Flexibility in food resource allocation in parents and selectivity for offspring: variations in δ15N and δ13C values during breeding of the blue-footed booby

González‐Medina, Erick; Castillo-Guerrero, José Alfredo; Herzka, Sharon Z.; Fernández, Guillermo

doi:10.1007/s00227-017-3070-8

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Alternatively, the body mass differences between incubating and chickrearing females could suggest that chick-rearing females may have recovered from the investment of egg laying. In Sulids, the energetic demands of breeding may particularly affect female body condition (Velando and Alonso-Alvarez 2003;González-Medina et al 2017). Thus, foraging to meet or recover from the nutritional requirements associated with egg production and laying seems plausible.…”

Section: Sex-specific Isotopic Nichesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sex-related foraging differences in boobies may involve the use of different areas for foraging (Weimerskirch et al 2006;Stauss et al 2012), or different diving depths (Lewis et al 2002;Weimerskirch et al 2006;Zavalaga et al 2007), diets (Zavalaga et al 2007;Miller et al 2018), or trophic levels (Young et al 2010b;González-Medina et al 2017). However, contrasting results have been found within the Sulidae, making it difficult to interpret the persistence of sexual segregation in foraging among boobies (Table 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Breeding stage, not sex, affects foraging characteristics in masked boobies at Rapa Nui

Lerma¹,

Dehnhard

Luna‐Jorquera

et al. 2020

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Sexual segregation in foraging occurs in some species and populations of boobies (Sulidae), but it is not a general pattern. Sexual segregation in foraging may occur to avoid competition for food, and this competition may intensify during specific stages of breeding. We examined sexual segregation in foraging in relation to breeding stage in masked boobies Sula dactylatra at Rapa Nui by tracking simultaneously incubating and chick-rearing birds using GPS recorders (n = 18) and collected a total of 11 regurgitate samples. Stable isotope analyses (δ13C and δ15N) of whole blood samples were carried out in 20 birds. There were no differences in foraging trip parameters or diet between females and males. Both sexes traveled farther and for longer while incubating than while rearing chicks. Isotopic niches (δ13C and δ15N) overlapped to some degree among all groups at all times, but the lowest overlap between sexes occurred during incubation. While preying on ephemerally distributed flying fish, vertical or horizontal competition avoidance may be almost impossible, and thus females and males share their foraging grounds. Since birds were tracked simultaneously, shorter foraging trips of chick-rearing birds must be an effect of the constraints of provisioning the chick. Differences observed in δ15N and δ13C values between sexes may be caused by subtle differences in their foraging behaviors, or by differences in physiology linked to breeding. Our findings suggest that local oceanography and its inherent food distribution are determinants for sexual segregation in foraging patterns in masked boobies and possibly also other booby species. Significance statement In some animals, females and males forage on different areas or prey on different species to avoid competition for food resources. In boobies (Sula sp.), some studies show evidence of sexual segregation in foraging and others do not. Here, we tested if sexual segregation in foraging occurred in masked boobies on the Pacific island of Rapa Nui by studying simultaneously incubating and chick-rearing birds. We found no evidence of sexual segregation on foraging behavior or diet. We discuss that the difference between this and other studies in boobies may be an effect of the local prey availability. When the prey community is more diverse and heterogeneously distributed, each sex may access different resources and thus sexual foraging segregation will occur. In contrast, in areas like Rapa Nui where prey resources are distributed ephemerally, sexual segregation in foraging will not be useful and is thus less likely to occur.

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Section: Sex-specific Isotopic Nichesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breeding stage, not sex, affects foraging characteristics in masked boobies at Rapa Nui

Lerma¹,

Dehnhard

Luna‐Jorquera

et al. 2020

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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“…Rapid follicular growth precedes egg laying and spans a few days to a few weeks depending on the species. Another potential explanation for higher triglyceride concentrations in females than in males is the female-biased consumption of lipid-rich prey [65]; however, based on a comparison of the C and N isotopic profiles, there is no evidence of sex differences in prey consumption [39] ( figure 2). Moreover, the triglyceride concentration in female BFBOs decreases abruptly after egg laying and remains at a value similar to that in males during the rest of the breeding season [35].…”

Section: (B) Breeding Performance and Offspring Fitnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, ALP concentration provides information on the body condition and growth of offspring [37,38]. Offspring ALP concentration is related to the quality of food a chick receives from parents [39] and to the chick's body condition (chicks with higher ALP concentrations in blood plasma have superior body conditions; [38,40]). Furthermore, the δ 15 N and δ 13 C values of seabirds can be used as proxies for their diet/trophic position and foraging habitat, respectively [41].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mate selection based on labile traits affects short-term fitness in a long-lived seabird

et al. 2020

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In long-lived monogamous social species, partner compatibility can play a crucial role in reproductive success. We evaluated assortative mating based on body condition (plasma triglyceride concentration), diet (δ 15 N), and foraging habitat (δ 13 C) in the blue-footed booby Sula nebouxii, a long-lived monogamous seabird. We investigated the effects of assortative mating (sum of triglycerides in a pair) and asymmetry within pairs (residuals from regression of female-male triglycerides) on reproductive performance and offspring growth (alkaline phosphatase, ALP). We found that strong assortative mating determined by body condition and diet seemed to be related to a signalling mechanism (nutritional state). This mating pattern had a substantial effect on the breeding parameters and influenced offspring ALP. Within-pair asymmetry did not influence any reproductive parameters, but the ALP of offspring was related to the within-pair relative female condition. Overall, our results indicate that individuals seek the best possible match to maximize their breeding investment and/or individuals are limited in their mate options by their current body condition, which has consequences for offspring fitness in the short term. Our findings show that assortative mating based on body condition produces notable variation in the joint condition of the pair, which determines their breeding success.

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“…Recent studies on seabirds that used stable isotope analysis (SIA) to infer food allocation of resources among parents and their chicks, suggested flexibility or selectivity in food resource allocation to offspring (Forero et al , Raya Rey et al , Hipfner et al , González‐Medina et al ). For terrestrial versus marine food resources, marine δ 13 C shows higher enrichment than from terrestrial or freshwater habitats (Evans Ogden et al , Masero et al ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Too salty for you? Changes of diet in the laughing gull nestlings during the growing period

González‐Medina

Castillo-Guerrero

Masero

et al. 2020

Journal of Avian Biology

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In many seabird and waterbird species, salinity can impose physiological stress on recently hatched chicks because they have a limited capacity to excrete salt loads. In response, parents can select low‐salt food for their nestlings in the first stage of their growth. We determined the growth‐related variation in the diet of laughing gull Leucophaeus atricilla nestlings by using stable isotope analysis of feathers. Isotopic measurement of hatchling down reflects the mother's diet before laying eggs. At the same time, the primary feather tip indicates the food intake during the initiation of feather growth (one week of age), and the primary feather base indicates the food provided by parents during the period immediately before fledging. δ15N and δ13C values among the feather types showed a spatiotemporal shift in the nestlings’ diet. Younger chicks consumed more terrestrial prey sources (weevil beetles Sphenophorus sp.; ~51%) than chicks at fledging (~2%). However, fledging chicks and females before egg‐laying consumed mostly marine prey sources (Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei and anchovy Anchoa sp.; > 90%). The base and primary tip portions had similar δ15N values, but both sections were less enriched than the hatchling down. This change was diet‐related, as the nestlings showed a lower percentage of anchovy consumption (13.3–14.7%) compared to females before egg‐laying (30.4%). Younger chicks had a different spatial niche than fledglings and females before egg‐laying, indicating a diet shift through the chick growth period. Assuming that the availability of food in the terrestrial or marine foraging areas did not vary through the nestlings’ growth period (five weeks), our findings support food resource selectivity by parents for their offspring during the first days of life, to reduce the physiological stress caused by high salt loads.

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Flexibility in food resource allocation in parents and selectivity for offspring: variations in δ15N and δ13C values during breeding of the blue-footed booby

Cited by 10 publications

References 55 publications

Breeding stage, not sex, affects foraging characteristics in masked boobies at Rapa Nui

Breeding stage, not sex, affects foraging characteristics in masked boobies at Rapa Nui

Mate selection based on labile traits affects short-term fitness in a long-lived seabird

Too salty for you? Changes of diet in the laughing gull nestlings during the growing period

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