Contribution of Declining Anadromous Fishes to the Reproductive Investment of a Common Piscivorous Seabird, the Double-Crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
[摘要] Despite this clear evidence that coastal-breeding birds consume river herring and other anadromous fish (e.g.,
Todd et al. 1982,
Poole et al. 2002), it is not clear how much influence the consumption of this particular prey has on the birds' reproductive success. Assessing the strength of this connection between consumption and reproduction is an essential next step in predicting how declines in anadromous fish will affect avian consumers. This information is urgently needed, because work in other regions such as the mid-Atlantic suggests that declines in a preferred prey can affect the distribution, diet, and population dynamics of avian consumers (
Baker et al. 2004,
Morrison et al. 2004,
Viverette et al. 2007).
