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Forage fish to growing chicks: shared food resources between two closely related tern species

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Abstract

The assessment of the relevance of forage fish in seabird diet and how different species partition food resources is fundamental to understand predator–prey relationships. We assessed the importance of forage fish in the diet of Royal (Thalasseus maximus maximus) and Cayenne (T. sandvicensis eurygnathus) terns and their partitioning of food resources during the early and late chick stages of 2013 and 2014 at a colony in Argentina. Direct observation of prey deliveries during chick provisioning showed that diet composition of Royal and Cayenne terns comprised at least 16 and 9 prey species, respectively. In both tern species, Argentine Anchovy (Engraulis anchoita) and five species of silversides (Odontesthes spp.) were the main prey fed to chicks (over 90% contribution, anchovy and silversides pooled). Both tern species fed their chicks with similar prey species, but Royal terns delivered, in general, larger prey than Cayenne terns. Based on carbon and nitrogen isotopic values from chick whole blood samples, Bayesian mixing models showed that anchovies and silversides contributed similarly to the diet of both tern species’ chicks. Both conventional and stable isotope methods showed a high overlap in their trophic niches. Prey sizes delivered to chicks were larger in the late chick stage and the second study season. Wind speed did not have a significant effect on the frequency of the different prey species and sizes delivered to chicks by both tern species. As anchovies and silversides are fishery targets, tern trophic requirements should be considered when planning future fisheries development and management.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos (CCT CONICET-CENPAT) for institutional support and Dirección de Administración de Áreas Protegidas, Ministerio de Asuntos Agrarios Provincia de Buenos Aires for the permits to conduct the research at the Bahía San Blas protected area. Thanks to N. Bovcon and D. Figueroa for help in the determination of prey species, O. Frumento for help in data analysis, and T. Kasinsky for her help in fieldwork.

Funding

This study was funded by Wildlife Conservation Society and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (Project PIP no. 112 01 01061).

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  1. Cristian Marinao

    Present address: Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos, CONICET, Boulevard Brown 2915 (U9120ACV), 9100, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina

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  1. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos, CONICET, Boulevard Brown 2915 (U9120ACV), 9100, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina

    Nicolás Suárez, Alejandro Gatto & Pablo Yorio

  2. Wildlife Conservation Society Argentina, Amenábar 1595, Piso 2, Of. 19 (C1426AKC), Ciudad Autónoma De Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Pablo Yorio

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  1. Cristian Marinao
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Correspondence to Cristian Marinao.

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Animal handling and feather sampling were permitted under appropriate permits (DISPOSICIÓN no 201/12 Dirección de Administración de Áreas Protegidas-Ministerio de Asuntos Agrarios of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina). All applicable international, national, and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

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Marinao, C., Suárez, N., Gatto, A. et al. Forage fish to growing chicks: shared food resources between two closely related tern species. Mar Biol 166, 121 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-019-3570-9

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