Home | << 1 >> |
Record | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Author | Cottin Manuelle, MacIntosh Andrew J J, Kato Akiko, Takahashi Akinori, Debin Marion, Raclot Thierry, RopertCoudert Yan, | ||||
Title | Corticosterone administration leads to a transient alteration of foraging behaviour and complexity in a diving seabird | Type | Journal Article | ||
Year | 2014 | Publication | MARINE ECOLOGY-PROGRESS SERIES | Abbreviated Journal | |
Volume | 496 | Issue | Pages | 249-262 | |
Keywords | |||||
Abstract | Hormones are a link between environmental stimuli and the behavioural and/or
physiological responses of organisms. The release of corticosterone (hereafter CORT) has major effects on both energy mobilization and its allocation among the various requirements of an individual. However, specific effects of CORT on behaviours related to energy acquisition and, consequently, its allocation with regards to survival and reproduction, are complex and remain to be deciphered at a fine scale. We examined here the effects of elevated baseline CORT levels on this trade-off through a detailed study of foraging behaviour in the Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) during the chick-rearing stage. We monitored the at-sea behaviour of CORT-implanted and control male birds using time-depth recorders, and monitored the effects of CORT treatment on their body conditions, as well as their chicks’ body masses and survival. Bio-logged data were examined via both traditional measures of diving behaviour and fractal analysis as an index of behavioural complexity. At the level of the foraging trip, CORT administration led to a transient decrease in overall foraging effort (i.e. reductions in the duration of at-sea trips, the time spent diving and the number of dives performed) as well as the complexity with which treated birds foraged. In contrast, per-dive performance indices suggest an increase in both efficiency and prey pursuit rates. These contrasting results suggest the importance of assessing diving behaviour at scales encompassing both entire foraging trips, as well as individual dives. Ultimately, however, we observed no short-term effects of treatment on either adult body condition or on chick body mass and survival. We conclude that under conditions of energy constraint, as mimicked by our experimental paradigm, sequences of behaviour may become more structured and periodic as observed in CORT-treated birds. The increased dive-scale effort observed in CORT-birds could then be a strategy allowing a reduction in trip-scale effort. Indeed, the increased CORT levels may have forced treated penguins to revert to mechanisms preserving their survival by engaging in less costly foraging behaviours. This study highlights the utility of using both traditional and fractal analyses to better understand the responses of free-living animals to energetic challenges and various environmental constraints. |
||||
Programme | 1091 | ||||
Campaign | |||||
Address | |||||
Corporate Author | Thesis | ||||
Publisher | Place of Publication | Editor | |||
Language | Summary Language | Original Title | |||
Series Editor | Series Title | Abbreviated Series Title | |||
Series Volume | Series Issue | Edition | |||
ISSN | 0171-8630 | ISBN | Medium | ||
Area | Expedition | Conference | |||
Notes | Approved | yes | |||
Call Number | Serial | 4465 | |||
Permanent link to this record |