Diversity and Keratin Degrading Ability of Fungi Isolated from Canadian Arctic Marine Bird Feathers

We present the first records of fungi associated with feathers from seabirds and sea ducks in the Canadian Arctic and sub-Arctic. Birds sampled in Nunavut and Newfoundland (Canada) included the Common Eider (Somateria mollissima), King Eider (S. spectabilis), Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus), Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle), and Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia). In total 19 fungal species were cultured from feathers, identified using ITS rDNA barcoding, and screened for their ability to degrade keratin using a keratin azure assay. Our results indicate that 1) of the 19 isolates, 74% were ascomycetes, while the remaining 26% were basidiomycetes (yeasts); 2) 21% of the ascomycete isolates demonstrated keratinolytic activity (a known pathogenicity factor for fungi that may potentially be harmful to birds); 3) the largest number of fungi were cultured from the sampled Thick-billed Murre; and 4) based on a multiple correspondence analysis, there is some indication that both the King Eider and the Thick-billed Murre collected in the low Arctic had distinct fungal communities that were different from each other and from the other birds sampled. Although our sample sizes were small, initial trends in point (4) do demonstrate that additional study is merited to assess whether the fungal community differences are influenced by variation in the known ecologies of the avian hosts and fungi identified.

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Contrasting assemblages of seabirds in the subglacial meltwater plume and oceanic water of Bowdoin Fjord, northwestern Greenland

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fsz213 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 77 (2) ◽

pp. 711-720 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Bungo Nishizawa ◽

Naoya Kanna ◽

Yoshiyuki Abe ◽

Yoshihiko Ohashi ◽

Daiki Sakakibara ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Water ◽

Uria Lomvia ◽

Little Auk ◽

Near Surface ◽

Tidewater Glaciers ◽

Rissa Tridactyla ◽

Cepphus Grylle ◽

Black Guillemot ◽

Calanus Hyperboreus ◽

Subglacial Meltwater

Abstract In Greenland, tidewater glaciers discharge turbid subglacial freshwater into fjords, forming plumes near the calving fronts, and these areas serve as an important foraging habitat for seabirds. To investigate the effect of subglacial discharge on the foraging assemblages of surface feeders and divers in a glacial fjord, we conducted boat-based seabird surveys, near-surface zooplankton samplings, and hydrographic measurements at Bowdoin Fjord, northwestern Greenland in July. Foraging surface feeders (black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla, glaucous gull Larus hyperboreus, and northern fulmar Fulmarus glacialis) aggregated within a plume-affected area in front of Bowdoin Glacier. This area was characterized by highly turbid subglacial meltwater and abundant large-sized zooplankton including Calanus hyperboreus, chaetognaths, and ctenophores near the surface. Surface feeders fed on these aggregated prey presumably transported to the surface by strong upwelling of subglacial meltwater. In contrast, divers (little auk Alle alle, thick-billed murre Uria lomvia, and black guillemot Cepphus grylle) foraged outside the fjord, where turbidity was low and jellyfish and Calanus copepods dominated under the influence of Atlantic water. Our study indicates spatial segregation between surface feeders and divers in a glacial fjord; surface feeders are not hindered by turbidity if taking prey at the surface, whereas divers need clear water.

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Stomach contents of autumn-feeding marine vertebrates from Hornsund, Svalbard

Polar Record ◽

10.1017/s0032247400010408 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 25 (153) ◽

pp. 107-114 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Christian Lydersen ◽

Ian Gjertz ◽

Jan Marcin Weslawski

Keyword(s):

Prey Species ◽

Stomach Contents ◽

Somateria Mollissima ◽

Uria Lomvia ◽

Rissa Tridactyla ◽

Fulmarus Glacialis ◽

Important Prey ◽

Fratercula Arctica ◽

Cepphus Grylle ◽

Myoxocephalus Scorpius

AbstractStomachs of 171 vertebrates (two species offish, eight of birds and twoof seals) from Hornsund, Svalbard, were collected between 7 September and 5 October 1984. Arctic cod Boreogadus saida and the amphipod Pamthemisto libellula were the main prey species of black guillemots Cepphus grylle, little auks Alle alle, puffins Fratercula arctica, Brunnich's guillemots Uria lomvia, kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla and ringed seals Phoca hispida. Fulmars Fulmarus glacialis preyed mainly on the squid Gonatusfabricii and the polychaete Nereis irrorata. Eiders Somateria mollissima preyed mainly on bivalves and on the amphipod Gammarellus homari. G. homari and Gammarus oceanicus were the most important prey species of striped snailfish Liparis liparis, while shorthorn sculpin Myoxocephalus scorpius mainly preyed upon G. homari and Anonyx sarsi. Glaucous gulls LOTUS hyperboreus took many different prey including birds and tundra plants. Only one bearded seal Erignathus barbatus stomach with content was available for this study.

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The significance of Southwest Greenland as winter quarters for seabirds

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s0959270904000127 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 87-112 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

DAVID BOERTMANN ◽

PETER LYNGS ◽

FLEMMING RAVN MERKEL ◽

ANDERS MOSBECH

Keyword(s):

Common Eider ◽

Somateria Mollissima ◽

Uria Lomvia ◽

Little Auk ◽

Alle Alle ◽

King Eider ◽

Numerous Species ◽

Breeding Populations ◽

Southwest Greenland ◽

Brunnich’S Guillemot

The coastal and offshore waters of Southwest Greenland are internationally important winter quarters for seabirds. We crudely estimate a minimum of 3.5 million seabirds using the region in winter, mainly from Arctic Canada, Greenland and Svalbard, with smaller numbers also from Alaska, Iceland, mainland Norway and Russia. The most numerous species are Common Eider Somateria mollissima, King Eider S. spectabilis, Brünnich's Guillemot Uria lomvia and Little Auk Alle alle. The most immediate threat to the seabirds in Southwest Greenland is hunting, and current levels of usage of the Greenland breeding populations of Brünnich's Guillemot and Common Eider are considered unsustainable. Conservation measures are required for these populations.

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Thick-billed murres and black guillemots in the Barrow Strait area, N.W.T., during spring: distribution and habitat use

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z79-233 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 57 (9) ◽

pp. 1789-1802 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Michael S. W. Bradstreet

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Canadian Arctic ◽

Open Water ◽

High Arctic ◽

Marine Water ◽

Uria Lomvia ◽

Cepphus Grylle ◽

Aerial Surveys ◽

Landfast Ice ◽

Small Cracks

During the "spring" periods of 1974–1976, Uria lomvia and Cepphus grylle in the central Canadian Arctic were concentrated in the Barrow Strait area. Aerial surveys indicated that densities of both species were higher in interface habitats (i.e. along boundaries of land or ice and marine water) than in areas of open water distant from coasts or landfast ice. Murres occurred in higher densities along offshore than along coastal landfast ice edges; guillemots showed no preference between these two habitats. Guillemots, but not murres, occurred in small cracks in landfast ice. The overall preference of murres and guillemots for interface habitats was compared with the results of two other studies of the distribution of these alcids in high arctic areas.

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A First Count of Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia) and Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) Breeding on Bylot Island

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v131i1.1953 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 131 (1) ◽

pp. 69-74 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anthony J. Gaston ◽

Marc-Andre Cyr ◽

Kieran O'Dononvan

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Image Quality ◽

National Park ◽

Canadian Arctic ◽

High Arctic ◽

Correction Factors ◽

Uria Lomvia ◽

Rissa Tridactyla ◽

Canadian Population ◽

Bylot Island

Bylot Island, part of Sirmilik National Park, supports two major breeding colonies of intermingled Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia) and Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla): at Cape Hay near the northwest tip and at Cape Graham Moore at the opposite end of the island. Although the size of these colonies has been estimated previously, there is no information on how the estimates were made, except for Thick-billed Murres at Cape Hay in 1977, when the numbers were based on sampling only about 30% of the colony. In 2013, high-resolution digital photographs of the whole area of both colonies were taken in July, when most birds were probably incubating eggs. Individual birds were counted on the photographs, and the numbers were corrected for image quality and converted to numbers of breeding pairs based on correction factors from another High Arctic colony. Our estimates were similar to those from earlier years for kittiwakes at Cape Graham Moore and for murres at Cape Hay, but suggested that numbers of murres were higher than previously thought at Cape Graham Moore, while numbers of kittiwakes were lower at Cape Hay. The overall total for the Canadian population of Thick-billed Murres was unaffected by these changes, but the total number of Black-legged Kittiwakes nesting in the Canadian Arctic may be 20% lower than previously thought.

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Isotopic Investigations of Seabirds of the North Water Polynya: Contrasting Trophic Relationships Between the Eastern and Western Sectors

The Condor ◽

10.1093/condor/104.1.1 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 104 (1) ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Keith A. Hobson ◽

Grant Gilchrist ◽

Knud Falk

Keyword(s):

Trophic Level ◽

Boreogadus Saida ◽

Uria Lomvia ◽

Alle Alle ◽

Rissa Tridactyla ◽

The North ◽

North Water Polynya ◽

Cepphus Grylle ◽

North Water ◽

Larus Hyperboreus

Abstract We used δ15N and δ13C analyses of blood, muscle, and liver tissues to evaluate similarity of diet among five seabird species: Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle), Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), Dovekie (Alle alle), Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus), and Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) nesting at Coburg Island on the west and Hakluyt Island on the east side of the North Water Polynya between Ellesmere Island, Canada, and northwest Greenland. We hypothesized that dietary differences should occur because the two neighboring sites are subject to different oceanographic conditions, one result of which is differential timing of spring open water. Relative trophic level, derived from tissue δ15N values, ranged from 3.6 for Dovekie from Hakluyt Island to 4.7 for late-breeding-season diets of Thick-billed Murre adults from Coburg Island. At Coburg Island, trophic level of hatching year (HY) kittiwakes, murres, and Glaucous Gulls was higher than that for adults. This pattern was not found at Hakluyt Island, where chicks of all species generally occupied lower trophic positions. These findings suggest that lower-trophic-level prey were more important to Hakluyt Island seabirds, possibly due to lower availability of arctic cod (Boreogadus saida). Investigaciones Isotópicas de Aves Marinas en el Canal Aguas del Norte: Contrastando las Relaciones Tróficas entre los Sectores Este y Oeste Resumen. Usamos análisis de δ15N y δ13C en tejidos sanguineos, musculares y hepáticos para evaluar la similitud en la dieta entre cinco especies de aves marinas (Cepphus grylle, Rissa tridactyla, Alle alle, Larus hyperboreus y Uria lomvia). Estas especies anidan en la Isla Coburg en el lado oeste y en la Isla Hakluyt en el lado este del Canal de las Aguas del Norte, que se presenta libre de hielos y está situado entre la Isla Ellesmere en Canadá y el noroeste de Groenlandia. Hipotetizamos que las diferencias en la dieta se deberían a que los dos sitios vecinos están sujetos a diferentes condiciones oceanográficas, resultando en un ajuste temporal diferencial en la apertura de las aguas en primavera. El nivel trófico relativo, derivado de los valores de δ15N en los tejidos, fluctuó entre 3.6 para A. alle de la Isla Hakluyt hasta 4.7 para la dieta del final de la época reproductiva de adultos de U. lomvia de la Isla Coburg. En la Isla Coburg, el nivel trófico de individuos de R. tridactyla, U. lomvia y L. hyperboreus que eclosionaron ese año fue mayor que el nivel de los adultos. No encontramos este patrón en la Isla Hakluyt, donde los pichones de todas las especies generalmente ocuparon posiciones tróficas inferiores. Estos resultados sugieren que las presas de niveles tróficos inferiores fueron más importantes para las aves marinas de la Isla Hakluyt, posiblemente debido a una menor disponibilidad de bacalao del Ártico (Boreogadus saida).

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