Later breeding in northern gannets in the eastern Atlantic

Wanless, Sarah; Harris, Michael; Lewis, Sue; Frederiksen, Morten; Murray, Stuart J.

doi:10.3354/meps07712

Cited by 27 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…2004, Reed et al . 2006) and accord with other recent studies in the northeast Atlantic (Wanless et al . 2008) and elsewhere (Barbraud & Weimerskirch 2006).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Long‐term changes in breeding phenology at two seabird colonies in the western North Sea

Wanless

Frederiksen

Walton

et al. 2009

Ibis

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There is compelling evidence that the breeding phenology of many species has changed substantially in recent decades. However, taxonomic and spatial variation in the direction and rate of change is still not well understood. We explored these issues by analysing a dataset containing information on first egg dates of 10 species of seabird at two major breeding colonies (86 km apart) in the western North Sea over a period of 35 years. Within a species, timing of breeding was positively correlated between the two colonies, suggesting that factors affecting the phenology of these species operated at a regional rather than a colony scale. Comparison of time trends among the species revealed contrasting patterns, with some showing no systematic change, others becoming earlier and others later. The clearest species groupings appeared to be among the terns with arrival and/or first egg dates becoming earlier in Arctic Terns Sterna paradisaea, Common Terns Sterna hirundo and Sandwich Terns Sterna sandvicensis, and among the auks (Common Guillemot Uria aalge, Razorbill Alca torda and Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica) and Black‐legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla where the trend was in the opposite direction towards later breeding. This general trend towards later breeding in the latter group of species contrasts with correlational evidence from many other organisms indicating that breeding phenology is advancing in response to climate change.

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“…2004, Reed et al . 2006) and accord with other recent studies in the northeast Atlantic (Wanless et al . 2008) and elsewhere (Barbraud & Weimerskirch 2006).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Long‐term changes in breeding phenology at two seabird colonies in the western North Sea

Wanless

Frederiksen

Walton

et al. 2009

Ibis

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“…This was associated with a reduction in parental attendance, linked to warming SST in the preceding winter and to a concurrent decline in prey quality. Our finding of delayed breeding in 2007 and 2008 is consistent with a similar, previously reported shift in phenology in several other seabird species breeding at colonies bordering the North Sea (Frederiksen et al 2004a, Mavor et al 2006, Wanless et al 2008 et al 1973). However, fledging mass was very variable and about 20% of fledglings each year weighed more than 450 g (Fig.…”

Section: Parental Attendance and Food Provisioningsupporting

confidence: 81%

Recent impacts of anthropogenic climate change on a higher marine predator in western Britain

Riou¹,

Gray²,

Brooke³

et al. 2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Impacts of anthropogenic climate change on marine ecosystems are now widely acknowledged. In the NE Atlantic, abundant evidence from the partly enclosed waters of the North Sea indicates that recent climate-induced changes in primary and secondary productivity have been propagated up the food chain, with marked consequences for higher vertebrate predators such as seabirds. In contrast, however, there is much less indication of such impacts on higher predators in the more open Atlantic waters around the west coast of the British Isles. Through an annual comparison of chick growth and adult food provisioning behaviour of Manx shearwaters in SW Wales, we found that birds bred later and chicks attained lower peak and fledging masses in 2007 and 2008 than in any previous recorded year dating back to 1965. These changes were accompanied by a reduction in parental attendance at the colony, which was probably the result of parents switching to a dual foraging strategy in 2007 and 2008. These events were linked to higher sea surface temperature in the preceding winter and to a reduction in prey quality, as indicated by the mean body mass of 2 yr old herring. These are the first such findings for the west coast of Britain and indicate that within the NE Atlantic region, adverse impacts of climate change on higher marine predators are no longer restricted to the vicinity of the North Sea.

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“…As mentioned, there is already evidence that timing of breeding is related to breeding density in the colonialnesting black-legged kittiwake (Coulson & White 1960, Coulson 2002, and work suggests that chinstrap penguins Pygoscelis antarctica nesting in large colonies in the South Shetlands have earlier hatching dates compared to those nesting in small colonies (Barbosa et al 1997). Conversely, long-term trends in later laying of northern gannets Morus bassanus in the eastern Atlantic (Wanless et al 2008) are associated with increasing population sizes of this species (Mitchell et al 2004). With so few studies, it is not possible to draw any firm inference, so we urge other researchers conducting similar phenological studies to consider the effects of density dependence to test this further.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in the timing of egg-laying of a colonial seabird in relation to population size and environmental conditions

Votier¹,

Hatchwell²,

Mears³

et al. 2009

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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An emerging consequence of global climate change is its potential effect on the timing of seasonal biological events. Analysis of long-term datasets reveals a high degree of plasticity in the nature of phenological responses both within and among species, and understanding these differences is central to understanding the mechanisms and implications of climate-related change. We investigated factors influencing timing of breeding (median laying date) in a colonial nesting seabird, the common guillemot Uria aalge, over 23 breeding seasons between 1973 and 2008. There was a trend for earlier laying over this period, and earlier laying was associated with higher average breeding success. Multiple regression models (with de-trended explanatory variables to control for linear trends over time) indicate that the timing of breeding is positively correlated with a wide-scale climatic driver, the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (WNAO), and negatively correlated with population size: guillemots lay later in years with high WNAO indices and earlier in years with larger populations. Responses to environmental conditions are probably related to indirect effects on timing or abundance of food availability, direct effects of weather or both. The mechanism(s) leading to a possible relationship between laying date and population size are less clear. They may be related to Allee-type effects associated with social stimulation, improved foraging efficiency or a densitydependent increase in breeding site quality. Given the correlative nature of these results, we are cautious about the role of non-climatic (intrinsic) factors, but we cannot exclude that they play a role alongside climatic (extrinsic) factors in influencing reproductive phenology.

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Later breeding in northern gannets in the eastern Atlantic

Cited by 27 publications

References 32 publications

Long‐term changes in breeding phenology at two seabird colonies in the western North Sea

Long‐term changes in breeding phenology at two seabird colonies in the western North Sea

Recent impacts of anthropogenic climate change on a higher marine predator in western Britain

Changes in the timing of egg-laying of a colonial seabird in relation to population size and environmental conditions

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