Ecosystem services provided by seabirds: what projections can we make from waterbirds in general?

To facilitate conservation efforts and wise-use decisions about marine resource use there is an urgent need to further the understanding of what ecosystem services are provided by true seabirds, and to establish methodologies for quantifying the values of these services. Recent reviews address ecosystem services for birds in general (Wenny et al 2011) and for waterbirds (Green & Elmberg 2014), but such analyses are still much needed for the true seabirds. I will use insights from previous general reviews to outline research needs, shortcuts, generalities, projections, and pitfalls in the study of ecosystem services in true seabirds. In doing so, I will contrast previous knowledge and current knowledge gaps with characteristics unique for many seabirds, e.g. small population size, highly localized (vulnerable) breeding sites, extreme mobility, K-selected life histories, bycatch mortality and methodological problems associated with studying them.