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Long-Term Population Dynamics of Seabirds Breeding in the Western Part of the White Sea

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Abstract

The results of a comparison of the long-term population dynamics of seabirds breeding in the western part of the White Sea on both protected and unprotected islands are presented. A series of observations was conducted for more than 50 years in the Kandalaksha Nature Reserve and for more than 30 years in the Solovetskii Archipelago. The dynamics of the breeding part of the population were analyzed for six species occurring in both study areas. The population trends of the common eider Somateria mollissima, the European herring gull Larus argentatus, and the black guillemot Cepphus grylle, were the same in the two areas, while those of the Eurasian oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus, the common gull Larus canus, and the ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres differed. The uniform trends are due to similar natural conditions of the breeding and wintering grounds of the birds in the Solovetskii Archipelago and Kandalaksha Bay. The discrepancies are mostly associated with different protection regimes on the islands used for breeding, as well as with an increased pressure of both terrestrial and avian predators on seabird colonies in recent decades.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are very grateful to the anonymous reviewer for valuable and constructive comments on the manuscript.

Funding

G.M. Tertitskii performed research on the topic of State Assignments of the Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences (project nos. AAAA-A19-119021990093-8 and AAAA-A19-119022190168-8).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecosystem Field Educational Center, 125475, Moscow, Russia

    V. Y. Semashko

  2. Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119017, Moscow, Russia

    E. V. Semashko & G. M. Tertitski

  3. Moscow State University, Solovetskii Branch, White Sea Biological Station, 164070, Solovetskii, Arkhangelsk oblast, Russia

    A. E. Cherenkov

  4. Kandalaksha State Nature Reserve, 184042, Kandalaksha, Murmansk oblast, Russia

    E. V. Shutova & E. L. Tolmacheva

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  1. V. Y. Semashko
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  3. G. M. Tertitski
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  4. A. E. Cherenkov
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  5. E. V. Shutova
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  6. E. L. Tolmacheva
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Correspondence to V. Y. Semashko, E. V. Semashko, G. M. Tertitski, A. E. Cherenkov, E. V. Shutova or E. L. Tolmacheva.

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Semashko, V.Y., Semashko, E.V., Tertitski, G.M. et al. Long-Term Population Dynamics of Seabirds Breeding in the Western Part of the White Sea. Biol Bull Russ Acad Sci 50, 1464–1476 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1062359023070221

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