Abstract
MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 578:117-150 (2017) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12217 INTRODUCTION: REVIEW Causes and consequences of individual variability and specialization in foraging and migration strategies of seabirds Richard A. Phillips1,*, Sue Lewis2, Jacob González-Solís3, Francis Daunt2 1British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0ET, UK 2Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0QB, UK 3Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio) and Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals (BEECA), Universitat de Barcelona, Av Diagonal 643, Barcelona 08028, Spain *Corresponding author: raphil@bas.ac.uk ABSTRACT: Technological advances in recent years have seen an explosion of tracking and stable isotope studies of seabirds, often involving repeated measures from the same individuals. This wealth of new information has allowed the examination of the extensive variation among and within individuals in foraging and migration strategies (movements, habitat use, feeding behaviour, trophic status, etc.) in unprecedented detail. Variation is underpinned by key life-history or state variables such as sex, age, breeding stage and residual differences among individuals (termed ‘individual specialization’). This variation has major implications for our understanding of seabird ecology, because it affects the use of resources, level of intra-specific competition and niche partitioning. In addition, it determines the responses of individuals and populations to the environment and the susceptibility to major anthropogenic threats. Here we review the effects of season (breeding vs. nonbreeding periods), breeding stage, breeding status, age, sex and individual specialization on foraging and migration strategies, as well as the consequences for population dynamics and conservation. KEY WORDS: Individual specialization · Consistency · Sexual segregation · Age effects · Central-place constraint · Intrinsic variation · State dependence · Life-history Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Phillips RA, Lewis S, González-Solís J, Daunt F (2017) Causes and consequences of individual variability and specialization in foraging and migration strategies of seabirds. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 578:117-150. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12217 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 578. Online publication date: August 31, 2017 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2017 Inter-Research.
Highlights
REVIEWPublished August 31 OPEN ACCESSCauses and consequences of individual variability and specialization in foraging and migration strategies of seabirdsRichard A
We explore whether the degree of variation among and within individuals depends on phylogeny, biogeography or other factors and focus on the consequences for life-histories and population dynamics and the implications for seabird conservation
As this review has shown, many intrinsic factors drive individual differences in movement patterns and behaviour of seabirds
Summary
REVIEWPublished August 31 OPEN ACCESSCauses and consequences of individual variability and specialization in foraging and migration strategies of seabirdsRichard A. Male and female black-browed and grey-headed albatrosses are highly segregated during incubation but not during brood-guard or post-chick rearing; given that there were sex-specific differences in flight performance but no obvious role of competitive exclusion by the larger males, the seasonal segregation was attributed to niche divergence (Phillips et al 2004).
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