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Jakubas D, Wojczulanis-Jakubas K, Iliszko LM. Sex differences in foraging ecology of a zooplanktivorous little auk Alle alle during the pre-laying period: insights from remote sensing and animal-tracking. Front Zool 2024; 21:12. [PMID: 38632631 PMCID: PMC11022494 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-024-00534-2] [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] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Energy and time allocation in seabirds differ between consecutive stages of breeding given various requirements of particular phases of the reproductive period. Theses allocations may also be sex-specific considering differential energetic or nutritional requirements of males and females and/or sexual segregation in foraging niches and/or areas. In this study we investigated the foraging ecology of an Arctic, zooplanktivorous seabird, the little auk Alle alle during the pre-laying period using remote sensing of the environment and GPS-TDR loggers deployed on birds. We compared foraging trips range and habitats of birds with other stages of the breeding period and between sexes. RESULTS We found that little auks during the pre-laying period foraged exclusively in cold sea surface temperature zones (with temperatures < 5 ºC) but in various sea depth zones. They dived to similar depths ranging from -4.0 to -10.9 m, exploring various thermal microhabitats (with mean temperatures values ranging from 2.2 °C in Shelf sea depth zone to 5.9 °C in Deep sea depth zone). The majority of foraging trips and dives characteristics were similar to subsequent phases of breeding. However, home ranges during the pre-laying trips were wider compared to the incubation period. As expected, females exhibited wider foraging niches compared to males (wider range of sea surface temperature and sea depth in foraging locations), which could be explained by sex specific energetic and/or nutritional requirements (females producing an egg). We also delineated local foraging areas important for little auks during their whole breeding season. Protection of these areas is crucial for sustaining the local marine biodiversity. CONCLUSIONS We found that little auks females during the pre-laying period explored wider foraging niches compared to males. These differences may be attributed to sex-specific nutritional or/and energetical constraints at this stage of breeding. The results of this study also emphasize the importance of shelf Arctic-type water masses as the foraging areas for little auks during successive stages of breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dariusz Jakubas
- Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308, Gdańsk, Poland.
| | - Katarzyna Wojczulanis-Jakubas
- Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Lech Marek Iliszko
- Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308, Gdańsk, Poland
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2
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Beaman JE, White CR, Clairbaux M, Perret S, Fort J, Grémillet D. Cold adaptation does not handicap warm tolerance in the most abundant Arctic seabird. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20231887. [PMID: 38228179 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Arctic birds and mammals are physiologically adapted to survive in cold environments but live in the fastest warming region on the planet. They should therefore be most threatened by climate change. We fitted a phylogenetic model of upper critical temperature (TUC) in 255 bird species and determined that TUC for dovekies (Alle alle; 22.4°C)-the most abundant seabird in the Arctic-is 8.8°C lower than predicted for a bird of its body mass (150 g) and habitat latitude. We combined our comparative analysis with in situ physiological measurements on 36 dovekies from East Greenland and forward-projections of dovekie energy and water expenditure under different climate scenarios. Based on our analyses, we demonstrate that cold adaptation in this small Arctic seabird does not handicap acute tolerance to air temperatures up to at least 15°C above their current maximum. We predict that climate warming will reduce the energetic costs of thermoregulation for dovekies, but their capacity to cope with rising temperatures will be constrained by water intake and salt balance. Dovekies evolved 15 million years ago, and their thermoregulatory physiology might also reflect adaptation to a wide range of palaeoclimates, both substantially warmer and colder than the present day.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian E Beaman
- Centre for Geometric Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Global Ecology, College of Science & Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Craig R White
- Centre for Geometric Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Manon Clairbaux
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
- School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences, University College Cork, Cork T23 N73K, Ireland
- MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork P43 C573, Ireland
| | - Samuel Perret
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Jérôme Fort
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés, LIENSs, UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle University, La Rochelle, France
| | - David Grémillet
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
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3
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Sutton GJ, Angel LP, Speakman JR, Arnould JPY. Determining energy expenditure in a large seabird using accelerometry. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb246922. [PMID: 37947172 PMCID: PMC10714144 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The trade off between energy gained and expended is the foundation of understanding how, why and when animals perform any activity. Based on the concept that animal movements have an energetic cost, accelerometry is increasingly being used to estimate energy expenditure. However, validation of accelerometry as an accurate proxy for field metabolic rate in free-ranging species is limited. In the present study, Australasian gannets (Morus serrator) from the Pope's Eye colony (38°16'42″S 144°41'48″E), south-eastern Australia, were equipped with GPS and tri-axial accelerometers and dosed with doubly labelled water (DLW) to measure energy expenditure during normal behaviour for 3-5 days. The correlation between daily energy expenditure from the DLW and vectorial dynamic body acceleration (VeDBA) was high for both a simple correlation and activity-specific approaches (R2=0.75 and 0.80, respectively). Varying degrees of success were observed for estimating at-sea metabolic rate from accelerometry when removing time on land using published energy expenditure constants (R2=0.02) or activity-specific approaches (R2=0.42). The predictive capacity of energy expenditure models for total and at-sea periods was improved by the addition of total distance travelled and proportion of the sampling period spent at sea during the night, respectively (R2=0.61-0.82). These results indicate that accelerometry can be used to estimate daily energy expenditure in free-ranging gannets and its accuracy may depend on the inclusion of movement parameters not detected by accelerometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace J. Sutton
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia
- Department of Environment & Genetics, and Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
| | - Lauren P. Angel
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia
| | - John R. Speakman
- Institute of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK
- Center for Energy Metabolism and Reproduction, Shenzhen Institutes of Advance Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - John P. Y. Arnould
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia
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4
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Sentís M, Pacioni C, De Cuyper A, Janssens GP, Lens L, Strubbe D. Biophysical models accurately characterize the thermal energetics of a small invasive passerine bird. iScience 2023; 26:107743. [PMID: 37720095 PMCID: PMC10504485 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Effective management of invasive species requires accurate predictions of their invasion potential in different environments. By considering species' physiological tolerances and requirements, biophysical mechanistic models can potentially deliver accurate predictions of where introduced species are likely to establish. Here, we evaluate biophysical model predictions of energy use by comparing them to experimentally obtained energy expenditure (EE) and thermoneutral zones (TNZs) for the common waxbill Estrilda astrild, a small-bodied avian invader. We show that biophysical models accurately predict TNZ and EE and that they perform better than traditional time-energy budget methods. Sensitivity analyses indicate that body temperature, metabolic rate, and feather characteristics were the most influential traits affecting model accuracy. This evaluation of common waxbill energetics represents a crucial step toward improved parameterization of biophysical models, eventually enabling accurate predictions of invasion risk for small (sub)tropical passerines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Sentís
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Cesare Pacioni
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Annelies De Cuyper
- Department of Veterinary and Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Geert P.J. Janssens
- Department of Veterinary and Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Luc Lens
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Diederik Strubbe
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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5
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Grunst ML, Grunst AS, Grémillet D, Kato A, Gentès S, Fort J. Keystone seabird may face thermoregulatory challenges in a warming Arctic. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16733. [PMID: 37794049 PMCID: PMC10550970 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43650-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate change affects the Arctic more than any other region, resulting in evolving weather, vanishing sea ice and altered biochemical cycling, which may increase biotic exposure to chemical pollution. We tested thermoregulatory impacts of these changes on the most abundant Arctic seabird, the little auk (Alle alle). This small diving species uses sea ice-habitats for foraging on zooplankton and resting. We equipped eight little auks with 3D accelerometers to monitor behavior, and ingested temperature recorders to measure body temperature (Tb). We also recorded weather conditions, and collected blood to assess mercury (Hg) contamination. There were nonlinear relationships between time engaged in different behaviors and Tb. Tb increased on sea ice, following declines while foraging in polar waters, but changed little when birds were resting on water. Tb also increased when birds were flying, and decreased at the colony after being elevated during flight. Weather conditions, but not Hg contamination, also affected Tb. However, given our small sample size, further research regarding thermoregulatory effects of Hg is warranted. Results suggest that little auk Tb varies with behavior and weather conditions, and that loss of sea ice due to global warming may cause thermoregulatory and energic challenges during foraging trips at sea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa L Grunst
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France.
| | - Andrea S Grunst
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France
| | - David Grémillet
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Akiko Kato
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CEBC, UMR 7372 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, La Rochelle, France
| | - Sophie Gentès
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France
| | - Jérôme Fort
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France
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6
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Grunst ML, Grunst AS, Grémillet D, Fort J. Combined threats of climate change and contaminant exposure through the lens of bioenergetics. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:5139-5168. [PMID: 37381110 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Organisms face energetic challenges of climate change in combination with suites of natural and anthropogenic stressors. In particular, chemical contaminant exposure has neurotoxic, endocrine-disrupting, and behavioral effects which may additively or interactively combine with challenges associated with climate change. We used a literature review across animal taxa and contaminant classes, but focused on Arctic endotherms and contaminants important in Arctic ecosystems, to demonstrate potential for interactive effects across five bioenergetic domains: (1) energy supply, (2) energy demand, (3) energy storage, (4) energy allocation tradeoffs, and (5) energy management strategies; and involving four climate change-sensitive environmental stressors: changes in resource availability, temperature, predation risk, and parasitism. Identified examples included relatively equal numbers of synergistic and antagonistic interactions. Synergies are often suggested to be particularly problematic, since they magnify biological effects. However, we emphasize that antagonistic effects on bioenergetic traits can be equally problematic, since they can reflect dampening of beneficial responses and result in negative synergistic effects on fitness. Our review also highlights that empirical demonstrations remain limited, especially in endotherms. Elucidating the nature of climate change-by-contaminant interactive effects on bioenergetic traits will build toward determining overall outcomes for energy balance and fitness. Progressing to determine critical species, life stages, and target areas in which transformative effects arise will aid in forecasting broad-scale bioenergetic outcomes under global change scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa L Grunst
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, La Rochelle, France
| | - Andrea S Grunst
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, La Rochelle, France
| | - David Grémillet
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Jérôme Fort
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, La Rochelle, France
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7
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Balazy K, Trudnowska E, Wojczulanis-Jakubas K, Jakubas D, Præbel K, Choquet M, Brandner MM, Schultz M, Bitz-Thorsen J, Boehnke R, Szeligowska M, Descamps S, Strøm H, Błachowiak-Samołyk K. Molecular tools prove little auks from Svalbard are extremely selective for Calanus glacialis even when exposed to Atlantification. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13647. [PMID: 37607972 PMCID: PMC10444800 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40131-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Two Calanus species, C. glacialis and C. finmarchicus, due to different life strategies and environmental preferences act as an ecological indicators of Arctic Atlantification. Their high lipid content makes them important food source for higher trophic levels of Arctic ecosystems including the most abundant Northern Hemisphere's seabird, the little auk (Alle alle). Recent studies indicate a critical need for the use of molecular methods to reliably identify these two sympatric Calanus species. We performed genetic and morphology-based identification of 2600 Calanus individuals collected in little auks foraging grounds and diet in summer seasons 2019-2021 in regions of Svalbard with varying levels of Atlantification. Genetic identification proved that 40% of Calanus individuals were wrongly classified as C. finmarchicus according to morphology-based identification in both types of samples. The diet of little auks consisted almost entirely of C. glacialis even in more Atlantified regions. Due to the substantial bias in morphology-based identification, we expect that the scale of the northern expansion of boreal C. finmarchicus may have been largely overestimated and that higher costs for birds exposed to Atlantification could be mostly driven by a decrease in the size of C. glacialis rather than by shift from C. glacialis to C. finmarchicus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaja Balazy
- Department of Marine Ecology, Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstancow Warszawy 55, 81-222, Sopot, Poland.
| | - Emilia Trudnowska
- Department of Marine Ecology, Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstancow Warszawy 55, 81-222, Sopot, Poland
| | | | - Dariusz Jakubas
- Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, 80-309, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Kim Præbel
- Norwegian College of Fishery Science, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Marvin Choquet
- Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord University, 8049, Bodø, Norway
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Melissa M Brandner
- Norwegian College of Fishery Science, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Mads Schultz
- Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord University, 8049, Bodø, Norway
| | - Julie Bitz-Thorsen
- Norwegian College of Fishery Science, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Rafał Boehnke
- Department of Marine Ecology, Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstancow Warszawy 55, 81-222, Sopot, Poland
| | - Marlena Szeligowska
- Department of Marine Ecology, Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstancow Warszawy 55, 81-222, Sopot, Poland
| | | | - Hallvard Strøm
- Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI), Fram Centre, 9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Katarzyna Błachowiak-Samołyk
- Department of Marine Ecology, Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstancow Warszawy 55, 81-222, Sopot, Poland
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8
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Masello JF, Rast W, Schumm YR, Metzger B, Quillfeldt P. Year-round behavioural time budgets of common woodpigeons inferred from acceleration data using machine learning. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-023-03306-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Accelerometers capture rapid changes in animal motion, and the analysis of large quantities of such data using machine learning algorithms enables the inference of broad animal behaviour categories such as foraging, flying, and resting over long periods of time. We deployed GPS-GSM/GPRS trackers with tri-axial acceleration sensors on common woodpigeons (Columba palumbus) from Hesse, Germany (forest and urban birds) and from Lisbon, Portugal (urban park). We used three machine learning algorithms, Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, and Extreme Gradient Boosting, to classify the main behaviours of the birds, namely foraging, flying, and resting and calculated time budgets over the breeding and winter season. Woodpigeon time budgets varied between seasons, with more foraging time during the breeding season than in winter. Also, woodpigeons from different sites showed differences in the time invested in foraging. The proportion of time woodpigeons spent foraging was lowest in the forest habitat from Hesse, higher in the urban habitat of Hesse, and highest in the urban park in Lisbon. The time budgets we recorded contrast to previous findings in woodpigeons and reaffirm the importance of considering different populations to fully understand the behaviour and adaptation of a particular species to a particular environment. Furthermore, the differences in the time budgets of Woodpigeons from this study and previous ones might be related to environmental change and merit further attention and the future investigation of energy budgets.
Significance statement
In this study we took advantage of accelerometer technology and machine learning methods to investigate year-round behavioural time budgets of wild common woodpigeons (Columba palumbus). Our analysis focuses on identifying coarse-scale behaviours (foraging, flying, resting) using various machine learning algorithms. Woodpigeon time budgets varied between seasons and among sites. Particularly interesting is the result showing that urban woodpigeons spend more time foraging than forest conspecifics. Our study opens an opportunity to further investigate and understand how a successful bird species such as the woodpigeon copes with increasing environmental change and urbanisation. The increase in the proportion of time devoted to foraging might be one of the behavioural mechanisms involved but opens questions about the costs associated to such increase in terms of other important behaviours.
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Grunst AS, Grunst ML, Grémillet D, Kato A, Bustamante P, Albert C, Brisson-Curadeau É, Clairbaux M, Cruz-Flores M, Gentès S, Perret S, Ste-Marie E, Wojczulanis-Jakubas K, Fort J. Mercury Contamination Challenges the Behavioral Response of a Keystone Species to Arctic Climate Change. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:2054-2063. [PMID: 36652233 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c08893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Combined effects of multiple, climate change-associated stressors are of mounting concern, especially in Arctic ecosystems. Elevated mercury (Hg) exposure in Arctic animals could affect behavioral responses to changes in foraging landscapes caused by climate change, generating interactive effects on behavior and population resilience. We investigated this hypothesis in little auks (Alle alle), a keystone Arctic seabird. We compiled behavioral data for 44 birds across 5 years using accelerometers while also quantifying blood Hg and environmental conditions. Warm sea surface temperature (SST) and low sea ice coverage reshaped time activity budgets (TABs) and diving patterns, causing decreased resting, increased flight, and longer dives. Mercury contamination was not associated with TABs. However, highly contaminated birds lengthened interdive breaks when making long dives, suggesting Hg-induced physiological limitations. As dive durations increased with warm SST, subtle toxicological effects threaten to increasingly constrain diving and foraging efficiency as climate change progresses, with ecosystem-wide repercussions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea S Grunst
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, La Rochelle FR-17000, France
| | - Melissa L Grunst
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, La Rochelle FR-17000, France
| | - David Grémillet
- CEFE, UMR 5175, CNRS─Université de Montpellier─Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier─EPHE, Montpellier 34090, France
- Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | - Akiko Kato
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-Bois 79360, France
| | - Paco Bustamante
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, La Rochelle FR-17000, France
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 1 rue Descartes, Paris 75005, France
| | - Céline Albert
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, La Rochelle FR-17000, France
| | - Émile Brisson-Curadeau
- McGill University─Macdonald Campus, 21111 Lakeshore Dr, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Manon Clairbaux
- School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences, University College Cork, Cork T23 N73K, Ireland
- MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork P43 C573, Ireland
| | - Marta Cruz-Flores
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, La Rochelle FR-17000, France
| | - Sophie Gentès
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, La Rochelle FR-17000, France
| | - Samuel Perret
- CEFE, UMR 5175, CNRS─Université de Montpellier─Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier─EPHE, Montpellier 34090, France
| | - Eric Ste-Marie
- McGill University─Macdonald Campus, 21111 Lakeshore Dr, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec H9X 3V9, Canada
| | | | - Jérôme Fort
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, La Rochelle FR-17000, France
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10
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Jakubas D, Wojczulanis-Jakubas K, Szeligowska M, Darecki M, Boehnke R, Balazy K, Trudnowska E, Kidawa D, Grissot A, Descamps S, Błachowiak-Samołyk K. Gone with the wind - Wind speed affects prey accessibility for a High Arctic zooplanktivorous seabird, the little auk Alle alle. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 852:158533. [PMID: 36067858 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158533] [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: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Foraging ecology of chick rearing seabirds is affected mainly by the food availability on feeding grounds, but it can be also modulated by environmental conditions during the foraging trip, in that wind force. Considering predicted strengthening of surface winds over the Arctic Ocean, this factor may have a growing impact on the foraging performance of Arctic seabirds. Here, we studied how wind speed could affect prey accessibility for the High Arctic zooplanktivorous seabird, the little auk Alle alle breeding in Svalbard in 2015-2019. First, we estimated availability of its preferred prey, a cold water copepod Calanus glacialis, based on wider-scale mesozooplankton biomass model and environmental conditions. Then we estimated prey accessibility by including wind speed, the factor affecting the flapping flight performance of little auks commuting from/to the colony. Finally, we compared reproductive performance of the little auks (chick diet, growth rate and survival and duration of foraging flights of adults) between the studied years differing in wind and food availability conditions. We found that wind speed could affect significantly food accessibility for a zooplanktivorous seabird. Despite high spatial and temporal variability in prey availability and accessibility in shelf waters of SW Spitsbergen, interannual differences in duration of foraging flights and chick growth rate, little auks were able to sustain high breeding success confirming their capacity to buffer suboptimal foraging conditions. Our multidisciplinary work, combining multi-year remote sensing of oceanographic conditions, zooplankton availability and accessibility modelling, little auks diet composition and chick growth and survival emphasizes the importance of including wind conditions in the studies of foraging ecology of seabirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dariusz Jakubas
- Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, PL-80-308 Gdańsk, Poland.
| | - Katarzyna Wojczulanis-Jakubas
- Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, PL-80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Marlena Szeligowska
- Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, PL-81-712 Sopot, Poland
| | - Miroslaw Darecki
- Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, PL-81-712 Sopot, Poland
| | - Rafał Boehnke
- Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, PL-81-712 Sopot, Poland
| | - Kaja Balazy
- Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, PL-81-712 Sopot, Poland
| | - Emilia Trudnowska
- Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, PL-81-712 Sopot, Poland
| | - Dorota Kidawa
- Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, PL-80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Antoine Grissot
- Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, PL-80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
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