Abstract

PERLAZA-GAMBOA, Alejandro; GIRALDO, Alan; PAYAN, Luis Fernando  and  ESTELA, Felipe A.. Association of Sea Surface Temperature and the abundance of the Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) according to the state of development in the Gorgona National Natural Park. Bol. Invest. Mar. Cost. [online]. 2020, vol.49, suppl.1, pp.31-44.  Epub Sep 04, 2021. ISSN 0122-9761.  https://doi.org/10.25268/bimc.invemar.2020.49.suplesp.1046.

Variation in the physicochemical conditions of the sea can influence the distribution and abundance of seabirds by affecting the trophic structure of the pelagic environment. For this reason, we aimed to evaluate the association between the abundance of three developmental stages (chicks, juveniles, and adults) of the Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster etesiaca) and the sea surface temperature (SST) and its thermal anomaly (ANOM) in Gorgona Island, Colombian Pacific. These trends were assessed by performing cross-correlations and generalized linear models. Each developmental stage showed a different abundance tendence linked to SST and ANOM variation. It is suggested that these trends are due to the fact that increased sea temperature may be associated with reduced abundance and availability of prey resources. Under these conditions, adults tend to decreased the effort invested in parental care and even reduce the food supply to dependent juveniles and chicks to increase their own survival. These trends may have been associated with a breeding regime that allows fledglings to achieve independence from parents during the period of greatest availability of prey.

Keywords : time delay; prey; Brown Bobby; survival; sea surface temperature.

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