Bridging Physiology and Population Dynamics in Cassin’s Auklets Through Biomarker Analysis
Poster Number
67
Faculty Mentor Name
Jane Khudyakov
Format
Poster Presentation
Research or Creativity Area
Natural Sciences
Abstract
Southeast Farallon Island (SEFI) is a critical breeding ground for many seabird species, housing some of the largest breeding colonies of alcids along the Pacific Coast. Many seabirds, such as the Cassin’s auklets (CAAU), serve as indicators of marine ecosystem health due to their sensitivity to perturbations in food webs in response to environmental change. These sentinel species have a long lifespan and are planktivorous, categorizing them into a small subset of all bird species. Longitudinal research on CAAU breeding at the Farallon Islands has been well established by local marine conservation efforts through the research by conservation biologists that provided over four decades of demographic and behavioral data, and we look to further its application by linking them with physiological data. To address the lack of standardized biometrics to assess CAAU physiology and its links to short and long term reproductive success, we used colorimetric assays to measure hemoglobin (Hb), antioxidant capacity (OXY), total cholesterol (TC), and total triglyceride (TAG) levels in CAAU blood plasma. The CAAU physiological markers were correlated with multiple markers of breeding success, such as chick mass, mean productivity, and lifetime reproductive success. Preliminary statistical analysis explores the different biomarkers against single season and long term breeding success. Our results suggest that adult CAAU with higher hemoglobin and lower cholesterol levels raised larger chicks, indicative of greater reproductive investment. The lifetime reproductive success data showed that adults with higher antioxidant stores and lower cholesterol levels have higher LRS. These findings allow us to understand baseline physiology of these sentinel bird species. CAAU physiological markers can help us understand the links between environmental change and population stability through their impacts on physiology and breeding success. A decline in marine ecosystem health can negatively impact the sustainability of seabird breeding populations on SEFI through bottom up trophic cascades, which could be indicative of environmental pollution and rise in ocean temperatures.
Location
University of the Pacific, DeRosa University Center
Start Date
24-4-2026 11:00 AM
End Date
24-4-2026 2:00 PM
Bridging Physiology and Population Dynamics in Cassin’s Auklets Through Biomarker Analysis
University of the Pacific, DeRosa University Center
Southeast Farallon Island (SEFI) is a critical breeding ground for many seabird species, housing some of the largest breeding colonies of alcids along the Pacific Coast. Many seabirds, such as the Cassin’s auklets (CAAU), serve as indicators of marine ecosystem health due to their sensitivity to perturbations in food webs in response to environmental change. These sentinel species have a long lifespan and are planktivorous, categorizing them into a small subset of all bird species. Longitudinal research on CAAU breeding at the Farallon Islands has been well established by local marine conservation efforts through the research by conservation biologists that provided over four decades of demographic and behavioral data, and we look to further its application by linking them with physiological data. To address the lack of standardized biometrics to assess CAAU physiology and its links to short and long term reproductive success, we used colorimetric assays to measure hemoglobin (Hb), antioxidant capacity (OXY), total cholesterol (TC), and total triglyceride (TAG) levels in CAAU blood plasma. The CAAU physiological markers were correlated with multiple markers of breeding success, such as chick mass, mean productivity, and lifetime reproductive success. Preliminary statistical analysis explores the different biomarkers against single season and long term breeding success. Our results suggest that adult CAAU with higher hemoglobin and lower cholesterol levels raised larger chicks, indicative of greater reproductive investment. The lifetime reproductive success data showed that adults with higher antioxidant stores and lower cholesterol levels have higher LRS. These findings allow us to understand baseline physiology of these sentinel bird species. CAAU physiological markers can help us understand the links between environmental change and population stability through their impacts on physiology and breeding success. A decline in marine ecosystem health can negatively impact the sustainability of seabird breeding populations on SEFI through bottom up trophic cascades, which could be indicative of environmental pollution and rise in ocean temperatures.
