1
|
Shutt JD, Bell SC, Bell F, Castello J, El Harouchi M, Burgess MD. Territory‐level temperature influences breeding phenology and reproductive output in three forest passerine birds. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jack D. Shutt
- Piedfly.Net, Yarner Wood Bovey Tracey Devon UK
- Dept of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan Univ. Manchester UK
| | | | - Fraser Bell
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Cornwall Campus, Univ. of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
| | - Joan Castello
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Univ. of Exeter Exeter Devon UK
| | | | - Malcolm D. Burgess
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Univ. of Exeter Exeter Devon UK
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge Sandy Bedfordshire UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Smith RA, Albonaimi SS, Hennin HL, Gilchrist HG, Fort J, Parkinson KJL, Provencher JF, Love OP. Exposure to cumulative stressors affects the laying phenology and incubation behaviour of an Arctic-breeding marine bird. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 807:150882. [PMID: 34627894 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Wildlife are exposed to multiple stressors across life-history stages, the effects of which can be amplified as human activity surges globally. In Arctic regions, increasing air and ocean temperatures, more severe weather systems, and exposure to environmental contaminants all represent stressors occurring simultaneously. While Arctic vertebrates, including marine birds, are expected to be at risk of adverse effects from these individual stressors, few studies have researched their combined impacts on breeding behaviour and reproductive success. The interactive effects of environmental conditions and mercury (Hg) contamination on laying phenology and incubation behaviour were examined in female common eiders (Somateria mollissima, mitiq, ᒥᑎᖅ ᐊᒪᐅᓕᒡᔪᐊᖅ) nesting at Canada's largest Arctic breeding colony. Conditions with higher pre-breeding air temperatures were linked to females with higher egg Hg concentrations laying earlier than those with lower Hg values. Furthermore, examination of a total of 190 days of incubation behaviour from 61 eiders across two years revealed a negative relationship between wind speed and the frequency of incubation interruptions. Importantly, exposure to higher air temperatures combined with lower Hg concentrations was significantly correlated with increased incubation interruptions. Although previous research has shown that warmer spring temperatures could afford lower quality females more time to improve body condition to successfully lay, results suggest these females may face stronger cumulative fitness costs during incubation in warmer years, potentially in combination with the effects of Hg on physiological stress and hormone secretion. This study highlights how multiple stressors exposure, driven by human-induced environmental changes, can have a complex influence on reproduction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Reyd A Smith
- University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada.
| | | | - Holly L Hennin
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K0A 1H0, Canada
| | - H Grant Gilchrist
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K0A 1H0, Canada
| | - Jérôme Fort
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | | | - Jennifer F Provencher
- Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K0A 1H0, Canada
| | - Oliver P Love
- University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hart LA, Olivier I, Gane J, Downs CT, Brown M. Time heals: Boosted breeding seabird populations on restored Cousine Island, Seychelles. Afr J Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lorinda A. Hart
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg South Africa
- Department of Environmental Science University of Namibia Windhoek Namibia
| | - Iain Olivier
- Cousine Island Conservation Management Seychelles
| | - Julie Gane
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg South Africa
- Cousine Island Conservation Management Seychelles
| | - Colleen T. Downs
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg South Africa
| | - Mark Brown
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Mauck RA, Dearborn DC, Huntington CE. Annual global mean temperature explains reproductive success in a marine vertebrate from 1955 to 2010. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:1599-1613. [PMID: 29140586 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 10/14/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The salient feature of anthropogenic climate change over the last century has been the rise in global mean temperature. However, global mean temperature is not used as an explanatory variable in studies of population-level response to climate change, perhaps because the signal-to-noise ratio of this gross measure makes its effect difficult to detect in any but the longest of datasets. Using a population of Leach's storm-petrels breeding in the Bay of Fundy, we tested whether local, regional, or global temperature measures are the best index of reproductive success in the face of climate change in species that travel widely between and within seasons. With a 56-year dataset, we found that annual global mean temperature (AGMT) was the single most important predictor of hatching success, more so than regional sea surface temperatures (breeding season or winter) and local air temperatures at the nesting colony. Storm-petrel reproductive success showed a quadratic response to rising temperatures, in that hatching success increased up to some critical temperature, and then declined when AGMT exceeded that temperature. The year at which AGMT began to consistently exceed that critical temperature was 1988. Importantly, in this population of known-age individuals, the impact of changing climate was greatest on inexperienced breeders: reproductive success of inexperienced birds increased more rapidly as temperatures rose and declined more rapidly after the tipping point than did reproductive success of experienced individuals. The generality of our finding that AGMT is the best predictor of reproductive success in this system may hinge on two things. First, an integrative global measure may be best for species in which individuals move across an enormous spatial range, especially within seasons. Second, the length of our dataset and our capacity to account for individual- and age-based variation in reproductive success increase our ability to detect a noisy signal.
Collapse
|
5
|
Combrink L, Combrink HJ, Botha AJ, Downs CT. Nest temperature fluctuations in a cavity nester, the southern ground-hornbill. J Therm Biol 2017; 66:21-26. [PMID: 28477906 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2017.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2016] [Revised: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Southern ground-hornbills Bucorvus leadbeateri inhabit savanna and bushveld regions of South Africa. They nest in the austral summer, which coincides with the wet season and hottest daytime temperatures in the region. They are secondary cavity nesters and typically nest in large cavities in trees, cliffs and earth banks, but readily use artificial nest boxes. Southern ground-hornbills are listed as Endangered in South Africa, with reintroductions into suitable areas highlighted as a viable conservation intervention for the species. Nest microclimate, and the possible implications this may have for the breeding biology of southern ground-hornbills, have never been investigated. We used temperature dataloggers to record nest cavity temperature and ambient temperature for one artificial and 11 natural southern ground-hornbill tree cavity nests combined, spanning two breeding seasons. Mean hourly nest temperature, as well as mean minimum and mean maximum nest temperature, differed significantly between southern ground-hornbill nests in both breeding seasons. Mean nest temperature also differed significantly from mean ambient temperature for both seasons. Natural nest cavities provided a buffer against the ambient temperature fluctuations. The artificial nest provided little insulation against temperature extremes, being warmer and cooler than the maximum and minimum local ambient temperatures, respectively. Nest cavity temperature was not found to have an influence on the breeding success of the southern ground-hornbill groups investigated in this study. These results have potentially important implications for southern ground-hornbill conservation and artificial nest design, as they suggest that the birds can tolerate greater nest cavity temperature extremes than previously thought.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- L Combrink
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P/Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa; The Endangered Wildlife Trust, P/Bag X11, Modderfontein, Johannesburg 1645, South Africa
| | - H J Combrink
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, P/Bag X04, Onderstepoort, Pretoria 0110, South Africa
| | - A J Botha
- The Endangered Wildlife Trust, P/Bag X11, Modderfontein, Johannesburg 1645, South Africa
| | - C T Downs
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P/Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Hart LA, Downs CT, Brown M. Keeping it regular: Development of thermoregulation in four tropical seabird species. J Therm Biol 2016; 64:19-25. [PMID: 28166941 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2016.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2016] [Revised: 12/06/2016] [Accepted: 12/06/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The thermoregulatory capacity of a species can determine which climatic niche it occupies. Its development in avian chicks is influenced by numerous factors. Furthermore, it is suggested that altricial chicks develop their thermoregulatory capacity post-hatching, while precocial chicks develop aspects of this in the egg. We investigated the development of thermoregulation of four co-occurring seabird species in the Seychelles; namely white, ground-nesting white-tailed tropicbirds (Phaethon lepturus) and tree-nesting fairy terns (Gygis alba); and dark plumaged, tree-nesting lesser noddies (Anous tenuirostris) and ground- and tree-nesting brown noddies (A. stolidus). White-tailed tropicbirds have semi-altricial chicks, while the remaining species have semi-precocial chicks. Cloacal temperatures (Tb) were measured at five day intervals from newly hatched chicks and compared over time, and with adult Tbs. Initial Tbs of all chicks, except fairy terns, were lower than those taken when chicks were older. Brooding cessation generally coincided with feather development, as did an increase in Tb. Mean chick Tb was significantly lower than mean adult Tb for all species, but only white-tailed tropicbird and brown noddy chicks in tree nests differed significantly from mean adult Tb when chick Tb at five day intervals were considered. There was a significant interactive effect of nest site and age on brown noddy chick Tb, but chick colour did not have a significant effect on Tb. However, brown noddy chicks on dune crests maintained a constant Tb sooner than chicks in tree nests. Our results demonstrate that tropical seabird species have a more delayed onset of thermoregulatory capabilities when compared with those in temperate environments, perhaps as nest sites are less thermally challenging. Nest microhabitats and behavioural thermoregulation, are likely more important during early chick development for these species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lorinda A Hart
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P/Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa
| | - Colleen T Downs
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P/Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa.
| | - Mark Brown
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P/Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|