Papers by Petra Quillfeldt
Distant populations of animals may share their non-breeding grounds or migrate to distinct areas,... more Distant populations of animals may share their non-breeding grounds or migrate to distinct areas, and this may have important consequences for population differentiation and dynam-ics. Small burrow-nesting seabirds provide a suitable case study, as they are often restrict-ed to safe breeding sites on islands, resulting in a patchy breeding distribution. For example, Thin-billed prions Pachyptila belcheri have two major breeding colonies more than 8,000 km apart, on the Falkland Islands in the south-western Atlantic and in the Ker-guelen Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. We used geolocators and stable isotopes to com-pare at-sea movements and trophic levels of these two populations during their non-breeding season, and applied ecological niche models to compare environmental condi-tions in the habitat. Over three winters, birds breeding in the Atlantic showed a high consis-tency in their migration routes. Most individuals migrated more than 3000 km eastwards, while very few remained o...
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Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
The oceans become increasingly contaminated as a result of global industrial production and consu... more The oceans become increasingly contaminated as a result of global industrial production and consumer behaviour, and this affects wildlife in areas far removed from sources of pollution. Migratory seabirds such as storm-petrels may forage in areas with different contaminant levels throughout the annual cycle and may show a carry-over of mercury from the winter quarters to the breeding sites. In this study, we compared mercury levels among seven species of storm-petrels breeding on the Antarctic South Shetlands and subantarctic Kerguelen Islands, in temperate waters of the Chatham Islands, New Zealand, and in temperate waters of the Pacific off Mexico. We tested for differences in the level of contamination associated with breeding and inter-breeding distribution and trophic position. We collected inert body feathers and metabolically active blood samples in ten colonies, reflecting long-term (feathers) and short-term (blood) exposures during different periods ranging from early non-b...
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Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Accelerometers capture rapid changes in animal motion, and the analysis of large quantities of su... more Accelerometers capture rapid changes in animal motion, and the analysis of large quantities of such data using machine learning algorithms enables the inference of broad animal behaviour categories such as foraging, flying, and resting over long periods of time. We deployed GPS-GSM/GPRS trackers with tri-axial acceleration sensors on common woodpigeons (Columba palumbus) from Hesse, Germany (forest and urban birds) and from Lisbon, Portugal (urban park). We used three machine learning algorithms, Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, and Extreme Gradient Boosting, to classify the main behaviours of the birds, namely foraging, flying, and resting and calculated time budgets over the breeding and winter season. Woodpigeon time budgets varied between seasons, with more foraging time during the breeding season than in winter. Also, woodpigeons from different sites showed differences in the time invested in foraging. The proportion of time woodpigeons spent foraging was lowest in the fo...
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This will be an excellent opportunity to present and discuss your own work among your peers and g... more This will be an excellent opportunity to present and discuss your own work among your peers and get in touch with selected senior Ornithologists in a relaxed environment.
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Polar Biology
Host–parasite interactions include effects on both proximate and ultimate levels: parasite infect... more Host–parasite interactions include effects on both proximate and ultimate levels: parasite infections affect individual’s fitness and play a significant role in shaping the life history of host species. Global environmental changes as well as significant shifts in abiotic factors might impact the dynamics of parasite–host interactions, especially in Arctic regions, where the climate is changing at an alarming rate. With global warming, parasites and their vectors are predicted to spread to polar latitudes, and it is crucial to follow the changes occurring in the ecosystems in the era of global changes. We studied blood parasites (Haemosporidae) of passerine birds (Passeriformes: Aves) in southwest Yamal (north-western Siberia) using genetic and morphological methods. We found an overall parasite prevalence of 76.3%, with highest values for Leucocytozoon (72.0%) and lower values for Parahaemoproteus and Plasmodium (8.9 and 8.2%, respectively). We determined 26 genetic lineages in tot...
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Animals
Pelagic seabirds cover large distances efficiently and thus may reach a variety of marine habitat... more Pelagic seabirds cover large distances efficiently and thus may reach a variety of marine habitats during breeding. Previous studies using stable isotope data and geolocators suggested that Thin-billed Prions breeding in the Falkland Islands in the Southwest Atlantic may forage in temperate waters over the Patagonian Shelf or cross the Drake Passage to forage in Antarctic waters south of the Polar Front. We deployed miniature GPS dataloggers to track Thin-billed prions in the Falkland Islands during incubation (3 seasons) and chick-rearing (2 seasons). Thin-billed Prions had a wide distribution during incubation, covering latitudes between 43 and 60° S, with trip lengths of ca. 2000 km over seven days, on average. Thin-billed Prions from two nearby sites (60 km apart) were spatially segregated in their incubation trips, with New Island Thin-billed Prions foraging over the Patagonian Shelf, compared to Thin-billed Prions from Bird Island, that foraged in the region of the Polar Front...
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Microorganisms
Haemosporida, vector-transmitted blood parasites, can have various effects and may also exert sel... more Haemosporida, vector-transmitted blood parasites, can have various effects and may also exert selection pressures on their hosts. In this study we analyse the presence of Haemosporida in a previously unstudied migratory seabird species, the red-throated diver Gavia stellata. Red-throated divers were sampled during winter and spring in the eastern German Bight (North Sea). We used molecular methods and data from a related tracking study to reveal (i) if red-throated divers are infected with Haemosporida of the genera Leucocytozoon, Plasmodium and Haemoproteus, and (ii) how infection and prevalence are linked with the breeding regions of infected individuals. Divers in this study were assigned to western Palearctic breeding grounds, namely Greenland, Svalbard, Norway and Arctic Russia. We found a prevalence of Leucocytozoon of 11.0% in all birds sampled (n = 45), of 33.0% in birds breeding in Norway (n = 3) and of 8.3% in birds breeding in Arctic Russia (n = 25). For two birds that we...
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Open Access Animal Physiology, 2010
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<p>Feather δ<sup>13</sup>C and δ<sup>15</sup>N values of thin-bille... more <p>Feather δ<sup>13</sup>C and δ<sup>15</sup>N values of thin-billed prions from the Falklands (green) and Kerguelen Islands (red) grown in the nonbreeding area in 2010 and 2012, respectively (N = 20 per year). Note one thin-billed prion from the Falklands with very high stable isotope values (marked “outlier”). This bird did not migrate, but spent the whole nonbreeding season on the Patagonian Shelf. The signature of chick feathers of cape petrel (CP) and snow petrel (SP) from Adélie Land illustrate the δ<sup>13</sup>C values of species known to forage in high-Antarctic waters where they feed primarily on crustaceans and fish, respectively [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0125007#pone.0125007.ref053" target="_blank">53</a>], authors’ unpublished data); the signature of chick down of black-browed albatross from New Island refers to a species that forage over the Patagonian shelf and feed on high trophic level prey [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0125007#pone.0125007.ref054" target="_blank">54</a>, <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0125007#pone.0125007.ref055" target="_blank">55</a>].</p
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Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Even in areas as remote as the Southern Ocean, marine organisms are exposed to contaminants that ... more Even in areas as remote as the Southern Ocean, marine organisms are exposed to contaminants that arrive through long-range atmospheric transport, such as mercury (Hg), a highly toxic metal. In previous studies in the Southern Ocean, inter-specific differences in Hg contamination in seabirds was generally related to their distribution and trophic position. However, the Blue Petrel (Halobaena caerulea) was a notable exception among small seabirds, with higher Hg levels than expected. In this study, we compared the Hg contamination of Blue Petrels and Thin-billed Prions (Pachyptila belcheri), which both spend the non-breeding season in polar waters, with that of Antarctic Prions (Pachyptila desolata), which spend the winter in subtropical waters. We collected body feathers and blood samples, representing exposure during different time-frames. Hg concentrations in feathers, which reflect contamination throughout the annual cycle, were related to δ13C values, and varied with ocean basin ...
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BMC Ecology, 2020
Background While nitrogen and carbon stable isotope values can reflect ecological segregation, pr... more Background While nitrogen and carbon stable isotope values can reflect ecological segregation, prey choice and spatial distribution in seabirds, the interpretation of bulk stable isotope values is frequently hampered by a lack of isotopic baseline data. In this study, we used compound-specific isotope analyses of amino acids (CSIA-AA) to overcome this constraint and to study interspecific differences, seasonal and historical changes in trophic positions of five seabird species, three penguins and two petrels, from a sub-Antarctic seabird community. Results CSIA-AA allowed comparing trophic positions of seabirds with temperate and polar distributions. Gentoo and Magellanic penguins had the highest trophic positions during the breeding season (3.7 and 3.9), but decreased these (2.9 and 3.3) during the feed-up for moult. Intra-specific differences were also detected in Thin-billed prions, where carbon isotope values clearly separated individuals with polar and temperate distributions, ...
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International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 2021
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PLOS ONE, 2018
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Scientific Reports, 2018
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Marine Biology, 2017
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ABSTRACT
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Journal of Ornithology, 2012
ABSTRACT Stable isotope analysis (SIA) is used in the study of trophic relationships in food webs... more ABSTRACT Stable isotope analysis (SIA) is used in the study of trophic relationships in food webs, being also a powerful tool for the study of intraspecific diet segregation. Unlike short-term data from most conventional diet studies, SIA can also provide information about times when seabirds stay out at sea and are thus not easily accessible. Imperial Shags Phalacrocorax atriceps are resident seabirds showing sexual dimorphism in body size. Previous studies showed strong intra-species dietary segregation between male and female Imperial Shags during the breeding season. Between 2006 and 2009 at New Island in the Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas (southwest Atlantic), we investigated if intraspecific differences were also present between age-groups, namely adults and immature males. We further tested if differences existed over the year, particularly during the non-breeding season. Finally, we tested if differences were consistent among studied years. We found no differences in δ13C values between immature and adult males. However, lower δ15N values indicated feeding at lower trophic levels for immatures. This might be explained by poorer hunting abilities of young, inexperienced birds, compared to adults. In both the breeding and non-breeding seasons, differences among years in both δ13C and δ15N suggest that the foraging behaviour of the shags differed among years in terms of spatial distribution and trophic level. Males consistently foraged on a higher trophic level than females and had lower δ13C values, which is in line with the use of foraging areas further offshore.
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Polar Biology, 2007
... by stable isotope analysis Anja Gladbach Æ Rona AR McGill Æ Petra Quillfeldt Received: 5 July... more ... by stable isotope analysis Anja Gladbach Æ Rona AR McGill Æ Petra Quillfeldt Received: 5 July 2006 / Revised: 16 January 2007 / Accepted: 16 January 2007 / Published online: 13 March 2007 Ó Springer-Verlag 2007 ... 2002; Bost et al. 2004; Clarke et al. 2003; Nicholls etal. ...
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PLoS ONE, 2013
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Papers by Petra Quillfeldt