Coupling bio-logging with nutritional geometry to reveal novel insights into the foraging behaviour of a plunge-diving marine predator |
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Authors: | Gabriel E Machovsky-Capuska David Priddel Philip HW Leong Peter Jones Nicholas Carlile Lesley Shannon |
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Institution: | 1. Charles Perkins Centre and Faculty of Veterinary Science, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW, Sydney, Australia;2. Coastal-Marine Research Group, Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand;3. Office of Environment and Heritage, Hurstville, NSW, Sydney, Australia;4. School of Electrical and Information Engineering, The University of Sydney, NSW, Sydney, Australia;5. School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada |
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Abstract: | It is widely believed that predators maximise their energy intake while foraging and consume prey that are nutritionally similar. We combined GPS data loggers, miniaturised cameras, dietary sampling and nutritional geometry to examine the nutritional variability in the prey and selected diet, and foraging performance, of the masked booby (Sula dactylatra tasmani), a wild carnivore and marine top predator. Data loggers also revealed no significant differences between sexes in the foraging performance of chick-rearing adults. Females provided more food to their chicks than the males and, regardless of the nutritional variability of prey consumed, both sexes showed similar amounts of protein and lipid in their diets. Miniaturised cameras combined with nutritional analysis of prey provided, for the first time, fine-scale detail of the amounts of macronutrients consumed in each plunge dive and the overall foraging trip. Our methodology could be considered for future studies that aim to contribute to the general understanding of the behavioural and physiological mechanisms and ecological and evolutionary significance of animal foraging (e.g. energy expenditure budgets and prey selection for self- and offspring-feeding that could lead to sex-specific foraging strategies). |
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Keywords: | Cameras carnivore energy masked booby nutritional geometry predator–prey interactions seabirds Sula dactylatra tasmani |
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