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Seasonal variation in the physiological and behavioral responses to tourist visitation in Magellanic penguins
Citation
Villanueva, C and Walker, BG and Bertellotti, M, Seasonal variation in the physiological and behavioral responses to tourist visitation in Magellanic penguins, Journal of Wildlife Management, 78, (8) pp. 1466-1476. ISSN 0022-541X (2014) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2014 The Wildlife Society
DOI: doi:10.1002/jwmg.791
Abstract
Penguin colonies are highly visited worldwide. Although several studies have addressed how
penguins behaviorally respond to tourist visitation at a point in time, nothing is known about their response
across the entire breeding season. Furthermore, behavioral responses are driven by complex physiological
processes and the basal physiological state of the individual might affect the way it responds to stimuli. To test
the hypothesis that annual changes in corticosterone result from animals having different requirements for
expressing (or not) the glucocorticoid-mediated behaviors at different times of the year in the context of
tourist visitation, we examined circulating and stress-induced corticosterone in Magellanic penguins
(Spheniscus magellanicus) from non-visited areas from the San Lorenzo colony, Peninsula Valdes, Argentina
across the breeding season. We also examined the behavioral responses of penguins to a pedestrian approach
in tourist-visited and non-visited areas of the colony across the season. Our results showed that circulating
levels of corticosterone did not vary across the season; however, stress-induced corticosterone was lowest
during molt. Our behavioral results showed that penguins displayed different behavior responses at varying
distances depending on the area (visited or non-visited) and stage in the season. Penguins in the tourist area
were more tolerant to a human approach than penguins in the non-tourist area. During settlement and molt,
penguins showed higher occurrence of behaviors related to self-survival (such as standing, moving farther
into the nest, and fleeing), whereas during incubation and chick rearing, penguins displayed mostly a behavior
associated with defense and vigilance (such as alternate head turns). Furthermore, penguins allowed a closer
approach during incubation, but elicited a subsequent behavior quicker than in the rest of the stages,
suggesting that they would be particularly sensitive in this stage. Overall, our results suggest that
corticosterone release across the season is more associated with penguins’ survival in an extreme environment
than with behavioral regulation. From a conservation perspective, we identified that penguins were more
sensitive to human approach during incubation, but also molt should be considered as a vulnerable stage
because corticosterone secretion is suppressed.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | anthropogenic disturbance, behavior, corticosterone, Magellanic penguin, Peninsula Valdes, Spheniscus magellanicus, tourist management |
Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
Research Group: | Ecology |
Research Field: | Behavioural ecology |
Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
Objective Group: | Marine systems and management |
Objective Field: | Marine biodiversity |
UTAS Author: | Villanueva, C (Dr Cecilia Villanueva) |
ID Code: | 111640 |
Year Published: | 2014 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 10 |
Deposited By: | Fisheries and Aquaculture |
Deposited On: | 2016-09-27 |
Last Modified: | 2022-05-19 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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