Poor body conditions during the breeding period in a seabird population with low breeding success

Grilli, Maricel Graña; Pari, Marcela; Ibáñez, Andrés

doi:10.1007/s00227-018-3401-4

Cited by 16 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…In contrast, our results showed that both sexes had similar concentrations of these metabolites during those stages. Similarly, in Brown skuas ( Stercorarius antarcticus ), triglycerides, total proteins (Graña Grilli et al 2018 ), and cholesterol (Ibañez et al 2021 ) remained invariant from incubation to late chick-rearing without sex differences. Thus, species-specific differences in the breeding biology, body reserves, and possibly diet are potential explanations for the physiological patterns among seabird species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…the number of failed breeders was much lower than that of successful breeders. However, given that plasma metabolite levels and body mass variation might vary according to foraging conditions (Bauch et al 2010 ; Graña Grilli et al 2018 ), one can expect the following: (1) our results on plasma metabolites and body condition metrics contrast with years with less favorable conditions that cause birds to be energetically more constrained; (2) that plasma metabolites and body conditions metrics show minor variation between individuals during those years because only individuals with better foraging abilities would breed; or (3) that in particularly poor years, inter-individual variation in plasma metabolites and body condition metrics will be undetectable because individuals abandon breeding before reaching a negative threshold. For example, at Isla Isabel, Mexico, during an El Niño event, only ~ 20% of the total Blue-footed boobies’ colony attempted to breed, and from the pairs that attempted breeding, all chicks died (Wingfield et al 1999 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nutritional state variations in a tropical seabird throughout its breeding season

et al. 2022

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Individual body condition is frequently used to explain differences in foraging and breeding ecology in seabirds. However, little is known about the covariations of body mass with the nutritional state of animals as measured through plasma metabolites and how these different measures vary between and within individuals during breeding. Here, we assessed intra-individual variations of plasma metabolites (triglycerides, cholesterol, protein, and ß-hydroxybutyrate concentrations) and in body mass of Blue-footed boobies (Sula nebouxii) throughout their breeding season 2011–2012 in Isla El Rancho, Mexico. We found breeding-stage and sex-specific variations in individuals’ plasma metabolite concentrations, but these did not mirror variations in body mass. Before egg-laying, females had higher triglycerides, cholesterol, and protein concentrations than males. In contrast, males used their nutritional reserves (higher ß-hydroxybutyrate concentrations) more than females during the breeding season (except for early chick-rearing). At the individual level, males gained weight during the breeding season, whereas females lost weight. We also found that between-individual differences in plasma metabolite concentrations and changes in body mass were not consistent throughout the breeding season, while individual body mass was significantly repeatable. This study contributes to a better understanding of seabird breeding ecology and physiology by showing that sex-specific breeding roles might highly influence the nutritional state. Similar patterns might occur in other seabird species, helping to explain why we can find stage- and sex-specific foraging behaviors even in monomorphic species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutritional state variations in a tropical seabird throughout its breeding season

et al. 2022

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“…Adults with a better body condition will possibly have more resources to be reallocated to avoid oxidative damage. It was previously described for breeding Brown Skuas during the intensive care of chicks that body mass and overall nutritional status decline because of the parental effort (Ibañez et al 2018;Graña Grilli et al 2018). During these breeding activities, a trade-off between oxidative stress damage and other physiological functions occur.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blood antioxidant status of Stercorarius maccormicki and Stercorarius antarcticus from Potter Peninsula, 25 de Mayo (King George) Island, Antarctica

2020

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Your article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. This e-offprint is for personal use only and shall not be self-archived in electronic repositories. If you wish to self-archive your article, please use the accepted manuscript version for posting on your own website. You may further deposit the accepted manuscript version in any repository, provided it is only made publicly available 12 months after official publication or later and provided acknowledgement is given to the original source of publication and a link is inserted to the published article on Springer's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The final publication is available at link.springer.com".

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“…Monitoring the H/L of the same individuals throughout and even between breeding seasons can be used to estimate the physiological cost of each breeding stage and potential interannual changes in stress of the individuals. In addition, the long-term monitoring of the H/L of a breeding population may provide insights as to the potential effects of changes in diet, weather or the impact tourism may have on the health of the population in time ( Kitaysky et al, 2007 ; Graña Grilli et al, 2018 ; Whitehead and Dunphy, 2022 ). Eosinophils have a less clear immune function but seem to be linked to allergic reactions and parasite infections ( Maxwell, 1987 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of tourist visitation on the heterophyl to lymphocyte ratios and trophic values of Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) at Martillo Island, Argentina

Harris,

Scioscia,

Raya Rey

2023

Conservation Physiology

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Wildlife tourism is increasing worldwide and monitoring the impact of tourism on wild populations is of the utmost importance for species conservation. The Magellanic penguin Spheniscus magellanicus colony at Martillo Island, Argentina, was studied in the 2016–2020 breeding seasons. In all seasons, adults and chicks belonged to: (i) an area close to or within the tourist trail or (ii) an area far from the tourist trail and out of sight of the tourists. Blood samples were taken for carbon and nitrogen stable isotope composition, in order to estimate trophic niches, and for smears that were made in situ and were then stained in the laboratory where leucocyte counts and differentiation were made under optical microscope. Heterophil to lymphocyte ratios were used as proxies of stress. Repeated sampling showed individual stress levels reduced while wintering. In 2017, stress levels and trophic values were lower than 2018 for the same individuals. Trophic levels did not differ between tourism and no tourism areas within each season, and differed between 2017 and the remaining seasons, indicating a possible diet shift that year. Stress levels were higher for the tourism area than the no tourism area for adults and chicks in all years except for 2020, when stress levels in the tourism area were lower and similar to the no tourism area that year and previous years. Vessel transit within the Beagle Channel and tourist visitation to the penguin colony was greatly reduced in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A combination of internal characteristics and external factors may be affecting the stress physiology of individuals. Therefore, future research should include sampling of multiple aspects of penguin physiology, behaviour and environmental context in order to evaluate each effect on Magellanic penguin stress and, ultimately, inform the conservation of this iconic species in time.

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Poor body conditions during the breeding period in a seabird population with low breeding success

Cited by 16 publications

References 58 publications

Nutritional state variations in a tropical seabird throughout its breeding season

Nutritional state variations in a tropical seabird throughout its breeding season

Blood antioxidant status of Stercorarius maccormicki and Stercorarius antarcticus from Potter Peninsula, 25 de Mayo (King George) Island, Antarctica

The influence of tourist visitation on the heterophyl to lymphocyte ratios and trophic values of Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) at Martillo Island, Argentina

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