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Lescroël A, Schmidt A, Elrod M, Ainley DG, Ballard G. Foraging dive frequency predicts body mass gain in the Adélie penguin. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22883. [PMID: 34819596 PMCID: PMC8613197 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02451-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantifying food intake in wild animals is crucial to many ecological and evolutionary questions, yet it can be very challenging, especially in the marine environment. Because foraging behavior can be inferred from dive recordings in many marine creatures, we hypothesized that specific behavioral dive variables can indicate food intake. To test this hypothesis, we attached time-depth recorders to breeding Adélie penguins also implanted with RFID tags that crossed a weighbridge as they traveled to and from the ocean to feed their chicks. The weighbridge reported how much mass the penguin had gained during a foraging trip. The variables that explained a significant amount of the change in body mass while at sea were the number of foraging dives per hour (46%) and the number of undulations per hour (12%). Most importantly, every increment of 1 in the rate of foraging dives per hour equated to a penguin gaining an average 170 g of mass, over the course of a 6-60 h foraging trip. These results add to a growing understanding that different metrics of foraging success are likely appropriate for different species, and that assessing the types and frequencies of dives using time-depth recorders can yield valuable insights.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Annie Schmidt
- Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, CA, 94954, USA
| | - Megan Elrod
- Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, CA, 94954, USA
| | - David G Ainley
- H. T. Harvey & Associates Ecological Consultants, Los Gatos, CA, 95032, USA
| | - Grant Ballard
- Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, CA, 94954, USA
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2
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Michelot C, Kato A, Raclot T, Ropert-Coudert Y. Adélie penguins foraging consistency and site fidelity are conditioned by breeding status and environmental conditions. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0244298. [PMID: 33481825 PMCID: PMC7822312 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 10/30/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a growing interest in studying consistency and site fidelity of individuals to assess, respectively, how individual behaviour shapes the population response to environmental changes, and to highlight the critical habitats needed by species. In Antarctica, the foraging activity of central place foragers like Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) is constrained by the sea-ice cover during the breeding season. We estimated the population-level repeatability in foraging trip parameters and sea-ice conditions encountered by birds across successive trips over several years, and we examined their foraging site fidelity linked to sea-ice concentrations throughout the chick-rearing season. Penguins' foraging activity was repeatable despite varying annual sea-ice conditions. Birds' site fidelity is constrained by both sea-ice conditions around the colony that limit movements and resources availability, and also behavioural repeatability of individuals driven by phenological constraints. Adélie penguins favoured sea-ice concentrations between 20-30%, as these facilitate access to open water while opening multiple patches for exploration in restricted areas in case of prey depletion. When the sea-ice concentration became greater than 30%, foraging site fidelity decreased and showed higher variability, while it increased again after 60%. Between two trips, the foraging site fidelity remained high when sea-ice concentration changed by ± 10% but showed greater variability when sea-ice concentrations differed on a larger range. In summary, Adélie penguins specialize their foraging behaviour during chick-rearing according to sea-ice conditions to enhance their reproductive success. The balance between being consistent under favourable environmental conditions vs. being flexible under more challenging conditions may be key to improving foraging efficiency and reproductive success to face fast environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candice Michelot
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, La Rochelle Université–CNRS, UMR 7372, Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Akiko Kato
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, La Rochelle Université–CNRS, UMR 7372, Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Thierry Raclot
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien–CNRS, UMR 7178, Strasbourg, France
| | - Yan Ropert-Coudert
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, La Rochelle Université–CNRS, UMR 7372, Villiers en Bois, France
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3
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Watanabe YY, Ito K, Kokubun N, Takahashi A. Foraging behavior links sea ice to breeding success in Antarctic penguins. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaba4828. [PMID: 32637612 PMCID: PMC7314529 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba4828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Population trends and breeding success variability of Adélie penguins, a bioindicator of Antarctic environments, have been attributed to changing sea-ice extents; however, causative mechanisms remain unclear. By electronically tagging 175 penguins in four seasons with contrasting sea-ice conditions, we show that ice-free environments enhance, not deteriorate, foraging efficiencies and breeding success. In an ice-free season, penguins traveled by swimming rather than walking, leading to larger foraging areas, shorter trip durations, and lower energy expenditure than three ice-covered seasons. Freed from the need to find cracks for breathing, dive durations decreased, and more krill were captured per unit dive time, which may also be associated with phytoplankton blooms and increased krill density in the sunlit ice-free water. Consequently, adult body mass, chick growth rates, and breeding success increased. Our findings explain the regional population trends and demonstrate a key link among sea ice, foraging behavior, and reproductive success in this iconic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuuki Y. Watanabe
- National Institute of Polar Research, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan
- Department of Polar Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan
| | - Kentaro Ito
- Department of Polar Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan
| | - Nobuo Kokubun
- National Institute of Polar Research, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan
- Department of Polar Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan
| | - Akinori Takahashi
- National Institute of Polar Research, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan
- Department of Polar Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan
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4
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Gossieaux P, Leclerc M, Van de Walle J, Poisson Y, Toni P, Landes J, Bourret A, Garant D, Pelletier F, Bélisle M. Offspring mass variation in tree swallows: A case of bet‐hedging? Ecosphere 2019; 10:e02607. [PMID: 35865407 PMCID: PMC9286465 DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of reproductive strategies is affected by the ability of organisms to deal with future environmental conditions. When environments are temporally unpredictable, however, it is difficult to anticipate optimal offspring phenotype. Diversification of offspring phenotypes, a strategy called diversified bet‐hedging, may allow parents to maximize their fitness by reducing between‐year variation in reproductive success. The link between diversification of offspring phenotypes and individual reproductive success, however, has rarely been documented empirically. We used an eight‐year dataset (1215 broods, 870 females) on individually marked tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) to assess whether intra‐brood mass variation was compatible with a diversified bet‐hedging strategy. Intra‐brood mass variation was weakly, but significantly repeatable within females, suggesting consistent individual differences. Greater intra‐brood mass variation, however, was not associated with reduced between‐year variation in reproductive success or increased female reproductive success. Moreover, contrary to diversified bet‐hedging expectations, fledging success of large broods was greater when hatchlings had similar rather than variable masses. Our results suggest that intra‐brood mass variation may not result from diversified bet‐hedging, but rather from complex interactions between environmental, brood, and maternal characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippine Gossieaux
- Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke 2500 Boulevard de l'Université Sherbrooke Quebec J1K 2R1 Canada
| | - Martin Leclerc
- Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke 2500 Boulevard de l'Université Sherbrooke Quebec J1K 2R1 Canada
| | - Joanie Van de Walle
- Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke 2500 Boulevard de l'Université Sherbrooke Quebec J1K 2R1 Canada
| | - Yoanna Poisson
- Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke 2500 Boulevard de l'Université Sherbrooke Quebec J1K 2R1 Canada
| | - Pauline Toni
- Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke 2500 Boulevard de l'Université Sherbrooke Quebec J1K 2R1 Canada
| | - Julie Landes
- Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke 2500 Boulevard de l'Université Sherbrooke Quebec J1K 2R1 Canada
| | - Audrey Bourret
- Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke 2500 Boulevard de l'Université Sherbrooke Quebec J1K 2R1 Canada
| | - Dany Garant
- Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke 2500 Boulevard de l'Université Sherbrooke Quebec J1K 2R1 Canada
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke 2500 Boulevard de l'Université Sherbrooke Quebec J1K 2R1 Canada
| | - Marc Bélisle
- Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke 2500 Boulevard de l'Université Sherbrooke Quebec J1K 2R1 Canada
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5
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Grémillet D, Lescroël A, Ballard G, Dugger KM, Massaro M, Porzig EL, Ainley DG. Energetic fitness: Field metabolic rates assessed via 3D accelerometry complement conventional fitness metrics. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David Grémillet
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive UMR 5175 CNRS Université de Montpellier ‐ Université Paul‐Valéry Montpellier ‐ EPHE Montpellier France
- Percy FitzPatrick Institute and DST/NRF Excellence Centre at the University of Cape Town Rondebosch South Africa
| | - Amélie Lescroël
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive UMR 5175 CNRS Université de Montpellier ‐ Université Paul‐Valéry Montpellier ‐ EPHE Montpellier France
- Point Blue Conservation Science Petaluma CA USA
| | | | - Katie M. Dugger
- U.S. Geological Survey Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University Corvallis OR USA
| | - Melanie Massaro
- School of Environmental Sciences Institute of Land, Water and Society Charles Sturt University Albury Australia
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6
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Chilvers BL. Comparison of New Zealand’s little blue penguins, Eudyptula minor, diving behaviour. Polar Biol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-017-2112-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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7
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Chiaradia A, Ramírez F, Forero MG, Hobson KA. Stable Isotopes (δ13C, δ15N) Combined with Conventional Dietary Approaches Reveal Plasticity in Central-Place Foraging Behavior of Little Penguins Eudyptula minor. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2015.00154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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8
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Individual repeatability of foraging behaviour in a marine predator, the great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Walter S, Leberg P, Dindo J, Karubian J. Factors influencing Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) foraging movement patterns during the breeding season. CAN J ZOOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2014-0051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
During the breeding season, seabird foraging behaviors are driven by a combination of individual- and external-based factors. This study evaluated how two individual-based factors (body condition and sex) and two external factors (nest stage and colony size), and their interactions, were related to movement. To do so, we used movement data obtained from 22 GPS-tag-equipped Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis L., 1766) breeding in the northern Gulf of Mexico. In Brown Pelicans, the post-egg-hatching phase imposes increased foraging demands on breeding adults relative to the prehatching phase. This study demonstrates that the progression of the breeding period affects the nature and intensity of the relationship between individual-based factors and movement patterns. In particular, birds in relatively lower condition traveled greater distances during foraging trips during the energetically demanding posthatching phase, but not during the incubation stage. Contrary to many seabird species studied to date, neither colony size nor sex appeared to affect Brown Pelican movement patterns. Our results suggest that nest stage is the most important factor influencing foraging movements, and that it may modulate relationships between condition and movement. More refined measures of body condition and foraging behavior will allow further insights into the movement ecology of this seabird.
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Affiliation(s)
- S.T. Walter
- Tulane University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 6823 St. Charles Avenue, 400 Lindy Boggs, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
| | - P.L. Leberg
- University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Department of Biology, P.O. Box 42451, Lafayette, LA 70504-2451, USA
| | - J.J. Dindo
- Dauphin Island Sea Lab, 101 Bienville Boulevard, Dauphin Island, AL 36528, USA
| | - J.K. Karubian
- Tulane University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 6823 St. Charles Avenue, 400 Lindy Boggs, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
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11
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Kriengwatana B, Wada H, Macmillan A, MacDougall-Shackleton SA. Juvenile nutritional stress affects growth rate, adult organ mass, and innate immune function in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Physiol Biochem Zool 2013; 86:769-81. [PMID: 24241073 DOI: 10.1086/673260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Developmental conditions may influence many aspects of adult phenotype, including growth and immune function. Whether poor developmental environments impair both growth and immune function or induce a trade-off between the two processes is inconclusive, and the impact of the timing of stress in determining this relationship has so far been overlooked. We tested the hypothesis that the long-term effects of nutritional stress on growth, body composition, and immune function in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) are different depending on whether stress is experienced during an early or a juvenile phase (i.e., before or after nutritional independence, respectively). We raised birds on high (H) or low (L) food conditions until posthatch day (PHD) 35 and switched treatments for half of the birds in each of the H and L groups from PHD 36 to 61. We found that unfavorable juvenile conditions (PHD 36-61) increased somatic growth rates and liver mass, body fat, and some aspects of immune function. We also observed a positive relationship between growth and immune function, as individuals that grew faster as juveniles also had better innate immune responses as adults. There was no effect of treatment on basal metabolic rate. These findings demonstrate the importance of juvenile developmental conditions in shaping multiple aspects of the adult phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Buddhamas Kriengwatana
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C2, Canada; 2Advanced Facility of Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6G 1G9, Canada; 3Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada
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12
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Jacobs SR, Elliott KH, Gaston AJ. Parents are a drag: long-lived birds share the cost of increased foraging effort with their offspring, but males pass on more of the costs than females. PLoS One 2013; 8:e54594. [PMID: 23382921 PMCID: PMC3559872 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2012] [Accepted: 12/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Life history theory predicts that parents will balance benefits from investment in current offspring against benefits from future reproductive investments. Long-lived organisms are therefore less likely to increase parental effort when environmental conditions deteriorate. To investigate the effect of decreased foraging capacity on parental behaviour of long-lived monogamous seabirds, we experimentally increased energy costs for chick-rearing thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia). Handicapped birds had lighter chicks and lower provisioning rates, supporting the prediction that long-lived animals would pass some of the costs of impaired foraging ability on to their offspring. Nonetheless, handicapped birds spent less time underwater, had longer inter-dive surface intervals, had lower body mass, showed lower resighting probabilities in subsequent years and consumed fewer risky prey items. Corticosterone levels were similar between control and handicapped birds. Apparently, adults shared some of the costs of impaired foraging, but those costs were not measurable in all metrics. Handicapped males had higher plasma neutral lipid concentrations (higher energy mobilisation) and their chicks exhibited lower growth rates than handicapped females, suggesting different sex-specific investment strategies. Unlike other studies of auks, partners did not compensate for handicapping, despite good foraging conditions for unhandicapped birds. In conclusion, parental murres and their offspring shared the costs of experimentally increased foraging constraints, with females investing more than males.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Anthony J. Gaston
- Environment Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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13
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Linking animal-borne video to accelerometers reveals prey capture variability. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:2199-204. [PMID: 23341596 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1216244110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding foraging is important in ecology, as it determines the energy gains and, ultimately, the fitness of animals. However, monitoring prey captures of individual animals is difficult. Direct observations using animal-borne videos have short recording periods, and indirect signals (e.g., stomach temperature) are never validated in the field. We took an integrated approach to monitor prey captures by a predator by deploying a video camera (lasting for 85 min) and two accelerometers (on the head and back, lasting for 50 h) on free-swimming Adélie penguins. The movies showed that penguins moved the heads rapidly to capture krill in midwater and fish (Pagothenia borchgrevinki) underneath the sea ice. Captures were remarkably fast (two krill per second in swarms) and efficient (244 krill or 33 P. borchgrevinki in 78-89 min). Prey captures were detected by the signal of head acceleration relative to body acceleration with high sensitivity and specificity (0.83-0.90), as shown by receiver-operating characteristic analysis. Extension of signal analysis to the entire behavioral records showed that krill captures were spatially and temporally more variable than P. borchgrevinki captures. Notably, the frequency distribution of krill capture rate closely followed a power-law model, indicating that the foraging success of penguins depends on a small number of very successful dives. The three steps illustrated here (i.e., video observations, linking video to behavioral signals, and extension of signal analysis) are unique approaches to understanding the spatial and temporal variability of ecologically important events such as foraging.
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14
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Parental physiological condition and reproductive success in chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarctica). Polar Biol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-012-1279-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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15
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Thierry AM, Ropert-Coudert Y, Raclot T. Elevated corticosterone levels decrease reproductive output of chick-rearing Adélie penguins but do not affect chick mass at fledging. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2013; 1:cot007. [PMID: 27293591 PMCID: PMC4732446 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cot007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2012] [Revised: 03/27/2013] [Accepted: 03/28/2013] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Study of physiological mechanisms can help us to understand how animals respond to changing environmental conditions. In particular, stress hormones (i.e. glucocorticoids, such as corticosterone) are described as mediating resource allocation, allowing animals to adjust their physiology and behaviour to predictable and unpredictable changes in the environment. In this study, we investigated the effects of an experimental increase in baseline corticosterone levels on the breeding effort and the reproductive output of chick-rearing male Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae). The number of chicks per nest, their body mass, and their size were monitored throughout the study. Direct observations allowed measurement of the time spent foraging at sea and caring for the young on the nest. At the end of the treatment, blood samples were collected for isotope analysis. Although all birds raised at least one chick, reproductive output was decreased by 42% in corticosterone-treated birds compared with control birds. The increase in corticosterone levels during the guard stage did not affect the mass of surviving chicks or the brood mass at fledging. Corticosterone-treated males spent on average 21% more time at the nest than control birds. However, the duration of foraging trips was similar between both groups. In addition, the similarity of isotopic signatures suggests that both groups foraged at similar locations and ingested the same prey species. The detailed on-land behaviour of birds should be examined in further studies to clarify the possible links between corticosterone levels, brooding time, and reproductive output. Understanding the relationships between glucocorticoids, fitness, and ultimately population dynamics is fundamental to enabling conservation physiology as a discipline to be successful in helping to manage species of conservation concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Mathilde Thierry
- Université de Strasbourg, IPHC, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France
- CNRS, UMR7178, 67037 Strasbourg, France
| | - Yan Ropert-Coudert
- Université de Strasbourg, IPHC, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France
- CNRS, UMR7178, 67037 Strasbourg, France
| | - Thierry Raclot
- Université de Strasbourg, IPHC, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France
- CNRS, UMR7178, 67037 Strasbourg, France
- Corresponding author: IPHC, DEPE, UMR 7178 CNRS-UdS, 23 rue Becquerel, F-67087 Strasbourg Cedex 2, France.
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16
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Green JA, Aitken-Simpson EJ, White CR, Bunce A, Butler PJ, Frappell PB. An increase in minimum metabolic rate and not activity explains field metabolic rate changes in a breeding seabird. J Exp Biol 2013; 216:1726-35. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.085092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Summary
The field metabolic rate (FMR) of a free-ranging animal can be considered as the sum of its maintenance costs (minimum metabolic rate; MMR), and additional costs associated with thermoregulation, digestion, production and activity. However, the relationships between these two quantities and how they relate to behaviour and extrinsic influences is not clear. In seabirds, FMR has been shown to increase during the breeding season. This is presumed to be the result of an increase in foraging activity, stimulated by increased food demands from growing chicks, but few studies have investigated in detail the factors that underlie these increases. We studied free-ranging Australasian gannets (Morus serrator) throughout their five-month breeding season, and evaluated FMR, MMR and activity-related metabolic costs on a daily basis using the heart-rate method. In addition we recorded behaviour (flying and diving) simultaneously in the same individuals. FMR increased steadily throughout the breeding season, increasing by 11% from the incubation period to the long chick-brooding period. However, this was not accompanied by either an increase in flying or diving behaviour, or an increase in the energetic costs of activity. Instead, the changes in FMR could be explained exclusively by a progressive increase in MMR. Seasonal changes in MMR could be due to a change in body composition or a decrease in body condition associated with changing allocation of resources between provisioning adults and growing chicks. Our study highlights the importance of measuring physiological parameters continuously in free-ranging animals in order to fully understand the mechanisms underpinning seasonal changes in physiology and behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ashley Bunce
- University of Queensland; Deakin University, Australia
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17
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A model of parental conflict: Predicting provisioning behavior of penguin partners in response to local changes in krill. Ecol Modell 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2012.06.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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18
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Saraux C, Chiaradia A, Le Maho Y, Ropert-Coudert Y. Everybody needs somebody: unequal parental effort in little penguins. Behav Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arr049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Lescroël A, Ballard G, Toniolo V, Barton KJ, Wilson PR, Lyver PO, Ainley DG. Working less to gain more: when breeding quality relates to foraging efficiency. Ecology 2010; 91:2044-55. [PMID: 20715627 DOI: 10.1890/09-0766.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In animal populations, a minority of individuals consistently achieves the highest breeding success and therefore contributes the most recruits to future generations. On average, foraging performance is important in determining breeding success at the population level, but evidence is scarce to show that more successful breeders (better breeders) forage differently than less successful ones (poorer breeders). To test this hypothesis, we used a 10-year, three-colony, individual-based longitudinal data set on breeding success and foraging parameters of a long-lived bird, the Adélie Penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae. Better breeders foraged more efficiently than poorer breeders under harsh environmental conditions and when offspring needs were higher, therefore gaining higher net energy profit to be allocated to reproduction and survival. These results imply that adverse "extrinsic" conditions might select breeding individuals on the basis of their foraging ability. Adélie Penguins show sufficient phenotypic plasticity that at least a portion of the population is capable of surviving and successfully reproducing despite extreme variability in their physical and biological environment, variability that is likely to be associated with climate change and, ultimately, with the species' evolution. This study is the first to demonstrate the importance of "extrinsic" conditions (in terms of environmental conditions and offspring needs) on the relationship between foraging behavior and individual quality.
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Dunn JC, Hamer KC, Benton TG. Fear for the family has negative consequences: indirect effects of nest predators on chick growth in a farmland bird. J Appl Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01856.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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21
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Hatase H, Tsukamoto K. Smaller longer, larger shorter: energy budget calculations explain intrapopulation variation in remigration intervals for loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). CAN J ZOOL 2008. [DOI: 10.1139/z08-035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Adult female loggerhead sea turtles ( Caretta caretta (L., 1758)) show a size-related behavioural and trophic dichotomy within several populations: oceanic planktivory by small females and neritic benthivory by large females. Within a Japanese population, smaller females have longer remigration intervals (the intervals between successive nesting years) than larger females. We hypothesized that this is attributed to the size-related foraging dichotomy, and calculated energy budgets and food requirements for the small and large females. Total reproductive energy costs for the small and large females were 1003 and 434 MJ, equivalent to 4043 kg of planktonic items and 275 kg of benthic items, respectively. The minimum durations necessary for accumulating the total reproductive energy for the small and large females were 430 and 26 days, equivalent to remigration intervals of 2 years and 1 year taking into account the nesting and migration durations and seasonal reproduction. Therefore, it was theoretically demonstrated that the intrapopulation variation in remigration intervals for Japanese loggerheads could be caused by the difference in their feeding habits, implying that remigration dynamics in a sea turtle population that shows a foraging dichotomy is regulated by feeding conditions not in a single habitat but in multiple habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideo Hatase
- Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, 1-15-1 Minamidai, Nakano, Tokyo 164-8639, Japan
| | - Katsumi Tsukamoto
- Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, 1-15-1 Minamidai, Nakano, Tokyo 164-8639, Japan
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Angelier F, Bost CA, Giraudeau M, Bouteloup G, Dano S, Chastel O. Corticosterone and foraging behavior in a diving seabird: the Adélie penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2008; 156:134-44. [PMID: 18221738 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2007.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2007] [Revised: 12/02/2007] [Accepted: 12/07/2007] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Because hormones mediate physiological or behavioral responses to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli, they can help us understand how animals adapt their foraging decisions to energetic demands of reproduction. Thus, the hormone corticosterone deserves specific attention because of its influence on metabolism, food intake and locomotor activities. We examined the relationships between baseline corticosterone levels and foraging behavior or mass gain at sea in a diving seabird, the Adélie penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae. Data were obtained from free-ranging penguins during the brooding period (Adélie Land, Antarctica) by using satellite transmitters and time-depth-recorders. The birds were weighed and blood sampled before and after a foraging trip (pre-trip and post-trip corticosterone levels, respectively). Penguins with elevated pre-trip corticosterone levels spent less time at sea and stayed closer to the colony than penguins with low pre-trip corticosterone levels. These short trips were associated with a higher foraging effort in terms of diving activity and a lower mass gain at sea than long trips. According to previous studies conducted on seabird species, these results suggest that penguins with elevated pre-trip corticosterone levels might maximize the rate of energy delivery to the chicks at the expense of their body reserves. Moreover, in all birds, corticosterone levels were lower post-foraging than pre-foraging. This decrease could result from either the restoration of body reserves during the foraging trip or from a break in activity at the end of the foraging trip. This study demonstrates for the first time in a diving predator the close relationships linking foraging behavior and baseline corticosterone levels. We suggest that slight elevations in pre-trip corticosterone levels could play a major role in breeding effort by facilitating foraging activity in breeding seabirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric Angelier
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, F-79360 Villiers en Bois, Deux-Sèvres, France.
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