Quantifying variability in the colour of breeding ornamentation within a population of adult Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica) on Machias Seal Island, Canada

dc.contributor.advisorMajor, Heather
dc.contributor.authorCormier, Tabatha
dc.date.accessioned2023-06-07T21:22:56Z
dc.date.available2023-06-07T21:22:56Z
dc.date.issued2020
dc.description.abstractThe Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is an iconic seabird in the North Atlantic, due to its’ colourful feet and bill. Puffins shed their ornamentation and become drab in colour at the end of every breeding season in preparation for overwintering at sea, only to rebuild ornamentation the following spring. This study was the first to quantify colouration in breeding ornamentation of the Atlantic Puffin as a measure of individual quality and variability within a population. The coefficient of variation among six regions of ornamentation measured in this study ranged from 10.09% to 34.13% across three colour sensors (RGB) and brightness for the population (n=44). A positive relationship between individual brightness of ornamentation and body mass was found in four out of the six regions. These preliminary findings set the groundwork for further analysis concerning the relationship between colour intensity of breeding ornamentation and individual quality in the Atlantic Puffin.
dc.description.copyrightThis work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.
dc.format.extentviii, 34 pages
dc.format.mediumelectronic
dc.identifier.urihttps://unbscholar.lib.unb.ca/handle/1882/35693
dc.language.isoen_CA
dc.publisherUniversity of New Brunswick
dc.rightshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_16ec
dc.subject.disciplineBiology
dc.titleQuantifying variability in the colour of breeding ornamentation within a population of adult Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica) on Machias Seal Island, Canada
dc.typesenior report
thesis.degree.disciplineBiology
thesis.degree.fullnameBachelor of Science with Honours in Biology
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of New Brunswick
thesis.degree.levelundergraduate
thesis.degree.nameB.Sc.

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