Size matters: variation in the diet of chick and adult crested terns

McLeay, L. J.; Page, Brad; Goldsworthy, Simon; Ward, Tim M.; Paton, David C.

doi:10.1007/s00227-009-1211-4

Cited by 35 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…adults should be more selective regarding chick food than food for themselves). Thus, the allocation of food between the parents and the chicks could take the form of optimal sharing, with the threshold being determined by the relative needs of the parents and their chick(s) (Wilson et al 2004;Sonntag and Hüppop 2005;McLeay et al 2009). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal foraging in chick-raising Common Guillemots (Uria aalge)

2010

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The Norwegian population of the Common Guillemot Uria aalge has declined by [95% since the 1960s, and is classified as critically endangered in the Norwegian Red List. Much of the recent decline has been attributed to reduced food availability, but without extensive documentation of adult diet. Instead, chick diet has been considered a proxy of adult diet during the breeding season in many Norwegian studies. However, central-place foraging theory, especially for single-prey loaders, predicts that this may not be so, and this study directly compares the diet of adult and chick Common Guillemots during the breeding season at a colony in NE Norway. Whereas chicks were fed mainly capelin (Mallotus villosus) and sandeels (Ammodytes sp.), most of the adult diet consisted of the two youngest year classes of Gadidae, probably cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus). A successful ecosystem management of seabirds is dependent on a full understanding of how prey quality, abundance and availability influence seabird populations and their viability, such that knowing the true diet of adult Common Guillemots has important implications in the modelling and management of the Norwegian populations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal foraging in chick-raising Common Guillemots (Uria aalge)

2010

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“…A move towards an ecosystem-based management system for marine resources requires information about the distribution and abundance of apex predators that is spatially explicit. Sardine form the target of Australia's largest volume purse-seine fishery, the South Australian Sardine Fishery, and are a major component of the diet of crested terns (Ward et al 2001, Dimmlich et al 2004, McLeay et al 2009a. Data on the foraging ecology of crested terns may help to identify areas near colonies where resource competition from fishing is most likely to occur.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The small pelagic fish assemblage in offshore waters NE to SW of the colony is characterised by the presence of surface-schooling clupeid fishes such as sardine and anchovy Engraulis australis (Rogers et al 2008). These species are commonly found in the diet of chick and adult crested terns from Troubridge Island and may have been targeted by adults foraging in these areas (McLeay et al 2009a). Conversely, the large quantities of Degens leatherjacket Thamnoconus degeni, garfish Hyporhamphus melanochir and blue sprat Spratelloides robustus, which are also commonly found in crested tern diets, may reflect foraging behaviour over shallower inshore habitats between the SW and NE of the colony (Gomon et al 1994, McLeay et al 2009a).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…These biophysical characteristics are likely to reflect the distribution and abundance of their prey. Crested tern chicks may be particularly dependent on small clupeiform fishes (McLeay et al 2009a). These fish form a key link in pelagic marine food webs and their distribution and abundance has been correlated with temperature and enhanced levels of primary production (chl a) in ecosystems worldwide (Martín et al 2008, Tsagarakis et al 2008.…”

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Foraging behaviour and habitat use of a short-ranging seabird, the crested tern

McLeay¹,

Page²,

Goldsworthy³

et al. 2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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We used satellite tracking technology on the crested tern Sterna bergii, a seabird weighing < 400 g. GPS units weighing < 22 g were deployed on adult terns brooding young chicks. Individuals typically commuted to foraging grounds < 40 km from the colony where their travel speeds slowed to ≤10 km h -1 , presumably as prey encounter rates increased. Individuals undertook trips up to 4 h 17 min in length and 118 km in distance, and trip duration was positively correlated with the maximum distance and total distance traveled. Foraging behaviour, examined in relation to habitat characteristics (benthic habitat type, depth, sea surface temperature [SST], chlorophyll a [chl a]), was typically associated with warm (19 to 21°C), shallow (< 20 m depth) waters that were relatively high in chl a (> 0.5 mg m -3). The most well-supported model (generalised linear mixed model) of foraging behaviour indicated a positive relationship between time spent at sea, distance travelled and chl a, suggesting individuals spent relatively more time foraging at greater distances from the colony in zones of higher primary production. The timing and location of crested tern breeding may be linked to the 2-fold increase in primary production near Troubridge Island over the austral summer. Individual differences in the length (distance and duration) of foraging trips may reflect either prior knowledge of where prey aggregations exist, distinctions in individual niche use driven by the types or sizes of prey available, and/or alternate behavioural states (self feeding and provisioning). The restricted foraging range of crested terns while breeding may make them sensitive to competition with fisheries that operate within their foraging range. KEY WORDS: Bio-logging · Foraging ecology · Seabird · GPS · Habitat partitioning · Sterna bergii Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 411: [271][272][273][274][275][276][277][278][279][280][281][282][283] 2010 The linkage between habitat use and the foraging behaviour of large seabirds (> 400 g) has received particular attention in recent years due to the development of animal-borne telemetry devices and remote sensing techniques (Guinet et al. 1997, Suryan et al. 2006, Pinaud & Weimerskirch 2007. These studies have indicated that seabird foraging responses vary between species and populations due to local biophysical conditions that enhance productivity and prey availability. Foraging behaviour also differs between individuals as a product of foraging-site fidelity and breeding phenology. Individuals that best modify their foraging behaviour in response to existing prey conditions may be conferred a selective advantage through increased breeding success (Lea et al. 2002). Consequently, the foraging behaviour of individuals may vary within one general 'mode' of behaviour. Characterising the different foraging tactics exhibited by conspecifics may provide insights into the factors that shape the evolution of foraging behaviour and life h...

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“…During fledging, adult foraging patterns change (Young et al, 2010), but changes in prey abundance might also be in effect (Catry et al, 2009). Mcleay et al (2009) found that Crested Tern chicks were fed with smaller prey items than normally consumed by the adults, and Morrissey et al (2010) found that female passerines utilised higher trophic level food prior to egglaying. The significant differences in organochlorine content (Table 1 and Figs.…”

Section: Organochlorinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

First report of chlorinated and brominated hydrocarbon pollutants in marine bird eggs from an oceanic Indian Ocean island

Bouwman

Kylin

Yive

et al. 2012

Environmental Research

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Highlights• The first POPs data in marine bird eggs from an oceanic Indian Ocean island • We sampled Sooty Tern and Common Noddy eggs • POPs levels were very low, but Sooty Tern eggs overall had higher levels • Very low levels of PBDEs were quantified • Rodrigues is an excellent site to monitor changes in background POP levels ABSTRACTWe report for the first time levels of persistent organic pollutants in marine bird eggs from an oceanic island in the Indian Ocean, the world's third largest ocean. Ten eggs each of the Common Noddy, also known as the Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus), and Sooty Tern (Sterna fuscata) were collected from Ile Cocos off the coast of the island of Rodrigues, located 560 km east of the island of Mauritius. ΣPCBs had the highest levels (2.2 and 2.6 ng/g wm, wet mass; 20 and 19 ng/g lm, lipid mass) for common Noddy and Sooty Tern, respectively (and following), then ΣDDT (1.9 and 3.1 ng/g wm; 17 and 23 ng/g lm), and mirex (0.96 and 0.69 ng/g wm; 8.7 and 5.0 ng/g lm). ΣChlordanes (0.094 and 0.15 ng/g wm; 0.48 and 0.73 ng/g lm) and Σtoxaphenes (0.26 and 0.61 ng/g wm; 2.4 and 5.9 ng/g lm) are rare data for these compounds from this ocean. Brominated flame retardants were low (0.08 and 0.07 ng/g wm; 0.7 and 0.7 ng/g lm). Multivariate analyses indicated different contamination patterns in the prey items as Sooty Terns had significantly higher levels of mean Σchlordanes and Σtoxaphenes, as well as CB105, -108 and -157. p,p'-DDE had an association with thinner eggshells in the Sooty Tern. Although the contaminant levels were in all respects low, industrialisation, development on the periphery, commercial exploitation of the marine environment, and pollutants transferred over long distances by marine debris is likely to add to chemical pressure in this region. Monitoring changes in background levels of pollutants in remote regions will indicate such trends, and marine bird eggs from Rodrigues would be an excellent site.

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Size matters: variation in the diet of chick and adult crested terns

Cited by 35 publications

References 34 publications

Optimal foraging in chick-raising Common Guillemots (Uria aalge)

Optimal foraging in chick-raising Common Guillemots (Uria aalge)

Foraging behaviour and habitat use of a short-ranging seabird, the crested tern

First report of chlorinated and brominated hydrocarbon pollutants in marine bird eggs from an oceanic Indian Ocean island

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