Can Thermoclines Be a Cue to Prey Distribution for Marine Top Predators? A Case Study with Little Penguins

被引：39

作者：

Pelletier, Laure ^{[1
,2
]}

Kato, Akiko ^{[1
,2
]}

Chiaradia, Andre ^{[3
]}

Ropert-Coudert, Yan ^{[1
,2
]}

机构：

[1] Univ Strasbourg, IPHC, Strasbourg, France

[2] CNRS, UMR7178, Strasbourg, France

[3] Phillip Isl Nat Pk, Cowes, Vic, Australia

来源：

PLOS ONE | 2012年 / 7卷 / 04期

关键词：

THICK-BILLED MURRES; EUDYPTULA-MINOR; CLIMATE; TEMPERATURE; ECOSYSTEMS; BEHAVIOR; ISLAND; CYCLE;

D O I：

10.1371/journal.pone.0031768

中图分类号：

O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];

学科分类号：

07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;

摘要：

The use of top predators as bio-platforms is a modern approach to understanding how physical changes in the environment may influence their foraging success. This study examined if the presence of thermoclines could be a reliable signal of resource availability for a marine top predator, the little penguin (Eudyptula minor). We studied weekly foraging activity of 43 breeding individual penguins equipped with accelerometers. These loggers also recorded water temperature, which we used to detect changes in thermal characteristics of their foraging zone over 5 weeks during the penguin's guard phase. Data showed the thermocline was detected in the first 3 weeks of the study, which coincided with higher foraging efficiency. When a thermocline was not detected in the last two weeks, foraging efficiency decreased as well. We suggest that thermoclines can represent temporary markers of enhanced food availability for this top-predator to which they must optimally adjust their breeding cycle.

引用

页数：5

共 43 条

[1] Geographic structure of Adelie Penguin populations: Overlap in colony-specific foraging areas [J].

Ainley, DG ;

Ribic, CA ;

Ballard, G ;

Heath, S ;

Gaffney, I ;

Karl, BJ ;

Barton, KJ ;

Wilson, PR ;

Webb, S .

ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS, 2004, 74 (01) :159-178

[2]

[Anonymous], 1971, AVIAN BIOL VOL 1 ACA

[3]

Bates D., IME4 LINEAR MIXED EF

[4] The importance of oceanographic fronts to marine birds and mammals of the southern oceans [J].

Bost, C. A. ;

Cotte, C. ;

Bailleul, F. ;

Cherel, Y. ;

Charrassin, J. B. ;

Guinet, C. ;

Ainley, D. G. ;

Weimerskirch, H. .

JOURNAL OF MARINE SYSTEMS, 2009, 78 (03) :363-376

[5] Diving behaviour of Little Penguins from four colonies across their whole distribution range: bathymetry affecting diving effort and fledging success [J].

Chiaradia, Andre ;

Ropert-Coudert, Yan ;

Kato, Akiko ;

Mattern, Thomas ;

Yorke, Julija .

MARINE BIOLOGY, 2007, 151 (04) :1535-1542

[6]

Chiaradia A, 2006, ARDEA, V94, P257

[7] Diet segregation between two colonies of little penguins Eudyptula minor in southeast Australia [J].

Chiaradia, Andre ;

Forero, Manuela G. ;

Hobson, Keith A. ;

Swearer, Stephen E. ;

Hume, Fiona ;

Renwick, Leanne ;

Dann, Peter .

AUSTRAL ECOLOGY, 2012, 37 (05) :610-619

[8] Seasonal and annual foraging movements of little penguins from Phillip Island, Victoria [J].

Collins, M ;

Cullen, JM ;

Dann, P .

WILDLIFE RESEARCH, 1999, 26 (06) :705-721

[9] Predicting onset and success of breeding in little penguins Eudyptula minor from ocean temperatures [J].

Cullen, J. M. ;

Chambers, L. E. ;

Coutin, P. C. ;

Dann, P. .

MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES, 2009, 378 :269-278

[10] Rapid-response recorders reveal interplay between marine physics and seabird behaviour [J].

Daunt, F ;

Peters, G ;

Scott, B ;

Grémillet, D ;

Wanless, S .

MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES, 2003, 255 :283-288

← 1 2 3 4 5 →