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Geographical, temporal and individual factors influencing foraging behaviour and consistency in Australasian gannets.

ABSTRACT: Foraging is a behaviour that can be influenced by multiple factors and is highly plastic. Recent studies have shown consistency in individual foraging behaviour has serious ecological and evolutionary implications within species and populations. Such information is crucial to understand how species select habitats, and how such selection might allow them to adapt to the environmental changes they face. Five foraging metrics (maximum distance from the colony, bearing from the colony to the most distal point, tortuosity index, total number of dives and mean vectorial dynamic body acceleration were obtained using GPS tracking and accelerometry data in adult Australasian gannets (Morus serrator) from two colonies in southeastern Australia. Individuals were instrumented over two breeding seasons to obtain data to assess factors influencing foraging behaviour and behavioural consistency over multiple timescales (consecutive trips, breeding stages and years) and habitats (pelagic, mixed pelagic and inshore, and inshore). Colony, breeding stage and year were the factors which had the greatest influence on foraging behaviour, followed by sex. Behavioural consistency, measured as the contribution of the individual to the observed variance, was low to moderate for all foraging metrics (0.0-27.05%), with the higher values occurring over shorter timescales. In addition, behavioural consistency was driven by spatio-temporal factors rather than intrinsic characteristics. Behavioural consistency was higher in individuals foraging in inshore than pelagic habitats or mixed pelagic/inshore strategy, supporting suggestions that consistency is favoured in stable environments.

SUBMITTER: Rodriguez-Malagon MA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7277272 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Geographical, temporal and individual factors influencing foraging behaviour and consistency in Australasian gannets.

Rodríguez-Malagón Marlenne A MA Camprasse Elodie C M ECM Angel Lauren P LP Arnould John P Y JPY

Royal Society open science 20200527 5

Foraging is a behaviour that can be influenced by multiple factors and is highly plastic. Recent studies have shown consistency in individual foraging behaviour has serious ecological and evolutionary implications within species and populations. Such information is crucial to understand how species select habitats, and how such selection might allow them to adapt to the environmental changes they face. Five foraging metrics (maximum distance from the colony, bearing from the colony to the most d ...[more]

PMID: 32537184

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Project description:BackgroundConsistent inter-individual differences in behavioural phenotypes may entail differences in energy efficiency and expenditure, with different fitness payoffs. In colonial-breeding species, inter-individual differences in foraging behaviour may evolve to reduce resource use overlap among conspecifics exploiting shared foraging areas. Furthermore, individual differences in foraging behaviour may covary with individual characteristics, such as sex or physiological conditions.MethodsWe investigated individual differences in foraging tactics of a colonial raptor, the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni). We tracked foraging trips of breeding individuals using miniaturized biologgers. We classified behaviours from GPS data and identified tactics at the foraging trip level by cluster analysis. We then estimated energy expenditure associated to each tactic from tri-axial accelerometer data.ResultsWe obtained 489 foraging trips by 36 individuals. Two clusters of trips were identified, one (SF) characterized by more static foraging behaviour and the other (DF) by more dynamic foraging behaviour, with a higher proportion of flying activity and a higher energy expenditure compared to SF. Lesser kestrels showed consistent inter-individual differences in foraging tactics across weather condition gradients, favouring DF trips as solar radiation and crosswind intensity increased. DF trips were more frequent during the nestling-rearing than during the egg incubation stage. Nestlings whose tracked parent was more prone to perform DF trips experienced higher daily mass increase, irrespective of nestling feeding rates.ConclusionsOur study provided evidence that breeding lesser kestrels flexibly adopted different foraging tactics according to contingent weather landscapes, with birds showing consistent inter-individual differences in the tendency to adopt a given tactic. The positive correlation between the tendency to perform more energy-demanding DF trips and nestling growth suggests that individual differences in foraging behaviour may play a role in maintaining key life-history trade-offs between reproduction and self-maintenance.

Project description:Individual specialization in diet or foraging behavior within apparently generalist populations has been described for many species, especially in polar and temperate marine environments, where resource distribution is relatively predictable. It is unclear, however, whether and how increased environmental variability - and thus reduced predictability of resources - due to global climate change will affect individual specialization. We determined the within- and among-individual components of the trophic niche and the within-individual repeatability of δ(13)C and δ(15)N in feathers and red blood cells of individual female southern rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome) across 7 years. We also investigated the effect of environmental variables (Southern Annular Mode, Southern Oscillation Index, and local sea surface temperature anomaly) on the isotopic values, as well as the link between stable isotopes and female body mass, clutch initiation dates, and total clutch mass. We observed consistent red blood cell δ(13)C and δ(15)N values within individuals among years, suggesting a moderate degree of within-individual specialization in C and N during the prebreeding period. However, the total niche width was reduced and individual specialization not present during the premolt period. Despite significant interannual differences in isotope values of C and N and environmental conditions, none of the environmental variables were linked to stable isotope values and thus able to explain phenotypic plasticity. Furthermore, neither the within-individual nor among-individual effects of stable isotopes were found to be related to female body mass, clutch initiation date, or total clutch mass. In conclusion, our results emphasize that the degree of specialization within generalist populations can vary over the course of 1 year, even when being consistent within the same season across years. We were unable to confirm that environmental variability counteracts individual specialization in foraging behavior, as phenotypic plasticity in δ(13)C and δ(15)N was not linked to any of the environmental variables studied.

Dataset Information

Geographical, temporal and individual factors influencing foraging behaviour and consistency in Australasian gannets.

Publications

Geographical, temporal and individual factors influencing foraging behaviour and consistency in Australasian gannets.

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