Predicting post-natal energy intake of lesser black-backed gull chicks by Dynamic Energy Budget modeling

Jaap Van Der Meer,Susanne Van Donk,Alejandro Sotillo,Luc Lens

doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109005

Jaap Van Der Meer, Susanne Van Donk + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109005

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Abstract

The standard Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) model is widely used to describe the physiology of individual animals. Here we parametrized the DEB model for the lesser black-backed gull Larus fuscus mainly on the basis of literature data. Next we performed an inverse modeling approach to predict the food intake rate of gull chicks (model input) on the basis of their growth trajectory from hatching to fledging (model output). Food intake rate and growth were also measured for this period in an aviary experiment, where three different diet treatments resulted in a large range in overall intake rate. These measured food intake rate data were not used in the parameter estimation procedure, but rather to validate model results. Model predictions of food intake rate were systematically only about 10% below the observations, but predictions and observations correlated strongly. The DEB model might be used to predict food provisioning rates in the field, which are difficult to obtain, on the basis of growth data, which are much easier to get.

Highlights

In vertebrate species with parental food-provisioning, post-natal growth of the young strongly depends upon the amount of food that the parents are able to deliver
We examine whether the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) model is capable of predicting the food intake rate of the young on the basis of their growth trajectory
The aviary experiment showed that food intake rates in terms of energy per time were highest for those birds feeding on terrestrial food and lowest for those that were restricted to marine food (Fig. 1)

Summary

Introduction

In vertebrate species with parental food-provisioning, post-natal growth of the young strongly depends upon the amount of food that the parents are able to deliver. Other examples of DEB predictions are food intake reconstructions on the basis of growth trajectories for emperor penguins Aptenodytes forsteri (Kooijman, 1993) and for various bivalve and fish species (Cardoso et al, 2006; Freitas et al, 2009; Jusup et al, 2014; Kooijman, 1993; Lavaud et al, 2019; Pecquerie et al, 2012; Troost et al, 2010) Most of these studies suffered from the same shortcoming that food intake predictions could not be tested, with the exception of Jusup et al (2014) who were able to correlate predicted and measured annual food intake for captive bluefin tuna. As measuring growth of bird chicks in the field is much easier than measuring food intake rate during the entire growth period, the inverse modeling approach, as applied here, is of practical use for field ornithologists to predict the required overall food intake for obtaining a specific fledging weight

DEB modelling

Parameter estimation

Aviary experiment

Inverse modeling

Results

Discussion