Papers by Marc Salamolard
The Auk
Satellite telemetry of Wandering Albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) breeding on the Crozet Islands, s... more Satellite telemetry of Wandering Albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) breeding on the Crozet Islands, southwestern Indian Ocean, revealed two distinct foraging strategies during successive stages of the breeding season: systematic foraging over extensive distances; and use of specific areas close to the colony. During early incubation, Wandering Albatrosses foraged over pelagic waters at an average range of 1,284 kin. The length of the foraging trips decreased towards the end of the incubation period. During the first month of chick rearing when parents brood alternately for short periods, the foraging range, distance covered, and area prospected were further reduced. Males tended to return to an individual foraging area, located at the edge of the continental shelf, that had previously been visited during the long trips of the incubation period. Females mostly prospected pelagic waters just off the shelf. After the chick had been left alone on the nest, birds exhibited a two-fold strateg...
Ostrich - Journal of African Ornithology
As top predators of pelagic food webs, marine birds naturally bioaccumulate essential and non-ess... more As top predators of pelagic food webs, marine birds naturally bioaccumulate essential and non-essential elements. Levels of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) were determined in the liver, kidneys and muscles of three species of marine birds found on Réunion Island: Barau's Petrel (Pterodroma baraui), Audubon's Shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri bailloni) and the White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus). The study of the 89 birds sampled put forth variations of the elemental levels between organs, age groups (juveniles versus adults) and species. Adult Barau's Petrels showed the highest values of Hg and Cd. This study offers a first glimpse of the levels of impregnation of eight trace elements in top predators of the western Indian Ocean and brings answers to certain questions related to the processes of bioaccumulation in marine top predators of the tropical Indian Ocean.
Waterbirds, 2009
Cats (Felis catus) were probably introduced to Reunion Island (Western Indian Ocean) in the seven... more Cats (Felis catus) were probably introduced to Reunion Island (Western Indian Ocean) in the seventeenth century and feral populations are now spread over all anthropogenic and native habitats. The diet of feral cats living in the breeding habitat of Barau's Petrel (Pterodroma baraui), an endemic and threatened seabird of Reunion Island, were studied. Results from the analysis of 217 scat (333 prey items) showed that Barau's Petrel were the most common prey of feral cats, followed by introduced rodents. Numerous dead birds at breeding colonies that had been killed by cats were found, 58% of the birds were adults. Given the high sensitivity of the population growth rate of a long-lived seabird to any additive mortality of adults, these results are particularly worrying. As this species is also threatened by massive light-induced mortality of fledglings, it is highly likely that this population is declining. A control of cats at breeding colonies is urgently needed to save this species from extinction.
Ostrich, 2007
ABSTRACT The Réunion Cuckooshrike is the most threatened endemic passerine bird on Réunion island... more ABSTRACT The Réunion Cuckooshrike is the most threatened endemic passerine bird on Réunion island (21°06′S; 55°32′E). Its population is currently estimated at 100 territorial males, confined to an area of about 16km2 in the north of the island. The birds appear to be in suboptimal habitat, at a higher altitude than in the past. The number of singing males has declined from 1990 to 2003. Most of the bird's current range was declared a nature reserve in 1999. In 2003–2004 the Société d'Etudes Ornithologiques de La Réunion (SEOR) began research on the cuckooshrike's biology and conservation. The first reports indicated an imbalance in the population sex ratio: 27% of the males were unpaired. Reproductive success was poor, with only 1/3 of the females producing young. Predation by rats seems to be the primary reason for the poor breeding success. Habitat quality and food resources in the montane forest appear to be limiting factors for the population. Other factors such as recreational activities in the area, invasive alien vegetation, fires and cyclones seem to have indirect effects, acting on the populations of introduced predators or by modifying the environment.
Functional Ecology, 1993
... Wandering alba-trosses have a body weight between 8 and 12kg, males being 20% larger and heav... more ... Wandering alba-trosses have a body weight between 8 and 12kg, males being 20% larger and heavier than females (Tickell 1968). ... The transmitter with the battery placed on the side weighed 160g, ie between 1-3 and 2% of the albatross body weight. ...
Emu, 2003
A Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda) banded at Sugarloaf Rock (Western Australia) in Jan... more A Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda) banded at Sugarloaf Rock (Western Australia) in January 1998 as a chick was recovered almost 6000 km away in September 2001 at Réunion Island as a nonbreeding adult. This is the second case of transoceanic dispersion of Red-tailed Tropicbirds in the Indian Ocean. This recovery shows that this species can disperse over very large distances, following prevailing trade winds in the Indian Ocean, as found in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
Ecology, 2000
Fluctuating prey populations and their effects on avian predator population dynamics have been st... more Fluctuating prey populations and their effects on avian predator population dynamics have been studied particularly at high latitudes, where prey populations, especially microtines, are known to be cyclic; raptors show both numerical and functional responses to variations in their prey. In this paper, we investigate the response of a migratory raptor (Montagu's Harrier, Circus pygargus) to variations in abundance of its main prey (common vole, Microtus arvalis) in France. We document multiannual fluctuation in the abundance of common voles. The numerical response of Montagu's Harrier to this variable food supply was studied using breeding parameters (breeding density, breeding phenology, and various measures of breeding success). Breeding density and mean clutch size were strongly correlated with spring vole abundance, whereas mean brood size at fledging was correlated positively with summer vole abundance. The mechanism involved in the numerical response of Montagu's Harrier indicates that dispersal and colonization by yearlings may be more important than natality per se. Pellets collected between 1986 and 1997 were used to determine the functional response of Montagu's Harrier to variations in vole abundance. In terms of biomass, Montagu's Harrier diet consisted mainly of voles (33.7-86.6%, between 1986 and 1997). Vole biomass in pellets was closely related to vole abundance estimated by trapping. A type II functional response was detected, with satiation at high prey density, as the shapes of many relationships between breeding parameters and vole abundance were more curvilinear than linear. Our results fit the pattern of relationships between predators and cyclic prey found in Fennoscandia, in which specialist predators show a strong numerical response, although at such a temperate latitude, a more pronounced functional response might have been expected.
The Auk, 1993
Satellite telemetry of Wandering Albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) breeding on the Crozet Islands, s... more Satellite telemetry of Wandering Albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) breeding on the Crozet Islands, southwestern Indian Ocean, revealed two distinct foraging strategies during successive stages of the breeding season: systematic foraging over extensive distances; and use of specific areas close to the colony. During early incubation, Wandering Albatrosses foraged over pelagic waters at an average range of 1,284 kin. The length of
... 1Laboratoire ECOMAR, Université de La Réunion, 15 avenue René Cassin, BP 7151, 97715, Saint D... more ... 1Laboratoire ECOMAR, Université de La Réunion, 15 avenue René Cassin, BP 7151, 97715, Saint Denis Messag, CEDEX 9, Reunion Island, France (Patrick.Pinet@univ-reunion.fr) 2Société d'Etudes Ornithologiques de La Réunion (SEOR ... BRETAGNOLLE, V. & ATTIE, C. 1991 ...
Conservation Genetics Resources, 2010
Genetic data are increasingly recognized for their utility in conservation programs. However, man... more Genetic data are increasingly recognized for their utility in conservation programs. However, many endangered species belong to families that have been understudied. Due to the urgency of their conservation status it is important to quickly identify polymorphic microsatellite loci from available resources. We show for the Réunion Cuckoo shrike Coracina newtoni, that this strategy can be very useful. Using 110 passerine microsatellite primer sets we identified eighteen polymorphic loci and tested them in 25 C. newtoni individuals. Following a Bonferroni correction one pair of loci displayed linkage disequilibrium (P-value
Uploads
Papers by Marc Salamolard