Abstract
Ocean climate and egg investment in the black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
Highlights
Egg formation is demanding in terms of energy and resource requirements (Nager 2006).egg production coincides with other costly processes, such as mate acquisition and nest defence, that will exacerbate any effects of variable resource availability
Between 1980 and 2012, kittiwake egg and clutch sizes at Hornøya changed considerably from year to year with a strong negative response to variations in inflow of Atlantic Water (AW) into the Barents Sea during the winter 18 months previously and the preceding autumn followed by a positive response to AW inflow immediately prior to egg-laying
Direct responses to biological covariates were all but absent, there was a hint that amounts of mature capelin in the Barents Sea may affect investment in eggs
Summary
Egg formation is demanding in terms of energy and resource requirements (Nager 2006). Egg production coincides with other costly processes, such as mate acquisition and nest defence, that will exacerbate any effects of variable resource availability. These costs may be met through an increase in uptake of protein and energy (reviewed in Williams 2005, Sorensen et al.2009a). The Atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica, for example, may prepare for the nutritional demands of egg production by consuming a high trophic-level diet several months before the breeding season (Kouwenberg et al 2013)
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