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Differences in food delivered to chicks by males and females of little auks (Alle alle) on South Spitsbergen

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Abstract

Sex differences in the quality and quantity of food loads brought to little auk (Alle alle) chicks were investigated in a large colony in Hornsund (South Spitsbergen). Adults returning to the colony were caught in mist-nets and food loads were taken from their gular pouch. The sex of each bird was determined by means of molecular methods. Females brought significantly more food per single load than males in terms of wet weight (30% more on average), number of prey items (46%) and energy contents (39%). However, there was no difference between the sexes in the size of prey taken. Energy-rich Calanus glacialis, originating from cold Arctic waters, was the most frequent prey item and made up the majority of food loads brought by both males and females (75 and 72%, respectively). This indicates that both sexes forage mainly in Arctic waters. However, differences in the proportion of cold water Calanus species (C. glacialis and C. hyperboreus), warm water Calanus species (C. finmarchicus), as well as other taxa, between males and females may suggest different ways of exploiting the feeding area.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful to Katarzyna Dmoch for her help with calculations of caloric values of food samples. We thank Prof. Lech Stempniewicz for critical comments on the first version of the manuscript. Thanks to Nina Karnovsky and two anonymous referees for helpful comments on the earlier version of the paper. This project was supported by grants of the University of Gdańsk (BW 1140-5-0205-4), BioMobil, the Polish State Committee for Scientific Research (2P04F04926) and the National Centre for Biosystematics, Natural History Museum, Oslo University. All birds were handled under the permission of the Norwegian Animal Research Authority and the Governor of Svalbard.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, University of Gdańsk, Legionów 9, 80-441, Gdansk, Poland

    Katarzyna Wojczulanis & Dariusz Jakubas

  2. Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstanców Warszawy 55, 81-712, Sopot, Poland

    Wojciech Walkusz

  3. Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, 1172, Blindern, 0318, Oslo, Norway

    Liv Wennerberg

Authors
  1. Katarzyna Wojczulanis
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  2. Dariusz Jakubas
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  3. Wojciech Walkusz
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  4. Liv Wennerberg
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Correspondence to Katarzyna Wojczulanis.

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Communicated by P.H. Becker

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Wojczulanis, K., Jakubas, D., Walkusz, W. et al. Differences in food delivered to chicks by males and females of little auks (Alle alle) on South Spitsbergen. J Ornithol 147, 543–548 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-006-0077-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-006-0077-1

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