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Assessing the impact of extreme adverse weather on the biological traits of a European storm petrel colony

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Population Ecology

Abstract

Climate change affects the climatic disturbance patterns and regimes and is altering the frequency and intensity of subtropical cyclones. These events can affect population dynamics of seabirds (e.g., survival, reproduction). In this work we tested the effect of adverse weather on a colony of European storm petrels (Hydrobates pelagicus) located in a small islet (Aketx) in northern Spain. Over a long-term monitoring period (1993–2014) we ringed 3728 petrels. From 2003 onwards we also monitored breeding success, the percentage of immature individuals and moult scores. We used Cormack-Jolly-Seber models and Underhill and Zucchini models to analyze the effects of climatic conditions on a number of biological traits (survival, breeding parameters, moulting patterns). Our analyses revealed a constant value of adult survival over the 26-year monitoring period. Recapture probability, however, tended to be positively influenced by NAO conditions in spring, and negatively influenced by NAO conditions in winter (although this would only affect to a fraction of first-captured birds). Moreover, the impact of adverse weather, especially in 2011 and 2014, resulted in an increasing proportion of yearlings in the breeding population, a lower breeding success and a delayed onset of moult. These effects were similar to those observed during the Prestige oil spill catastrophe.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge J. Iturralde, S. Hidalgo, G. Belamendia, L. Roncero, J. I. Jauregi, O. Gutierrez, J. Goicoechea, A. Vilches, I. Mazkiaran, A. Azkona, L. Astorkia, I. Castillo, F. Ruiz-Moneo, J. Elorriaga, I. Palacios, A. Iraeta, A.Galarza, G. Ocio, L. F. Campos, A. Onrubia, M. Balerdi, J. Isasi and C. González de Buitrago for their valuable field assistance. This research Project was partially funded by the Basque Government Department of Environment and Land Planing during the Prestige oil spill (2002 and 2003). The Environment Department of Diputación Foral de Bizkaia supported the field work for 2011 and 2014 and issued the licences to work with this species. We also thank Alexandra Farrell for the linguistic revision. Three anonymous referees provided very valuable comments that helped us to improve a first draft of this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Estudios Medioambientales Icarus S.L., C/San Vicente 8 6ª Planta Dpto 8, Edificio Albia I, 48001, Bilbao, Spain

    Iñigo Zuberogoitia

  2. Department of Ornithology, Aranzadi Sciences Society, Zorroagagaina 11, 20014, Donostia-S. Sebastián, Spain

    Iñigo Zuberogoitia, Jabi Zabala, Jon Etxezarreta, Ariñe Crespo, Gorka Burgos & Juan Arizaga

  3. School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK

    Jabi Zabala

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  1. Iñigo Zuberogoitia
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Correspondence to Iñigo Zuberogoitia.

Appendix

Appendix

See Table 6.

Table 6 List of 26 models used to test for constant, time- and age-dependence on ϕ or p
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Zuberogoitia, I., Zabala, J., Etxezarreta, J. et al. Assessing the impact of extreme adverse weather on the biological traits of a European storm petrel colony. Popul Ecol 58, 303–313 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10144-016-0538-1

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