Range Extensions of Some Boreal Owl Species: Comments on Snow Cover, Ice Crusts, and Climate Change

Mysterud, Iver

doi:10.1657/aaar0015-041

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Because individual species often present an unique response to climate variability, climate impacts on trophic interactions are complex to unravel. Depending on the species, variation in air temperature or rainfall may improve predator efficiency (Creel et al, ; Grigaltchik et al, ) or favour prey survival and/or reproduction (Lecomte et al, ; Mysterud, ). Compared to geese, fox breeding displayed weaker and more ambivalent links with local climate (i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct and indirect effects of regional and local climatic factors on trophic interactions in the Arctic tundra

Juhasz

Shipley

Gauthier

et al. 2019

Journal of Animal Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Climate change can impact ecosystems by reshaping the dynamics of resource exploitation for predators and their prey. Alterations of these pathways could be especially intense in ecosystems characterized by a simple trophic structure and rapid warming trends, such as in the Arctic. However, quantifying the multiple direct and indirect pathways through which climate change is likely to alter trophic interactions and their relative strength remains a challenge. Here, we aim to identify direct and indirect causal mechanisms driven by climate affecting predator–prey interactions of species sharing a tundra food web. We based our study on relationships between one Arctic predator (Arctic fox) and its two main prey – lemmings (preferred prey) and snow geese (alternate prey) – which are exposed to variable local and regional climatic factors across years. We used a combination of models mapping multiple causal links among key variables derived from a long‐term dataset (21 years). We obtained several possible scenarios linking regional climate factors (Arctic oscillations) and local temperature and precipitation to the breeding of species. Our results suggest that both regional and local climate factors have direct and indirect impacts on the breeding of foxes and geese. Local climate showed a positive causal link with goose nesting success, while both regional and local climate displayed contrasted effects on the proportion of fox breeding. We found no impact of climate on lemming abundance. We observed positive relationships between lemming, fox and goose reproduction highlighting numerical and functional responses of fox to the variability of lemming abundance. Our study measures causal links and strength of interactions in a food web, quantifying both numerical response of a predator and apparent interactions between its two main prey. These results improve our understanding of the complex effects of climate on predator–prey interactions and our capacity to anticipate food web response to ongoing climate change.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct and indirect effects of regional and local climatic factors on trophic interactions in the Arctic tundra

Juhasz

Shipley

Gauthier

et al. 2019

Journal of Animal Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Species with northern distribution should spend more time in darkness both daily and yearly, e.g. the Tawny Owl (Strix aluco), Ural Owl (Strix uralensis) (Goffette et al 2016) and the Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) (Del Hoyo et al 1999, Mysterud 2016. Various Strix species differ considerably in their degree of asymmetry (Derlink et al 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of skull morphometric characters in Owls (Strigiformes)

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Owls (Strigiformes) are small to large birds, mostly solitary and nocturnal predators. They can be found all around the Earth except Antarctica and some remote islands. The species differ in size, diet and habitat, which led to different morphological adaptations of the skull. The main differences are in the orbital and the otical region, which are connected to the visual and hearing capabilities. The aim of the recent study is to increase our knowledge of the relationship between skull shape and foraging habits and tried to find those characters that are related to diet. A geometric morphometric approach was used to analyse two-dimensional cranial landmarks. We used principal component (PC) analyses on measurements that may be related to visual and hearing abilities. The PCs are resulted in the robusticity of the skull and the asymmetry of the otical region. There are differences in position and shape of postorbital processes (POP) and tympanic wings (TW). Species with symmetrical skull shape are basically crepuscular or diurnal predators and species with more asymmetrical skulls are mostly nocturnal hunters and have better hearing capabilities.

show abstract

“…Increased precipitation together with the increase in temperature will lead to wetter autumns and winters, likely with a decrease in the snow cover and an increase in rainfall. On one hand, mild winters and a shallow snow cover mean unfavourable conditions for the hoarded food, but could favour overwinter survival and everyday foraging throughout the winter (Mysterud, 2016). On the other hand, the increase in temperature and in the number freeze–thaw events leads to the formation of ice layers in the snow cover (Marsh & Woo, 1984), which makes it more difficult for aerial predators to hunt by penetrating through the snow cover.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change and perishable food hoards of an avian predator: Is the freezer still working?

Masoero

Laaksonen

Morosinotto

et al. 2020

Global Change Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Changing climate can modify predator–prey interactions and induce declines or local extinctions of species due to reductions in food availability. Species hoarding perishable food for overwinter survival, like predators, are predicted to be particularly susceptible to increasing temperatures. We analysed the influence of autumn and winter weather, and abundance of main prey (voles), on the food‐hoarding behaviour of a generalist predator, the Eurasian pygmy owl (Glaucidium passerinum), across 16 years in Finland. Fewer freeze–thaw events in early autumn delayed the initiation of food hoarding. Pygmy owls consumed more hoarded food with more frequent freeze–thaw events and deeper snow cover in autumn and in winter, and lower precipitation in winter. In autumn, the rotting of food hoards increased with precipitation. Hoards already present in early autumn were much more likely to rot than the ones initiated in late autumn. Rotten food hoards were used more in years of low food abundance than in years of high food abundance. Having rotten food hoards in autumn resulted in a lower future recapture probability of female owls. These results indicate that pygmy owls might be partly able to adapt to climate change by delaying food hoarding, but changes in the snow cover, precipitation and frequency of freeze–thaw events might impair their foraging and ultimately decrease local overwinter survival. Long‐term trends and future predictions, therefore, suggest that impacts of climate change on wintering food‐hoarding species could be substantial, because their ‘freezers’ may no longer work properly. Altered usability and poorer quality of hoarded food may further modify the foraging needs of food‐hoarding predators and thus their overall predation pressure on prey species. This raises concerns about the impacts of climate change on boreal food webs, in which ecological interactions have evolved under cold winter conditions.

show abstract

Range Extensions of Some Boreal Owl Species: Comments on Snow Cover, Ice Crusts, and Climate Change

Cited by 13 publications

References 26 publications

Direct and indirect effects of regional and local climatic factors on trophic interactions in the Arctic tundra

Direct and indirect effects of regional and local climatic factors on trophic interactions in the Arctic tundra

Analysis of skull morphometric characters in Owls (Strigiformes)

Climate change and perishable food hoards of an avian predator: Is the freezer still working?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About