Mind the wind: microclimate effects on incubation effort of an arctic seabird
Hilde, Christoffer Høyvik; Pélabon, Christophe; Guéry, Loreleï; Gabrielsen, Geir Wing; Descamps, Sébastien
Journal article, Peer reviewed
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Date
2016-02-21Metadata
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- Institutt for biologi [2613]
- Publikasjoner fra CRIStin - NTNU [38576]
Abstract
The energetic costs of reproduction in birds strongly depend on the climate
experienced during incubation. Climate change and increasing frequency of
extreme weather events may severely affect these costs, especially for species
incubating in extreme environments. In this 3-year study, we used an experimental
approach to investigate the effects of microclimate and nest shelter on
the incubation effort of female common eiders (Somateria mollissima) in a wild
Arctic population. We added artificial shelters to a random selection of nesting
females, and compared incubation effort, measured as body mass loss during
incubation, between females with and without shelter. Nonsheltered females
had a higher incubation effort than females with artificial shelters. In nonsheltered
females, higher wind speeds increased the incubation effort, while artificially
sheltered females experienced no effect of wind. Although increasing
ambient temperatures tended to decrease incubation effort, this effect was negligible
in the absence of wind. Humidity had no marked effect on incubation
effort. This study clearly displays the direct effect of a climatic variable on an
important aspect of avian life-history. By showing that increasing wind speed
counteracts the energetic benefits of a rising ambient temperature, we were able
to demonstrate that a climatic variable other than temperature may also affect
wild populations and need to be taken into account when predicting the effects
of climate change.