Trophic interactions under climate fluctuations: the Atlantic puffin as an example.

Area of Science:

• Marine Ecology
• Avian Biology
• Climate Change Impacts

Background:

• Breeding success in seabirds is critically dependent on the synchrony between offspring food requirements and prey availability.
• Prey availability is often influenced by environmental factors distinct from those governing predator breeding decisions, leading to potential mismatches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the determinants of fledging success in the Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica).
• To understand the indirect effects of climate, mediated by sea temperature, on puffin prey availability and subsequent breeding outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of a 27-year dataset from an Atlantic puffin colony in Røst, northern Norway.
• Parallel data collection on sea temperature and the abundance/size of Norwegian spring-spawning herring (Clupea harengus).
• Statistical modeling to correlate fledging success with environmental variables and prey characteristics.

Main Results:

• Climate influences Atlantic puffin breeding success indirectly through sea temperature.
• Sea temperature affects the availability of first-year herring, a primary food source for puffins.
• The study identified a quantitative relationship between first-year herring size, sea temperature, and puffin breeding success.

Conclusions:

• Sea temperature is a key mediator of climate impacts on Atlantic puffin populations via its effect on herring availability.
• The breeding success of puffins can be predicted using sea temperature and herring size data.
• This research underscores the vulnerability of seabird populations to climate-driven changes in marine food webs.