Climate and dispersal: Black-winged Stilts disperse further in dry springs.

• Published in: PLoS ONE
• Main Author: Jordi Figuerola
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2007
• Subjects: Medicine; R; Science; Q; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0000539; https://doaj.org/article/b029c2d7069d4de79583f2559970fd49

Climate affects the abundance and distribution of many species of wildlife. Nevertheless, the potential effects of climate on dispersive behaviour remain unstudied. Here, I combine data from (i) a long-term Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) monitoring program, (ii) a capture-recapture marking program in Doñana, and (iii) reports from the Rare Birds Committee in the United Kingdom to analyse at different geographical scales the relationship between climate, survival, philopatry, and dispersive behaviour. Black-winged Stilt populations varied in size in consonance with changes in both the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and local rainfall during the breeding season. Changes in population size are related to changes in philopatry and increases in dispersal beyond the traditional range of the species. The results indicate that climatic conditions influence the dispersive behaviour of individual birds, explaining rapid changes in the local population of this species breeding in unstable Mediterranean wetlands.