TY - JOUR

T1 - Selective foraging behavior of seabirds in small-scale slicks

AU - Lieber, Lilian

AU - Füchtencordsjürgen, Cynthia

AU - Hilder, Rebecca L.

AU - Revering, Paula J.

AU - Siekmann, Inka

AU - Langrock, Roland

AU - Nimmo-Smith, W. Alex M.

N1 - Research Funding Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) European Union's INTERREG VA Programme SFB TRR 212 (NC3) German Research Foundation (DFG)

PY - 2023/4

Y1 - 2023/4

N2 - Marine predator foraging opportunities are often driven by dynamic physical processes enhancing prey accessibility. Surface slicks are ubiquitous yet ephemeral ocean features where convergent flows accumulate flotsam, concentrating marine organisms and pollutants. Slicks can manifest on the sea surface as meandering lines and seabirds often associate with slicks. Yet, how slicks may influence the fine-scale foraging behavior of seabirds is only coarsely resolved. Here we show that seabirds selectively forage in small-scale slicks. We used aerial drone technology to track surface-foraging terns (Sternidae, 107 tracks) over evolving slicks advected by the mean flow and reshaped by localized turbulence at scales of meters and seconds. Terns were more likely to switch into high-tortuosity foraging behavior when over slicks, with plunge-dive events occurring significantly more often within slicks. As we demonstrate that terns select dynamic slicks for foraging, our approach will also lend itself to interaction studies with pollutants, plumes, and fronts.

AB - Marine predator foraging opportunities are often driven by dynamic physical processes enhancing prey accessibility. Surface slicks are ubiquitous yet ephemeral ocean features where convergent flows accumulate flotsam, concentrating marine organisms and pollutants. Slicks can manifest on the sea surface as meandering lines and seabirds often associate with slicks. Yet, how slicks may influence the fine-scale foraging behavior of seabirds is only coarsely resolved. Here we show that seabirds selectively forage in small-scale slicks. We used aerial drone technology to track surface-foraging terns (Sternidae, 107 tracks) over evolving slicks advected by the mean flow and reshaped by localized turbulence at scales of meters and seconds. Terns were more likely to switch into high-tortuosity foraging behavior when over slicks, with plunge-dive events occurring significantly more often within slicks. As we demonstrate that terns select dynamic slicks for foraging, our approach will also lend itself to interaction studies with pollutants, plumes, and fronts.

U2 - 10.1002/lol2.10289

DO - 10.1002/lol2.10289

M3 - Letter

VL - 8

SP - 286

EP - 294

JO - Limnology and Oceanography Letters

JF - Limnology and Oceanography Letters

IS - 2

M1 - 10289

ER -