Prevailing weather conditions and diet composition affect chick growth and survival in the black-legged kittiwake

S Christensen-Dalsgaard,RT Barrett,M Langset,RF May,BK Sandercock,SH Lorentsen

doi:10.3354/meps12744

S Christensen-Dalsgaard, RT Barrett + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12744

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Abstract

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 604:237-249 (2018) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12744 Prevailing weather conditions and diet composition affect chick growth and survival in the black-legged kittiwake Signe Christensen-Dalsgaard1,2,*, Roel F. May1, Robert T. Barrett3, Magdalene Langset1, Brett K. Sandercock1, Svein-Håkon Lorentsen1 1Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), PO Box 5685 Torgard, 7034 Trondheim, Norway 2Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Realfagbygget, 7491 Trondheim, Norway 3Department of Natural Sciences, Tromsø University Museum, PO Box 6050 Langnes, 9037 Tromsø, Norway *Corresponding author: signe.dalsgaard@nina.no ABSTRACT: To identify priorities for management of seabirds during the breeding season, it is important to understand the ecological mechanisms driving chick growth and survival. In this study, we examined the effects of diet and prevailing weather on the growth and survival of chicks of black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla over a 10 yr period at Anda, a seabird colony in northern Norway. We show that across all years, there was a significant effect of diet composition delivered to chicks on their growth and survival. A higher proportion of sandeel Ammodytes spp. in the chick diet was associated with an increase in daily growth rates, a pattern that was especially pronounced for the youngest chick in 2-chick broods. A high proportion of mesopelagic fish in the chick diet was associated with a decrease in survival, again, especially for the youngest chick in 2-chick broods. Periods of strong southerly winds also led to reduced survival, probably linked to nests being washed down from the colony. Growth rates of kittiwake chicks were negatively affected by wind speed, likely due to adults having to work more in the exposed habitats in strong winds, causing a reduction in the amount of food supplied to the chicks. Our results emphasise the importance of conservation of specific marine habitats shown to be important foraging areas in ensuring the reproductive success of seabirds. This might prove increasingly important if future climate regimes make ecological conditions more challenging for seabirds. KEY WORDS: Foraging effort · Mesopelagic fish · Nestling development · Prey availability · Rissa tridactyla · Sandeel · Wind conditions Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Christensen-Dalsgaard S, May RF, Barrett RT, Langset M, Sandercock BK, Lorentsen SH (2018) Prevailing weather conditions and diet composition affect chick growth and survival in the black-legged kittiwake. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 604:237-249. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12744 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 604. Online publication date: October 04, 2018 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2018 Inter-Research.

Highlights

Seabird populations have declined worldwide during the last decades, increasing the conservation concern for this species group (Croxall et al 2012, Lewison et al 2012, Lescroël et al 2016)
Growth rate, survival and fledging success in the study nests varied among years in our 10 yr study (Table 1)
The proportions of different prey groups in the diet varied during the study period, with sandeel and mesopelagic fishes being the main part of the diet, followed by gadids, herring and other prey (Fig. 1, Table S1)

Summary

Introduction

Seabird populations have declined worldwide during the last decades, increasing the conservation concern for this species group (Croxall et al 2012, Lewison et al 2012, Lescroël et al 2016). Recent research has shown that poor breeding success can be an important driver of the population decline observed in seabirds (Sandvik et al 2012, Reiertsen 2013). We need to understand the environmental factors causing the changes in breeding success and breeding numbers observed in many seabird populations. In this context, both offspring survival rate and condition are important to consider, since breeding success, chick growth and chick body condition can have long-term consequences on recruitment rates and future fitness of recruits (Cam et al 2003, Cam & Aubry 2011, Monticelli & Ramos 2012)

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