Gastebois C, Viviant M, Guinet C, . (2011). Ontogeny of aquatic behaviours in Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) pups in relation to growth performances at Kerguelen Islands
. Polar Biol., 34(7), 1097–1103.
Keywords: Biomedical and Life Sciences,
Programme: 109
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. (2012). A 40-year accumulation dataset for Adelie Land, Antarctica and its application for model validation
. 0930-7575, 38(1), 75–86.
Abstract: The GLACIOCLIM-SAMBA (GS) Antarctic accumulation monitoring network, which extends from the coast of Adelie Land to the Antarctic plateau, has been surveyed annually since 2004. The network includes a 156-km stake-line from the coast inland, along which accumulation shows high spatial and interannual variability with a mean value of 362 mm water equivalent a 1 . In this paper, this accumulation is compared with older accumulation reports from between 1971 and 1991. The mean and annual standard deviation and the km-scale spatial pattern of accumulation were seen to be very similar in the older and more recent data. The data did not reveal any significant accumulation trend over the last 40 years. The ECMWF analysis-based forecasts (ERA-40 and ERA-Interim), a stretched-grid global general circulation model (LMDZ4) and three regional circulation models (PMM5, MAR and RACMO2), all with high resolution over Antarctica (27125 km), were tested against the GS reports. They qualitatively reproduced the meso-scale spatial pattern of the annual-mean accumulation except MAR. MAR significantly underestimated mean accumulation, while LMDZ4 and RACMO2 overestimated it. ERA-40 and the regional models that use ERA-40 as lateral boundary condition qualitatively reproduced the chronology of interannual variability but underestimated the magnitude of interannual variations. Two widely used climatologies for Antarctic accumulation agreed well with the mean GS data. The model-based climatology was also able to reproduce the observed spatial pattern. These data thus provide new stringent constraints on models and other large-scale evaluations of the Antarctic accumulation.
Keywords: Earth and Environmental Science,
Programme: 411;1013
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. (2011). Capture and blood sampling do not affect foraging behaviour, breeding success and return rate of a large seabird: the black-browed albatross. Polar Biol., 34(3), 353–361.
Abstract: During the last decades, eco-physiological studies have usually relied on the collection of blood from wild organisms in order to obtain relevant physiological measures. However, accurate estimates of the impact of capture and blood collection on performances of Polar seabird species have rarely been conducted. We investigated for the first time the effects of a blood sampling process on subsequent foraging behaviour, reproductive performance and return rate of black-browed albatrosses ( Thalassarche melanophris ) at Kerguelen Islands. We did not find any evidence that the blood sampling process as conducted in our study had detrimental effects on the breeding or foraging strategies or performance of black-browed albatrosses. Because blood collection can be performed in several different ways, we recommend that eco-physiologists conduct pilot studies to test whether their blood sampling process affects the performances of their study species.
Keywords: Biomedical and Life Sciences,
Programme: 109
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Lalouette L, Williams C, Cottin M, Sinclair B, Renault D, . (2011). Thermal biology of the alien ground beetle Merizodus soledadinus introduced to the Kerguelen Islands
. Polar Biology, , 1–9.
Keywords: Biomedical and Life Sciences,
Programme: 136
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. (2011). Adverse foraging conditions may impact body mass and survival of a high Arctic seabird
. Oecologia, 167(1), 49–59.
Abstract: Tradeoffs between current reproduction and future survival are widely recognized, but may only occur when food is limited: when foraging conditions are favorable, parents may be able to reproduce without compromising their own survival. We investigated these tradeoffs in the little auk ( Alle alle ), a small seabird with a single-egg clutch. During 20052007, we examined the relationship between body mass and survival of birds breeding under contrasting foraging conditions at two Arctic colonies. We used corticosterone levels of breeding adults as a physiological indicator of the foraging conditions they encountered during each reproductive season. We found that when foraging conditions were relatively poor (as reflected in elevated levels of corticosterone), parents ended the reproductive season with low body mass and suffered increased post-breeding mortality. A positive relationship between body mass and post-breeding survival was found in one study year; light birds incurred higher survival costs than heavy birds. The results of this study suggest that reproducing under poor foraging conditions may affect the post-breeding survival of long-lived little auks. They also have important demographic implications because even a small change in adult survival may have a large effect on populations of long-lived species.
Keywords: Biomedical and Life Sciences,
Programme: 388
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Mosbech Anders, Johansen Kasper, Bech Nikolaj, Lyngs Peter, Harding Ann, Egevang Carsten, Phillips Richard, Fort Jerome, . (2012). Inter-breeding movements of little auks Alle alle reveal a key post-breeding staging area in the Greenland Sea
. Polar Biol., 35(2), 305–311.
Abstract: Seabirds are important components in marine ecosystems. However, knowledge of their ecology and spatial distribution during the non-breeding season is poor. More investigations during this critical period are required urgently, as marine environments are expected to be profoundly affected by climate change and human activities, with both direct and indirect consequences for marine top predators. Here, we studied the distribution of little auks ( Alle alle ), one of the most abundant seabird species worldwide. We found that after the breeding season, birds from East Greenland quickly travelled north-east to stay for several weeks within a restricted area in the Greenland Sea. Activity patterns indicated that flying behaviour was much reduced during this period, suggesting that this is the primary moulting region for little auks. Birds then performed a southerly migration to overwinter off Newfoundland. These preliminary results provide important information for the conservation of this species and emphasise the need for further studies at a larger spatial scale.
Keywords: Biomedical and Life Sciences,
Programme: 388
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. (2011). An individual and a sex odor signature in kittiwakes? Study of the semiochemical composition of preen secretion and preen down feathers
. Naturwissenschaften, 98(7), 615–624.
Abstract: The importance of olfaction in birds social behavior has long been denied. Avian chemical signaling has thus been relatively unexplored. The black-legged kittiwake provides a particularly appropriate model for investigating this topic. Kittiwakes preferentially mate with genetically dissimilar individuals, but the cues used to assess genetic characteristics remain unknown. As in other vertebrates, their body odors may carry individual and sexual signatures thus potentially reliably signaling individual genetic makeup. Here, we test whether body odors in preen gland secretion and preen down feathers in kittiwakes may provide a sex and an individual signature. Using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, we found that male and female odors differ quantitatively, suggesting that scent may be one of the multiple cues used by birds to discriminate between sexes. We further detected an individual signature in the volatile and nonvolatile fractions of preen secretion and preen down feathers. These results suggest that kittiwake body odor may function as a signal associated with mate recognition. It further suggests that preen odor might broadcast the genetic makeup of individuals, and could be used in mate choice to assess the genetic compatibility of potential mates.
Keywords: Biomedical and Life Sciences,
Programme: 1162
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. (2011). Integument coloration signals reproductive success, heterozygosity, and antioxidant levels in chick-rearing black-legged kittiwakes
. Naturwissenschaften, 98(9), 773–782.
Abstract: Carotenoid pigments are important for immunity and as antioxidants, and carotenoid-based colors are believed to provide honest signals of individual quality. Other colorless but more efficient antioxidants such as vitamins A and E may protect carotenoids from bleaching. Carotenoid-based colors have thus recently been suggested to reflect the concentration of such colorless antioxidants, but this has rarely been tested. Furthermore, although evidence is accruing for multiple genetic criteria for mate choice, carotenoid-based colors have rarely been shown to reflect both phenotypic and genetic quality. In this study, we investigated whether gape, tongue, eye-ring, and bill coloration of chick-rearing black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla reflected circulating levels of carotenoids and vitamins A and E. We further investigated whether integument coloration reflected phenotypic (body condition and fledging success) and genetic quality (heterozygosity). We found that the coloration of fleshy integuments was correlated with carotenoid and vitamin A levels and fledging success but only in males. Furthermore, the coloration of tongue and eye-ring was correlated with heterozygosity in both males and females. Integument colors might therefore be reliable signals of individual quality used by birds to adjust their parental care during the chick-rearing period.
Keywords: Biomedical and Life Sciences,
Programme: 1162
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Robin Marc, Chapuis Jean-Louis, Lebouvier Marc, . (2011). Remote sensing of vegetation cover change in islands of the Kerguelen archipelago
. 0722-4060, 34(11), 1689–1700.
Abstract: The plant communities in the Iles Kerguelen (South Indian Ocean) have been extensively modified by human activities, particularly through the deliberate release of rabbits, and the intentional or accidental introduction of several plant species. During the 1990 and 2000s, a decrease in precipitation resulted in a drastic reduction of some native plant species and in the increase in alien taxa. To monitor at a wide spatial scale the rapid changes of vegetation cover induced by summer droughts, we developed a method combining field data and satellite image analysis. A long-term field monitoring of plant communities was initiated on five small islands in 1992, and annually continued for over 15 years on a total of 161 line transects. Among these islands, the rabbitwhich was the only introduced herbivorewas eradicated on three, remained on one control island, and had never been present on a second control island. We computed a linear model to link remote sensored vegetation indexes to plant cover deduced from line transects in numerous habitat types. After testing 14 vegetation indexes, we used a model based on the normalized difference vegetation index to precisely map the vegetation cover at several dates. A map of differences and spatial statistics indicated that vegetation cover, as a whole, decreased over the 15-year period. This study provides a reliable tool for long-term monitoring of the dynamics of plant cover in relation to climate change on the Iles Kerguelen.
Keywords: Biomedical and Life Sciences,
Programme: 136
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Bokhorst Stef, Huiskes Ad, Convey Peter, Sinclair Brent, Lebouvier Marc, Van de Vijver Bart, Wall Diana, . (2011). Microclimate impacts of passive warming methods in Antarctica: implications for climate change studies
. 0722-4060, 34(10), 1421–1435.
Keywords: Biomedical and Life Sciences,
Programme: 136
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