Stable isotope values delineate the non-breeding distributions of sooty shearwaters Puffinus griseus in the North Pacific Ocean

Thompson, David R.; Torres, Leigh G.; Taylor, Graeme A.; Rayner, Matt J.; Sagar, Paul M.; Shaffer, Scott A.; Phillips, Richard A.; Bury, Sarah J.

doi:10.3354/meps11128

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…5). Remark-ably, feather δ 13 C and δ 15 N values of SPS that molted in the Mozambique Channel and off eastern Japan were similar to the feather isotopic values recorded for winter-breeding sooty terns from Europa Island (chick values: −16.6 ± 0.2 and 13.7 ± 0.3 ‰, respectively), and from sooty shearwaters wintering off Japan (adult values: −18.2 ± 0.6 and 12.3 ± 0.8 ‰), respectively (Cherel et al 2008, Thompson et al 2015. The isotopic similarity can result from 2 nonexclusive explanations: SPS either feed on the same prey as do terns and shearwaters, or they kleptoparasitize these other seabirds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Population-specific wintering distributions of adult south polar skuas over three oceans

Weimerskirch¹,

Tarroux²,

Chastel³

et al. 2015

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Migratory routes and the areas used during winter have probably been selected to maximize fitness by providing favorable environmental conditions outside the breeding season. In polar environments, because of the extreme winter weather, most breeding species migrate to encounter better conditions in areas that can differ between and also within species. Using geolocation sensors, we found that south polar skuas Catharacta maccormicki from 2 distant populations breeding on the Antarctic continent along the Atlantic and Indian Oceans migrate northward to winter in tropical Indian Ocean and in temperate North Pacific waters, respectively. Most individuals from each population winter in different environmental conditions, with water temperatures ranging from 16 to 29°C. Nevertheless, they have very similar activity patterns, spending more than 80% of their time on the water, and their feather δ 15 N values suggest that they probably feed at similar trophic levels during the molt. During overwintering, the overall and constant low activity level may be partly imposed by molting constraints, but it also suggests that trophic conditions are good for skuas. The wintering areas of the species correspond to sectors of high concentrations of breeding or wintering tropical, Northern, and Southern Hemisphere seabird species that are likely to be kleptoparasitized by skuas. A certain degree of individual variation exists within each population, which induces a spatial overlap in the wintering grounds of distant breeding populations. These results have potential important consequences in terms of fitness, genetic divergence, and susceptibility to climate change and marine pollution.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Population-specific wintering distributions of adult south polar skuas over three oceans

Weimerskirch¹,

Tarroux²,

Chastel³

et al. 2015

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…"Bulk" (whole) tissue δ 13 C and δ 15 N values reflect a composite view of all assimilated organic compounds (e.g., protein amino acids). Many marine studies of cryptic consumers have examined bulk tissue to infer diet composition and/or trophic interactions (Ruiz-Cooley and Gerrodette, 2012;Allen et al, 2013;Thompson et al, 2015), including isotopic niche space-a multi-dimension measure of all interactions between a consumer and its habitat and prey (Elton, 1927;Hutchinson, 1957;Bearhop et al, 2004;Newsome et al, 2007;Yeakel et al, 2016). However, the interpretation of bulk analysis results is constrained by an inability to discern trophic vs. baseline influences on δ 13 C and δ 15 N values of consumer tissues (Hussey et al, 2014;Bowes and Thorp, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opportunism on the High Seas: Foraging Ecology of Olive Ridley Turtles in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

et al. 2017

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“…P1 and P5) differed between Great and Sooty Shearwaters, suggesting that these species moult in different locations or consume different prey types during early moult. Although we acknowledge the potential for region-specific baseline shifts in isotopic ratios across time and we cannot preclude that both species feed on different prey in the same region, tracking studies have identified divergent stable isotope ratios from different moulting locations of seabirds (Ramos et al 2009a, Hedd et al 2012, Thompson et al 2015, Cherel et al 2016. In support of this, migration chronology appears to differ between these two species, where tagged Great Shearwaters used the Patagonia shelf (Southern Hemisphere) in April-May after the breeding season (Ronconi et al 2018), whereas tagged Sooty Shearwaters started their migration to the Northern Hemisphere after the breeding season in March (Hedd et al 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2006, Thompson et al . 2015). By the end of the moult (P10), however, stable isotope ratios of most individuals converged towards a higher δ 15 N, which may indicate a Capelin signature based on our Capelin (prey) data for the area.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moult chronology and strategies of sympatric Great (Ardenna gravis) and Sooty (A. grisea) Shearwaters based on stable isotope analysis

Carvalho

Ronconi

Bugoni

et al. 2022

Ibis

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Moult is an energetically demanding period, during which flight may be impaired and foraging ranges may become constrained. During the non-breeding period, Great Ardenna gravis and Sooty Ardenna grisea Shearwaters migrate from South Atlantic breeding colonies to aggregate at North Atlantic feeding grounds. We investigated whether both shearwater species used coastal Newfoundland, Canada, as a moulting area and used stable isotope ratios (d 15 N, d 13 C) of recently moulted primary feathers (P1, P5, P10) to infer moult location/diet for both species. Moult scores indicated that both species finished their moult (i.e. P6-10) in coastal Newfoundland, which was further corroborated with similar stable isotope ratios for Great (d 15 N = 15.17 AE 1.13&; d 13 C = À18.66 AE 0.54&) and Sooty Shearwaters (15.54 AE 0.74&; À18.43 AE 0.78&); however, Sooty Shearwater moult was more advanced relative to that of Great Shearwater. In contrast, isotopic ratios of P1 and P5, which were grown before arriving in coastal Newfoundland, differed between and within species, suggesting divergent locations/diet during early moult. For Great Shearwaters, P1/P5 isotopic ratios were more variable (broader niche breadth) than P10, suggesting that some individuals started moulting in the South Atlantic prior to trans-equatorial migration, whereas others start moulting in the North Atlantic Ocean. Sooty Shearwaters had two distinct groupings of either higher or lower d 15 N in P1/P5, suggesting that individuals began moulting either on the Newfoundland Shelf or further offshore based on comparisons to reference shearwater feathers grown in known locations. These findings illustrate distinct locations and/or diets at the start of primary feather moult, both within and between species, but diets converged when aggregated together at the end of moult in coastal North America, where growing feathers of both species were sampled. More importantly, we identified an important area for both Sooty and Great Shearwaters to complete their moult in coastal Newfoundland. Protecting this moulting area would minimize disturbance and the impacts of threats (e.g. by-catch) to both species during this energetically demanding period. The area has been suggested previously to be an important candidate area for protection due to annually persistent prey aggregations that can be spatiotemporally delimited based on specific prey habitat requirements.

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Stable isotope values delineate the non-breeding distributions of sooty shearwaters Puffinus griseus in the North Pacific Ocean

Cited by 6 publications

References 29 publications

Population-specific wintering distributions of adult south polar skuas over three oceans

Population-specific wintering distributions of adult south polar skuas over three oceans

Opportunism on the High Seas: Foraging Ecology of Olive Ridley Turtles in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

Moult chronology and strategies of sympatric Great (Ardenna gravis) and Sooty (A. grisea) Shearwaters based on stable isotope analysis

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