poupart-foragingnicheoverlap-2020.pdf (1.13 MB)
Foraging niche overlap during chick-rearing in the sexually dimorphic Westland petrel
journal contribution
posted on 2020-11-25, 00:00 authored by Timothee Poupart, S M Waugh, A Kato, John ArnouldJohn ArnouldMost Procellariform seabirds are pelagic, breed in summer when prey availability peaks, and migrate for winter. They also display a dual foraging strategy (short and long trips) and sex-specific foraging. The Westland petrel
Procellaria westlandica
, a New Zealand endemic, is one of the rare seabirds breeding in winter. Preliminary findings on this large and sexually dimorphic petrel suggest a foraging behaviour with no evidence of a dual strategy, within a narrow range and with shared areas between sexes. To investigate further this unusual strategy, the present study determined the fine-scale at-sea behaviours (global positioning system and accelerometer data loggers) and trophic niches (stable isotopes in whole blood) of chick-rearing individuals (16 males and 13 females). All individuals foraged on the shelf-slope of the west coast of New Zealand's South Island with short, unimodal trips. Both sexes foraged at similar intensity without temporal, spatial or isotopic niche segregation. These findings suggest the presence of a winter prey resource close to the colony, sufficient to satisfy the nutritional needs of breeding without increasing the foraging effort or intra-specific competition avoidance during winter. Additional data are needed to assess the consistency of foraging niche between the sexes and its reproductive outcomes in view of anticipated environmental changes.
History
Journal
Royal Society Open ScienceVolume
7Issue
11Article number
191511Pagination
1 - 17Publisher
Royal SocietyLocation
London, Eng.Publisher DOI
Link to full text
ISSN
2054-5703eISSN
2054-5703Language
EnglishPublication classification
C Journal article; C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2020, The AuthorsUsage metrics
Categories
Keywords
Science & TechnologyMultidisciplinary SciencesScience & Technology - Other Topicsforaging behavioursexual dimorphismniche segregationWestland petrelNew ZealandWHITE-CHINNED PETRELSPROCELLARIA-WESTLANDICASIZE DIMORPHISMSTABLE-ISOTOPESSUBTROPICAL SEABIRDSEASONAL MOVEMENTSMARINE PREDATORSACTIVITY BUDGETSDIVING BEHAVIORFEEDING ECOLOGYZoology
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC