Abstract
Light-level geolocators are increasingly popular devices for tracking migratory birds. However, to ensure that data on migratory behaviour represent natural behaviour that is not affected by potentially harmful effects of carrying such a device, their effects on behaviour and fitness should be assessed. A review of studies that tested for effects of tarsus-mounted light-level geolocators on seabirds showed that results are equivocal and often difficult to interpret due to the inclusion of only few traits and/or the lack of a proper experimental design. We therefore experimentally tested whether tarsus-mounted light-level geolocators affected a long-distance migratory seabird, the Common Tern Sterna hirundo. Using a well-matched treatment and control group, including both males and females, we tested whether light-level geolocators, deployed in the second half of incubation, affected the subsequent share of incubation, provisioning rate, reproductive performance, phenology or survival of tagged birds or their partners. In the year of deployment, we found no evidence for the behaviour of tagged birds or their partners to be affected by the geolocators. Moreover, we found no effect on their reproductive performance and departure date from the breeding colony. Finally, neither local survival to the next season, nor arrival date to the breeding colony in that season differed between tagged birds or their partners and control birds. These results suggest that a year of carrying a light-level geolocator attached to the tarsus has negligible effects on Common Terns and that such a device can be used to study their migratory behaviour without causing problems or introducing bias.
Zusammenfassung
Keine nachweisbaren Effekte von Helldunkelgeolokatoren auf das Verhalten und die Fitness eines langstreckenziehenden Seevogels
Helldunkelgeolokatoren werden immer häufiger für das Aufzeichnen der Wanderwege von Zugvögeln eingesetzt. Um sicherzustellen, dass die Daten zur Wanderung ein natürliches Verhalten widergeben, sollten die potentiellen Effekte des Tragens eines Geolokators auf das Verhalten und die Fitness der Vögel vorab untersucht werden. Eine Begutachtung von wissenschaftlichen Studien, in denen die Effekte eines am Bein befestigten Helldunkelgeolokators auf verschiedene Seevögel untersucht wurden, zeigte, dass die Ergebnisse nicht eindeutig und oft schwierig zu interpretieren sind. Dies liegt vor allem daran, dass nur wenige Merkmale untersucht wurden und/oder kein geeignetes experimentelles Design vorlag. Deshalb untersuchten wir, ob ein am Bein befestigter Helldunkelgeolokator einen Effekt auf einen langstreckenziehenden Seevogel, die Flussseeschwalbe (Sterna hirundo), hat. Hierzu führten wir ein Experiment durch, in dem die Untersuchungs- und Kontrollgruppe ausgewogen waren und beide Geschlechter enthielten. Die aus der Untersuchungsgruppe ausgewählten Vögel wurden in der zweiten Hälfte der Inkubationszeit beloggert. So testeten wir, ob Helldunkelgeolokatoren den anschließenden Anteil der Inkubation, die Versorgungsrate der Küken, die Reproduktionsleistung, die Phänologie oder das Überleben der beloggerten Vögel oder das ihrer nicht-beloggerten Partner beeinflussten. In dem Jahr der Beloggerung fanden wir keinen Hinweis darauf, dass das Verhalten der beloggerten Vögel oder das ihrer Partner durch die Geolokatoren beeinflusst wurde. Darüber hinaus fanden wir keinen Effekt auf die Reproduktionsleistung und den Abzugszeitpunkt von der Brutkolonie. In der darauffolgenden Saison unterschieden sich weder die lokale Überlebensrate noch der Ankunftszeitpunkt in der Brutkolonie zwischen den beloggerten Vögeln oder ihren Partnern und den Kontrollvögeln. Diese Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass die Beloggerung mit einem Helldunkelgeolokator für den Zeitraum von einem Jahr vernachlässigbare Effekte auf Flussseeschwalben hat. Daher gehen wir davon aus, dass ein solcher Logger für die Untersuchung des Wanderverhaltens verwendet werden kann, ohne die Vögel zu beeinträchtigen oder die Ergebnisse zu beeinflussen.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Juliane Riechert, Anika Neu, Alessio Paoletti, Mathias Herold, Marie Bourgeois, Rieke Schäfer and Götz Wagenknecht for their help in the field. The manuscript was improved by constructive comments of two anonymous reviewers. NK was supported by the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) and the German Ornithologists' Society (DO-G), HS by the German Research Foundation (SCHM 2647/2-1) and JG by the Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad of Spain (CGL2016-78530-R) and fondos FEDER.
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Kürten, N., Vedder, O., González-Solís, J. et al. No detectable effect of light-level geolocators on the behaviour and fitness of a long-distance migratory seabird. J Ornithol 160, 1087–1095 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-019-01686-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-019-01686-3