Breeding Frequency in the Albatrosses Diomedea melanophris and D. chrysostoma

Tickell, W. L. N.; Pinder, R.

doi:10.1038/213315b0

Cited by 27 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…D. melanophris has an appreciably lower wing loading, suggesting that, as with the sympatrically breeding Oceanodroma leucorhoa and O. homochroa, the data may reflect differences in ecology. The sympatrically breeding South Atlantic populations of these 2 albatrosses appear to have rather different wintering areas (Tickell 1967). The food they bring for their chicks also shows significant differences, but with much overlap (Tickell 1964); and D. chrysostoma, if breeding successfully, does so biennially (Tickell & Pinder 1975).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wing loadings, wing shapes, and flight capabilities of procellariiformes

Warham

1977

New Zealand Journal of Zoology

130

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Among 48 procellariiform species wing loading increases with increasing body weight. Mean total wing area varies allometrically with mean body weight: log 10 wing area (cm 2 )=20.42 log 10 body weight (g)0.588. The power exponent is significantly less than the 0.666 value expected from the law of similitude. Pelecanoides, with wings highly modified for diving, is an exception to the above trend. With increasing size the petrel wing becomes longer and narrower, aspect ratios increasing from about 6.5 in small storm petrels to about 15.6 in the giant albatrosses. Elongation is accompanied by changes in the proportions of the arm bones; the terminal segment, composed of the manus and primary feathers, becomes proportionately smaller and the inner segments, supported by the humerus and radio-ulna, proportionately larger with increasing body size. Some ecological correlates of interspecific differences in wing loadings and shapes are discussed. INTRODUCTIONThis paper presents data on variations in wing loadings, wing spans, and wing shapes with body size, as measured by body weight. Such information is necessary to understand and compare modes of flight, flight capabilities, feeding techniques, and other aspects of petrel ecology. It is hoped also that the data may be useful to those wishing to calculate other flight parameters like span loading and lift coefficients.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wing loadings, wing shapes, and flight capabilities of procellariiformes

Warham

1977

New Zealand Journal of Zoology

130

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“…Mollymawks are known to feed on jellyfish (Cnidaria), on comb jellies (Ctenophora), and particularly on tunicates such as salps (Tickell 1964, Cherel & Klages 1998, James & Stahl 2000. Such organisms often constitute a major component of the Southern Ocean macroplankton/ nekton community, and occur at the sea surface in very large numbers in the areas frequented by our instrumented birds (Pagès et al 1996).…”

Section: Water or Prey With Water-like Signatures?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Foraging strategies of grey-headed albatrosses Thalassarche chrysostoma: integration of movements, activity and feeding events

Catry¹,

Phillips²,

Phalan³

et al. 2004

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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We identified a range of foraging strategies adopted by grey-headed albatrosses Thalassarche chrysostoma rearing chicks at Bird Island, South Georgia, by simultaneously using satellite telemetry, wet/dry activity recorders and stomach temperature loggers. The albatrosses foraged mostly over oceanic waters, probably associated with the Polar Front north of South Georgia, and also over shelf-slope waters around the Antarctic Peninsula. After leaving the colony, birds commuted to areas with predictable prey concentrations, where they remained for several days. During search periods, birds landed more often and had a higher intake rate, but spent the same proportion of time in flight as on commuting days. Although intake rates were particularly high in shelf-break waters around the Antarctic Peninsula (only one individual foraged in this area), prey were also consumed in reasonable quantities during commuting flights. While at sea, birds spent most (81%) of the day flying, and most (94%) of the night resting on the water. A considerable proportion (26% by mass) of prey was consumed during darkness. The majority of prey were detected and captured during search flights, but 35% were located while sitting on the sea surface. Many ingestion events (up to 27% of the overall food intake) showed temperature signatures characteristic of fluids, suggesting that albatrosses may feed on gelatinous and rapidly digested prey (e.g. salps and jellyfish) much more often than previously suspected. Diet samples delivered to the chicks comprised mostly squid (particularly Martialia hyadesi) and Antarctic krill Euphausia superba.

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“…A good example is the wandering albatross, Diomedea exulans, the largest seabird and one of the best-studied biennial breeders (Tickell 1968;. Another species, the grey-headed albatross, Thalassarche chrysostoma, has some pairs that breed biennially, while others breed annually (Tickell & Pinder 1967). Finally, there are about eight species in which most pairs breed every year.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why breed every other year? The case of albatrosses

Jouventin

Dobson

2002

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

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Albatrosses exhibit extremely low reproductive rates, each pair brooding only one egg and subsequent chick at a time. Furthermore, in several of the species, the majority of successful pairs breed only once every second year (termed 'biennial' breeding). Thus, on average, these latter species have an annual fecundity of about half an offspring per year, while other albatrosses produce an egg and chick every year. Using our 40-year bank of demographic data, we compared 12 species of albatrosses according to these two breeding strategies to examine potential causes of biennial breeding. Biennial breeding could be due to physiological constraints, larger animals breeding more slowly, or ecological constraints, more distant pelagic feeding trips being energetically costly, or both. We tested these hypotheses by looking for predicted associations between the duration of the rearing period, the distance to the oceanic feeding zone and breeding frequency. We also looked for associations of these variables with other life-history traits. Body size had a strong in uence on the duration of the rearing period, but not on the distance that birds travelled to the feeding zone. Both the duration of the rearing period and distance to the feeding zone appeared to have direct in uences on breeding frequency, as revealed by a path analysis, and thus both hypotheses to explain biennial breeding were supported. Finally, breeding frequency exhibited a strong trade-off with adult survival and age at maturity, indicating that slower breeders live through more breeding seasons, perhaps mitigating their lower annual reproductive output.

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Breeding Frequency in the Albatrosses Diomedea melanophris and D. chrysostoma

Cited by 27 publications

References 5 publications

Wing loadings, wing shapes, and flight capabilities of procellariiformes

Wing loadings, wing shapes, and flight capabilities of procellariiformes

Foraging strategies of grey-headed albatrosses Thalassarche chrysostoma: integration of movements, activity and feeding events

Why breed every other year? The case of albatrosses

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