Data from: Environmental heterogeneity decreases reproductive success via effects on foraging behaviour ...

• Main Authors: Trevail, Alice, Green, Jonathan, Sharples, Jonathan, Polton, Jeff, Miller, Peter, Daunt, Francis, Owen, Ellie, Bolton, Mark, Colhoun, Kendrew, Newton, Stephen, Robertson, Gail, Patrick, Samantha
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2019
• Subjects: Heterogeneity Gradient; resource availability; Optimal foraging theory; hidden Markov model; Rissa tridactyla; rissa tridactyla
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0898ss6; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.0898ss6

Environmental heterogeneity shapes the uneven distribution of resources available to foragers, and is ubiquitous in nature. Optimal foraging theory predicts that an animal’s ability to exploit resource patches is key to foraging success. However, the potential fitness costs and benefits of foraging in a heterogeneous environment are difficult to measure empirically. Heterogeneity may provide higher quality foraging opportunities, or alternatively could increase the cost of resource acquisition because of reduced patch density or increased competition. Here, we study the influence of physical environmental heterogeneity on behaviour and reproductive success of black-legged kittiwakes, Rissa tridactyla. From GPS tracking data at 15 colonies throughout their British and Irish breeding range, we found that environments that were physically more heterogeneous were associated with longer trip duration, more time spent actively foraging whilst away from the colony, increased overlap of foraging areas between ... : Code_kittiwake heterogeneityR Code to calculate environmental heterogeneity and the links with foraging dynamicsEnvironmentEnvironmental variables at random locations around kittiwake colonies used to calculate environmental heterogeneityKittiwake trip metrics and successTrip metrics, reproductive success and heterogeneity used in paper analysesKittiwake.csvHMMbehavioursProportion of time spent in forage/transit/restFoverlapOverlap between individual foraging areasFsizeSize of individual foraging areas ...