The role of allochrony in influencing interspecific differences in foraging distribution during the non-breeding season between two congeneric crested penguin species ...

• Main Authors: Green, CP, Ratcliffe, N, Mattern, T, Thompson, D, Lea, MA, Wotherspoon, S, Borboroglu, PG, Ellenberg, Ursula, Morrison, KW, Pütz, K, Sagar, PM, Seddon, PJ, Torres, LG, Hindell, MA
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: La Trobe 2022
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.26181/21161947.v1; https://opal.latrobe.edu.au/articles/journal_contribution/The_role_of_allochrony_in_influencing_interspecific_differences_in_foraging_distribution_during_the_non-breeding_season_between_two_congeneric_crested_penguin_species/21161947/1

Mechanisms promoting coexistence between closely related species are fundamental for maintaining species diversity. Mechanisms of niche differentiation include allochrony which offsets the peak timing of resource utilisation between species. Many studies focus on spatial and temporal niche partitioning during the breeding season, few have investigated the role allochrony plays in influencing interspecific segregation of foraging distribution and ecology between congeneric species during the non-breeding season. We investigated the non-breeding migrations of Snares (Eudyptes robustus) and Fiordland penguins (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus), closely related species breeding between 100–350 km apart whose migration phenology differs by two months. Using light geolocation tracking, we examined the degree of overlap given the observed allochrony and a hypothetical scenario where the species commence migration simultaneously. We found that Fiordland penguins migrated to the Sub-Antarctic Frontal Zone and Polar Frontal ...