Linking 19th century European settlement to the disruption of a seabird’s natural population dynamics
Matthew P. Duda, Sylvie Allen-Mahé, Christophe Barbraud, Jules M. Blais, Amaël Boudreau, Rachel Bryant, Karine Delord, Christopher Grooms, Linda E. Kimpe, Bruno Letournel, Joeline E. Lim, Hervé Lormée, Neal Michelutti, Gregory J. Robertson, Frank Urtizbéréa, Sabina I. Wilhelm, John P. Smol
Abstract
) on Grand Colombier Island in the St. Pierre and Miquelon archipelago-an overseas French territory in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. By reconstructing the last ∼5,800 y of storm-petrel dynamics, we demonstrate that this colony underwent substantial natural fluctuations until the start of the 19th century, when population cycles were disrupted, coinciding with the establishment and expansion of a European settlement. Our paleoenvironmental data, coupled with on-the-ground population surveys, indicate that the current colony is only ∼16% of the potential carrying capacity, reinforcing concerning trends of globally declining seabird populations. As seabirds are sentinel species of marine ecosystem health, such declines provide a call to action for global conservation. In response, we emphasize the need for enlarged protected areas and the rehabilitation of disturbed islands to protect ecologically critical seabird populations. Furthermore, long-term data, such as those provided by paleoecological approaches, are required to better understand shifting baselines in conservation to truly recognize current rates of ecological loss.