Context-dependent specialisation drives temporal dynamics in intra- and inter-individual variation in foraging behaviour within a generalist bird population
Individual niche variation is common within animal populations, and has significant implications for a wide range of ecological and evolutionary processes. However, individual niche differences may also temporally vary as a result of behavioural plasticity. While it is well understood how niche vari...
Published in: | Oikos |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2021
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8704261 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8704261 https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.08067 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8704261/file/8704263 |
id |
ftunivgent:oai:archive.ugent.be:8704261 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftunivgent:oai:archive.ugent.be:8704261 2023-06-11T04:13:50+02:00 Context-dependent specialisation drives temporal dynamics in intra- and inter-individual variation in foraging behaviour within a generalist bird population Baert, Jan Stienen, Eric Verbruggen, Frederick Van de Weghe, Nico Lens, Luc Müller, Wendt 2021 application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8704261 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8704261 https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.08067 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8704261/file/8704263 eng eng https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8704261 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8704261 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/oik.08067 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8704261/file/8704263 No license (in copyright) info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess OIKOS ISSN: 0030-1299 ISSN: 1600-0706 Biology and Life Sciences learning lesser black-backed gull niche optimal foraging specialisation GPS TRACKING INDIVIDUAL VARIATION DIET SPECIALIZATION RESOURCE USE NICHE WIDTH ECOLOGY GULL CONSEQUENCES STRATEGIES EVOLUTION journalArticle info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2021 ftunivgent https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.08067 2023-05-10T22:50:53Z Individual niche variation is common within animal populations, and has significant implications for a wide range of ecological and evolutionary processes. However, individual niche differences may also temporally vary as a result of behavioural plasticity. While it is well understood how niche variation is affected by changes in resource availability, comparatively little is known about the extent to which individual niche differences may vary within the annual cycle due to internal drivers. Here, we assess how time- and energy-constraints imposed by incubating and brood rearing affect inter- and intra-individual variation in the foraging behaviour of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a generalist seabird with strong individual niche variation. To this end, we compared daily foraging trips of 22 breeding and 23 non-breeding GPS-tracked adult gulls from two colonies in the Southern Bight of the North Sea over the course of the breeding season. We find that breeding birds, unlike non-breeding ones, did indeed alter their foraging behaviour during the breeding season. Both sexes reduced their searching effort by increasingly revisiting earlier foraging locations, allowing for shorter and more frequent foraging trips. Breeding females also showed pronounced shifts in their habitat use and strongly specialised on urbanised foraging habitats throughout the breeding season. Hence, while individual variation in habitat use remained largely consistent within non-breeders and in breeding males, individual variation among breeding females almost completely disappeared. Female Lesser Black-backed Gulls are on average smaller, and therefore often outcompeted by males for the most profitable food sources. The temporal specialisation on spatially reliable anthropogenic food sources during breeding hence suggests a complex interplay between intrinsic competitive constraints, resource reliability and shifting time-and energy budges in shaping temporal dynamics in individual niche variation within our study population. Article in Journal/Newspaper Lesser black-backed gull Ghent University Academic Bibliography Oikos 130 8 1272 1283 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Ghent University Academic Bibliography |
op_collection_id |
ftunivgent |
language |
English |
topic |
Biology and Life Sciences learning lesser black-backed gull niche optimal foraging specialisation GPS TRACKING INDIVIDUAL VARIATION DIET SPECIALIZATION RESOURCE USE NICHE WIDTH ECOLOGY GULL CONSEQUENCES STRATEGIES EVOLUTION |
spellingShingle |
Biology and Life Sciences learning lesser black-backed gull niche optimal foraging specialisation GPS TRACKING INDIVIDUAL VARIATION DIET SPECIALIZATION RESOURCE USE NICHE WIDTH ECOLOGY GULL CONSEQUENCES STRATEGIES EVOLUTION Baert, Jan Stienen, Eric Verbruggen, Frederick Van de Weghe, Nico Lens, Luc Müller, Wendt Context-dependent specialisation drives temporal dynamics in intra- and inter-individual variation in foraging behaviour within a generalist bird population |
topic_facet |
Biology and Life Sciences learning lesser black-backed gull niche optimal foraging specialisation GPS TRACKING INDIVIDUAL VARIATION DIET SPECIALIZATION RESOURCE USE NICHE WIDTH ECOLOGY GULL CONSEQUENCES STRATEGIES EVOLUTION |
description |
Individual niche variation is common within animal populations, and has significant implications for a wide range of ecological and evolutionary processes. However, individual niche differences may also temporally vary as a result of behavioural plasticity. While it is well understood how niche variation is affected by changes in resource availability, comparatively little is known about the extent to which individual niche differences may vary within the annual cycle due to internal drivers. Here, we assess how time- and energy-constraints imposed by incubating and brood rearing affect inter- and intra-individual variation in the foraging behaviour of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a generalist seabird with strong individual niche variation. To this end, we compared daily foraging trips of 22 breeding and 23 non-breeding GPS-tracked adult gulls from two colonies in the Southern Bight of the North Sea over the course of the breeding season. We find that breeding birds, unlike non-breeding ones, did indeed alter their foraging behaviour during the breeding season. Both sexes reduced their searching effort by increasingly revisiting earlier foraging locations, allowing for shorter and more frequent foraging trips. Breeding females also showed pronounced shifts in their habitat use and strongly specialised on urbanised foraging habitats throughout the breeding season. Hence, while individual variation in habitat use remained largely consistent within non-breeders and in breeding males, individual variation among breeding females almost completely disappeared. Female Lesser Black-backed Gulls are on average smaller, and therefore often outcompeted by males for the most profitable food sources. The temporal specialisation on spatially reliable anthropogenic food sources during breeding hence suggests a complex interplay between intrinsic competitive constraints, resource reliability and shifting time-and energy budges in shaping temporal dynamics in individual niche variation within our study population. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Baert, Jan Stienen, Eric Verbruggen, Frederick Van de Weghe, Nico Lens, Luc Müller, Wendt |
author_facet |
Baert, Jan Stienen, Eric Verbruggen, Frederick Van de Weghe, Nico Lens, Luc Müller, Wendt |
author_sort |
Baert, Jan |
title |
Context-dependent specialisation drives temporal dynamics in intra- and inter-individual variation in foraging behaviour within a generalist bird population |
title_short |
Context-dependent specialisation drives temporal dynamics in intra- and inter-individual variation in foraging behaviour within a generalist bird population |
title_full |
Context-dependent specialisation drives temporal dynamics in intra- and inter-individual variation in foraging behaviour within a generalist bird population |
title_fullStr |
Context-dependent specialisation drives temporal dynamics in intra- and inter-individual variation in foraging behaviour within a generalist bird population |
title_full_unstemmed |
Context-dependent specialisation drives temporal dynamics in intra- and inter-individual variation in foraging behaviour within a generalist bird population |
title_sort |
context-dependent specialisation drives temporal dynamics in intra- and inter-individual variation in foraging behaviour within a generalist bird population |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8704261 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8704261 https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.08067 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8704261/file/8704263 |
genre |
Lesser black-backed gull |
genre_facet |
Lesser black-backed gull |
op_source |
OIKOS ISSN: 0030-1299 ISSN: 1600-0706 |
op_relation |
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8704261 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8704261 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/oik.08067 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8704261/file/8704263 |
op_rights |
No license (in copyright) info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.08067 |
container_title |
Oikos |
container_volume |
130 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
1272 |
op_container_end_page |
1283 |
_version_ |
1768391224985649152 |