Specialist shorebird respond to prey and habitat availability through trophic plasticity

Abstract

Spatiotemporal variations in food availability represent a challenge to the persistence of specialist species. The American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) is a shorebird regarded as a bivalve specialist, although foraging habitats and prey species may vary along its distribution. Here, we studied American oystercatcher breeding in sites with variable landscapes to test the effect of temporal and spatial variations in food availability and dietary aspects. Between 2017 and 2021, we sampled oystercatchers (n = 100) and macroinvertebrates at the mesolitoral zone in five foraging areas in southern Brazil, three composed by sand and rock substrates (mixed), and two by sandy beach only. We obtained biological samples from oystercatchers and macroinvertebrates for carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope analysis. In addition, we carried out systematic sampling of macroinvertebrates in sandy beaches at foraging areas to assess prey availability. Main findings showed the oystercatcher diet to be influenced both by the heterogeneity of foraging habitats and temporal fluctuations in availability of food resources. Bivalves contributed ∼60% to the diet of oystercatchers, but differences in the preferred bivalve species were detected among areas. In sites with mixed substrates, oystercatchers had a wider isotopic niche, suggesting habitat heterogeneity induced a more varied diet. Finally, we also observed interannual variation in the diet that may be associated with variation in macroinvertebrate availability on sandy beaches, especially for non-bivalve prey. Therefore, both temporal variations in food availability and foraging habitat heterogeneity seem to shape the foraging ecology of oystercatchers in the coastal zone, evidencing trophic plasticity in this specialist shorebird.