Survival of female common eiders Somateria m. mollissima in a declining population of the northern Baltic Sea

Hario, Martti; Mazerolle, Marc J.; Saurola, Pertti

doi:10.1007/s00442-008-1265-x

Cited by 43 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The transition matrix (A) was defined as Individuals of different ages (2-5 years) start to breed with different probabilities (P 2 -P 5 ). These probabilities were estimated as mean values from the Söderskär population in Hario and Rintala (2009); the same breeding probabilities were used also for Tvärminne (''Appendix'') because females are not ringed as ducklings in this population and so age at first breeding is unknown. However, we consider any bias induced by this extrapolation to be small; although e.g., body condition may affect the age of first breeding (Hario and Rintala 2009), female body weight at incubation onset is similar in the two study populations (Hario and Ö st 2002).…”

Section: Population Model and Vital Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small‐scale spatial and temporal variation in the demographic processes underlying the large‐scale decline of eiders in the Baltic Sea

et al. 2015

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The application of uniform conservation schemes often fails to account for small-scale spatial variation in the drivers of population decline. Demographic comparisons of imperilled populations across locations are therefore crucial for successful conservation, but progress is hampered by lack of long-term data from more than a single population. The recent large-scale decline of eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) in the Baltic Sea is ideal for determining to what extent mechanisms underlying population decline can be extrapolated over larger areas. We utilized stochastic demographic methods incorporating both environmental and sampling variation to assess small-scale spatial and temporal variation in the population dynamics of eiders at Söderskär (eastern range-margin) and Tvärminne (core breeding area), situated 130 km apart. The stochastic growth rate models accurately predicted the observed differences in the rate of decline between sites and time periods. At Söderskär, established breeder survival had by far the greatest elasticity, whereas elasticity was more evenly distributed among vital rates at Tvärminne. Although the study sites showed the single largest difference in fecundity, stochastic life table response experiment analyses revealed that reduced adult female survival at Tvärminne mainly determined the observed difference in growth rates between sites. In contrast, reduced fecundity primarily differentiated the past population increase from the present population decline at Söderskär. Our results demonstrate that different mechanisms may be associated with population decline across adjacent geographic locations, and indicate that dispersal of first-time breeders may be important for population dynamics. Safeguarding adult female survival and/or fecundity should be prioritized in management efforts.

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Section: Population Model and Vital Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small‐scale spatial and temporal variation in the demographic processes underlying the large‐scale decline of eiders in the Baltic Sea

et al. 2015

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“…In the Gulf of Finland, the trend in breeding Common Eiders turned negative already in the late 1980s (Hario & Rintala 2009). The population at Söderskär in the Gulf of Finland decreased about 7% annually in the period 1986-1999, the population halved by 2006.…”

Section: Gulf Of Finland and The South-western Archipelagoesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the south-western archipelagoes (see Hario & Rintala 2009) the population trajectory turned negative abruptly after 1997, and the decline was much steeper than in the Gulf of Finland, the population had halved in the period [1997][1998][1999][2000][2001][2002][2003][2004]. No data on vital rates exist from this population, but a population at the western entrance of the Gulf of Finland (Hanko, Tvärminne, see Ekroos et al 2012b) which shows roughly a similar pattern, with a decrease starting in the last years of the 1990s (Kilpi & Öst 2002), provides data on vital rates.…”

Section: Gulf Of Finland and The South-western Archipelagoesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The population at Söderskär in the Gulf of Finland decreased about 7% annually in the period 1986-1999, the population halved by 2006. The Söderskär population in the Gulf of Finland was studied in detail for many decades (see Hario & Rintala 2009), and it is the only population in the central Gulf of Finland from which estimates of vital rates (productivity, mortality) exists.…”

Section: Gulf Of Finland and The South-western Archipelagoesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trends and drivers of change in diving ducks

Kilpi¹,

Lorentsen²,

Petersen³

et al. 2015

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“…Ward and Weatherhead (2005) argued that dispersal can be a long-term strategy, whose benefits are not necessarily observed in the same season as dispersal was first observed. Reduced reproductive success in one season may not be crucial for a species that can reproduce for more than 20 years and typically has a low annual mortality rate (Hario et al 2009). The reason why dispersal delays breeding in the first place could in fact be that it takes time to prospect for a safe nesting site to sustain high survival.…”

Section: Consequences Of Breeding Dispersalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Causes and consequences of fine-scale breeding dispersal in a female-philopatric species

et al. 2010

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The potentially confounded effects of factors affecting breeding dispersal have rarely been simultaneously examined. The consequences of breeding dispersal are even less studied, presenting a paradox: breeding dispersal seldom seems to improve breeding success, despite its presumed adaptiveness. We studied the causes and consequences of breeding dispersal in female-philopatric eiders (Somateria mollissima) in relation to the spatiotemporal predictability of nest success. Previous nest fate, breeding experience, and breeding density simultaneously affected breeding dispersal. Dispersal distances were longer among inexperienced breeders and after failed breeding. Individual dispersal distances decreased with increasing nest-site-specific breeding density, whereas island-specific nesting success peaked at intermediate densities. The fate of neighbouring nests ('public information') did not influence dispersal. Breeding dispersal was unrelated to subsequent hatching success, controlling for individual quality (body condition, breeding experience, previous nest fate), while it delayed hatch date, which is likely to impair reproductive success. This delay may result from the loss of acquired information of local breeding conditions, prolonging nest prospecting and establishment, also helping explain why breeding dispersal did not increase at high breeding densities, despite a potential reduction in nesting success. In long-lived species, however, dispersal-induced reductions in reproductive output in one season could be offset by improved parental survival prospects. Careful nest prospecting may be profitable, because overall nest success had a strong island-specific component but showed weak temporal variation, and successive individual nest fates were predictable between years. Once a safe nest site is found, females may breed at the same place successfully for many years.

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Survival of female common eiders Somateria m. mollissima in a declining population of the northern Baltic Sea

Cited by 43 publications

References 34 publications

Small‐scale spatial and temporal variation in the demographic processes underlying the large‐scale decline of eiders in the Baltic Sea

Small‐scale spatial and temporal variation in the demographic processes underlying the large‐scale decline of eiders in the Baltic Sea

Trends and drivers of change in diving ducks

Causes and consequences of fine-scale breeding dispersal in a female-philopatric species

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