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9 - Consequences of prey distribution for the foraging behaviour of top predators

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2009

C. J. Camphuysen
By
I. J. Staniland ,
P. Trathan  and
A. R. Martin
Edited by
I. L. Boyd  and
S. Wanless
C. J. Camphuysen
Affiliation:
Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
I. J. Staniland
Affiliation:
British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
P. Trathan
Affiliation:
British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
A. R. Martin
Affiliation:
British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
I. L. Boyd
Affiliation:
University of St Andrews, Scotland
S. Wanless
Affiliation:
NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, UK
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Summary

Prey distribution and dynamics have a strong effect on the foraging behaviour of marine predators. Increasingly sophisticated logging devices allow us to measure the behaviour of these predators while they are foraging. In this chapter we show how these behavioural measures can be used to provide insight into the dispersion and patchiness of krill using Antarctic fur seals and macaroni penguins as example predators. We illustrate how a sound understanding of their ecology and the constraints on their foraging is needed to interpret these data. Examples are provided of how simple measures such as the organization of diving and dive depths have been used to detect differences in the distribution of krill both temporally and geographically.

The food web of the Southern Ocean is dominated by Antarctic krill Euphausia superba. Krill occur in loose aggregations and dense swarms, both of which may extend in size from a few metres to several tens of kilometres across (Miller & Hampton 1989). Krill abundance is also subject to large seasonal and annual fluctuations (Brierley et al. 1999). Despite the high levels of spatial and temporal variability, in some areas krill occur in predictable quantities such that large populations of top predators – including penguins, seals, whales and commercially harvested fish species – rely on it as their main food source.

The highly productive oceanic region around South Georgia supports numerous predators that depend on krill as their principal prey. This includes an estimated 2.75 million macaroni penguins (Trathan et al. 1998) and over 3 million Antarctic fur seals (Barlow et al. 2002).

Type
Chapter
Information
Top Predators in Marine Ecosystems
Their Role in Monitoring and Management
 , pp. 131 - 142
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2006

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References

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  • Consequences of prey distribution for the foraging behaviour of top predators
    • By I. J. Staniland, British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK, P. Trathan, British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK, A. R. Martin, British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
  • Edited by I. L. Boyd, University of St Andrews, Scotland, S. Wanless, NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, UK
  • C. J. Camphuysen, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
  • Book: Top Predators in Marine Ecosystems
  • Online publication: 31 July 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511541964.010
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  • Consequences of prey distribution for the foraging behaviour of top predators
    • By I. J. Staniland, British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK, P. Trathan, British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK, A. R. Martin, British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
  • Edited by I. L. Boyd, University of St Andrews, Scotland, S. Wanless, NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, UK
  • C. J. Camphuysen, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
  • Book: Top Predators in Marine Ecosystems
  • Online publication: 31 July 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511541964.010
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Consequences of prey distribution for the foraging behaviour of top predators
    • By I. J. Staniland, British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK, P. Trathan, British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK, A. R. Martin, British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
  • Edited by I. L. Boyd, University of St Andrews, Scotland, S. Wanless, NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, UK
  • C. J. Camphuysen, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
  • Book: Top Predators in Marine Ecosystems
  • Online publication: 31 July 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511541964.010
Available formats
×