<i>N</i>-dimensional animal energetic niches clarify behavioural options in a variable marine environment

Wilson, Rory P.; McMahon, Clive R.; Quintana, Flavio; Frere, Esteban; Scolaro, Alejandro; Hays, Graeme C.; Bradshaw, Corey J. A.

doi:10.1242/jeb.044859

Cited by 30 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Biuw et al, 2003), could not produce a depth-dependent effect in effort-related performance. Air is, however, compressed by pressure so that air in the respiratory spaces and feathers of penguins will be compressed with depth according to Boyle's Law, which will affect upthrust and therefore how hard the penguins have to work to counteract it (see Wilson et al, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

King penguins adjust their diving behaviour with age

Vaillant

Wilson

Kato

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYIncreasing experience in long-lived species is fundamental to improving breeding success and ultimately individual fitness. Diving efficiency of marine animals is primarily determined by their physiological and mechanical characteristics. This efficiency may be apparent via examination of biomechanical performance (e.g. stroke frequency and amplitude, change in buoyancy or body angle, etc.), which itself may be modulated according to resource availability, particularly as a function of depth. We investigated how foraging and diving abilities vary with age in a long-lived seabird. During two breeding seasons, small accelerometers were deployed on young (5year old) and older (8/9year old) brooding king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) at the Crozet Archipelago, Indian Ocean. We used partial dynamic body acceleration (PDBA) to quantify body movement during dive and estimate diving cost. During the initial part of the descent, older birds exerted more effort for a given speed but younger penguins worked harder in relation to performance at greater depths. Younger birds also worked harder per unit speed for virtually the whole of the ascent. We interpret these differences using a model that takes into account the upthrust and drag to which the birds are subjected during the dive. From this, we suggest that older birds inhale more at the surface but that an increase in the drag coefficient is the factor leading to the increased effort to swim at a given speed by the younger birds at greater depths. We propose that this higher drag may be the result of young birds adopting less hydrodynamic postures or less direct trajectories when swimming or even having a plumage in poorer condition. Supplementary material available online at

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

King penguins adjust their diving behaviour with age

Vaillant

Wilson

Kato

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…The implication of this is that females will have relatively higher power requirements than males to descend in the water column for any given speed and descent angle (cf. Wilson et al 2011). In order to optimize power use and oxygen consumption, females may descend the water column at a reduced speed and/or decreased angle (Ribak et al 2005(Ribak et al , 2007Cook et al 2008b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intersexual differences in the diving behaviour of Imperial Cormorants

et al. 2011

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Intersexual differences in the foraging behaviour have been examined in several seabird species, especially those exhibiting sexual size dimorphism. We studied intersex behavioural differences in the Imperial Cormorant (Phalacrocorax atriceps), a size dimorphic seabird. Twenty adults (11 females and 9 males), breeding at Punta León (43°04 0 S; 64°2 0 W), Chubut, Argentina, were equipped with loggers to measure tri-axial acceleration and depth, to calculate the foraging trip time/activity budgets and diving behaviour. Both sexes had similar foraging trip durations, spending a similar proportion of the foraging time flying and floating on the sea surface. However, females spent more time underwater, executing more and shallower dives. Females also recovered more quickly than males from dives performed to depths of less than 30 m and spent more time foraging along the bottom at any depth than males. We conclude that if allometric effects affect the foraging behaviour of Imperial Cormorants, they only do so during diving because no differences were observed in the total amount of time sexes spent flying or foraging.

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“…Shepard et al 2009, Cook et al 2012 should have increasing bottom durations (e.g. Wilson et al 2011, Gómez-Laich et al 2012. However (second process), as total dive durations in crease, animals have to spend disproportionately longer periods at the surface recovering from dives (e.g.…”

Section: Effect Of Attached Devices On the Foraging Of Birdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are bio-telemetric devices a drag? Effects of external tags on the diving behaviour of great cormorants

Vandenabeele¹,

Shepard²,

Grémillet³

et al. 2015

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Externally attached remote-sensing devices used to study animals in their environment are a possible source of disturbance, notably in terms of drag, for diving species. The aim of the present study was to assess the possible effect of device-induced drag on the diving performance of great cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo. Based on wind-tunnel measurements, we assessed the effect of device size on drag and derived a formula to predict how drag changes as a function of both swim speed and device cross-sectional area. Tests on captive cormorants indicated that drag had an effect on the energy expenditure (using dynamic body acceleration as a proxy) during the dive. Wind tunnel-derived drag metrics were combined with data from the literature to construct a model predicting the power consumption of diving cormorants according to device size. Applying the model to dive data from 6 free-living great cormorants (recorded using implanted time-depth recorders) indicated that a device constituting only ca. 3% of the bird's cross-sectional area could cause a 1.7% increase in power consumption when swimming. However, if a bird maintains constant power underwater, e.g. by decreasing foraging speed with increasing drag, this would result in a 7.1% reduction in the distance travelled during the bottom (active hunting) phase of the dive. Device-related increases in drag are also likely to reduce the maximum speeds achievable by these pursuit predators. The present study highlights the interaction between both drag coefficient and swim speed for diving animals with externally attached devices.

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N-dimensional animal energetic niches clarify behavioural options in a variable marine environment

Cited by 30 publications

References 64 publications

King penguins adjust their diving behaviour with age

King penguins adjust their diving behaviour with age

Intersexual differences in the diving behaviour of Imperial Cormorants

Are bio-telemetric devices a drag? Effects of external tags on the diving behaviour of great cormorants

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