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Matthew Perry

Publications and source records attributed to Matthew Perry.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2024

Evaluating conservation units using network analysis: A sea duck case study

Conserving migratory wildlife requires understanding how groups of individuals interact across seasons and landscapes. Telemetry reveals individual movements at large spatiotemporal scales; however, using movement data to define conservation units requires scaling up from individual movements to species- and community-level patterns. We developed a framework to define flyways and identify important sites from telemetry data and applied it to long-term, range-wide tracking data from three species (640 individuals) of sea ducks: namely, North American scoters ( Melanitta spp). Our network of 88 nodes included both multispecies hotspots and areas uniquely important to individual species. We found limited spatial overlap between scoters wintering on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America, with differing connectivity patterns between coasts. Finally, we identified four multispecies conservation units that did not correspond to traditional management flyways. From this approach, we show how individual movements can be used to quantify range-wide connectivity of migratory species and reveal gaps in conservation strategies.

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment↗
USGS2023

Evaluation of breeding distribution and chronology of North American scoters

North America's scoter species are poorly monitored relative to other waterfowl. Black Melanitta americana , surf M. perspicillata , and white-winged M. deglandi scoter abundance and trend estimates are thus uncertain in many parts of these species' ranges. The most extensive source of waterfowl abundance and distribution data in North America is the Waterfowl breeding population and habitat survey (WBPHS). Although the WBPHS effectively monitors most species, both its timing and geographic coverage may preclude accurate scoter monitoring. Therefore, our goal was to better define when and where scoters breed to help interpret survey results and optimize potential supplemental survey efforts for scoters. We integrated satellite telemetry tracking data from scoters marked at multiple molting, staging, breeding, and wintering areas along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to quantify continent-wide breeding chronology and distribution. We also examined possible drivers of variation in timing of arrival, length of stay, and departure at nesting locations. We documented a northwest to southeast distribution of estimated breeding sites across Alaska and Canada. On average, scoters arrived at nest sites on 1 June. Surf scoters and Pacific black scoters arrived earliest and departed earliest. Pacific-wintering black and white-winged scoters began breeding earlier than Atlantic-wintering birds. Additionally, birds arrived at nesting locations earlier in years with earlier snowmelt, and later snowmelt reduced lengths of stay for males. Breeding chronology also varied by age group, with adults arriving earlier than subadults. Our study is the first to comprehensively describe spatial variation in timing of breeding of both Atlantic and Pacific populations of all three scoter species across North America. Our results increase our understanding of how current surveys enumerate scoters and will inform possible supplemental efforts to improve continental monitoring of scoter populations.

Wildlife Biology↗
USGS2023

Assessing individual movement, habitat use, and behavior of non-breeding marine birds in relation to prey availability in the US Atlantic

Resource availability is a key factor driving marine bird movements and distributions, but direct information on prey availability is difficult to obtain at relevant scales. We present novel methods for describing multi-scale trophic associations, combining movement analyses of marine birds with estimates of forage fish surface aggregations from digital aerial survey data and species occupancy from bottom trawl survey data. We analyzed satellite telemetry data from northern gannets Morus bassanus , red-throated loons Gavia stellata , and long-tailed ducks Clangula hyemalis in the US Atlantic during the non-breeding period. Using discrete-time hidden Markov models to distinguish area-restricted (i.e. putative foraging) from transit movements, we examined how environmental factors influence movement, and how forage fish species distributions and surface aggregations influence habitat use by gannets and loons that have greater dietary reliance. Our results suggest that chlorophyll a concentration significantly affected movement behavior across species, highlighting the importance of higher-productivity areas around estuaries during colder months when regional productivity is low. Though variable across species and seasons, spatial cross-correlation analysis revealed that herring species (Family Clupeidae), including Atlantic menhaden Brevoortia tyrannus , may be important resources; it also showed positive spatial correlations with forage fish aggregations. This suggests that prey patch dynamics and factors driving aggregation formation may be as important as species composition. However, spatial patterns were generally low (<0.3), suggesting a mismatch in spatiotemporal resolution, exemplifying the challenges in quantifying trophic relationships in marine systems. Disentangling predator-prey relationships is critical to understanding the mechanisms driving marine bird behavior in rapidly changing marine systems.

Atlantic Ocean↗
USGS2021

Annual-cycle movements and phenology of black scoters in eastern North America

Sea ducks exhibit complex movement patterns throughout their annual cycle; most species use distinct molting and staging sites during migration and disjunct breeding and wintering sites. Although research on black scoters ( Melanitta americana ) has investigated movements and habitat selection during winter, little is known about their annual-cycle movements. We used satellite telemetry to identify individual variation in migratory routes and breeding areas for black scoters wintering along the Atlantic Coast, to assess migratory connectivity among wintering, staging, breeding, and molt sites, and to examine effects of breeding site attendance on movement patterns and phenology. Black scoters occupied wintering areas from Canadian Maritime provinces to the southeastern United States. Males used an average of 2.5 distinct winter areas compared to 1.1 areas for females, and within-winter movements averaged 1,256 km/individual. Individuals used an average of 2.1 staging sites during the 45-day pre-breeding migration period, and almost all were detected in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Males spent less time at breeding sites and departed them earlier than females. During post-breeding migration, females took approximately 25 fewer days than males to migrate from breeding sites to molt and staging sites, and then wintering areas. Most individuals used molt sites in James and Hudson bays before migrating directly to coastal wintering sites, which took approximately 11 days and covered 1,524 km. Males tended to arrive at wintering areas 10 days earlier than females. Individuals wintering near one another did not breed closer together than expected by chance, suggesting weak spatial structuring of the Atlantic population. Females exhibited greater fidelity (4.5 km) to previously used breeding sites compared to males (60 km). A substantial number of birds bred west of Hudson Bay in the Barrenlands, suggesting this area is used more widely than believed previously. Hudson and James bays provided key habitat for black scoters that winter along the Atlantic Coast, with most individuals residing for >30% of their annual cycle in these bays. Relative to other species of sea duck along the Atlantic Coast, the Atlantic population of black scoter is more dispersed and mobile during winter but is more concentrated during migration. These results could have implications for future survey efforts designed to assess population trends of black scoters.

Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, Gulf of St Lawrence,↗
USGS2021

Strong evidence for two disjunct populations of Black Scoters Melanitta americana in North America

Black Scoters Melanitta americana were marked with satellite transmitters on Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America to examine continental-scale population delineation. Scoters marked on the different coasts did not overlap at any stage of the annual cycle, suggesting that birds in the two regions could be monitored and managed as separate populations: 1) an Atlantic population, which winters along the Atlantic coast and Great Lakes and breeds from northeast continental Canada westward to the Northwest Territories, and 2) a Pacific population, which winters along the Pacific coasts of Alaska, British Columbia and the Pacific northwest states, and breeds in western Alaska. Range maps for Black Scoter could reflect these distributions revealed by satellite telemetry. Our data provide new information on the distribution of Black Scoters in North America, which can be used to improve the design of future surveys.

Alaska↗
USGS2020

Assessing year‐round habitat use by migratory sea ducks in a multi‐species context reveals seasonal variation in habitat selection and partitioning

Long‐distance migration presents complex conservation challenges, and migratory species often experience shortfalls in conservation due to the difficulty of identifying important locations and resources throughout the annual cycle. In order to prioritize habitats for conservation of migratory wildlife, it is necessary to understand how habitat needs change throughout the annual cycle, as well as to identify key habitat sites and features that concentrate large numbers of individuals and species. Among long‐distance migrants, sea ducks have particularly complex migratory patterns, which often include distinct post‐breeding molt sites as well as breeding, staging and wintering locations. Using a large set of individual tracking data (n = 476 individuals) from five species of sea ducks in eastern North America, we evaluated multi‐species habitat suitability and partitioning across the breeding, post‐breeding migration and molt, wintering and pre‐breeding migration seasons. During breeding, species generally occupied distinct habitat areas, with the highest levels of multi‐species overlap occurring in the Barrenlands west of Hudson Bay. Species generally preferred flatter areas closer to lakes with lower maximum temperatures relative to average conditions, but varied in distance to shore, elevation and precipitation. During non‐breeding, species overlapped extensively during winter but diverged during migration. All species preferred shallow‐water, nearshore habitats with high productivity, but varied in their relationships to salinity, temperature and bottom slope. Sea ducks selected most strongly for preferred habitats during post‐breeding migration, with high partitioning among species; however, both selection and partitioning were weaker during pre‐breeding migration. The addition of tidal current velocity, aquatic vegetation presence and bottom substrate improved non‐breeding habitat models where available. Our results highlight the utility of multi‐species, annual‐cycle habitat assessments in identifying key habitat features and periods of vulnerability in order to optimize conservation strategies for migratory wildlife.

Land Surrounding Hudson Bay↗
USGS2020

Implanted satellite transmitters affect sea duck movement patterns at short- and long-term time scales

Studies of the effects of transmitters on wildlife often focus on survival. However, non-lethal behavioral changes resulting from radiomarking have the potential to affect inferences from telemetry data and may vary based on individual and environmental characteristics. We used a long-term, multi-species tracking study of sea ducks to assess behavioral patterns at multiple temporal scales following implantation of intracoelomic satellite transmitters. We applied state-space models to assess short-term behavioral patterns in individuals with implanted satellite transmitters, as well as comparing breeding site attendance and migratory phenology across multiple years after capture. In the short term, our results suggest an increase in dispersive behavior immediately following capture and transmitter implantation; however, behavior returned to seasonally-average patterns within approximately five days after release. Over multiple years, we found that breeding site attendance by both males and females was depressed during the first breeding season after radiomarking relative to subsequent years, with larger relative decreases in breeding site attendance among males than females. We also found that spring migration occurred later in the first year after radiomarking than in subsequent years. Across all behavioral effects, the severity of behavioral change often varied by species, sex, age, and capture season, suggesting heterogeneity in individual sensitivity. We conclude that, although individuals appear to adjust relatively quickly (i.e., within one week) to implanted satellite transmitters, changes in breeding phenology may occur over the longer term and should be considered when analyzing and reporting telemetry data.

Condor↗
USGS2019

Spatially explicit network analysis reveals multi-species annual cycle movement patterns of sea ducks

Conservation of long-distance migratory species poses unique challenges. Migratory connectivity—that is, the extent to which groupings of individuals at breeding sites are maintained in wintering areas—is frequently used to evaluate population structure and assess use of key habitat areas. However, for species with complex or variable annual-cycle movements, this traditional bimodal framework of migratory connectivity may be overly simplistic. Like many other waterfowl, sea ducks often travel to specific pre- and post-breeding sites outside their nesting and wintering areas to prepare for migration and, in some cases, molt their flight feathers. These additional molt migrations may play a key role in population structure, but are not included in traditional models of migratory connectivity. Network analysis, which applies graph theory to assess landscape connectivity, offers a powerful tool for quantitatively assessing the contributions of different sites used throughout the annual cycle to complex spatial networks. We collected satellite telemetry data on annual cycle movements of over 500 individual sea ducks of five species from throughout eastern North America and the Great Lakes. From these data, we constructed a multi-species network model of migratory patterns and site use over the course of the breeding, molting, wintering, and migration periods. Our results highlight inter- and intra-specific differences in the patterns and complexity of annual-cycle movement patterns, including the central importance of staging and molting sites in James Bay and the St. Lawrence River to multi-species habitat connectivity. We also discuss potential applications of network migration models to conservation prioritization, identification of population units, and integrating different data streams.

Ecological Applications↗
USGS2017

The migratory bird treaty and a century of waterfowl conservation

In the final decades of the nineteenth century, concern was building about the status of migratory bird populations in North America. In this literature review, we describe how that concern led to a landmark conservation agreement in 1916, between the United States and Great Britain (on behalf of Canada) to conserve migratory birds shared by Canada and the United States. Drawing on published literature and our personal experience, we describe how subsequent enabling acts in both countries gave rise to efforts to better estimate population sizes and distributions, assess harvest rates and demographic impacts, design and fund landscape-level habitat conservation initiatives, and organize necessary political and regulatory processes. Executing these steps required large-scale thinking, unprecedented regional and international cooperation, ingenuity, and a commitment to scientific rigor and adaptive management. We applaud the conservation efforts begun 100 years ago with the Migratory Bird Treaty Convention. The agreement helped build the field of wildlife ecology and conservation in the twentieth century but only partially prepares us for the ecological and social challenges ahead.

Journal of Wildlife Management↗
USGS2017

Atypical feeding behavior of Long-tailed Ducks in the wake of a commercial fishing boat while clamming

A foraging group of Clangula hyemalis (Long-tailed Duck) was observed on 10 February 2010 diving behind a commercial boat that was clamming near Monomoy Island, Nantucket Sound, MA. We used a shotgun to collect 9 of the ducks, and our analyses of gizzard and gullet (esophagus and proventriculus) revealed 37 food items in the gizzard and 16 in the gullet. Mollusca were the dominant food in the gizzard (49%), whereas Crustacea were dominant in the gullet (57%). Crustacea were the second most important food in the gizzard (38%), whereas Mollusca were the second most important food in the gullet (31%). Relatively high volumes of the Amphipoda Caprella sp. (skeleton shrimp) and the Decopoda Crangon septemspinosa (Sand Shrimp) were recorded in the gullet and gizzard. Ensis directus (Atlantic Jackknife Clam) formed the greatest volume of Mollusca in the gizzard (15%) and in the gullet (15%). Long-tailed Ducks had fed on this Bivalvia and several other species of Mollusca that had no shell or broken shell when consumed. Many of the food organisms were apparently dislodged and some damaged by the clamming operation creating an opportunistic feeding strategy for the Long-tailed Ducks.

Massachusetts↗
USGS2017

Limiting the effects of earthquakes on gravitational-wave interferometers

Ground-based gravitational wave interferometers such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) are susceptible to ground shaking from high-magnitude teleseismic events, which can interrupt their operation in science mode and significantly reduce their duty cycle. It can take several hours for a detector to stabilize enough to return to its nominal state for scientific observations. The down time can be reduced if advance warning of impending shaking is received and the impact is suppressed in the isolation system with the goal of maintaining stable operation even at the expense of increased instrumental noise. Here, we describe an early warning system for modern gravitational-wave observatories. The system relies on near real-time earthquake alerts provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Preliminary low latency hypocenter and magnitude information is generally available in 5 to 20 min of a significant earthquake depending on its magnitude and location. The alerts are used to estimate arrival times and ground velocities at the gravitational-wave detectors. In general, 90% of the predictions for ground-motion amplitude are within a factor of 5 of measured values. The error in both arrival time and ground-motion prediction introduced by using preliminary, rather than final, hypocenter and magnitude information is minimal. By using a machine learning algorithm, we develop a prediction model that calculates the probability that a given earthquake will prevent a detector from taking data. Our initial results indicate that by using detector control configuration changes, we could prevent interruption of operation from 40 to 100 earthquake events in a 6-month time-period.

Classical and Quantum Gravity↗
USGS2003

On the trail of Black Scoters

The location of breeding and molting areas of some seaduck species is uncertain, and little is known of seaducks' migrational paths and of habitats used during migration, breeding, and molting. The black scoter is of special concern among the seaducks, because it is both the least common of the three scoter species and the least studied. The Continental Technical Team of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan's Sea Duck Joint Venture recommended that research on this species be conducted to learn more about black scoter movements and to delineate its breeding and molting areas. The team received funding to implant satellite transmitters on this species in Baie des Chaleurs and Restigouche River in New Brunswick, Canada, with the purpose of delineating populations and identifying habitat affinities for staging, breeding, and molting

New Brunswick, Quebec↗
USGS2002

The U.S. Geological Survey and the Chesapeake Bay – The role of science in environmental restoration

The Chesapeake Bay is the Nation's largest estuary and historically supported one of the most productive fisheries in the world. In addition to supporting aquatic communities and wildlife, the bay's watershed serves the economic and recreational needs of 15 million people. The fertile soils of the watershed support significant agricultural production. Unfortunately, the commercial, economic, and recreational value of the bay and its watershed has been degraded by poor water quality, loss of habitat, and overharvesting of living resources. Since the early 1980's, the Chesapeake Bay Program, which is a partnership among Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, the Federal Government, and the Chesapeake Bay Commission, has been formulating and implementing restoration goals to restore living resources, minimize habitat loss, and reduce the amount of nutrients, sediment, and toxic substances entering the bay. The U.S. Geological Survey has the critical role of providing unbiased scientific information to be used in helping to formulate, implement, and assess the effectiveness of restoration goals in the bay and its watershed.

Chesapeake Bay watershed↗
USGS1977

Lead and PCB's in canvasback ducks: Relationship between enzyme levels and residues in blood

Blood samples were taken for two successive years from canvasback ducks trapped in the Chesapeake Bay. The first winter (1972–1973) five plasma enzymes known to respond to organochlorine poisoning were examined. Abnormal enzyme elevations suggested that 20% of the population sampled (23/115 ducks) might contain organochlorine contaminants, but no residue analyses were performed. The second winter (1974) two of the same enzymes, aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase, and a third enzyme known to be specifically inhibited by lead, delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase, were assayed in 95 blood samples. Blood residues of organochlorine compounds and of lead were determined in representative samples, and the correlations between residue levels and enzyme changes were examined. The enzyme bioassays in 1974 indicated that lead was a more prevalent environmental contaminant than organochlorine compounds in canvasback ducks; 17% of the blood samples had less than one-half of the normal delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity, but only 11% exhibited abnormal aspartate aminotransferase or lactate dehydrogenase activities. These findings were confirmed by residue analyses that demonstrated lead concentrations four times higher than background levels, but only relatively low organochlorine concentrations. There was a highly significant inverse correlation between delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity and blood lead concentrations (P<0.01), and a weaker but significant correlation between plasma aspartate aminotransferase activity and blood PCB concentrations (P<0.05). It was apparent that delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity in the blood provided a sensitive and precise estimate of lead contamination in waterfowl. In canvasback ducks 200 ppb of lead in the blood caused a 75% decrease in delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity, a magnitude of enzyme inhibition that disturbs heme synthesis and is regarded as detrimental in humans.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗