Similar breeding performance despite inter-annual differences in diet composition of seabirds inhabiting a tropical environment

Abstract

Amidst unprecedented anthropogenic pressure on marine ecosystems, seabirds can serve as sentinels for shifts in marine prey availability. We examined the diet and foraging ecology of 2 sympatric Procellariiformes, the Cape Verde shearwater Calonectris edwardsii and Bulwer’s petrel Bulweria bulwerii, during their breeding period in Cabo Verde, West Africa. By analysing fatty acids (FAs), δ15N and δ13C values, and using GPS loggers, we quantitatively assessed the diet of both adults and chicks, estimated the isotopic niche of adult birds, and identified their main foraging regions. Our findings revealed annual variations in the diet of both adults and chicks, supported by quantitative prey estimates and FA signatures. Adult Cape Verde shearwaters consistently displayed a diet enriched in commercial fishes (>40%), with varying proportions of squid or non-commercial fishes across different years. Bulwer’s petrel displayed greater diet variability, consuming higher proportions of squid (54%), mesopelagic fishes (81%), and commercial fishes (29%) in 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively. Chicks of both species exhibited varying diets across years. However, chick growth and fledging parameters remained fairly consistent among years. The isotopic niche, GPS tracking, and oceanographic conditions within foraging regions provided partial support for the annual variations observed in the diet of adults, especially for Cape Verde shearwaters. However, the diet differences for Bulwer’s petrels were less straightforward, likely due to the equitable distribution of their main prey. Notably, both species exhibited resilience in coping with unfavourable foraging conditions, enabling adult breeders to exploit a wide variety of prey resources without compromising breeding outcomes.