
8. Winter Population Ecology of Brant in the Fraser Delta
Brant populations on the Pacific Coast of North America have shown a long-term decline.
More locally, a once abundant wintering population of Brant in Boundary Bay now
numbers less than a thousand birds. Brant are still hunted on Boundary Bay in small
numbers and there is some controversy as to whether the hunted birds are part of this
over-wintering population or migrants which pass through the area in the Spring.
Fortunately many of the Pacific Coast Brant are individually marked allowing an
assessment of the resident/transient status of the wintering and the hunted population.
This should have a direct bearing on decisions on Brant management, such as the
restoration of Brant populations in the Bay at higher levels than at present. Eric Reed ,
an M.Sc. student with the Chair has recently started an investigation of this question as his
thesis topic.
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WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH CHAIR
9. Population Studies of Trumpeter Swans
Populations of Trumpeter Swans wintering in BC have increased considerably in recent
years and currently threaten both agricultural crops and coastal salt marshes, perhaps to
the detriment of other species of birds which use them. In the late fall of 1993 we
embarked on a study of this species, with a view to understanding the causes and
consequences of this population increase. Mr. B. Carter, an M.Sc. student is now in the
second year of this study which concentrates on observations of the winter population of
swans using Westham Island. He has also spent some time investigating reproduction
variation in the Alaska breeding range. S. Boyd of CWS continues to collect population
data and age ratio counts on the wintering population in the Fraser & Skagit deltas.
10. Population Studies of Harlequin Ducks
In parts of their range Harlequin Ducks are becoming increasingly rare and are subject to a
wide range of environmental hazards such as oil spills, rafting and coastal development.
Little is known of the demography of the species and two studies were initiated in 1993
which will increase our understanding.
i. Strait of Georgia, BC
Mr. I. Goudie has initiated a wintering study in the Strait of Georgia as part of a broader
study of wintering populations of sea ducks. In addition, several moulting populations
have been banded for demographic studies. One of these populations (at Boundary Bay)
has 72 individually marked birds which form the basis of a Ph.D. study by Greg Robertson
on the demography and winter dispersal of this species.
ii. Jasper National Park, ALTA
Mr. W. Hunt, an M.Sc. student under the supervision on Dr. R. Ydenberg, is continuing
an investigation of the breeding biology of Harlequin Ducks in Jasper National Park, with
particular reference to possible disturbance from white-water rafting. This study
concentrates on the feeding ecology of the ducks in the breeding season. Over 50 birds,
adults and young, were banded on the breeding grounds in 1994 and these form the basis
for a study of the relationship between breeding grounds and wintering and moulting
locations.
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SECOND ANNUAL REPORT - JANUARY 1995
11. Winter Studies of Grebes
James Clowater, an M.Sc student at SFU, has begun a project on food utilization and
distribution of Western Grebes in the Straits of Georgia during the winter months. This
forms part of a larger picture aimed at understanding the importance of the Coastal Waters
of BC for wintering water bird populations. James has made the interesting discovery that
Western Grebes feed little during the daylight hours but start feeding actively around dusk.
This is similar to the patterns found in the morphologically similar Great-crested Grebe of
Europe.
12. Breeding Biology of Grebes
Surveys of breeding grebes in BC have shown several populations to be declining or
endangered. As a result, a preliminary study of the breeding ecology of two of these
species (Eared and Western Grebes) was initiated by Mr. S. Boyd in 1993. The objectives
are to understand the population ecology of these species, colony fidelity and relationship
of habitat characteristics to patterns of survival and philopatry.
Two studies of Western Grebes took place at Salmon Arm and Creston. The continued
nesting failure of the Creston population is giving cause for concern.These studies are
continuing under the direction of Sean Boyd. A study of a metapopulation of Eared
Grebes was initiated in the Riske Creek Area by Sean Boyd and Saul Schneider. Several
pairs were radio collared and were shown to remain on the same ponds throughout the
study period. This work will continue in 1995 and be supplemented by the arrival in
January 1995 of Sean Cullen, an M.Sc. student in the Chair program.
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WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH CHAIR
13. Population Status of Marbled Murrelets
The Marbled Murrelet is a species of concern because of its use of old growth forests for
nesting sites. Additionally, surveys suggest that populations are declining in many parts of
BC. Work by Dr. Gary Kaiser and others at the CWS has documented a large population
of Murrelets using the Desolation Sound area throughout the summer. They have in
addition developed ways of capturing and marking the population. A successful pilot
study was carried out in 1994 with the capture of 176 Marbled Murrelets. Some of these
birds were radio collared and one was traced back to its nest in one of the few remaining
patches of old growth forest in the area. It was some 30 km from the banding location.
This represents the first nest ever to be found without searching for particular habitat
types. The population in Desolation Sound will form the basis for a longer term study in
the Chair program to try to discover more about life history traits in this elusive species.
In conjunction with the marking program, blood and feather samples were collected in an
attempt to understand population structure and breeding status. This work was done in
collaboration with Drs. K. Martin (CWS ), A. Derocher (B.C. Forest Service) and
T. Quinn (U. Colorado ).
14. Molting Ecology of Barrow's Goldeneye
In 1994, we decided to add Barrow's Goldeneye to the list of species of concern for the
research program of the Chair. The reason was that it is perhaps the most readily studied
of the wintering sea ducks and its centre of breeding and wintering distribution is in the
province of BC. Large populations of breeding birds are available in the Riske Creek
Area; the Old Crow Flats (where a banding program is being carried out by the
Whitehorse Office of CWS) contains a large population of molting drakes and it is readily
available on the BC coast in winter.
As the first stage of this investigation, Debbie van de Wetering has started an M.Sc.
project on the molting ecology of male Barrow's Goldeneye. This will involve 3 seasons of
capturing molting birds in the Old Crow Flats. The first season was successfully completed
in 1994, with the capture of over 600 birds. We hope to start a breeding ground study in
1995 in conjunction with Dr. John Eadie of University of California at Davis.
Page 16
SECOND ANNUAL REPORT - JANUARY 1995
15. Population Modelling and Demography
This part of our program underlies many of the individual projects described above. It
forms the theoretical development of the field which is so essential to our contribution to
the field of population ecology. These studies have been led and organised by Dr. Evan
Cooch in cooperation with Roger Pradel, a PDF from France and Anne Viallefont (a
Ph.D. student jointly supervised by Jean-Dominique LeBreton and Fred Cooke).
i. Estimation of transients using mark-recapture
It is extremely important for calculating estimates of survival and dispersal to be able to
decide what fraction of a population is part of the population under study and what
fraction comprises birds which occasionally visit the area (transients). Mark-recapture
models using SURGE can be modified to estimate that proportion of transients in a
population. Pioneer work by Roger Pradel and Evan Cooch in our lab and using data
collected by the Chair has allowed the development of the appropriate mathematical
models.
ii. Estimation of age-specific breeding propensity using mark-recapture
Another important demographic parameter is the proportion of animals in a population
which are active breeders. This is often extemely difficult to estimate. There is
considerable on-going research into ways of estimating this parameter. These entail
different assumptions about the structure of the population. We are currently investigating
the effects of these assumptions on our estimates of breeding propensity with some of our
long-term data bases.
iii. Estimation of survival rates under conditions of capture heterogeneity:
robust design analysis
Heterogeneity of capture rate reflects the fact that some birds are more difficult to catch
than others. Unfortunately this can influence estimates of survival rate. Heterogeneity is
probably very common in the wild and thus mathematical tools to deal with this problem
are essential for the analysis of demographic parameters of wild populations. We are
currently collaborating with Drs. Jim Nichols and Bill Kendall of the National Biological
Survey biometrics group at Patuxent, Maryland.
crap.doc (23-Jan-98)
Page 17
WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH CHAIR
B. Other Initiatives
One of the key requirements of a major research program is the development of an
intellectual framework for ideas and projects. To this end, we have initiated a series of
symposia, seminars and workshops to disseminate our ideas outlined above. In addition,
we have established much of the basic underlying infrastructure (e.g. analytical, laboratory,
and captive-breeding facilities) required to support our research programs. These
activities include:
i) A Western Sandpiper Workshop sponsored by the Chair and coordinated by the Chair
and the Ecosystems Research Division brought together researchers from 4 countries
to define the objectives and research goals of the multinational initiatives for Western
Sandpiper research. This was held on 20 - 21 November 1994 at SFU.
ii) 8th North American Arctic Goose Conference and Workshop, 9 -14 January 1995.
iii) Dr. T. Piersma was invited to spend 2 weeks with the group so that we could learn
something of his approach to physiological and population ecology of birds.
iv) Drs. E. Syroechkovsky and V. Baranyuk, sponsored to visit the 8th North American
Arctic Goose Conference for further discussions on Wrangel Island Goose Research.
v) Setting up of a laboratory with facilities to support a range of analytical techniques
including: body composition analysis (energy, ash, lipid and protein content), specific
fatty acid and amino acid composition, diagnostic assays for a range of plasma
metabolites involved in protein and lipid metabolism (e.g. triglycerides, vitellogenin,
uric acid), ELISA and kinetic (enzyme) assays.
vi) We have successfully established a captive flock of Western Sandpipers in outdoor
aviaries attached to the Animal Care Facility at SFU and intend to bring Dunlin in to
captivity in Spring 1995. This will provide us with a powerful experimental model to
investigate a) migration physiology and b) foraging behaviour, prey selection etc. in
shorebirds.
vii) Survival Analysis of Recapture Data from Marked Animal Populations Workshop, 30
March to 3 April 1994 at the CWS-Delta Office, Ladner BC.
viii) In conjunction with Dr N. Nur of PRBO, Evan Cooch is writing a user-friendly
manual for SURGE. This will make this important methodology for investigating
survival and dispersal, available to a much wider audience.
ix) Purchase of two field work vehicles.
Page 18
SECOND ANNUAL REPORT - JANUARY 1995
C. Community Involvement
In his capacity as Senior Chair of Wildlife Ecology, Fred Cooke
i) was one of the Speakers at the meeting "Forum on Boundary Bay", sponsored by the
Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust, 29th Oct 1994.
ii) is an Advisory Committee Member for "Stewardship on the Bay", a land use proposal
from the Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust, for mitigation for wildlife on Boundary
Bay.
iii) attended several meetings of the Public Advisory Committee for the Boundary Bay
Wildlife Management Area, providing evidence for management of Brant populations.
iv) gave interviews with CBC and UTV.
v) gave lectures to Vancouver Natural History Society, Western Canada Wilderness
Committee and the Barnet Rifle Club.
vi) established, with the South Surrey and White Rock Naturalists, a monthly survey of
the water birds of the western Boundary Bay.
crap.doc (23-Jan-98)
Page 19
WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH CHAIR
D. Funding
1. Research Funding Obtained (1994)
Applicant
Source of Funding
Amount (per annum)
Graduate Research Fellowships
(P. O'Hara, B. Carter, B. Sandercock, G.. Robertson, P. Shepherd
$26,000.00
Carter, B.
Northern Studies Training Program
"Breeding Biology of Trumpeter Swans on the Nisutlin River, Yukon Territories"
$3,200.00
Clowater, J.
NSERC Graduate Scholarship
$15,000.00
Cooch, E.
Arctic Goose Joint Venture
"Analysis of the Sensitivity of Demography of the WI / BI Metapopulation"
$9,600.00
Cooch, E.
Polar Continental Shelf Project
"Banks Island Snow Goose Project"
$5,000.00
Cooke, F.
NSERC Individual Operating Grant
$100,000.00
(fourth of 5 yr)
Cooke, F.
NSERC Equipment Grant plus SFU Matching Funds ($5K)
"Inflatable Boat System for use on Triangle Island"
$18,646.94
Cooke, F.
Vancouver Foundation
"Triangle Island Seabird Research Station"
$20,000.00
Cooke, F.
J. L. Baillie Memorial Fund
"Migration Monitoring"
$2,500.00
Cooke, F.
Latin America Project
"Western Sandpiper Banding in Mexico and Panama"
$6,500.00
Cooke, F.
BC Ministry of Forests
"Population Status Of Marbled Murrelets"
$40,000.00
Guglielmo, C.
Petro-Canada
Graduate Scholarship in Science
$2,985.00
Pohl, B.
International Council for Canadian Studies
$10,800.00
Robertson, G.
Northern Studies Training Program
"Pop'n Dynamics of Breeding & Wintering American Wigeon in Old Crow Flats"
$3,710.00
Sandercock, B.
Northern Studies Training Program
"The Adaptive Significance of Clutch Size in Shorebirds"
$3,940.00
Warnock, N.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
"Conservation of Western Sandpipers along the Pacific Flyway"
$45,000.00
Warnock, N.
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
"Conservation of Western Sandpipers along the Pacific Flyway"
$6,000.00
Williams, T.
NSERC Individual Operating Grant
"Reproductive Investment in Wild Birds"
$34,000.00
(first of 3 yr)
Williams, T.
President's Research Grant, SFU
"Mass Changes During Egg-laying in Birds: Stress or Adaptation?"
$8,800.00
TOTAL:
Page 20
$361,681.94
SECOND ANNUAL REPORT - JANUARY 1995
2. Research Funding Obtained * or Applied For (1995)
Applicant
Source of Funding
Amount
(per annum)
Cooch, E.
Polar Continental Shelf Project
"Banks Island Snow Goose Project"
$16,500.00
Cooch, E.
Arctic Goose Joint Venture
"Banks Island Snow Goose Project"
$43,270.00
(first of 3 yr)
Cooch, E.
NSERC Individual Operating Grant
"Wintering Biology of Snow Geese: Interaction of Habitat
Selection, Individual Behavior, And Reproductive
Success."
$33,550.00
(first of 4 yr)
Cooke, F.
BC Ministry of Forests
"Population Status Of Marbled Murrelets"
$7,300.00
Cooke, F.
NSERC Individual Operating Grant *
$100,000.00
(fifth of 5 yr)
Jones, I. / Cooke, F.
Imperial Oil Charitable Foundation
"Oceanographic Variability, Anthropogenic Factors, and
Population Dynamics of Tufted Puffins at Triangle Island"
$9,980.00
Jones, I.
NSERC Individual Operating Grant
"Sexual Selection and Evolutionary Demography of the
North Pacific Alcidae."
$35,350.00
(first of 4 yrs)
Lank, D.B.
NSERC Individual Operating Grant
"Genetic Polymorphism in Male Mating Strategy."
$40,600.00
(first of 4 yrs)
O'Hara, P.
Northern Studies Training Program
" Niche Overlap in Sympatric Sandpipers."
$3,125.00
Reed, E.
Northern Studies Training Program
"Assessment of Productivity of Lesser Snow Geese
on Banks Island, NWT."
$3,735.00
Sandercock, B.
Northern Studies Training Program
"The Adaptive Significance of Clutch Size in Shorebirds"
$5,000.00
Sandercock, B.
John K. Cooper Research Grant
"Western Sandpiper Research Field Support"
$1,000.00
Sandercock, B.
Frank M. Chapman Research Grant
"Western Sandpiper Research Field Support"
$6,950.00
Shepherd, P.
Northern Studies Training Program
"The Development of Homeothermy in
Arctic-Breeding Shorebirds."
$2,500.00
Williams, T.
NSERC Individual Operating Grant
"Reproductive Investment in Wild Birds"
$34,000.00
(second of 4 yrs)
Williams, T.
NSERC Equipment Grant *
"Reproduction and Migration in Birds:
Individual Variation in Physiological Traits."
$22,726.15
TOTAL:
crap.doc (23-Jan-98)
$365,586.15
Page 21
WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH CHAIR
E. Publications
1. Publications in Refereed Journals in 1994
Although we have been actively publishing in 1994, many of the manuscripts referred to,
concern work which was in progress before the Chair was established, and while having
general relevence to the work of the Chair, lacks the regional focus which we hope to add
in our future publications.
Balmford, A., I.L. Jones & A. Thomas (in press) How to compensate for a sexuallyselected tail: the origin of sexual dimorphism in wing length in long-tailed birds.
Evolution
Clowater, J.S. & A.E. Burger (1994) The diving behaviour of Pigeon Guillemots
(Cepphus columba) off southern Vancouver Island. Can. J. Zool. 72:863-872
Cooke, F., D.B. Lank & E.G.Cooch (1994) Selection during gosling growth on the
degree of sexual dimorphism in lesser snow geese. J. Ornithol. 135:355 (Abstr)
Cullen, S.A. (1994) Black-necked stilt foraging site selection and behavior in Puerto Rico.
Wilson Bull. 106(3):508-513
Ganter, B. (in press) Site tenacity and movements of staging Barnacle Geese. Ardea
Guglielmo, C.G., W.H. Karasov, & W.J. Jakubus (in press) Nutritional quality of winter
browse for Ruffed Grouse. Journal of Wildlife Management
Jones, I.L. (1994) Mass changes of least aukelts Aethia pusilla during the breeding
season: evidence for programmed loss of mass. J. Animal Ecology 63:71-78
Mulder, R.S., T.D. Williams, & F. Cooke (in press) Dominance, brood size and foraging
behaviour during brood-rearing in the Lesser Snow Goose: an experimental study.
Condor
Pradel, R., E.G. Cooch & F. Cooke (in press) Transient animals in a resident population:
local emigration or heterogeneity: Journal of Applied Statistics
Robertson, G.J., E.G. Cooch, D.B. Lank , R.F. Rockwell & F. Cooke (1994) Female age
and egg size in the lesser snow geese. J. Avian Biol. 25:149-155
Robertson, G.J. (in press) Factors affecting nest site selection and nesting success in the
Eider Somateria mollissima. Ibis
Sandercock, B.K. (in press) The effect of manipulated brood size on parental defence in a
precocial bird, the willow ptarmigan. J. Avian Biol.
Sandercock, B.K. & Pederson (in press) The effect of renesting ability and nesting attempt
on egg size variation in willow ptarmigan. Can. J. Zool.
Syroechkovsky, E.V., F. Cooke & W.J.L. Sladen (in press) Population structure of the
lesser snow geese of Wrangel Island, Russia. Ecoscience
Page 22
SECOND ANNUAL REPORT - JANUARY 1995
Szekely, T. & Williams, T.D. (1994) Factors affecting timing of female desertion in
Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus. Behaviour 130: 17-28
Szekely, T., Karsai, I. & Williams, T.D. (1994) Determination of clutch-size in Kentish
Plover Charadrius alexandrinus. Ibis 136: 341-348
Viallefont, A., E.G. Cooch & F. Cooke (in press) Estimation of trade-offs with capturerecapture models: a case study on the lesser snow goose. J. Appl. Stat.
Viallefont A., F. Cooke & J.D Lebreton (in press) Age-specific costs of first time
breeding. Auk
Warnock, N., G.W. Page & L. E. Stenzel (in press) Non-migratory movements of Dunlin
on their California wintering grounds. Wilson Bull.
Warnock, N (in press) Local and regional differences in habitat utilization by Dunlins
(Calidris alpina) as revealed by radiotelemetry: conservation implications. In
Shorebird Ecology and Conservation in the Western Hemisphere (P. Hicklin et al.
editors). International Wader Studies.
Williams, T.D. (1994) Intraspecific variation in egg-size and egg composition in birds:
effects on offspring fitness. Biological Review 68: 35-59
Williams, T.D. (1994) Adoption behaviour in a precocial species, the lesser snow goose:
intergenerational conflict, altruism or an adaptive strategy? Animal Behaviour
47:101-107
Williams, T.D., M.J.J.E. Loonen, & F. Cooke (1994) Fitness consequences of parental
behaviour in relation to offspring number in precocial species: the lesser snow goose.
Auk 111: 563-572.
2. Books Published in 1995
Cooke, F., R.F. Rockwell & D.B. Lank (1995) The Snow Geese of La Perouse Bay:
Natural Selection in the Wild. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 289 pp.
3. Invited Papers Presented at Conferences in 1994
Lank, D.B. (1994) Male Ruffs (Philomachus pugnax) wear their song: breeding plumage
variation is used for neighbor-stranger discrimination. Animal Behavior Society.
Lank, D.B. & D.M. Hugie (1994) Why do resident male Ruffs share lek mating courts
with satellites? American Ornithologist' Union.
Lank, D.B. (1994) Sexual selection and behavioural polymorphisms in the Ruff. Assoc. for
the Study of Animal Behaviour, London
Brault, S., S. Boyd, F. Cooke & J. Takekawa. (1994) Population models as tools for
research cooperation and management: the Wrangel Island snow geese. Trans. 59th
North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conf. 79-90
crap.doc (23-Jan-98)
Page 23
WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH CHAIR
Cooke. F. (1994) Analysis of life history parameters using SURGE on a long term data set
in Snow Geese. American Ornithologist's Union.
Cooke, F. (1994) Environmental degradation and changing patterns of philopatry. Jacques
Monod Conference, Aussois France.
Page 24
SECOND ANNUAL REPORT - JANUARY 1995
F. Personnel
1. Board of Directors
Name
Position
Affiliation
Dr. Larry Dill / Dr. Niko Verbeek
Dr. Bob Elner
Dr. Art Martell /Mr. Steve Wetmore
Dr. Ron Ydenberg
Professor
Head of Ecosystem Research
Regional Director, ECB, DOE
Professor
SFU
CWS
CWS
SFU
2. Research Team
i. Faculty
Name
Position
Dr. Fred Cooke
Dr. Tony Williams
Dr. Evan Cooch
Dr. Ian Jones
Dr. David Lank
Senior Chair
Associate Chair
Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor
ii. Research Group
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ph.D. Student
M.Sc. Student
Assistants
Dr. Robert Vadas
Dr. Mary Sewell
Dr. Nils Warnock
Dr. Roger Pradel
Chris Guglielmo
Greg Robertson
Brett Sandercock
Pippa Shepherd
Brian Carter
James Clowater
Sean Cullen
Hugh Knechtel
Joanne Harrington
Connie Smith
Barbara Pohl **
Joanna Smith *
Douglas Schamel *
Barbara Ganter
Anne Viallefont
Patrick O'Hara
Eric Reed
Debbie van de Wetering
(co-supervised with
Dr. J-D LeBreton)
* prospective student
** International Council for Canadian Studies recipient
crap.doc (23-Jan-98)
Page 25
WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH CHAIR
3. Workshops/Meetings
i. Attended by Chair Representatives
Title
Date
Location
Participants
Arctic Goose Joint Venture Meetings
03/94
Anchorage, AK
F. Cooke
E. Cooch
Coast and Ocean Ecosystems Workshop
03/94
Vancouver, BC
F. Cooke
Pacific Ecology Conference
03/94
Bamfield, BC
F. Cooke
(invited speaker)
59th North American Wildlife and
Natural Resources Conference
03/94
Anchorage, AK
F. Cooke
Pacific Flyway Meeting
03/94
Newport, OR
F. Cooke
Alaska Bird Conference and Workshop
05/94
Cordova, AK
B. Sandercock
American Ornithologists' Union
06/94
Missoula, MT
F. Cooke
D. Lank
Animal Behaviour Society
07/94
Seattle, WA
D. Lank
XXI International Ornithological
Congress
08/94
Vienna, Austria
American Physiological Society
10/94
San Diego, CA
F. Cooke
T. Williams
B. Ganter
T. Williams
C. Guglielmo
Western Sandpiper Workshop
11/94
SFU
F. Cooke
D. Lank
B. Sandercock
M. Sewell
P. Shepherd
T. Williams
Evol. & Ecol. Process for Biodiversity
11/94
Aussois, France
F. Cooke
SFU/UBC Ecology Retreat
11/94
Coquitlam, BC
F. Cooke
D. Lank
T. Williams
B. Sandercock
G. Robertson
P. Shepherd
D. van de
Wetering
Page 26
SECOND ANNUAL REPORT - JANUARY 1995
ii. To be attended by Chair Representatives
Workshop/Meeting Title
Date
Location
Participants
8th North American Arctic Goose Conference
01/95
Albuquerque, NM
Society for the Study of Evolution
07/95
Montreal, Que.
F. Cooke
E. Cooch
B. Ganter
F. Cooke
E. Cooch
10th IWRB Waterfowl Ecology Conference
09/95
Aviero, Portugal
F. Cooke
Western Society of Comparative
Endocrinologists
03/95
Seattle, WA
T. Williams
Pacific Seabird Group
01/95
San Diego, CA
I. Jones
H. Knechtel
J. Smith
crap.doc (23-Jan-98)
Page 27
WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH CHAIR
III. APPENDIX I. MISSION STATEMENT (January 1995 - F. Cooke)
The mandate of the Chair is to foster high quality, graduate level research in the field of
wildlife ecology, with specialisations in behavioural, population and physiological ecology.
The central concept is to provide an interface between the mission-oriented research and
management policies of the Canadian Wildlife Service and the more curiosity-driven
research of the university community. By encouraging this interface, the government
agencies would gain access to a broader base of scientific information for government
policy and decision making and university researchers would benefit from a broader
practical application for the more theoretical ideas which their disciplines generate .
With these perspectives in mind, I have formulated the mission of the Chair
i) by defining how the mandate of the Chair fits into the broader objectives of the CWS,
Pacific and Yukon Region and
ii) by considering the theoretical framework of wildlife ecology and what questions the
Chair is in position to focus on most effectively.
A. Conservation Goals, The CWS Perspective
To conserve and protect wildlife and habitat, managers require scientific advice based on
understanding of population dynamics and ecosystem functioning. If we can discover the
processes involved in population dynamics of particular species in their environment then
we can begin to understand the dynamics of those ecosystems in which they live. Under
the Migratory Birds Convention and Canada Wildlife Acts, the CWS is required to
protect and maintain migratory bird populations through protection of habitats,
policy decisions, public forums, influence and research. Such an all-embracing
mandate requires focused objectives and cooperation with other research and management
agencies. From the perspective of CWS, Pacific and Yukon Region, 3 major ecotypes are
defined.
i) Marine and Coastal,
ii) Wetlands and Freshwater
iii) Forest and Grasslands.
Detailed definitions and understanding of priority ecosystems (e.g. Strait of Georgia) is the
mandate of the Wildlife Ecology Division, with whom we will coordinate for advice on the
relationship between our target species and the ecosystems in which they occur.
Page 28
SECOND ANNUAL REPORT - JANUARY 1995
1. Habitats
When the Chair was established it was agreed that the research emphasis would be on
birds of the Marine and Coastal environment. Specific ecosystems are as follows:
i) Coastal Salt and Freshwater Marshes
ii) Mudflats, Sandy and Rocky Shorelines
iii) Agricultural Lands in the Fraser Lowlands
iv) Inshore waters of the Fraser Delta and the Strait of Georgia
v) Open Sea
vi) Off-shore Islands
2. Bird Species
Each of these environments provide food and shelter for many of Canada's waterfowl,
shorebirds and seabirds, the taxa which will be the main research focus of the Chair. Our
aim is to focus on a few of the important target bird species for detailed research with the
objective of understanding not only the demographic processes but through them, the
dynamics of the ecosystems of which the birds are a part.
The choice of species is based on our assessment of their importance to the ecosystems
where they occur, their likely importance as species of conservation concern and their
suitability as research organisms. Additionally we felt it important to cover year round
residents, winter visitors, passage migrants, summer residents, and species which breed in
one area and winter in another.
The key to conservation of birds is understanding the demographic processes which
influence population numbers. Ultimately we are interested in the factors that influence
reproduction and survival, and for this reason it is important to have the ability to examine
these factors throughout the life cycle of the birds. We have therefore chosen species
amenable to direct or indirect study throughout the annual cycle.
crap.doc (23-Jan-98)
Page 29
WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH CHAIR
The species of birds which we plan to concentrate on, their seasonal status, and the
environments in which they primarily occur in BC are listed below:
Species
Seasonal Status
Habitat
Snow Goose
winter
salt-marshes
agricultural fields
Trumpeter Swan
winter *
salt-marshes
agricultural fields
American Wigeon
winter *
mud flats
agricultural fields
Harlequin Duck
resident
(different habitats)
rocky shores, inshore waters,
mountain streams
Barrow's Goldeneye
resident
(different habitats)
inland ponds and open sea
Brant
winter and transient
mudflats
inshore waters
Western Sandpiper
transient
mudflats
Dunlin
winter
mudflats
Grebes sp.
resident (different habitats)
inshore waters and
inland lakes and ponds
Cassin's Auklet
summer
open sea
off-shore islands
Rhinoceros Auklet
resident
(different habitats)
open sea, inshore waters,
off-shore islands
Tufted Puffin
resident
(different habitats)
open sea,
off-shore islands
Pigeon Guillemot
resident
inshore waters, rocky shores,
off-shore islands
Marbled Murrelet
resident
(different habitats)
(* also breeds in interior parts of province)
Page 30
inshore waters,
old growth forest
SECOND ANNUAL REPORT - JANUARY 1995
3. Integrated Population Approach
We take as a useful model the approach to bird conservation pioneered in United
Kingdom by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO ), referred to as Integrated Population
Monitoring (IPM ). It identifies the following stages.
Stage 1. Is there a mechanism in place to detect conservation problems associated with
bird populations? This would usually be associated with disturbing changes in
population size due to anthropogenic effects on the environment of the birds,
Stage 2. If disturbing changes are recognized, can one identify the stages in the life-cycle
that are affected? If survival is involved, does it affect all age groups equally? If
reproduction is involved, at what stage - egg production, fledgling success or
recruitment? At what level does the problem lie?
Stage 3. If the stage of the life cycle that is affected has been identified, can one identify
the causal components that influence it? For example, if over-winter mortality is
high, is this due to changes in food availability, predator pressure (including
hunting pressure), contaminant levels or other factors?
Stage 4. Can remedial steps be taken? What management advice can we give?
IPM provides us with a logical framework for bird conservation but still presents a
formidable task. Fortunately there is already considerable background information
available on most of the species we have chosen through the work of the CWS. For
example, the production of the book "Birds of British Columbia" represents an important
initiative by CWS as do the various programs, such as Christmas counts, breeding bird
surveys, nest record schemes that involve the public, particularly bird watchers, in the
monitoring function.
The role of the Chair in this program relates more to stages 2 and 3, the demographic
aspects of the IPM and in this we hope to work closely with scientists of the Wildlife
Ecology Division, using a team approach. The specifics of this approach will be pointed
out under the individual research projects.
The scientific approaches to IPM fall under three headings:
i. Population Ecology,
ii. Behavioural Ecology and
iii. Physiological Ecology
although in reality there are no such sharp divisions between these groups.
crap.doc (23-Jan-98)
Page 31
WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH CHAIR
i. Population Ecology
Our general aim will be to expand existing projects or set up new field research projects
that monitor variability in reproductive and survival performance of the species of
concern. To investigate variation in reproduction will entail several seasons of field work
on reasonably large samples of nesting birds. Where possible, we intend to embark on a
program of individually marking birds, and to collect blood, tissue and feather samples
from the birds to assess genetic variability and contaminant levels. The aim of the research
is to identify the environmental factors responsible for variation in reproductive
performance and to detect long term demographic trends. To examine variation in
survival rates, we will use individually marked birds and Capture-Mark-Recapture (CMR )
models to assess variability of local and age-specific survival, immigration and emigration.
Where possible we will build on existing data-bases of banded birds.
These data will be used for population modelling to help us understand both the
demographic processes and the sensitivity of populations to environmental perturbations.
The systems ecologist to be hired by CWS will be essential for this aspect of the research.
ii. Behavioural Ecology
Behavioural ecology seeks to understand the natural behaviour of animals including
foraging, distribution, daily and annual movements, reproductive behaviour and life
history. The central tenet of the discipline is that all these behaviours evolved as a result
of identifiable and measurable factors acting on the lifetime reproductive success of
individuals. Behavioural ecology developed from the cross-fertilization between longterm field studies of animals in their natural habitats, theoretical insights into the evolution
of behaviour, and the successful conduct of quantitative, experimental work in both
laboratory and field. Using these approaches, much progress has been made over the past
few decades in understanding animal behaviour.
We can use behavioural ecological approaches to help understand why animals use their
environment as they do, aiming to more than simply describe. For example, we may be
able to describe the dispersion of a species over available feeding sites, but to be able to
predict the outcome of a change resulting from , for example, development, we need to
investigate the basis of the distribution. Behavioural ecology has developed a number of
tools, including dynamic programming and games theory to help investigate this basis, and
identify the ecological constraints under which birds find themselves.
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iii. Physiological Ecology
Ecological constraints are more readily understood if we have some knowledge of the
underlying physiological processes, essential for maintenance, reproduction and survival.
The appointment of a physiological ecologist to the Associate Chair position will fill a gap
that is evident in most other demographic studies. By looking at intra-specific variability
of physiological processes we hope to discover the responses of birds to environmental
perturbations such as might be imposed by environmental contaminants for example. In
this way we hope to interface with the Ecosystem Health Section, Wildlife Ecology
Division.
Physiological ecology is concerned with how animals function, whereas population and
behavioural ecology seek to explain why animals function the way they do. In the past,
these two questions have often been considered to be independent, and physiological
ecologists have been accused of showing only that 'animals live where they can'. Although
it is now becoming increasingly apparent that the ecology and evolution of any species can
not be considered in isolation from it's physiology - and in fact that these two approaches
are complementary - this continues to be a weakness of many other demographic studies.
At the most general level, the efficiency of energy and nutrient intake, its processing,
allocation and expenditure is critical to the survival and reproductive success of individuals
and populations. Within-species, individual variation in physiological traits can be as
marked as that in ecological, behavioural or morphological traits, although the causes and
consequences of this variation are poorly understood. An understanding of the
mechanisms underlying this intraspecific variability in physiological traits is essential in
determining the constraints that might limit the ability of individuals, populations and
species to respond to chemical and biological changes in the environment.
Reproduction and migration represent two major aspects of the life cycles of most birds,
and in particular of those species that have been targeted as being of primary importance
in this study (colonially-breeding seabirds and migratory shorebirds and waterfowl). These
will therefore form the focus of the work of the Associate Chair. Reproductive output is
dependent on breeding propensity and breeding effort (the number and size of eggs laid)
and these vary markedly between individuals. Understanding the physiological basis of egg
production, and egg-size variation, in wild birds will represent one of the two main goals
of this project. Egg production has been demonstrated to be the phase of the life-cycle of
birds that is most sensitive to environmental change (particularly with regard to pollution
and habitat alteration). Secondly, efficient utilisation of food resources and control of body
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reserves is essential for the successful completion of migration and for over-winter
survival. Again, it is known that there is marked intraspecific variation, for example, in the
rate of fat deposition between individuals. The second goal of this project will be to
investigate the physiological basis of this variation in relation to possible constraints
operating on diet choice, digestive capabilities and fat storage.
B. Academic Goals, The SFU Perspective
1. Population Ecology
What are the major academic issues in population ecology, which the Chair can contribute
to the discipline as a whole? We identify two large areas where the projects outlined here
can contribute. Firstly, although many long term bird population studies have investigated
variation in reproduction, much less has been done in terms of variation in survival. This
is partly due to the fact that more effort and resources are required to collect the data, and
partly because until recently the necessary mathematical models have not been available.
Recently however, new software packages have become available and we have spent
considerable time learning these new techniques with the view to applying them to long
term bird-banding data. Having pioneered this with the La Perouse Bay data set, we are
now in a position to adapt it for other data sets, both those already in existence and those
which we generate during the mandate of the Chair. One of the academic goals of the
Chair therefore will be to develop a Canadian centre where the measurement of survival
variation can be measured and assessed. To this end, we have hired Dr. E. Cooch whose
mathematical and computer skills make him ideal for this work. As well, Dr. R. Pradel,
who helped to develop the Survival General Estimation (SURGE) program for
investigating survival variation has joined our team as a post-doctoral fellow (PDF ). We
also plan to hold workshops to teach these methods and make them more readily available
for Canadian academics and wildlife biologists.
The SURGE and other recent methodologies are also valuable for examining patterns of
philopatry in birds and will be used for a theoretical and practical exploration of the whole
question of philopatry in birds. Although some general predictions about natal and
breeding philopatry can now be made, there is very little understanding about the
processes involved in winter and migration philopatry. Many applied questions depend on
an understanding of the rules that determine whether a bird will return to a previously used
location. Often it is important to know whether the populations of birds in an area are
residents, transients or a mix of the two. Turnover rates of birds within populations are
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also important in assessing impact of birds on their environment. Both these questions
ultimately depend on understanding the principles of philopatry away from the breeding
ground. We hope to concentrate on these questions as a unifying theme for our
population work.
2. Behavioural Ecology
Although population ecology and behavioural ecology have been closely tied during their
histories, fundamental assumptions remain unique to each. In particular, population
models consider neither adaptive adjustments in behaviour nor the possibility of
behavioural evolution in making predictions. Yet there is every reason to believe that
these are fundamentally important processes.
The discipline of behavioural ecology as a whole has set, as a major goal, the integration
of behavioural and population theory into a unified whole. Several major works of the
past decade have been devoted to considering the ecological consequences of adaptive
behaviour, but so far, the real progress has been very limited.
The Chair will be able to make a major contribution in this area because of the crossfertilization between large and active groups in both population and behavioural ecology.
The aim is to understand intraspecific life history variation, and to use that as a basis for
population predictions, rather than the reverse, which is the existing procedure. This
would constitute a major and important advance, and we plan to be major contributors in
this area.
3. Physiological Ecology
The principal academic goal of research in Physiological Ecology will be to gain an
understanding of the significance of, and mechanisms underlying, individual and agespecific expression of physiological traits. As a model system, the work will initially
investigate the physiological basis of reproductive investment in egg-laying and the
functional significance of egg-size variation in birds. Specifically, the project will
concentrate on three main aspects: 1) energetic costs of egg production, 2) the
relationship between egg-size and offspring fitness, and 3) mechanisms and constraints in
egg-laying females. The approach taken will be to conduct experimental work under
more-or-less controlled conditions, for example using captive breeding birds or perhaps a
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nest-box breeding population, and then to test ideas and hypotheses generated in this way
on selected free-living species of particular interest to the Chair. A similar approach
would be taken toward the study of the physiological basis of, and possible constraints on,
diet choice, digestive capabilities and fat deposition. This work would concentrate on
migratory shorebirds, probably dunlin or western sandpipers, and the aim would be to
establish a population of these birds in captivity.
These two areas of research are linked by the common goals of understanding
1) individual differences in the patterns of resource acquisition and expenditure, and
2) the adaptive significance of individual variation in physiological traits in free-living
birds, this in turn allowing a better understanding of their likely responses to
environmental change.
4. General Points
In addition to the specific themes outlined above, we hope that the projects which we
undertake will lead to a more general understanding of avian demographic processes
which will have applicability to the conservation problems associated with both lesser
known and endangered species. Often the detailed study necessary for conservation
action is not possible if the species is rare and sensitive to disturbance and conservationists
have no option but to extrapolate from more widespread and better studied species. For
example, the work with Western Sandpipers, may provide valuable insights into the
management and protection of the endangered Piping Plover.
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