Mobile Incubation in Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata): Associated Hatching Failure and Artificial Mitigation

Waved albatrosses often relocate their eggs during incubation by placing the egg between the tarsi and shuffling forward. This behavior frequently results in eggs becoming lodged between rocks, accounting for at least 10%, and perhaps as much as 80%, of breeding failures. Because albatross populatio...

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Main Authors: Jill A. Awkerman, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, David J. Anderson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Resilience Alliance 2005-12-01
Series:Avian Conservation and Ecology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.ace-eco.org/vol1/iss1/art2/
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spelling doaj-21ee25ffa0224b65a2767431cd707ebe2020-11-24T21:43:43ZengResilience AllianceAvian Conservation and Ecology1712-65682005-12-0111210.5751/ACE-00009-0101029Mobile Incubation in Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata): Associated Hatching Failure and Artificial MitigationJill A. Awkerman0Kathryn P. Huyvaert1David J. Anderson2Wake Forest UniversityColorado State UniversityWake Forest UniversityWaved albatrosses often relocate their eggs during incubation by placing the egg between the tarsi and shuffling forward. This behavior frequently results in eggs becoming lodged between rocks, accounting for at least 10%, and perhaps as much as 80%, of breeding failures. Because albatross populations worldwide are currently threatened, artificial means of augmenting reproductive success may be necessary to mitigate losses caused by anthropogenic effects. We characterize the frequency and extent of egg movement; test several hypotheses related to microhabitat, timing, and incubation location to explain the behavior; and investigate the utility of repositioning lodged eggs in a location in which breeding birds might resume incubation. Egg rescue increased both the likelihood of continued incubation as well as the hatching rate in our experiment, and provides an efficient, low-cost management option for this species.http://www.ace-eco.org/vol1/iss1/art2/egg movementwaved albatross</span>Pheobastria irrorata<span class="proof_keywords">reproductive successegg adoptionmanagementegg incubation
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Jill A. Awkerman
Kathryn P. Huyvaert
David J. Anderson
spellingShingle Jill A. Awkerman
Kathryn P. Huyvaert
David J. Anderson
Mobile Incubation in Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata): Associated Hatching Failure and Artificial Mitigation
Avian Conservation and Ecology
egg movement
waved albatross
</span>Pheobastria irrorata<span class="proof_keywords">
reproductive success
egg adoption
management
egg incubation
author_facet Jill A. Awkerman
Kathryn P. Huyvaert
David J. Anderson
author_sort Jill A. Awkerman
title Mobile Incubation in Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata): Associated Hatching Failure and Artificial Mitigation
title_short Mobile Incubation in Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata): Associated Hatching Failure and Artificial Mitigation
title_full Mobile Incubation in Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata): Associated Hatching Failure and Artificial Mitigation
title_fullStr Mobile Incubation in Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata): Associated Hatching Failure and Artificial Mitigation
title_full_unstemmed Mobile Incubation in Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata): Associated Hatching Failure and Artificial Mitigation
title_sort mobile incubation in waved albatross (phoebastria irrorata): associated hatching failure and artificial mitigation
publisher Resilience Alliance
series Avian Conservation and Ecology
issn 1712-6568
publishDate 2005-12-01
description Waved albatrosses often relocate their eggs during incubation by placing the egg between the tarsi and shuffling forward. This behavior frequently results in eggs becoming lodged between rocks, accounting for at least 10%, and perhaps as much as 80%, of breeding failures. Because albatross populations worldwide are currently threatened, artificial means of augmenting reproductive success may be necessary to mitigate losses caused by anthropogenic effects. We characterize the frequency and extent of egg movement; test several hypotheses related to microhabitat, timing, and incubation location to explain the behavior; and investigate the utility of repositioning lodged eggs in a location in which breeding birds might resume incubation. Egg rescue increased both the likelihood of continued incubation as well as the hatching rate in our experiment, and provides an efficient, low-cost management option for this species.
topic egg movement
waved albatross
</span>Pheobastria irrorata<span class="proof_keywords">
reproductive success
egg adoption
management
egg incubation
url http://www.ace-eco.org/vol1/iss1/art2/
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AT davidjanderson mobileincubationinwavedalbatrossphoebastriairrorataassociatedhatchingfailureandartificialmitigation
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