Data from: Do seaducks minimise the flightless period?: inter- and intra-specific comparisons of remigial moult
Remigial moult is one of the crucial events in the annual life cycle of waterfowl as it is energetically costly, lasts several weeks, and is a period of high vulnerability due to flightlessness. In waterfowl, remigial moult can be considered as an energy-predation trade-off, meaning that heavier ind...
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ftzenodo:oai:zenodo.org:4982733 2024-09-15T18:18:28+00:00 Data from: Do seaducks minimise the flightless period?: inter- and intra-specific comparisons of remigial moult Viain, Anouck Savard, Jean-Pierre L. Gilliland, Scott Perry, Matthew C. Guillemette, Magella 2015-07-10 https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.p2kf0 unknown Zenodo https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0107929 https://zenodo.org/communities/dryad https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.p2kf0 oai:zenodo.org:4982733 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode info:eu-repo/semantics/other 2015 ftzenodo https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.p2kf010.1371/journal.pone.0107929 2024-07-26T01:48:10Z Remigial moult is one of the crucial events in the annual life cycle of waterfowl as it is energetically costly, lasts several weeks, and is a period of high vulnerability due to flightlessness. In waterfowl, remigial moult can be considered as an energy-predation trade-off, meaning that heavier individuals would minimise the flightless period by increasing feather growth rate and energy expenditure. Alternatively, they could reduce body mass at the end of this period, thereby reducing wing-loading to increase flight capability. We studied timing of remigial moult, primary growth rates, flightlessness duration, and the pattern of body mass variation in 5 species of captive seaducks (Melanitta fusca, M. perspicillata, Clangula hyemalis, Histrionicus histrionicus, and Somateria mollissima) ranging in size from 0.5 to 2.0 kg. Their feather growth rates weakly increased with body mass (M0.059) and no correlation was found at the intra-specific level. Consequently, heavier seaduck species and especially heavier individuals had a longer flightless period. Although birds had access to food ad libidum, body mass first increased then decreased, the latter coinciding with maximum feather growth rate. Level of body mass when birds regained flight ability was similar to level observed at the beginning of remigial moult, suggesting they were not using a strategic reduction of body mass to reduce the flightlessness duration. We suggest that the moulting strategy of seaducks may be the result of a compromise between using an intense moult strategy (simultaneous moult) and a low feather growth rate without prejudice to feather quality. Despite the controlled captive status of the studied seaducks, all five species as well as both sexes within each species showed timing of moult reflecting that of wild birds, suggesting there is a genetic component acting to shape moult timing within wild birds. Seaducks_Data_Viain_et_al Other/Unknown Material Melanitta fusca Somateria mollissima Zenodo |
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ftzenodo |
language |
unknown |
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Remigial moult is one of the crucial events in the annual life cycle of waterfowl as it is energetically costly, lasts several weeks, and is a period of high vulnerability due to flightlessness. In waterfowl, remigial moult can be considered as an energy-predation trade-off, meaning that heavier individuals would minimise the flightless period by increasing feather growth rate and energy expenditure. Alternatively, they could reduce body mass at the end of this period, thereby reducing wing-loading to increase flight capability. We studied timing of remigial moult, primary growth rates, flightlessness duration, and the pattern of body mass variation in 5 species of captive seaducks (Melanitta fusca, M. perspicillata, Clangula hyemalis, Histrionicus histrionicus, and Somateria mollissima) ranging in size from 0.5 to 2.0 kg. Their feather growth rates weakly increased with body mass (M0.059) and no correlation was found at the intra-specific level. Consequently, heavier seaduck species and especially heavier individuals had a longer flightless period. Although birds had access to food ad libidum, body mass first increased then decreased, the latter coinciding with maximum feather growth rate. Level of body mass when birds regained flight ability was similar to level observed at the beginning of remigial moult, suggesting they were not using a strategic reduction of body mass to reduce the flightlessness duration. We suggest that the moulting strategy of seaducks may be the result of a compromise between using an intense moult strategy (simultaneous moult) and a low feather growth rate without prejudice to feather quality. Despite the controlled captive status of the studied seaducks, all five species as well as both sexes within each species showed timing of moult reflecting that of wild birds, suggesting there is a genetic component acting to shape moult timing within wild birds. Seaducks_Data_Viain_et_al |
format |
Other/Unknown Material |
author |
Viain, Anouck Savard, Jean-Pierre L. Gilliland, Scott Perry, Matthew C. Guillemette, Magella |
spellingShingle |
Viain, Anouck Savard, Jean-Pierre L. Gilliland, Scott Perry, Matthew C. Guillemette, Magella Data from: Do seaducks minimise the flightless period?: inter- and intra-specific comparisons of remigial moult |
author_facet |
Viain, Anouck Savard, Jean-Pierre L. Gilliland, Scott Perry, Matthew C. Guillemette, Magella |
author_sort |
Viain, Anouck |
title |
Data from: Do seaducks minimise the flightless period?: inter- and intra-specific comparisons of remigial moult |
title_short |
Data from: Do seaducks minimise the flightless period?: inter- and intra-specific comparisons of remigial moult |
title_full |
Data from: Do seaducks minimise the flightless period?: inter- and intra-specific comparisons of remigial moult |
title_fullStr |
Data from: Do seaducks minimise the flightless period?: inter- and intra-specific comparisons of remigial moult |
title_full_unstemmed |
Data from: Do seaducks minimise the flightless period?: inter- and intra-specific comparisons of remigial moult |
title_sort |
data from: do seaducks minimise the flightless period?: inter- and intra-specific comparisons of remigial moult |
publisher |
Zenodo |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.p2kf0 |
genre |
Melanitta fusca Somateria mollissima |
genre_facet |
Melanitta fusca Somateria mollissima |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0107929 https://zenodo.org/communities/dryad https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.p2kf0 oai:zenodo.org:4982733 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.p2kf010.1371/journal.pone.0107929 |
_version_ |
1810456597403533312 |