Influence of density-dependent competition on foraging and migratory behavior of a subtropical colonial seabird.

ABSTRACT: Density-dependent competition for food resources influences both foraging ecology and reproduction in a variety of animals. The relationship between colony size, local prey depletion, and reproductive output in colonial central-place foragers has been extensively studied in seabirds; however, most studies have focused on effects of intraspecific competition during the breeding season, while little is known about whether density-dependent resource depletion influences individual migratory behavior outside the breeding season. Using breeding colony size as a surrogate for intraspecific resource competition, we tested for effects of colony size on breeding home range, nestling health, and migratory patterns of a nearshore colonial seabird, the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), or

SUBMITTER: Lamb JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5574757 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature