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" The Relative Impact of Anthropogenic and Environmental Disturbances on a Black Skimmer Nesting Colony Within a Critical Wildlife Area on Marco Island, Florida "
Shope, Kristina
Lefevre, Kara
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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English
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| Record Number
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1106873
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| Doc. No
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TLpq2418052000
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| Main Entry
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Lefevre, Kara
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Shope, Kristina
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| Title & Author
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The Relative Impact of Anthropogenic and Environmental Disturbances on a Black Skimmer Nesting Colony Within a Critical Wildlife Area on Marco Island, Florida\ Shope, KristinaLefevre, Kara
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| College
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Florida Gulf Coast University
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| Date
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2020
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| student score
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2020
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| Degree
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M.S.
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| Page No
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36
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| Abstract
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Coastal ecosystems are critical natural resources that demand protection because they provide nesting and feeding habitat for a wide range of diverse organisms. Some wildlife species play an invaluable role as bioindicators for these ecosystems, while others function as important umbrella species. Coastal wildlife is often constrained by anthropogenic disturbances and environmental processes that influence coastal environments. Seabirds are particularly susceptible to disturbances as they nest conspicuously in large, dense colonies. Anthropogenic disturbances, which can range from outright vandalism to unintended disruption, can negatively impact nest vitality due to trampling or by exposing chicks or eggs to predators and harsh weather conditions. In addition to anthropogenic disturbances, environmental processes such as predation and weather fluctuations can negatively impact birds that nest on sandy beaches. All of these factors can potentially impact the Black Skimmer, Rynchops niger, a seabird that is considered an umbrella species and is listed as “threatened” in the state of Florida. Predation and overwash are known to cause nest failures for this species. Recently, an increased interest in outdoor recreational activities has also resulted in more disturbances of nesting efforts. The objective of this study was to characterize and quantify the composition of such disturbances affecting two Black Skimmer colonies within a Critical Wildlife Area (CWA) on Marco Island in Collier County, southwest Florida. I also examined which disturbance(s) resulted in the highest frequency and intensity of behavioral displays by the skimmers. This study showed that skimmers within the CWA experience a wide array of disturbances, both anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic. A total of 195 flushing events were documented, at a rate of almost two per hour throughout the study. At Colony A, weather and unexplained sources were responsible for the greatest percentage of skimmers that flushed; at Colony B, weather was the most important factor. However, the proportion of disturbance types did not differ significantly between the colonies, demonstrating that both types of disturbance were occurring simultaneously and at roughly similar frequencies. A striking finding was that among the types of disturbances, anthropogenic disturbances generally had less of an impact on skimmer behavior than did natural disturbances such as weather and unknown sources. Given the concurrent timing of all types of disturbances within the breeding season, this study identified the need for a proactive and adaptive management plan to protect nesting skimmers from anthropogenic and environmental stressors that are combining to disturb their coastal breeding colonies.
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Animal sciences
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Behavioral sciences
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Ecology
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