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Annual variation in waterbird clutch initiation date in relation to spring thaw in Arctic Russia

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Abstract

To test for the degree of species-specific variation in clutch initiation date in relation to spring thaw, we recorded first egg dates in 1433 nests of seven large bodied long-distance migratory waterbird species breeding on Ayopechan Island in the Chaun Delta, Chukotka, in the Russian Arctic during 2002–2020. Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica, Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis and Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus all adjusted timing of clutch initiation completely to annual variation in first frost-free dates. First egg dates of Spectacled Eider Somateria fischeri also significantly advanced in warmer springs, but the rate of change was significantly less than unity, implying a reduced capacity to accommodate change in vernal thaw that may not be able to keep up with greater change in the future. Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis and Vega Gull Larus vegae showed a tendency for earlier first egg dates in years with earlier first frost-free date, but for both species, the relationship failed to reach statistical significance. Bewick’s Swan Cygnus columbianus showed almost no change in mean first egg date across the observed variation in first frost-free dates. Based on these data, we suggest that while all seven species showed signs of plasticity in their timing of onset of breeding, Pacific Loon, Sandhill Crane and Glaucous Gull showed greater adaptability to adjust the timing of their breeding season to recent variation in spring thaw than the other four species studied here over this period.

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Availability of data and material

The datasets analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We are deeply grateful to all the field crews in each of the years of the study, too many to name here. Our thanks also to the referees and editor for comments and suggestions to improve an earlier submission.

Funding

The Chukotka Mining Company (of Kinross Gold Corporation) provided logistics and transportation during 2010–2020. We gratefully acknowledge funding from Lundi Company, Germany (2002); US Fish & Wildlife Service, Fairbanks Office (2003–2010); Wildlife Conservation Society, USA (2011–2015); Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2016–2018); Small Grant Program of the East-Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (2019); and Dr. Sergey Vartanyan (2020).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biological Problems of the North, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Portovava 18, Magadan, 685000, Russia

    Diana Solovyeva, Daria A. Barykina & Olga D. Prokopenko

  2. Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Kalø, Grenåvej 14, 8410, Rønde, Denmark

    Thorsten J. S. Balsby & Anthony D. Fox

Authors
  1. Diana Solovyeva
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  2. Daria A. Barykina
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  3. Olga D. Prokopenko
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  4. Thorsten J. S. Balsby
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  5. Anthony D. Fox
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Contributions

Diana Solovyeva conceived the study, planned and organised all of the fieldwork and data collection with field support from Daria Barykina and Olga Prokopenko. DS, Anthony Fox and Thorsten Balsby designed and undertook the analyses, and Anthony Fox wrote the manuscript, which was improved, commented upon and agreed by all co-authors.

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Correspondence to Anthony D. Fox.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Solovyeva, D., Barykina, D.A., Prokopenko, O.D. et al. Annual variation in waterbird clutch initiation date in relation to spring thaw in Arctic Russia. Int J Biometeorol 66, 1005–1012 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-022-02256-8

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