Environmental heterogeneity promotes individual specialisation in habitat selection in a widely distributed seabird

Trevail, AM, Green, JA, Bolton, M, Daunt, F, Harris, SM, Miller, PI, Newton, S, Owen, E, Polton, JA, Robertson, G, Sharples, J and Patrick, SC 2021 Environmental heterogeneity promotes individual specialisation in habitat selection in a widely distributed seabird. Journal of Animal Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13588

Text Environmental heterogeneity promotes individual specialisation in habitat selection in a widely distributed seabird.html - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (120kB)

Abstract/Summary

Individual specialisations in behaviour are predicted to arise where divergence benefits fitness. Such specialisations are more likely in heterogeneous environments where there is both greater ecological opportunity and competition-driven frequency dependent selection. Such an effect could explain observed differences in rates of individual specialisation in habitat selection, as it offers individuals an opportunity to select for habitat types that maximise resource gain while minimising competition; however, this mechanism has not been tested before. Here, we use habitat selection functions to quantify individual specialisations while foraging by black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla, a marine top predator, at 15 colonies around the United Kingdom and Ireland, along a gradient of environmental heterogeneity. We find support for the hypothesis that individual specialisations in habitat selection while foraging are more prevalent in heterogeneous environments. This trend was significant across multiple dynamic habitat variables that change over short time-scales and did not arise through site fidelity, which highlights the importance of environmental processes in facilitating behavioural adaptation by predators. Individual differences may drive evolutionary processes, and therefore these results suggest that there is broad scope for the degree of environmental heterogeneity to determine current and future population, species and community dynamics.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Additional Keywords:	Behavioural consistency, foraging behaviour, kittiwake, movement ecology, habitat selection, seabird
Divisions:	Plymouth Marine Laboratory > National Capability categories > NERC Earth Observation Data Acquisition & Analysis Service (NEODAAS) Plymouth Marine Laboratory > Science Areas > Earth Observation Science and Applications
Depositing User:	S Hawkins
Date made live:	28 Sep 2021 14:50
Last Modified:	28 Sep 2021 14:51
URI:	https://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/9398

Actions (login required)

View Item