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Danel S, Rebout N, Bureau L, Zidat T, Biro D, Bonadonna F. Responses to novelty in wild insular birds: comparing breeding populations in ecologically contrasting habitats. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:4. [PMID: 38429425 PMCID: PMC10907422 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01838-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Islands have always provided ideal natural laboratories for assessing ecological parameters influencing behaviour. One hypothesis that lends itself well to testing in island habitats suggests that animals frequenting highly variable environments should be motivated to approach and interact with (i.e. explore) novelty. Intra-species comparisons of populations living in ecologically different island habitats may, thus, help reveal the factors that modulate animals' responses to novelty. In this study, we presented novel objects to two geographically isolated breeding populations of the black-faced sheathbill (Chionis minor), a sedentary land-based bird that frequents remote sub-Antarctic islands. In the first population (Chionis minor ssp. crozettensis), the "Crozet group" (Baie du Marin, Ile de la Possession, Crozet Islands), breeding pairs inhabit a variable habitat close to penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) colonies. In the second population (Chionis minor ssp. minor), the "Kerguelen group" (île Verte, Morbihan gulf, Kerguelen Islands) breeding pairs live in penguin-free territories. In this latter population, the environment is less variable due to the presence of a broad intertidal zone which ensures year-round food availability. At both Kerguelen and Crozet, at least one breeding partner in all pairs approached at least one of the novel objects, and we found no significant differences in the latency of approach between the two populations. However, sheathbills at Crozet touched objects significantly more than birds at Kerguelen, and were also faster to touch them. We discuss how environmental variability, along with other potential influencing factors, may favour exploration of novelty in this wild insular bird.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samara Danel
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA.
| | - Nancy Rebout
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, UMR Herbivores, 63122, Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France
| | - Léna Bureau
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Timothée Zidat
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Dora Biro
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
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The foraging ecology of invasive black rats (Rattus rattus) differs in two nearby islands in a dry tropical archipelago in Brazil. Biol Invasions 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02975-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Pomeda-Gutiérrez F, Medina FM, Nogales M, Vargas P. Diet of the black rat ( Rattus rattus) in a Canary laurel forest: species identification based on morphological markers and DNA sequences. J NAT HIST 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1915400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Pomeda-Gutiérrez
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid (RJB-CSIC), Madrid, España
| | - Félix M. Medina
- Servicio de Medio Ambiente, Cabildo Insular de La Palma, Santa Cruz de La Palma, España
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología (IPNA-CSIC), La Laguna, España
| | - Manuel Nogales
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología (IPNA-CSIC), La Laguna, España
| | - Pablo Vargas
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid (RJB-CSIC), Madrid, España
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Carravieri A, Cherel Y, Brault-Favrou M, Churlaud C, Peluhet L, Labadie P, Budzinski H, Chastel O, Bustamante P. From Antarctica to the subtropics: Contrasted geographical concentrations of selenium, mercury, and persistent organic pollutants in skua chicks (Catharacta spp.). ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2017; 228:464-473. [PMID: 28570991 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.05.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2017] [Revised: 05/07/2017] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Seabirds integrate bioaccumulative contaminants via food intake and have revealed geographical trends of contamination in a variety of ecosystems. Pre-fledging seabird chicks are particularly interesting as bioindicators of chemical contamination, because concentrations in their tissues reflect primarily dietary sources from the local environment. Here we measured 14 trace elements and 18 persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in blood of chicks of skuas that breed in four sites encompassing a large latitudinal range within the southern Indian Ocean, from Antarctica (Adélie Land, south polar skua Catharacta maccormicki), through subantarctic areas (Crozet and Kerguelen Islands, brown skua C. lonnbergi), to the subtropics (Amsterdam Island, C. lonnbergi). Stables isotopes of carbon (δ13C, feeding habitat) and nitrogen (δ15N, trophic position) were also measured to control for the influence of feeding habits on contaminant burdens. Concentrations of mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) were very high at all the four sites, with Amsterdam birds having the highest concentrations ever reported in chicks worldwide (4.0 ± 0.8 and 646 ± 123 μg g-1 dry weight, respectively). Blood Hg concentrations showed a clear latitudinal pattern, increasing from chicks in Antarctica to chicks in the subantarctic and subtropical islands. Interestingly, blood Se concentrations showed similar between-population differences to Hg, suggesting its involvement in protective mechanisms against Hg toxicity. Chicks' POPs pattern was largely dominated by organochlorine pesticides, in particular DDT metabolites and hexachlorobenzene (HCB). Skua chicks from subantarctic islands presented high concentrations and diversity of POPs. By contrast, chicks from the Antarctic site overall had the lowest concentrations and diversity of both metallic and organic contaminants, with the exception of HCB and arsenic. Skua populations from these sites, being naturally exposed to different quantities of contaminants, are potentially good models for testing toxic effects in developing chicks in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Carravieri
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France.
| | - Yves Cherel
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Maud Brault-Favrou
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-Université de la Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Carine Churlaud
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-Université de la Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Laurent Peluhet
- CNRS, UMR 5805 EPOC (LPTC Research group), Université de Bordeaux, 351 Cours de la Libération, F 33405 Talence Cedex, France
| | - Pierre Labadie
- CNRS, UMR 5805 EPOC (LPTC Research group), Université de Bordeaux, 351 Cours de la Libération, F 33405 Talence Cedex, France
| | - Hélène Budzinski
- CNRS, UMR 5805 EPOC (LPTC Research group), Université de Bordeaux, 351 Cours de la Libération, F 33405 Talence Cedex, France
| | - Olivier Chastel
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Paco Bustamante
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-Université de la Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
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Vacher C, Tamaddoni-Nezhad A, Kamenova S, Peyrard N, Moalic Y, Sabbadin R, Schwaller L, Chiquet J, Smith MA, Vallance J, Fievet V, Jakuschkin B, Bohan DA. Learning Ecological Networks from Next-Generation Sequencing Data. ADV ECOL RES 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2015.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Hervías S, Ceia FR, Pipa T, Nogales M, de Ybáñez RR, Ramos JA. How important are seabirds in the diet of black rats on islands with a superpredator? ZOOLOGY 2014; 117:171-8. [PMID: 24726532 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2013.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2013] [Revised: 12/22/2013] [Accepted: 12/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This study assessed the impact of introduced black rats (Rattus rattus) on Cory's shearwater (Calonectris diomedea borealis) in a multi-invaded insular ecosystem where rats are mesopredators. We hypothesized that black rats should have little impact on Cory's shearwaters in the presence of cats as superpredators. Stomach contents and stable isotope analysis (SIA) in tissues of black rats were analyzed to assess the trophic ecology and the importance of Cory's shearwater in their diet. We also studied the isotopic signature in tissues of house mouse (Mus domesticus) to confirm previous data showing no predation of this species on Cory's shearwaters. For both rodent species, temporal variation in diet composition in response to the availability of seabird prey was evaluated, and short- and long-term consistency in diet was tested using different tissues from the same individual. For black rats a Bayesian isotope mixing model (SIAR) was applied to determine the relative contribution of each prey to the individual diet. SIA of mouse tissues varied between the Cory's shearwater breeding and non-breeding periods. However, no significant differences were found in diet and SIA for black rats. In contrast, individuals of both species showed a strong consistency in diet which apparently benefited their body condition index. Although black rats supplement their diet with Cory's shearwater eggs and chicks (8.3% in stomach contents and 10.6% in the SIAR model), their current impact on the Cory's shearwater population appears to be small, probably due to several factors including the small size of the rat population and a high level of rat predation by cats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Hervías
- Animal Health Department, Veterinary Faculty, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100 Espinardo, Murcia, Spain; Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group (IPNA-CSIC), Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez 3, 38206 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain; Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds, Avenida João Crisóstomo, 18-4°Dto, 1000-179 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Filipe R Ceia
- Marine and Environmental Research Center (IMAR/CMA), Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Apartado 3046, 3001-401 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Tânia Pipa
- Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds, Avenida João Crisóstomo, 18-4°Dto, 1000-179 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Manuel Nogales
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group (IPNA-CSIC), Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez 3, 38206 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Rocío Ruiz de Ybáñez
- Animal Health Department, Veterinary Faculty, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100 Espinardo, Murcia, Spain
| | - Jaime A Ramos
- Marine and Environmental Research Center (IMAR/CMA), Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Apartado 3046, 3001-401 Coimbra, Portugal
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Is Bocourt's terrific skink really so terrific? Trophic myth and reality. PLoS One 2013; 8:e78638. [PMID: 24205285 PMCID: PMC3808351 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0078638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2013] [Accepted: 09/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Many scientists argue that our planet is undergoing a mass extinction event that is largely due to human influences. In this context, rediscoveries of species presumed to be extinct are encouraging and of great potential interest. During a 2003 expedition to New Caledonia, Bocourt’s terrific skink, Phoboscincus bocourti, was unexpectedly rediscovered on a small islet by one of us. This skink species had been described from a single specimen collected around 1872 in New Caledonia. Since that time, however, no data on the species’ biology, trophic interactions, or role in the ecosystem have been collected, making it difficult to follow the established conservation plan. In this study, we used a multidisciplinary approach involving natural history, anatomy, morphology, genetics, and stable isotopes to elucidate the ecology of Bocourt’s terrific skink. Over the course of three different expeditions to the islet (total of 55 days across 2005 and 2012), we captured 4 individuals and observed another 4 individuals. The species’ dentition and trophic ecology suggest that it is a top predator in its ecosystem and a major consumer of small terrestrial reptiles. Its high degree of genetic relatedness to another New Caledonian skink, which has a broad distribution, suggests that P. bocourti underwent genetic isolation at a geographical remote location, where dispersal or colonization was highly improbable. Moreover, the lack of genetic variation among the four individuals we captured may imply that a unique lineage, characterized by few inter-island exchanges, exists on the islet. Bocourt’s terrific skink may be the largest terrestrial squamate predator alive in New Caledonia today. As a result, it is likely vulnerable to habitat modifications and especially the invasive rodents found on this islet. Further information is necessary to assess the conservation plans and practices in place as no concrete changes have been made since the species’ rediscovery almost 10 years ago.
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Shiels AB, Flores CA, Khamsing A, Krushelnycky PD, Mosher SM, Drake DR. Dietary niche differentiation among three species of invasive rodents (Rattus rattus, R. exulans, Mus musculus). Biol Invasions 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-012-0348-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Isotopic niche mirrors trophic niche in a vertebrate island invader. Oecologia 2012; 171:537-44. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-012-2423-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2011] [Accepted: 07/17/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Caut S, Angulo E, Pisanu B, Ruffino L, Faulquier L, Lorvelec O, Chapuis JL, Pascal M, Vidal E, Courchamp F. Seabird modulations of isotopic nitrogen on islands. PLoS One 2012; 7:e39125. [PMID: 22723945 PMCID: PMC3377609 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2012] [Accepted: 05/16/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The transport of nutrients by migratory animals across ecosystem boundaries can significantly enrich recipient food webs, thereby shaping the ecosystems' structure and function. To illustrate the potential role of islands in enabling the transfer of matter across ecosystem boundaries to be gauged, we investigated the influence of seabirds on nitrogen input on islands. Basing our study on four widely differing islands in terms of their biogeography and ecological characteristics, sampled at different spatial and temporal intervals, we analyzed the nitrogen isotopic values of the main terrestrial ecosystem compartments (vascular plants, arthropods, lizards and rodents) and their relationship to seabird values. For each island, the isotopic values of the ecosystem were driven by those of seabirds, which ultimately corresponded to changes in their marine prey. First, terrestrial compartments sampled within seabird colonies were the most enriched in δ(15)N compared with those collected at various distances outside colonies. Second, isotopic values of the whole terrestrial ecosystems changed over time, reflecting the values of seabirds and their prey, showing a fast turnover throughout the ecosystems. Our results demonstrate that seabird-derived nutrients not only spread across the terrestrial ecosystems and trophic webs, but also modulate their isotopic values locally and temporally on these islands. The wealth of experimental possibilities in insular ecosystems justifies greater use of these model systems to further our understanding of the modalities of trans-boundary nutrient transfers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Caut
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigationes Científicas (CSIC), Avda. Americo Vespucio, Sevilla, Spain.
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Rodríguez-Rodríguez MC, Valido A. Consequences of plant-pollinator and floral-herbivore interactions on the reproductive success of the Canary Islands endemic Canarina canariensis (Campanulaceae). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2011; 98:1465-1474. [PMID: 21900611 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1100146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Pollination is a critical phase for plant reproduction, but ecological and evolutionary outcomes by pollinators may be counteracted by floral herbivores. These interacting assemblages may also be altered (directly or indirectly) by introduced species, especially on oceanic islands. In this study, we analyzed the effects of opportunistic nectar-feeding passerine birds and native (semi-slugs) and introduced (rats) floral herbivores on the reproductive success of Canarina canariensis. • METHODS Manual pollination experiments were conducted to determine plant breeding system and pollen limitation. We also identified floral visitors and their visitation frequencies by censuses. Bird pollination effectiveness was evaluated by selective exclosures. The intensity of floral herbivory by native vs. introduced herbivores and its effect on plant fitness was estimated in different areas within the Canary island of Tenerife. • KEY RESULTS Canarina canariensis had a very low spontaneous selfing ability and high pollen limitation, despite being self-compatible. Birds increased fruit set and the percentage of viable seeds per fruit, while florivores, the principal floral visitors, reduced them. Semi-slugs mainly consumed male reproductive organs, while rats preferred female. There was a strong within-island spatial variation in the herbivory intensity. • CONCLUSIONS Opportunistic nectar-feeding birds increase the production of viable seeds in C. canariensis, but their beneficial effects are counteracted by the high incidence of floral herbivory. Because native semi-slugs damaged anthers more frequently than did introduced rats, these florivores may differ in their effects on male and female plant reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- María C Rodríguez-Rodríguez
- Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/ Américo Vespucio s/n, La Cartuja 41092 Sevilla, Spain.
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