Filling the groove: energy flow to seabirds in the Beagle Channel, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Abstract
We assessed the energy requirements and the food consumption of the seabird community of the Beagle Channel in summer. We evaluated differences in energy flow among a priori established zones in the study area and among species. We converted data on densities of seabirds in the channel (February and March 1997) into energy demands. Energy flow to seabirds in shallow waters was twice that of in deep waters. Average energy flow in the whole study area was 9.46×104 kJ.km-2.day-1. Energy intake rates ranged 4-13×104 kJ.km-2.day-1, being higher in zones that include breeding sites or close to them. Imperial Cormorant was the major contributor to energy flow in all the zones followed by the Black-browed Albatross. Kelp Gull was the major contributor in areas where food from human origin was available. Energy flow was similar in four zones, which may represent a saturation point for seabird biomass in the Beagle Channel. The factors that explain the observed energy flow distribution deal with the distribution of shallow water areas in the channel, the presence of seabirdís colonies, the proportion of diver and surface feeders, and the possible segregation of, at least, the most abundant species. Finally, food consumption varied from 1.71-3.42 ton/day, being higher near breeding colonies and lower in areas with more open waters.
References
COOPER, J. 1978. Energetic requirements for growth and maintenance of the Cape Gannet (Aves: Sulidae). Zoologica Afr. 13:307-317.
CROXALL, JP & PA PRINCE. 1980. Food, feeding ecology and segregation of seabirds at South Georgia. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 14:103-131.
CROXALL, JP; C RICKETTS & PA PRINCE. 1984. Impacts of seabirds on marine resources, especially krill, at South Georgia waters. Pp. 285-317 in: GC Whittow &
Rahnn (eds). Seabird energetics. Plenum Press, New York. EVERSON, I. 1977. The living resources of the Southern Ocean. Food and Agricultural Organization, Southern Ocean Fisheries Survey Programme, Roma.
FURNESS, RW. 1978. Energy requirements of seabirds communities: a bioenergetic model. J. Anim. Ecol. 47:39-53.
FURNESS, RW & J COOPER. 1982. Interactions between breeding seabird and pelagic fish populations in the southern Benguela region. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 8:243-250.
HUMPHREY, PS; D BRIDGE; PW REYNOLDS & RT PETERSON. 1970. Birds of Isla Grande (Tierra del Fuego). Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. 411 pp.
HUNT, GL. 1985. A preliminary comparison of marine bird biomass and food consumption between the southeastern Bering Sea and parts of the Southern Ocean. Pp. 487-492 in: WR Siegfred; PR Condy & RM Laws (eds). Antarctic nutrient cycles and food webs. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
HUNT, GL; B BURGERSON & GA SANGER. 1981. Feeding ecology of seabirds of the eastern Bering Sea. Pp. 629-648 in: DW Hood & JS Calder (eds). The eastern Bering Sea shelf: oceanography and resources. Vol 2. US Gov. Printing Office, Washington DC.
IDYLL, CP. 1973. The anchovy crisis. Sci. Am.228:22-29.
JOIRIS, CR. 1996. At-sea distribution of seabirds and marine mammals around Svalbard, summer 1991. Polar Biol. 16:423-429.
KENDEIGH, SC. 1970. Energy requirements for existence in relation to size of birds. Condor 72:60-65.
KLOSER, H. 1996. Hydrography of the Beagle Channel. Pp. 18-20 in: W Arntz & M Gorny (eds). Cruise report of the joint Chilean-German-Italian Magellan "Victor Hensen" campaign in 1994. Berichte zur Polarforschung 19. Bremerhaven, Alemania.
KOOYMAN, GL; RW DAVIS; JP CROXALL & DP COSTA. 1982. Diving depths and energy requirements of King Penguins. Science 217:726-727.
LASIEWSKI, RC & WR DAWSON. 1967. A re-examination of the relation between standard metabolic rate and body weights in birds. Condor 69:13-23.
MORENO, CA & HF JARA. 1994. Ecological studies on fish fauna associated with Macrocystis pyrifera belts in the south of Fueguian Islands, Chile. Mar. Ecol.
Prog. Ser. 15:99-107.
PUNTA, GE; JRC SARAVIA & PM YORIO. 1993. The diet and foraging behaviour of two Patagonian cormorants. Mar. Ornithol. 21:27-36.
RAYA REY, A & ACM SCHIAVINI. 2000. Distribution, abundance and associations of seabirds in the Beagle Channel, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Polar Biol. 23:338-345.
SANGER, GA. 1972. Preliminary standing stock and biomass estimates of seabirds in the subarctic Pacific region. Pp. 589-611 in: AY Takenouti et al. (eds).
Biological oceanography of the northern North Pacific Ocean. Idemitsu Shoten, Tokyo. 626 pp.
SANTELICES, B. 1991. Littoral and sublittoral communities of continental Chile. Pp. 347-369 in: AC Mathieson & PH Nienhuis (eds). Intertidal and littoral ecosystems. Ecosystems of the world. Vol. 24. Elsevier, Amsterdam. 564 pp.
SCHIAVINI, AC & P YORIO. 1995. Distribution and abundance of seabird colonies in the Argentine sector of the Beagle Channel, Tierra del Fuego. Mar. Ornithol. 23:39-46.
SCHIAVINI, ACM. 1990 Estudio de la relación entre el hombre y los pinnípedos en el proceso adaptativo humano al Canal Beagle, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Tesis doctoral. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
SCHNEIDER, DC & GL HUNT. 1982. Carbon flux to seabirds in waters with different mixing regimes in the southeastern Bering Sea. Mar. Biol. 67:337-344.
SCHNEIDER, DC; GL HUNT & NM HARRISON. 1986. Mass and energy transfer to seabirds in the southeastern Bering Sea. Cont. Shelf Res. 5:241-257.
STAHL, JC; P JOUVENTIN; JL MOUGIN; JP ROUX & H WEIMERSKIRCH. 1985. The foraging zones of seabirdsin the Crozet Islands sector of the Southern Ocean. Pp. 478-486 in: WR Siegried; PR Condy & RM Laws (eds.) Antarctic nutrient cycles and food webs. Springer- Verlag, Berlin.
TASKER, ML; P HOPE JONES; T DIXON & BF BLAKE. 1984. Counting seabirds at sea from ships: a review of methods employed and a suggestion for a standardized approach. Auk 101:567-577.
WIENS, JA. 1984. Modeling the energetic requirements of seabirds populations. Pp. 255-84 in: GC Whittow & H Rahnn (eds). Seabird energetics. Plenum Press, New York.
WIENS, JA. 1989. The ecology of bird communities. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 315 pp.
WIENS, JA; RG FORD; D HEINEMANN & C FIEBER. 1979. Simulation modelling of marine bird population energetics, food consumption and sensitivity to perturbation. Environ. Assess. Alaskan Cont. Shelf. 1:217-270.
WIENS, JA & JM SCOTT. 1975. Model estimation of energy flow in Oregon coastal seabird populations. Condor 77:430-452.
WOEHLER, EJ. 1990. The distribution of seabird biomass in the Australian Antarctic Territory: implications for conservation. Environ. Conserv. 17:256-261.
WOEHLER, EJ. 1997. Seabird abundance, biomass and prey consumption within Prydz Bay, Antarctica 1980/1981-1992/1993. Polar Biol. 17:371-383.
WOEHLER, EJ & K GREEN. 1992. Consumption of marine resources by seabirds and seals at Heard Island and the McDonald Islands. Polar Biol. 12:659-665.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors retain their rights as follows: 1) by granting the journal the right to its first publication, and 2) by registering the published article with a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which allows authors and third parties to view and use it as long as they clearly mention its origin (citation or reference, including authorship and first publication in this journal). Authors can make other non-exclusive distribution agreements as long as they clearly indicate their origin and are encouraged to widely share and disseminate the published version of their work.
