Construction of energy landscapes to understand the movement and distribution of foraging animals

Construction of energy landscapes can clarify the movement and distribution of foraging animals

Rory P. Wilson Flavio, Quintana and Victoria J. Hobson

Proc. R. Soc. B 7 March 2012 vol. 279 no. 1730975-980

The movement energetics of animals is dictated by variation in the physical characteristics of the environment. Knowledge about these characteristics helps us to interpret movement ecology but determination of the landscape-dependent energy expenditure of wild animals is not an easy proposition.

The researchers here used accelerometers in animal-attached tags to derive energy expenditure in 54 free-living imperial cormorants Phalacrocorax atriceps and construct an energy landscape of the area around a breeding colony. A review  of the space use of another 74 birds over 4 years showed that foraging areas selected varied considerably in distance from the colony and water depth, but were characterized by minimal power requirements compared with other areas in the available landscape.

The researchers say their study accords with classic optimal foraging concepts, which state that animals should maximize net energy gain by minimizing costs where possible and show how deriving energy landscapes can help understand how and why animals distribute themselves in space.