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Eby A, Patterson A, Whelan S, Elliott KH, Gilchrist HG, Love OP. Influence of sea ice concentration, sex and chick age on foraging flexibility and success in an Arctic seabird. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 12:coae057. [PMID: 39247178 PMCID: PMC11381092 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coae057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 09/10/2024]
Abstract
Declining sea ice and increased variability in sea ice dynamics are altering Arctic marine food webs. Changes in sea ice dynamics and prey availability are likely to impact pagophilic (ice-dependent and ice-associated) species, such as thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia), through changes in foraging behaviour and foraging success. At the same time, extrinsic factors, such as chick demand, and intrinsic factors, such as sex, are also likely to influence foraging behaviour and foraging success of adult murres. Here, we use 3 years of data (2017-2019) to examine the impacts of environmental conditions (sea ice concentration and sea surface temperature), sex and chick age (as a proxy for chick demand) on foraging and diving behaviour (measured via biologgers), energy expenditure (estimated from activity budgets) and foraging success (measured via nutritional biomarkers) of thick-billed murres during the incubation and chick-rearing stages at Coats Island, Nunavut. Murres only exhibited foraging flexibility to environmental conditions during incubation, which is also the only stage when ice was present. When more ice was present, foraging effort increased, murres foraged farther and made deeper dives, where murres making deeper dives had higher foraging success (greater relative change in mass). During incubation, murre behaviour was also influenced by sex of the individual, where males made more and shorter trips and more dives. During chick-rearing, murre behaviour was influenced primarily by the sex of the individual and chick age. Males made shallower dives and fewer dive bouts per day, and more dives. Birds made longer, deeper dives as chicks aged, likely representing increased intra-specific competition for prey throughout the season. Our results suggest variation in sea ice concentration does impact foraging success of murres; however, sex-specific foraging strategies may help buffer colony breeding success from variability in sea ice concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa Eby
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, ON, N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Allison Patterson
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Shannon Whelan
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Kyle H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - H Grant Gilchrist
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Raven Road, Ottawa, ON, K1A OH3, Canada
| | - Oliver P Love
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, ON, N9B 3P4, Canada
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Martín J, Rodríguez-Ruiz G, Navarro-Castilla Á, Barja I, López P. Blind date: female fossorial amphisbaenians prefer scent marks of large and healthy males. Integr Zool 2024. [PMID: 38247017 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Selecting a good mate is a decision with important fitness consequences. For this reason, mate choice has promoted the evolution of sexual ornaments signaling the quality of an individual. In fossorial animals, inhabiting visually restricted underground environments, chemical senses should be very important for mate choice. We examined whether sexual chemical signals (substrate scent marks) produced by males of the Iberian worm lizard, Blanus cinereus, a strictly fossorial blind amphisbaenian, provide information to females on morphological traits and health state. We administered corticosterone (CORT) to males simulating a continuous stressor affecting their health. Females preferred settling at sites scent-marked by males in comparison with similar sites with female scent or unmarked sites, but the attractiveness of males' scent differed between individuals. Females preferred scent marks of larger/older males and with a higher immune response, while their body condition and CORT treatment were unrelated to female preferences. Chemical analyses showed that proportions of some compounds in precloacal secretions of males (used to produce scent marks) were correlated with the morphological (body size) and health state (immune response and body condition, but not CORT treatment) of these males. These results suggest that females may make site-selection decisions based on assessing the chemical characteristics of males' scent marks, which were reliably related to some of the traits of the male that produced the scent. Therefore, females might use chemical senses to increase the opportunities to find and mate with males of high quality, coping with the restrictions of the subterranean environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Martín
- Departmento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gonzalo Rodríguez-Ruiz
- Departmento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Álvaro Navarro-Castilla
- Etho-Physiology Group, Unit of Zoology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel Barja
- Etho-Physiology Group, Unit of Zoology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar López
- Departmento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
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Mota-Rojas D, Marcet-Rius M, Domínguez-Oliva A, Buenhombre J, Daza-Cardona EA, Lezama-García K, Olmos-Hernández A, Verduzco-Mendoza A, Bienboire-Frosini C. Parental behavior and newborn attachment in birds: life history traits and endocrine responses. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1183554. [PMID: 37599744 PMCID: PMC10434784 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1183554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In birds, parental care and attachment period differ widely depending on the species (altricial or precocial), developmental strategies, and life history traits. In most bird species, parental care can be provided by both female and male individuals and includes specific stages such as nesting, laying, and hatching. During said periods, a series of neuroendocrine responses are triggered to motivate parental care and attachment. These behaviors are vital for offspring survival, development, social bonding, intergenerational learning, reproductive success, and ultimately, the overall fitness and evolution of bird populations in a variety of environments. Thus, this review aims to describe and analyze the behavioral and endocrine systems of parental care and newborn attachment in birds during each stage of the post-hatching period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Mota-Rojas
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Míriam Marcet-Rius
- Department of Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Research Institute in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology, Apt, France
| | - Adriana Domínguez-Oliva
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Jhon Buenhombre
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Antonio Nariño University, Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | - Karina Lezama-García
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Adriana Olmos-Hernández
- Division of Biotechnology—Bioterio and Experimental Surgery, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación-Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Antonio Verduzco-Mendoza
- Division of Biotechnology—Bioterio and Experimental Surgery, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación-Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Cécile Bienboire-Frosini
- Department of Molecular Biology and Chemical Communication, Research Institute in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology, Apt, France
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Eby A, Patterson A, Sorenson G, Lazarus T, Whelan S, Elliott KH, Gilchrist HG, Love OP. Lower nutritional state and foraging success in an Arctic seabird despite behaviorally flexible responses to environmental change. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9923. [PMID: 37091555 PMCID: PMC10119025 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The degree to which individuals adjust foraging behavior in response to environmental variability can impact foraging success, leading to downstream impacts on fitness and population dynamics. We examined the foraging flexibility, average daily energy expenditure, and foraging success of an ice-associated Arctic seabird, the thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) in response to broad-scale environmental conditions at two different-sized, low Arctic colonies located <300 km apart. First, we compared foraging behavior (measured via GPS units), average daily energy expenditure (estimated from GPS derived activity budgets), and foraging success (nutritional state measured via nutritional biomarkers pre- and post- GPS deployment) of murres at two colonies, which differ greatly in size: 30,000 pairs breed on Coats Island, Nunavut, and 400,000 pairs breed on Digges Island, Nunavut. Second, we tested whether colony size within the same marine ecosystem altered foraging behavior in response to broad-scale environmental variability. Third, we tested whether environmentally induced foraging flexibility influenced the foraging success of murres. Murres at the larger colony foraged farther and longer but made fewer trips, resulting in a lower nutritional state and lower foraging success compared to birds at the smaller colony. Foraging behavior and foraging success varied in response to environmental variation, with murres at both colonies making longer, more distant foraging trips in high ice regimes during incubation, suggesting flexibility in responding to environmental variability. However, only birds at the larger colony showed this same flexibility during chick rearing. Foraging success at both colonies was higher during high ice regimes, suggesting greater prey availability. Overall, murres from the larger colony exhibited lower foraging success, and their foraging behavior showed stronger responses to changes in broad-scale conditions such as sea ice regime. Taken together, this suggests that larger Arctic seabird colonies have higher behavioral and demographic sensitivity to environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa Eby
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of WindsorWindsorOntarioN9B 3P4Canada
| | - Allison Patterson
- Department of Natural Resource SciencesMcGill UniversitySte Anne‐de‐BellevueQuebecH9X 3V9Canada
| | - Graham Sorenson
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of WindsorWindsorOntarioN9B 3P4Canada
- Present address:
Atlantic Region OfficeBirds CanadaSackvilleNew BrunswickE4L 1G6Canada
| | - Thomas Lazarus
- Department of Natural Resource SciencesMcGill UniversitySte Anne‐de‐BellevueQuebecH9X 3V9Canada
| | - Shannon Whelan
- Department of Natural Resource SciencesMcGill UniversitySte Anne‐de‐BellevueQuebecH9X 3V9Canada
| | - Kyle H. Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource SciencesMcGill UniversitySte Anne‐de‐BellevueQuebecH9X 3V9Canada
| | - H. Grant Gilchrist
- Environment and Climate Change CanadaNational Wildlife Research Centre1125 Colonel By Drive, Raven RoadOttawaOntarioK1A OH3Canada
| | - Oliver P. Love
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of WindsorWindsorOntarioN9B 3P4Canada
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Lerma M, Dehnhard N, Castillo-Guerrero JA, Fernández G. Nutritional state variations in a tropical seabird throughout its breeding season. J Comp Physiol B 2022; 192:775-787. [PMID: 36100755 PMCID: PMC9550769 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-022-01456-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Individual body condition is frequently used to explain differences in foraging and breeding ecology in seabirds. However, little is known about the covariations of body mass with the nutritional state of animals as measured through plasma metabolites and how these different measures vary between and within individuals during breeding. Here, we assessed intra-individual variations of plasma metabolites (triglycerides, cholesterol, protein, and ß-hydroxybutyrate concentrations) and in body mass of Blue-footed boobies (Sula nebouxii) throughout their breeding season 2011-2012 in Isla El Rancho, Mexico. We found breeding-stage and sex-specific variations in individuals' plasma metabolite concentrations, but these did not mirror variations in body mass. Before egg-laying, females had higher triglycerides, cholesterol, and protein concentrations than males. In contrast, males used their nutritional reserves (higher ß-hydroxybutyrate concentrations) more than females during the breeding season (except for early chick-rearing). At the individual level, males gained weight during the breeding season, whereas females lost weight. We also found that between-individual differences in plasma metabolite concentrations and changes in body mass were not consistent throughout the breeding season, while individual body mass was significantly repeatable. This study contributes to a better understanding of seabird breeding ecology and physiology by showing that sex-specific breeding roles might highly influence the nutritional state. Similar patterns might occur in other seabird species, helping to explain why we can find stage- and sex-specific foraging behaviors even in monomorphic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Lerma
- Posgrado de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, 04510, Ciudad de Mexico, México. .,Research and Technology Center (FTZ), University of Kiel, Hafentörn 1, 25761, Büsum, Germany.
| | - Nina Dehnhard
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Høgskoleringen 9, NO-7034, Trondheim, Norway
| | - José Alfredo Castillo-Guerrero
- Departamento de Estudios para el Desarrollo Sustentable de la Zona Costera, Centro Universitario de la Costa Sur, Universidad de Guadalajara, San Patricio-Melaque, Municipio de Cihuatlán, Jalisco, 48980, México
| | - Guillermo Fernández
- Unidad Académica Mazatlán, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, 82040, México
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Mohring B, Angelier F, Jaatinen K, Parenteau C, Öst M. Parental Investment Under Predation Threat in Incubating Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima): A Hormonal Perspective. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.637561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Predation risk affects the costs and benefits of prey life-history decisions. Predation threat is often higher during reproduction, especially in conspicuous colonial breeders. Therefore, predation risk may increase the survival cost of breeding, and reduce parental investment. The impact of predation risk on avian parental investment decisions may be hormonally mediated by prolactin and corticosterone, making them ideal tools for studying the trade-offs involved. Prolactin is thought to promote parental care and commitment in birds. Corticosterone is involved in allostasis and may either mediate reduced parental investment (corticosterone-fitness hypothesis), or promote parental investment through a reallocation of resources (corticosterone-adaptation hypothesis). Here, we used these hormonal proxies of incubation commitment to examine the impact of predation risk on reproduction in common eiders (Somateria mollissima) breeding in the Baltic Sea. This eider population is subject to high but spatially and temporally variable predation pressure on adults (mainly by the white-tailed eagle Haliaeetus albicilla and introduced mammalian predators) and nests (by the adult predators and exclusive egg predators such as hooded crows Corvus cornix). We investigated baseline hormonal levels and hatching success as a function of individual quality attributes (breeding experience, female and duckling body condition), reproductive investment (clutch weight), and predation risk. We expected individuals nesting in riskier environments (i.e., on islands where predation on adults or nests is higher, or in less concealed nests) to reduce their parental investment in incubation, reflected in lower baseline prolactin levels and either higher (corticosterone-fitness hypothesis) or lower (corticosterone-adaptation hypothesis) baseline corticosterone levels. Contrary to our predictions, prolactin levels showed a positive correlation with nest predation risk. The unexpected positive relationship could result from the selective disappearance of low-quality females (presumably having low prolactin levels) from risky sites. Supporting this notion, female body condition and hatching success were positively correlated with predation risk on females, and baseline prolactin concentrations were positively correlated with duckling body condition, a proxy of maternal quality. In line with the corticosterone-adaptation hypothesis, baseline corticosterone levels increased with reproductive investment, and were negatively associated with nest predation risk. Hatching success was lower on islands where nest predation risk was higher, consistent with the idea of reduced reproductive investment under increased threat. Long-term individual-based studies are now needed to distinguish selection processes occurring at the population scale from individually plastic parental investment in relation to individual quality and variable predation risk.
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Storey AE, Wilhelm SI, Walsh CJ. Negotiation of Parental Duties in Chick-Rearing Common Murres (Uria aalge) in Different Foraging Conditions. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Monitoring responses to variation in food supply for a migratory waterfowl: American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) in winter. J Comp Physiol B 2018; 188:831-842. [PMID: 29804127 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-018-1163-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2018] [Revised: 04/28/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Wintering Black Ducks (Anas rubripes) concentrate in wetlands along the Atlantic coast where natural and anthropogenic disturbances have increased over the last 50 years, a period in which the population of Black Ducks has declined. We studied the sensitivity of Black Ducks to perturbations in food supply that often result from disturbances by storms, predators, and people. In the paper, we characterize the responses of captive Black Ducks to shifts in food quality and availability during winter and apply those measures to a comparison of wild birds. Captive ducks that were fed intermittently (3 consecutive days/week) compensated for fasted days to achieve similar body mass and body fat to control birds that were fed every day on both animal- and plant-based diets. However, birds that were fed intermittently expended 15% more energy each day than controls when both groups were fed (536 vs. 464 kJ/kg0.75), which indicates that variable food supply increases the costs of maintenance and thus reduces the number of birds that can be supported on the same resource of food without interruptions to foraging. Egg production was not affected by diet quality provided in spring or by the frequency of feeding during the preceding winter months. Black Ducks lost body fat through winter in captivity and in the wild. Fat stores of birds in New Jersey were greater than those of birds in Maine (13.3 vs. 8.3% of body mass) in January, which reflected the high energy demands of cold temperatures in Maine. Values for ∂15N were greater in Maine than in New Jersey for both red blood cells and plasma, which indicated a consistent diet of marine invertebrates in Maine. Greater isotopic variation in red blood cells indicated that diets were more diverse in New Jersey than in Maine for both ∂15N (9.7 ± 1.1 vs. 11.2 ± 0.4‰) and for ∂13C (- 15.1 ± 2.2 vs. - 13.8 ± 1.4‰). Plasma ∂13C was enriched over red blood cells in wild birds especially those with low fat stores, which suggested birds with low energy stores were shifting diets. Black Ducks can compensate for disturbances in feeding by increasing intakes if they have access to high quality wetlands where they are able to find abundant food. High energy demands at cold temperatures may constrain fat stores and thus the tolerance of feeding disturbances especially at the northern limits of the winter range. We hypothesize that decreasing variation in diet may indicate an increase in vulnerability to disturbance in winter when body fat is low. Recent efforts to assess and improve habitat quality of Black Ducks could be enhanced by monitoring the body composition and diet of birds to assess their vulnerability to disturbances in food supply and energy demands.
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Beale P. Prudent parenting: murre now or murre later? CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 5:cox071. [PMID: 29250333 PMCID: PMC5721368 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cox071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Phillipa Beale
- Australian National University, Research School of Biology, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601, Australia
- Ecology and Evolution Division, Research School of Biology, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT, 2601, Australia
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