Abstract
Morphological variation in biological structures may be driven by genetic and environmental factors, such as inter- and intraspecific competition for resources. In seabirds, although the bill is also involved in vocalization, olfaction, sexual selection and defence, the main drivers of high morphological plasticity in bill size and shape appear to relate primarily to diet and thus to niche differentiation. Here, we combined geometric morphometrics and comparisons of linear measurements as a precise tool for measuring shape variation in anatomical features, to investigate the differences among species and populations (island groups) in bill shape of three planktivorous petrels (Antarctic prion Pachyptila desolata, blue petrel Halobaena caerulea and thin-billed prion Pachyptila belcheri). Fieldwork was carried out in South Georgia (54° 0′ S, 38° 3′ W), Falkland (51° 42′ S, 57° 51′ W), Diego Ramírez (56° 31′ S, 68° 44′ W) and Kerguelen (49° 20′ S, 69° 20′ E) Islands, from 2010 to 2021. Results show that the bills of Antarctic prions were more robust and shorter, appropriate for filtering large amounts of small prey. Blue petrels and thin-billed prions had narrower and longer bills, effective for catching and tearing large single prey. Also, Antarctic prions and blue petrels from Kerguelen had longer and narrower bills than conspecifics from other colonies, which could potentially be explained by geographic variation in diet. In conclusion, prey availability and diversity appear to be important factors influencing variation in bill morphology. This study highlights the utility of geometric morphometrics for investigating bill shape variation in seabirds. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to better understand selective pressures leading to morphological variation of biological structures.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Julia Slezacek, Ruth Brown, Jaume Forcada, Karine Delord and Alexis Veldemann for their help during the fieldwork.
Funding
MIL was funded with an Erasmus+ internship of the European Union. MF was supported by the project CLIFISH (CTM2015-66400-C3-3-R, MINECO/FEDER) co-funded by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of the Spanish government and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). JN was supported by the Spanish National Program Ramón y Cajal (RYC-2015-17809). JN was funded with the Collaborative Gearing Scheme of the NERC Antarctic Funding Initiative. PQ was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) in the framework of the priority programme SPP1154 “Antarctic Research with comparative investigations in Arctic ice areas”. Kerguelen data were supported by the French Polar Institute Paul Emile Victor (IPEV, program no. 354 to FB). Work on Diego Ramírez Islands was supported by Armada de Chile (Chilean Navy, 3rd Naval Zone).
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MIL, MF, JN: conceptualization and methodology. RAP, PQ, FB, CG, MD, CGS, CB undertook the fieldwork and collected the samples. MIL, MF, JN: investigation (compiled and analyzed the data). MIL, MF, JN, RAP, PQ: writing and visualization. All authors: review and editing. All authors have read the submitted version of the manuscript and approve its’ submission.
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Work on South Georgia was approved by the Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB) of the British Antarctic Survey and was carried out under permit from the Government of South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands. Work on New Island was approved by the Falkland Islands Government (Environmental Office). Kerguelen data were supported by the French Polar Institute Paul Emile Victor. Work on Diego Ramírez Islands was supported by Armada de Chile (Chilean Navy, 3rd Naval Zone).
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Laranjeiro, M.I., Farré, M., Phillips, R.A. et al. Variation among species and populations in bill shape and size in three planktivorous petrels. Mar Biol 169, 24 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-04014-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-04014-7