High spatial fidelity among foraging trips of Masked Boobies from Pedro Cays, Jamaica
PLoS ONE
Edited by: William David Halliday
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- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Data Release: USGS data release - At-sea movements of Masked Boobies from Pedro Cays, Jamaica, 2012
- Open Access Version: Publisher Index Page
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Abstract
In marine environments, tropical and subtropical habitats are considered to be inherently less productive than more temperate systems. As such, foraging site fidelity among vertebrate predators occupying low-latitude marine systems is generally low as a response to an increased unpredictability of resources. We investigated the foraging movements of Masked Boobies breeding on Middle Cay, Jamaica using GPS loggers to examine if the presence of a nearby bathymetric feature influenced foraging site fidelity in a tropical system, the Caribbean Sea. According to the movements of tracked individuals, this population of boobies shows a high degree of spatial fidelity in foraging site selection, concentrated on the northern edge of Pedro Bank. We suggest this feature as an important location for marine conservation in the region and demonstrate its utility to foraging boobies via habitat modeling using a maximum entropy approach of relevant habitat variables. Finally, we place this study into the global context of Masked Booby foraging by examining the published literature of relevant tracking studies for population-level similarity in foraging metrics. According to hierarchical clustering of foraging effort, Masked Boobies demonstrate a density-dependent response to foraging effort regardless of colony origin or oceanic basin consistent with the principles of Ashmole’s Halo.
Suggested Citation
Wilkinson, B.P., Haynes-Sutton, A.M., Meggs, L., and Jodice, P.G., 2020, High spatial fidelity among foraging trips of Masked Boobies from Pedro Cays, Jamaica: PLoS ONE, v. 15, no. 4, p. 1-12, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231654.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | High spatial fidelity among foraging trips of Masked Boobies from Pedro Cays, Jamaica |
| Series title | PLoS ONE |
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0231654 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Publication Date | April 27, 2020 |
| Year Published | 2020 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Public Library of Science |
| Contributing office(s) | Coop Res Unit Atlanta |
| Description | e0231654, 12 p. |
| First page | 1 |
| Last page | 12 |
| Country | Jamaica |
| Other Geospatial | Middle Cay, Pedro Bank |