10.5061/DRYAD.ZCRJDFN72
McKnight, Aly
0000-0002-3886-941X
Unity College
Irons, David
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Loftin, Cynthia
United States Geological Survey
McKinney, Shawn
United States Geological Survey
Olsen, Brian
University of Maine
Combined influence of intrinsic and environmental factors in shaping
productivity in a small pelagic gull, the black-legged kittiwake Rissa
tridactyla
Dryad
dataset
2019
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
https://ror.org/04k7dar27
Earthwatch Institute
https://ror.org/0585vsm16
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council
https://ror.org/02t378715
2021-03-04T00:00:00Z
2021-03-04T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13162
1156090 bytes
4
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
While we have a good understanding in many systems of the effects of
single variable changes on organisms, we understand far less about how
variables act in concert to affect living systems, where interactions
among variables can lead to unanticipated results. We used mixed-effect
models to evaluate the effects of multiple variables that we expected to
play a role in the early reproductive stages of a North Pacific seabird,
the black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla, during 1992–2008 using data
collected on known-aged individuals. Our work revealed the potential for
contrasting stressor effects across successive stages of reproduction.
Bird age, timing of egg laying, and winter ENSO conditions best explained
individual laying success, such that laying success was greater when
parents were older, the average winter ENSO index was positive (as occurs
during El Niño episodes), and the median laying date for the colony was
earlier. Age and salmon run timing (a proxy for predator presence at the
colony) best explained hatching success, such that hatching success was
greater when parents were older and when salmon runs were early.
Identifying such differential effects of multiple stressors across
consecutive reproductive stages can greatly enhance our ability to
interpret trends and manage populations in the face of changes currently
occurring in living systems.
See manuscript for details on data collection and processing.
Refer to field name descriptions occuring on separate sheets within the
spreadsheet files.