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The effects of human disturbance on the seabirds and seals at sub-Antarctic Marion Island

Includes bibliographical references

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Wheeler, Mariette
Other Authors: De Villiers, M S
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Biological Sciences 2015
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access_status_str Open Access
author Wheeler, Mariette
author2 De Villiers, M S
author_browse De Villiers, M S
Wheeler, Mariette
author_facet De Villiers, M S
Wheeler, Mariette
author_sort Wheeler, Mariette
collection Thesis
description Includes bibliographical references
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/12469
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:36:17.098Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2015
publishDateRange 2015
publishDateSort 2015
publisher Department of Biological Sciences
publisherStr Department of Biological Sciences
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/12469 The effects of human disturbance on the seabirds and seals at sub-Antarctic Marion Island Wheeler, Mariette De Villiers, M S Underhill, Leslie G Zoology Includes bibliographical references Animals at Marion Island can be affected by logistic disturbance (especially helicopter noise), incidental pedestrian disturbance and research disturbance. The responses of wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) and king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) were investigated through standardised pedestrian approaches. Intensity of behavioural responses and levels of prolactin (females only) indicated that adult wandering albatrosses had become sensitised by high levels of chronic disturbance. Responses were greatest during the Prospecting and Early Incubation phases. Frequency of disturbance did not influence behavioural responses, but birds visited most often over three consecutive days had the lowest chick survival. Guarding king penguins were less likely to move away during disturbance than non-breeding groups. Visit duration and approach distance affected behavioural responses. There was evidence of habituation by king penguins to current levels of incidental disturbance. Grey-headed albatross (Thalassarche chrysostoma) adults and chicks showed short-term behavioural responses to research disturbance, and recovery times were variable. Level of chronic disturbance did not explain breeding success differences between colony sections. Instantaneous scans or counts of guarding and brooding gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua), incubating Crozet shags (Phalacrocoraxmelanogenis), pre-fledging grey-headed albatross chicks and non-breeding king penguins were made before and during helicopter operations. 2015-02-11T14:19:27Z 2015-02-11T14:19:27Z 2009 Doctoral Thesis Doctoral PhD http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12469 eng application/pdf Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Zoology
Wheeler, Mariette
The effects of human disturbance on the seabirds and seals at sub-Antarctic Marion Island
thesis_degree_str Doctoral
title The effects of human disturbance on the seabirds and seals at sub-Antarctic Marion Island
title_full The effects of human disturbance on the seabirds and seals at sub-Antarctic Marion Island
title_fullStr The effects of human disturbance on the seabirds and seals at sub-Antarctic Marion Island
title_full_unstemmed The effects of human disturbance on the seabirds and seals at sub-Antarctic Marion Island
title_short The effects of human disturbance on the seabirds and seals at sub-Antarctic Marion Island
title_sort effects of human disturbance on the seabirds and seals at sub antarctic marion island
topic Zoology
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12469
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AT wheelermariette effectsofhumandisturbanceontheseabirdsandsealsatsubantarcticmarionisland