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Enstipp MR, Bost CA, Le Bohec C, Chatelain N, Weimerskirch H, Handrich Y. The early life of king penguins: ontogeny of dive capacity and foraging behaviour in an expert diver. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:269166. [PMID: 34132335 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The period of emancipation in seabirds, when juveniles change from a terrestrial existence to a life at sea, is associated with many challenges. Apart from finding favourable foraging sites, they have to develop effective prey search patterns and physiological capacities that enable them to capture sufficient prey to meet their energetic needs. Animals that dive to forage, such as king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus), need to acquire an adequate breath-hold capacity, allowing them to locate and capture prey at depth. To investigate the ontogeny of their dive capacity and foraging performance, we implanted juvenile king penguins before their first departure to sea and also adult breeders with a data-logger recording pressure and temperature. We found that juvenile king penguins possess a remarkable dive capacity when leaving their natal colony, enabling them to conduct dives in excess of 100 m within their first week at sea. Despite this, juvenile dive/foraging performance, investigated in relation to dive depth, remained below the adult level throughout their first year at sea, probably reflecting physiological limitations as a result of incomplete maturation. A significantly shallower foraging depth of juveniles, particularly during their first 5 months at sea, could also indicate differences in foraging strategy and targeted prey. The initially greater wiggle rate suggests that juveniles fed opportunistically and also targeted different prey from adults and/or that many of the wiggles of juveniles reflect unsuccessful prey-capture attempts, indicating a lower foraging proficiency. After 5 months, this difference disappeared, suggesting sufficient physical maturation and improvement of juvenile foraging skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manfred R Enstipp
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France.,Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, UMR 7372, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Charles-André Bost
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, UMR 7372, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Céline Le Bohec
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France.,Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Département de Biologie Polaire, MC 98000, Monaco
| | - Nicolas Chatelain
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Henri Weimerskirch
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, UMR 7372, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Yves Handrich
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
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Enstipp MR, Bost CA, Le Bohec C, Bost C, Laesser R, Le Maho Y, Weimerskirch H, Handrich Y. The dive performance of immature king penguins following their annual molt suggests physiological constraints. J Exp Biol 2019; 222:222/20/jeb208900. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.208900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Like all birds, penguins undergo periodic molt, during which they replace old feathers. However, unlike other birds, penguins replace their entire plumage within a short period while fasting ashore. During molt, king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) lose half of their initial body mass, most importantly their insulating subcutaneous fat and half of their pectoral muscle mass. The latter might challenge their capacity to generate and sustain a sufficient mechanical power output to swim to distant food sources and propel themselves to great depth for successful prey capture. To investigate the effects of the annual molt fast on their dive/foraging performance, we studied various dive/foraging parameters and peripheral temperature patterns in immature king penguins across two molt cycles, after birds had spent their first and second year at sea, using implanted data-loggers. We found that the dive/foraging performance of immature king penguins was significantly reduced during post-molt foraging trips. Dive and bottom duration for a given depth were shorter during post-molt and post-dive surface interval duration was longer, reducing overall dive efficiency and underwater foraging time. We attribute this decline to the severe physiological changes that birds undergo during their annual molt. Peripheral temperature patterns differed greatly between pre- and post-molt trips, indicating the loss of the insulating subcutaneous fat layer during molt. Peripheral perfusion, as inferred from peripheral temperature, was restricted to short periods at night during pre-molt but occurred throughout extended periods during post-molt, reflecting the need to rapidly deposit an insulating fat layer during the latter period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manfred R. Enstipp
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, UMR 7372, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Charles-André Bost
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, UMR 7372, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Céline Le Bohec
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Département de Biologie Polaire, MC 98000, Monaco
| | - Caroline Bost
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, UMR 7372, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Robin Laesser
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Yvon Le Maho
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Département de Biologie Polaire, MC 98000, Monaco
| | - Henri Weimerskirch
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, UMR 7372, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Yves Handrich
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
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Kay WP, Naumann DS, Bowen HJ, Withers SJ, Evans BJ, Wilson RP, Stringell TB, Bull JC, Hopkins PW, Börger L. Minimizing the impact of biologging devices: Using computational fluid dynamics for optimizing tag design and positioning. Methods Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- William P. Kay
- Swansea Laboratory for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, College of Science Swansea University Swansea Wales UK
- Spatial and Population Ecology Research Group, Department of Biosciences, College of Science Swansea University Swansea Wales, UK
| | - David S. Naumann
- College of Engineering Zienkiewicz Centre for Computational EngineeringSwansea University, Swansea Wales, UK
| | - Hannah J. Bowen
- College of Engineering Zienkiewicz Centre for Computational EngineeringSwansea University, Swansea Wales, UK
| | - Simon J. Withers
- College of Engineering Zienkiewicz Centre for Computational EngineeringSwansea University, Swansea Wales, UK
| | - Benjamin J. Evans
- College of Engineering Zienkiewicz Centre for Computational EngineeringSwansea University, Swansea Wales, UK
| | - Rory P. Wilson
- Swansea Laboratory for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, College of Science Swansea University Swansea Wales UK
| | | | - James C. Bull
- Spatial and Population Ecology Research Group, Department of Biosciences, College of Science Swansea University Swansea Wales, UK
| | - Phil W. Hopkins
- Swansea Laboratory for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, College of Science Swansea University Swansea Wales UK
| | - Luca Börger
- Swansea Laboratory for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, College of Science Swansea University Swansea Wales UK
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Bergès M, Choquet R, Bonadonna F. Impact of long-term behavioural studies in the wild: the blue petrel, Halobaena caerulea, case at Kerguelen. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Population Genomics Applied to Fishery Management and Conservation. POPULATION GENOMICS 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/13836_2019_66] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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Pickett EP, Fraser WR, Patterson‐Fraser DL, Cimino MA, Torres LG, Friedlaender AS. Spatial niche partitioning may promote coexistence of Pygoscelis penguins as climate-induced sympatry occurs. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:9764-9778. [PMID: 30386573 PMCID: PMC6202752 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2018] [Revised: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate-induced range overlap can result in novel interactions between similar species and potentially lead to competitive exclusion. The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth and is experiencing a poleward climate migration from a polar to subpolar environment. This has resulted in a range expansion of the ice-intolerant gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) and a coincident decrease in ice-obligate Adélie penguins (P. adeliae) near Palmer Station, Anvers Island, WAP. Ecologically similar species that share a limited prey resource must occupy disparate foraging niches in order to co-exist. Therefore, we determined the extent of foraging and dietary niche segregation between Adélie and gentoo penguins during the austral breeding season near Palmer Station. This research was conducted across six breeding seasons, from 2009 to 2014, which allowed us to investigate niche overlap in the context of interannual resource variability. Using biotelemetry and diet sampling, we found substantial overlap in the diets of Adélie and gentoo penguins, who primarily consumed Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba); however, our results showed that Adélie and gentoo penguins partitioned this shared prey resource through horizontal segregation of their core foraging areas. We did not find evidence that Antarctic krill were a limiting resource during the breeding season or that climate-induced sympatry of Adélie and gentoo penguins resulted in competition for prey or caused the subsequent differing population trajectories. This apparent absence of resource competition between Adélie and gentoo penguins throughout this study implies that current population trends in this region are governed by other biological and physical factors. Our results highlight the importance of understanding the mechanistic processes that influence top predator populations in the context of climate-driven ecosystem shifts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin P. Pickett
- Department of Fisheries and WildlifeMarine Mammal InstituteOregon State UniversityNewportOregon
| | | | | | - Megan A. Cimino
- Scripps Institution of OceanographyUniversity of CaliforniaSan DiegoCalifornia
| | - Leigh G. Torres
- Department of Fisheries and WildlifeMarine Mammal InstituteOregon State UniversityNewportOregon
| | - Ari S. Friedlaender
- Department of Fisheries and WildlifeMarine Mammal InstituteOregon State UniversityNewportOregon
- Institute for Marine ScienceUniversity of California Santa CruzSanta CruzCalifornia
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Vaillancourt E, Weber JM. Fuel metabolism in Canada geese: effects of glucagon on glucose kinetics. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2015; 309:R535-43. [PMID: 26108869 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00080.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2015] [Accepted: 06/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
During prolonged fasting, birds must rely on glucose mobilization to maintain normoglycemia. Glucagon is known to modulate avian energy metabolism during prolonged fasting, but the metabolic effects of this hormone on long-distance migrant birds have never been investigated. Our goal was to determine whether glucagon regulates the mobilization of the main lipid and carbohydrate fuels in migrant birds. Using the Canada goose (Branta canadensis) as a model species, we looked for evidence of fuel mobilization via changes in metabolite concentrations. No changes could be found for any lipid fraction, but glucagon elicited a strong increase in glucose concentration. Therefore, we aimed to quantify the effects of this hormone on glucose kinetics using continuous infusion of 6-[(3)H]-d-glucose. Glucagon was found to cause a 50% increase in glucose mobilization (from 22.2 ± 2.4 μmol·kg(-1)·min(-1) to 33.5 ± 3.3 μmol·kg(-1)·min(-1)) and, together with an unchanged rate of carbohydrate oxidation, led to a 90% increase in plasma glucose concentration. This hormone also led to a twofold increase in plasma lactate concentration. No changes in plasma lipid concentration or composition were observed. This study is the first to demonstrate how glucagon modulates glucose kinetics in a long-distance migrant bird and to quantify its rates of glucose mobilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Vaillancourt
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jean-Michel Weber
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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8
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Isojunno S, Miller PJO. Sperm whale response to tag boat presence: biologically informed hidden state models quantify lost feeding opportunities. Ecosphere 2015. [DOI: 10.1890/es14-00130.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Jewell Z. Effect of monitoring technique on quality of conservation science. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2013; 27:501-508. [PMID: 23692018 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2012] [Accepted: 02/25/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Monitoring free-ranging animals in their natural habitat is a keystone of ecosystem conservation and increasingly important in the context of current rates of loss of biological diversity. Data collected from individuals of endangered species inform conservation policies. Conservation professionals assume that these data are reliable-that the animals from whom data are collected are representative of the species in their physiology, ecology, and behavior and of the populations from which they are drawn. In the last few decades, there has been an enthusiastic adoption of invasive techniques for gathering ecological and conservation data. Although these can provide impressive quantities of data, and apparent insights into animal ranges and distributions, there is increasing evidence that these techniques can result in animal welfare problems, through the wide-ranging physiological effects of acute and chronic stress and through direct or indirect injuries or compromised movement. Much less commonly, however, do conservation scientists consider the issue of how these effects may alter the behavior of individuals to the extent that the data they collect could be unreliable. The emerging literature on the immediate and longer-term effects of capture and handling indicate it can no longer be assumed that a wild animal's survival of the process implies the safety of the procedure, that the procedure is ethical, or the scientific validity of the resulting data. I argue that conservation professionals should routinely assess study populations for negative effects of their monitoring techniques and adopt noninvasive approaches for best outcomes not only for the animals, but also for conservation science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoe Jewell
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
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Ludynia K, Dehnhard N, Poisbleau M, Demongin L, Masello JF, Quillfeldt P. Evaluating the impact of handling and logger attachment on foraging parameters and physiology in southern rockhopper penguins. PLoS One 2012. [PMID: 23185623 PMCID: PMC3503963 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Logger technology has revolutionised our knowledge of the behaviour and physiology of free-living animals but handling and logger attachments may have negative effects on the behaviour of the animals and their welfare. We studied southern rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome) females during the guard stage in three consecutive breeding seasons (2008/09−2010/11) to evaluate the effects of handling and logger attachment on foraging trip duration, dive behaviour and physiological parameters. Smaller dive loggers (TDRs) were used in 2010/11 for comparison to larger GPS data loggers used in all three seasons and we included two categories of control birds: handled controls and PIT control birds that were previously marked with passive integrative transponders (PITs), but which had not been handled during this study. Increased foraging trip duration was only observed in GPS birds during 2010/11, the breeding season in which we also found GPS birds foraging further away from the colony and travelling longer distances. Compared to previous breeding seasons, 2010/11 may have been a period with less favourable environmental conditions, which would enhance the impact of logger attachments. A comparison between GPS and TDR birds showed a significant difference in dive depth frequencies with birds carrying larger GPS data loggers diving shallower. Mean and maximum dive depths were similar between GPS and TDR birds. We measured little impact of logger attachments on physiological parameters (corticosterone, protein, triglyceride levels and leucocyte counts). Overall, handling and short-term logger attachments (1–3 days) showed limited impact on the behaviour and physiology of the birds but care must be taken with the size of data loggers on diving seabirds. Increased drag may alter their diving behaviour substantially, thus constraining them in their ability to catch prey. Results obtained in this study indicate that data recorded may also not represent their normal dive behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin Ludynia
- Max-Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Radolfzell, Germany.
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Coelomic Implantation of Satellite Transmitters in the Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) and the Bristle-thighed Curlew (Numenius tahitiensis) Using Propofol, Bupivacaine, and Lidocaine. J Zoo Wildl Med 2011; 42:54-64. [PMID: 22946371 DOI: 10.1638/2010-0040.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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Carey MJ. Leg-mounted data-loggers do not affect the reproductive performance of short-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris). WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2011. [DOI: 10.1071/wr11024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context
Attaching tracking devices to several avian species could produce negative outcomes. Of particular concern are potential alterations to birds’ reproductive, flight, diving and foraging performances. Attachment of devices may also lead to a bias in results or an inaccurate interpretation of results as birds may not behave ‘normally’.
Aims
The aims of the present study were to evaluate the possible effects of a 5.4-g global location-sensing (GLS) data-logger attached to a modified aluminium band on short-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris (Temminck, 1835)), representing 0.7–1% of adult body mass, breeding on Great Dog Island, Furneaux Group, Tasmania.
Methods
Eighty birds were monitored during two breeding seasons. Twenty-seven GLS data-loggers were attached to birds in 2007, with the remaining birds acting as controls. Breeding success, return rates and body condition were compared between equipped and non-equipped birds.
Key results
In the year of deployment, no evidence of negative effects of attaching data-loggers on hatching success, pre-fledging chick mass or survival was found. However, chicks reared by non-equipped adults were skeletally larger. After controlling for body size, no significant effect on chick body condition was detected between the two groups. In the year of recapture, significantly more GLS-equipped than non-equipped adults returned to the colony. There were no differences in adult body condition, egg size, hatching or fledging success between the two groups. After GLS devices were removed, chick mass and size at pre-fledging were equal between those raised by GLS-equipped and non-equipped adults.
Conclusions
These results suggest that appropriate-sized data-loggers are a relatively benign method of obtaining at-sea foraging and behavioural information from seabirds. However, loggers may be affecting parental care of offspring and this requires further investigation. Importantly, no carry-over effects were observed once the data-loggers were removed after 12 months.
Implications
Identifying any effects of data-logger attachment is imperative for animal welfare but also for the accuracy of tracking data and subsequent interpretation. GLS devices are rapidly becoming smaller and lighter, and if this trend continues, unlock unprecedented opportunities for pelagic seabird research. During long deployments, monitoring individuals and assessing their health and reproductive output should be considered an integral part of all bio-logging studies.
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Nesti I, Ropert-Coudert Y, Kato A, Beaulieu M, Focardi S, Olmastroni S. Diving behaviour of chick-rearing Adélie Penguins at Edmonson Point, Ross Sea. Polar Biol 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-010-0775-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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Ropert-Coudert Y, Kato A, Poulin N, Grémillet D. Leg-attached data loggers do not modify the diving performances of a foot-propelled seabird. J Zool (1987) 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2009.00619.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Angelier F, Giraudeau M, Bost CA, Le Bouard F, Chastel O. Are stress hormone levels a good proxy of foraging success? An experiment with King Penguins, Aptenodytes patagonicus. J Exp Biol 2009; 212:2824-9. [PMID: 19684217 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.027722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
In seabirds, variations in stress hormone (corticosterone; henceforth CORT)levels have been shown to reflect changing marine conditions and, especially,changes in food availability. However, it remains unclear how CORT levels can be mechanistically affected by these changes at the individual level. Specifically, the influence of food acquisition and foraging success on CORT secretion is poorly understood. In this study, we tested whether food acquisition can reduce baseline CORT levels (`the food intake hypothesis') by experimentally reducing foraging success of King Penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus). Although CORT levels overall decreased during a foraging trip, CORT levels did not differ between experimental birds and controls. These results demonstrate that mass gain at sea is not involved in changes in baseline CORT levels in this species. The overall decrease in CORT levels during a foraging trip could result from CORT-mediated energy regulation (`the energy utilisation hypothesis'). Along with other evidence, we suggest that the influence of foraging success and food intake on CORT levels is complex and that the ecological meaning of baseline CORT levels can definitely vary between species and ecological contexts. Therefore, further studies are needed to better understand (1) how baseline CORT levels are functionally regulated according to energetic status and energetic demands and (2) to what extent CORT can be used to aid in the conservation of seabird populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric Angelier
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 79360, Villiers en Bois, France
- University of California, Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior,Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Mathieu Giraudeau
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 79360, Villiers en Bois, France
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse,France
| | - Charles-André Bost
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 79360, Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Fabrice Le Bouard
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 79360, Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Olivier Chastel
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 79360, Villiers en Bois, France
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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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Wilson RP, White CR, Quintana F, Halsey LG, Liebsch N, Martin GR, Butler PJ. Moving towards acceleration for estimates of activity-specific metabolic rate in free-living animals: the case of the cormorant. J Anim Ecol 2008; 75:1081-90. [PMID: 16922843 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2006.01127.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 338] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
1. Time and energy are key currencies in animal ecology, and judicious management of these is a primary focus for natural selection. At present, however, there are only two main methods for estimation of rate of energy expenditure in the field, heart rate and doubly labelled water, both of which have been used with success; but both also have their limitations. 2. The deployment of data loggers that measure acceleration is emerging as a powerful tool for quantifying the behaviour of free-living animals. Given that animal movement requires the use of energy, the accelerometry technique potentially has application in the quantification of rate of energy expenditure during activity. 3. In the present study, we test the hypothesis that acceleration can serve as a proxy for rate of energy expenditure in free-living animals. We measured rate of energy expenditure as rates of O2 consumption (VO2) and CO2 production (VCO2) in great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) at rest and during pedestrian exercise. VO2 and VCO2 were then related to overall dynamic body acceleration (ODBA) measured with an externally attached three-axis accelerometer. 4. Both VO2 and VCO2 were significantly positively associated with ODBA in great cormorants. This suggests that accelerometric measurements of ODBA can be used to estimate VO2 and VCO2 and, with some additional assumptions regarding metabolic substrate use and the energy equivalence of O2 and CO2, that ODBA can be used to estimate the activity specific rate of energy expenditure of free-living cormorants. 5. To verify that the approach identifies expected trends in from situations with variable power requirements, we measured ODBA in free-living imperial cormorants (Phalacrocorax atriceps) during foraging trips. We compared ODBA during return and outward foraging flights, when birds are expected to be laden and not laden with captured fish, respectively. We also examined changes in ODBA during the descent phase of diving, when power requirements are predicted to decrease with depth due to changes in buoyancy associated with compression of plumage and respiratory air. 6. In free-living imperial cormorants, ODBA, and hence estimated VO2, was higher during the return flight of a foraging bout, and decreased with depth during the descent phase of a dive, supporting the use of accelerometry for the determination of activity-specific rate of energy expenditure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rory P Wilson
- Institute of Environmental Sustainability, School of the Environment and Society, University of Wales Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK.
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Elliott KH, Davoren GK, Gaston AJ. The influence of buoyancy and drag on the dive behaviour of an Arctic seabird, the Thick-billed Murre. CAN J ZOOL 2007. [DOI: 10.1139/z07-012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We used time–depth recorders to investigate the behaviour of free-ranging Thick-billed Murres ( Uria lomvia L., 1758) after attaching positively (n = 9), negatively (n = 10), or neutrally (n = 9) buoyant handicaps and increasing cross-sectional area by 3% (2.8 cm2; n = 8) or 6% (5.6 cm2; n = 6). When buoyancy was altered or drag increased, murres reduced dive depth and duration, suggesting that murres do not manipulate dive depth to obtain neutral buoyancy during the bottom phase. Ascent rate increased as the bird surfaced and mean ascent rate increased for deeper dives, presumably reflecting steeper dive angles and greater buoyancy during deep dives. For short dives (<150 s), preceding surface pauses were better correlated with dive depth and duration than succeeding surface pauses (surface pauses were “anticipatory”), suggesting that murres control inhalation rates based on anticipated dive depth and duration. Murres reduced ascent rate near the surface, possibly to reduce the risk of decompression sickness. Neutrally buoyant recorders attached to the legs had no effect on chick feeding frequencies or adult mass loss, suggesting that this attachment method may have the least effect on the foraging behaviour of alcids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle H. Elliott
- Department of Zoology, Z320 Duff Roblin Building, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
- Canadian Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - Gail K. Davoren
- Department of Zoology, Z320 Duff Roblin Building, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
- Canadian Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - Anthony J. Gaston
- Department of Zoology, Z320 Duff Roblin Building, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
- Canadian Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Canada
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Grémillet D, Kuntz G, Woakes AJ, Gilbert C, Robin JP, Le Maho Y, Butler PJ. Year-round recordings of behavioural and physiological parameters reveal the survival strategy of a poorly insulated diving endotherm during the Arctic winter. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; 208:4231-41. [PMID: 16272246 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.01884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Warm-blooded diving animals wintering in polar regions are expected to show a high degree of morphological adaptation allowing efficient thermal insulation. In stark contrast to other marine mammals and seabirds living at high latitudes, Arctic great cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo have very limited thermal insulation because of their partly permeable plumage. They nonetheless winter in Greenland, where they are exposed to very low air and water temperatures. To understand how poorly insulated diving endotherms survive the Arctic winter, we performed year-round recordings of heart rate, dive depth and abdominal temperature in male great cormorants using miniature data loggers. We also examined the body composition of individuals in the spring. Abdominal temperatures and heart rates of birds resting on land and diving showed substantial variability. However, neither hypothermia nor significantly lower heart rate levels were recorded during the winter months. Thus our data show no indication of general metabolic depression in great cormorants wintering in Greenland. Furthermore, great cormorants did not reduce their daily swimming time during the coldest months of the year to save energy; they continued to forage in sub-zero waters for over an hour every day. As birds spent extended periods in cold water and showed no signs of metabolic depression during the Arctic winter, their theoretical energy requirements were substantial. Using our field data and a published algorithm we estimated the daily food requirement of great cormorants wintering in Greenland to be 1170+/-110 g day(-1). This is twice the estimated food requirement of great cormorants wintering in Europe. Great cormorants survive the Arctic winter but we also show that they come close to starvation during the spring, with body reserves sufficient to fast for less than 3 days. Lack of body fuels was associated with drastically reduced body temperatures and heart rates in April and May. Concurrent, intense feeding activity probably allowed birds to restore body reserves. Our study is the first to record ecophysiological parameters in a polar animal on a year-round basis. It challenges the paradigm that efficient thermal insulation is a prerequisite to the colonization of polar habitats by endotherms.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Grémillet
- Centre d'Ecologie et Physiologie Energétiques, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 67087 Strasbourg Cedex 02, France.
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Winter migration of rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes c. chrysocome) breeding in the Southwest Atlantic: is utilisation of different foraging areas reflected in opposing population trends? Polar Biol 2006. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-006-0110-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Comparison of foraging strategies of incubating king penguins Aptenodytes patagonicus from Macquarie and Heard islands. Polar Biol 2005. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-005-0074-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Wilson RP, Scolaro JA, Grémillet D, Kierspel MAM, Laurenti S, Upton J, Gallelli H, Quintana F, Frere E, Müller G, Straten MT, Zimmer I. HOW DO MAGELLANIC PENGUINS COPE WITH VARIABILITY IN THEIR ACCESS TO PREY? ECOL MONOGR 2005. [DOI: 10.1890/04-1238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Paredes R, Jones IL, Boness DJ. Reduced parental care, compensatory behaviour and reproductive costs of thick-billed murres equipped with data loggers. Anim Behav 2005. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2003.12.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Hamel NJ, Parrish JK, Conquest LL. Effects of Tagging on Behavior, Provisioning, and Reproduction in the Common Murre (Uria Aalge), A Diving Seabird. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004. [DOI: 10.1093/auk/121.4.1161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Telemetry devices used on seabirds have been shown to affect their behavior, reproduction, and survival. However, studies have primarily been limited to larger species, and results are occasionally equivocal. We quantified tag retention time and effects of attaching subcutaneous anchor radiotransmitters on behavior, provisioning, and reproduction in the Common Murre (Uria aalge), a medium-bodied seabird. Between 1999 and 2001, we tagged 48 Common Murres on Tatoosh Island, Washington. Subsequently, 46 birds were detected during colony observation, radiotracking, or both. Activity budgets and time spent at the nest site did not differ between tagged birds and their untagged mates. However, tagged birds made fewer but longer trips away from the nest and provisioned their chicks significantly less than their mates did (0.07 ± 0.02 fish h−1 and 0.18 ± 0.02 fish h−1, respectively). Prey size and energy content did not differ. Despite the disparity in provisioning rates at the individual level, tagged pairs and control pairs had equivalent energy-delivery rates and reproductive success. Tagging effects did not persist in the long term, because percentage of tagged birds returning to the colony the next breeding season was similar to percentage of birds without tags, and tagged birds' reproductive success was comparable to that of the rest of the colony. Subcutaneous anchor attachments compared favorably to glued tags and implanted transmitters in terms of retention time and survival, respectively. We recommend using subcutaneous anchor transmitters for medium-bodied seabirds that employ flexible foraging strategies. Possible exceptions are years of poor food availability, when the capacity to absorb tag effects may be lower.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie J. Hamel
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355020, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Julia K. Parrish
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355020, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Loveday L. Conquest
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355020, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
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Ropert-Coudert Y, Wilson RP, Daunt F, Kato A. Patterns of energy acquisition by a central place forager: benefits of alternating short and long foraging trips. Behav Ecol 2004. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arh086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Kuroki M, Kato A, Watanuki Y, Niizuma Y, Takahashi A, Naito Y. Diving behavior of an epipelagically feeding alcid, the Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata). CAN J ZOOL 2003. [DOI: 10.1139/z03-112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The diving behavior of Rhinoceros Auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata) breeding at Teuri Island, Hokkaido, Japan, was studied using small bird-borne timedepth dataloggers. The eight auklets made dives without an obvious horizontal bottom phase to a median depth of 14.0 ± 1.8 (mean ± SD) m (maximum 57 m) for 53 ± 8 s (maximum 148 s) between the hours of 0300 and 2000. They made undulations (rapid depth changes), considered to represent prey pursuit, in 35% of the dives. Of the undulations, 57% occurred during the deep (>80% of maximum depth) parts of the dives and 26% during the ascent phase. The auklets performed 26 ± 31 dives continuously during dive bouts of 32 ± 34 min. Dive bouts at the end of the day were twice as long as in the morning and at midday. During dive bouts, the auklets showed consistent trends in dive depth, decreasing (23% of bouts), increasing (32%), or stable (19%), but sometimes they showed hectic depth changes (26%). V-shaped dives (with no horizontal bottom phase), potential prey pursuit in both the deep parts and ascent phases of the dives, and variable depth changes within dive bouts indicate the auklets' epipelagic feeding habits.
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Simeone A, Wilson RP, Knauf G, Knauf W, Schützendübe J. Effects of attached data-loggers on the activity budgets of captive Humboldt penguins. Zoo Biol 2002. [DOI: 10.1002/zoo.10044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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