D+amsterdamensis

By: Marjolein Zijdel
 * The Amsterdam Albatross or D iomedea **** Amsterdamensis **



Kingdom: //Animalia// Phylum: //Chordata// Class: //Aves// Order: //Procellariiformes// Family: //Diomedeidae// Genus: //Diomedea// Species: // Amsterdamensis //
 * Animal Classification**

The Amsterdam albatross was assessed as critically endangered on the IUCN red list in the year 2008. The justification for why they were placed in the critically endangered section of the list was its extremely small population. There are not many of these birds and they don’t really travel farther than their island. The bird population is doing its best to get an increase in birds, but disease is causing more and more chick mortality and they can’t lay eggs as fast. That is why the Amsterdam Albatross is on the critically endangered list right now.
 * Endangered Species Act**



**Location of Ecosystem** The Amsterdam Albatross don’t really live in one particular area because the soar on the wind currents around the world, but they breed in one particular area. That are is Amsterdam Island which is located in the Indian Ocean. An estimate of the latitude is about -27 and an estimate of longitude is 68 but the Albatross spreads over a tiny area around those coordinates. The albatross is obviously not benthic, planktonic, or deep water because it lives on the winds currents and breeds on an island.

**Physical Habitat Features** The Amsterdam Albatross is an endemic animal that lives on Amsterdam Island. The island is volcanic but hasn’t been active for about 217 years. The temperature is an annual mild, oceanic temperature of about 55 % in Fahrenheit. There are high levels of humidity and persistent winds from the west. The Asiatic Monsoon and the atmosphere’s anticyclonic circulation influence the Indian Ocean’s currents. There are four main currents in the Indian Ocean and they are the North Equatorial current, the Mozambique current, the Alguhas stream, and the West Wind Drift current. The North Equatorial current flows from east to west, and when it reaches Africa’s coast, it turns southward, crosses the equator and becomes the Mozambique current. The Mozambique flows south along the east coast of Africa to the equator where it becomes the Alguhas stream. The Alguhas flows westward along the southern coast of Madagascar and it joins the Mozambique along the east coast of Africa. It then flows southward towards the tip of Africa where it partly joins up with the West Wind Drift current. This last current flows across the Indian Ocean to Australia where it then splits and goes along east along the southern coast, and north along the western coast. The overall salinity of the Indian Ocean surface waters is between 32 and 37 parts per thousand but it has some large differences locally. The Arabian Sea has a high-salinity layer of about 37 parts per thousand, while the salinity of the Bay of Bengal is usually less then 32 parts per thousand because of fresh water drainage from rivers. The Southern Hemisphere (between 25° and 35° S) also has a higher surface salinity of greater than 35 parts per thousand, while the area (along the hydrological boundary of 10° S) between Indonesia to Madagascar has a lower salinity. There are usually cyclones that bring a lot of rain around the northern Indian Ocean, and they are usually a low to moderate intensity. These tropical cyclones are generally low-pressure atmospheric circulations in this area. They generally have anticlockwise rotating winds in the northern hemisphere and clockwise rotating winds in the southern hemisphere. The annual surface temperature during the summer is higher in the eastern part of the ocean. The Bay of Bengal has a maximum temperature of 82 °F and the minimum temperature is about 72 °F in the area of Cape Gwardafuy, which is the Horn of Africa. In the southern part of the Indian Ocean, the temperature ranges from 72 to 75 °F near Antarctica. Near the equator, the temperatures can get up to 82 °F. In the winter, the surface temperature can be about 72 to 73 °F in the northern part of the Arabian Sea and about 77 °F in the Bay of Bengal. The temperature at 20 °S, the temperature ranges between 72 to 75 °F, 57 to 61 °F around the 40th parallel, and 30 to 32 °F around the coast of Antarctica. There are different migration patterns among the non breeding albatrosses and the breeding ones, but other factors also play a role in the migration patterns, such as status-related, sex-specific, and individual variation. Some albatross returned to the same region every year around the same time but sometimes they passed it by. Females seemed to be farther north and in other areas, males were only present, so there is also sex-related variation. They also think that the timing of movements and the distribution of albatrosses among different areas might have to do with the avoidance of competition from other populations as well. So, in conclusion, there are a lot of factors that decide migration patterns.
 * Migration Patterns **



The number of birds that are left in the Amsterdam albatross population is stunning. Right now the population consists of about 130 birds and only approximately 80 of them are mature adults, which means a little more than half can care for themselves and lay eggs and breed, but the other half can’t do as much of this yet. Also, within the 130 birds, there are only 18 to 25 pairs of birds that are breeding annually. Then they only lay egg, so that is only an increase of 18 to 25 birds, and there is a lot of chick mortality. The survival trend for the Amsterdam albatross is unfortunately decreasing. It is decreasing because a lot of their chicks are dying from disease and they don’t have enough other birds to breed as quickly or as many birds. They are continuously living they were they always do but it is not helping their population growth and therefore the trend is decreasing.
 * Population Estimates of Species**
 * Survival Trends of Species**

The Amsterdam albatross are an extremely large albatross, and an albatross is any of several large-footed birds that are in the family Diomedeidae. They all have a hooked beak and long narrow wings. Adult Amsterdam albatross have a chocolate-brown colored upper part, a white face and throat, a broad brown breast-band, a white belly, and a brown under-tail. The under-wing of the bird is white with a darkish tip. Amsterdam albatrosses usually range in length from 107 to 122 centimeters long, and they usually way between 4.8 and 8 kilograms. In order for the Amsterdam albatross to reproduce, they have to breed first, and they do that specifically at the Plateau des Tourbieres on Amsterdam Island, which is located in the southern part of the Indian Ocean. Males arrive at Amsterdam Island first and then the females arrive to nest as a pair in February and March. The female then lays one egg, and both parents incubate it. They took turns, so one week the male will incubate it and then the next week the female will. Then after 80 days the chick hatches. It is then brooded, or protected by its parent’s wings, for about a month and then it is fledged, or in other words it is raised until it can fly. They are fledged after about 235 days. At first, the chick is fed every three days, and with its enormous weight gain, it will weigh more than its parents. After the brooding and fledging, the Amsterdam albatross are on their own. They are eventually sexually mature, which is around 9 years of age, but they usually return to Amsterdam Island before they begin breeding. The average life expectancy of these birds is between to 30 and 40.
 * Appearance of Species**
 * Reproduction**


 * Animal Anatomy and Physiology **
 * 1) The Albatross has the longest wings in nature. Their wings can be up to eleven and a half feet long and they can glide on these wings for hundreds of miles without flapping once.
 * 2) They are spatula-footed and their feet are not really used for marching but more for waddling. They really only need their feet when they are waddling to their breeding spot on Amsterdam Island.
 * 3) As described in the National Geographic, Albatrosses have “softball-seized heads with signature black brow stripes above their eyes.”
 * 4) The beaks of Albatrosses are called their bills and they are about four-inches long, and are pastel mustard colored or a translucent pink color and at the end of the bill is a hooked tip that is usually a rosy blush color.
 * 5) An albatross’s heart rate nearly always stays the same. Since they are so adapted to soaring, their heart rate differs slightly when they are in the air from when they are resting.
 * 6) Scientists have found that some albatross’s eyes are richly endowed with rhodopsin. This is a photosensitive chemical that is involved with nocturnal vision, or the ability to see at night in the dark.
 * 7) The albatrosses have very soft white feathers that were once highly prized. Other than feathers, the albatrosses also have downy skin near their breast.
 * 8) An Albatross is a lot more intelligent then most birds and it has a lot more daring nerve. If we were to replace an albatross’ brain for a seagull’s brain, the animal would quickly lose all of its energy because it would be flapping its wings so hard, and they do this because they wouldn’t know how to glide on the different wind currents.
 * 9) The muscles are also very interesting when it comes to Albatrosses. They have slow tonic and slow twitch muscle fibers that are specialized in sustaining contractions with a high fatigue resistance. This is how they are able to glide so much and so long.
 * 10) Albatrosses have a locking mechanism at their shoulder. When dissections were performed, scientists found that the shoulder is composed of a “tendinous sheet that extends from origin to insertion throughout the length of the deep layer of the pectoralis muscle.” This is how an albatross can maintain the horizontal wing span while gliding.



Scientists that study the Amsterdam Albatross don’t know exactly what the albatross eat but they think they eat cephalopods, crustaceans, and some sorts of fish, but they can’t tell you exactly what kind of fish that is. Albatrosses have predators though, and there are some animals that like to prey and eat them or their eggs. These animals are mice, feral cats, whale sharks, and humans. So, the Amsterdam Albatross are not on the top of the food chain but they are certainly not on the bottom either.
 * Food Chain and Food Web **

There is not really an economic importance of the Amsterdam Albatross. They only breed on Amsterdam Island and otherwise fly around the world, so tourism is not really a factor. Amsterdam Island is a small island that only includes a few breeding animals, and a few monitoring stations. Since the Amsterdam Albatrosses are a type of bird, there is obviously no economic importance related to fishery and there is no medical importance since they are not being tested medically. They are critically endangered and there are already very few birds, so that is why they are not being tested, and therefore, they are of no real economic importance. There are a few particular reasons why the Amsterdam Albatross is threatened. One of those things is the introduction of new animals on Amsterdam Island. Since there are new species on the island, such as cattle and feral cats, the range of the Albatross and population across the island has decreased. Another reason these birds are threatened is because there is human activity that may be harming them. Their population could have declined in the 1970s and 1980s when they interacted with the fisheries around the island, but it is also said that humans are starting fires that are destroying the birds and destroying the vegetation on the island. The last thing that scientists think are destroying or killing the birds is certain disease such as avian cholera and //Erysipelothrix rhusiopathidae.// The research that has been done on these birds definitely shows that chick mortality over the years is due to some of these diseases but they don’t know specifics. Scientists and the others are concerned for the well-being of the Amsterdam Albatross, and although they are now critically endangered, they could be extinct in a few years if nothing is done to help them. So, there are organizations that monitor the birds every year. In 1987, we built a fence to try and seal off part of the island for the birds and so that the cattle could be reduced to one area. A second fence was built in 1992 with the goal of completely blocking off and protecting the high plateau of the island from cattle because that is a popular nesting spot for the Amsterdam Albatross. There is nothing we can really do to prevent disease, but a continued monitoring of the population will allow seeing if they are affected further. There will also be organizations promoting the adoption of “best-practice mitigation” at fisheries that are within distance of albatross breeding grounds, or just improving their interaction with the birds to protect the ones that are still alive at this point. Organizations that are monitoring them and helping them are the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS), and also the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP). These two organizations will strive towards protecting these migratory animals and conserving or restoring their natural habitat and controlling the factors that are endangering them.
 * Economic Importance of Species **
 * Threats and Reason for Endangerment **
 * Conservation Efforts **

**Solutions** There are many things that are being done right now to try and save the Amsterdam Albatross, but I also have my own ideas of what might be good solutions. Works Cited ** “Albatrosses.” Avian Web. Accessed at June 14, 2009 at < [] .>
 * 1) I think that we should take two or three pairs of Amsterdam Albatrosses that have obviously already formed a connection and put them in a research center or zoo type area where a large cage will be built for them that contains their own temperature and make it look like Amsterdam Island. I would also include a way out of the cage so that the albatrosses can fly and soar the way they do and then they could go back to their proactive area to breed. This zoo type place would have to be near the Indian Ocean so that it is not to far from the albatross’s original breeding ground.
 * 2) I think there should be some kind of small center on Amsterdam Island that is consisted of part time living quarters, and a research and protection section of the center that is designated to the safety of the albatross. Scientists would periodically live in the center and study the birds and try to make conditions easier if a problem arises.
 * 3) Maybe we could try and move the other animals of the island and put them somewhere else that has similar island conditions. Then the albatross would have their own space back and they could breed more easily. We could also test for diseases and see if we could come up with a cure for those diseases in the birds.

“Albatrosses.” Treasures of the Sea. Accessed June 14, 2009 at < [] .>

“Amsterdam Albatross.” Arkive, Images of Life on Earth. Accessed June 14, 2009 at < [] .> “Amsterdam Albatross.” ACAP. Accessed June 14, 2009 at < [] .>

“Anatomy and Histochemistry of Spread-Wing Posture in Birds.” Journal of Morphology. Accessed June 14, 2009 at < [] .>

Australian Stamp & Coin Coy Pty. Ltd. 2003. "The Royal Albatross." Accessed June 14, 2009 at <  .>

BirdLife International 2008. //Diomedea amsterdamensis//. In: IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.1. < [|www.iucnredlist.org] >.

===“Cyclones in the Indian Ocean: Facts and figures.” Scidev.net. Accessed June 14, 2009 at === < [] .>

“Diomedea Epomophora.” Animal Diversity Web. Accessed June 14, 2009 at <[].>

“ Docked Or Accreted Indian Ocean Fracture Ridges Along The Sumatra Subduction Zone Northern Tip.” Physics Abstract Services. Accessed June 14, 2009 at < [] .>

“Indian Oceans Volcanoes and Volcanics.” USGS. Accessed at June 14, 2009 at < [] .>

Lindsey, Theresa. __Albatrosses__. Accessed June 14, 2009 at < [] .>

= "Ring of Fire", Plate Tectonics, Sea-Floor Spreading, Subduction Zones, "Hot Spots.” USGS. Accessed at June 14, 2009 at < [] .>   =    Science Direct.“Risks of decline and extinction of the endangered Amsterdam albatross and the projected impact of long-line fisheries.” Accessed June 14, 2009 at   <[].>

“Summer Distribution and Migration of Nonbreeding Albatrosses: Individual Consistencies and implications for Conservation.” Ecology. Accessed June 14, 2009 at  < [] .>

“What is an albatross?” Wise Geek. Accessed June 14, 2009 at < [] .>

“Wings of the Albatross.” National Geographic. Accessed June 14, 2009 at < [] .>

[] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
 * Works Cited For Pictures **
 * The Three Questions You Must Answer **
 * 1) How can the Amsterdam Albatross or any Albatross for that matter soar on the wind’s currents for so long?
 * 2) At this moment, how many Amsterdam Albatross birds are there still living today and out of that, how many are adult albatrosses and mature?
 * 3) What are the four main currents that make up the Indian Ocean Currents, and what are some countries they reach?