Research Objectives:
Procellariiform seabirds (petrels, albatrosses, and shearwaters) are distinguished by their acute sense of smell. These birds have pelagic lifestyles and forage over thousands of miles of ocean to find patchily distributed resources. We will study the development of olfactory sensitivity in burrow-nesting procellariiform seabirds within the Kerguelen Archipelago and will explore the hypothesis that during development, chicks become tuned to odors associated with feeding in a manner analogous to olfactory imprinting.
We have three primary objectives:
+ First, we will use videotape documentation to characterize the behavioral responses of chicks to two prey-related odors (dimethylsulfide and cod-liver oil), one novel odor (phenyl ethyl alcohol or rose scent), and burrow-related odors (burrow and colony dirt).
+ Second, we will determine whether chicks can learn odor cues by exposing them to a non-prey-related odor during the egg stage and then testing for increased sensitivity to that odor after they hatch.
+ Third, we will quantify key behavioral responses induced when a chick is exposed to an odor plume within a portable wind flume.
Only a handful of studies have addressed the olfactory abilities of procellariiform seabirds or indeed any bird. Results from our research will be among the first to address the development of olfaction in an ecologically important context. Overall, these results will greatly extend our knowledge of the foraging ecology of these fascinating birds. Such knowledge is not only useful to basic science, but it may also help bolster efforts to ensure the conservation of procellariiforms, given the threatened or endangered status of many species.
Our work will include research experience for a graduate student and an active international collaboration with the French Institute for Polar Research and Technology. Furthermore, our results may be transferable to other potentially important organisms, such as salmon and insects, where understanding the developmental stages of olfaction has commercial importance.
