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Kidd-Weaver A, Hepinstall-Cymerman J, Welch CN, Murray MH, Adams HC, Ellison TJ, Yabsley MJ, Hernandez SM. The movements of a recently urbanized wading bird reveal changes in season timing and length related to resource use. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0230158. [PMID: 32191732 PMCID: PMC7082014 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The American White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) is a nomadic wading bird that is increasing the amount of time spent foraging in urban areas, relying on artificial wetlands and other anthropogenic resources year-round. In this study, we explore whether and how American White Ibis association with urban environments is predictive of variation in the timing and length of behavioral seasons. Other urbanized species exhibit altered annual cycles such as loss of migratory behavior and year-round breeding related to consistent resource abundance, often related to intentional and unintentional provisioning. To determine if these same patterns of behavior were also present in White Ibis, we used behavioral change point analysis to segment the tracks of 41 ibis equipped with GPS backpacks to identify the initiation and duration of four behavioral seasons (non-breeding, pre-breeding, breeding, post-breeding) the degree of urban association. We found that intraspecific variation in urban habitat use had strong carryover effects on the timing and duration of behavioral seasons. This study revealed ibis with higher use of urban habitats in non-breeding seasons had longer non-breeding seasons and shorter breeding seasons that began earlier in the year compared to ibis that primarily use wetland habitats. The timing and duration of seasons also varied with ibis age, such that ibis spent more time engaged in breeding-related seasons as they aged. Juvenile and subadult ibis, though considered to be reproductively immature, also exhibit behavioral shifts in relation to breeding seasons. The behavioral patterns found in this study provide evidence that ibis are adapting their annual cycles and seasonal behaviors to exploit urban resources. Future research is needed to identify the effect of interactions between ibis urban association and age on behavioral season expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjelika Kidd-Weaver
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey Hepinstall-Cymerman
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Catharine N. Welch
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Maureen H. Murray
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Henry C. Adams
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Taylor J. Ellison
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Michael J. Yabsley
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Sonia M. Hernandez
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
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5
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Murray MH, Kidd AD, Curry SE, Hepinstall-Cymerman J, Yabsley MJ, Adams HC, Ellison T, Welch CN, Hernandez SM. From wetland specialist to hand-fed generalist: shifts in diet and condition with provisioning for a recently urbanized wading bird. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019. [PMID: 29531152 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many wildlife species shift their diets to use novel resources in urban areas. The consequences of these shifts are not well known, and consumption of reliable-but low quality-anthropogenic food may present important trade-offs for wildlife health. This may be especially true for carnivorous species such as the American white ibis (Eudocimus albus), a nomadic wading bird which has been increasingly observed in urban parks in South Florida, USA. We tested the effects of anthropogenic provisioning on consumer nutrition (i.e. dietary protein), body condition and ectoparasite burdens along an urban gradient using stable isotope analysis, scaled mass index values and GPS transmitter data. Ibises that assimilated more provisioned food were captured at more urban sites, used more urban habitat, had lower mass-length residuals, lower ectoparasite scores, assimilated less δ15N and had smaller dietary isotopic ellipses. Our results suggest that ibises in urban areas are heavily provisioned with anthropogenic food, which appears to offer a trade-off by providing low-quality, but easily accessible, calories that may not support high mass but may increase time available for anti-parasite behaviours such as preening. Understanding such trade-offs is important for investigating the effects of provisioning on infection risk and the conservation of wildlife in human-modified habitats.This article is part of the theme issue 'Anthropogenic resource subsidies and host-parasite dynamics in wildlife'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maureen H Murray
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA .,Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Anjelika D Kidd
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.,Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Shannon E Curry
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.,Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | | | - Michael J Yabsley
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.,Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Henry C Adams
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.,Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Taylor Ellison
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.,Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Catharine N Welch
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.,Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Sonia M Hernandez
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.,Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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6
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Coogan SCP, Raubenheimer D, Zantis SP, Machovsky‐Capuska GE. Multidimensional nutritional ecology and urban birds. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sean C. P. Coogan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences and the Charles Perkins Centre University of Sydney Sydney NSW 2006 Australia
- Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta T6G 2H1 Canada
| | - David Raubenheimer
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences and the Charles Perkins Centre University of Sydney Sydney NSW 2006 Australia
| | - Simon P. Zantis
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences and the Charles Perkins Centre University of Sydney Sydney NSW 2006 Australia
| | - Gabriel E. Machovsky‐Capuska
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences and the Charles Perkins Centre University of Sydney Sydney NSW 2006 Australia
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