Band-rumped Storm Petrel #conservation #genetics research is published! Read about our discoveries on the rarest and smallest seabird nesting in the Main Hawaiian Islands
@thePeerJ https://peerj.com/articles/8463
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"The complete mitochondrial genome of the Band-rumped Storm Petrel (Oceanodroma castro)" by Carmen Antaky, Philip Kitamura, Ingrid Knapp, Robert Toonen, and Melissa Price
http://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2019.1591199 Join us as Carmen Antaky will present her Master's thesis defense on the 'Akē'akē Project!4/16/2018 This week I joined the Pohakuloa Training Area Seabird Team on the slopes of Mauna Loa to detect and study the nesting behavior of the endangered Hawaiian Band-rumped Storm Petrel. The Seabird Team was able to find the first confirmed active burrow for the species in 2015 thanks to Makalani, a search-trained Springer Spaniel, who was able detect the presence of the Band-rumped Storm Petrel in the expansive fields of lava on Mauna Loa. This week I was able to join the Seabird Project Team and Makalani in the field, which resulted in the finding of two more potential burrows as well as a found carcass of the species. Subsequently, the team will set up cameras on the potential burrows to confirm their active status. During my time on PTA I took measurements of all confirmed and active burrows to find out more about the elusive nesting ecology of this rare species. Stay tuned for results!
Aloha, Carmen This week I teamed up with the Kauai Endangered Seabird Recovery Project in their surveying and banding efforts of the endangered Band-rumped Storm Petrel. This was my first opportunity to see and interact with my study species that I have been researching for the last two years. Not only did we encounter the storm petrels but we banded more than ever before! The average number the project surveys is about 9 in a given night and during our night banding session we surveyed and took blood samples from 40 new individuals. This is great news for the conservation of this species while also providing a rich resource that will go into researching the genetic diversity of the Kauai population. Mahalo nui to the Kauai Endangered Seabird Recovery Project and US Fish & Wildlife Service for providing this rewarding opportunity!
Aloha, Carmen It was a pleasure to attend this year's Evolution Conference which hosted over 2,000 attendees at the Oregon Convention Center, Portland. Highlights included talks on avian genetics research predicting climate-change adaptation from Smith lab at UCLA, new techniques in SNP genotyping like GT-seq , and the conservation genetics success story of the Pinzon Tortoise head-start program. The atmosphere was invigorating and it was an honor to be a part of this renowned community. I presented a poster on the population genetics study of the 'Akē'akē Project, using methods of RADseq in pooled populations by nesting island. I received great feedback and support for my project and was able to share the importance of the conservation of Hawaiian seabirds, like the endangered Band-rumped Storm Petrel, to a global audience. Big mahalo for all the support!
Aloha, Carmen #Evol2017 |
Carmen AntakyGraduate Student and Project Leader for the 'Akē'akē Project Archives
April 2019
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