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Diet assessment and vulnerability of White-faced Storm Petrel Pelagodroma marina within a warming hotspot


Authors

MADHULI KARMALKAR1, LAUREN ROMAN1,2, FARZANA KASTURY3, FERNANDO ARCE GONZALEZ1,4 & KERRIE M. SWADLING1,5
1Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7004, Australia (madhulikarmalkar@gmail.com)
2CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, Tasmania 7004, Australia
3STEM, Future Industries Institute, Mawson Lakes, University of South Australia, South Australia 5095, Australia
4Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
5Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7004, Australia

Citation

KARMALKAR, M., ROMAN, L., KASTURY, F., GONZALEZ, F.A. & SWADLING, K.M. 2023. Diet assessment and vulnerability of White-faced Storm Petrel Pelagodroma marina within a warming hotspot. Marine Ornithology 51: 281 - 291
http://doi.org/10.5038/2074-1235.51.2.1545

Received 17 October 2022, accepted 07 July 2023

Date Published: 2023/10/15
Date Online: 2023/10/12
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Key words: White-faced Storm Petrel, Nyctiphanes australis, planktivorous seabirds, Bass Strait, sea surface temperatures, prey species, plastic ingestion

Abstract

Shifts in zooplankton communities due to changing ocean climate can affect foraging patterns among planktivorous seabirds. To better understand seabird response to environmental change in Bass Strait, southeast Australia, we investigated the prey species and 16 elements in prey and feathers of the planktivorous White-faced Storm Petrel Pelagodroma marina. The krill Nyctiphanes australis was the most abundant prey species, followed by several species of post-larval fish; otherwise, the species appeared to be a generalist feeder. Element concentrations of feathers were not significantly influenced by dietary composition. Likewise, element concentrations did not significantly differ between major prey species, confirming that the nutritional profile of these species is likely linked to their seawater environment. Given that White-faced Storm Petrels in Bass Strait substantially rely on a narrow range of prey species, this may increase their vulnerability to events that change their availability. As coastal krill is highly sensitive to sea surface temperatures (SST), the increases in SST predicted under climate change scenarios may alter the timing and abundance of krill swarms, which in turn may affect planktivores, including White-faced Storm Petrels.

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Volumes > 38 (2010-->)

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Volumes 5-17 (1978-89) a.k.a 'Cormorant'