| Autor: |
Hacker F; ENES Bioacoustics Research Team, University of Saint-Etienne, 42100 Saint-Etienne, France., Terranova F; Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy., Petersen GS; Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), Cape Town 7441, South Africa., Tourtigues E; ENES Bioacoustics Research Team, University of Saint-Etienne, 42100 Saint-Etienne, France., Friard O; Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy., Gamba M; Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy., Ludynia K; Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), Cape Town 7441, South Africa.; Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Robert Sobukwe Road, Bellville 7535, South Africa., Gridley T; Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa., Pichegru L; Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elisabeth 6031, South Africa., Mathevon N; ENES Bioacoustics Research Team, University of Saint-Etienne, 42100 Saint-Etienne, France.; Institut Universitaire de France, Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, 1 rue Descartes, CEDEX 05, 75231 Paris, France., Reby D; ENES Bioacoustics Research Team, University of Saint-Etienne, 42100 Saint-Etienne, France.; Institut Universitaire de France, Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, 1 rue Descartes, CEDEX 05, 75231 Paris, France., Favaro L; Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy.; CAPE Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy. |
| Abstrakt: |
Global biodiversity is in rapid decline, and many seabird species have disproportionally poorer conservation statuses than terrestrial birds. A good understanding of population dynamics is necessary for successful conservation efforts, making noninvasive, cost-effective monitoring tools essential. Here, we set out to investigate whether passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) could be used to estimate the number of animals within a set area of an African penguin ( Spheniscus demersus ) colony in South Africa. We were able to automate the detection of ecstatic display songs (EDSs) in our recordings, thus facilitating the handling of large datasets. This allowed us to show that calling rate increased with wind speed and humidity but decreased with temperature, and to highlight apparent abundance variations between nesting habitat types. We then showed that the number of EDSs in our recordings positively correlated with the number of callers counted during visual observations, indicating that the density could be estimated based on calling rate. Our observations suggest that increasing temperatures may adversely impact penguin calling behaviour, with potential negative consequences for population dynamics, suggesting the importance of effective conservation measures. Crucially, this study shows that PAM could be successfully used to monitor this endangered species' populations with minimal disturbance. |
