Добірка наукової літератури з теми "Urinatrix"

Chick feeding in common diving petrels (Pelecanoides urinatrix exsul) and South Georgia diving petrels (P. georgicus) was studied on Bird Island, South Georgia. Complete chick meals removed from the proventriculus of adults averaged 25.5 g (n = 32) for common diving petrels (17.6% of adult mass) and 23.3 g (n = 24) for South Georgia diving petrels (20.2% of adult mass); neither contained stomach oils. The sum of the positive mass increments during overnight weighings (SUM) averaged 48.6 g for common diving petrel chicks (n = 78 chick nights) and 41.6 g for South Georgia diving petrel chicks (n = 78 chick nights). Average adult feeding frequencies were 0.95 meals day−1 and 0.92 meals day−1, respectively. Relative meal size in diving petrels was similar to that of other procellariiforms, but SUM averaged about twice that of other petrels. The lower conversion efficiency of meals to body mass in diving petrel chicks reflects the absence of stomach oils in the diet. Higher chick feeding frequency and lower variance in SUM are consistent with the hypothesis that diving petrels forage nearshore on reliable food supply compared with other procellariiforms.

The endemic Pacific gull (Larus pacificus) is Australia’s largest larid, and though little is currently known of its foraging ecology, its size and wide distribution suggest that it may play an important role within the marine environment. In the present study, regurgitate pellets collected from Seal Island in northern Bass Strait were used to compare intra- and interannual trends in diet composition. The main taxa identified in pellets were the common diving-petrel (Pelecanoides urinatrix), leatherjacket species (Family Monacanthidae), short-tailed shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) and mirror bush (Coprosma repens). Analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) identified no significant differences in numerical abundance of the dominant prey species between years, suggesting that the prey base in this region is temporally consistent or that the gulls consume low enough numbers to be unaffected by fluctuation in prey populations. Diving-petrels were consumed in consistently high numbers, suggesting the gulls may be an important predator of this species, or that the gulls are particularly skilled at foraging for them.

L'exploration de la niche écologique d'une espèce implique une analyse à plusieurs échelles, car différentes contraintes environnementales peuvent avoir des conséquences écologiques importantes. Cependant, l'absence d'informations précises sur l'écologie des petites espèces de procellariiformes a considérablement limité leur étude, impactant notre capacité à définir une planification de conservation appropriée. Les avancées technologiques dans la miniaturisation des enregistreurs de données permettent depuis peu de collecter des données écologiques sur ces espèces. Dans cette étude, une approche multidisciplinaire a été utilisée pour étudier la niche écologique des pétrels plongeurs communs et de Géorgie du Sud. Les principaux objectifs étaient de : 1) décrire leur écologie alimentaire pendant les périodes de reproduction et de non-reproduction, et étudier leurs variations interannuelles ; 2) déterminer les différences écologiques entre les populations de l'Océan Austral ; et 3) étudier les variations de leur écologie tout au long du cycle annuel dans un contexte de ségrégation écologique entre ces deux espèces sœurs. Les résultats ont démontré que les pétrels plongeurs présentent des capacités de vol remarquables malgré leur charge alaire élevée, se nourrissant sur de vastes zones pendant la reproduction et migrant à plusieurs milliers de kilomètres de leur colonie pendant la période post-reproduction. Ces analyses ont révélé d'importantes différences écologiques au sein des espèces, notamment en termes de phénologie et de zone de migration. La collecte de données sur plusieurs années a considérablement renforcé ces résultats et fournit des informations précieuses pour comprendre les limites des niches écologiques des pétrels plongeurs. Enfin, la variation de ségrégation en fonction du stade de reproduction a démontré l'importance d'une approche multi-outils pour mieux décrire et comprendre la coexistence d'espèces écologiquement similaires
Exploring a species’ ecological niche entails investigating at multiple scales, as different environmental threats and niche constraints between intra-species levels may lead to important ecological and conservation consequences. However, the absence of precise information about small procellariiform species ecology has greatly limited ecological niche modelling studies, directly impacting our ability to delineate proper conservation planning. Technological advancements in the miniaturisation of data loggers have made it possible to collect ecological data of such species. In the present study, a multi-tooled approach was used to investigate the ecological niche of the common and the South-Georgian diving petrels. The primary objectives were to: 1) describe their foraging ecology during the breeding and non-breeding periods, and investigate their inter-annual variations; 2) determine the ecological differences between populations throughout the Southern Ocean; and 3) study the variations in their foraging ecology throughout the entire annual-cycle in the context of niche segregation between two sibling species. The results demonstrated that diving petrels exhibit remarkable flying abilities despite their high wing loading, foraging over large areas during the breeding season, and migrating several thousands of kilometres from their colony during the post-breeding period. These analyses revealed important ecological differences throughout the species distribution, particularly in terms of phenology and migration area. Collecting data over several years substantially strengthens results and provides valuable information to understand the variations and the limits of diving petrel ecological niches. Finally, a stage-dependent and context-dependent niche segregation analysis demonstrated the importance of a multi-tooled approach to better describe and understand the co-existence of ecologically similar species