Reproductive responses to spatial and temporal prey availability in a coastal Arctic fox population

• Published in: Journal of Animal Ecology
• Main Authors: Eide, Nina E., Stien, Audun, Prestrud, Pål, Yoccoz, Nigel G., Fuglei, Eva
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2011
• Subjects: Arctic; Svalbard; Arctic Fox; Vulpes lagopus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01936.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1365-2656.2011.01936.x; https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01936.x

Summary 1. Input of external subsidies in the Arctic may have substantial effects on predator populations that otherwise would have been limited by low local primary productivity. 2. We explore life‐history traits, age‐specific fecundity, litter sizes and survival, and the population dynamics of an Arctic fox ( Vulpes lagopus ) population to explore the influence of the spatial distribution and temporal availability of its main prey; including both resident and migrating (external) prey resources. 3. This study reveals that highly predictable cross‐boundary subsidies from the marine food web, acting through seasonal access to seabirds, sustain larger local Arctic fox populations. Arctic fox dens located close to the coast in Svalbard were found to have higher occupancy rates, as expected from both high availability and high temporal and spatial predictability of prey resources (temporally stable external subsidies). Whereas the occupancy rate of inland dens varied between years in relation to the abundance of reindeer carcasses (temporally varying resident prey). 4. With regard to demography, juvenile Arctic foxes in Svalbard have lower survival rates and a high age of first reproduction compared with other populations. We suggest this may be caused by a lack of unoccupied dens and a saturated population.