Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

All Outputs (37)

Fitness increases with partner and neighbour allopreening (2007)
Journal Article
Lewis, S., Roberts, G., Harris, M. P., Prigmore, C., & Wanless, S. (2007). Fitness increases with partner and neighbour allopreening. Biology Letters, 3(4), 386-389. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2007.0258

Altruism and selfishness are fundamental characteristics of human and animal societies. Among colonial biparental species, breeding outcome depends on interactions between mates and neighbours. However, the relationships between cooperation within an... Read More about Fitness increases with partner and neighbour allopreening.

Use of gannets to monitor prey availability in the northeast Atlantic Ocean: colony size, diet and foraging behaviour (2006)
Book Chapter
Hamer, K. C., Lewis, S., Wanless, S., Phillips, R. A., Sherratt, T. N., Humphreys, E. M., …Garthe, S. (2006). Use of gannets to monitor prey availability in the northeast Atlantic Ocean: colony size, diet and foraging behaviour. In I. L. Boyd, S. Wanles

Large seabirds such as northern gannets Morus bassanus have very flexible time–activity budgets; this means that changes in variables such as foraging-trip duration could provide a rapid indicator of changes in food supply, an indicator that could no... Read More about Use of gannets to monitor prey availability in the northeast Atlantic Ocean: colony size, diet and foraging behaviour.

Electrocardiogram recordings in free-ranging gannets reveal minimum difference in heart rate during flapping versus gliding flight (2006)
Journal Article
Ropert-Coudert, Y., Wilson, R., Grémillet, D., Kato, A., Lewis, S., & Ryan, P. (2006). Electrocardiogram recordings in free-ranging gannets reveal minimum difference in heart rate during flapping versus gliding flight. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 328

Gliding flight is one of the major features that allows flying animals to cover extensive distances while minimising their energy expenditures. This has been supported by studies recording heart rate as a proxy for energy expended, but the exact amou... Read More about Electrocardiogram recordings in free-ranging gannets reveal minimum difference in heart rate during flapping versus gliding flight.

Determinants of quality in a long-lived colonial species (2006)
Journal Article
Lewis, S., Wanless, S., Elston, D. A., Schultz, M. D., Mackley, E., Du Toit, M., …Harris, M. P. (2006). Determinants of quality in a long-lived colonial species. Journal of Animal Ecology, 75(6), 1304-1312. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2006.01152

1. In many animal populations a small proportion of individuals produce the majority of surviving offspring, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Behaviour may be an important determinant of variation in fitness: 'high-quality' individuals may... Read More about Determinants of quality in a long-lived colonial species.

Using behavioural and state variables to identify proximate causes of population change in a seabird (2005)
Journal Article
Lewis, S., Grémillet, D., Daunt, F., Ryan, P. G., Crawford, R. J., & Wanless, S. (2006). Using behavioural and state variables to identify proximate causes of population change in a seabird. Oecologia, 147(4), 606-614. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-005-

Changes in animal population size are driven by the interactions between intrinsic processes and extrinsic forces, and identifying the proximate mechanisms behind population change remains a fundamental question in ecology. Here we report on how meas... Read More about Using behavioural and state variables to identify proximate causes of population change in a seabird.

Parasitism of maternal investment selects for increased clutch size and brood reduction in a host (2005)
Journal Article
Cunningham, E. J., & Lewis, S. (2006). Parasitism of maternal investment selects for increased clutch size and brood reduction in a host. Behavioral ecology official journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology, 17(1), 126-131. https://doi.

The allocation of resources to young that will ultimately be left to die appears counterintuitive. Yet obligate brood reduction has evolved in a number of species, despite the waste of reproductive investment this may incur. Here we test whether broo... Read More about Parasitism of maternal investment selects for increased clutch size and brood reduction in a host.

Sex-specific foraging behaviour in tropical boobies: does size matter? (2005)
Journal Article
Lewis, S., Schreiber, E. A., Daunt, F., Schenk, G. A., Orr, K., Adams, A., …Hamer, K. C. (2005). Sex-specific foraging behaviour in tropical boobies: does size matter?. Ibis, 147(2), 408-414. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.2005.00428.x

Sex differences in the foraging behaviour of adults have been observed in a number of sexually size-dimorphic birds, and the usual inference has been that these sex-specific differences are driven primarily by differences in body size. An alternative... Read More about Sex-specific foraging behaviour in tropical boobies: does size matter?.

Flexible foraging patterns under different time constraints in tropical boobies (2004)
Journal Article
Lewis, S., Schreiber, E., Daunt, F., Schenk, G., Wanless, S., & Hamer, K. (2004). Flexible foraging patterns under different time constraints in tropical boobies. Animal Behaviour, 68(6), 1331-1337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2004.04.007

The foraging behaviour of any animal is intricately linked to ecological constraints. Extrinsic factors, such as daylength, may limit the time available for foraging. Intrinsic factors, such as the coordination of mates at a nest site, may exacerbate... Read More about Flexible foraging patterns under different time constraints in tropical boobies.

Partitioning of diving effort in foraging trips of northern gannets (2004)
Journal Article
Lewis, S., Benvenuti, S., Daunt, F., Wanless, S., Dall'Antonia, L., Luschi, P., …Sherratt, T. N. (2004). Partitioning of diving effort in foraging trips of northern gannets. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 82(12), 1910-1916. https://doi.org/10.1139/z05-005

Many species of seabirds are known to undertake foraging trips that vary in duration, lasting from a few hours up to several days. However, the important question of how individuals allocate their time during foraging trips of different durations has... Read More about Partitioning of diving effort in foraging trips of northern gannets.

Local-scale variability in the diet of Black-legged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla (2004)
Journal Article
Bull, J., Wanless, S., Elston, D., Daunt, F., Lewis, S., & Harris, M. (2004). Local-scale variability in the diet of Black-legged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla. Ardea, 92(1), 43-52

The Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla is a small gull that is widely distributed in the North Atlantic and Pacific. During the breeding season it feeds mainly on fish and, in the North Sea, the Lesser Sandeel Ammodytes marinus typically forms t... Read More about Local-scale variability in the diet of Black-legged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla.

Brood neglect and contingent foraging behavior in a pelagic seabird (2004)
Journal Article
Lewis, S., Hamer, K. C., Money, L., Griffiths, R., Wanless, S., & Sherratt, T. N. (2004). Brood neglect and contingent foraging behavior in a pelagic seabird. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 56(1), 81-88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-004-0762-0

Among species where there is a risk to leaving offspring unattended, parents usually take alternating shifts guarding their young. However, they may occasionally exhibit brood neglect by leaving their offspring unattended at the nest. To investigate... Read More about Brood neglect and contingent foraging behavior in a pelagic seabird.

Contrasting diet quality of northern gannets Morus bassanus at two colonies (2003)
Journal Article
Lewis, S., Sherratt, T., Hamer, K., Harris, M., & Wanless, S. (2003). Contrasting diet quality of northern gannets Morus bassanus at two colonies. Ardea, 91(2), 167-176

The diet of Northern Gannets Morus bassanus during chick rearing was determined at two colonies in the UK and Ireland that differed markedly in size (the Bass Rock with c. 40 000 breeding pairs, and Great Sallee with 2000 breeding pairs). Gannets fro... Read More about Contrasting diet quality of northern gannets Morus bassanus at two colonies.

Sex-specific foraging behaviour in a monomorphic seabird (2002)
Journal Article
Lewis, S., Benvenuti, S., Dall–Antonia, L., Griffiths, R., Money, L., Sherratt, T. N., …Hamer, K. C. (2002). Sex-specific foraging behaviour in a monomorphic seabird. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 269(1501), 1687-1693. https

Sexual differences in the foraging behaviour of parents have been observed in a number of sexually size- dimorphic birds, particularly seabirds, and the usual inference has been that these sex-specific differences are mediated primarily by difference... Read More about Sex-specific foraging behaviour in a monomorphic seabird.

Sexing Northern Gannets from DNA, Morphology and Behavior (2002)
Journal Article
Redman, K. K., Lewis, S., Griffiths, R., Wanless, S., & Hamer, K. C. (2002). Sexing Northern Gannets from DNA, Morphology and Behavior. Waterbirds, 25(2), 230-234. https://doi.org/10.1675/1524-4695%282002%29025%5B0230%3Asngfdm%5D2.0.co%3B2

In keeping with many species of waterbirds, there is little difference in the body size or external appearance of adult male and female Northern Gannets (Morus bassanus). Previous work has indicated that some morphological characteristics and behavio... Read More about Sexing Northern Gannets from DNA, Morphology and Behavior.

Diet and breeding performance of black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla at a North Sea colony (2001)
Journal Article
Lewis, S., Wanless, S., Wright, P., Harris, M., Bull, J., & Elston, D. (2001). Diet and breeding performance of black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla at a North Sea colony. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 221, 277-284. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps22127

The lesser sandeel Ammodytes marinus is a key prey species for many avian predators in the North Sea, and is the target of the largest single species fishery in the area. This has led to concern about the potential impact of the fishery on seabirds.... Read More about Diet and breeding performance of black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla at a North Sea colony.

Evidence of intra-specific competition for food in a pelagic seabird (2001)
Journal Article
Lewis, S., Sherratt, T. N., Hamer, K. C., & Wanless, S. (2001). Evidence of intra-specific competition for food in a pelagic seabird. Nature, 412(6849), 816-819. https://doi.org/10.1038/35090566

The factors affecting the population dynamics of seabirds have long intrigued biologists. Current data suggest that density-dependent depletion of prey during the breeding season may regulate population size. However, much of the evidence for this ha... Read More about Evidence of intra-specific competition for food in a pelagic seabird.