Annual variation in the timing of breeding, pre-breeding foraging areas and corticosterone levels in an Arctic population of black-legged kittiwakes

• Published in: Marine Ecology Progress Series
• Main Authors: Goutte, Aurélie, Angelier, Frédéric, Bech, Claus, Clément-Chastel, Céline, Dell'Omo, Giacomo, Gabrielsen, Geir Wing, Lendvai, Adam Zoltan, Moe, Borge, Noreen, Elin, Pinaud, David, Tartu, Sabrina, Chastel, Olivier
• Other Authors: Centre d'études biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Biology Trondheim (IBI NTNU), Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim (NTNU), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)-Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Ornis Italica, Ornis italica, Norvegian Polar Research Institute (NPRI), Norwegian Polar Institute, Department of Biological Sciences Blacksburg, Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Division of Arctic Ecology (NINA), Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2014
• Subjects: Rissa tridactyla; Stress; Hormones; GPS; Phenology; Reproduction; Annual variations; Svalbard; [SDE]Environmental Sciences; Arctic; Greenland; Arctic Population; Black-legged Kittiwake; rissa tridactyla
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00944948; https://doi.org/10.3354/meps10650

International audience Late breeding usually occurs during years of poor environmental conditions, but the proximate mechanisms underlying this phenological pattern have been poorly documented. Here, we combined the deployment of GPS devices (from 2008 to 2010) and the monitoring of breeding parameters and baseline corticosterone levels (from 2007 to 2011) during the pre-laying period to investigate the proximate regulation of breeding date in an Arctic population of black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla. The timing of breeding varied considerably during the course of the study and late breeding was associated with reduced clutch size and low breeding success at the individual level. Foraging strategies differed considerably between males and females and among years. All but one of the females tracked using GPS during the pre-laying period foraged inside the fjord, whereas tracked males foraged both inside and outside the fjord, using the deep waters of the Greenland-Svalbard ridge. Trips lasted longer and were to greater distances in 2009, the year of late breeding, compared to 2008 and 2010, highlighting a food scarcity in 2009. Corticosterone levels differed among years, and were the lowest in 2010, the year of earliest breeding. Moreover, kittiwakes exhibiting higher corticosterone levels tended to undertake longer trips when foraging outside the fjord. Breeding decision and laying date were not related to corticosterone levels at the individual level, but were positively influenced by body condition, suggesting that complex proximate mechanisms may affect timing of breeding in kittiwakes.