Effects of temperature on gular fluttering and evaporative water loss in four sympatric cormorants in southern Africa

Climate change continues to cause rising air and sea surface temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns across the globe. Many seabirds will be challenged by increasing temperatures because they must balance conflicting adaptations for dealing with cold environments when foraging and hot environments when nesting. Heat stressed seabirds often gular flutter for thermoregulation, a behaviour that is effective for dissipating heat but expensive in terms of evaporative water loss. This study examined gular fluttering behaviour of four species of southern African cormorants, crowned ( Microcarbo coronatus ), Cape ( Phalacrocorax capensis ), bank ( Phalacrocorax neglectus ), and white-breasted ( Phalacrocorax carbolucidus) cormorants. Results show that gular fluttering is influenced by temperature, body position and body size. Gular fluttering increases with temperature and larger cormorant species spend a greater proportion of time gular fluttering for a given temperature. Threshold temperatures for initiating gular fluttering are lower for large than for small cormorant species. Proportions of time spent gular fluttering are higher when birds are sitting than when crouching over the nest. Water loss shows the same pattern as gular fluttering, with the larger species estimated to lose a higher percentage of their daily water intake. Larger cormorant species can lose as much as 40% of their daily ingested water after eight hours of gular fluttering. These findings indicate that temperature increases from climate change will likely have serious direct impacts on nesting cormorant colonies in southern Africa. Gular fluttering could increase by as much as 25% by 2100 under current projected temperature increases, and increases in water loss could reach nearly 10%. Some species may shift their breeding dates to compensate for increasing temperatures, but if breeding activities are timed to coincide with peaks in their main prey specie s, this may result in poorer diets or increased competition from other species.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Campbell, Greg Thomas

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Cook, Timothée
• Sherley, Richard
• Ryan, Peter G

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12815

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/12815