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How king penguins advertise their sexual maturity. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Garcia Párraga D, Moore M, Fahlman A. Pulmonary ventilation-perfusion mismatch: a novel hypothesis for how diving vertebrates may avoid the bends. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20180482. [PMID: 29695441 PMCID: PMC5936736 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrostatic lung compression in diving marine mammals, with collapsing alveoli blocking gas exchange at depth, has been the main theoretical basis for limiting N2 uptake and avoiding gas emboli (GE) as they ascend. However, studies of beached and bycaught cetaceans and sea turtles imply that air-breathing marine vertebrates may, under unusual circumstances, develop GE that result in decompression sickness (DCS) symptoms. Theoretical modelling of tissue and blood gas dynamics of breath-hold divers suggests that changes in perfusion and blood flow distribution may also play a significant role. The results from the modelling work suggest that our current understanding of diving physiology in many species is poor, as the models predict blood and tissue N2 levels that would result in severe DCS symptoms (chokes, paralysis and death) in a large fraction of natural dive profiles. In this review, we combine published results from marine mammals and turtles to propose alternative mechanisms for how marine vertebrates control gas exchange in the lung, through management of the pulmonary distribution of alveolar ventilation ([Formula: see text]) and cardiac output/lung perfusion ([Formula: see text]), varying the level of [Formula: see text] in different regions of the lung. Man-made disturbances, causing stress, could alter the [Formula: see text] mismatch level in the lung, resulting in an abnormally elevated uptake of N2, increasing the risk for GE. Our hypothesis provides avenues for new areas of research, offers an explanation for how sonar exposure may alter physiology causing GE and provides a new mechanism for how air-breathing marine vertebrates usually avoid the diving-related problems observed in human divers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael Moore
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Andreas Fahlman
- Fundación Oceanogràfic, Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, 46013 Valencia, Spain
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Viblanc VA, Gineste B, Robin JP, Groscolas R. Breeding status affects the hormonal and metabolic response to acute stress in a long-lived seabird, the king penguin. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2016; 236:139-145. [PMID: 27449343 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Revised: 07/17/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Stress responses are suggested to physiologically underlie parental decisions promoting the redirection of behaviour away from offspring care when survival is jeopardized (e.g., when facing a predator). Besides this classical view, the "brood-value hypothesis" suggests that parents' stress responses may be adaptively attenuated to increase fitness, ensuring continued breeding when the relative value of the brood is high. Here, we test the brood-value hypothesis in breeding king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus), long-lived seabirds for which the energy commitment to reproduction is high. We subjected birds at different breeding stages (courtship, incubation and chick brooding) to an acute 30-min capture stress and measured their hormonal (corticosterone, CORT) and metabolic (non-esterified fatty acid, NEFA) responses to stress. We found that CORT responses were markedly attenuated in chick-brooding birds when compared to earlier stages of breeding (courtship and incubation). In addition, NEFA responses appeared to be rapidly attenuated in incubating and brooding birds, but a progressive increase in NEFA plasma levels in courting birds suggested energy mobilization to deal with the threat. Our results support the idea that stress responses may constitute an important life-history mechanism mediating parental reproductive decisions in relation to their expected fitness outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent A Viblanc
- Université de Strasbourg, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie (DEPE), 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France; CNRS, UMR7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France.
| | - Benoit Gineste
- Université de Strasbourg, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie (DEPE), 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France; CNRS, UMR7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Jean-Patrice Robin
- Université de Strasbourg, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie (DEPE), 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France; CNRS, UMR7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - René Groscolas
- Université de Strasbourg, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie (DEPE), 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France; CNRS, UMR7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France
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Clements J, Sanchez JN. Creation and validation of a novel body condition scoring method for the magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) in the zoo setting. Zoo Biol 2015; 34:538-46. [DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2015] [Revised: 07/20/2015] [Accepted: 08/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Julie Clements
- San Francisco Zoological Society; Registered Veterinary Technician; San Francisco California
| | - Jessica N. Sanchez
- University of California Davis; School of Veterinary Medicine; Davis California
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Bordier C, Saraux C, Viblanc VA, Gachot-Neveu H, Beaugey M, Le Maho Y, Le Bohec C. Inter-Annual Variability of Fledgling Sex Ratio in King Penguins. PLoS One 2014; 9:e114052. [PMID: 25493708 PMCID: PMC4262204 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2014] [Accepted: 10/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
As the number of breeding pairs depends on the adult sex ratio in a monogamous species with biparental care, investigating sex-ratio variability in natural populations is essential to understand population dynamics. Using 10 years of data (2000–2009) in a seasonally monogamous seabird, the king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus), we investigated the annual sex ratio at fledging, and the potential environmental causes for its variation. Over more than 4000 birds, the annual sex ratio at fledging was highly variable (ranging from 44.4% to 58.3% of males), and on average slightly biased towards males (51.6%). Yearly variation in sex-ratio bias was neither related to density within the colony, nor to global or local oceanographic conditions known to affect both the productivity and accessibility of penguin foraging areas. However, rising sea surface temperature coincided with an increase in fledging sex-ratio variability. Fledging sex ratio was also correlated with difference in body condition between male and female fledglings. When more males were produced in a given year, their body condition was higher (and reciprocally), suggesting that parents might adopt a sex-biased allocation strategy depending on yearly environmental conditions and/or that the effect of environmental parameters on chick condition and survival may be sex-dependent. The initial bias in sex ratio observed at the juvenile stage tended to return to 1∶1 equilibrium upon first breeding attempts, as would be expected from Fisher’s classic theory of offspring sex-ratio variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Célia Bordier
- Université de Strasbourg, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Laboratoire International Associé LIA-647 BioSensib, Strasbourg, France
- CNRS, UMR-7178, LIA-647 BioSensib, Strasbourg, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Claire Saraux
- Université de Strasbourg, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Laboratoire International Associé LIA-647 BioSensib, Strasbourg, France
- CNRS, UMR-7178, LIA-647 BioSensib, Strasbourg, France
- AgroParisTech ENGREF, Paris, France
- IFREMER – UMR 212– Ecosystème Marin Exploité, Sète, France
| | - Vincent A. Viblanc
- Université de Strasbourg, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Laboratoire International Associé LIA-647 BioSensib, Strasbourg, France
- CNRS, UMR-7178, LIA-647 BioSensib, Strasbourg, France
- Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Equipe Ecologie Comportementale, UMR 5175 CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Hélène Gachot-Neveu
- Université de Strasbourg, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Laboratoire International Associé LIA-647 BioSensib, Strasbourg, France
- CNRS, UMR-7178, LIA-647 BioSensib, Strasbourg, France
| | - Magali Beaugey
- Université de Strasbourg, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Laboratoire International Associé LIA-647 BioSensib, Strasbourg, France
- CNRS, UMR-7178, LIA-647 BioSensib, Strasbourg, France
| | - Yvon Le Maho
- Université de Strasbourg, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Laboratoire International Associé LIA-647 BioSensib, Strasbourg, France
- CNRS, UMR-7178, LIA-647 BioSensib, Strasbourg, France
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, LIA-647 BioSensib, Principality of Monaco
| | - Céline Le Bohec
- Université de Strasbourg, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Laboratoire International Associé LIA-647 BioSensib, Strasbourg, France
- CNRS, UMR-7178, LIA-647 BioSensib, Strasbourg, France
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, LIA-647 BioSensib, Principality of Monaco
- University of Oslo, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, Blindern, Norway
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Viblanc VA, Bize P, Criscuolo F, Le Vaillant M, Saraux C, Pardonnet S, Gineste B, Kauffmann M, Prud'homme O, Handrich Y, Massemin S, Groscolas R, Robin JP. Body girth as an alternative to body mass for establishing condition indexes in field studies: a validation in the king penguin. Physiol Biochem Zool 2012; 85:533-42. [PMID: 22902382 DOI: 10.1086/667540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Body mass and body condition are often tightly linked to animal health and fitness in the wild and thus are key measures for ecophysiologists and behavioral ecologists. In some animals, such as large seabird species, obtaining indexes of structural size is relatively easy, whereas measuring body mass under specific field circumstances may be more of a challenge. Here, we suggest an alternative, easily measurable, and reliable surrogate of body mass in field studies, that is, body girth. Using 234 free-living king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) at various stages of molt and breeding, we measured body girth under the flippers, body mass, and bill and flipper length. We found that body girth was strongly and positively related to body mass in both molting (R(2) = 0.91) and breeding (R(2) = 0.73) birds, with the mean error around our predictions being 6.4%. Body girth appeared to be a reliable proxy measure of body mass because the relationship did not vary according to year and experimenter, bird sex, or stage within breeding groups. Body girth was, however, a weak proxy of body mass in birds at the end of molt, probably because most of those birds had reached a critical depletion of energy stores. Body condition indexes established from ordinary least squares regressions of either body girth or body mass on structural size were highly correlated (r(s) = 0.91), suggesting that body girth was as good as body mass in establishing body condition indexes in king penguins. Body girth may prove a useful proxy to body mass for estimating body condition in field investigations and could likely provide similar information in other penguins and large animals that may be complicated to weigh in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent A Viblanc
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Saraux C, Viblanc VA, Hanuise N, Le Maho Y, Le Bohec C. Effects of individual pre-fledging traits and environmental conditions on return patterns in juvenile king penguins. PLoS One 2011; 6:e20407. [PMID: 21687715 PMCID: PMC3110628 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2011] [Accepted: 04/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the importance of early life stages in individuals' life history and population dynamics, very few studies have focused on the constraints to which these juvenile traits are subjected. Based on 10 years of automatic monitoring of over 2500 individuals, we present the first study on the effects of environmental conditions and individual pre-fledging traits on the post-fledging return of non-banded king penguins to their natal colony. Juvenile king penguins returned exclusively within one of the three austral summers following their departure. A key finding is that return rates (range 68-87%) were much higher than previously assumed for this species, importantly meaning that juvenile survival is very close to that of adults. Such high figures suggest little juvenile dispersal, and selection occurring mostly prior to fledging in king penguins. Pre-fledging conditions had a strong quadratic impact on juvenile return rates. As expected, cohorts reared under very unfavourable years (as inferred by the breeding success of the colony) exhibited low return rates but surprisingly, so did those fledged under very favourable conditions. Juvenile sojourns away from the colony were shorter under warm conditions and subsequent return rates higher, suggesting a positive effect of climate warming. The longer the post-fledging trip (1, 2 or 3 years), the earlier in the summer birds returned to their natal colony and the longer they stayed before leaving for the winter journey. The presence of juveniles in the colony was more than twice the duration required for moulting purposes, yet none attempted breeding in the year of their first return. Juvenile presence in the colony may be important for acquiring knowledge on the social and physical colonial environment and may play an important part in the learning process of mating behaviour. Further studies are required to investigate its potential implications on other life-history traits such as recruitment age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Saraux
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
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Fort J, Porter WP, Grémillet D. Energetic modelling: A comparison of the different approaches used in seabirds. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2011; 158:358-65. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2010.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2010] [Revised: 05/05/2010] [Accepted: 05/05/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Groscolas R, Viera V, Guerin N, Handrich Y, Côté SD. Heart rate as a predictor of energy expenditure in undisturbed fasting and incubating penguins. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 213:153-60. [PMID: 20008372 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.033720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Heart rate (f(H)) measurement offers the possibility to monitor energy expenditure (EE) in wild animals if the EE/f(H) relationship for the species, physiological stages and activities of interest is known. This relationship has been extensively studied using oxygen consumption rate ( ) measurement in captive, repeatedly handled king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus). Unfortunately, the potential effects of stress on the observed relationships resulting from handling and confinement were not considered. This study is the first involving undisturbed animals, and determines the EE/f(H) relationship in naturally fasting and freely incubating or captivity-acclimatized male and female king penguins. EE determination was based on (1) the measurement of body mass loss during periods of phase II fasting, and (2) the calculation of its energy equivalent from changes in body composition, i.e. 23.9 kJ g(-1). f(H) levels in freely incubating and captivity-acclimatized birds were found to be 50-70% lower than those previously reported for resting king penguins during measurements. Significant EE/f(H) relationships were found in freely incubating and captive males and females (R(2)=0.59 to 0.84), with no difference observed between genders. The best overall relationship was obtained by including fasting duration (t, days) in the model: EE=818+43.7xf(H)+36.3t-1.4txf(H) (R(2)=0.91). This equation yielded EE estimates approximately 26% higher than the previously reported 'best' predictive equation in king penguins, and even more so when f(H) was low. This result suggests that stress induces a disproportionate increase of f(H) vs O(2) consumption, and that the use of EE/f(H) relationships obtained in stressed birds could lead to underestimated EE values.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Groscolas
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Département d'Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, UMR 7178, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg Cedex 02, France.
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Halsey L, Shepard E, Quintana F, Gomez Laich A, Green J, Wilson R. The relationship between oxygen consumption and body acceleration in a range of species. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2009; 152:197-202. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2008.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2008] [Revised: 09/22/2008] [Accepted: 09/22/2008] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Halsey LG, White CR, Fahlman A, Handrich Y, Butler PJ. Onshore energetics in penguins: Theory, estimation and ecological implications. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2007; 147:1009-14. [PMID: 17467320 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2007.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2006] [Revised: 03/08/2007] [Accepted: 03/08/2007] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Penguins are known to have high pedestrian locomotory costs in comparison to other cursorial birds, but the ecological consequences of this difference have received limited attention. Here we present a method for the accurate estimation of onshore energetics based on measurements of body mass, simple morphometrics and distance moved. The method is shown to be similarly accurate to other field-based estimates of energy expenditure, but has the advantage of logistical simplicity. King penguins spend 30-50% of their time ashore and may walk distances of several kilometres to and from their breeding colonies. However, in such cases the total energetic cost of pedestrian locomotion is estimated to be only 1.0% of the energy expended whilst ashore. Thus, despite a high instantaneous cost, pedestrian locomotion is a small and possibly negligible component of total energy turnover in king penguins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lewis G Halsey
- Centre for Ornithology, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston B15 2TT UK.
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Halsey LG, Fahlman A, Handrich Y, Schmidt A, Woakes AJ, Butler PJ. How accurately can we estimate energetic costs in a marine top predator, the king penguin? ZOOLOGY 2007; 110:81-92. [PMID: 17363231 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2006.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2006] [Revised: 09/02/2006] [Accepted: 09/04/2006] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) are one of the greatest consumers of marine resources. However, while their influence on the marine ecosystem is likely to be significant, only an accurate knowledge of their energy demands will indicate their true food requirements. Energy consumption has been estimated for many marine species using the heart rate-rate of oxygen consumption (f(H) - V(O2)) technique, and the technique has been applied successfully to answer eco-physiological questions. However, previous studies on the energetics of king penguins, based on developing or applying this technique, have raised a number of issues about the degree of validity of the technique for this species. These include the predictive validity of the present f(H) - V(O2) equations across different seasons and individuals and during different modes of locomotion. In many cases, these issues also apply to other species for which the f(H) - V(O2) technique has been applied. In the present study, the accuracy of three prediction equations for king penguins was investigated based on validity studies and on estimates of V(O2) from published, field f(H) data. The major conclusions from the present study are: (1) in contrast to that for walking, the f(H) - V(O2) relationship for swimming king penguins is not affected by body mass; (2) prediction equation (1), log(V(O2) = -0.279 + 1.24log(f(H) + 0.0237t - 0.0157log(f(H)t, derived in a previous study, is the most suitable equation presently available for estimating V(O2) in king penguins for all locomotory and nutritional states. A number of possible problems associated with producing an f(H) - V(O2) relationship are discussed in the present study. Finally, a statistical method to include easy-to-measure morphometric characteristics, which may improve the accuracy of f(H) - V(O2) prediction equations, is explained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lewis G Halsey
- Centre for Ornithology, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston B15 2TT, UK.
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