Individual and population level dispersal of black-browed albatrosses Diomedea melanophris and grey-headed albatrosses D. chrysostoma in response to Antarctic krill

Veit, Richard R.; Prince, Peter A.. 1997 Individual and population level dispersal of black-browed albatrosses Diomedea melanophris and grey-headed albatrosses D. chrysostoma in response to Antarctic krill. Ardea, 85. 129-134.

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Abstract/Summary

Two congeneric albatrosses, Black-browed Diomedea melanophris and Grey-headed Albatrosses D. chrysostoma that nest at South Georgia have diets that differ mainly with respect to the amount of Antarctic Krill Euphausia superba consumed, the former being more of a krill specialist. We quantified albatross foraging behaviour both from ships using binoculars and from land using satellite-tracked transmitters. Black-browed Albatrosses changed their movement behaviour in the vicinity of krill swarms whereas Grey-headed Albatrosses did not. We compared the patterns of population dispersal of both species around South Georgia in three years of very different krill abundance. In 1994, a year of exceptional krill scarcity, Black-browed, but not Grey-headed, Albatrosses dispersed much farther offshore than during either 1986 or 1993, years of plentiful krill. The tendency for Black-browed Albatrosses to disperse farther offshore when krill was scarce was confirmed both by satellite tracking and by offshore surveys of population distribution.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Programmes:	BAS Programmes > Pre 2000 programme
ISSN:	03732266
Date made live:	10 Oct 2016 10:48 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/514766

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Programmes:

BAS Programmes > Pre 2000 programme

ISSN:

03732266

Date made live:

10 Oct 2016 10:48 +0 (UTC)

URI:

https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/514766