Feeding ecology of Northern Gannets (Morus bassanus) in the North Atlantic Ocean at various spatio-temporal scales

• Main Author: Pettex, Emeline
• Other Authors: Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD France-Sud )-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Université Montpellier II - Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, David Grémillet, SEAPOP, NINA Trondheim, Tromso Museum University
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2011
• Subjects: Plasticity Telemetry foraging behaviour seabird; oiseaux marins; télémétrie; recherche alimentaire; plasticité; [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://theses.hal.science/tel-00825001; https://theses.hal.science/tel-00825001/document; https://theses.hal.science/tel-00825001/file/Emeline_Pettex_corrigee_06112011.pdf

Physical, chemical and biological processes generate considerable variability in the distribution and abundance of marine organisms. In order to survive and successfully breed, marine predators, among them seabirds, must adjust their movements to changes in the availability of their prey. We studied the foraging behaviour of the northern gannet Morus bassanus in several European colonies to understand how a flexible predator manages environmental variability. We analysed records from miniaturized data loggers (GPS and geolocators) at five spatio-temporal scales: individual, populational, meta-populational, seasonal and inter-annual. These data revealed strong individual plasticity, which allows gannets to modulate the length and duration of their foraging trips and to exploit a panel of memorized feeding areas, for which they anticipate location from a distance. We identified differences in the movements at sea and in home range between colonies during the breeding and the interbreeding seasons. Although gannets were thought to follow a non-oriented dispersion during the interbreeding season; our results showed a clear migratory corridor from Shetland to the West African coast. These results have major implications for a better comprehension of spatial ecology of marine predators facing natural and anthropogenic variability of their environment, as well as for population management, the implementation of marine protected areas, and any conservation measures which depend on spatio-temporal dynamics. L'environnement marin est soumis à un ensemble de processus physiques, chimiques et biologiques qui le rendent très dynamique. Les prédateurs tels que les oiseaux marins doivent donc ajuster leurs mouvements aux changements de disponibilité de leurs proies afin de survivre et de se reproduire. L'évolution de leur plasticité comportementale se traduit par la mise en place d'un éventail de tactiques de prédation. Nous avons étudié les comportements de recherche alimentaire chez le fou de Bassan Morus bassanus en ...