Variation in Egg Size and Laying Date in Thick-Billed Murre Populations Breeding in the Low Arctic and High Arctic
Abstract We used data collected across 28 years (1975–2002) to compare how timing of laying and egg size respond to environmental variability in two low-arctic and two high-arctic Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) populations. Ice conditions strongly affect food availability to marine birds in the Ar...
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Oxford University Press (OUP)
2005
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/condor/107.3.657 http://academic.oup.com/condor/article-pdf/107/3/657/29714608/condor0657.pdf |
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croxfordunivpr:10.1093/condor/107.3.657 2023-05-15T14:33:37+02:00 Variation in Egg Size and Laying Date in Thick-Billed Murre Populations Breeding in the Low Arctic and High Arctic Hipfner, J. Mark Gaston, Anthony J. Gilchrist, H. Grant 2005 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/condor/107.3.657 http://academic.oup.com/condor/article-pdf/107/3/657/29714608/condor0657.pdf en eng Oxford University Press (OUP) The Condor volume 107, issue 3, page 657-664 ISSN 0010-5422 1938-5129 Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics journal-article 2005 croxfordunivpr https://doi.org/10.1093/condor/107.3.657 2022-12-29T15:37:59Z Abstract We used data collected across 28 years (1975–2002) to compare how timing of laying and egg size respond to environmental variability in two low-arctic and two high-arctic Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) populations. Ice conditions strongly affect food availability to marine birds in the Arctic, and the percentage of the sea's surface covered by ice within 300 km of the breeding colony varied more among years near the start of laying at our high-arctic study colonies (Prince Leopold and Coburg Islands, Nunavut, Canada) than at our low-arctic study colonies (Coats and Digges Islands, Nunavut). However, mean values differed little. These results indicate that Thick-billed Murres breeding in the High Arctic experience more variable ice conditions, but not necessarily more severe ice conditions, during the period of egg formation. In response, both median laying date and mean egg size varied more among years at high-arctic than at low-arctic colonies. Several lines of evidence suggested that the variation was a result of within-female effects, i.e., phenotypic plasticity rather than different individuals breeding in years in which environmental conditions differed. Previous studies have shown that Thick-billed Murres lay eggs later in years of heavier ice coverage, especially in the High Arctic where ice conditions can be severe, and only in the High Arctic was later laying associated with reduced egg size. The relationship tended towards a negative asymptote suggesting that each female may have her own minimum egg size. Our results show that Thick-billed Murres that inhabit a more variable environment display greater variability in life-history traits. More generally, they offer insight into mechanisms linking environmental heterogeneity to phenotypic variation in life-history traits. Variación en el Tamaño del Huevo y la Fecha de Puesta en Poblaciones Reproductivas de Uria lomvia en el Ártico Bajo y el Ártico Alto Resumen. Empleamos datos colectados a lo largo de 28 años (1975–2002) para determinar cómo ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Nunavut thick-billed murre Uria lomvia uria Oxford University Press (via Crossref) Arctic Canada Digges ENVELOPE(-94.130,-94.130,58.540,58.540) Digges Islands ENVELOPE(-77.833,-77.833,62.584,62.584) Huevo ENVELOPE(-57.733,-57.733,-63.683,-63.683) Nunavut The Condor 107 3 657 664 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Oxford University Press (via Crossref) |
op_collection_id |
croxfordunivpr |
language |
English |
topic |
Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics |
spellingShingle |
Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics Hipfner, J. Mark Gaston, Anthony J. Gilchrist, H. Grant Variation in Egg Size and Laying Date in Thick-Billed Murre Populations Breeding in the Low Arctic and High Arctic |
topic_facet |
Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics |
description |
Abstract We used data collected across 28 years (1975–2002) to compare how timing of laying and egg size respond to environmental variability in two low-arctic and two high-arctic Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) populations. Ice conditions strongly affect food availability to marine birds in the Arctic, and the percentage of the sea's surface covered by ice within 300 km of the breeding colony varied more among years near the start of laying at our high-arctic study colonies (Prince Leopold and Coburg Islands, Nunavut, Canada) than at our low-arctic study colonies (Coats and Digges Islands, Nunavut). However, mean values differed little. These results indicate that Thick-billed Murres breeding in the High Arctic experience more variable ice conditions, but not necessarily more severe ice conditions, during the period of egg formation. In response, both median laying date and mean egg size varied more among years at high-arctic than at low-arctic colonies. Several lines of evidence suggested that the variation was a result of within-female effects, i.e., phenotypic plasticity rather than different individuals breeding in years in which environmental conditions differed. Previous studies have shown that Thick-billed Murres lay eggs later in years of heavier ice coverage, especially in the High Arctic where ice conditions can be severe, and only in the High Arctic was later laying associated with reduced egg size. The relationship tended towards a negative asymptote suggesting that each female may have her own minimum egg size. Our results show that Thick-billed Murres that inhabit a more variable environment display greater variability in life-history traits. More generally, they offer insight into mechanisms linking environmental heterogeneity to phenotypic variation in life-history traits. Variación en el Tamaño del Huevo y la Fecha de Puesta en Poblaciones Reproductivas de Uria lomvia en el Ártico Bajo y el Ártico Alto Resumen. Empleamos datos colectados a lo largo de 28 años (1975–2002) para determinar cómo ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Hipfner, J. Mark Gaston, Anthony J. Gilchrist, H. Grant |
author_facet |
Hipfner, J. Mark Gaston, Anthony J. Gilchrist, H. Grant |
author_sort |
Hipfner, J. Mark |
title |
Variation in Egg Size and Laying Date in Thick-Billed Murre Populations Breeding in the Low Arctic and High Arctic |
title_short |
Variation in Egg Size and Laying Date in Thick-Billed Murre Populations Breeding in the Low Arctic and High Arctic |
title_full |
Variation in Egg Size and Laying Date in Thick-Billed Murre Populations Breeding in the Low Arctic and High Arctic |
title_fullStr |
Variation in Egg Size and Laying Date in Thick-Billed Murre Populations Breeding in the Low Arctic and High Arctic |
title_full_unstemmed |
Variation in Egg Size and Laying Date in Thick-Billed Murre Populations Breeding in the Low Arctic and High Arctic |
title_sort |
variation in egg size and laying date in thick-billed murre populations breeding in the low arctic and high arctic |
publisher |
Oxford University Press (OUP) |
publishDate |
2005 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/condor/107.3.657 http://academic.oup.com/condor/article-pdf/107/3/657/29714608/condor0657.pdf |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-94.130,-94.130,58.540,58.540) ENVELOPE(-77.833,-77.833,62.584,62.584) ENVELOPE(-57.733,-57.733,-63.683,-63.683) |
geographic |
Arctic Canada Digges Digges Islands Huevo Nunavut |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Canada Digges Digges Islands Huevo Nunavut |
genre |
Arctic Nunavut thick-billed murre Uria lomvia uria |
genre_facet |
Arctic Nunavut thick-billed murre Uria lomvia uria |
op_source |
The Condor volume 107, issue 3, page 657-664 ISSN 0010-5422 1938-5129 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1093/condor/107.3.657 |
container_title |
The Condor |
container_volume |
107 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
657 |
op_container_end_page |
664 |
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1766306820096262144 |