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Updated: Jul 4, 2025
09:31
Author Spotlight: Advancing Coral Research by Exploring Climate Change Resistance, Ex Situ Aquaculture, and Reproduction Strategies
Published on: June 23, 2023
1.4K
A new trophic specialization buffers a top predator against climate-driven resource instability.
Laura Gangoso1, Duarte S Viana2, Marina Merchán2
1Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, C/Antonio Novais 12, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
Summary
Eleonora's falcons in the Canary Islands developed a new feeding strategy, preying on petrels. This behavioral adaptation stabilized their breeding success despite fluctuating food availability, maintaining population diversity.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Animal Behavior
- Conservation Biology
Background:
- Intraspecific phenotypic variability is crucial for adapting to environmental changes.
- Observing behavioral diversification in natural populations is challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the impact of a new trophic strategy on Eleonora's falcon population dynamics.
- Assess how exploiting an alternative prey (petrels) affects breeding performance, population structure, and fitness.
Main Methods:
- Utilized long-term data (2007-2022) from Eleonora's falcons in the Canary Islands.
- Analyzed breeding performance, population structure, and fitness in relation to prey availability and a new trophic strategy.
- Examined the association between color morph and prey specialization.
Main Results:
- Exploitation of petrels led to the growth of a previously residual falcon colony.
- Falcons in the petrel-specialized colony exhibited earlier nesting and higher fledgling rates.
- Specialization on petrels increased over time, buffering productivity during low food availability.
- Dark morph falcons showed higher petrel predation rates than pale morphs.
Conclusions:
- Emergence of an alternative trophic strategy can buffer populations against environmental fluctuations.
- Trophic diversification stabilizes productivity and may promote the maintenance of genotypic and phenotypic diversity.
- Behavioral plasticity is key for species survival in changing environments.
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