| Title: |
No impact of black-eye symptom on foraging behaviour and reproductive success of Northern gannets following highly pathogenic avian influenza |
| Authors: |
Ponchon, Aurore; Provost, Pascal; Bernard, Alice; Boulinier, Thierry; Lejeune, Mathilde; Lescroël, Amélie; Tornos, Jérémy; Grémillet, David |
| Contributors: |
Institut méditerranéen de biodiversité et d'écologie marine et continentale (IMBE); Avignon Université (AU)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut de recherche pour le développement IRD : UMR237-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE); École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE); Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD Occitanie )-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut Agro Montpellier; Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Université de Montpellier Paul-Valéry (UMPV); Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO); Point Blue Conservation Science (PBCS); Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology; University of Cape Town |
| Source: |
ISSN: 0006-3207 ; Biological Conservation ; https://hal.science/hal-05403859 ; Biological Conservation, 2026, 313, pp.111546 -111561. ⟨10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111546⟩. |
| Publisher Information: |
CCSD; Elsevier |
| Publication Year: |
2026 |
| Subject Terms: |
Spatial behaviour; Resilience; Density-dependence; Host movement; H5N1; [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]; [SDE]Environmental Sciences |
| Description: |
International audience ; Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (HPAIV) is currently causing major wild animal population crashes all over the world including Antarctica. Yet, there are important knowledge gaps on the implications of long-lasting symptoms for the ecology of surviving individuals and the conservation of their populations. Using GPS tracking devices and long-term demographic data, we examined the effects of HPAIV on a seabird population of Northern gannets (Morus bassanus) in the colony of Rouzic, France. One year after the HPAIV outbreak of 2022, the breeding gannet population declined by 38 % and 22.3 % of surviving breeders were zombie birds: they had darkened irises, a black-eye symptom indicative of past infection to HPAIV. Importantly, we demonstrate that black eyes were not associated with detectable differences in the foraging behaviour and habitat use of surviving breeding gannets. Compared to years prior to the outbreak, the foraging effort of breeding individuals was lower and breeding success was higher, aligning with Ashmole's halo hypothesis, which posits that smaller seabird populations face lower intra-specific competition for food in the vicinity of their breeding colony and thereby, have a reduced foraging range. Our results highlight the importance of density-dependant mechanisms in population responses to sudden mass-mortalities, but raise conservation concerns, especially for species facing cumulative threats. In the long-term, locally depleted populations may reach critical thresholds where individual abundance and productivity may not be sufficient to maintain a positive demographic growth rate, ultimately leading to local population extinctions. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
WOS: 001599858900003 |
| DOI: |
10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111546 |
| Availability: |
https://hal.science/hal-05403859; https://hal.science/hal-05403859v1/document; https://hal.science/hal-05403859v1/file/Ponchon%20et%20al%20BiolCons%202026%20-%20No%20impact%20of%20black-eye%20symptom%20on%20Northern%20gannets.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111546 |
| Rights: |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ; info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.9E7DB09F |
| Database: |
BASE |