Demographic responses of Arctic seabirds to spring sea-ice variations
Sauser, C.; Angelier, F.; Blévin, P.; Chastel, O.; Gabrielsen, G.W.; Jouanneau, W.; Kato, A.; Moe, B.; Ramírez, F.; Tartu, S.; Descamps, S. (2023). Demographic responses of Arctic seabirds to spring sea-ice variations. Front. Ecol. Evol. 11: 1107992. https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1107992
In: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. Frontiers Media: Lausanne. ISSN 2296-701X; e-ISSN 2296-701X, more
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| Keywords |
Alle alle (Linnaeus, 1758) [WoRMS]; Rissa tridactyla (Linnaeus, 1758) [WoRMS]; Uria lomvia (Linnaeus, 1758) [WoRMS]
Marine/Coastal |
| Authors | | Top |
- Sauser, C.
- Angelier, F.
- Blévin, P.
- Chastel, O.
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- Gabrielsen, G.W.
- Jouanneau, W.
- Kato, A.
- Moe, B.
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- Ramírez, F.
- Tartu, S., more
- Descamps, S.
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| Abstract |
The Arctic experiences a rapid retreat of sea-ice, particularly in spring and summer, which may dramatically affect pagophilic species. In recent years, the decline of many Arctic seabird populations has raised concerns about the potential role of sea-ice habitats on their demography. Spring sea-ice drives the dynamics of phytoplankton blooms, the basis of Arctic food webs, and changes in spring sea-ice have the potential to affect the demographic parameters of seabirds through bottom-up processes. To better understand the effects of spring sea-ice on Arctic seabirds, we investigated the influence of spring sea-ice concentration on the survival and breeding success of three seabird species with contrasted foraging strategies in two Svalbard fjords in the high Arctic. We examined these relationships using long-term demographic data (2005–2021) from black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), Brünnich guillemots (Uria lomvia), and little auks (Alle alle). Spring sea-ice concentration was positively related to both the survival and breeding success of little auks, suggesting a higher sensitivity of this species to spring sea-ice. By contrast, the two other species were not particularly sensitive to changes in spring sea-ice, even though a potentially spurious negative effect on the breeding success of black-legged kittiwakes was observed. Overall, the study suggests that spring sea-ice may be involved in the demography of Arctic seabirds, but probably does not play a major role. |
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