TY  - JOUR
AU  - Moe B, Stempniewicz L.
PY  - 2009//
TI  - Climate change and phenological responses of two seabird species breeding in the high-Arctic
T2  - Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.
JO  - Marine Ecology Progress Series
SP  - 235
EP  - 246
VL  - 393
PB  - INTER-RESEARCH
KW  - climate change
KW  - match mismatch
KW  - permitted without written consent
KW  - phenology
KW  - publisher
KW  - resale republication not
KW  - sea ice
KW  - seabirds
KW  - svalbard
KW  - temperature
KW  - timing breeding
KW  -
N2  - The timing of breeding is a life-history trait that can greatly affect fitness, because successful reproduction depends on the match between the food requirements for raising young and the seasonal peak in food availability. We an analysed phenology (hatch dates) in relation to climate change for 2 seabird species breeding in the high-Arctic, little auks Alle alle and black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla, for the periods 1963-2008 and 1970-2008, respectively. We show that spring climate has changed during the study period, with a strong increase in both air temperature (TEMP) and sea surface temperature (SST) and a decrease in sea ice concentration. Little auks showed a trend for earlier breeding over the study period, while kittimakes showed a non-significant trend for later breeding, demonstrating different phenological responses in these 2 species. Little auks and kittiwakes adjusted their timing of breeding to different environmental signals. Spring TEMP was the best predictor of little auk phenology, with a significant negative effect. Spring SST was the strongest predictor of kittiwake phenology, with a non-significant negative effect. Spring sea ice concentration and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) winter index had a low relative variable importance. Furthermore, in kittiwakes, years with late breeding were associated with low clutch size and mean annual breeding success, indicating poor investment and food availability. This study identifies some spring environmental factors important for regulating the timing of breeding in the high-Arctic, most likely through effects on snow cover limiting access to nest sites and the development of the polar marine food web. It remains to be investigated whether environmental factors are reliable predictors of marine prey phenology, and whether the decision to start breeding is constrained by food availability.
SN  - 0171-8630
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps08222
N1  - exported from refbase (http://publi.ipev.fr/polar_references/show.php?record=1770), last updated on Thu, 04 Jul 2024 07:28:23 +0200
ID  - MoeB2009
ER  -