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Cherel Y., Ducatez S., Fontaine C., Richard P., Guinet C. (2008). Stable isotopes reveal the trophic position and mesopelagic fish diet of female southern elephant seals breeding on the Kerguelen Islands. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 370, 239–247.
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. (2008). Interannual dietary changes and demographic consequences in breeding blue petrels from Kerguelen Islands. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 373, 275–288.
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Massom R.A., Hill K., Barbraud C., Adams N., Ancel A., Emmerson L., Pook M.J. (2009). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 374, 243–257.
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Massom R.A., Hill K., Barbraud C., Adams N., Ancel A., Emmerson L. & Pook M.J. (2009). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 374, 243–257.
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Jaeger A, Connan M, Richard P, Cherel Y, . (2010). Use of stable isotopes to quantify seasonal changes of trophic niche and levels of population and individual specialisation in seabirds
. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 401, 269–277.
Abstract: Niche variation is a widespread phenomenon that has important implications for ecological interactions and conservation biology, but few studies have quantified the trophic niche width (TNW) and its within- and between-individual components. We used stable isotopes of body feathers to investigate (1) seasonal isotopic niche changes of 4 southern procellariiforms and, (2) the level to which individuals are specialised relative to their population within each season. (1) δ13C and δ15N values of chicks and adults indicated a well-defined trophic segregation within the seabird assemblage during both the breeding and poorly known moulting (inter-nesting) periods, and they underlined marked species-specific seasonal changes. One species (light-mantled sooty albatross) remained within the Southern Ocean both during breeding and body feather moult, while the 3 others migrated either to oceanic subtropical waters (wandering and sooty albatrosses) or high isotopic marine areas (e.g. productive neritic waters; white-chinned petrel) during the moulting period. (2) Isotopic variances and TNW were generally low, indicating that birds belong to isotopic specialist populations within a given period. Variances and TNW were larger for white-chinned petrel chicks and light-mantled sooty albatross adults, respectively, indicating isotopic generalist populations and revealing 2 new foraging behaviours. Individual white-chinned petrel chicks segregated by their feather isotopic signatures, thus indicating individual/pair specialisation of parent birds during the chick-rearing period. The light-mantled sooty albatross population included mostly isotopic generalist individuals during the moulting period, with individuals using different habitats and diets. The study highlights the utility of feather isotopic signature for determining TNW and points out the necessity to develop such new approaches to better depict niche variations at both population and individual levels.
Programme: 109
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. (2009). Climate change and phenological responses of two seabird species breeding in the high-Arctic
. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 393, 235–246.
Abstract: The timing of breeding is a life-history trait that can greatly affect fitness, because successful reproduction depends on the match between the food requirements for raising young and the seasonal peak in food availability. We an analysed phenology (hatch dates) in relation to climate change for 2 seabird species breeding in the high-Arctic, little auks Alle alle and black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla, for the periods 1963-2008 and 1970-2008, respectively. We show that spring climate has changed during the study period, with a strong increase in both air temperature (TEMP) and sea surface temperature (SST) and a decrease in sea ice concentration. Little auks showed a trend for earlier breeding over the study period, while kittimakes showed a non-significant trend for later breeding, demonstrating different phenological responses in these 2 species. Little auks and kittiwakes adjusted their timing of breeding to different environmental signals. Spring TEMP was the best predictor of little auk phenology, with a significant negative effect. Spring SST was the strongest predictor of kittiwake phenology, with a non-significant negative effect. Spring sea ice concentration and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) winter index had a low relative variable importance. Furthermore, in kittiwakes, years with late breeding were associated with low clutch size and mean annual breeding success, indicating poor investment and food availability. This study identifies some spring environmental factors important for regulating the timing of breeding in the high-Arctic, most likely through effects on snow cover limiting access to nest sites and the development of the polar marine food web. It remains to be investigated whether environmental factors are reliable predictors of marine prey phenology, and whether the decision to start breeding is constrained by food availability.
Keywords: climate change, match mismatch, permitted without written consent, phenology, publisher, resale republication not, sea ice, seabirds, svalbard, temperature, timing breeding,
Programme: 330
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. (2009). Nitrogen and carbon isotope values of individual amino acids: a tool to study foraging ecology of penguins in the Southern Ocean. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 391, 293–306.
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. (2009). Spatial ecology and conservation of seabirds facing global climate change: a review
. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 391(2), 121–137.
Abstract: In this review we detail the impact of climate change on marine productivity, on marine environmental stochasticity and cyclicity, and on the spatio-temporal match-mismatch of seabirds and their prey. We thereby show that global warming has a profound bottom-up impact upon marine top-predators, but that such effects have to be studied in conjunction with the (top-down) impact of human fisheries upon seabird food resources. Further, we propose seabird ecological features, such as memory effects and social constraints, that make them particularly sensitive to rapid environmental change. We provide examples of how seabirds may nonetheless adapt when facing the consequences of climate change. We conclude that our understanding of the spatial ecology of seabirds facing environmental change is still rudimentary, despite its relevance for the conservation of these vulnerable organisms and for the management of marine ecosystems. We define the following research priorities. (1) Determine the factors affecting seabird distribution and movements at sea using biotelemetry, as well as colony dynamics on land. (2) Link seabird distribution patterns to those of their prey, (3) Determine further the role of historical and metapopulation processes in contributing to the dynamics of the spatial distribution of seabirds. (4) Assess phenotypic plasticity and the potential for microevolution within seabird spatial responses to climate change, since both will greatly affect the quality of modelling studies. (5) Adapt existing models to define and predict the impact of climate change onto seabird spatial dynamics. (6) Synthesize all gathered information to define marine protected areas and further conservation schemes, such as capacity reduction of fisheries. This research effort will require maintaining existing long-term monitoring programmes for seabirds, as well as developing new approaches to permit the integration of processes occurring at various scales, in order to be able to fully track the population responses of these long-lived vertebrates to environmental changes.
Programme: 388
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. (2010). Foraging distributions of little auks Alle alle across the Greenland Sea: implications of present and future Arctic climate change
. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 415, 283–293.
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Shaffer Scott A, Weimerskirch Henri, Scott Darren, Pinaud David, Thompson David R, Sagar Paul M, Moller Henrik, Taylor Graeme A, Foley David G, Tremblay Yann, Costa Daniel P, . (2009). Spatiotemporal habitat use by breeding sooty shearwaters Puffinus griseus
. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 391, 209–220.
Abstract: Breeding sooty shearwaters Puffin us griseus cycle between long (11 to 14 d) and short (1 to 2 d) foraging bouts at sea, but no information exists on bird behavior during these trips. We tested the hypothesis that shearwaters use these long trips to travel to distant Antarctic waters compared to remaining in local waters. Patterns of habitat use of 28 breeding sooty shearwaters were studied using 6 g archival data loggers that recorded location, environmental temperature, and diving behavior. Dive activity was compared to remotely-sensed environmental data to characterize the habitats visited by shearwaters on long and short trips. Sooty shearwaters traveled predominantly (70% of all long trips) to cold oceanic waters along the Polar Front (mean SD, 1970 930 km from colony) on long trips or remained within warmer neritic waters of the New Zealand shelf (515 248 km from colony) on short trips. Diving depths (mean depth 15.9 10.8 m, max depth 69.9 m, n = 2007 dives) were not significantly different between excursion types. Activity patterns suggest that shearwaters commuted between distant foraging grounds (e.g. Polar Front) and the breeding colony and that more than 95% of diving activity occurred during daylight hours. Although shearwaters traveled primarily to Antarctic waters on long trips, occasional trips around New Zealand waters were observed; all but 2 birds were from the northern-most study colony. Oceanic habitats in Antarctic waters were substantially different from neritic habitats around New Zealand, indicating that shearwaters experience dramatically different environmental conditions associated with each excursion type. The ability of sooty shearwaters to use 2 vastly different habitats provides greater flexibility for maximizing resource acquisition during breeding and reduces competition near the colony.
Keywords: activity, archival data logger, diving, geolocation, permitted without written consent, publisher, puffinus griseus, resale republication not, sea surface temperature, sooty shearwater, tracking,
Programme: 109
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