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Insight into the snow petrel Pagodroma nivea ecology through population genetics and habitat suitability analyses

par Bayat, Manon
Président du jury Roisin, Yves
Promoteur Danis, Bruno ;Van De Putte, Anton
Publication Non publié, 2021-09-08

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Résumé :

Climate change is severely affecting Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, where high increasein air temperature as well as decrease in sea-ice extent were observed. The resultingbiological and ecological consequences of such rapid changes influence species at differentlevels as well as structure and dynamics of ecosystems. In this way, the endemicsnow petrel Pagodroma nivea is expected to be impacted, mainly due to its close relationto sea-ice. Biomonitoring of this species is therefore highly suggested to assess climatechange impacts and to develop conservation measures of the species. Despite its significance,ecology of the snow petrel is still largely unknown. This study therefore aimedto investigate its population connectivity and breeding sites habitat suitability, two importantaspects to consider for conservation. First, the connectivity among two coloniesrespectively in Adelaide Island and Signy Island as well as five colonies in western SørRondane mountain was studied using six microsatellites. Then, the breeding sites habitatsuitability was also assessed, in particular the most likely environmental variables playinga role in the suitability of the habitat, and compared between regions. Results revealedthat a high connectivity would occur between Signy and Adelaide Island colonies (FST= 0.000), as well as among western Sør Rondane colonies (FST =0.000 or 0.001), whichcould form one population. A low differentiation is however observed between coloniesin western Sør Rondane and Adelaide/Signy Island (FST =0.055). The main hypothesisexplaining this connectivity between colonies is based on the overlapping of non-breedingareas. Regarding the breeding sites habitat, no specific environmental variables seem tofavor the presence of breeding sites at the resolution considered, but different habitatswere found between regions, mainly regarding the slope, aspect and rugosity. Further improvementsof data quality, meaning higher environmental variables resolution and higherpopulation sample size are of a major importance to have a more pertinent and significantresults. Advanced knowledge of these ecological traits is essential for management andconservation purposes, in particular in a rapidly changing environment.