Individuals of a group-living shorebird show smaller home range overlap when food availability is low
Abstract Background Group living animals, such as shorebirds foraging on intertidal mudflats, may use social information about where to find hidden food items. However, flocking also increases intraspecific competition for resources, which may be exacerbated by food scarcity. Therefore, although agg...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Movement Ecology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-023-00427-9 |
| _version_ | 1797647152734797824 |
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| author | He-Bo Peng Chi-Yeung Choi Zhijun Ma Allert I. Bijleveld David S. Melville Theunis Piersma |
| author_facet | He-Bo Peng Chi-Yeung Choi Zhijun Ma Allert I. Bijleveld David S. Melville Theunis Piersma |
| author_sort | He-Bo Peng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Group living animals, such as shorebirds foraging on intertidal mudflats, may use social information about where to find hidden food items. However, flocking also increases intraspecific competition for resources, which may be exacerbated by food scarcity. Therefore, although aggregation may bring benefits, it may also increase the intensity of intraspecific competition. Methods We examined this trade-off in adult great knots Calidris tenuirostris, a molluscivorous long-distance migrating shorebird species, using interannual variation based on 2 years with different levels of food availability during their northward migratory staging in the northern Yellow Sea, China. We estimated individual home ranges and the extent of spatial overlap of home ranges of individually tagged birds in 2012 and 2015, whilst discounting for possible differences in body size, body mass, sex and migration schedule between years. Results We found that home range size was not associated with body mass, arrival date, body size, or sex of the individual. Despite a significant difference in food availability between the two study years, there was no significant change in the 50% and 95% home range size of great knots in the contrasting situations. However, there was a significantly smaller spatial overlap between individuals in the year when food was less available, suggesting that great knots operated more independently when food was scarce than when it was abundant. Conclusions These results suggest that minimizing intraspecific competition became more important when food was scarce. Where it is impossible to monitor all habitats en route, monitoring the local movements of shorebirds may offer a way to detect changes in habitat quality in real time. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:13:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e40df3157fa24e958b1c0ee086c82492 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2051-3933 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:13:11Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Movement Ecology |
| spelling | doaj.art-e40df3157fa24e958b1c0ee086c824922023-10-29T12:40:10ZengBMCMovement Ecology2051-39332023-10-0111111010.1186/s40462-023-00427-9Individuals of a group-living shorebird show smaller home range overlap when food availability is lowHe-Bo Peng0Chi-Yeung Choi1Zhijun Ma2Allert I. Bijleveld3David S. Melville4Theunis Piersma5Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of GroningenDivision of Natural and Applied Sciences, Duke Kunshan UniversityMinistry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity, Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, and Institute of Eco-Chongming (SIEC), School of Life Sciences, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea ResearchGlobal Flyway NetworkGroningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of GroningenAbstract Background Group living animals, such as shorebirds foraging on intertidal mudflats, may use social information about where to find hidden food items. However, flocking also increases intraspecific competition for resources, which may be exacerbated by food scarcity. Therefore, although aggregation may bring benefits, it may also increase the intensity of intraspecific competition. Methods We examined this trade-off in adult great knots Calidris tenuirostris, a molluscivorous long-distance migrating shorebird species, using interannual variation based on 2 years with different levels of food availability during their northward migratory staging in the northern Yellow Sea, China. We estimated individual home ranges and the extent of spatial overlap of home ranges of individually tagged birds in 2012 and 2015, whilst discounting for possible differences in body size, body mass, sex and migration schedule between years. Results We found that home range size was not associated with body mass, arrival date, body size, or sex of the individual. Despite a significant difference in food availability between the two study years, there was no significant change in the 50% and 95% home range size of great knots in the contrasting situations. However, there was a significantly smaller spatial overlap between individuals in the year when food was less available, suggesting that great knots operated more independently when food was scarce than when it was abundant. Conclusions These results suggest that minimizing intraspecific competition became more important when food was scarce. Where it is impossible to monitor all habitats en route, monitoring the local movements of shorebirds may offer a way to detect changes in habitat quality in real time.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-023-00427-9AggregationOverlapMigratory shorebirdsWadersFood shortage |
| spellingShingle | He-Bo Peng Chi-Yeung Choi Zhijun Ma Allert I. Bijleveld David S. Melville Theunis Piersma Individuals of a group-living shorebird show smaller home range overlap when food availability is low Movement Ecology Aggregation Overlap Migratory shorebirds Waders Food shortage |
| title | Individuals of a group-living shorebird show smaller home range overlap when food availability is low |
| title_full | Individuals of a group-living shorebird show smaller home range overlap when food availability is low |
| title_fullStr | Individuals of a group-living shorebird show smaller home range overlap when food availability is low |
| title_full_unstemmed | Individuals of a group-living shorebird show smaller home range overlap when food availability is low |
| title_short | Individuals of a group-living shorebird show smaller home range overlap when food availability is low |
| title_sort | individuals of a group living shorebird show smaller home range overlap when food availability is low |
| topic | Aggregation Overlap Migratory shorebirds Waders Food shortage |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-023-00427-9 |
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