Construction of energy landscapes can clarify the movement and distribution of foraging animals

• Published in: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
• Main Authors: Wilson, Rory P., Quintana, Flavio Roberto, Hobson, Victoria J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society
• Subjects: Energy Landscape; Movement Ecology; Metabolic Power; Area Use; Foraging Efficiency; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1; Argentina; Phalacrocorax atriceps
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11336/24366

Variation in the physical characteristics of the environment should impact the movement energetics of animals. Although cognizance of this may help interpret movement ecology, determination of the landscape-dependent energy expenditure of wild animals is problematic. We used accelerometers in animal-attached tags to derive energy expenditure in 54 free-living imperial cormorants Phalacrocorax atriceps and construct an energy landscape of the area around a breeding colony. Examination of the space use of a further 74 birds over 4 years showed that foraging areas selected varied considerably in distance from the colony and water depth, but were characterized by minimal power requirements compared with other areas in the available landscape. This accords with classic optimal foraging concepts, which state that animals should maximize net energy gain by minimizing costs where possible and show how deriving energy landscapes can help understand how and why animals distribute themselves in space. Fil: Wilson, Rory P. Swansea University; Reino Unido Fil: Quintana, Flavio Roberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados Unidos Fil: Hobson, Victoria J. Swansea University; Reino Unido