The importance of plankton to Cassin's auklets during breeding

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Abstract
The breeding chronology, food habits, growth and reproductive success of Cassin's Auklets, Ptychoramphus aleuticus, were investigated on Triangle Island, British Columbia. The breeding of Cassin's Auklets coincides with the plankton bloom in the eastern North Pacific. Cassin's Auklets in British Columbia feed their young mostly large copepods, Calanus cristatus, and euphausiids, chiefly Thysanoessa spinifera, but fish was an important food item in one summer. Chicks which hatched early, grew and survived better than late-hatched chicks and this may relate to food availability. Adults and chicks on Triangle Island were heavier than those on South Farallon Island, California. The heavier weight and greater numbers of Cassin's Auklets in British Columbia as compared with regions to the south may relate to Calanus cristatus availability and abundance in northern areas.

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