Project Information

Title: Effects of Food Stress on Survival and Reproductive Performance of Seabirds 01479

Project Year and Number: 2001: 01479

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2002: 02479, 2000: 00479, 1999: 99479

Principal Investigator (PI): John Piatt (US Geological Survey)

Managing Agency: USGS

Assisting Personnel: Sasha Kitaysky

Research Location: Cook Inlet, Gulf of Alaska

Restoration Category: Research

Injured Resources Addressed: Common Murres, Pigeon Guillemot

Abstract: Traditional field methods of assessing effects of fluctuations in food supply on the survival and reproductive performance of seabirds may give equivocal results. This project will apply an additional tool -- the measure of stress hormones in free-ranging seabirds. Food stress can be quantified by measuring base levels of stress hormones such as corticosterone in the blood of seabirds, or the rise in blood levels of corticosterone in response to a standardized stressor -- capture, handling and restraint. These techniques will be applied to seabirds breeding in lower Cook Inlet and captive birds will be used for controlled experiments. This project provides a unique opportunity for a concurrent field and captive study of stress in seabirds.


Proposal: View (80 KB)

Reports:
Final Report: See Project 02479

Publications from this Project: None Available