Egg cannibalism in a gull colony increases with sea surface temperature

The condor

James L. Hayward¹ 

关键词: egg cannibalism;    climate change;    ENSO;    Glaucous-winged Gull;    Larus glaucescens;    Larus occidentalis;    sea surface temperature;    Western Gull;   

DOI  :  10.1650/CONDOR-13-016-R1.1

学科分类：动物科学

来源: Central Ornithology Publication Office

【 摘 要 】

ABSTRACT Cannibalism occurs regularly across a broad range of taxa with a variety of ecological and evolutionary consequences. Rises in sea surface temperature (SST) have been linked to increased cannibalism in some species, including polar bears (Ursus maritimus), Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens), and Peruvian hake (Merluccius gayi peruanus), and might be expected in birds that depend on marine food webs for sustenance. Increased SSTs are associated with lowered ocean thermoclines and weakened upwellings. These changes, in turn, lead to decreased productivity in surface water and movement of surviving forage fish to deeper water, thereby food-stressing surface feeders such as gulls, diminishing energy intake and lengthening foraging bouts. While controlling for a suite of other environmental factors, we tested whether egg cannibalism and hatching success were independent of rises in local SST at a colony of Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens) and Glaucous-winged × Western Gull (L. glaucescens ×...

【 授权许可】

CC BY