Published November 30, 2022 | Version v1
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Partner intrinsic characteristics influence foraging trip duration, but not coordination of care in wandering albatrosses Diomedea exulans

  • 1. University of Liverpool
  • 2. Centre national de la recherche scientifique
  • 3. University of Sheffield
  • 4. Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle*

Description

1. Long-lived monogamous species gain long-term fitness benefits by equalising effort during bi-parental care. For example, many seabird species coordinate care by matching foraging trip durations within pairs.

2. Age affects coordination in some seabird species; however, the impact of other intrinsic traits, including personality, on potential intraspecific variation in coordination strength is less well understood.

3. The impacts of pair members' intrinsic traits on trip duration and coordination strength were investigated using data from saltwater immersion loggers deployed on 71 pairs of wandering albatrosses Diomedea exulans. These were modelled against pair members' age, boldness and their partner's previous trip duration.

4. At the population level, the birds exhibited some coordination of parental care that was of equal strength during incubation and chick-brooding. However, there was low variation in coordination between pairs and coordination strength was unaffected by the birds' boldness or age in either breeding stage. Surprisingly, during incubation, foraging trip duration was mainly driven by partner traits, as birds that were paired to older and bolder partners took shorter trips. During chick-brooding, shorter foraging trips were associated with greater boldness in focal birds and their partners, but age had no effect.

5. These results suggest that an individual's assessment of their partner's capacity or willingness to provide care may be a major driver of trip duration, thereby highlighting the importance of accounting for pair behaviour when studying parental care strategies.

Notes

Software-specific information needed to interpret the data: Data processed in R, packages used: library(dplyr) library(MuMIn) library(ggplot2) library(lme4) library(tidyverse) library(optimx) library(knitr) library(car) library(effects) library(sjPlot)

Funding provided by: Natural Environment Research Council
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000270
Award Number: NE/S00713X/1

Funding provided by: Institut Polaire Français Paul Emile Victor
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004796
Award Number:

Funding provided by: Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100011001
Award Number:

Funding provided by: European Research Council
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000781
Award Number:

Funding provided by: Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100011592
Award Number:

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Waal_Intrinsic_Variables_and_Parental_Care_Coordination_Rmarkdown.pdf

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Additional details

Related works

Is derived from
10.5061/dryad.q573n5tnm (DOI)