Maria Gavrilo

Comparison of emperor penguin declines between Pointe Geologie and Haswell Island over the past 50 years

Abstract The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is highly dependent on sea ice conditions, and future climate change may affect its distribution and numbers. Most studies on the demography and population dynamics of emperor penguins in relation to sea ice characteristics were conducted at a single colony (Pointe Géologie). Several non-exclusive hypotheses have been proposed to explain the dramatic decline of this colony, including changes in sea ice conditions, predation, flipper banding and human disturbance. Here, we report and analyse updated long-term trends in numbers of breeding pairs made at two colonies (Pointe Géologie and Haswell Island) where counts are comparable. Similar changes were observed for both colonies and paralleled changes in sea ice extent. At Pointe Géologie and Haswell Island, populations declined similarly and later growth rates were also similar since the early 1990s for Haswell and early 1980s for Pointe Géologie. The magnitude of the decline was similar between both colonies when numbers of breeding pairs were assessed. This study suggests that a common large-scale environmental factor has probably negatively affected both colonies.

Eggshell thinning and decreased concentrations of vitamin E are associated with contaminants in eggs of ivory gulls

The ivory gull is a high Arctic seabird species threatened by climate change and contaminant exposure. High levels of contaminants have been reported in ivory gull Pagophila eburnea eggs from Svalbard and the Russian Arctic. The present study investigated associations between high levels of contaminants (organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), brominated flame retardants (BFRs), perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) and mercury (Hg)) and three response variables: eggshell thickness, retinol (vitamin A) and α-tocopherol (vitamin E). Negative associations were found between levels of OCPs, PCBs and BFRs and eggshell thickness (p<0.021) and α-tocopherol (p<0.023), but not with retinol (p>0.1). There were no associations between PFASs and mercury and the three response variables. Furthermore, the eggshell thickness was 7-17% thinner in the present study than in archived ivory gull eggs (≤1930). In general, a thinning above 16 to 20% has been associated with a decline in bird populations, suggesting that contaminant-induced eggshell thinning may constitute a serious threat to ivory gull populations globally.

Description of microsatellite markers and genotyping performances using feathers and buccal swabs for the Ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea)

We report 22 new polymorphic microsatellites for the Ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea), and we describe how they can be efficiently co‐amplified using multiplexed polymerase chain reactions. In addition, we report DNA concentration, amplification success, rates of genotyping errors and the number of genotyping repetitions required to obtain reliable data with three types of noninvasive or nondestructive samples: shed feathers collected in colonies, feathers plucked from living individuals and buccal swabs. In two populations from Greenland (n = 21) and Russia (Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago, n = 21), the number of alleles per locus varied between 2 and 17, and expected heterozygosity per population ranged from 0.18 to 0.92. Twenty of the markers conformed to Hardy–Weinberg and linkage equilibrium expectations. Most markers were easily amplified and highly reliable when analysed from buccal swabs and plucked feathers, showing that buccal swabbing is a very efficient approach allowing good quality DNA retrieval. Although DNA amplification success using single shed feathers was generally high, the genotypes obtained from this type of samples were prone to error and thus need to be amplified several times. The set of microsatellite markers described here together with multiplex amplification conditions and genotyping error rates will be useful for population genetic studies of the Ivory gull.

Metagenomic and satellite analyses of red snow in the Russian Arctic

Cryophilic algae thrive in liquid water within snow and ice in alpine and polar regions worldwide. Blooms of these algae lower albedo (reflection of sunlight), thereby altering melting patterns (Kohshima, Seko & Yoshimura, 1993; Lutz et al., 2014; Thomas & Duval, 1995). Here metagenomic DNA analysis and satellite imaging were used to investigate red snow in Franz Josef Land in the Russian Arctic. Franz Josef Land red snow metagenomes confirmed that the communities are composed of the autotroph Chlamydomonas nivalis that is supporting a complex viral and heterotrophic bacterial community. Comparisons with white snow communities from other sites suggest that white snow and ice are initially colonized by fungal-dominated communities and then succeeded by the more complex C. nivalis-heterotroph red snow. Satellite image analysis showed that red snow covers up to 80% of the surface of snow and ice fields in Franz Josef Land and globally. Together these results show that C. nivalis supports a local food web that is on the rise as temperatures warm, with potential widespread impacts on alpine and polar environments worldwide.

Notes on Antarctic wildlife: Ross seals Ommatophoca rossii and emperor penguins Aptenodytes forsteri

Abstract Systematic observations on birds and mammals were carried out in the 1996/97 austral summer in Antarctica while on a circumnavigation of the entire continent by the Russian icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov. A total of 22 Ross seals Ommatophoca rossii were recorded during the period 9 December 1996–16 January 1997 of that 65 day cruise, with 75% of them found in light to heavy pack ice conditions. The highest abundance was in the Riiser‐Larsen Sea (between 14°E and 35°E longitude). Half of the seals were observed over the shelf zone, while others were over continental slope to deep ocean. Discussion of all sea‐ice habitats from all sightings of Ross seals from the 1996/97 summer is presented here, along with opportunistic sightings of Ross seals from the same icebreaker in December 1992‐January 1993 and in 1997/98 along the coastline from about 57°E to 100°E. An unusually large concentration of Ross seals was observed during an 8 h period near Gaussberg (66° 13′S, 89°35′E) on 7 January 1993, when a minimum of 40 Ross seals were counted. A search for an emperor penguin Aptenodytes forsteri colony was made in November ‐ December 1997 in the area of the West Ice Shelf, where a colony at Pingvin Island was discovered in 1956 and last seen in 1960. The original population of 30 000 birds was not found, but a smaller subcolony of about 200 breeding pairs (estimated) was found, perhaps a remnant of the original colony which was forced to re‐locate because of a major breakup of West Ice Shelf in 1968.

The structure and diversity of freshwater diatom assemblages from Franz Josef Land Archipelago: a northern outpost for freshwater diatoms

We examined diatom assemblages from 18 stream and pond samples in the Franz Josef Land Archipelago (FJL), the most northern land of Eurasia. More than 216 taxa were observed, revealing a rich circumpolar diatom flora, including many undescribed taxa. Widely distributed taxa were the most abundant by cell densities, while circumpolar taxa were the most species rich. Stream and pond habitats hosted different assemblages, and varied along a pH gradient. Diatoma tenuis was the most abundant and ubiquitous taxon. However, several circumpolar taxa such as Chamaepinnularia gandrupii, Cymbella botellus, Psammothidium sp. and Humidophila laevissima were also found in relatively high abundances. Aerophilic taxa were an important component of FJL diatom assemblages (Humidophila spp., Caloneis spp. and Pinnularia spp.), reflecting the large and extreme seasonal changes in Arctic conditions. We predict a decrease in the abundance of circumpolar taxa, an increase in local (α-) freshwater diatom diversity, but a decrease in regional diversity (circumpolar homogenization) as a result of current warming trends and to a lesser extent the increasing human footprint in the region.

The European wintering population of Steller’s Eider Polysticta stelleri reassessed

Summary Prolonged declines in the number of Steller’s Eider Polysticta stelleri wintering in Europe have raised concerns about the conservation status of the Western Palearctic population. Coordinated helicopter surveys of all known wintering areas in Norway and Russia and ground counts in the Baltic in 2009 found c.27,000 Steller’s Eiders, similar to numbers found during the last such survey in the mid-1990s. However, around 85% of the population now winters in Russia compared to 30–50% then. The reasons for this rapid shift in distribution are unknown but are likely linked to climate change. The continuing small population size, specialist feeding and restricted distribution of Steller’s Eider necessitate continued survey and research to track population changes and provide evidence for conservation management actions to safeguard the species.

Living on the edge of a shrinking habitat: the ivory gull, Pagophila eburnea, an endangered sea-ice specialist

The ongoing decline of sea ice threatens many Arctic taxa, including the ivory gull. Understanding how ice-edges and ice concentrations influence the distribution of the endangered ivory gulls is a prerequisite to the implementation of adequate conservation strategies. From 2007 to 2013, we used satellite transmitters to monitor the movements of 104 ivory gulls originating from Canada, Greenland, Svalbard-Norway and Russia. Although half of the positions were within 41 km of the ice-edge (75% within 100 km), approximately 80% were on relatively highly concentrated sea ice. Ivory gulls used more concentrated sea ice in summer, when close to their high-Arctic breeding ground, than in winter. The best model to explain the distance of the birds from the ice-edge included the ice concentration within approximately 10 km, the month and the distance to the colony. Given the strong links between ivory gull, ice-edge and ice concentration, its conservation status is unlikely to improve in the current context of sea-ice decline which, in turn, will allow anthropogenic activities to develop in regions that are particularly important for the species.

Ice bridging as a dispersal mechanism for Arctic terrestrial vertebrates and the possible consequences of reduced sea ice cover

The dispersal abilities of terrestrial mammals are severely constrained by water crossings, resulting in islands generally supporting less diverse mammal faunas than similar continental areas. In ice-affected Arctic regions, seasonal or permanent ice cover provides a bridging mechanism for dispersal, allowing water gaps to be crossed more rapidly and with less energy cost than is entailed in swimming. Consequently, islands that might be out of reach if waters were open become much more readily colonised in the presence of ice. We reviewed the distribution of terrestrial mammals on selected islands throughout the Arctic and analyse historical data for several sites in the Canadian Arctic where mammal populations have undergone extirpation and re-colonisation. We use these data to assess the value of ice for the dispersal of Arctic terrestrial mammals. Given observed dispersal distances we estimate the likely impact of future ice reduction on island faunas. We predict that, as ice cover duration shortens, immigration will decline leading to increased extinctions of island populations and potentially, in the long-term, local genetic differentiation. The eventual disappearance of ice bridges, preventing the immigration of southern species, may leave certain arctic archipelagos as the last refuge for typical Arctic mammals.

Toward the New Role of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas in the Arctic: The Russian Case

The role of marine and coastal protected areas (MCPAs) is becoming increasingly important in the changing Arctic. These protected areas potentially facilitate the adaptation of natural ecosystems to climate change by mitigating direct anthropogenic threats, balance various kinds of space and resources use, and alert the society to changes taking place in the marine and coastal ecosystems. This chapter explores how a historically established set of coastal and marine protected areas in the Russian Arctic can meet these challenges. Eight strictly protected nature reserves or zapovedniks, one national park, three federal natural reserves or zakazniks, and one nature monument encompass marine compartments or have marine buffer zones. They cover a number of essential biodiversity features: some marine areas within MCPAs may be considered as integral marine ecosystems or include sites of primary importance for ecosystem monitoring because of the existence of long-term observation datasets. The total marine surface area under protection totals nearly 96,000 km2, or about 2% of the areas of the Arctic seas under Russia’s jurisdiction (the Bering Sea excluded). Management of the Arctic MCPAs is a very complex task. It is no surprise that management effectiveness of the federal Arctic MCPAs in Russia is scored relatively low. Potential threats and future challenges to the protection of Arctic marine biodiversity and MCPAs are discussed in this chapter, essentially calling for strengthening the MCPA network. As it is difficult to expect that the number of MPAs in the Russian influence zone can be significantly increased in the next decade, the efforts of conservation organizations should be balanced between advocating for creating new reserves and strengthening the capacity of the existing MCPAs. General remoteness and limited access to most of the Arctic MCPAs call for development of remote sensing and other distant methods for monitoring and surveillance. The challenges for the MCPA network in the Arctic are difficult to meet when using only the inherent zapovednik and national park capacity and governmental support to date. To be effective, establishing a horizontal cooperation and partnership with science, NGOs, businesses, and local communities is the only way for protected natural areas to perform their important mission in a changing Arctic.