Moving polewards in winter: a recent change in the migratory strategy of a pelagic seabird?
Abstract Background During the non-breeding period, many birds migrate to milder areas, found closer to the equator than their breeding sites. Opposite movements are very rare. In the Southern Ocean, the abundance of 13 C declines markedly with more southern latitude, providing a characteristic 13 C...
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ftbiomed:oai:biomedcentral.com:1742-9994-7-15 2023-05-15T13:43:25+02:00 Moving polewards in winter: a recent change in the migratory strategy of a pelagic seabird? Quillfeldt, Petra Masello, Juan F McGill, Rona AR Adams, Mark Furness, Robert W 2010-05-19 http://www.frontiersinzoology.com/content/7/1/15 en eng BioMed Central Ltd. http://www.frontiersinzoology.com/content/7/1/15 Copyright 2010 Quillfeldt et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. Research 2010 ftbiomed 2010-06-20T00:24:43Z Abstract Background During the non-breeding period, many birds migrate to milder areas, found closer to the equator than their breeding sites. Opposite movements are very rare. In the Southern Ocean, the abundance of 13 C declines markedly with more southern latitude, providing a characteristic 13 C isoscape. This can be used as a tracer for the movement of seabirds between breeding and inter-breeding areas, by comparing stable isotope ratios of feathers grown at different times of the year. Results We studied seasonal movements of Thin-billed prions (Aves, Procellariiformes), breeding at the Subantarctic Falkland/Malvinas Islands, compared with those of Wilson's storm-petrels breeding in the Antarctic South Shetland Islands. The two species showed opposite migratory movements. While Wilson's storm-petrels moved to warmer waters north of the Drake Passage in winter, Thin-billed prions showed a reversed movement towards more polar waters. Carbon stable isotope ratios in recent and historical feathers indicated that poleward winter movements of Thin-billed prions were less common historically (45% in 1913-1915), and have only recently become dominant (92% in 2003-2005), apparently in response to warming sea temperatures. Conclusions This study shows that pelagic seabirds can rapidly change migration strategies within populations, including migration towards more poleward waters in winter. Other/Unknown Material Antarc* Antarctic Drake Passage South Shetland Islands Southern Ocean BioMed Central Antarctic Drake Passage South Shetland Islands Southern Ocean The Antarctic |
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BioMed Central |
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ftbiomed |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Background During the non-breeding period, many birds migrate to milder areas, found closer to the equator than their breeding sites. Opposite movements are very rare. In the Southern Ocean, the abundance of 13 C declines markedly with more southern latitude, providing a characteristic 13 C isoscape. This can be used as a tracer for the movement of seabirds between breeding and inter-breeding areas, by comparing stable isotope ratios of feathers grown at different times of the year. Results We studied seasonal movements of Thin-billed prions (Aves, Procellariiformes), breeding at the Subantarctic Falkland/Malvinas Islands, compared with those of Wilson's storm-petrels breeding in the Antarctic South Shetland Islands. The two species showed opposite migratory movements. While Wilson's storm-petrels moved to warmer waters north of the Drake Passage in winter, Thin-billed prions showed a reversed movement towards more polar waters. Carbon stable isotope ratios in recent and historical feathers indicated that poleward winter movements of Thin-billed prions were less common historically (45% in 1913-1915), and have only recently become dominant (92% in 2003-2005), apparently in response to warming sea temperatures. Conclusions This study shows that pelagic seabirds can rapidly change migration strategies within populations, including migration towards more poleward waters in winter. |
format |
Other/Unknown Material |
author |
Quillfeldt, Petra Masello, Juan F McGill, Rona AR Adams, Mark Furness, Robert W |
spellingShingle |
Quillfeldt, Petra Masello, Juan F McGill, Rona AR Adams, Mark Furness, Robert W Moving polewards in winter: a recent change in the migratory strategy of a pelagic seabird? |
author_facet |
Quillfeldt, Petra Masello, Juan F McGill, Rona AR Adams, Mark Furness, Robert W |
author_sort |
Quillfeldt, Petra |
title |
Moving polewards in winter: a recent change in the migratory strategy of a pelagic seabird? |
title_short |
Moving polewards in winter: a recent change in the migratory strategy of a pelagic seabird? |
title_full |
Moving polewards in winter: a recent change in the migratory strategy of a pelagic seabird? |
title_fullStr |
Moving polewards in winter: a recent change in the migratory strategy of a pelagic seabird? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Moving polewards in winter: a recent change in the migratory strategy of a pelagic seabird? |
title_sort |
moving polewards in winter: a recent change in the migratory strategy of a pelagic seabird? |
publisher |
BioMed Central Ltd. |
publishDate |
2010 |
url |
http://www.frontiersinzoology.com/content/7/1/15 |
geographic |
Antarctic Drake Passage South Shetland Islands Southern Ocean The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Drake Passage South Shetland Islands Southern Ocean The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Drake Passage South Shetland Islands Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Drake Passage South Shetland Islands Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
http://www.frontiersinzoology.com/content/7/1/15 |
op_rights |
Copyright 2010 Quillfeldt et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. |
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1766188801616510976 |