Understanding how ecological communities respond to changes in environmental conditions across time is paramount to conservation management. Insights derived from temporal studies have the potential to identify drivers of change and shape appropriate management responses, but they can also help to improve biological models that forecast changes in habitat and demography.
In this study, we assess temporal changes in abundance and richness of a seabird community off Southern Australia. Utilising generalised additive models, this study uses almost four decades of citizen science data to assess temporal shifts in a seabird communities’ richness and species abundance in response to environmental change.
Our findings present the first community-wide assessment of seabirds off the Southern Australian coastline, presenting valuable insights for future conservation action.