Extended incubation recesses in sanderlings are impacted by temperature and body condition.

• Published in: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
• Main Authors: Etchart, Léa, Lecomte, Nicolas, Dechaume-Moncharmont, François-Xavier, Moreau, Jérôme, Lang, Johannes, Pagnon, Thomas, Sittler, Benoit, Teixeira, Maria, Bollache, Loïc, Gilg, Olivier
• Other Authors: Laboratoire Chrono-environnement (UMR 6249) (LCE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Franche-Comté (UFC), Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté COMUE (UBFC)-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté COMUE (UBFC), Canada Research Chair in Polar and Boreal Ecology, Université de Moncton, Centre d'Etudes Nordiques (CEN), Université Laval Québec (ULaval), Équipe 4 - Écophysiologie, Comportement, Conservation (E2C), Laboratoire d'Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés (LEHNA), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État (ENTPE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État (ENTPE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Biogéosciences UMR 6282 (BGS), Université de Bourgogne (UB)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Arctique, Working Group for Wildlife Research at the Clinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Chair for Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, IPEV (French Polar Institute-IPEV ‘Interactions 1036’ programme), Canada Research Chair program and NSERC, ANR-21-CE02-0024,PACS,Stratégie de soins parentaux des limicoles Arctiques : conséquences de l'interaction entre les conditions abiotiques et les interactions proies-prédateurs sur le succès de la reproduction(2021)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2024
• Subjects: Greenland; incubation strategy; parental care; parent–offspring trade-off; sanderling; MESH: Humans; MESH: Animals; MESH: Temperature; MESH: Charadriiformes; MESH: Birds; MESH: Cold Temperature; MESH: Breeding; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Calidris alba; Sanderling
• Online Access: https://u-bourgogne.hal.science/hal-04488569; https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.2264

International audience Complex incubation strategies have evolved to solve the trade-off between parent survival and care for their eggs with often brief departures (recesses) that maximize egg survival, and infrequent extended recesses maximizing adult condition. Here we examined incubation behaviour of sanderlings ( Calidris alba ), a species that exhibits both biparental and uniparental incubation behaviour. During 11 breeding seasons in Greenland, we have quantified incubation variability with thermologgers placed in nests. We estimated the impact of environmental conditions and individual characteristics on the occurrence and the duration of recesses. We found that extended recesses are a unique feature of uniparentals, and their frequency and duration increased in colder temperatures. The relationship was mediated by body condition, with individuals in poor condition performing longer extended recesses in colder temperatures. This suggests that extended recesses may represent a shift towards self-maintenance at the expense of the egg care, allowing birds to continue incubating under unfavourable conditions. Our study illustrates how extended recesses may be a key breeding strategy to overcome high energetic costs associated with incubation. Quantifying such behavioural flexibility paves the way for tracking future behavioural responses of individuals in the face of changing environments.