Data from: Behavioural flexibility in an Arctic seabird using two distinct marine habitats to survive the energetic constraints of winter

Patterson A, Gilchrist HG, Robertson GJ, Hedd A, Fifield DA, Elliott KH. 2022. Data from: Behavioural flexibility in an Arctic seabird using two distinct marine habitats to survive the energetic constraints of winter. Movebank Data Repository. https://doi.org/10.5441/001/1.81bs0nf7

Abstract

Background: Homeothermic marine animals in Polar Regions face an energetic bottleneck in winter. The challenges of short days and cold temperatures are exacerbated for flying seabirds with small body size and limited fat stores. We use biologging approaches to examine how habitat, weather, and moon illumination influence behaviour and energetics of a marine bird species, thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia). Methods: We used temperature-depth-light recorders to examine strategies murres use to survive winter in the Northwest Atlantic, where contrasting currents create two distinct marine habitats: cold (−0.1 ± 1.2 °C), shallower water along the Labrador Shelf and warmer (3.1 ± 0.3 °C), deep water in the Labrador Basin. Results: In the cold shelf water, murres used a high-energy strategy, with more flying and less diving each day, resulting in high daily energy expenditure and also high apparent energy intake; this strategy was most evident in early winter when day lengths were shortest. By contrast, murres in warmer basin water employed a low-energy strategy, with less time flying and more time diving under low light conditions (nautical twilight and night). In warmer basin water, murres increased diving at night when the moon was more illuminated, likely taking advantage of diel vertically migrating prey. In warmer basin water, murres dove more at night and foraging efficiency increased under negative North Atlantic Oscillation (calmer ocean conditions). Conclusions: The proximity of two distinct marine habitats in this region allows individuals from a single species to use dual (low-energy/high-energy) strategies to overcome winter energy bottlenecks.

Keywords

Uria lomvia,animal movement,animal tracking,Labrador sea,light-level logger,nocturnal foraging,seabirds,solar geolocation,temperature-depth-light recorders,thick-billed murre,Uria lomvia

Taxa

Taxon

Uria lomvia

Brunnich's Guillemot, Thick-billed Murre

DOIs of related Publications

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-022-00344-3

URI

https://datarepository.movebank.org/handle/10255/move.1543

BibTex

@misc{001/1_81bs0nf7,
  title = {Data from: Behavioural flexibility in an Arctic seabird using two distinct marine habitats to survive the energetic constraints of winter},
  author = {Patterson, A and Gilchrist, HG and Robertson, GJ and Hedd, A and Fifield, DA and Elliott, KH},
  year = {2022},
  URL = {http://dx.doi.org/10.5441/001/1.81bs0nf7},
  doi = {doi:10.5441/001/1.81bs0nf7},
  publisher = {Movebank data repository}
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
ID  - doi:10.5441/001/1.81bs0nf7
T1  - Data from: Behavioural flexibility in an Arctic seabird using two distinct marine habitats to survive the energetic constraints of winter
AU  - Patterson, Allison
AU  - Gilchrist, H. Grant
AU  - Robertson, Gregory J.
AU  - Hedd, April
AU  - Fifield, David A.
AU  - Elliott, Kyle H.
Y1  - 2022/11/08
KW  - Uria lomvia
KW  - animal behavior
KW  - animal movement
KW  - animal tracking
KW  - Labrador sea
KW  - light-level logger
KW  - nocturnal foraging
KW  - seabirds
KW  - solar geolocation
KW  - temperature-depth-light recorders
KW  - thick-billed murre
KW  - Uria lomvia
KW  - Uria lomvia
PB  - Movebank data repository
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.5441/001/1.81bs0nf7
DO  - doi:10.5441/001/1.81bs0nf7
ER  -

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