CEES Seminar Feb 16, 3:30

Natalie Campbell campbenr at plattsburgh.edu
Mon Feb 12 13:00:00 UTC 2024


The CEES Seminar Series presents:

*Christina Petalas and Marianne Gousy-Leblanc*, PhD Students McGill
University

*Assessing Seabirds in Canadian Marine Ecosystems: foraging dynamics and
contaminants in the Arctic and Gulf of St. Lawrence*

Seabirds are indicative bio-monitors, offering a unique perspective to
quantify and map contaminant levels on large temporal and spatial scales.
In Canada, existing monitoring of contaminants in seabirds is heavily
focused in the Arctic or the Great Lakes, whereas the status in other
marine ecosystems is limited. The St. Lawrence system drains over 25% of
the global surface freshwater supply and sits downstream of the Laurentian
Great Lakes. This ecosystem is characterized by extensive runoff, allowing
substantial volumes of pollution to accumulate. Millions of seabirds rely
on the St. Lawrence during the breeding season and are thus more vulnerable
to contaminant exposure. Given the lack of monitoring of toxic contaminants
within the St. Lawrence, and despite increasing accumulation of
anthropogenic stressors, the creation of proper management strategies is
impeded. Christina will present recent findings based on understanding
plastic pollution and mercury contaminant levels using seabirds, aiming to
gather information critical for directing conservation initiatives.

Marianne will then present her research on thick-billed murre’s. For
bi-parental care and long-pair bonds, pairing with the optimal mate is
crucial for lifetime reproductive success. Indeed, the fitness of both
parents is jointly affected by the reproductive decisions of each, as well
as how they coordinate with each other. Thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) is
an interesting species to examine mating preference. This colonial Arctic
seabird is a long-lived species with long-term pair bonds and a low
reproduction rate. Using long-term data (>20 years) from the monitoring
at the Coats Island colony in Nunavut, she will talk about divorce and its
impact on reproductive success, but also how foraging behaviour could
influence pairing in murres.


*Friday Feb 16th  **3:30pm. *
*Hudson 106*
*Reception prior to the talk at 3:00*


*There is also a student lunch with the speakers from 12-1 in Hudson 155*
*All students are welcome!*

You can add the full seminar schedule to your Google Calendar
<https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=Y18xMDhkNjVlMjY1ZGVmNjI5MTU3NDJhNzU0ZmQyMTE4ZjBhNmRhYmJjNDg2MDE0MGU3NmUwMTU0YzNiOGFmZTQwQGdyb3VwLmNhbGVuZGFyLmdvb2dsZS5jb20>
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