1
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Benjaminsen SC, Dehnhard N, Herzke D, Johnsen A, Anker-Nilssen T, Bourgeon S, Collard F, Langset M, Christensen-Dalsgaard S, Gabrielsen GW. The challenges of opportunistic sampling when comparing prevalence of plastics in diving seabirds: A multi-species example from Norway. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 199:116037. [PMID: 38242067 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
There is a need for baseline information about how much plastics are ingested by wildlife and potential negative consequences thereof. We analysed the frequency of occurrence (FO) of plastics >1 mm in the stomachs of five pursuit-diving seabird species collected opportunistically. Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica) found emaciated on beaches in SW Norway had the highest FO of plastics (58.8 %), followed by emaciated common guillemots (Uria aalge; 9.1 %) also found beached in either SW or SE Norway. No plastics were detected in razorbills (Alca torda), great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo), and European shags (Gulosus aristotelis) taken as bycatch in northern Norway. This is the first study to report on plastic ingestion of these five species in northern Europe, and it highlights both the usefulness and limitations of opportunistic sampling. Small sample sizes, as well as an unbalanced sample design, complicated the interpretation of the results.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nina Dehnhard
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Høgskoleringen 9, 7034 Trondheim, Norway.
| | - Dorte Herzke
- The Climate and Environmental Research Institute NILU, Fram Centre, Hjalmar Johansens Gate 14, 9296 Tromsø, Norway; Norwegian Institute for Public Health, Lovisenberggt. 8, Oslo, Norway
| | - Arild Johnsen
- Natural History Museum University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1172 Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway
| | - Tycho Anker-Nilssen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Høgskoleringen 9, 7034 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Sophie Bourgeon
- UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Hansine Hansens veg 18, 9019 Tromsø, Norway
| | - France Collard
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Hjalmar Johansens Gate 14, 9296 Tromsø, Norway; Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Fram Centre, Hjalmar Johansens Gate 14, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Magdalene Langset
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Høgskoleringen 9, 7034 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Geir Wing Gabrielsen
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Hjalmar Johansens Gate 14, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
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2
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Lapsansky AB, Warrick DR, Tobalske BW. High Wing-Loading Correlates with Dive Performance in Birds, Suggesting a Strategy to Reduce Buoyancy. Integr Comp Biol 2022; 62:878-889. [PMID: 35810134 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Diving birds are regarded as a classic example of morphological convergence (Darwin 1859). Divers tend to have small wings extending from rotund bodies, requiring many volant species to fly with rapid wingbeats, and rendering others flightless (Darwin 1839; Simpson 1946). The high wing-loading of diving birds is frequently associated with the challenge of using forelimbs adapted for flight for locomotion in a "draggier" fluid, but this does not explain why species that rely exclusively on their feet to dive should have relatively small wings, as well. Therefore, others have hypothesized that ecological factors shared by wing-propelled and foot-propelled diving birds drive the evolution of high wing-loading. Following a reexamination of the aquatic habits of birds, we tested between hypotheses seeking to explain high wing-loading in divers using new comparative data and phylogenetically informed analyses. We found little evidence that wing-propelled diving selects for small wings, as wing-propelled and foot-propelled species share similar wing-loadings. Instead, our results suggest that selection to reduce buoyancy has driven high wing-loading in divers, offering insights for the development of bird-like aquatic robots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony B Lapsansky
- Field Research Station at Fort Missoula, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, MT, USA.,Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, BC, Canada
| | | | - Bret W Tobalske
- Field Research Station at Fort Missoula, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, MT, USA
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3
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Fromant A, Arnould JPY, Delord K, Sutton GJ, Carravieri A, Bustamante P, Miskelly CM, Kato A, Brault-Favrou M, Cherel Y, Bost CA. Stage-dependent niche segregation: insights from a multi-dimensional approach of two sympatric sibling seabirds. Oecologia 2022; 199:537-548. [PMID: 35606670 PMCID: PMC9309125 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05181-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Niche theory predicts that to reduce competition for the same resource, sympatric ecologically similar species should exploit divergent niches and segregate in one or more dimensions. Seasonal variations in environmental conditions and energy requirements can influence the mechanisms and the degree of niche segregation. However, studies have overlooked the multi-dimensional aspect of niche segregation over the whole annual cycle, and key facets of species co-existence still remain ambiguous. The present study provides insights into the niche use and partitioning of two morphologically and ecologically similar seabirds, the common (CDP, Pelecanoides urinatrix) and the South Georgian diving petrel (SGDP, Pelecanoides georgicus). Using phenology, at-sea distribution, diving behavior and isotopic data (during the incubation, chick-rearing and non-breeding periods), we show that the degree of partitioning was highly stage-dependent. During the breeding season, the greater niche segregation during chick-rearing than incubation supported the hypothesis that resource partitioning increases during energetically demanding periods. During the post breeding period, while species-specific latitudinal differences were expected (species specific water mass preference), CDP and SGDP also migrated in divergent directions. This segregation in migration area may not be only a response to the selective pressure arising from competition avoidance between sympatric species, but instead, could reflect past evolutionary divergence. Such stage-dependent and context-dependent niche segregation demonstrates the importance of integrative approaches combining techniques from different fields, throughout the entire annual cycle, to better understand the co-existence of ecologically similar species. This is particularly relevant in order to fully understand the short and long-term effects of ongoing environmental changes on species distributions and communities.This work demonstrates the need of integrative multi-dimensional approaches combining concepts and techniques from different fields to understand the mechanism and causal factors of niche segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aymeric Fromant
- grid.1021.20000 0001 0526 7079School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, VIC 3125 Australia ,grid.452338.b0000 0004 0638 6741Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS–La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - John P. Y. Arnould
- grid.1021.20000 0001 0526 7079School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, VIC 3125 Australia
| | - Karine Delord
- grid.452338.b0000 0004 0638 6741Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS–La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Grace J. Sutton
- grid.1021.20000 0001 0526 7079School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, VIC 3125 Australia
| | - Alice Carravieri
- grid.11698.370000 0001 2169 7335Littoral Environnement Et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS–La Rochelle Université, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Paco Bustamante
- grid.11698.370000 0001 2169 7335Littoral Environnement Et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS–La Rochelle Université, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France ,grid.440891.00000 0001 1931 4817Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 1 rue Descartes, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Colin M. Miskelly
- grid.488640.60000 0004 0483 4475Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, PO Box 467, Wellington, 6140 New Zealand
| | - Akiko Kato
- grid.452338.b0000 0004 0638 6741Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS–La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Maud Brault-Favrou
- grid.11698.370000 0001 2169 7335Littoral Environnement Et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS–La Rochelle Université, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Yves Cherel
- grid.452338.b0000 0004 0638 6741Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS–La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Charles-André Bost
- grid.452338.b0000 0004 0638 6741Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS–La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
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Abstract
Sympatric species must sufficiently differentiate aspects of their ecological niche to alleviate complete interspecific competition and stably coexist within the same area. Seabirds provide a unique opportunity to understand patterns of niche segregation among coexisting species because they form large multi-species colonies of breeding aggregations with seemingly overlapping diets and foraging areas. Recent biologging tools have revealed that colonial seabirds can differentiate components of their foraging strategies. Specifically, small, diving birds with high wing-loading may have small foraging radii compared with larger or non-diving birds. In the Gulf of St-Lawrence in Canada, we investigated whether and how niche differentiation occurs in four incubating seabird species breeding sympatrically using GPS-tracking and direct field observations of prey items carried by adults to chicks: the Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica), razorbill (Alca torda), common murre (Uria aalge), and black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla). Although there was overlap at foraging hotspots, all species differentiated in either diet (prey species, size and number) or foraging range. Whereas puffins and razorbills consumed multiple smaller prey items that were readily available closer to the colony, murres selected larger more diverse prey that were accessible due to their deeper diving capability. Kittiwakes compensated for their surface foraging by having a large foraging range, including foraging largely at a specific distant hotspot. These foraging habitat specialisations may alleviate high interspecific competition allowing for their coexistence, providing insight on multispecies colonial living.
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5
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Watanabe J, Field DJ, Matsuoka H. Wing Musculature Reconstruction in Extinct Flightless Auks ( Pinguinus and Mancalla) Reveals Incomplete Convergence with Penguins (Spheniscidae) Due to Differing Ancestral States. Integr Org Biol 2020; 3:obaa040. [PMID: 34258512 PMCID: PMC8271220 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obaa040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite longstanding interest in convergent evolution, factors that result in deviations from fully convergent phenotypes remain poorly understood. In birds, the evolution of flightless wing-propelled diving has emerged as a classic example of convergence, having arisen in disparate lineages including penguins (Sphenisciformes) and auks (Pan-Alcidae, Charadriiformes). Nevertheless, little is known about the functional anatomy of the wings of flightless auks because all such taxa are extinct, and their morphology is almost exclusively represented by skeletal remains. Here, in order to re-evaluate the extent of evolutionary convergence among flightless wing-propelled divers, wing muscles and ligaments were reconstructed in two extinct flightless auks, representing independent transitions to flightlessness: Pinguinus impennis (a crown-group alcid), and Mancalla (a stem-group alcid). Extensive anatomical data were gathered from dissections of 12 species of extant charadriiforms and 4 aequornithine waterbirds including a penguin. The results suggest that the wings of both flightless auk taxa were characterized by an increased mechanical advantage of wing elevator/retractor muscles, and decreased mobility of distal wing joints, both of which are likely advantageous for wing-propelled diving and parallel similar functional specializations in penguins. However, the conformations of individual muscles and ligaments underlying these specializations differ markedly between penguins and flightless auks, instead resembling those in each respective group's close relatives. Thus, the wings of these flightless wing-propelled divers can be described as convergent as overall functional units, but are incompletely convergent at lower levels of anatomical organization-a result of retaining differing conditions from each group's respective volant ancestors. Detailed investigations such as this one may indicate that, even in the face of similar functional demands, courses of phenotypic evolution are dictated to an important degree by ancestral starting points.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junya Watanabe
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ, UK.,Department of Geology and Mineralogy, Kyoto University, Sakyoku Kitashirakawa Oiwakecho, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Daniel J Field
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ, UK
| | - Hiroshige Matsuoka
- Department of Geology and Mineralogy, Kyoto University, Sakyoku Kitashirakawa Oiwakecho, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
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Hentati‐Sundberg J, Olin AB, Evans TJ, Isaksson N, Berglund P, Olsson O. A mechanistic framework to inform the spatial management of conflicting fisheries and top predators. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Hentati‐Sundberg
- Department of Aquatic Resources, Institute of Marine Research Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Lysekil Sweden
| | - Agnes B. Olin
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics University of Strathclyde Glasgow UK
| | - Tom J. Evans
- Marine Scotland Science Marine Laboratory Aberdeen UK
| | - Natalie Isaksson
- Environmental Research Institute, North Highland College University of the Highlands and Islands Thurso UK
| | - Per‐Arvid Berglund
- Baltic Seabird Project Karlsö Jagt och Djurskyddsförenings AB Visby Sweden
| | - Olof Olsson
- Stockholm Resilience Centre Stockholm University Stockholm Sweden
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7
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Lapsansky AB, Zatz D, Tobalske BW. Alcids 'fly' at efficient Strouhal numbers in both air and water but vary stroke velocity and angle. eLife 2020; 9:55774. [PMID: 32602463 PMCID: PMC7332295 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds that use their wings for ‘flight’ in both air and water are expected to fly poorly in each fluid relative to single-fluid specialists; that is, these jacks-of-all-trades should be the masters of none. Alcids exhibit exceptional dive performance while retaining aerial flight. We hypothesized that alcids maintain efficient Strouhal numbers and stroke velocities across air and water, allowing them to mitigate the costs of their ‘fluid generalism’. We show that alcids cruise at Strouhal numbers between 0.10 and 0.40 – on par with single-fluid specialists – in both air and water but flap their wings ~ 50% slower in water. Thus, these species either contract their muscles at inefficient velocities or maintain a two-geared muscle system, highlighting a clear cost to using the same morphology for locomotion in two fluids. Additionally, alcids varied stroke-plane angle between air and water and chord angle during aquatic flight, expanding their performance envelope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony B Lapsansky
- Field Research Station at Fort Missoula, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, United States
| | | | - Bret W Tobalske
- Field Research Station at Fort Missoula, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, United States
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8
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Waggitt JJ, Evans PGH, Andrade J, Banks AN, Boisseau O, Bolton M, Bradbury G, Brereton T, Camphuysen CJ, Durinck J, Felce T, Fijn RC, Garcia‐Baron I, Garthe S, Geelhoed SCV, Gilles A, Goodall M, Haelters J, Hamilton S, Hartny‐Mills L, Hodgins N, James K, Jessopp M, Kavanagh AS, Leopold M, Lohrengel K, Louzao M, Markones N, Martínez-Cedeira J, Ó Cadhla O, Perry SL, Pierce GJ, Ridoux V, Robinson KP, Santos MB, Saavedra C, Skov H, Stienen EWM, Sveegaard S, Thompson P, Vanermen N, Wall D, Webb A, Wilson J, Wanless S, Hiddink JG. Distribution maps of cetacean and seabird populations in the North‐East Atlantic. J Appl Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Peter G. H. Evans
- School of Ocean Sciences Bangor University Menai Bridge UK
- Sea Watch Foundation Amlwch UK
| | - Joana Andrade
- Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves Lisboa Portugal
| | | | | | - Mark Bolton
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Centre for Conservation Science Sandy UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Tom Felce
- Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch Peel Isle of Man
| | | | | | - Stefan Garthe
- Research and Technology Centre (FTZ) University of Kiel Büsum Germany
| | | | - Anita Gilles
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation Büsum Germany
| | | | - Jan Haelters
- Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Ostend Belgium
| | | | | | | | | | - Mark Jessopp
- MaREI Centre Environmental Research Institute University College Cork Cork Ireland
- School of Biological Earth & Environmental Sciences University College Cork Cork Ireland
| | - Ailbhe S. Kavanagh
- MaREI Centre Environmental Research Institute University College Cork Cork Ireland
| | | | | | | | - Nele Markones
- Research and Technology Centre (FTZ) University of Kiel Büsum Germany
| | | | - Oliver Ó Cadhla
- Science and Biodiversity Section National Parks & Wildlife Service Galway Ireland
| | - Sarah L. Perry
- Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales New Quay UK
| | | | - Vincent Ridoux
- Observatoire PELAGIS UMS 3462 La Rochelle Université/CNRS La Rochelle France
| | | | - M. Begoña Santos
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo Vigo Spain
| | - Camilo Saavedra
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo Vigo Spain
| | | | | | | | - Paul Thompson
- Lighthouse Field Station University of Aberdeen Cromarty UK
| | | | - Dave Wall
- Irish Whale and Dolphin Group Kilrush Ireland
| | - Andy Webb
- HiDef Aerial Surveying Ltd. Cumbria UK
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9
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St. John Glew K, Wanless S, Harris MP, Daunt F, Erikstad KE, Strøm H, Speakman JR, Kürten B, Trueman CN. Sympatric Atlantic puffins and razorbills show contrasting responses to adverse marine conditions during winter foraging within the North Sea. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2019; 7:33. [PMID: 31695919 PMCID: PMC6824136 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-019-0174-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Natural environments are dynamic systems with conditions varying across years. Higher trophic level consumers may respond to changes in the distribution and quality of available prey by moving to locate new resources or by switching diets. In order to persist, sympatric species with similar ecological niches may show contrasting foraging responses to changes in environmental conditions. However, in marine environments this assertion remains largely untested for highly mobile predators outside the breeding season because of the challenges of quantifying foraging location and trophic position under contrasting conditions. METHOD Differences in overwinter survival rates of two populations of North Sea seabirds (Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica) and razorbills (Alca torda)) indicated that environmental conditions differed between 2007/08 (low survival and thus poor conditions) and 2014/15 (higher survival, favourable conditions). We used a combination of bird-borne data loggers and stable isotope analyses to test 1) whether these sympatric species showed consistent responses with respect to foraging location and trophic position to these contrasting winter conditions during periods when body and cheek feathers were being grown (moult) and 2) whether any observed changes in moult locations and diet could be related to the abundance and distribution of potential prey species of differing energetic quality. RESULTS Puffins and razorbills showed divergent foraging responses to contrasting winter conditions. Puffins foraging in the North Sea used broadly similar foraging locations during moult in both winters. However, puffin diet significantly differed, with a lower average trophic position in the winter characterised by lower survival rates. By contrast, razorbills' trophic position increased in the poor survival winter and the population foraged in more distant southerly waters of the North Sea. CONCLUSIONS Populations of North Sea puffins and razorbills showed contrasting foraging responses when environmental conditions, as indicated by overwinter survival differed. Conservation of mobile predators, many of which are in sharp decline, may benefit from dynamic spatial based management approaches focusing on behavioural changes in response to changing environmental conditions, particularly during life history stages associated with increased mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie St. John Glew
- Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, Southampton, SO143ZH UK
| | - Sarah Wanless
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, EH26 0QB UK
| | | | - Francis Daunt
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, EH26 0QB UK
| | - Kjell Einar Erikstad
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Fram Centre, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway
- Norwegian University of Science &Technology (NTNU), Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Hallvard Strøm
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Postbox 6606, Langnes, NO-9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - John R. Speakman
- Institute of Genetics and developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - Benjamin Kürten
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU UK
- Present address: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences & Engineering Division (BESE), Thuwal, 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia
| | - Clive N. Trueman
- Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, Southampton, SO143ZH UK
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Carroll MJ, Wakefield ED, Scragg ES, Owen E, Pinder S, Bolton M, Waggitt JJ, Evans PGH. Matches and Mismatches Between Seabird Distributions Estimated From At-Sea Surveys and Concurrent Individual-Level Tracking. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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11
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Bennison A, Quinn JL, Debney A, Jessopp M. Tidal drift removes the need for area-restricted search in foraging Atlantic puffins. Biol Lett 2019; 15:20190208. [PMID: 31288687 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how animals forage is a central objective in ecology. Theory suggests that where food is uniformly distributed, Brownian movement ensures the maximum prey encounter rate, but when prey is patchy, the optimal strategy resembles a Lévy walk where area-restricted search (ARS) is interspersed with commuting between prey patches. Such movement appears ubiquitous in high trophic-level marine predators. Here, we report foraging and diving behaviour in a seabird with a high cost of flight, the Atlantic puffin ( Fratercula arctica), and report a clear lack of Brownian or Levy flight and associated ARS. Instead, puffins foraged using tides to transport them through their feeding grounds. Energetic models suggest the cost of foraging trips using the drift strategy is 28-46% less than flying between patches. We suggest such alternative movement strategies are habitat-specific, but likely to be far more widespread than currently thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley Bennison
- 1 School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork , Cork , Ireland.,2 MaREI Centre, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork , Cork , Ireland
| | - John L Quinn
- 1 School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork , Cork , Ireland
| | - Alison Debney
- 3 Zoological Society of London , Regents Park, London , UK
| | - Mark Jessopp
- 1 School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork , Cork , Ireland.,2 MaREI Centre, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork , Cork , Ireland
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13
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Browning E, Bolton M, Owen E, Shoji A, Guilford T, Freeman R. Predicting animal behaviour using deep learning:
GPS
data alone accurately predict diving in seabirds. Methods Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ella Browning
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment ResearchUniversity College London London UK
- Institute of ZoologyZoological Society of London London UK
| | - Mark Bolton
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Sandy Bedfordshire UK
| | - Ellie Owen
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Inverness UK
| | - Akiko Shoji
- Department of ZoologyOxford University Oxford UK
| | - Tim Guilford
- Department of ZoologyOxford University Oxford UK
| | - Robin Freeman
- Institute of ZoologyZoological Society of London London UK
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14
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Chimienti M, Cornulier T, Owen E, Bolton M, Davies IM, Travis JMJ, Scott BE. Taking movement data to new depths: Inferring prey availability and patch profitability from seabird foraging behavior. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:10252-10265. [PMID: 29238552 PMCID: PMC5723613 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2017] [Revised: 09/21/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Detailed information acquired using tracking technology has the potential to provide accurate pictures of the types of movements and behaviors performed by animals. To date, such data have not been widely exploited to provide inferred information about the foraging habitat. We collected data using multiple sensors (GPS, time depth recorders, and accelerometers) from two species of diving seabirds, razorbills (Alca torda, N = 5, from Fair Isle, UK) and common guillemots (Uria aalge, N = 2 from Fair Isle and N = 2 from Colonsay, UK). We used a clustering algorithm to identify pursuit and catching events and the time spent pursuing and catching underwater, which we then used as indicators for inferring prey encounters throughout the water column and responses to changes in prey availability of the areas visited at two levels: individual dives and groups of dives. For each individual dive (N = 661 for guillemots, 6214 for razorbills), we modeled the number of pursuit and catching events, in relation to dive depth, duration, and type of dive performed (benthic vs. pelagic). For groups of dives (N = 58 for guillemots, 156 for razorbills), we modeled the total time spent pursuing and catching in relation to time spent underwater. Razorbills performed only pelagic dives, most likely exploiting prey available at shallow depths as indicated by the vertical distribution of pursuit and catching events. In contrast, guillemots were more flexible in their behavior, switching between benthic and pelagic dives. Capture attempt rates indicated that they were exploiting deep prey aggregations. The study highlights how novel analysis of movement data can give new insights into how animals exploit food patches, offering a unique opportunity to comprehend the behavioral ecology behind different movement patterns and understand how animals might respond to changes in prey distributions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianna Chimienti
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK.,Marine Scotland Science Marine Laboratory Scottish Government Aberdeen UK
| | - Thomas Cornulier
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
| | - Ellie Owen
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science North Scotland Office Inverness UK
| | - Mark Bolton
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science The Lodge Sandy Bedfordshire UK
| | - Ian M Davies
- Marine Scotland Science Marine Laboratory Scottish Government Aberdeen UK
| | | | - Beth E Scott
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
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15
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Wakefield ED, Owen E, Baer J, Carroll MJ, Daunt F, Dodd SG, Green JA, Guilford T, Mavor RA, Miller PI, Newell MA, Newton SF, Robertson GS, Shoji A, Soanes LM, Votier SC, Wanless S, Bolton M. Breeding density, fine-scale tracking, and large-scale modeling reveal the regional distribution of four seabird species. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 27:2074-2091. [PMID: 28653410 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Revised: 05/08/2017] [Accepted: 05/16/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Population-level estimates of species' distributions can reveal fundamental ecological processes and facilitate conservation. However, these may be difficult to obtain for mobile species, especially colonial central-place foragers (CCPFs; e.g., bats, corvids, social insects), because it is often impractical to determine the provenance of individuals observed beyond breeding sites. Moreover, some CCPFs, especially in the marine realm (e.g., pinnipeds, turtles, and seabirds) are difficult to observe because they range tens to ten thousands of kilometers from their colonies. It is hypothesized that the distribution of CCPFs depends largely on habitat availability and intraspecific competition. Modeling these effects may therefore allow distributions to be estimated from samples of individual spatial usage. Such data can be obtained for an increasing number of species using tracking technology. However, techniques for estimating population-level distributions using the telemetry data are poorly developed. This is of concern because many marine CCPFs, such as seabirds, are threatened by anthropogenic activities. Here, we aim to estimate the distribution at sea of four seabird species, foraging from approximately 5,500 breeding sites in Britain and Ireland. To do so, we GPS-tracked a sample of 230 European Shags Phalacrocorax aristotelis, 464 Black-legged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla, 178 Common Murres Uria aalge, and 281 Razorbills Alca torda from 13, 20, 12, and 14 colonies, respectively. Using Poisson point process habitat use models, we show that distribution at sea is dependent on (1) density-dependent competition among sympatric conspecifics (all species) and parapatric conspecifics (Kittiwakes and Murres); (2) habitat accessibility and coastal geometry, such that birds travel further from colonies with limited access to the sea; and (3) regional habitat availability. Using these models, we predict space use by birds from unobserved colonies and thereby map the distribution at sea of each species at both the colony and regional level. Space use by all four species' British breeding populations is concentrated in the coastal waters of Scotland, highlighting the need for robust conservation measures in this area. The techniques we present are applicable to any CCPF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewan D Wakefield
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, SG19 2DL, United Kingdom
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, United Kingdom
| | - Ellie Owen
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB Scotland, Etive House, Beechwood Park, Inverness, IV2 3BW, United Kingdom
| | - Julia Baer
- BirdWatch Ireland, 20D Bullford Business Campus, Kilcoole, County Wicklow, Ireland
| | - Matthew J Carroll
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, SG19 2DL, United Kingdom
| | - Francis Daunt
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0QB, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen G Dodd
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, SG19 2DL, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan A Green
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Nicholson Building, Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L69 3GP, United Kingdom
| | - Tim Guilford
- Oxford Navigation Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, United Kingdom
| | - Roddy A Mavor
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Inverdee House, Baxter Street, Aberdeen, AB11 9QA, United Kingdom
| | - Peter I Miller
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, PL1 3DH, United Kingdom
| | - Mark A Newell
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0QB, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen F Newton
- BirdWatch Ireland, 20D Bullford Business Campus, Kilcoole, County Wicklow, Ireland
| | - Gail S Robertson
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, United Kingdom
| | - Akiko Shoji
- Oxford Navigation Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, United Kingdom
| | - Louise M Soanes
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Nicholson Building, Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L69 3GP, United Kingdom
- Life Sciences Department, University of Roehampton, Whitelands College, London, SW15 4JD, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen C Votier
- Environment & Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Falmouth, TR10 9EZ, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Wanless
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0QB, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Bolton
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, SG19 2DL, United Kingdom
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16
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Elliott KH, Linnebjerg JF, Burke C, Gaston AJ, Mosbech A, Frederiksen M, Merkel F. Variation in Growth Drives the Duration of Parental Care: A Test of Ydenberg's Model. Am Nat 2017; 189:526-538. [PMID: 28410026 DOI: 10.1086/691097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The duration of parental care in animals varies widely, from none to lifelong. Such variation is typically thought to represent a trade-off between growth and safety. Seabirds show wide variation in the age at which offspring leave the nest, making them ideal to test the idea that a trade-off between high energy gain at sea and high safety at the nest drives variation in departure age (Ydenberg's model). To directly test the model assumptions, we attached time-depth recorders to murre parents (fathers [which do all parental care at sea] and mothers; [Formula: see text] of each). Except for the initial mortality experienced by chicks departing from the colony, the mortality rate at sea was similar to the mortality rate at the colony. However, energy gained by the chick per day was ∼2.1 times as high at sea compared with at the colony because the father spent more time foraging, since he no longer needed to spend time commuting to and from the colony. Compared with the mother, the father spent ∼2.6 times as much time diving per day and dived in lower-quality foraging patches. We provide a simple model for optimal departure date based on only (1) the difference in growth rate at sea relative to the colony and (2) the assumption that transition mortality from one life-history stage to the other is size dependent. Apparently, large variation in the duration of parental care can arise simply as a result of variation in energy gain without any trade-off with safety.
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17
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Waggitt JJ, Cazenave PW, Torres R, Williamson BJ, Scott BE. Quantifying pursuit-diving seabirds’ associations with fine-scale physical features in tidal stream environments. J Appl Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James J. Waggitt
- School of Ocean Sciences; Bangor University; Menai Bridge LL59 5AB UK
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences; University of Aberdeen; Aberdeen AB24 2TZ UK
- Marine Scotland Science; Aberdeen AB11 9DB UK
| | | | | | - Benjamin J. Williamson
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences; University of Aberdeen; Aberdeen AB24 2TZ UK
| | - Beth E. Scott
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences; University of Aberdeen; Aberdeen AB24 2TZ UK
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18
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Shoji A, Aris-Brosou S, Owen E, Bolton M, Boyle D, Fayet A, Dean B, Kirk H, Freeman R, Perrins C, Guilford T. Foraging flexibility and search patterns are unlinked during breeding in a free-ranging seabird. MARINE BIOLOGY 2016; 163:72. [PMID: 27069278 PMCID: PMC4791460 DOI: 10.1007/s00227-016-2826-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 01/22/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
In order to maximize foraging efficiency in a varying environment, predators are expected to optimize their search strategy. Environmental conditions are one important factor affecting these movement patterns, but variations in breeding constraints (self-feeding vs. feeding young and self-feeding) during different breeding stages (incubation vs. chick-rearing) are often overlooked, so that the mechanisms responsible for such behavioral shifts are still unknown. Here, to test how search patterns are affected at different breeding stages and to explore the proximate causes of these variations, we deployed data loggers to record both position (global positioning system) and dive activity (time-depth recorders) of a colonial breeding seabird, the razorbill Alca torda. Over a period of 3 years, our recordings of 56 foraging trips from 18 breeders show that while there is no evidence for individual route fidelity, razorbills exhibit higher foraging flexibility during incubation than during chick rearing, when foraging becomes more focused on an area of high primary productivity. We further show that this behavioral shift is not due to a shift in search patterns, as reorientations during foraging are independent of breeding stage. Our results suggest that foraging flexibility and search patterns are unlinked, perhaps because birds can read cues from their environment, including conspecifics, to optimize their foraging efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akiko Shoji
- />Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire UK
| | - Stéphane Aris-Brosou
- />Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 Canada
| | - Ellie Owen
- />The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL UK
| | - Mark Bolton
- />The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL UK
| | - Dave Boyle
- />Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire UK
| | - Annette Fayet
- />Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire UK
| | - Ben Dean
- />Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire UK
| | - Holly Kirk
- />Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire UK
| | - Robin Freeman
- />Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London, NW1 4RY UK
| | - Chris Perrins
- />Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire UK
| | - Tim Guilford
- />Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire UK
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19
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Physiological constraints and dive behavior scale in tandem with body mass in auks: A comparative analysis. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2016; 196:54-60. [PMID: 26952335 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2016.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2016] [Revised: 02/29/2016] [Accepted: 02/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Many behavioral processes scale with body mass (M) because underlying physiological constraints, such as metabolism, scale with M. A classic example is the maximum duration of dives by breath-hold divers, which scales with M0.25, as predicted from the ratio of oxygen stores (M1.0) to diving oxygen consumption rate (M0.75) - assuming classic scaling relationships for those physiological processes. However, maximum dive duration in some groups of birds does not have a 0.25 scaling exponent. We re-examined the allometric scaling of maximum dive duration in auks to test whether the discrepancy was due to poor data (earlier analyses included data from many different sources possibly leading to bias), phylogeny (earlier analyses did not account for phylogenetic inertia) or physiology (earlier analyses did not analyze physiological parameters alongside behavioral parameters). When we included only data derived from electronic recorders and after accounting for phylogeny, the equation for maximum dive duration was proportional to M0.33. At the same time, myoglobin concentration in small breath-hold divers was proportional to M0.36, implying that muscle oxygen stores were proportional to M1.36, but diving oxygen consumption rate in wing-propelled divers was only proportional to M0.79. Thus, the 99% confidence interval included the exponent of 0.57 predicted from the observed relationships between oxygen stores and consumption rates. In conclusion, auks are not exceptions to the hypothesis that a trade-off between oxygen stores and oxygen utilization drives variation in maximum dive duration. Rather, the scaling exponent for maximum dive duration is higher than expected due to the higher than expected scaling of muscle oxygen stores to body mass.
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20
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Chimienti M, Cornulier T, Owen E, Bolton M, Davies IM, Travis JMJ, Scott BE. The use of an unsupervised learning approach for characterizing latent behaviors in accelerometer data. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:727-41. [PMID: 26865961 PMCID: PMC4739568 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent increase in data accuracy from high resolution accelerometers offers substantial potential for improved understanding and prediction of animal movements. However, current approaches used for analysing these multivariable datasets typically require existing knowledge of the behaviors of the animals to inform the behavioral classification process. These methods are thus not well‐suited for the many cases where limited knowledge of the different behaviors performed exist. Here, we introduce the use of an unsupervised learning algorithm. To illustrate the method's capability we analyse data collected using a combination of GPS and Accelerometers on two seabird species: razorbills (Alca torda) and common guillemots (Uria aalge). We applied the unsupervised learning algorithm Expectation Maximization to characterize latent behavioral states both above and below water at both individual and group level. The application of this flexible approach yielded significant new insights into the foraging strategies of the two study species, both above and below the surface of the water. In addition to general behavioral modes such as flying, floating, as well as descending and ascending phases within the water column, this approach allowed an exploration of previously unstudied and important behaviors such as searching and prey chasing/capture events. We propose that this unsupervised learning approach provides an ideal tool for the systematic analysis of such complex multivariable movement data that are increasingly being obtained with accelerometer tags across species. In particular, we recommend its application in cases where we have limited current knowledge of the behaviors performed and existing supervised learning approaches may have limited utility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianna Chimienti
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Tillydrone Avenue Aberdeen AB24 2TZ UK; Marine Scotland Science Scottish Government Marine Laboratory PO Box 101375 Victoria Road Aberdeen AB11 9DB UK
| | - Thomas Cornulier
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Tillydrone Avenue Aberdeen AB24 2TZ UK
| | - Ellie Owen
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science North Scotland Office Etive House, Beechwood Park Inverness IV2 6AL UK
| | - Mark Bolton
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science The Lodge Sandy Bedfordshire SG19 2DL UK
| | - Ian M Davies
- Marine Scotland Science Scottish Government Marine Laboratory PO Box 101 375 Victoria Road Aberdeen AB11 9DB UK
| | - Justin M J Travis
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Tillydrone Avenue Aberdeen AB24 2TZ UK
| | - Beth E Scott
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Tillydrone Avenue Aberdeen AB24 2TZ UK
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21
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McCauley DJ, Pinsky ML, Palumbi SR, Estes JA, Joyce FH, Warner RR. Marine defaunation: Animal loss in the global ocean. Science 2015; 347:1255641. [PMID: 25593191 DOI: 10.1126/science.1255641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 419] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Douglas J McCauley
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
| | - Malin L Pinsky
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Stephen R Palumbi
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Hopkins Marine Station, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - James A Estes
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - Francis H Joyce
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Robert R Warner
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
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22
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23
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Thaxter CB, Daunt F, Grémillet D, Harris MP, Benvenuti S, Watanuki Y, Hamer KC, Wanless S. Modelling the effects of prey size and distribution on prey capture rates of two sympatric marine predators. PLoS One 2013; 8:e79915. [PMID: 24260318 PMCID: PMC3829866 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079915] [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: 06/27/2013] [Accepted: 09/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how prey capture rates are influenced by feeding ecology and environmental conditions is fundamental to assessing anthropogenic impacts on marine higher predators. We compared how prey capture rates varied in relation to prey size, prey patch distribution and prey density for two species of alcid, common guillemot (Uria aalge) and razorbill (Alca torda) during the chick-rearing period. We developed a Monte Carlo approach parameterised with foraging behaviour from bird-borne data loggers, observations of prey fed to chicks, and adult diet from water-offloading, to construct a bio-energetics model. Our primary goal was to estimate prey capture rates, and a secondary aim was to test responses to a set of biologically plausible environmental scenarios. Estimated prey capture rates were 1.5±0.8 items per dive (0.8±0.4 and 1.1±0.6 items per minute foraging and underwater, respectively) for guillemots and 3.7±2.4 items per dive (4.9±3.1 and 7.3±4.0 items per minute foraging and underwater, respectively) for razorbills. Based on species' ecology, diet and flight costs, we predicted that razorbills would be more sensitive to decreases in 0-group sandeel (Ammodytes marinus) length (prediction 1), but guillemots would be more sensitive to prey patches that were more widely spaced (prediction 2), and lower in prey density (prediction 3). Estimated prey capture rates increased non-linearly as 0-group sandeel length declined, with the slope being steeper in razorbills, supporting prediction 1. When prey patches were more dispersed, estimated daily energy expenditure increased by a factor of 3.0 for guillemots and 2.3 for razorbills, suggesting guillemots were more sensitive to patchier prey, supporting prediction 2. However, both species responded similarly to reduced prey density (guillemot expenditure increased by 1.7; razorbill by 1.6), thus not supporting prediction 3. This bio-energetics approach complements other foraging models in predicting likely impacts of environmental change on marine higher predators dependent on species-specific foraging ecologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris B. Thaxter
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penuick, Midlothian, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Francis Daunt
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penuick, Midlothian, United Kingdom
| | - David Grémillet
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175 du CNRS, Montpellier, France
- Percy FitzPatrick Institute, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Mike P. Harris
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penuick, Midlothian, United Kingdom
| | | | - Yutaka Watanuki
- Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Keith C. Hamer
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Wanless
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penuick, Midlothian, United Kingdom
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24
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Linnebjerg JF, Fort J, Guilford T, Reuleaux A, Mosbech A, Frederiksen M. Sympatric breeding auks shift between dietary and spatial resource partitioning across the annual cycle. PLoS One 2013; 8:e72987. [PMID: 24023663 PMCID: PMC3758292 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2013] [Accepted: 07/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
When species competing for the same resources coexist, some segregation in the way they utilize those resources is expected. However, little is known about how closely related sympatric breeding species segregate outside the breeding season. We investigated the annual segregation of three closely related seabirds (razorbill Alcatorda, common guillemot Uriaaalge and Brünnich's guillemot U. lomvia) breeding at the same colony in Southwest Greenland. By combining GPS and geolocation (GLS) tracking with dive depth and stable isotope analyses, we compared spatial and dietary resource partitioning. During the breeding season, we found the three species to segregate in diet and/or dive depth, but less in foraging area. During both the post-breeding and pre-breeding periods, the three species had an increased overlap in diet, but were dispersed over a larger spatial scale. Dive depths were similar across the annual cycle, suggesting morphological adaptations fixed by evolution. Prey choice, on the other hand, seemed much more flexible and therefore more likely to be affected by the immediate presence of potential competitors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jérôme Fort
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Tim Guilford
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Reuleaux
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Anders Mosbech
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
- Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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25
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Elliott KH, Ricklefs RE, Gaston AJ, Hatch SA, Speakman JR, Davoren GK. High flight costs, but low dive costs, in auks support the biomechanical hypothesis for flightlessness in penguins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:9380-4. [PMID: 23690614 PMCID: PMC3677478 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1304838110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Flight is a key adaptive trait. Despite its advantages, flight has been lost in several groups of birds, notably among seabirds, where flightlessness has evolved independently in at least five lineages. One hypothesis for the loss of flight among seabirds is that animals moving between different media face tradeoffs between maximizing function in one medium relative to the other. In particular, biomechanical models of energy costs during flying and diving suggest that a wing designed for optimal diving performance should lead to enormous energy costs when flying in air. Costs of flying and diving have been measured in free-living animals that use their wings to fly or to propel their dives, but not both. Animals that both fly and dive might approach the functional boundary between flight and nonflight. We show that flight costs for thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia), which are wing-propelled divers, and pelagic cormorants (Phalacrocorax pelagicus) (foot-propelled divers), are the highest recorded for vertebrates. Dive costs are high for cormorants and low for murres, but the latter are still higher than for flightless wing-propelled diving birds (penguins). For murres, flight costs were higher than predicted from biomechanical modeling, and the oxygen consumption rate during dives decreased with depth at a faster rate than estimated biomechanical costs. These results strongly support the hypothesis that function constrains form in diving birds, and that optimizing wing shape and form for wing-propelled diving leads to such high flight costs that flying ceases to be an option in larger wing-propelled diving seabirds, including penguins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle H. Elliott
- Department of Zoology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3T 2N2
| | | | - Anthony J. Gaston
- Canadian Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1A OH3
| | - Scott A. Hatch
- Institute for Seabird Research and Conservation, Anchorage, AK 99516-9951
| | - John R. Speakman
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, Scotland, United Kingdom; and
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People’s Republic of China
| | - Gail K. Davoren
- Department of Zoology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3T 2N2
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26
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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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Lewison R, Oro D, Godley B, Underhill L, Bearhop S, Wilson RP, Ainley D, Arcos JM, Boersma PD, Borboroglu PG, Boulinier T, Frederiksen M, Genovart M, González-Solís J, Green JA, Grémillet D, Hamer KC, Hilton GM, Hyrenbach KD, Martínez-Abraín A, Montevecchi WA, Phillips RA, Ryan PG, Sagar P, Sydeman WJ, Wanless S, Watanuki Y, Weimerskirch H, Yorio P. Research priorities for seabirds: improving conservation and management in the 21st century. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2012. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Watanabe YY, Takahashi A, Sato K, Viviant M, Bost CA. Poor flight performance in deep-diving cormorants. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 214:412-21. [PMID: 21228200 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.050161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Aerial flight and breath-hold diving present conflicting morphological and physiological demands, and hence diving seabirds capable of flight are expected to face evolutionary trade-offs regarding locomotory performances. We tested whether Kerguelen shags Phalacrocorax verrucosus, which are remarkable divers, have poor flight capability using newly developed tags that recorded their flight air speed (the first direct measurement for wild birds) with propeller sensors, flight duration, GPS position and depth during foraging trips. Flight air speed (mean 12.7 m s(-1)) was close to the speed that minimizes power requirement, rather than energy expenditure per distance, when existing aerodynamic models were applied. Flights were short (mean 92 s), with a mean summed duration of only 24 min day(-1). Shags sometimes stayed at the sea surface without diving between flights, even on the way back to the colony, and surface durations increased with the preceding flight durations; these observations suggest that shags rested after flights. Our results indicate that their flight performance is physiologically limited, presumably compromised by their great diving capability (max. depth 94 m, duration 306 s) through their morphological adaptations for diving, including large body mass (enabling a large oxygen store), small flight muscles (to allow for large leg muscles for underwater propulsion) and short wings (to decrease air volume in the feathers and hence buoyancy). The compromise between flight and diving, as well as the local bathymetry, shape the three-dimensional foraging range (<26 km horizontally, <94 m vertically) in this bottom-feeding cormorant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuuki Y Watanabe
- National Institute of Polar Research, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan.
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