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Testing olfactory foraging strategies in an Antarctic seabird assemblage.
Gabrielle Nevitt1, Keith Reid, Phil Trathan
1Section of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behaviour, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA. ganevitt@ucdavis.edu
The Journal of Experimental Biology
|September 2, 2004
Summary
Procellariiform seabirds use species-specific strategies to find prey. Their responses to krill scent (3-methyl pyrazine) varied by species, indicating complex foraging behaviors beyond simple smell tracking.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Ornithology
- Animal Behavior
- Chemical Ecology
Background:
- Procellariiform seabirds, including petrels, albatrosses, and shearwaters, undertake extensive foraging trips.
- These seabirds possess a highly developed sense of smell, yet the precise mechanisms of prey detection using olfactory cues remain unclear.
- Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) is a vital food source, and pyrazines are key scent compounds associated with it.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate species-specific olfactory responses of Procellariiform seabirds to 3-methyl pyrazine, a compound found in Antarctic krill.
- To understand how these seabirds utilize scent cues for locating prey patches in the marine environment.
- To test the hypothesis that foraging strategies are complex and species-dependent.
Main Methods:
- Field experiments were conducted near South Georgia Island, presenting seabirds with vegetable oil slicks scented with 3-methyl pyrazine or unscented controls.
- Herring oil, a known olfactory attractant, was used as a positive control to assess general responses.
- Seabird sightings at experimental slicks were recorded and compared across different treatments and species.
Main Results:
- Responses to 3-methyl pyrazine were highly species-specific.
- Cape petrels, giant petrels, and white-chinned petrels showed significantly higher attraction to pyrazine-scented slicks compared to controls.
- Black-browed albatrosses were exclusively attracted to pyrazine slicks, while storm-petrels, shearwaters, and prions showed no differential response to pyrazine.
Conclusions:
- The study supports the hypothesis that Procellariiform seabirds employ complex, species-specific foraging strategies.
- Olfactory cues, particularly krill-derived pyrazines, play a role in prey detection, but their utilization varies significantly among species.
- Foraging behavior is likely a combination of factors, not solely reliant on scent tracking.