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The movement ecology and physiological health of glaucous-winged gulls wintering in the Salish Sea

Resource type
Thesis type
(Thesis) M.Sc.
Date created
2022-09-19
Authors/Contributors
Author: Hall, Hannah
Abstract
Gulls (Laridae) use natural and urban environments and are useful 'biomonitors' of coastal ecosystem health. I studied movement ecology (using GPS tags) and physiological health (from blood samples) in glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens; GWGU) during winter in the Salish Sea, a region undergoing rapid anthropogenic change. GWGUs exhibited high wintering region fidelity within the Salish Sea and exploited landfills and Pacific herring spawn activity. These resources were especially important for migrant GWGUs (22% of the population). Daytime habitat use varied among individuals, but all GWGUs roosted on water at night. There was marked individual variation in, and covariation among, physiological traits (glucose, triglycerides, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and oxidative state). However, region and habitat type where birds were captured did not predict variation in health biomarkers, even though these included varying levels of urban development and anthropogenic activity. This study establishes reference values for health biomarkers for long-term monitoring of future anthropogenic impacts in this region.
Document
Extent
76 pages.
Identifier
etd22175
Copyright statement
Copyright is held by the author(s).
Permissions
This thesis may be printed or downloaded for non-commercial research and scholarly purposes.
Supervisor or Senior Supervisor
Thesis advisor: Williams, Tony
Language
English
Member of collection
Download file Size
etd22175.pdf 5.5 MB

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