Using stable isotopes to assess climate-change impacts on migrations of prions (Aves:Procellariiformes)
Lead Research Organisation:
NERC BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY
Department Name: Science Programmes
Organisations
- NERC BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY (Lead Research Organisation)
- University of Cape Town (Collaboration)
- New Zealand Department of Conservation (Collaboration)
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Collaboration)
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA, New Zealand) (Collaboration)
- Victoria University of Wellington (Collaboration)
People |
ORCID iD |
| Richard Phillips (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Grecian W
(2016)
Contrasting migratory responses of two closely related seabirds to long-term climate change
in Marine Ecology Progress Series
Grecian WJ
(2015)
Quantifying variation in d13C and d15N isotopes within and between feathers and individuals: Is one sample enough?
in Marine biology
Navarro J
(2015)
Spatial distribution and ecological niches of non-breeding planktivorous petrels.
in Scientific reports
Navarro J
(2013)
Ecological Segregation in Space, Time and Trophic Niche of Sympatric Planktivorous Petrels
in PLoS ONE
Quillfeldt P
(2012)
Year-round distribution suggests spatial segregation of two small petrel species in the South Atlantic
in Journal of Biogeography
| Description | Migratory marine predators are vulnerable to climate-induced changes in prey phenology and abundance as they move between breeding and non-breeding areas to target resources that are seasonal but spatio-temporally predictable. In the Southern Ocean, small petrels are major consumers of zooplankton, but perturbations in the ecosystem through ocean warming are altering food-web structure and have been linked to poleward shifts in the distribution of cold-water zooplankton species. This project has resulted in three key outputs. In the first study, we focussed on two small congeneric petrels; the broad-billed prion Pachyptila vittata, and the Antarctic prion P. desolata. We investigated historical trends in non-breeding distribution by analysing feather stable isotope ratios from a time-series dating back to 1926, and examined contemporary broad-billed prion non-breeding distributions using miniaturised geolocation-immersion loggers. After controlling temporally for the Suess effect, we found that the d13C signatures of Antarctic prions, but not broad-billed prions, declined during the study period. This suggests that Antarctic prions may have shifted their non-breeding distribution southward over the last century. Both species exhibited significant declines in d15N during the same period, indicative of long-term decreases in productivity, or changes in the trophic structure of prey communities. Tracked broad-billed prions migrated c. 1000 km to an area east of the breeding colony where the Louisville seamount chain bisects the subtropical front. Topographically-driven upwellings are stable and predictable features and may be crucial in aggregating plankton. Targeting seamounts could therefore mitigate the impact of climate-induced prey shifts by providing refugia for the more planktivorous broad-billed prion. Prions Pachyptila species are closely-related genetically, and the distinguishing phenotypic characteristics relate to the divergent bill morphology, which results in differing degrees of dietary specialisation. We wanted to examine whether the latter might drive differences in current migratory patterns within the genus. Recent evidence suggests that the species may segregate spatially during the non-breeding season, but currently little is known of the habitat preferences that may explain these patterns. In the second component of the project, we compared the migratory strategies and non-breeding habitat preferences of four species of petrel; the Antarctic prion, broad-billed prion, fulmar prion P. crassirostris, and a similarly-sized ecological analogue, the blue petrel Halobaena caerulea from colonies across the Southern Ocean. Our findings showed clear spatial separation during the non-breeding period that reflected differences in the ocean temperature experienced by the birds. This may have important implications into the future as the oceans warm, but further work is required to better understand these processes. Finally, as studies of avian migration increasingly use stable isotope analysis to provide vital trophic and spatial markers, we examined sources of variation in these type of results. A fundamental question remains about the consistency in stable isotope ratios within and between feathers from the same individual. We examined variation in carbon and nitrogen isotopes by sub-sampling feathers collected from the wings of adults of two small congeneric petrel species; broad-billed and Antarctic prions. Broad-billed prion feather vane material was enriched in 15N compared to feather rachis material, but there was no detectable difference in ?13C. Comparison of multiple samples taken from Antarctic prion feathers indicated subtle difference in isotope ratios; rachis material was enriched in 13C compared to vane material, and there were differences along the length of the feather, with samples from the middle and tip of the feather depleted in 15N compared to those from the base. While the greatest proportion of model variance was explained by differences between feathers and individuals, the magnitude of these within-feather differences was up to 0.5 ‰ in ?15N and 0.8 ‰ in ?13C. We discussed the potential drivers of these differences, linking isotopic variation to individual-level dietary differences, movement patterns and temporal dietary shifts. A novel result was that within-feather differences in ?13C may be attributed to differences in keratin structure within feathers, suggesting further work is required to understand the role of different amino-acids. Our results highlight the importance of multiple sampling regimes that consider both within and between-feather variation in studies using stable isotopes. |
| Exploitation Route | As a spur to future research, and in terms of understanding impacts of global climate change on marine ecosystems |
| Sectors | Environment |
| Description | World Seabird Conference Travel Awards |
| Amount | $840 (USD) |
| Organisation | World Seabird Union |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| Country | Global |
| Start | 09/2015 |
| End | 10/2015 |
| Description | Collaboration with Peter Ryan |
| Organisation | University of Cape Town |
| Department | Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology |
| Country | South Africa |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Analyses comparing habitat preferences of grey-headed albatrosses from colonies in the South Atlantic and Indian oceans |
| Collaborator Contribution | Peter Ryan from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, provided tracking data and expert advice that has assisted towards the publication of a paper (Clay et al. 2016). |
| Impact | Scientific paper (Clay et al. 2016). Web article on the results "Albatrosses forage in different areas when on migration", URL - https://phys.org/news/2016-07-albatrosses-forage-areas-migration.html |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | Collaboration_prion grant |
| Organisation | Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Involvement in research |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of samples, data and expertise |
| Impact | Papers published and in prep |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | Collaboration_prion grant |
| Organisation | National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA, New Zealand) |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Involvement in research |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of samples, data and expertise |
| Impact | Papers published and in prep |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | Collaboration_prion grant |
| Organisation | New Zealand Department of Conservation |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Involvement in research |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of samples, data and expertise |
| Impact | Papers published and in prep |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | Collaboration_prion grant |
| Organisation | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Involvement in research |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of samples, data and expertise |
| Impact | Papers published and in prep |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | Glasgow Science Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Public engagement activity for Glasgow Science Festival that explained the project and discussed seabird migration, diet and climate change |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Interview for NERC Planet Earth Podcast |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Podcast |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | http://planetearth.nerc.ac.uk/multimedia/story.aspx?id=1261 |
| Description | Podcast (Naturally Speaking) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Blog podcast |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | https://naturallyspeakingpodcast.wordpress.com/2015/03/02/you-are-what-you-eat |
| Description | School Visit (Hills Road Sixth Form) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Talk to raise awareness on the impact of Human activities on biodiversity extinction and more specifically the role we have as citizens to influence fisheries and climate change |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |