P. E. Michael, R. Thomson, C. Barbraud, K. Delord, S. De Grissac, A. J. Hobday, P. G. Strutton, G. N. Tuck, H. Weimerskirch, C. Wilcox. (2017). Illegal fishing bycatch overshadows climate as a driver of albatross population decline (Vol. 579).
Abstract: Effective management of albatross populations requires understanding the impacts of environmental factors on albatross demographics. An integrated modelling approach incorporating multiple data sources can further the understanding of albatross demographics by incorporating error from all components of modeling, and help distinguish between variability related to one factor (e.g. environment) from that of another factor (e.g. density dependence). We applied such an integrated, spatially-explicit population model to quantify the impact of environmental conditions (sea surface temperature, SST), fisheries, and density dependence on a black-browed albatross Thalassarche melanophris population breeding on Kerguelen Island, southern Indian Ocean for the period 1950 to 2011. The model was structured by sex, age-class, and breeding stage, with a 5° × 5° spatial scale and monthly temporal scale. All parameters were estimated within a maximum likelihood framework. This includes estimation of seabird bycatch rates of each of 5 fishing super-fleets, grouped by gear type and reported bycatch rates: (1) Japanese pelagic longline, (2) other pelagic longline, (3) legal demersal longline, (4) trawl, and (5) illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) demersal longline. A decline in the Kerguelen black-browed albatross population occurred between the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s. Our analysis attributes the majority of modelled bycatch to the IUU demersal longline super-fleet operating near Kerguelen Island for this period. Including SST during the incubation period indicated that warm SST favors high breeding success. These results indicate that effective management requires an integrated understanding of the impacts of the environment as well as illegal and legal fishing activities on vulnerable populations.
Keywords: and unregulated (IUU) fishing Black-browed albatross Demographics Illegal Integrated population model Kerguelen Island Thalassarche melanophris unreported
Programme: 109
|
Elodie C. M. Camprasse, Yves Cherel, Paco Bustamante, John P. Y. Arnould, Charles-André Bost. (2017). Intra- and inter-individual variation in the foraging ecology of a generalist subantarctic seabird, the gentoo penguin (Vol. 578).
Abstract: Individual specialisations have been suggested to improve foraging efficiency by optimising individual capacity (physiological and behavioural) and reducing intra-specific competition in exploiting prey resources. In this study, we investigated the inter- and intra-individual variation in behaviour in an opportunistic forager, the gentoo penguin Pygoscelis papua, at Kerguelen Island, southern Indian Ocean. We used complementary bio-logging and stable isotope analyses, coupled with morphometric measurements, to: (1) determine the inter-individual variation in morphology and foraging behaviour; (2) quantify intra-individual variation in foraging behaviour; (3) investigate the links between consistency in foraging, distances travelled and body condition; and (4) determine if dietary specialisations exist and are maintained outside the breeding season. We show that this species exhibits a large inter-individual variation in foraging behaviour, with some individuals conducting very short trips close to the colony while others travelled considerably farther. Heavier individuals tended to forage in more distant locations, dive deeper and perform more benthic dives. Individual specialisation in behaviour was low to moderate at the population level, yet some individuals were very consistent. The rate of travel was not influenced by consistency, and there was a lack of correlation between body condition and foraging consistency. High inter-individual variation in feeding ecology and dietary specialisations outside of a single breeding season were observed, consistent with gentoo penguins being Type ‘B’ generalists (i.e. generalist populations composed of individuals each consuming a different range of foods).
Keywords: Behavioural consistency Diving behaviour Feeding ecology Foraging behaviour Individual specialisations Pygoscelis papua Stable isotopes
Programme: 394
|
Maria I. Bogdanova, Adam Butler, Sarah Wanless, Børge Moe, Tycho Anker-Nilssen, Morten Frederiksen, Thierry Boulinier, Lorraine S. Chivers, Signe Christensen-Dalsgaard, Sébastien Descamps, Michael P. Harris, Mark Newell, Bergur Olsen, Richard A. Phillips, Deryk Shaw, Harald Steen, Hallvard Strøm, Thorkell L. Thórarinsson, Francis Daunt. (2017). Multi-colony tracking reveals spatio-temporal variation in carry-over effects between breeding success and winter movements in a pelagic seabird (Vol. 578).
Abstract: Carry-over effects, whereby events in one season have consequences in subsequent seasons, have important demographic implications. Although most studies examine carry-over effects across 2 seasons in single populations, the effects may persist beyond the following season and vary across a species’ range. To assess potential carry-over effects across the annual cycle and among populations, we deployed geolocation loggers on black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla at 10 colonies in the north-east Atlantic and examined relationships between the timing and destination of migratory movements and breeding success in the year of deployment and subsequent season. Both successful and unsuccessful breeders wintered primarily in the north-west Atlantic. Breeding success affected the timing of migration, whereby unsuccessful breeders departed the colony earlier, arrived at the post-breeding and main wintering areas sooner, and departed later the following spring. However, these patterns were only apparent in colonies in the south-west of the study region. Furthermore, the effect of breeding success was stronger on migration timing in the first part of the winter than later. Timing of migratory movements was weakly linked to subsequent breeding success, and there was no detectable association between breeding success in the 2 seasons. Our results indicate temporal structure and spatial heterogeneity in the strength of seasonal interactions among kittiwakes breeding in the north-east Atlantic. Variable fitness consequences for individuals from different colonies could have important implications for population processes across the species’ range and suggest that the spatio-temporal dynamics of carry-over effects warrant further study.
Keywords: Black-legged kittiwake Geolocation Life-history strategies Migration North Atlantic Reproduction Rissa tridactyla Seasonal interactions
Programme: 333
|
Silvia De Cesare, Tarik Meziane, Laurent Chauvaud, Joëlle Richard, Mikael K. Sejr, Julien Thébault, Gesche Winkler, Frédéric Olivier. (2017). Dietary plasticity in the bivalve Astarte moerchi revealed by a multimarker study in two Arctic fjords (Vol. 567).
Abstract: Arctic coastal ecosystems are likely to be strongly affected by predicted environmental changes such as sea-ice decline and increase in freshwater input and turbidity. These changes are expected to impact primary production dynamics and consequently benthic consumers. The trophic relationship between primary producers and benthic primary consumers were compared in 2 Arctic fjords with different seasonal ice-cover: Young Sound (NE Greenland, a high-Arctic fjord) and Kongsfjorden (Svalbard Archipelago, a sub-Arctic fjord). For comparison, we selected the filter-feeding bivalve Astarte moerchi (belonging to the complex A. borealis), which has a broad geographical distribution in the Arctic. The bivalve digestive glands and food sources were characterized with fatty acids (FAs), bulk stable isotopes, and compound-specific stable isotopes of individual FAs. Our results suggest that diatoms of pelagic and/or benthic origin are the main contributors to the A. moerchi diet in Young Sound and make up a less important fraction of the diet in the Kongsfjorden population. A contribution by sympagic diatoms is clearly excluded in the sub-Arctic fjord and needs to be further assessed in the Arctic fjord. The A. moerchi diet in sub-Arctic Kongsfjorden is more diversified, varies with season, and has contributions from dinoflagellates and macroalgal detritus. These results, together with higher concentrations of total FAs in the Young Sound population, demonstrated and characterized the trophic plasticity of this bivalve species. Based on these results, we discuss potential effects of environmental factors (shifts in trophic resources, increase in turbidity) for A. moerchi populations in changing Arctic ecosystems.
Keywords: Arctic benthos Climate change Compound-specific carbon stable isotopes Fatty acids Filter-feeding bivalves Pelagic-benthic coupling Trophic markers
Programme: 1092
|
Yves Cherel, José C. Xavier, Sophie de Grissac, Colette Trouvé, Henri Weimerskirch. (2017). Feeding ecology, isotopic niche, and ingestion of fishery-related items of the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans at Kerguelen and Crozet Islands (Vol. 565).
Abstract: Feeding ecology and isotopic niche of the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans were investigated in the poorly studied population on the Kerguelen Islands and compared to that on the Crozet Islands. Fish (48% by mass) and cephalopods (46%) were similarly important in chick food at Kerguelen, while cephalopods (87%) dominated the diet at Crozet. Fish prey included mainly deep-sea species, with the Patagonian toothfish Dissostichus eleginoides being the main item. Cephalopod beaks were identified, most of which were from adult oceanic squids. Albatrosses preyed upon the same taxa at both localities, but in different proportions. Histioteuthis atlantica (30% by number), Galiteuthis glacialis (13%), and Kondakovia longimana (10%) were the main squid prey at Kerguelen, while K. longimana (35%) and H. eltaninae (23%) dominated at Crozet. Chick feather δ15N values were higher in wandering albatrosses than in other oceanic seabirds of the 2 communities, indicating that the wandering albatross is an apex consumer together with the sperm whale and sleeper shark that have similar δ15N values. Satellite-tracked wandering albatrosses foraged in local subantarctic waters and farther north, with some Crozet birds overlapping with those from the Kerguelen population in western Kerguelen waters. Anthropogenic items (e.g. plastic fragments, hooks) were found in half the food samples. All fishery-related items were from the local toothfish fishery. The high number of hooks from Crozet indicated the presence of a fairly large number of illegal longliners in the area during the Austral winter 1998. A review of the feeding habits of Diomedea spp. highlights the need for more dietary investigations to achieve effective conservation and management of this endangered group of charismatic seabirds.
Keywords: Cephalopod Diet Hook Satellite tracking Seabird Southern Ocean Stable isotopes
Programme: 109
|
Yves Cherel, José C. Xavier, Sophie de Grissac, Colette Trouvé, Henri Weimerskirch. (2017). Feeding ecology, isotopic niche, and ingestion of fishery-related items of the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans at Kerguelen and Crozet Islands (Vol. 565).
Abstract: Feeding ecology and isotopic niche of the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans were investigated in the poorly studied population on the Kerguelen Islands and compared to that on the Crozet Islands. Fish (48% by mass) and cephalopods (46%) were similarly important in chick food at Kerguelen, while cephalopods (87%) dominated the diet at Crozet. Fish prey included mainly deep-sea species, with the Patagonian toothfish Dissostichus eleginoides being the main item. Cephalopod beaks were identified, most of which were from adult oceanic squids. Albatrosses preyed upon the same taxa at both localities, but in different proportions. Histioteuthis atlantica (30% by number), Galiteuthis glacialis (13%), and Kondakovia longimana (10%) were the main squid prey at Kerguelen, while K. longimana (35%) and H. eltaninae (23%) dominated at Crozet. Chick feather δ15N values were higher in wandering albatrosses than in other oceanic seabirds of the 2 communities, indicating that the wandering albatross is an apex consumer together with the sperm whale and sleeper shark that have similar δ15N values. Satellite-tracked wandering albatrosses foraged in local subantarctic waters and farther north, with some Crozet birds overlapping with those from the Kerguelen population in western Kerguelen waters. Anthropogenic items (e.g. plastic fragments, hooks) were found in half the food samples. All fishery-related items were from the local toothfish fishery. The high number of hooks from Crozet indicated the presence of a fairly large number of illegal longliners in the area during the Austral winter 1998. A review of the feeding habits of Diomedea spp. highlights the need for more dietary investigations to achieve effective conservation and management of this endangered group of charismatic seabirds.
Keywords: Cephalopod Diet Hook Satellite tracking Seabird Southern Ocean Stable isotopes
Programme: 109
|
Vacquié-Garcia Jade, Guinet Christophe, Dragon Anne-Cécile, Viviant Morgane, El Ksabi Nory, Bailleul Frédéric. (2015). Predicting prey capture rates of southern elephant seals from track and dive parameters. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 541, 265–277.
Abstract: In the marine environment, track and dive parameter data (obtained using Argos or GPS tags and timedepth recorders) are commonly used to provide proxies for foraging behaviour of marine predators. However, their accuracy is rarely assessed. Recently, the addition of head-mounted accelerometers has allowed for detection of prey capture attempts (PCAs) at sea, allowing for more accurate estimations of foraging behaviour. Despite increased numbers of such devices being deployed, their use is still marginal compared with other tools which measure track and dive parameters. The objectives of our study were (1) to identify the most relevant combination of tracking and diving metrics in predicting the frequency of PCAs in female southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina from the Kerguelen Islands, and (2) to apply it to a broader range of individuals for which only tracking and diving data were available. The results of our models were consistent with the optimal foraging theory as well as the optimal diving theory. The model with the best predictive performance was the one that combined both tracking and diving information. However, most of the variability in the number of PCAs could be solely explained by changes in the diving behaviour of seals. Finally, we used the best predictive model on 20 individuals, which had not been fitted with accelerometers, to determine their main foraging zones. The behavioural indicators established in this study constitute a useful ecological tool for population monitoring and conservation purposes.
Programme: 109
|
Jade Vacquié-Garcia, Christophe Guinet, Anne-Cécile Dragon, Morgane Viviant, Nory El Ksabi, Frédéric Bailleul. (2017). Predicting prey capture rates of southern elephant seals from track and dive parameters (Vol. 541).
Abstract: In the marine environment, track and dive parameter data (obtained using Argos or GPS tags and time–depth recorders) are commonly used to provide proxies for foraging behaviour of marine predators. However, their accuracy is rarely assessed. Recently, the addition of head-mounted accelerometers has allowed for detection of prey capture attempts (PCAs) at sea, allowing for more accurate estimations of foraging behaviour. Despite increased numbers of such devices being deployed, their use is still marginal compared with other tools which measure track and dive parameters. The objectives of our study were (1) to identify the most relevant combination of tracking and diving metrics in predicting the frequency of PCAs in female southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina from the Kerguelen Islands, and (2) to apply it to a broader range of individuals for which only tracking and diving data were available. The results of our models were consistent with the optimal foraging theory as well as the optimal diving theory. The model with the best predictive performance was the one that combined both tracking and diving information. However, most of the variability in the number of PCAs could be solely explained by changes in the diving behaviour of seals. Finally, we used the best predictive model on 20 individuals, which had not been fitted with accelerometers, to determine their main foraging zones. The behavioural indicators established in this study constitute a useful ecological tool for population monitoring and conservation purposes.
Keywords: Biologging Dive parameters Foraging Marine predator Prey capture events Southern elephant seals Track parameters
Programme: 109
|
Weimerskirch H, Tarroux A, Chastel O, Delord K, Cherel Y, Descamps S, . (2015). Population-specific wintering distributions of adult south polar skuas over three oceans
. Mar Ecol Prog Ser, 538, 229–237.
|
Guerreiro M, Phillips RA, Cherel Y, Ceia FR, Alvito P, Rosa R, Xavier JC, . (2015). Habitat and trophic ecology of Southern Ocean cephalopods from stable isotope analyses
. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 530, 119–134.
|