Black-legged kittiwakes as messengers of Atlantification in the Arctic

Vihtakari, Mikko; Welcker, Jörg; Moe, Børge; Chastel, Olivier; Tartu, Sabrina; Hop, Haakon; Bech, Claus; Descamps, Sébastien; Gabrielsen, Geir Wing

doi:10.1038/s41598-017-19118-8

Cited by 114 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…However, decades of fluctuation in melt and freeze‐up dates, pack extent, and less predictable floe dynamics (as a result of climate change) threaten the stability of ice‐based communities (Markus et al, ; Post et al, ). Loss of sea ice and its reduced predictability will lead to colonization by species from southern regions and range contractions for ice‐dependent species (Forcada & Trathan, ; Post et al, ; Vihtakari et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variable sea‐ice conditions influence trophic dynamics in an Arctic community of marine top predators

Pratte

Braune

Hobson

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Sea‐ice coverage is a key abiotic driver of annual environmental conditions in Arctic marine ecosystems and could be a major factor affecting seabird trophic dynamics. Using stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) in eggs of thick‐billed murres ( Uria lomvia ), northern fulmars ( Fulmarus glacialis ), glaucous gulls ( Larus hyperboreus ), and black‐legged kittiwakes ( Rissa tridactyla ), we investigated the trophic ecology of prebreeding seabirds nesting at Prince Leopold Island, Nunavut, and its relationship with sea‐ice conditions. The seabird community of Prince Leopold Island had a broader isotopic niche during lower sea‐ice conditions, thus having a more divergent diet, while the opposite was observed during years with more extensive sea‐ice conditions. Species' trophic position was influenced by sea ice; in years of lower sea‐ice concentration, gulls and kittiwakes foraged at higher trophic levels while the opposite was observed for murres and fulmars. For murres and fulmars over a longer time series, there was no evidence of the effect of sea‐ice concentration on species' isotopic niche. Results suggest a high degree of adaptation in populations of high Arctic species that cope with harsh and unpredictable conditions. Such different responses of the community isotopic niche also show that the effect of variable sea‐ice conditions, despite being subtle at the species level, might have larger implications when considering the trophic ecology of the larger seabird community. Species‐specific responses in foraging patterns, in particular trophic position in relation to sea ice, are critical to understanding effects of ecosystem change predicted for a changing climate.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variable sea‐ice conditions influence trophic dynamics in an Arctic community of marine top predators

Pratte

Braune

Hobson

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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“…It has been repeatedly predicted in the lit� erature that increasing temperatures in the Arctic will affect benthic communities, which could lead to changes in species distribution and interaction, allow the introduction of new species, and en� able a decrease of arctic species alongside with an increase of boreal species in the composition of benthic fauna �Lambert et al, 2010;Josefson et al, 2013;Renaud et al, 2015). The �arents �ea has been identified as a hotspot for «atlantifica� tion» of seawater and the expansion of boreal spe� cies �Renaud et al, 2015;Vihtakari et al, 2018). It is likely that effects of climate change on the macrozoobenthos of the �echora �ay will appear in the foreseeable future.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macrozoobenthos of the shallow waters of Pechora Bay (SE Barents Sea)

Gebruk¹,

Borisova²,

Glebova³

et al. 2019

Nat. Conserv. Res.

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Macrozoobenthic communities provide vital ecosystem services including habitats and foraging resources for other species in all marine ecosystems. Although macrozoobenthos of deeper parts of the �echora �ea �� ar� macrozoobenthos of deeper parts of the �echora �ea �� ar� ents �ea) have been studied in more detail, there is a lack of research in shallow waters of the �echora �ay. The study area lies within the Nenetsky �tate Nature Reserve, established in 1997, to protect important breeding and moulting grounds of waterfowl. Macrozoobenthos provide key foraging resources for waterfowl in the nature reserve, however, there is a mismatch between ornithological and macrobenthic data. �ight stations were studied along the Russky Zavorot �eninsula in the �echora �ay on a depth of 1.1-1.8 m within the near�shore zone of the Nenetsky �tate Nature Reserve in August 2016. A monodominant community of Limecola balthica with a biomass of 21.31 ± 0.32 g/m 2 and 14 species in total was recorded across the area. The dominant species of the community correspond to those in the community of L. balthica recently described from the central estuarine part of the �echora estuary. A low biomass and poor species richness in the L. balthica community support the earlier published results for the northern part of the bay and indicate the dependence of the community charac� teristics on environmental factors. The paucity of macrozoobenthos in the area is likely attributed to extreme environmental conditions including the following: �1) the water column freezes to the bottom during winter in the shallows of the Pechora estuary or (2) the freshwater flow spreads under the ice, severely impacting salinity. Hence the community is comprised of eurythermal and euryhaline forms and is reduced in biomass. It is unlikely that the shallows of the Russky Zavorot �eninsula play an important role as feeding grounds for benthic preda� tors since a low in biomass barren community of a burrowing mollusc L. balthica does not provide enough forag� ing resources to feed stocks of waterfowl. The L. balthica�community could be used as an indicator of climate changes in the future-it is predicted that a reduction in sea ice volume will improve conditions for growth of L. balthica and may therefore lead to an increased body size and biomass of bivalves in the shallows.

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“…Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), haddock ( Melanogrammus aeglefinus) and herring (Clupea harengus) have recently replaced native Arctic fish to a large degree; in particular, polar cod has declined in the region (Fossheim et al 2015). As a result, diets of some seabirds and marine mammals in the Svalbard area have already changed to include more Atlantic and less Arctic prey (Descamps et al 2017;Vihtakari et al 2018). The white whales might also be accepting these new species, which are not affiliated with glaciers, as prey, but dietary analysis should be conducted to confirm this suspicion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diving behaviour of adult male white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway

2019

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Bt: bottom time (duration in seconds) Dmax: maximum depth recorded for a given dive (in metres) Dt: dive time (duration in seconds) residual Bt_DDt: residual of the relationship between the bottom duration and both the maximum depth and the dive duration SD: standard deviation SE: standard error SRDL: satellite-relay data logger St: surface time (duration in seconds), i.e., time spent at the surface between dives

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Black-legged kittiwakes as messengers of Atlantification in the Arctic

Cited by 114 publications

References 62 publications

Variable sea‐ice conditions influence trophic dynamics in an Arctic community of marine top predators

Variable sea‐ice conditions influence trophic dynamics in an Arctic community of marine top predators

Macrozoobenthos of the shallow waters of Pechora Bay (SE Barents Sea)

Diving behaviour of adult male white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway

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