Foraging behavior links climate variability and reproduction in North Pacific albatrosses

Movement Ecology

Scott A. Shaffer¹  Yann Tremblay³  Daniel P. Costa⁴  Hyemi M. Kim⁷  Michelle A. Kappes⁴  Melinda G. Conners⁶  David G. Foley⁵  Steven J. Bograd²  Elliott L. Hazen⁵  Lesley H. Thorne⁷ 

[1] Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz 95060, CA, USA;Environmental Research Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries, 99 Pacific St., Suite 255A, Monterey 93940, CA, USA;Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Research Unit Marine Biodiversity, Exploitation and Conservation UMR248 MARBEC, Avenue Jean Monnet, Sète Cedex, CS 30171 - 34203, France;Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz 95060, CA, USA;Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystems and Climate, University of California Santa Cruz, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz 95060, CA, USA;Department of Ocean Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz 95060, CA, USA;School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook 11790, NY, USA

关键词: Environmental variability;    Climate;    Reproductive success;    Movement;    Albatross;   

Others  :  1229061
DOI  :  10.1186/s40462-015-0050-9

 received in 2015-02-02, accepted in 2015-09-01,  发布年份 2015

【 摘 要 】

Background

Climate-driven environmental change in the North Pacific has been well documented, with marked effects on the habitat and foraging behavior of marine predators. However, the mechanistic linkages connecting climate-driven changes in behavior to predator populations are not well understood. We evaluated the effects of climate-driven environmental variability on the reproductive success and foraging behavior of Laysan and Black-footed albatrosses breeding in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands during both brooding and incubating periods. We assessed foraging trip metrics and reproductive success using data collected from 2002–2012 and 1981–2012, respectively, relative to variability in the location of the Transition Zone Chlorophyll Front (TZCF, an important foraging region for albatrosses), sea surface temperature (SST), Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI), and the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation index (NPGO).

Results

Foraging behavior for both species was influenced by climatic and oceanographic factors. While brooding chicks, both species traveled farther during La Niña conditions, when NPGO was high and when the TZCF was farther north (farther from the breeding site). Models showed that reproductive success for both species showed similar trends, correlating negatively with conditions observed during La Niña events (low MEI, high SST, high NPGO, increased distance to TZCF), but models for Laysan albatrosses explained a higher proportion of the variation. Spatial correlations of Laysan albatross reproductive success and SST anomalies highlighted strong negative correlations (>95 %) between habitat use and SST. Higher trip distance and/or duration during brooding were associated with decreased reproductive success.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that during adverse conditions (La Niña conditions, high NPGO, northward displacement of the TZCF), both Laysan and Black-footed albatrosses took longer foraging trips and/or traveled farther during brooding, likely resulting in a lower reproductive success due to increased energetic costs. Our results link climate variability with both albatross behavior and reproductive success, information that is critical for predicting how albatross populations will respond to future climate change.

【 授权许可】

   
2015 Thorne et al.

【 图 表 】

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