Abstract
Foraging is a behaviour that can be influenced by multiple factors and is highly plastic. Recent studies have shown consistency in individual foraging behaviour has serious ecological and evolutionary implications within species and populations. Such information is crucial to understand how species select habitats, and how such selection might allow them to adapt to the environmental changes they face. Five foraging metrics (maximum distance from the colony, bearing from the colony to the most distal point, tortuosity index, total number of dives and mean vectorial dynamic body acceleration were obtained using GPS tracking and accelerometry data in adult Australasian gannets (Morus serrator) from two colonies in southeastern Australia. Individuals were instrumented over two breeding seasons to obtain data to assess factors influencing foraging behaviour and behavioural consistency over multiple timescales (consecutive trips, breeding stages and years) and habitats (pelagic, mixed pelagic and inshore, and inshore). Colony, breeding stage and year were the factors which had the greatest influence on foraging behaviour, followed by sex. Behavioural consistency, measured as the contribution of the individual to the observed variance, was low to moderate for all foraging metrics (0.0–27.05%), with the higher values occurring over shorter timescales. In addition, behavioural consistency was driven by spatio-temporal factors rather than intrinsic characteristics. Behavioural consistency was higher in individuals foraging in inshore than pelagic habitats or mixed pelagic/inshore strategy, supporting suggestions that consistency is favoured in stable environments.
Highlights
Foraging is a behaviour that can be influenced by multiple factors and is highly plastic
Behavioural consistency was higher in individuals foraging in inshore than pelagic habitats or mixed pelagic/inshore strategy, supporting suggestions that consistency is favoured in stable environments
Individual consistency in foraging behaviour was found to be higher in inshore compared to pelagic habitats and mixed use of both habitats, supporting suggestions that consistency is favoured in stable environments with predictable resources [79,81]
Summary
Foraging is a behaviour that can be influenced by multiple factors and is highly plastic. Information on the factors influencing behavioural consistency (e.g. extrinsic versus intrinsic factors) and on the link between habitat selection (e.g. pelagic versus benthic foraging) and behavioural consistency is lacking; foraging specializations are thought to arise in stable environments in which resources are predictable and diverse, enabling individuals to develop behavioural differences to reduce niche overlap with conspecifics and, minimize competition [16] Such behavioural consistency may, have significant ecological consequences at the individual level and on the development of offspring during the breeding season [17]. They are long-lived animals and, during the breeding season, adopt a central place foraging strategy which can lead to high levels of resource competition [31] These attributes have been shown to favour the development of behavioural consistency within this group and, combined with other factors such as age, sex or breeding status, influence the development of individual behavioural differences [32]. Such information is crucial to enable predictions about marine predators’ habitat selection and the responses of natural populations to changing environments [18,37]
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