Volume 49, No. 1
Volumes > 38 (2010-->)
- Volume 52, No. 2, 2024
- Volume 52, No. 1, 2024
- Volume 51, No. 2, 2023
- Volume 51, No. 1, 2023
- Volume 50, No. 2, 2022
- Volume 50, No. 1, 2022
- Volume 49, No. 2, 2021
- Volume 49, No. 1, 2021
- Volume 48, No. 2, 2020
- Volume 48, No. 1, 2020
- Volume 47, No. 2, 2019
- Volume 47, No. 1, 2019
- Volume 46, No. 2, 2018
- Volume 46, No. 1, 2018
- Volume 45, No. 2, 2017
- Volume 45, No. 1, 2017
- Volume 44, No. 2, 2016
- Volume 44, No. 1, 2016
- Volume 43, No. 2, 2015
- Volume 43, No. 1, 2015
- Volume 42, No. 2, 2014
- Volume 42, No. 1, 2014
- Volume 41, No. 2, 2013
- Volume 41, No. 1, 2013
- Volume 41, Special Issue, 2013
- Volume 40, No. 2, 2012
- Volume 40, No. 1, 2012
- Volume 39, No. 2, 2011
- Volume 39, No. 1, 2011
- Volume 38, No. 2, 2010
- Volume 38, No. 1, 2010
Volumes 28-37 (2000-09)
- Volume 37, No. 3, 2009
- Volume 37, No. 2, 2009
- Volume 37, No. 1, 2009
- Volume 36, No. 2, 2008
- Volume 36, No. 1, 2008
- Volume 35, No. 2, 2007
- Volume 35, No. 1, 2007
- Volume 34, No. 2, 2006
- Volume 34, No. 1, 2006
- Volume 33, No. 2, 2005
- Volume 33, No. 1, 2005
- Volume 32, No. 2, 2004
- Volume 32, No. 1, 2004
- Volume 31, No. 2, 2003
- Volume 31, No. 1, 2003
- Volume 30, No. 2, 2002
- Volume 30, No. 1, 2002
- Volume 29, No. 2, 2001
- Volume 29, No. 1, 2001
- Volume 28, No. 2, 2000
- Volume 28, No. 1, 2000
Volumes 18-27 (1990-99)
- Volume 27, No. 1 & 2, 1999
- Volume 26, No. 1 & 2, 1998
- Volume 24, No. 1 & 2, 1996
- Volume 25, No. 1 & 2, 1997
- Volume 23, No. 2, 1995
- Volume 23, No. 1, 1995
- Volume 22, No. 2, 1994
- Volume 22, No. 1, 1994
- Volume 21, No. 1 & 2, 1993
- Volume 20, No. 1 & 2, 1992
- Volume 19, No. 1, 1991
- Volume 18, No. 1 & 2, 1990
Volumes 5-17 (1978-89) a.k.a 'Cormorant'
- Volume 17, No. 1 & 2, 1989
- Volume 16, No. 1, 1988
- Volume 16, No. 2, 1988
- Volume 15, No. 1 & 2, 1987
- Volume 14, No. 1 & 2, 1987
- Volume 13, No. 2, 1986
- Volume 13, No. 1, 1986
- Volume 12, No. 2, 1985
- Volume 12, No. 1, 1985
- Volume 11, No. 1 & 2, 1984
- Volume 10, No. 2, 1983
- Volume 10, No. 1, 1983
- Volume 9, No. 2, 1982
- Volume 9, No. 1, 1982
- Volume 8, No. 2, 1981
- Volume 8, No. 1, 1981
- Volume 7, 1980
- Volume 5, 1978
Search by author or title:
Morphometric sex determination of breeding adult Royal Thalasseus maximus and Sandwich terns T. sandvicensis in Louisiana
Citation
NEPSHINSKY, M., TAYLOR, S.S., LIECHTY, J.S., MINOR, A.K., WINDHOFFER, E.D. & PIERCE, A.R. 2021. Morphometric sex determination of breeding adult Royal Thalasseus maximus and Sandwich terns T. sandvicensis in Louisiana.
Marine Ornithology 49: 127
- 132
http://doi.org/10.5038/2074-1235.49.1.1408
Received 23 September 2020, accepted 07 January 2021
Date Published: 2021/04/15
Date Online: 2021/04/10
Key words: molecular sexing, monomorphic, Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), seabird, sexual size dimorphism
Abstract
Many seabirds have sex-specific traits, including survival, philopatry, behavior, and diet, information that is essential for effective conservation strategies. The difficulty of sexing monomorphic seabirds, however, has resulted in a lack of information on these important traits and an incomplete understanding of the ecology of many species. We used a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based sexing approach to determine if Royal Thalasseus maximus and Sandwich terns T. sandvicensis in Louisiana can be accurately sexed using morphometrics. DNA samples and morphological measurements were obtained from Royal Terns (n = 106) and Sandwich Terns (n = 112) to accurately identify sex and compare gender differences in morphological measurements. In both species, males had greater bill length and head + bill length relative to females. Sexual size dimorphism ranged from 0.0%-4.7% in Royal Terns and 0.4%-3.5% in Sandwich Terns. Using discriminant function analysis, equations correctly assigned sex in 75% of Royal Terns using head + bill and wing chord measurements and in 82% of Sandwich Terns using head + bill and mass measurements. Our methods provide an accurate and economical field-sexing technique for Royal and Sandwich terns, enabling research into sex-based differences in behavior, physiology, and ecology.
References
ACKERMAN, J.T., EAGLES-SMITH, C.A., TAKEKAWA, J.Y., BLUSO, J.D. & ADELSBACH, T.L. 2008. Mercury concentrations in blood and feathers of prebreeding Forster's Terns in relation to space use of San Francisco Bay, California, USA, habitats. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 27: 897-908.
ACKERMAN, J.T., TAKEKAWA, J.Y., BLUSO, J.D., YEE, J.L. & EAGLES-SMITH, C.A. 2008. Gender identification of Caspian Terns using external morphology and discriminant function analysis. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 120: 378-383.
BECKER, P.H., EZARD, T.H.G., LUDWIGS, J.D., SAUER‐GÜRTH, H. & WINK, M. 2008. Population sex ratio shift from fledging to recruitment: consequences for demography in a philopatric seabird. Oikos 117: 60-68.
BLUSO, J., ACKERMAN, J., TAKEKAWA, J. & YEE, J. 2006. Sexing Forster's Terns using morphometric measurements. Waterbirds 29: 512-517.
BOURGEOIS, K., CURÉ, C., LEGRAND, J., ET AL. 2007. Morphological versus acoustic analysis: what is the most efficient method for sexing yelkouan shearwaters Puffinus yelkouan. Journal of Ornithology 148: 261-269.
COPESTAKE, P.G., CROXALL, J.P. & PRINCE, P.A. 1988. Use of cloacal sexing techniques in mark-recapture estimates of breeding population size in Wilson's storm-petrel Oceanites oceanicus at South Georgia. Polar Biology 8: 271-279.
COUVILLION, B.R., BARRAS, J.A., STEYER, G.D. ET AL. 2011. Land Area Change in Coastal Louisiana from 1932 to 2010. Denver, USA: US Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3164, 12 p.
CROXALL, J.P. 1995. Sexual size dimorphism in seabirds. Oikos 73: 399-403.
DANIEL, C., MILLAR, C.D., ISMAR, S.M.H., STEPHENSON, B.M. & HAUBER, M.E. 2007. Evaluating molecular and behavioral sexing methods for the Australasian gannet (Morus serrator). Australian Journal of Zoology 55: 377-382.
DECHAUME-MONCHARMONT, F., MONCEAU, K. & CEZILLY. F. 2011. Sexing birds using discriminant function analyses: a critical appraisal. The Auk 128: 78-86.
DEVLIN, C.M., DIAMOND, A.W. & SAUNDERS, G.W. 2004. Sexing Arctic Terns in the field and laboratory. Waterbirds 27: 314-320.
FASOLA, M. & SAINO, N. 1995. Sex-biased parental-care allocation in three tern species (Laridae, Aves). Canadian Journal of Zoology 73: 1461-1467.
FLETCHER, K.L. & HAMER, K.C. 2003. Sexing terns using biometrics: the advantage of within-pair comparisons. Bird Study 50: 78-83.
GARCÍA‐TARRASÓN, M., BÉCARES, J., BATEMAN, S. ET AL. 2015. Sex‐specific foraging behavior in response to fishing activities in a threatened seabird. Ecology and Evolution 5: 2348-2358.
GIANUCA, D., PHILLIPS, R.A., TOWNLEY, S. & VOTIER, S.C. 2017. Global patterns of sex- and age-specific variation in seabird bycatch. Biological Conservation 205: 60-76.
GONZALEZ-SOLIS, J., CROXALL, J.P. & WOOD, A.G. 2000. Sexual dimorphism and sexual segregation in foraging strategies of northern giant petrels, Macronectes halli, during incubation. Oikos 90: 390-398.
GWIAZDA, R. & LEDWOŃ, M. 2015. Sex-specific foraging behaviour of the Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida) during the breeding season. Ornis Fennica 92: 15-22.
LEDWOŃ, M. 2011. Sexual size dimorphism, assortative mating and sex identification in the Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida. Ardea 99: 191-198.
LEWIS, S, BENVENUTI, S., DALL-ANTONIA, L. ET AL. 2002. Sex-specific foraging behaviour in a monomorphic seabird. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences 269: 1687-1693.
LIECHTY, J.S., MINOR, A.K., NEPSHINSKY, M. & PIERCE, A.R. 2017. Apparent survival of Royal Tern Thalasseus maximus and Sandwich Tern T. sandvicensis at Isles Dernieres Barrier Islands Refuge, Louisiana, USA. Marine Ornithology 45: 83-88.
LIECHTY, J.S., FONTENOT, Q.C. & PIERCE, A.R. 2016. Diet composition of Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus) and Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) at Isles Dernieres Barrier Island Refuge, Louisiana. Waterbirds 39: 58-68.
LINDSTEDT, D.M. 2005. Renewable resources at stake: Barataria-Terrebonne estuarine system in southeast Louisiana. Journal of Coastal Research 44: 162-175.
LISNIZER, N., COTICHELLI, L., YORIO, P., BASSO, N. & GATTO, A. 2014. Using morphometry and molecular markers for sexing South American, Cayenne and Royal terns breeding in Patagonia, Argentina. Waterbirds 37: 183-190.
MORINHA, F., CABRAL, J.A. & BASTOS, E. 2012. Molecular sexing of birds: a comparative review of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods. Theriogenology 78: 703-714.
NISBET, I.C.T., BRIDGE, E.S., SZCZYS, P. & HEIDINGER, B.J. 2007. Sexual dimorphism, female-female pairs, and test for assortive mating in Common Terns. Waterbirds 30: 169-179.
NISBET, I.C., MONTOYA, J.P., BURGER, J. & HATCH, J.J. 2002. Use of stable isotopes to investigate individual differences in diets and mercury exposures among common terns Sterna hirundo in breeding and wintering grounds. Marine Ecology Progress Series 242: 267-274.
NICHOLS, J.D., KENDALL, W.L., HINES, J.E. & SPENDELOW, J.A. 2004. Estimation of sex‐specific survival from capture-recapture data when sex is not always known. Ecology 85: 3192-3201.
OWEN, J.C. 2011. Collecting, processing, and storing avian blood: a review. Journal of Field Ornithology 82: 339-354.
PALESTIS, B., NISBET, I., HATCH, J., SZCZYS, P. & SPENDELOW, J. 2012. Morphometric sexing of northwest Atlantic Roseate Terns. Waterbirds 35: 479-484.
PAREDES, R., ORBEN, R.A., ROBY, D.D. ET AL. 2015. Foraging ecology during nesting influences body size in a pursuit-diving seabird. Marine Ecology Progress Series 533: 261-276.
QIAGEN. 2011. Quick-Start DNeasy Blood & Tissue Kit Protocol. Hilden, Germany: Qiagen.
RAYNOR, E.J, PIERCE, A.R., LEUMAS, C.M. & ROHWER, F.C. 2012. Breeding habitat requirements and colony formation by Royal Terns (Thalasseus maximus) and Sandwich Terns (Thalasseus sandvicensis) on barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico. The Auk 129: 763-772.
REYNOLDS, S.J., MARTIN, G.R., WALLACE, L.L., WEARN, C.P. & HUGHES, B.J. 2008. Sexing Sooty Terns on Ascension Island from morphometric measurements. Journal of Zoology 274: 2-8.
RYAN, P. G. & BOIX-HINZEN, C. 1999. Consistent male-biased seabird mortality in the Patagonian toothfish longline fishery. The Auk 116: 851-854.
SAS Institute, Inc. 2008. SAS statistical software v. 9.2. Cary, North Carolina, USA: SAS Institute, Inc.
SEUTIN, G., WHITE, B.N. & BOAG, P.T. 1991. Preservation of avian blood and tissue samples for DNA analyses. Canadian Journal of Zoology 69: 82-90.
SHEALER, D.A. & CLEARY, C.M. 2007. Sex determination of adult black terns by DNA and morphometrics: tests of sample size, temporal stability and geographic specificity in the classification accuracy of discriminant function models. Waterbirds 30: 180-188.
WINDHOFFER, E.D. 2017. Evaluation of Mammalian Predator Removal and Video Monitoring as Management Tools for Waterbird Conservation. MSc thesis. Thibodaux, USA: Nicholls State University.
YORIO, P. & QUINTANA, F. 1997. Predation by Kelp Gulls Larus domincanus at a mixed-species colony of Royal Terns Sterna maxima and Cayenne Terns Sterna eurygnatha in Patagonia. Ibis 139: 536-541.