Multiple-stage decisions in a marine central-place forager

Friedlaender, Ari S.; Johnston, David W.; Tyson, Reny B.; Kaltenberg, Amanda M.; Goldbogen, Jeremy A.; Stimpert, Alison K.; Curtice, Corrie; Hazen, Elliott L.; Halpin, Patrick N.; Read, Andrew J.; Nowacek, Douglas P.

doi:10.1098/rsos.160043

Cited by 46 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…5def). Regardless of model agreement, long foraging durations at depth may be the result of tagged humpback whales exploiting krill patches that increased in density with increasing water depth in this region (Friedlaender et al, 2016). Blue whales have been found to maximize energy intake over oxygen balance when prey density is high and to maximize oxygen balance over energy intake when prey density is low (Hazen, Friedlaender, & Goldbogen, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In addition, future work should include an examination of how the maximization of p, b N and/or b Q varies with prey patch structure and quality (e.g. Friedlaender et al, 2016). Humpbacks foraging along the Western Antarctic Peninsula during the tagging period were able to take advantage of a temporally and spatially stable dense krill aggregation (Espinasse et al, 2012;Nowacek et al, 2011), but humpbacks and other diving animals foraging in regions with more patchily distributed prey may demonstrate different behaviours in an attempt to maximize these currencies.…”

Section: Shadwickmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These whales forage almost exclusively at night, when krill are near the surface, and they rest or travel near the surface during the day, when krill are at depth (Friedlaender et al, 2013). In addition, these whales modulate their feeding depth with respect to their prey, targeting denser prey patches on deeper dives (Friedlaender et al, 2016). These behavioural choices suggest that whales are altering their behaviours to maximize their benefits while foraging.…”

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confidence: 98%

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Does optimal foraging theory predict the foraging performance of a large air-breathing marine predator?

2016

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Antarctica bio-logging foraging behaviour humpback whale optimal foraging theory Optimal foraging theory (OFT) suggests that air-breathing diving animals should minimize costs associated with feeding under water (e.g. travel time, oxygen loss) while simultaneously maximizing benefits gained from doing so (e.g. foraging time, energy gain). Humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, foraging along the Western Antarctic Peninsula appear to forage according to OFT, but the direct costs and benefits in terms of their behaviours (e.g. allocation of time) have not been examined. We compared the foraging behaviour of humpback whales in this region inferred from multisensor high-resolution recording tags to their behaviour predicted by OFT time allocation models assuming the following currencies were being maximized: (1) the proportion of time spent foraging, (2) the net rate of energetic gain and/or (3) the ratio of energy gained to energy expended (i.e. efficiency). Model predictions for all three currencies were similar, suggesting any of these OFT models were suitable for comparison with the observed data. However, agreement between observed and optimal behaviours varied widely depending on the physiological and behavioural values used to derive optimal predictions, highlighting the need for an improved understanding of cetacean physiology. Despite this, many of the theoretical OFT predictions were supported: shallow dives (i.e. <100 m), which were short and executed most frequently, yielded the highest proportions of foraging time, and the greatest net rates of energy gain and were the most efficient. In addition, dive and foraging times increased in duration rapidly with increasing maximum dive depths to approximately 100 m and then at lower rates with deeper dives. Our findings offer a thorough examination of the applicability of time allocation OFT models to the behaviours of a large, air-breathing, diving predator and provide insights into the foraging ecology and physiology of humpback whales in the Western Antarctic Peninsula.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Shadwickmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 98%

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Does optimal foraging theory predict the foraging performance of a large air-breathing marine predator?

2016

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“…Optimal dive depth is influenced not only by physiological constraints, but also by the vertical distribution and density of prey in the water column (Friedlaender et al., ; Hazen, Friedlaender, & Goldbogen, ; Mori, ). We found interannual differences in penguin dive depth, particularly for gentoo penguins, that may be related to interannual changes in the population structure of Antarctic krill.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial niche partitioning may promote coexistence of Pygoscelis penguins as climate‐induced sympatry occurs

Pickett

Fraser²,

Patterson‐Fraser³

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Climate‐induced range overlap can result in novel interactions between similar species and potentially lead to competitive exclusion. The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth and is experiencing a poleward climate migration from a polar to subpolar environment. This has resulted in a range expansion of the ice‐intolerant gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) and a coincident decrease in ice‐obligate Adélie penguins (P. adeliae) near Palmer Station, Anvers Island, WAP. Ecologically similar species that share a limited prey resource must occupy disparate foraging niches in order to co‐exist. Therefore, we determined the extent of foraging and dietary niche segregation between Adélie and gentoo penguins during the austral breeding season near Palmer Station. This research was conducted across six breeding seasons, from 2009 to 2014, which allowed us to investigate niche overlap in the context of interannual resource variability. Using biotelemetry and diet sampling, we found substantial overlap in the diets of Adélie and gentoo penguins, who primarily consumed Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba); however, our results showed that Adélie and gentoo penguins partitioned this shared prey resource through horizontal segregation of their core foraging areas. We did not find evidence that Antarctic krill were a limiting resource during the breeding season or that climate‐induced sympatry of Adélie and gentoo penguins resulted in competition for prey or caused the subsequent differing population trajectories. This apparent absence of resource competition between Adélie and gentoo penguins throughout this study implies that current population trends in this region are governed by other biological and physical factors. Our results highlight the importance of understanding the mechanistic processes that influence top predator populations in the context of climate‐driven ecosystem shifts.

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“…; Friedlaender et al . ) and patch density (Benoit‐Bird et al . ) have been shown to be important predictors of foraging behaviour.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hierarchical influences of prey distribution on patterns of prey capture by a marine predator

et al. 2017

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Summary Prey distribution acts at multiple spatial scales to influence foraging success by predators. The overall distribution of prey may shape foraging ranges, the distance between patches may influence the ability of predators to detect and move between profitable areas, and individual patch characteristics may affect prey capture efficiency. In this study, we assessed relationships between spatially explicit patterns of prey capture by a central place forager, the little penguin (using GPS tracking and accelerometry), and the distribution of aggregations of potential forage fish prey (using boat‐based active acoustics) in eastern Australia. We used complementary resource selection functions to estimate the distribution of both prey captures and aggregations across the study area, based on a suite of habitat characteristics. We found that 99% of prey captures by penguins occurred in the top 20 m of the water column. The estimated distribution of prey captures across the study area was similar to the distribution of aggregations above 20 m depth, indicating that penguins effectively matched the local distribution of their prey. The distances between consecutive prey captures followed a bimodal distribution, with means of 8·1 ± 2·2 and 57·4 ± 1·7 m. Based on the length of aggregations and the distances separating aggregations along survey transects, this implies that foraging behaviour occurs on multiple spatial scales corresponding to within‐patch and between‐patch movements respectively. Morphological characteristics of aggregations above 20 m depth were important for explaining variance in the number of prey caught by penguins in an area, with penguins catching more prey where aggregations were relatively dense, compact and shallow. These results reveal spatially explicit patterns of prey capture, and provide a framework for understanding how features of prey distribution influence prey intake by predators in patchy environments. A http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.12873/suppinfo is available for this article.

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Multiple-stage decisions in a marine central-place forager

Cited by 46 publications

References 59 publications

Does optimal foraging theory predict the foraging performance of a large air-breathing marine predator?

Does optimal foraging theory predict the foraging performance of a large air-breathing marine predator?

Spatial niche partitioning may promote coexistence of Pygoscelis penguins as climate‐induced sympatry occurs

Hierarchical influences of prey distribution on patterns of prey capture by a marine predator

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