The effect of seasonality on the foraging behaviour and breeding success of a tropical marine top predator

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dc.check.date2027-01-17en
dc.check.infoAccess to this article is restricted until 24 months after publication by request of the publisheren
dc.contributor.authorSaldanha, Sarahen
dc.contributor.authorMilitão, Teresaen
dc.contributor.authorCox, Sam L.en
dc.contributor.authorLlamas-Cano, Ireneen
dc.contributor.authorDinis, Herculano Andradeen
dc.contributor.authorGomes, Ivandra S. G. C.en
dc.contributor.authorLopes, Arturen
dc.contributor.authordos Santos, Maldinien
dc.contributor.authorBrito, Vaniaen
dc.contributor.authorHernández-Montero, Marcosen
dc.contributor.authorGonzález-Solís, Jacoben
dc.contributor.funderMAVA Foundationen
dc.contributor.funderMinisterio de Economía, Comercio y Empresaen
dc.contributor.funderMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovaciónen
dc.contributor.funderBritish Ornithologists' Unionen
dc.contributor.funderGeneralitat de Catalunyaen
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-31T15:20:42Z
dc.date.available2025-01-31T15:20:42Z
dc.date.issued2025-01-17en
dc.description.abstractIn polar and temperate regions seasonality in environmental conditions is an important driver of animal phenology. In tropical systems, where the environment is relatively homogeneous year-round, the link between phenology and seasonality is weakened, and many species breed asynchronously or even year-round. This leads to the question of how these species adapt to seasonal changes, which remain present albeit to a lesser extent. To assess relationships between foraging plasticity and seasonal changes in oceanographic conditions and resource availability, we investigated the foraging ecology of the red-billed tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus), a poorly studied pantropical species that breeds year-round in Cabo Verde. From 2017 to 2022, we monitored tropicbird nests at three islands (Boavista, Sal and the Cima Islet) and GPS tracked 907 foraging trips from 329 adults to evaluate seasonality in nest occupancy, foraging patterns and efficiency, chick growth, chick and adult body condition, and breeding success, alongside links to seasonal changes in resource availability and environmental conditions. We found seasonal patterns in foraging behaviour, with individuals taking more distant and less sinuous foraging trips, using a larger core foraging area, spending more time foraging during twilight, and consuming more squid in the dry season (December-June), than in the wet season (July-November). Moreover, nest occupancy, chick body condition and breeding success were higher in the dry season. We suggest that the observed seasonal patterns are related to an increase in the availability of squid at the end of the dry season, and a decrease in the nest-site suitability and an increase in weather-related foraging costs in the wet season. Our results provide some of the first in-depth knowledge on the seasonal variation in foraging behaviour of a tropical seabird species, suggesting seasonality in tropical systems may be a stronger driver of the movements of top predators than previously thought.en
dc.description.sponsorshipMAVA Foundation (Projects: “AlcyonProgramme – Promoting the conservation of seabirds in Cape Verde” [MAVA17022];“Conserving the seabirds of Cabo Verde” [MAVA4880]); Ministerio de Economía, Comercio y Empresa (PID2020-117155 GB-I00 /AEI/ https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033); British Ornithologists' Union (Career Development Bursary); Generalitat de Catalunya(FI grant 2021FI_B2 00028)en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.articleid103413en
dc.identifier.citationSaldanha, S., Militão, T., Cox, S. L., Llamas-Cano, I., Dinis, H. A., Gomes, I. S., Lopes, A., dos Santos, M., Brito, V., Hernández-Montero, M. and González-Solís, J. (2025) 'The effect of seasonality on the foraging behaviour and breeding success of a tropical marine top predator', Progress in Oceanography, 231, 103413 (32pp). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103413en
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103413en
dc.identifier.endpage32en
dc.identifier.issn0079-6611en
dc.identifier.journaltitleProgress in Oceanographyen
dc.identifier.startpage1en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/16953
dc.identifier.volume231en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherElsevier Ltd.en
dc.relation.ispartofProgress in Oceanographyen
dc.rights© 2025, Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.en
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/en
dc.subjectSeasonalityen
dc.subjectTropical oceanen
dc.subjectSeabirden
dc.subjectPhenologyen
dc.subjectDieten
dc.subjectBreeding successen
dc.subjectFitnessen
dc.titleThe effect of seasonality on the foraging behaviour and breeding success of a tropical marine top predatoren
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)en
oaire.citation.volume231en
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