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Migratory species strongly affect seabird biomass in seasonal assemblages off northeast Aotearoa/New Zealand
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Migratory species strongly affect seabird biomass in seasonal assemblages off northeast Aotearoa/New Zealand

Nicholas W. Daudt, Marta Guerra, Tom Brough, Sarah L. Dwyer, Jochen R. Zaeschmar, Matthew R. Schofield, Robert O. Smith, Leandro Bugoni, Eric J. Woehler and William J. Rayment
Journal of marine systems, Vol.255, 104201
13/03/2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2026.104201
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/10523/50190

Abstract

At-sea surveys Biomass Community ecology Ecosystem functioning Migratory species Phenology Seabird assemblages
Migratory species may influence structural components of species assemblages, such as biomass and diversity patterns. A total of 10 ship-based, strip-transect seabird surveys were undertaken in all seasons (2019–2024) off the northeast coast of Northland, Aotearoa/New Zealand. Almost all seabird species recorded were migratory or wide-ranging dispersive (23 of 25). Multivariate model-based ordinations revealed that season primarily explained species assemblages, while including environmental variables such as sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a (useful proxies for studying seabird distribution) offered little extra explanatory power at the assemblage level. There was no clear spatial pattern in the assemblages, suggesting that the study area was used uniformly by the species present at the time. The total seabird biomass present was strongly influenced by the seasonal occurrence of four medium-sized, migratory procellariiforms: tāiko (black petrel; Procellaria parkinsoni), rako (Buller’s shearwater; Ardenna bulleri), ōi (grey-faced petrel; Pterodroma gouldi) and toanui (flesh-footed shearwater; Ardenna carneipes). The biomass estimates showed an eight-fold increase from winter (243 kg/km2) to summer (1885 kg/km2). Northland will likely be the first region in Aotearoa/New Zealand to experience the consequences of oceanic warming. The study establishes a baseline against which to measure potential future changes in seabird occurrences. Based on descriptive and modelling approaches, the study demonstrated the role of species’ phenologies in shaping assemblages of seabird species and their impact on total estimated biomass, which may affect ecosystem functioning and energy fluxes.
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Published (Version of record) Open Access CC BY V4.0  — You are free to: Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially; Adapt - remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms. Under the following terms: Attribution - You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. No additional restrictions - You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits. Notices: You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation . No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2026.104201View
Published (Version of record) Open CC BY V4.0  — You are free to: Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially; Adapt - remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms. Under the following terms: Attribution - You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. No additional restrictions - You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits. Notices: You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation . No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.

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