Lack of synchronized breeding success in a seabird community: extreme events, niche separation, and environmental variability ...

• Main Authors: Youngflesh, Casey, Li, Yun, Lynch, Heather, Delord, Karine, Barbraud, Christophe, Ji, Rubao, Jenouvrier, Stephanie
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2021
• Subjects: Antarctica; environmental indicators; extreme events; niche separation; Ecology; FOS Biological sciences; Antarctic; Fulmar; Nivea; Pointe-Géologie; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Cape Petrel; Daption capense; Pygoscelis adeliae; Snow Petrel; Stercorarius maccormicki
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5068/d1kt10; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5068/D1KT10

Synchrony in ecological systems, the degree to which elements respond similarly over time or space, can inform our understanding of how ecosystems function and how they are responding to global change. While studies of ecological synchrony are often focused on within-species dynamics, synchrony among species may provide important insights into how dynamics of one species are indicative of conditions relevant to the larger community, with both basic and applied implications. Ecological theory suggests there may be conditions under which communities might exhibit increased synchrony, however the degree to which these patterns are borne out in natural systems is currently unknown. We used long-term breeding success data from a community of Antarctic seabirds to assess the degree of interspecific, community synchrony and the role that extreme events play in driving these dynamics. We assessed theoretical links between community synchrony, niche separation, and environmental variability using data from this and ... : We collected data on five sympatrically breeding seabird species (Adélie penguin Pygoscelis adeliae, southern fulmar Fulmarus glacialoides, cape petrel Daption capense, snow petrel Pagodroma nivea, and south polar skua Stercorarius maccormicki) at breeding sites at Pointe Géologie, Antarctica (66.67°S, 140.00°E) during the Antarctic summer (December – March). These five seabird species are highly site faithful and feed on prey items found in the marine environment (e.g., krill, fish, and squid), with the exception of south polar skua, which preys primarily upon Adélie penguin eggs and young during the breeding season at Pointe Géologie (Ridoux and Offredo 1989). The number of breeding pairs and number of chicks fledged were recorded from 1980-2016, although data were not available for every species in all years (Appendix A). Breeding success data were collected from the entire colony for southern fulmar, cape petrel, south polar skua, and Adélie penguin, while a subset of nests were monitored for snow petrel ...