Foraging Ecology

Understanding the trophic interactions among seabird communities not only provides dietary data, but can also indicate key pathways for the transmission of pathogens. For this project, I am working with the Gamble Lab team to combine stable isotope analysis with fecal DNA metabarcoding and GLS tracking data to characterize trophic interactions between native seabird predators/scavengers, native seabirds, marine mammals, rodents, and livestock. We will then compare these data with the lab's ongoing disease ecology to identify links among these groups. We are particularly interested in implications of trophic interactions for the spread and maintenance of HPAI. 

The Eastern Rockhopper Penguin / Tawaki Piki Toka has been declining in the New Zealand subantarctic for decades. Since the 1940s, Eastern Rockhopper populations have fallen by more than 90% on each of their New Zealand breeding islands. For this project, I am collaborating with the Tawaki Trust to understand the root causes for this decline. Thanks to funding from the Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Wildlife Health, I am able to expand this project to include Campbell and Auckland Island populations to better identify common themes and island-specific drivers for this decline. I will be using a transdisciplinary approach that combines stable isotope analysis, fecal DNA metabarcoding, GPS tracking, population surveys, and disease screening on all three of their New Zealand breeding islands.

Tawaki occupy one of the most diverse ranges of marine habitats of any penguin species during their breeding season. Studies have shown that penguins from coastal colonies in south Westland and on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island travel long distances away from shore during foraging trips while those breeding in Harrison Cove at the head of Milford Sound almost never leave the fjord itself. In fact the Harrison Cove penguins exhibit δ15N values that are significantly higher than those breeding outside the fjord potentially indicating reliance on prey of a higher trophic level or evidence of a higher baseline nitrogen in the fjord system. But what about other fjords or colonies with closer access to the Tasman coast?

This project builds on my MS research to ask if colony location within the fjord system matters in terms of isotopic niche. To answer this, I have collected blood, prey, and environmental samples from multiple colonies in multiple fjords in Fiordland National Park to see if fjord and distance from the open ocean impact the trophic niche of tawaki. These are being analyzed for carbon (δ13C ) and nitrogen (δ15N) to build a picture of their foraging dynamics within the fjord system and beyond. 

Currently, fieldwork for this project is complete and samples are being processed for analysis. Once analyzed, I will construct mixing models to estimate the proportion of various resource pools in their diet throughout the breeding season at each of these sites. 

Manuscript in preparation: White, J., McCracken, K.G., Garcia-Borboroglu, P., Close, H., Crowley, B.E., Ellenberg, U., Houston, D., Long, R., Mays, H.L., Seddon, P., & Mattern, T. Isotopic niche of Tawaki across the late incubation and chick guard periods. 

Unlike blood and other dynamic tissues, feathers are metabolically inert once they have fully emerged. This means that the stable isotopes measured in feathers reflect the time period in which the feather was grown. All penguins undergo a single, catastrophic molt per year to exchange all of their feathers. During the molt they are bound to land and forced to fast until the molt is complete. To sustain them through this fasting period, tawaki undertake a massive (up to 7,ooo km round trip!) pre-molt dispersal where they must restore fat lost during the breeding season and build up enough reserves to sustain them through the molt. This hyperphagia followed by extended fasting means that the diet fueling feather growth (and the stable isotopes measured) reflect the pre-molt period at sea. Check out the marathon penguins paper by the Tawaki Project here to learn more about the pre-molt journey!

For this project, I have collected feathers from breeding tawaki across their range from 2017-2022 to analyze for carbon (δ13C ) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotopes. These data will be combined with historical samples from the Tawaki Project and museum specimens from the American Museum of Natural History, the Tūhura Otago Museum, and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (dating to 1887) to assess historical trends and the stability of resources during the pre-molt.

Collection and analysis of wild samples for this project is complete and I am analyzing feather samples from museums to provide a historical context for foraging behavior. 

Manuscript in preparation: White, J., McCracken, K.G., Garcia-Borboroglu, P., Close, H., Crowley, B.E., Ellenberg, U., Guerra, A., Houston, D., Long, R., Mays, H.L., Seddon, P., & Mattern, T. Long-term evaluation of pre-moult foraging in Tawaki through stable isotope analysis of feathers of the last 150 years. 

Erect-crested penguins are by far the least studied species of penguin. Their remote breeding range consists solely of the Bounty and Antipodes Island groups in the New Zealand's sub-Antarctic region, making routine monitoring difficult. While Erect-crested penguins are the only penguins breeding on the Bounty Islands, they share the Antipodes Island group with Eastern rockhopper penguins. Unfortunately, both species also share a declining population trend on Antipodes Island. 

This study is part of a multi-modal investigation by the Tawaki Project into the foraging ecology of these two species on both island groups. By analyzing the stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C ) and nitrogen (δ15N) derived from blood and prey samples from both island groups, I will construct stable isotope mixing models and estimate diet and foraging areas for each species. Finally, I will be able to compare this between island groups and between these two sympatric species across their breeding season. 

Currently the first season of fieldwork for this project is complete with a second season planned for December 2023. 

Manuscript on deck for 2025.

Like all crested penguins, erect-crested penguins and Eastern rockhopper penguins undergo pre-molt dispersals away from the breeding grounds to replenish fat stores lost during chick rearing and to prepare for their molting fast. However the pre-molt journey of erect-crested penguins and Eastern rockhoppers (in New Zealand) has not been extensively studied. 

For this project, I am assessing the pre-molt foraging period by analyzing the stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C ) and nitrogen (δ15N) derived from feathers collected during the breeding season. As feathers are inert once fully emerged, the stable isotopes they contain reflect the diet consumed during the pre-molt period. By comparing stable isotopes between these two species, we will determine foraging areas, the trophic level of foraging, and any overlap between these two sympatric species. 

Currently the first season of fieldwork for this project is complete with a second season planned for December 2023 with hopes of adding museum specimens in the future. 

Manuscript on deck for 2025.

The Florida Everglades are home to an astounding diversity of fish eating birds many of which occupy unique niches. Two closely related diving species are ubiquitous in the region: the double-crested cormorant and the anhinga. Although they are of similar size and are often found together, their different diving profiles and hunting strategies suggest reduced overlap in prey encounters and preferences.

For this project, I ask whether the diving behavior of these species leads to differences in their isotopic niche. I have collected blood, feathers, livers, stomach contents, and environmental samples from double-crested cormorants and anhingas foraging and roosting at a series of flooded sand quarries in south-west Florida. I am focusing on the stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C ) and nitrogen (δ15N) to assess foraging area (quarry lake vs. roadside canal), trophic position, and marine influence, respectively. Ultimately, I will combine these data with prey and environmental data to construct stable isotope mixing models to estimate the contribution of various resource pools to their diet and identify niche width of both species. 

The first stages of this project were completed by Justin Jenkins (UM Marine Sciences class of 2024) for his Senior Thesis. Take a look as his research poster here.

The Arctic tundra of Alaska is a globally important breeding area for waterfowl. Many of North America's diving duck species breed on tundra ponds and lakes in northern Alaska during the brief summer months. Migrating waterfowl are concentrated into higher densities on ice-free ponds as they chase the spring melt northward. This places pressure on local resources which in turn should require partitioning of resources between or within species.

For this project,  I collected blood, feathers, livers, stomach contents, and environmental samples from 8 species of diving duck (Barrow's and common goldeneye, bufflehead, greater and lesser scaup, long-tailed duck, common and red-breasted merganser) from a transect from the Alaska Range to Prudhoe Bay. I measured the stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C ), nitrogen (δ15N), and sulfur (δ34S) alongside prey and environmental samples to construct stable isotope mixing models and estimate niche width and overlap between species and within clades. 

This project is currently in the final stages of manuscript preparation. Check back here for results and any resulting publications. 

Additionally, I am working on a side project with collected flight feathers from these ducks to assess whether δ13C and δ2H can be used to determine molting grounds and infer breeding status of harvested waterfowl.