Abstract: Breeding failure is expected to induce behavioural changes in central place foragers. Indeed, after a failed reproductive attempt, breeding individuals are relieved from having to return to their breeding site for reproductive duties and thus are less constrained than successful breeders in their movements during the remainder of the breeding season. Accordingly, they are expected to adjust their behaviour, travelling longer in distance and/or time to reach foraging grounds. They are also expected to use different foraging areas to decrease local intra-specific competition with successful breeders. We compared the at-sea behaviour and habitat use of successful and failed Indian yellow-nosed albatrosses nesting in Amsterdam Island, Southern Indian Ocean, during 2 chick-rearing seasons. Failed breeders exhibited the same at-sea foraging behaviour, travelling as far and as long as successful breeders. They also spent the same amount of time on their nest between at-sea trips. Nevertheless, habitat models revealed partial spatial segregation of failed breeders, which used specific foraging areas characterized by deeper and colder waters in addition to the areas they shared with successful breeders. Our study shows the importance of combining a range of analytical methods (spatial analysis, behavioural inferences with advanced movement models and habitat models) to infer the at-sea behaviour and habitat use of seabirds. It also stresses the importance of considering individual breeding status when aiming to understand the spatial distribution of individuals, especially when this information may have conservation implications.

Abstract: Stress exposure and stress response are likely to vary according to life history strategies and environmental contexts. Although the acute release of glucocorticoids in response to unpredictable environmental conditions may lead to adaptative behavioral and physiological responses, exposure to high glucocorticoid levels on the long-term usually leads to deleterious cascading effects on animal’s physiology, behavior and fitness. Yet, some species may be more adapted to cope with challenging events than others and might naturally possess protective mechanisms limiting the adverse consequences of prolonged exposure to high glucocorticoid levels. King penguin chicks being naturally exposed to harsh weather, prolonged fasting and constant predation pressure, we investigated the life-history, behavioral and physiological consequences of an experimental increase in corticosterone levels on the medium and long-term (after removing implants), predicting to find relatively few costs associated with such treatment. Although non-significant, CORT-treated chicks were slightly larger, fledged slightly earlier and had slightly higher survival chances than placebo chicks. CORT-treated chicks were significantly more aggressive and displayed lower corticosterone response to acute stress on the medium term, while their physical activity and whole-body energetics were not significantly affected. While mitochondrial density was not significantly affected by the CORT treatment, CORT-treated chicks had lower oxidative stress levels on the long-term than placebo ones, and no significant impact was observed on telomere shortening. Finally, the expression of several genes (i.e. CORT receptor, HSP90, mTOR, NRF2 and TERF2) was up regulated in treated chicks, which could potentially mediate the apparent ‘stress’ resistance we observed at the phenotypic level.