Behaviour and breeding success of gentoo penguins Pygoscelis papua in areas of low and high human activity

Holmes, Nick D.; Giese, Melissa; Achurch, Helen; Robinson, Sue; Kriwoken, Lorne K.

doi:10.1007/s00300-005-0070-9

Cited by 46 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…An extended neck is a typical sign of increased vigilance in many species that can be easily observed and scored; hence, it is often used to quantify behavioural responses during disturbance events (e.g. Holmes et al 2006). The extended neck probably allows a better look at an intruder and may precede nervous or aggressive behaviours.…”

Section: Study Site and Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Previous experiences with humans affect responses of Snares Penguins to experimental disturbance

et al. 2011

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Historically, little contact with humans makes the Snares Penguin, Eudyptes robustus, an ideal species to study the natural response of penguins to human proximity. We measured behavioural and heart rate (HR) responses of Snares Penguins to a range of stimuli commonly occurring at their breeding sites and to experimental human disturbance. While behavioural responses gave an indication of disturbance effects, measuring HR provided a more objective and reliable tool to evaluate a stimulus. Natural stimuli usually caused little HR increase and were followed by rapid recovery. An experimental human approach provoked a significantly greater HR increase than most natural stimuli and more time was needed to recover from this disturbance event. Simultaneous and previous research projects on the Snares Penguin provided an opportunity to test the effects that contemporary experience with humans had on the Snares Penguin stress response. Penguins undisturbed in this study but exposed to intrusive research and filming activities the previous season showed significantly stronger responses to human approach than did naïve birds. Hence, individual experiences with humans may have lasting effects on stimulus-specific disturbance responses.

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Section: Study Site and Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Previous experiences with humans affect responses of Snares Penguins to experimental disturbance

et al. 2011

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“…For example, ecotourism studies have shown that Gentoo (Pygoscelis papua) and Magellanic (Spheniscus megellanicus) penguins, which show little fear of humans, exhibit minimal reproductive suppression at popular ecotourist sites. In contrast, fearful species such as Humboldt and yellow-eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes) exhibit impaired breeding [25,[37][38][39]. New comparative research has tested such associations statistically using large, multi-species databases.…”

Section: Boldnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, this increasingly plausible idea remains untested. Captive birds would make ideal subjects for exploring this further, given the new wealth of comparative data on their fear of humans in the wild [36][37][38][39][40][41].…”

Section: Boldnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species differences in responses to captivity: stress, welfare and the comparative method

Mason¹

2010

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

361

278

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“…While habituation, when correctly understood, represents a learning process over time, the term is often misused to describe any observed moderation in wildlife responses to a human disturbance (e.g. Sini et al 2005, Griffin et al 2007, Holmes et al 2006. In many cases, however, the moderation in response will involve increases in individual tolerance levels to the disturbance, rather than habituation to it (Nisbet 2000).…”

Section: Principles For Interpreting Behavioural Responses To Human Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact assessment research: use and misuse of habituation, sensitisation and tolerance in describing wildlife responses to anthropogenic stimuli

Bejder¹,

Samuels²,

Whitehead³

et al. 2009

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

386

265

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Studies on the effects of anthropogenic activity on wildlife aim to provide a sound scientific basis for management. However, misinterpretation of the theoretical basis for these studies can jeopardise this objective and lead to management outcomes that are detrimental to the wildlife they are intended to protect. Misapplication of the terms 'habituation', 'sensitisation' and 'tolerance' in impact studies, for example, can lead to fundamental misinterpretations of research findings. Habituation is often used incorrectly to refer to any form of moderation in wildlife response to human disturbance, rather than to describe a progressive reduction in response to stimuli that are perceived as neither aversive nor beneficial. This misinterpretation, when coupled with the widely held assumption that habituation has a positive or neutral outcome for animals, can lead to inappropriate decisions about the threats human interactions pose to wildlife. We review the conceptual framework for the use of habituation, sensitisation and tolerance, and provide a set of principles for their appropriate application in studies of behavioural responses to anthropogenic stimuli. We describe how cases of presumed habituation or sensitisation may actually represent differences in the tolerance levels of wildlife to anthropogenic activity. This distinction is vital because impact studies must address (1) the various mechanisms by which differing tolerance levels can occur; and (2) the range of explanations for habituationand sensitisation-type responses. We show that only one mechanism leads to true behavioural habituation (or sensitisation), while a range of mechanisms can lead to changes in tolerance.

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Behaviour and breeding success of gentoo penguins Pygoscelis papua in areas of low and high human activity

Cited by 46 publications

References 41 publications

Previous experiences with humans affect responses of Snares Penguins to experimental disturbance

Previous experiences with humans affect responses of Snares Penguins to experimental disturbance

Species differences in responses to captivity: stress, welfare and the comparative method

Impact assessment research: use and misuse of habituation, sensitisation and tolerance in describing wildlife responses to anthropogenic stimuli

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