Prey encounters and spatial memory influence use of foraging patches in a marine central place forager

This study was carried out as part of the Moray Firth Marine Mammal Monitoring Programme, a joint industry, academic and government strategic research project with funding from Beatrice Offshore Wind Ltd and Moray Offshore Renewables Ltd (MORL). Given the patchiness and long-term predictability of m...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Main Authors: Iorio-Merlo, Virginia, Graham, Isla, Hewitt, Rebecca, Aarts, Geert, Pirotta, Enrico, Hastie, Gordon Drummond, Thompson, Paul
Other Authors: University of St Andrews. School of Biology, University of St Andrews. Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews. Sea Mammal Research Unit
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2022
Subjects:
Area-restricted search
Spatial memory
Hidden Markov Model
Accelerometer
Harbour seals
Repeatability
GC Oceanography
HA Statistics
DAS
SDG 14 - Life Below Water
GC
HA
Marine Mammal Monitoring
Phoca vitulina
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10023/25010
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.2261
Description
Summary:This study was carried out as part of the Moray Firth Marine Mammal Monitoring Programme, a joint industry, academic and government strategic research project with funding from Beatrice Offshore Wind Ltd and Moray Offshore Renewables Ltd (MORL). Given the patchiness and long-term predictability of marine resources, memory of high-quality foraging grounds is expected to provide fitness advantages for central place foragers. However, it remains challenging to characterize how marine predators integrate memory with recent prey encounters to adjust fine-scale movement and use of foraging patches. Here, we used two months of movement data from harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) to quantify the repeatability in foraging patches as a proxy for memory. We then integrated these data into analyses of fine-scale movement and underwater behaviour to test how both spatial memory and prey encounter rates influenced the seals' area-restricted search (ARS) behaviour. Specifically, we used one month's GPS data from 29 individuals to build spatial memory maps of searched areas and archived accelerometery data from a subset of five individuals to detect prey catch attempts, a proxy for prey encounters. Individuals were highly consistent in the areas they visited over two consecutive months. Hidden Markov models showed that both spatial memory and prey encounters increased the probability of seals initiating ARS. These results provide evidence that predators use memory to adjust their fine-scale movement, and this ability should be accounted for in movement models. Postprint Peer reviewed

Similar Items