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Patrick G. R. Jodice - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Mercury, cadmium, copper, arsenic, and selenium measurements in the feathers of adult eastern Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis) and chicks in multiple breeding grounds in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
Environmental monitoring and assessment, 2020Co-Authors: Udonna Ndu, Juliet S. Lamb, Yvan G. Satgé, Sarah E. Janssen, Rosalie Rossi, Patrick G. R. JodiceAbstract:Several trace metals and metalloids have been introduced into aquatic ecosystems due to anthropogenic activities. Some of these elements like mercury (in the form of methylmercury) are easily transferred from one trophic level to another and can accumulate to toxic quantities in organisms at the top of aquatic food webs. For this reason, seabirds like the eastern Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis) are susceptible to heavy metal and metalloid toxicity and may warrant periodic monitoring. Mercury, cadmium, copper, arsenic, and selenium were measured in the feathers of adult Brown Pelicans and chicks in several breeding colonies (Shamrock Island, Chester Island, Marker 52 Island, North Deer Island, Raccoon Island, Felicity Island, Gaillard Island, Audubon Island, and Ten Palms Island) in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Overall, most chicks and adults examined had mercury levels in feathers that were below the concentration range in which birds show symptoms of mercury toxicity. However, chicks in the Audubon Island and Ten Palms Island colonies displayed mercury levels that were 3 times higher than values observed in 5 other colonies. In addition, several adults and chicks displayed selenium concentrations that are above what is considered safe for birds. Cadmium quantities in feathers were below levels that trigger toxicity in birds. Similarly, arsenic measurements were at quantities below the average of what has been reported for birds living in contaminated sites. Finally, we identify Pelican breeding colonies that may warrant monitoring due to elevated levels of contaminants.
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Composition of diet of juvenile Brown Pelican in the northern Gulf of Mexico (2013-2015)
2017Co-Authors: Juliet S. Lamb, Yvan G. Satgé, Patrick G. R. JodiceAbstract:The Eastern Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis) is a large-bodied seabird that nests in colonies of 10 to upwards of 5,000 pairs, on nearshore islands in subtropical and tropical North American waters. It breeds between March and August, laying 2â 3 eggs and raising 1â 2 chicks per year. The species is facultatively migratory during nonbreeding, with some individuals remaining resident and others leaving breeding areas. Pelicans forage in near- and offshore waters and capture schooling fish by plunge-diving. This dataset summarizes diet composition and mass of meals delivered to chicks throughout the chick-rearing period, from hatch (late April) through fledging (early August) in 10 breeding colonies from Texas to the Florida Panhandle. We collected regurgitated meals from chicks opportunistically during regular visits to the colony (every 5 â 7 days). Samples were stored frozen. In the laboratory, we identified to the species, weighed and measured each individual fish. Detailed methods may be found in the associated publication.
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HEALTH ASSESSMENTS OF Brown Pelican (PELECANUS OCCIDENTALIS) NESTLINGS FROM COLONIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA, U.S.A.
Journal of zoo and wildlife medicine : official publication of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, 2014Co-Authors: Lisa M. Ferguson, Terry M. Norton, Carolyn Cray, Marcie Oliva, Patrick G. R. JodiceAbstract:Health evaluations of Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) nestlings from three colonies along the Atlantic coast of the southeastern United States were performed in 2005, 2007, and 2008. The primary objective of this study was to establish baseline data for hematologic, biochemical, and serologic values from a relatively healthy population of free-living Pelicans during early chick development. Relationships among health variables and colony site, ectoparasite infestation, sex, and body condition index were also evaluated. Reference intervals are presented for health variables, including novel analytes for the species, as well as a comparison of these results with previously published values for wild Pelicans. No significant relationships were found between health variables and nestling sex or body condition; however, differences between colony sites and the presence of ectoparasites were detected. The inclusion of health assessments as a regular component of management programs for seabirds can provide data to better understand the effect to species of concern when drastic changes occur to the population and its environment.
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East versus West: organic contaminant differences in Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) eggs from South Carolina, USA and the Gulf of California, Mexico.
The Science of the total environment, 2012Co-Authors: Stacy S. Vander Pol, Patrick G. R. Jodice, Daniel W. Anderson, Joyce E. StuckeyAbstract:article i nfo Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) were listed as endangered in the United States in 1970, largely due to reproductive failure and mortality caused by organochlorine contaminants, such as DDT. The southeast pop- ulation, P.o. carolinensis, was delisted in 1985, while the west coast population, P.o. californicus, was not delisted until 2009. As fish-eating coastal seabirds, Brown Pelicans may serve as a biomonitors. Organic con- taminants were examined in Brown Pelican eggs collected from the Gulf of California in 2004 and South Carolina in 2005 using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Contaminants were compared using all individual data as well as statistically pooled samples to provide similar sample sizes with little dif- ference in results. Principal components analysis separated the Gulf of California Brown Pelican eggs from the South Carolina eggs based on contaminant patterns. The South Carolina population had significantly (Pb0.05) higher levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlordanes, dieldrin and mirex, while the Gulf of California eggs had higher levels of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs). With the exception of dieldrin and brominated diphenyl ether (BDE) 47, this pattern was observed for mussel and oyster tissues from these regions, indicating the need for further study into the differences between east and west coast Brown Pelican populations and ecosystem contamination patterns. Published by Elsevier B.V.
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Stress response of Brown Pelican nestlings to ectoparasite infestation.
General and comparative endocrinology, 2009Co-Authors: Lisa M. F. Eggert, Patrick G. R. Jodice, Kathleen M. O’reillyAbstract:Measurement of corticosterone has become a useful tool for assessing the response of individuals to ecological stressors of interest. Enhanced corticosterone levels can promote survival of stressful events; however, in situations where a stressor persists and corticosterone levels remain elevated, the adrenocortical response can be detrimental. A potential ecological stressor for wild birds is parasitism by ectoparasites. We studied the stress response of 11-23-day-old Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) nestlings by measuring plasma corticosterone levels in relation to the presence of the soft tick Carios capensis at two colonies in South Carolina in 2005. We expected to see higher baseline and stress-induced levels of corticosterone for parasitized chicks compared to those nestlings with no ticks. Although nestlings mounted a response to capture stress, tick category was not associated with corticosterone levels at either colony. Our results appear to contrast those of previous studies and indicate that the adrenocortical response of the host is likely dependent on the type of ectoparasite and the degree of infestation.
Joyce E. Stuckey - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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East versus West: organic contaminant differences in Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) eggs from South Carolina, USA and the Gulf of California, Mexico.
The Science of the total environment, 2012Co-Authors: Stacy S. Vander Pol, Patrick G. R. Jodice, Daniel W. Anderson, Joyce E. StuckeyAbstract:article i nfo Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) were listed as endangered in the United States in 1970, largely due to reproductive failure and mortality caused by organochlorine contaminants, such as DDT. The southeast pop- ulation, P.o. carolinensis, was delisted in 1985, while the west coast population, P.o. californicus, was not delisted until 2009. As fish-eating coastal seabirds, Brown Pelicans may serve as a biomonitors. Organic con- taminants were examined in Brown Pelican eggs collected from the Gulf of California in 2004 and South Carolina in 2005 using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Contaminants were compared using all individual data as well as statistically pooled samples to provide similar sample sizes with little dif- ference in results. Principal components analysis separated the Gulf of California Brown Pelican eggs from the South Carolina eggs based on contaminant patterns. The South Carolina population had significantly (Pb0.05) higher levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlordanes, dieldrin and mirex, while the Gulf of California eggs had higher levels of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs). With the exception of dieldrin and brominated diphenyl ether (BDE) 47, this pattern was observed for mussel and oyster tissues from these regions, indicating the need for further study into the differences between east and west coast Brown Pelican populations and ecosystem contamination patterns. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Stacy S. Vander Pol - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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East versus West: organic contaminant differences in Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) eggs from South Carolina, USA and the Gulf of California, Mexico.
The Science of the total environment, 2012Co-Authors: Stacy S. Vander Pol, Patrick G. R. Jodice, Daniel W. Anderson, Joyce E. StuckeyAbstract:article i nfo Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) were listed as endangered in the United States in 1970, largely due to reproductive failure and mortality caused by organochlorine contaminants, such as DDT. The southeast pop- ulation, P.o. carolinensis, was delisted in 1985, while the west coast population, P.o. californicus, was not delisted until 2009. As fish-eating coastal seabirds, Brown Pelicans may serve as a biomonitors. Organic con- taminants were examined in Brown Pelican eggs collected from the Gulf of California in 2004 and South Carolina in 2005 using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Contaminants were compared using all individual data as well as statistically pooled samples to provide similar sample sizes with little dif- ference in results. Principal components analysis separated the Gulf of California Brown Pelican eggs from the South Carolina eggs based on contaminant patterns. The South Carolina population had significantly (Pb0.05) higher levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlordanes, dieldrin and mirex, while the Gulf of California eggs had higher levels of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs). With the exception of dieldrin and brominated diphenyl ether (BDE) 47, this pattern was observed for mussel and oyster tissues from these regions, indicating the need for further study into the differences between east and west coast Brown Pelican populations and ecosystem contamination patterns. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Paul L. Leberg - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Population genetic diversity statistics for Brown Pelican chicks sampled in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
2017Co-Authors: Brock Geary, Scott T. Walter, Susan M. Longest, Kym Ottewell, Samantha M. Lantz, Jordan Karubian, Paul L. LebergAbstract:Population genetic diversity statistics for Brown Pelican chicks sampled in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
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Demographic trends of Brown Pelicans in Louisiana before and after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Journal of Field Ornithology, 2014Co-Authors: Scott T. Walter, Michael R. Carloss, Thomas J. Hess, Paul L. LebergAbstract:Marine oil spills may have extensive and deleterious effects on coastal waterbirds, but pre-spill data sets are often not available for making comparisons of demographics to the period following a spill. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill allowed us to compare Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) demographics during pre- and post-spill years. We banded 1114 Pelicans on Louisiana barrier islands from 2007 to 2009, tracked their distribution via band re-sighting surveys from 2008 to 2011, and conducted age-structure surveys. Across Louisiana coastal islands in 2011, we detected 7% of Pelicans that had been oiled during the 2010 spill and released following rehabilitation. Similarly, 6% of Pelicans (not oiled) banded at the same release site in 2007 were observed across coastal islands 1 yr after banding. We observed variation in proportions of Pelicans that were 1, 2, and 3 or more years old among years (2008-2011) and across islands, but little variation could readily be assigned to spill-related mortality. These Brown Pelican demographic trends one year following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are contrary to other assessments of the impacts of oil contamination on marine birds. However, additional research is required to evaluate potential long-term population trends.
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Factors influencing Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) foraging movement patterns during the breeding season
Canadian Journal of Zoology, 2014Co-Authors: Scott T. Walter, Paul L. Leberg, J. J. Dindo, J. K. KarubianAbstract:During the breeding season, seabird foraging behaviors are driven by a combination of individual- and external-based factors. This study evaluated how two individual-based factors (body condition and sex) and two external factors (nest stage and colony size), and their interactions, were related to movement. To do so, we used movement data obtained from 22 GPS-tag- equipped Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis L., 1766) breeding in the northern Gulf of Mexico. In Brown Pelicans, the post- egg-hatching phase imposes increased foraging demands on breeding adults relative to the prehatching phase. This study demonstrates that the progression of the breeding period affects the nature and intensity of the relationship between individual- based factors and movement patterns. In particular, birds in relatively lower condition traveled greater distances during foraging trips during the energetically demanding posthatching phase, but not during the incubation stage. Contrary to many seabird species studied to date, neither colony size nor sex appeared to affect Brown Pelican movement patterns. Our results suggest that nest stage is the most important factor influencing foraging movements, and that it may modulate relationships between condition and movement. More refined measures of body condition and foraging behavior will allow further insights into the movement ecology of this seabird. occidentalis. Resume : Pendant la saison des amours, une combinaison de facteurs individuels et externes influence les comportements d'alimentation des oiseaux de mer. L'etude evalue le lien entre deux facteurs individuels (l'embonpoint et le sexe) et deux facteurs externes (le stade de nidification et la taille de la colonie) et leurs interactions, d'une part, et les deplacements, d'autre part. Pour ce faire, des donnees sur les deplacements de 22 Pelicans bruns (Pelecanus occidentalis L., 1766) reproducteurs dotes d'etiquettes GPS dans le nord du golfe du Mexique ont ete utilisees. Chez les Pelicans bruns, la demande alimentaire augmente chez les adultes reproducteurs au stade suivant l'eclosion des œufs par rapport au stade precedant l'eclosion. L'etude demontre que le moment durant la periode de reproduction a une incidence sur la nature et l'intensite de la relation entre les facteurs individuels et les motifs de deplacement. Plus particulierement, les oiseaux dont l'embonpoint est relativement faible se deplacent sur de plus grandes distances pour s'alimenter durant le stade post-eclosion ou la demande energetique est elevee, mais non durant le stade d'incubation. Contrairement ade nombreuses especes d'oiseaux marins etudiees ace jour, ni la taille de la colonie, ni le sexe ne semblent avoir une incidence sur les motifs de deplacement des Pelicans bruns. Nos resultats donnent a penser que le stade de nidification est le facteur qui exerce la plus grande influence sur les deplacements d'alimentation et qu'il pourrait moduler les relations entre l'embonpoint et les deplacements. Des mesures plus fines de l'embonpoint et du comporte- ment d'alimentation permettront de jeter un meilleur eclairage sur l'ecologie des deplacements de cet oiseau de mer. (Traduit par la Redaction) Mots-cles : pistage d'animaux, iles barrieres, Pelican brun, ecologie cotiere, deplacement d'alimentation, golfe du Mexique, Pelecanus occidentalis.
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Hurricane, Habitat Degradation, and Land Loss Effects on Brown Pelican Nesting Colonies
Journal of Coastal Research, 2013Co-Authors: Scott T. Walter, Michael R. Carloss, Thomas J. Hess, Paul L. LebergAbstract:ABSTRACT Walter, S.T.; Carloss, M.R.; Hess, T.J., and Leberg, P.L., 2013. Hurricane, habitat degradation, and land loss effects on Brown Pelican nesting colonies. Nesting colonies of coastal avifauna are perennially threatened by hurricanes, land loss, and environmental contamination. To understand how nest substrate and habitat availability influence reproductive success of Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis), we monitored 802 nests and quantified vegetation cover on two barrier islands in Louisiana from 2008 to 2010. In 2008, Hurricanes Gustav and Ike caused habitat degradation and land loss at our study sites and thus allowed comparison of Pelican productivity in pre- and post-hurricane conditions. As habitat availability changed across years and islands, Pelicans shifted from nesting in woody vegetation, to grasses, forbs, and bare ground. More chicks that survived until the age of 3 to 4.5 weeks old were from higher nests, and the loss of woody vegetation might have elicited colony abandonment. H...
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Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) Colony Initiation Attempts: Translocations and Decoys
Waterbirds, 2013Co-Authors: Scott T. Walter, Michael R. Carloss, Thomas J. Hess, Giri Athrey, Paul L. LebergAbstract:Abstract. Within the context of a limited number of Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) breeding sites, promoting new colonies can mitigate localized threats to regional populations. To assess the efficacy of short-distance (∼5 km) translocations and use of decoys to establish new colonies, and thereby increase statewide population viability, research was conducted within the Isles Dernieres archipelago, Louisiana. Translocations of 323 Brown Pelican chicks to an un-colonized island were performed from 2007 to 2009, and from 2008 to 2010, 108 Brown Pelican decoys were deployed on a separate island void of nesting. From 2008 to 2010 band re-sighting surveys detected only one transplanted Brown Pelican chick that returned to the release site. Further, < 1 % of translocated individuals were observed throughout the archipelago, compared to 5% and 9% of banded individuals encountered that fledged from nearby islands. Low detection of translocated Brown Pelicans may be due to translocation stress that can re...
Lisa M. F. Eggert - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Stress response of Brown Pelican nestlings to ectoparasite infestation.
General and comparative endocrinology, 2009Co-Authors: Lisa M. F. Eggert, Patrick G. R. Jodice, Kathleen M. O’reillyAbstract:Measurement of corticosterone has become a useful tool for assessing the response of individuals to ecological stressors of interest. Enhanced corticosterone levels can promote survival of stressful events; however, in situations where a stressor persists and corticosterone levels remain elevated, the adrenocortical response can be detrimental. A potential ecological stressor for wild birds is parasitism by ectoparasites. We studied the stress response of 11-23-day-old Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) nestlings by measuring plasma corticosterone levels in relation to the presence of the soft tick Carios capensis at two colonies in South Carolina in 2005. We expected to see higher baseline and stress-induced levels of corticosterone for parasitized chicks compared to those nestlings with no ticks. Although nestlings mounted a response to capture stress, tick category was not associated with corticosterone levels at either colony. Our results appear to contrast those of previous studies and indicate that the adrenocortical response of the host is likely dependent on the type of ectoparasite and the degree of infestation.
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Growth of Brown Pelican Nestlings Exposed to Sublethal Levels of Soft Tick Infestation
The Condor, 2008Co-Authors: Lisa M. F. Eggert, Patrick G. R. JodiceAbstract:Abstract Ectoparasites are a common component of seabird colonies and are generally considered to have a negative impact on their hosts. Nest parasites such as the soft tick Carios capensis may pose a distinct threat to altricial nestlings confined to the nest and unable to escape infestation. To assess the potential effects of ticks on growth, we measured linear growth rates of Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) nestlings during early development in relation to C. capensis infestation at insecticide treated and untreated nests at two colonies in South Carolina during the 2004 and 2005 breeding seasons. Tick infestation levels differed between colonies but not between years. We found a positive relationship between tick infestation and both growth rates and hatching success at the more infested colony. We did not find a consistent relationship between insecticide treatment and growth rates, although chicks from nests treated with insecticide had fewer ticks compared to chicks from untreated nests. Our...
