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Broekman MJE, Hilbers JP, Hoeks S, Huijbregts MAJ, Schipper AM, Tucker MA. Environmental drivers of global variation in home range size of terrestrial and marine mammals. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:488-500. [PMID: 38459628 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14073] [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: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
As animal home range size (HRS) provides valuable information for species conservation, it is important to understand the driving factors of HRS variation. It is widely known that differences in species traits (e.g. body mass) are major contributors to variation in mammal HRS. However, most studies examining how environmental variation explains mammal HRS variation have been limited to a few species, or only included a single (mean) HRS estimate for the majority of species, neglecting intraspecific HRS variation. Additionally, most studies examining environmental drivers of HRS variation included only terrestrial species, neglecting marine species. Using a novel dataset of 2800 HRS estimates from 586 terrestrial and 27 marine mammal species, we quantified the relationships between HRS and environmental variables, accounting for species traits. Our results indicate that terrestrial mammal HRS was on average 5.3 times larger in areas with low human disturbance (human footprint index [HFI] = 0), compared to areas with maximum human disturbance (HFI = 50). Similarly, HRS was on average 5.4 times larger in areas with low annual mean productivity (NDVI = 0), compared to areas with high productivity (NDVI = 1). In addition, HRS increased by a factor of 1.9 on average from low to high seasonality in productivity (standard deviation (SD) of monthly NDVI from 0 to 0.36). Of these environmental variables, human disturbance and annual mean productivity explained a larger proportion of HRS variance than seasonality in productivity. Marine mammal HRS decreased, on average, by a factor of 3.7 per 10°C decline in annual mean sea surface temperature (SST), and increased by a factor of 1.5 per 1°C increase in SST seasonality (SD of monthly values). Annual mean SST explained more variance in HRS than SST seasonality. Due to the small sample size, caution should be taken when interpreting the marine mammal results. Our results indicate that environmental variation is relevant for HRS and that future environmental changes might alter the HRS of individuals, with potential consequences for ecosystem functioning and the effectiveness of conservation actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maarten J E Broekman
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jelle P Hilbers
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Selwyn Hoeks
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Mark A J Huijbregts
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Aafke M Schipper
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, The Hague, The Netherlands
| | - Marlee A Tucker
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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2
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Ouled-Cheikh J, March D, Borras-Chavez R, Drago M, Goebel ME, Fariña JM, Gazo M, Coll M, Cardona L. Future climate-induced distribution shifts in a sexually dimorphic key predator of the Southern Ocean. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17191. [PMID: 38433338 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
The response to climate change in highly dimorphic species can be hindered by differences between sexes in habitat preferences and movement patterns. The Antarctic fur seal, Arctocephalus gazella, is the most abundant pinniped in the Southern Hemisphere, and one of the main consumers of Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, in the Southern Ocean. However, the populations breeding in the Atlantic Southern Ocean are decreasing, partly due to global warming. Male and female Antarctic fur seals differ greatly in body size and foraging ecology, and little is known about their sex-specific responses to climate change. We used satellite tracking data and Earth System Models to predict changes in habitat suitability for male and female Antarctic fur seals from the Western Antarctic Peninsula under different climate change scenarios. Under the most extreme scenario (SSP5-8.5; global average temperature +4.4°C projected by 2100), suitable habitat patches will shift southward during the non-breeding season, leading to a minor overall habitat loss. The impact will be more pronounced for females than for males. The reduction of winter foraging grounds might decrease the survival of post-weaned females, reducing recruitment and jeopardizing population viability. During the breeding season, when males fast on land, suitable foraging grounds for females off the South Shetland Islands will remain largely unmodified, and new ones will emerge in the Bellingshausen Sea. As Antarctic fur seals are income breeders, the foraging grounds of females should be reasonably close to the breeding colony. As a result, the new suitable foraging grounds will be useful for females only if nearby beaches currently covered by sea ice emerge by the end of the century. Furthermore, the colonization of these new, ice-free breeding locations might be limited by strong female philopatry. These results should be considered when managing the fisheries of Antarctic krill in the Southern Ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jazel Ouled-Cheikh
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio) and Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals (BEECA), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- iMARES group, Departament de Recursos Marins Renovables, Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - David March
- Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva (ICBiBE), Universitat de València, Paterna, València, Spain
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Science, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, UK
| | - Renato Borras-Chavez
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
| | - Massimiliano Drago
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio) and Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals (BEECA), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Michael E Goebel
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC), Santa Cruz, California, USA
- Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division, SWFSC, NMFS, NOAA, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - José M Fariña
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Manel Gazo
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio) and Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals (BEECA), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Coll
- iMARES group, Departament de Recursos Marins Renovables, Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Ecopath International Initiative (EII), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luis Cardona
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio) and Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals (BEECA), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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3
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Mason C, Hobday AJ, Lea M, Alderman R. Individual consistency in the localised foraging behaviour of shy albatross ( Thalassarche cauta). Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10644. [PMID: 37881226 PMCID: PMC10594074 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Quantifying the intra- and interindividual variation that exists within a population can provide meaningful insights into a population's vulnerability and response to rapid environmental change. We characterise the foraging behaviour of 308 trips taken by 96 shy albatross (Thalassarche cauta) from Albatross Island across seven consecutive years. At a population level, incubating shy albatross exploited a consistent area within ca. 500 km radius of their breeding colony. During half of the trips, individuals utilised the closest shelf break to the west of the colony, where upwelling events have been reported. The other half of the trips were exclusively within the neritic zone, utilising a variety of locations within the Bass Strait. Furthermore, we found evidence of individual consistency to geographic locations, with subsequent trips by an individual more similar than random trips from all individuals in our data, both within and between years (G-test, p < .05). Between-individual variation in foraging behaviour was not meaningfully explained by age (linear regression, p > .05) or sex (t-test, p > .05) for any metric, suggesting that other intrinsic individual factors are accounting for between-individual variation in foraging trips. A localised foraging distribution is unusual for albatross, which, combined with high variation in space use between individuals demonstrated here, suggests that this species is accessing adequate resources near the colony. Overall, these findings suggest that incubating shy albatross from Albatross Island exhibit tendencies of a generalist population comprised of uniquely specialised individuals. These results suggest that this species is operating below its biological capacity in this fast-warming area and provide a baseline from which to assess future change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Mason
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic StudiesUniversity of TasmaniaBattery PointTasmaniaAustralia
- CSIRO EnvironmentBattery PointTasmaniaAustralia
| | | | - Mary‐Anne Lea
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic StudiesUniversity of TasmaniaBattery PointTasmaniaAustralia
| | - Rachael Alderman
- Department of Natural Resources and EnvironmentTasmanian GovernmentTasmaniaHobartAustralia
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A Multi-Dimensional Examination of Foraging Habitat Use by Gray Whales Using Long Time-Series and Acoustics Data. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12202735. [PMID: 36290121 PMCID: PMC9597834 DOI: 10.3390/ani12202735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Long term data on the number and location of foraging gray whales on the west coast of Vancouver was used to understand the rate of return and residency time of whales to certain areas. From this data, areas of increased use by foraging whales were determined, and patterns in the way the areas were used by the whales were seen. Whale location data showed them using prey patches and moving to other patches to allow the first to recover, before then returning to feed on them again later in the summer. Calves that follow their mother in their first migration were likely to return to the same site in the years after weaning. This suggests a maternal aspect to the use of foraging areas. Little is known about how whales detect prey; the use of acoustics was considered here, with call types differing between times when prey was more abundant and whales were feeding in close proximity, to those when foraging whales were more distant to each other. This suggests there may be a social aspect to the calling by gray whales in foraging areas. Abstract Gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) show high site fidelity to feeding and breeding areas. The whales’ annual cycle could be learned or be driven by factors such as prey abundance or ocean conditions. Long-term line transect and photo-identification data were analyzed to consider intra- and inter- annual patterns of habitat use and the underlying drivers for foraging areas in Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia. Time series, autocorrelation and weighted means analysis were used on the 20-years of data (1997–2016). A generalized additive model showed that whale use of the area was most strongly influenced by the maximum number of whales, and the date of its occurrence, recorded the previous year. This maximum, when it occurred in the summer, impacted the whale numbers for up to four subsequent years. The annual average number of whales per transect also influenced the proportion of whales known to return in multiple years to forage. Many of these returning whales first used the site to wean and returned in subsequent years to feed. The transect data was also used to contextualize passive acoustic recordings, comparing call type and rate for periods when the whale number, location and social context was known. Calling patterns appeared to be socially derived, with shorter-range knock calls dominant when whales were closer, and lower-frequency moans when foraging occurred when whales were more distant from each other. This suggests that prey-finding and site use may also be influenced by conspecifics.
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5
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Corriveau A, Klaassen M, Garnett ST, Kaestli M, Christian K, Crewe TL, Loewensteiner DA, Campbell HA. Seasonal space use and habitat selection in magpie geese: implications for reducing human‐wildlife conflicts. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amélie Corriveau
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Casuarina NT 0810 Australia
| | - Marcel Klaassen
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong VIC 3216 Australia
| | - Stephen T. Garnett
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Casuarina NT 0810 Australia
| | - Mirjam Kaestli
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Casuarina NT 0810 Australia
| | - Keith Christian
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Casuarina NT 0810 Australia
| | - Tara L. Crewe
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Casuarina NT 0810 Australia
| | - David A. Loewensteiner
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Casuarina NT 0810 Australia
| | - Hamish A. Campbell
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Casuarina NT 0810 Australia
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6
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Ramellini S, Imperio S, Morinay J, De Pascalis F, Catoni C, Morganti M, Rubolini D, Cecere JG. Individual foraging site fidelity increases from incubation to nestling rearing in a colonial bird. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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7
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Iorio-Merlo V, Graham IM, Hewitt RC, Aarts G, Pirotta E, Hastie GD, Thompson PM. Prey encounters and spatial memory influence use of foraging patches in a marine central place forager. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212261. [PMID: 35232237 PMCID: PMC8889173 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Given the patchiness and long-term predictability of marine resources, memory of high-quality foraging grounds is expected to provide fitness advantages for central place foragers. However, it remains challenging to characterize how marine predators integrate memory with recent prey encounters to adjust fine-scale movement and use of foraging patches. Here, we used two months of movement data from harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) to quantify the repeatability in foraging patches as a proxy for memory. We then integrated these data into analyses of fine-scale movement and underwater behaviour to test how both spatial memory and prey encounter rates influenced the seals' area-restricted search (ARS) behaviour. Specifically, we used one month's GPS data from 29 individuals to build spatial memory maps of searched areas and archived accelerometery data from a subset of five individuals to detect prey catch attempts, a proxy for prey encounters. Individuals were highly consistent in the areas they visited over two consecutive months. Hidden Markov models showed that both spatial memory and prey encounters increased the probability of seals initiating ARS. These results provide evidence that predators use memory to adjust their fine-scale movement, and this ability should be accounted for in movement models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Iorio-Merlo
- School of Biological Sciences, Lighthouse Field Station, University of Aberdeen, Cromarty, Ross-shire IV11 8YJ, UK
| | - Isla M Graham
- School of Biological Sciences, Lighthouse Field Station, University of Aberdeen, Cromarty, Ross-shire IV11 8YJ, UK
| | - Rebecca C Hewitt
- School of Biological Sciences, Lighthouse Field Station, University of Aberdeen, Cromarty, Ross-shire IV11 8YJ, UK
| | - Geert Aarts
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group and Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University and Research, Ankerpark 27, 1781 AG Den Helder, The Netherlands.,Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Enrico Pirotta
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9LZ, UK.,School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Gordon D Hastie
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB, UK
| | - Paul M Thompson
- School of Biological Sciences, Lighthouse Field Station, University of Aberdeen, Cromarty, Ross-shire IV11 8YJ, UK
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8
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Carroll G, Brodie S, Whitlock R, Ganong J, Bograd SJ, Hazen E, Block BA. Flexible use of a dynamic energy landscape buffers a marine predator against extreme climate variability. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210671. [PMID: 34344182 PMCID: PMC8334847 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal migrations track predictable seasonal patterns of resource availability and suitable thermal habitat. As climate change alters this ‘energy landscape’, some migratory species may struggle to adapt. We examined how climate variability influences movements, thermal habitat selection and energy intake by juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) during seasonal foraging migrations in the California Current. We tracked 242 tuna across 15 years (2002–2016) with high-resolution archival tags, estimating their daily energy intake via abdominal warming associated with digestion (the ‘heat increment of feeding’). The poleward extent of foraging migrations was flexible in response to climate variability, allowing tuna to track poleward displacements of thermal habitat where their standard metabolic rates were minimized. During a marine heatwave that saw temperature anomalies of up to +2.5°C in the California Current, spatially explicit energy intake by tuna was approximately 15% lower than average. However, by shifting their mean seasonal migration approximately 900 km poleward, tuna remained in waters within their optimal temperature range and increased their energy intake. Our findings illustrate how tradeoffs between physiology and prey availability structure migration in a highly mobile vertebrate, and suggest that flexible migration strategies can buffer animals against energetic costs associated with climate variability and change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma Carroll
- Institute of Marine Science, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.,Environmental Research Division, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Monterey, CA, USA.,School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Environmental Defense Fund, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Stephanie Brodie
- Institute of Marine Science, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.,Environmental Research Division, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Monterey, CA, USA
| | - Rebecca Whitlock
- Department of Aquatic Resources, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Drottningholm, Sweden
| | - James Ganong
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Monterey, CA, USA
| | - Steven J Bograd
- Institute of Marine Science, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.,Environmental Research Division, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Monterey, CA, USA
| | - Elliott Hazen
- Institute of Marine Science, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.,Environmental Research Division, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Monterey, CA, USA.,Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Monterey, CA, USA
| | - Barbara A Block
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Monterey, CA, USA
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9
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Sexual segregation in juvenile Antarctic fur seals. Oecologia 2021; 197:339-352. [PMID: 34309704 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04983-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Sexual segregation, the differential space, habitat or resource use by males and females, can have profound implications for conservation, as one sex may be more vulnerable to environmental and anthropogenic stressors. The drivers of sexual segregation, such as sex differences in body size, breeding constraints, and social behaviour, have been well studied in adults but are poorly understood in immature animals. To determine whether sexual segregation occurs in juvenile Antarctic fur seals, Arctocephalus gazella, and investigate the underlying drivers, we deployed Global Location Sensors on 26 males and 19 females of 1-3 years of age at Bird Island, South Georgia. Sexual segregation occurred in foraging distribution, primarily in latitude, with females foraging closer to South Georgia and the Polar Front, and males foraging further south near the Antarctic Peninsula. This segregation was particularly evident in Feb-Apr and May-Nov, and males spent more time hauled out than females in May-Nov. Although juveniles have no immediate reproductive commitments, reproductive selection pressures are still likely to operate and drive sex differences in body size, risk-taking, and social roles. These factors, coupled with prey distribution, likely contributed to sexual segregation in juvenile Antarctic fur seals. Consequently, male and female juveniles may compete with different fisheries and respond differently to environmental change, highlighting the importance of considering sex and age groups in species conservation efforts.
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Garfelt-Paulsen IM, Soininen EM, Ravolainen V, Loe LE, Hansen BB, Irvine RJ, Stien A, Ropstad E, Veiberg V, Fuglei E, Pedersen ÅØ. Don't go chasing the ghosts of the past: habitat selection and site fidelity during calving in an Arctic ungulate. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.2981/wlb.00740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid M. Garfelt-Paulsen
- I. M. Garfelt-Paulsen, V. Ravolainen, E. Fuglei and Å. Ø. Pedersen (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9388-7402) ✉ , Norwegian Polar Inst., Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Eeva M. Soininen
- E. M. Soininen, UiT – Arctic Univ. of Norway, Dept of Arctic and Marine Biology, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Virve Ravolainen
- I. M. Garfelt-Paulsen, V. Ravolainen, E. Fuglei and Å. Ø. Pedersen (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9388-7402) ✉ , Norwegian Polar Inst., Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Leif Egil Loe
- L. E. Loe, Norwegian Univ. for Life Sciences, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Ås, Norway
| | - Brage B. Hansen
- B. B. Hansen, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Dept of Biology, Norwegian Univ. of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - R. Justin Irvine
- R. J. Irvine, The James Hutton Inst., Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, and: Frankfurt Zoological Society, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Audun Stien
- A. Stien, Norwegian Inst. for Nature Research, Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Erik Ropstad
- E. Ropstad, Norwegian Univ. for Life Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Oslo, Norway
| | - Vebjørn Veiberg
- V. Veiberg, Norwegian Inst. for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Eva Fuglei
- I. M. Garfelt-Paulsen, V. Ravolainen, E. Fuglei and Å. Ø. Pedersen (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9388-7402) ✉ , Norwegian Polar Inst., Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Åshild Ønvik Pedersen
- I. M. Garfelt-Paulsen, V. Ravolainen, E. Fuglei and Å. Ø. Pedersen (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9388-7402) ✉ , Norwegian Polar Inst., Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway
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11
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Schloesing E, Chambon R, Tran A, Choden K, Ravon S, Epstein JH, Hoem T, Furey N, Labadie M, Bourgarel M, De Nys HM, Caron A, Cappelle J. Patterns of foraging activity and fidelity in a southeast Asian flying fox. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2020; 8:46. [PMID: 33292573 PMCID: PMC7652672 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-020-00232-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Improved understanding of the foraging ecology of bats in the face of ongoing habitat loss and modification worldwide is essential to their conservation and maintaining the substantial ecosystem services they provide. It is also fundamental to assessing potential transmission risks of zoonotic pathogens in human-wildlife interfaces. We evaluated the influence of environmental and behavioral variables on the foraging patterns of Pteropus lylei (a reservoir of Nipah virus) in a heterogeneous landscape in Cambodia. METHODS We employed an approach based on animal-movement modeling, which comprised a path-segmentation method (hidden Markov model) to identify individual foraging-behavior sequences in GPS data generated by eight P. lylei. We characterized foraging localities, foraging activity, and probability of returning to a given foraging locality over consecutive nights. Generalized linear mixed models were also applied to assess the influence of several variables including proxies for energetic costs and quality of foraging areas. RESULTS Bats performed few foraging bouts (area-restricted searches) during a given night, mainly in residential areas, and the duration of these decreased during the night. The probability of a bat revisiting a given foraging area within 48 h varied according to the duration previously spent there, its distance to the roost site, and the corresponding habitat type. We interpret these fine-scale patterns in relation to global habitat quality (including food-resource quality and predictability), habitat-familiarity and experience of each individual. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides evidence that heterogeneous human-made environments may promote complex patterns of foraging-behavior and short-term re-visitation in fruit bat species that occur in such landscapes. This highlights the need for similarly detailed studies to understand the processes that maintain biodiversity in these environments and assess the potential for pathogen transmission in human-wildlife interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Schloesing
- UMR ASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
| | - Rémi Chambon
- Université de Rennes - unité BOREA (MNHN Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UCN, IRD UA), Rennes, France
| | - Annelise Tran
- UMR TETIS, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | | | | | | | - Thavry Hoem
- Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Neil Furey
- Fauna & Flora International (Cambodia), Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Harrison Institute, Sevenoaks, UK
| | - Morgane Labadie
- UMR ASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Mathieu Bourgarel
- UMR ASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- UMR ASTRE, CIRAD, RP-PCP, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Hélène M De Nys
- UMR ASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- UMR ASTRE, CIRAD, RP-PCP, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Alexandre Caron
- UMR ASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- Faculdade de Veterinaria, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Julien Cappelle
- UMR ASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- UMR EPIA, Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France
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12
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Carpenter‐Kling T, Reisinger RR, Orgeret F, Connan M, Stevens KL, Ryan PG, Makhado A, Pistorius PA. Foraging in a dynamic environment: Response of four sympatric sub-Antarctic albatross species to interannual environmental variability. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:11277-11295. [PMID: 33144964 PMCID: PMC7593157 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Seasonal and annual climate variations are linked to fluctuations in the abundance and distribution of resources, posing a significant challenge to animals that need to adjust their foraging behavior accordingly. Particularly during adverse conditions, and while energetically constrained when breeding, animals ideally need to be flexible in their foraging behavior. Such behavioral plasticity may separate "winners" from "losers" in light of rapid environmental changes due to climate change. Here, the foraging behavior of four sub-Antarctic albatross species was investigated from 2015/16 to 2017/18, a period characterized by pronounced environmental variability. Over three breeding seasons on Marion Island, Prince Edward Archipelago, incubating wandering (WA, Diomedea exulans; n = 45), grey-headed (GHA, Thalassarche chrysostoma; n = 26), sooty (SA, Phoebetria fusca; n = 23), and light-mantled (LMSA, P. palpebrata; n = 22) albatrosses were tracked with GPS loggers. The response of birds to environmental variability was investigated by quantifying interannual changes in their foraging behavior along two axes: spatial distribution, using kernel density analysis, and foraging habitat preference, using generalized additive mixed models and Bayesian mixed models. All four species were shown to respond behaviorally to environmental variability, but with substantial differences in their foraging strategies. WA was most general in its habitat use defined by sea surface height, eddy kinetic energy, wind speed, ocean floor slope, and sea-level anomaly, with individuals foraging in a range of habitats. In contrast, the three smaller albatrosses exploited two main foraging habitats, with habitat use varying between years. Generalist habitat use by WA and interannually variable use of habitats by GHA, SA, and LMSA would likely offer these species some resilience to predicted changes in climate such as warming seas and strengthening of westerly winds. However, future investigations need to consider other life-history stages coupled with demographic studies, to better understand the link between behavioral plasticity and population responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tegan Carpenter‐Kling
- Marine Apex Predator Research Unit (MAPRU)Department of ZoologyInstitute for Coastal and Marine ResearchNelson Mandela UniversityPort ElizabethSouth Africa
- DST‐NRF Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute of African OrnithologyNelson Mandela UniversityPort ElizabethSouth Africa
| | - Ryan R. Reisinger
- Marine Apex Predator Research Unit (MAPRU)Department of ZoologyInstitute for Coastal and Marine ResearchNelson Mandela UniversityPort ElizabethSouth Africa
- LOCEAN‐IPSLUMR 7159 CNRS‐IRD‐MNHNSorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de ChizéUMR 7372 du CNRS‐Université de La RochelleVilliers‐en‐BoisFrance
| | - Florian Orgeret
- Marine Apex Predator Research Unit (MAPRU)Department of ZoologyInstitute for Coastal and Marine ResearchNelson Mandela UniversityPort ElizabethSouth Africa
| | - Maëlle Connan
- Marine Apex Predator Research Unit (MAPRU)Department of ZoologyInstitute for Coastal and Marine ResearchNelson Mandela UniversityPort ElizabethSouth Africa
| | - Kim L. Stevens
- FitzPatrick Institute of African OrnithologyDST‐NRF Centre of ExcellenceUniversity of Cape TownRondeboschSouth Africa
| | - Peter G. Ryan
- FitzPatrick Institute of African OrnithologyDST‐NRF Centre of ExcellenceUniversity of Cape TownRondeboschSouth Africa
| | - Azwianewi Makhado
- FitzPatrick Institute of African OrnithologyDST‐NRF Centre of ExcellenceUniversity of Cape TownRondeboschSouth Africa
- Department of Environment, Forestry and FisheriesOceans and Coasts ResearchCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Pierre A. Pistorius
- Marine Apex Predator Research Unit (MAPRU)Department of ZoologyInstitute for Coastal and Marine ResearchNelson Mandela UniversityPort ElizabethSouth Africa
- DST‐NRF Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute of African OrnithologyNelson Mandela UniversityPort ElizabethSouth Africa
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13
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Jones KA, Ratcliffe N, Votier SC, Newton J, Forcada J, Dickens J, Stowasser G, Staniland IJ. Intra-specific Niche Partitioning in Antarctic Fur Seals, Arctocephalus gazella. Sci Rep 2020; 10:3238. [PMID: 32094418 PMCID: PMC7039921 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-59992-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Competition for resources within a population can lead to niche partitioning between sexes, throughout ontogeny and among individuals, allowing con-specifics to co-exist. We aimed to quantify such partitioning in Antarctic fur seals, Arctocephalus gazella, breeding at South Georgia, which hosts ~95% of the world’s population. Whiskers were collected from 20 adult males and 20 adult females and stable isotope ratios were quantified every 5 mm along the length of each whisker. Nitrogen isotope ratios (δ15N) were used as proxies for trophic position and carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) indicated foraging habitat. Sexual segregation was evident: δ13C values were significantly lower in males than females, indicating males spent more time foraging south of the Polar Front in maritime Antarctica. In males δ13C values declined with age, suggesting males spent more time foraging south throughout ontogeny. In females δ13C values revealed two main foraging strategies: 70% of females spent most time foraging south of the Polar Front and had similar δ15N values to males, while 30% of females spent most time foraging north of the Polar Front and had significantly higher δ15N values. This niche partitioning may relax competition and ultimately elevate population carrying capacity with implications for ecology, evolution and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jason Newton
- Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, East Kilbride, Scotland
| | | | - John Dickens
- British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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14
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Lidgard DC, Bowen WD, Iverson SJ. Sex-differences in fine-scale home-range use in an upper-trophic level marine predator. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2020; 8:11. [PMID: 32082578 PMCID: PMC7020581 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-020-0196-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The distribution of prey in the ocean is spatially and temporally patchy. How predators respond to this prey patchiness may have consequences on their foraging success, and thus physical condition. The recent ability to record fine-scale movements of marine animals combined with novel home-range analyses that incorporate the dimension of time should permit a better understanding of how individuals utilise different regions of space and the consequences on their foraging success. METHODS Over a six-year study, we used T-LoCoH (Time-Local Convex Hull) home-range software to model archival GPS (Global Positioning System) data from 81 grey seals to investigate the fine-scale spatio-temporal use of space and the distribution of apparent foraging effort. Regions of home-ranges were classified according to the frequency of return visits (site fidelity) and duration of visits (intensity of use). Generalized linear mixed -effects models were used to test hypotheses on seasonal changes in foraging distribution and behaviour and the role of space-use and state on determining foraging success. RESULTS Male grey seals had larger home-ranges and core areas than females, and both sexes showed a contraction in home-range and core area in fall leading up to the breeding season compared with summer. Heavier individuals had smaller core areas than lighter ones, suggesting access to higher quality habitat might be limited to those individuals with greater foraging experience and competitive ability. The size of the home-range or core area was not an important predictor of the rate of mass gain. A fine-scale spatio-temporal analysis of habitat use within the home-range provided evidence of intra-annual site fidelity at presumed foraging locations, suggesting predictably in prey distribution. Neither sex nor season were useful predictors for classifying behaviour. Rather, individual identity explained much of the variation in fine-scale behaviour. CONCLUSIONS Understanding how upper-trophic level marine predators use space provides opportunities to explore the consequences of variation in foraging tactics and their success on fitness. Having knowledge of the drivers that shape this intraspecific variation can contribute toward predicting how these predators may respond to both natural and man-made environmental forcing.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. C. Lidgard
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, B3H 4J1, Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada
- Population Ecology Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 4A2 Canada
| | - W. D. Bowen
- Population Ecology Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 4A2 Canada
| | - S. J. Iverson
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, B3H 4J1, Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada
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15
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Harris SM, Descamps S, Sneddon LU, Bertrand P, Chastel O, Patrick SC. Personality predicts foraging site fidelity and trip repeatability in a marine predator. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:68-79. [PMID: 31541578 PMCID: PMC7004082 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Animal populations are often comprised of both foraging specialists and generalists. For instance, some individuals show higher foraging site fidelity (spatial specialization) than others. Such individual differences in degree of specialization can persist over time‐scales of months or even years in long‐lived animals, but the mechanisms leading to these different individual strategies are not fully understood. There is accumulating evidence that individual variation in foraging behaviour is shaped by animal personality traits, such as boldness. Despite this, the potential for boldness to drive differences in the degree of specialization is unknown. In this study, we used novel object tests to measure boldness in black‐legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) breeding at four colonies in Svalbard and deployed GPS loggers to examine their at‐sea foraging behaviour. We estimated the repeatability of foraging trips and used a hidden Markov model to identify locations of foraging sites in order to quantify individual foraging site fidelity. Across the breeding season, bolder birds were more repeatable than shy individuals in the distance and range of their foraging trips, and during the incubation period (but not chick rearing), bolder individuals were more site‐faithful. Birds exhibited these differences while showing high spatial similarity in foraging areas, indicating that site selection was not driven by personality‐dependent spatial partitioning. We instead suggest that a relationship between boldness and site fidelity may be driven by differences in behavioural flexibility between bold and shy individuals. Together, these results provide a potential mechanism by which widely reported individual differences in foraging specialization may emerge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M Harris
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | | | - Lynne U Sneddon
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Philip Bertrand
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway.,Department of Biology and Center for Northern Studies, University of Quebec, Rimouski, QC, Canada
| | - Olivier Chastel
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS Université de La Rochelle, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Samantha C Patrick
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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16
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Wege M, de Bruyn PJN, Hindell MA, Lea MA, Bester MN. Preferred, small-scale foraging areas of two Southern Ocean fur seal species are not determined by habitat characteristics. BMC Ecol 2019; 19:36. [PMID: 31510989 PMCID: PMC6739983 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-019-0252-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background To understand and predict the distribution of foragers, it is crucial to identify the factors that affect individual movement decisions at different scales. Individuals are expected to adjust their foraging movements to the hierarchical spatial distribution of resources. At a small local scale, spatial segregation in foraging habitat happens among individuals of closely situated colonies. If foraging segregation is due to differences in distribution of resources, we would expect segregated foraging areas to have divergent habitat characteristics. Results We investigated how environmental characteristics of preferred foraging areas differ between two closely situated Subantarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis) colonies and a single Antarctic fur seal (A. gazella) colony that forage in different pelagic areas even though they are located well within each other’s foraging range. We further investigated the influence of the seasonal cycle on those environmental factors. This study used tracking data from 121 adult female Subantarctic and Antarctic fur seals, collected during summer and winter (2009–2015), from three different colonies. Boosted Regression Tree species distribution models were used to determine key environmental variables associated with areas of fur seal restricted search behaviour. There were no differences in the relative influence of key environmental variables between colonies and seasons. The variables with the most influence for each colony and season were latitude, longitude and magnitude of sea-currents. The influence of latitude and longitude is a by-product of the species’ distinct foraging areas, despite the close proximity (< 25 km) of the colonies. The predicted potential foraging areas for each colony changed from summer to winter, reflecting the seasonal cycle of the Southern Ocean. The model predicted that the potential foraging areas of females from the three colonies should overlap, and the fact they do not in reality indicates that factors other than environmental are influencing the location of each colony’s foraging area. Conclusions The results indicated that small scale spatial segregation of foraging habitats is not driven by bottom-up processes. It is therefore important to also consider other potential drivers, e.g. competition, information transfer, and memory, to understand animal foraging decisions and movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mia Wege
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa.
| | - P J Nico de Bruyn
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Mark A Hindell
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Hobart, TAS, 7004, Australia.,Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7004, Australia
| | - Mary-Anne Lea
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Hobart, TAS, 7004, Australia
| | - Marthán N Bester
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
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17
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Hagemann L, Arandjelovic M, Robbins MM, Deschner T, Lewis M, Froese G, Boesch C, Vigilant L. Long-term inference of population size and habitat use in a socially dynamic population of wild western lowland gorillas. CONSERV GENET 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-019-01209-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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18
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Siegelman L, O'Toole M, Flexas M, Rivière P, Klein P. Submesoscale ocean fronts act as biological hotspot for southern elephant seal. Sci Rep 2019; 9:5588. [PMID: 30944405 PMCID: PMC6447572 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42117-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The area west of the Kerguelen Islands (20-70°E/45-60°S) is characterized by a weak mesoscale activity except for a standing meander region of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) localized between 20 and 40°E. A unique bio-physical dataset at high-resolution collected by a southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) reveals a conspicuous increase in foraging activity at the standing meander site up to 5 times larger than during the rest of her three-month trip west of the Kerguelen Islands. Here, we propose a physical explanation for such high biological activity based on the study of small-scale fronts with scales of 5 to 20 km, also called submesoscales. The standing meander is associated with intensified frontal dynamics at submesoscale, not observed in the rest of the region. Results shed new light on the spatial distribution of submesoscale fronts in the under-sampled area west of the Kerguelen plateau and emphasize their importance for upper trophic levels. Despite that most elephant seals target foraging grounds east of the Kerguelen Plateau, our findings suggest that excursions to the west are not accidental, and may be explained by the recurrently elevated physical and biological activity of the site. As such, other standing meanders of the ACC may also act as biological hotspots where trophic interactions are stimulated by submesoscale turbulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lia Siegelman
- Univ. Brest, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer, LEMAR, Plouzané, France. .,California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA. .,Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| | - Malcolm O'Toole
- UWA Oceans Institute, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Mar Flexas
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Pascal Rivière
- Univ. Brest, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer, LEMAR, Plouzané, France
| | - Patrice Klein
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.,Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
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19
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Vázquez Diosdado JA, Barker ZE, Hodges HR, Amory JR, Croft DP, Bell NJ, Codling EA. Space-use patterns highlight behavioural differences linked to lameness, parity, and days in milk in barn-housed dairy cows. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0208424. [PMID: 30566490 PMCID: PMC6300209 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Lameness is a key health and welfare issue affecting commercial herds of dairy cattle, with potentially significant economic impacts due to the expense of treatment and lost milk production. Existing lameness detection methods can be time-intensive, and under-detection remains a significant problem leading to delayed or missed treatment. Hence, there is a need for automated monitoring systems that can quickly and accurately detect lameness in individual cows within commercial dairy herds. Recent advances in sensor tracking technology have made it possible to observe the movement, behaviour and space-use of a range of animal species over extended time-scales. However, little is known about how observed movement behaviour and space-use patterns in individual dairy cattle relate to lameness, or to other possible confounding factors such as parity or number of days in milk. In this cross-sectional study, ten lame and ten non-lame barn-housed dairy cows were classified through mobility scoring and subsequently tracked using a wireless local positioning system. Nearly 900,000 spatial locations were recorded in total, allowing a range of movement and space-use measures to be determined for each individual cow. Using linear models, we highlight where lameness, parity, and the number of days in milk have a significant effect on the observed space-use patterns. Non-lame cows spent more time, and had higher site fidelity (on a day-to-day basis they were more likely to revisit areas they had visited previously), in the feeding area. Non-lame cows also had a larger full range size within the barn. In contrast, lame cows spent more time, and had a higher site-fidelity, in the cubicle (resting) areas of the barn than non-lame cows. Higher parity cows were found to spend more time in the right-hand-side area of the barn, closer to the passageway to the milking parlour. The number of days in milk was found to positively affect the core range size, but with a negative interaction effect with lameness. Using a simple predictive model, we demonstrate how it is possible to accurately determine the lameness status of all individual cows within the study using only two observed space-use measures, the proportion of time spent in the feeding area and the full range size. Our findings suggest that differences in individual movement and space-use behaviour could be used as indicators of health status for automated monitoring within a Precision Livestock Farming approach, potentially leading to faster diagnosis and treatment, and improved animal welfare for dairy cattle and other managed animal species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zoe E Barker
- Writtle University College, Chelmsford, Essex, United Kingdom
| | - Holly R Hodges
- Writtle University College, Chelmsford, Essex, United Kingdom
| | | | - Darren P Croft
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
| | - Nick J Bell
- Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Edward A Codling
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom
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20
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Humpback whale migrations to Antarctic summer foraging grounds through the southwest Pacific Ocean. Sci Rep 2018; 8:12333. [PMID: 30120303 PMCID: PMC6098068 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-30748-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) populations typically undertake seasonal migrations, spending winters in low latitude breeding grounds and summers foraging in high latitude feeding grounds. Until recently, a broad scale understanding of whale movement has been derived from whaling records, Discovery marks, photo identification and genetic analyses. However, with advances in satellite tagging technology and concurrent development of analytical methodologies we can now detail finer scale humpback whale movement, infer behavioural context and examine how these animals interact with their physical environment. Here we describe the temporal and spatial characteristics of migration along the east Australian seaboard and into the Southern Ocean by 30 humpback whales satellite tagged over three consecutive austral summers. We characterise the putative Antarctic feeding grounds and identify supplemental foraging within temperate, migratory corridors. We demonstrate that Antarctic foraging habitat is associated with the marginal ice zone, with key predictors of inferred foraging behaviour including distance from the ice edge, ice melt rate and variability in ice concentration two months prior to arrival. We discuss the highly variable ice season within the putative foraging habitat and the implications that this and other environmental factors may have on the continued strong recovery of this humpback whale population.
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21
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Carroll G, Harcourt R, Pitcher BJ, Slip D, Jonsen I. Recent prey capture experience and dynamic habitat quality mediate short-term foraging site fidelity in a seabird. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.0788. [PMID: 30051866 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Foraging site fidelity allows animals to increase their efficiency by returning to profitable feeding areas. However, the mechanisms underpinning why animals 'stay' or 'switch' sites have rarely been investigated. Here, we explore how habitat quality and prior prey capture experience influence short-term site fidelity by the little penguin (Eudyptula minor). Using 88 consecutive foraging trips by 20 brooding penguins, we found that site fidelity was higher after foraging trips where environmental conditions were favourable, and after trips where prey capture success was high. When penguins exhibited lower site fidelity, the number of prey captures relative to the previous trip increased, suggesting that switches in foraging location were an adaptive strategy in response to low prey capture rates. Penguins foraged closer to where other penguins foraged on the same day than they did to the location of their own previous foraging site, and caught more prey when they foraged close together. This suggests that penguins aggregated flexibly when prey was abundant and accessible. Our results illustrate how foraging predators can integrate information about prior experience with contemporary information such as social cues. This gives insight into how animals combine information adaptively to exploit changing prey distribution in a dynamic environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma Carroll
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Herring Rd, North Ryde, New South Wales 2109, Australia .,Institute of Marine Science, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Robert Harcourt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Herring Rd, North Ryde, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Benjamin J Pitcher
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Herring Rd, North Ryde, New South Wales 2109, Australia.,Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Bradley's Head Rd, Mosman, New South Wales 2088, Australia
| | - David Slip
- Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Bradley's Head Rd, Mosman, New South Wales 2088, Australia
| | - Ian Jonsen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Herring Rd, North Ryde, New South Wales 2109, Australia
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22
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Courbin N, Besnard A, Péron C, Saraux C, Fort J, Perret S, Tornos J, Grémillet D. Short-term prey field lability constrains individual specialisation in resource selection and foraging site fidelity in a marine predator. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:1043-1054. [PMID: 29659122 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Revised: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Spatio-temporally stable prey distributions coupled with individual foraging site fidelity are predicted to favour individual resource specialisation. Conversely, predators coping with dynamic prey distributions should diversify their individual diet and/or shift foraging areas to increase net intake. We studied individual specialisation in Scopoli's shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea) from the highly dynamic Western Mediterranean, using daily prey distributions together with resource selection, site fidelity and trophic-level analyses. As hypothesised, we found dietary diversification, low foraging site fidelity and almost no individual specialisation in resource selection. Crucially, shearwaters switched daily foraging tactics, selecting areas with contrasting prey of varying trophic levels. Overall, information use and plastic resource selection of individuals with reduced short-term foraging site fidelity allow predators to overcome prey field lability. Our study is an essential step towards a better understanding of individual responses to enhanced environmental stochasticity driven by global changes, and of pathways favouring population persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Courbin
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), UMR 5175, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Montpellier, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier, Ecole Pratiques des Hautes Etudes (EPHE), 1919 Route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Aurélien Besnard
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), UMR 5175, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Montpellier, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier, Ecole Pratiques des Hautes Etudes (EPHE), 1919 Route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Clara Péron
- Marine Biodiversity Exploitation and Conservation (MARBEC), UMR 248, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon - bât 24 - CC093, 34095, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Claire Saraux
- Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER), UMR 248 MARBEC, Avenue Jean Monnet CS 3017, 34203, Sète, France
| | - Jérôme Fort
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université La Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France
| | - Samuel Perret
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), UMR 5175, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Montpellier, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier, Ecole Pratiques des Hautes Etudes (EPHE), 1919 Route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Jérémy Tornos
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), UMR 5175, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Montpellier, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier, Ecole Pratiques des Hautes Etudes (EPHE), 1919 Route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - David Grémillet
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), UMR 5175, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Montpellier, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier, Ecole Pratiques des Hautes Etudes (EPHE), 1919 Route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
- FitzPatrick Institute, DST/NRF Excellence Centre at the University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
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Campos P, Guivernau M, Prenafeta-Boldú FX, Cardona L. Fast acquisition of a polysaccharide fermenting gut microbiome by juvenile green turtles Chelonia mydas after settlement in coastal habitats. MICROBIOME 2018; 6:69. [PMID: 29636094 PMCID: PMC5894180 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-018-0454-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tetrapods do not express hydrolases for cellulose and hemicellulose assimilation, and hence, the independent acquisition of herbivory required the establishment of new endosymbiotic relationships between tetrapods and microbes. Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are one of the three groups of marine tetrapods with an herbivorous diet and which acquire it after several years consuming pelagic animals. We characterized the microbiota present in the feces and rectum of 24 young wild and captive green turtles from the coastal waters of Brazil, with curved carapace length ranging from 31.1 to 64.7 cm, to test the hypotheses that (1) the ontogenetic dietary shift after settlement is followed by a gradual change in the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome, (2) differences exist between the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome of green turtles from tropical and subtropical regions, and (3) the consumption of omnivorous diets modifies the gut microbiota of green turtles. RESULTS A genomic library of 2,186,596 valid bacterial 16S rRNA reads was obtained and these sequences were grouped into 6321 different operational taxonomic units (at 97% sequence homology cutoff). The results indicated that most of the juvenile green turtles less than 45 cm of curved carapace length exhibited a fecal microbiota co-dominated by representatives of the phyla Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes and high levels of Clostridiaceae, Prophyromonas, Ruminococaceae, and Lachnospiraceae within the latter phylum. Furthermore, this was the only microbiota profile found in wild green turtles > 45 cm CCL and in most of the captive green turtles of any size feeding on a macroalgae/fish mixed diet. Nevertheless, microbial diversity increased with turtle size and was higher in turtles from tropical than from subtropical regions. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that juvenile green turtles from the coastal waters of Brazil had the same general microbiota, regardless of body size and origin, and suggest a fast acquisition of a polysaccharide fermenting gut microbiota by juvenile green turtles after settlement into coastal habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Campos
- IRBio and Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Avenida Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miriam Guivernau
- GIRO, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), Torre Marimon, E-08140 Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Francesc X. Prenafeta-Boldú
- GIRO, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), Torre Marimon, E-08140 Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luis Cardona
- IRBio and Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Avenida Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
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24
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McHuron EA, Peterson SH, Hückstädt LA, Melin SR, Harris JD, Costa DP. The energetic consequences of behavioral variation in a marine carnivore. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:4340-4351. [PMID: 29721302 PMCID: PMC5916299 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Accepted: 02/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Intraspecific variability in foraging behavior has been documented across a range of taxonomic groups, yet the energetic consequences of this variation are not well understood for many species. Understanding the effect of behavioral variation on energy expenditure and acquisition is particularly crucial for mammalian carnivores because they have high energy requirements that place considerable pressure on prey populations. To determine the influence of behavior on energy expenditure and balance, we combined simultaneous measurements of at‐sea field metabolic rate (FMR) and foraging behavior in a marine carnivore that exhibits intraspecific behavioral variation, the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus). Sea lions exhibited variability in at‐sea FMR, with some individuals expending energy at a maximum of twice the rate of others. This variation was in part attributable to differences in diving behavior that may have been reflective of diet; however, this was only true for sea lions using a foraging strategy consisting of epipelagic (<200 m within the water column) and benthic dives. In contrast, sea lions that used a deep‐diving foraging strategy all had similar values of at‐sea FMR that were unrelated to diving behavior. Energy intake did not differ between foraging strategies and was unrelated to energy expenditure. Our findings suggest that energy expenditure in California sea lions may be influenced by interactions between diet and oxygen conservation strategies. There were no apparent energetic trade‐offs between foraging strategies, although there was preliminary evidence that foraging strategies may differ in their variability in energy balance. The energetic consequences of behavioral variation may influence the reproductive success of female sea lions and result in differential impacts of individuals on prey populations. These findings highlight the importance of quantifying the relationships between energy expenditure and foraging behavior in other carnivores for studies addressing fundamental and applied physiological and ecological questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A McHuron
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - Sarah H Peterson
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA.,Institute of Marine Sciences Long Marine Laboratory University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - Luis A Hückstädt
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - Sharon R Melin
- Marine Mammal Laboratory Alaska Fisheries Science Center/NOAA Seattle WA USA
| | - Jeffrey D Harris
- Marine Mammal Laboratory Alaska Fisheries Science Center/NOAA Seattle WA USA
| | - Daniel P Costa
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
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25
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Hindell MA, Sumner M, Bestley S, Wotherspoon S, Harcourt RG, Lea MA, Alderman R, McMahon CR. Decadal changes in habitat characteristics influence population trajectories of southern elephant seals. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:5136-5150. [PMID: 28590592 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2017] [Accepted: 04/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Understanding divergent biological responses to climate change is important for predicting ecosystem level consequences. We use species habitat models to predict the winter foraging habitats of female southern elephant seals and investigate how changes in environmental variables within these habitats may be related to observed decreases in the Macquarie Island population. There were three main groups of seals that specialized in different ocean realms (the sub-Antarctic, the Ross Sea and the Victoria Land Coast). The physical and climate attributes (e.g. wind strength, sea surface height, ocean current strength) varied amongst the realms and also displayed different temporal trends over the last two to four decades. Most notably, sea ice extent increased on average in the Victoria Land realm while it decreased overall in the Ross Sea realm. Using a species distribution model relating mean residence times (time spent in each 50 × 50 km grid cell) to 9 climate and physical co-variates, we developed spatial predictions of residence time to identify the core regions used by the seals across the Southern Ocean from 120°E to 120°W. Population size at Macquarie Island was negatively correlated with ice concentration within the core habitat of seals using the Victoria Land Coast and the Ross Sea. Sea ice extent and concentration is predicted to continue to change in the Southern Ocean, having unknown consequences for the biota of the region. The proportion of Macquarie Island females (40%) utilizing the relatively stable sub-Antarctic region, may buffer this population against longer-term regional changes in habitat quality, but the Macquarie Island population has persistently decreased (-1.45% per annum) over seven decades indicating that environmental changes in the Antarctic are acting on the remaining 60% of the population to impose a long-term population decline in a top Southern Ocean predator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Hindell
- Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies, Hobart, Australia
- Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| | - Michael Sumner
- Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
- Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, Australia
| | - Sophie Bestley
- Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies, Hobart, Australia
- Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, Australia
| | - Simon Wotherspoon
- Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies, Hobart, Australia
- Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, Australia
| | - Robert G Harcourt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Mary-Anne Lea
- Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies, Hobart, Australia
| | - Rachael Alderman
- Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, Hobart, Australia
| | - Clive R McMahon
- Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies, Hobart, Australia
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, Australia
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26
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Abrahms B, Hazen EL, Bograd SJ, Brashares JS, Robinson PW, Scales KL, Crocker DE, Costa DP. Climate mediates the success of migration strategies in a marine predator. Ecol Lett 2017; 21:63-71. [PMID: 29096419 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Revised: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Individual behavioural specialisation has far-reaching effects on fitness and population persistence. Theory predicts that unconditional site fidelity, that is fidelity to a site independent of past outcome, provides a fitness advantage in unpredictable environments. However, the benefits of alternative site fidelity strategies driving intraspecific variation remain poorly understood and have not been evaluated in different environmental contexts. We show that contrary to expectation, strong and weak site fidelity strategies in migratory northern elephant seals performed similarly over 10 years, but the success of each strategy varied interannually and was strongly mediated by climate conditions. Strong fidelity facilitated stable energetic rewards and low risk, while weak fidelity facilitated high rewards and high risk. Weak fidelity outperformed strong fidelity in anomalous climate conditions, suggesting that the evolutionary benefits of site fidelity may be upended by increasing environmental variability. We highlight how individual behavioural specialisation may modulate the adaptive capacity of species to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briana Abrahms
- NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Environmental Research Division, 99 Pacific St. #255A, Monterey, CA, 93940, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, USA
| | - Elliott L Hazen
- NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Environmental Research Division, 99 Pacific St. #255A, Monterey, CA, 93940, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, USA
| | - Steven J Bograd
- NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Environmental Research Division, 99 Pacific St. #255A, Monterey, CA, 93940, USA
| | - Justin S Brashares
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, 130 Mulford Hall #3114, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Patrick W Robinson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, USA
| | - Kylie L Scales
- University of the Sunshine Coast, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs, Qld, Australia
| | - Daniel E Crocker
- Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, 1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA, 94928, USA
| | - Daniel P Costa
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, USA
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27
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Goedegebuure M, Melbourne-Thomas J, Corney SP, Hindell MA, Constable AJ. Beyond big fish: The case for more detailed representations of top predators in marine ecosystem models. Ecol Modell 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2017.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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28
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Correction: Return Customers: Foraging Site Fidelity and the Effect of Environmental Variability in Wide-Ranging Antarctic Fur Seals. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0179322. [PMID: 28586381 PMCID: PMC5460875 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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29
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McIntyre T, Bester MN, Bornemann H, Tosh CA, de Bruyn PN. Slow to change? Individual fidelity to three-dimensional foraging habitats in southern elephant seals, Mirounga leonina. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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30
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Big data analyses reveal patterns and drivers of the movements of southern elephant seals. Sci Rep 2017; 7:112. [PMID: 28273915 PMCID: PMC5427936 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-00165-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The growing number of large databases of animal tracking provides an opportunity for analyses of movement patterns at the scales of populations and even species. We used analytical approaches, developed to cope with “big data”, that require no ‘a priori’ assumptions about the behaviour of the target agents, to analyse a pooled tracking dataset of 272 elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) in the Southern Ocean, that was comprised of >500,000 location estimates collected over more than a decade. Our analyses showed that the displacements of these seals were described by a truncated power law distribution across several spatial and temporal scales, with a clear signature of directed movement. This pattern was evident when analysing the aggregated tracks despite a wide diversity of individual trajectories. We also identified marine provinces that described the migratory and foraging habitats of these seals. Our analysis provides evidence for the presence of intrinsic drivers of movement, such as memory, that cannot be detected using common models of movement behaviour. These results highlight the potential for “big data” techniques to provide new insights into movement behaviour when applied to large datasets of animal tracking.
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31
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Arthur B, Hindell M, Bester MN, Oosthuizen WC, Wege M, Lea M. South for the winter? Within‐dive foraging effort reveals the trade‐offs between divergent foraging strategies in a free‐ranging predator. Funct Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Arthur
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies University of Tasmania 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point Hobart TAS 7004 Australia
- Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre University of Tasmania Hobart TAS 7004 Australia
| | - Mark Hindell
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies University of Tasmania 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point Hobart TAS 7004 Australia
- Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre University of Tasmania Hobart TAS 7004 Australia
| | - Marthan N. Bester
- Department of Zoology and Entomology Mammal Research Institute University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
| | - W. Chris Oosthuizen
- Department of Zoology and Entomology Mammal Research Institute University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
| | - Mia Wege
- Department of Zoology and Entomology Mammal Research Institute University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
| | - Mary‐Anne Lea
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies University of Tasmania 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point Hobart TAS 7004 Australia
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32
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Drago M, Franco-Trecu V, Cardona L, Inchausti P, Tapia W, Páez-Rosas D. Stable Isotopes Reveal Long-Term Fidelity to Foraging Grounds in the Galapagos Sea Lion (Zalophus wollebaeki). PLoS One 2016; 11:e0147857. [PMID: 26808381 PMCID: PMC4725682 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2015] [Accepted: 01/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Most otariids have colony-specific foraging areas during the breeding season, when they behave as central place foragers. However, they may disperse over broad areas after the breeding season and individuals from different colonies may share foraging grounds at that time. Here, stable isotope ratios in the skull bone of adult Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki) were used to assess the long-term fidelity of both sexes to foraging grounds across the different regions of the Galapagos archipelago. Results indicated that the stable isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N) of sea lion bone significantly differed among regions of the archipelago, without any significant difference between sexes and with a non significant interaction between sex and region. Moreover, standard ellipses, estimated by Bayesian inference and used as a measure of the isotopic resource use area at the population level, overlapped widely for the sea lions from the southern and central regions, whereas the overlap of the ellipses for sea lions from the central and western regions was small and non-existing for those from the western and southern regions. These results suggest that males and females from the same region within the archipelago use similar foraging grounds and have similar diets. Furthermore, they indicate that the exchange of adults between regions is limited, thus revealing a certain degree of foraging philopatry at a regional scale within the archipelago. The constraints imposed on males by an expanded reproductive season (~ 6 months), resulting from the weak reproductive synchrony among females, and those imposed on females by a very long lactation period (at least one year but up to three years), may explain the limited mobility of adult Galapagos sea lions of both sexes across the archipelago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimiliano Drago
- Programa PROMETEO-SENESCYT, Secretaría de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, Quito, Ecuador
- Department of Ecology & Evolution, Centro Universitario Regional Este (CURE), University of the Republic (UdeLaR), Maldonado, Uruguay
- * E-mail:
| | - Valentina Franco-Trecu
- Department of Ecology & Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, University of the Republic (UdeLaR), Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Luis Cardona
- Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pablo Inchausti
- Department of Ecology & Evolution, Centro Universitario Regional Este (CURE), University of the Republic (UdeLaR), Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - Washington Tapia
- Department of Applied Research, Galapagos National Park Service, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, Ecuador
- Galapagos Conservancy, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador
| | - Diego Páez-Rosas
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) and Galapagos Science Center, San Cristóbal, Galápagos, Ecuador
- Dirección Parque Nacional Galápagos, Unidad Técnica Operativa San Cristóbal, Galápagos, Ecuador
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33
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Meise K, von Engelhardt N, Forcada J, Hoffman JI. Offspring Hormones Reflect the Maternal Prenatal Social Environment: Potential for Foetal Programming? PLoS One 2016; 11:e0145352. [PMID: 26761814 PMCID: PMC4711963 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Accepted: 12/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Females of many species adaptively program their offspring to predictable environmental conditions, a process that is often mediated by hormones. Laboratory studies have shown, for instance, that social density affects levels of maternal cortisol and testosterone, leading to fitness-relevant changes in offspring physiology and behaviour. However, the effects of social density remain poorly understood in natural populations due to the difficulty of disentangling confounding influences such as climatic variation and food availability. Colonially breeding marine mammals offer a unique opportunity to study maternal effects in response to variable colony densities under similar ecological conditions. We therefore quantified maternal and offspring hormone levels in 84 Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) from two closely neighbouring colonies of contrasting density. Hair samples were used as they integrate hormone levels over several weeks or months and therefore represent in utero conditions during foetal development. We found significantly higher levels of cortisol and testosterone (both P < 0.001) in mothers from the high density colony, reflecting a more stressful and competitive environment. In addition, offspring testosterone showed a significant positive correlation with maternal cortisol (P < 0.05). Although further work is needed to elucidate the potential consequences for offspring fitness, these findings raise the intriguing possibility that adaptive foetal programming might occur in fur seals in response to the maternal social environment. They also lend support to the idea that hormonally mediated maternal effects may depend more strongly on the maternal regulation of androgen rather than cortisol levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Meise
- Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Bielefeld, Morgenbreede 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Nikolaus von Engelhardt
- Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Bielefeld, Morgenbreede 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Jaume Forcada
- British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 OET, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph Ivan Hoffman
- Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Bielefeld, Morgenbreede 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
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