Geographical variation in the foraging behaviour of the pantropical red-footed booby

Marine ecology progress series

, Janos Hennicke¹  , Joëlle Lallemand¹  , Henri Weimerskirch²  , Aurélien Prudor²  Loriane Mendez²  , Sophie de Grissac²  , Sebastian Cruz³  *, Philippe Borsa⁴ 

[1] Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR7372 CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France;Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR7372 CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France. UMR 9220 UR CNRS IRD ENTROPIE, Faculté des Sciences et Technologies, Université de la Réunion, 15 avenue René Cassin - CS 92003, 97744 Saint Denis Cedex 9, La Réunion;Department of Migration and Immuno-ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany;UMR 250 UR CNRS IRD ENTROPIE, 101 Promenade Roger Laroque, 98848 Nouméa, Nouvelle-Calédonie

关键词: Sula sula;    Tropical;    GPS tracking;    Area-restricted search;    ARS;    Chlorophyll a;    Expectation Maximisation binary Clustering;    EMbC;   

DOI  :  10.3354/meps12052

学科分类：海洋学与技术

来源: Inter-Research

【 摘 要 】

While interspecific differences in foraging behaviour have attracted much attention, less is known about how foraging behaviour differs between populations of the same species. Here we compared the foraging strategy of a pantropical seabird, the red-footed booby Sula sula, in 5 populations breeding in contrasted environmental conditions. The foraging strategy strongly differed between sites, from strictly diurnal short trips in Europa Island (Mozambique channel) to long trips including up to 5 nights at sea in Genovesa Island (Galapagos archipelago). The Expectation Maximisation binary Clustering (EMbC) algorithm was used to determine the different behaviours of individuals during their foraging trips (travelling, intensive foraging, resting and relocating). During the day, the activity budget was similar for all the breeding colonies. During the night, birds were primarily on the water, drifting with currents. At all sites, birds similarly performed intensive foraging in zones of area-restricted search (ARS), although the size and duration of ARS zones differed markedly. Red-footed boobies foraged over deep oceanic waters, with chlorophyll a concentrations varying between sites. Birds did not appear to target areas with higher productivity. We suggest that range differences between populations may be linked to other factors such as intra- and interspecific competition.

【 授权许可】

Unknown