Phenological advancement in arctic bird species: relative importance of snow melt and ecological factors

Liebezeit, Joseph R.; Gurney, Kirsty E. B.; Budde, Michael; Zack, Steve; Ward, David H.

doi:10.1007/s00300-014-1522-x

Cited by 69 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…The date of the first egg has advanced 2.6 ± 0.8 days decade −1 (95% confidence interval), and the median date of egg laying (not shown) has advanced 2.4 ± 0.6 days decade −1 (95% confidence interval). Similar advancements have been observed for bird species breeding on the adjacent coastal tundra (Liebezeit et al 2014). In 2016, the appearance of first egg was slightly later than 2015, but the median date of egg laying (and thus, the breeding season) was the earliest on record (DOY 168) by 3 days (Fig.…”

Section: Regional Changes In Vegetation Phenology and Sea Ice Dynamicssupporting

confidence: 74%

“…A long the North Slope of Alaska (NSA), the annual cycles of environmental variables including wildlife behavior (e.g., Divoky et al 2015;Liebezeit et al 2014), biogeochemical cycles (e.g., Rhew et al 2008;Sweeney et al 2016;Zona et al 2016), hydrology and hydroecology (e.g., Prowse et al 2006), and vegetation (e.g., Bhatt et al 2013) vary annually in response to seasonal warming and cooling of the surface, subsurface, and atmosphere. The timing of snow disappearance each spring influences the amount of solar radiation absorbed at the surface during May and June, and the associated variations in the net surface energy budget propagating downward through the subsurface affecting soil temperatures (e.g., Romanovsky et al 2002;Westermann et al 2009) and upward through the atmosphere, affecting air temperature and stability (e.g., Persson et al 2002).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Drivers and Environmental Responses to the Changing Annual Snow Cycle of Northern Alaska

Cox

Stone

Douglas

et al. 2017

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

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Linkages between atmospheric, ecological, and biogeochemical variables in the changing Arctic are analyzed using long-term measurements near Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska. Two key variables are the date when snow disappears in spring, as determined primarily by atmospheric dynamics, precipitation, air temperature, winter snow accumulation, and cloud cover, and the date of onset of snowpack in autumn that is additionally influenced by ocean temperature and sea ice extent. In 2015 and 2016 the snow melted early at Utqiaġvik owing mainly to anomalous warmth during May of both years attributed to atmospheric circulation patterns, with 2016 having the record earliest snowmelt. These years are discussed in the context of a 115-yr snowmelt record at Utqiaġvik with a trend toward earlier melting since the mid-1970s (–2.86 days decade–1, 1975–2016). At nearby Cooper Island, where a colony of seabirds, black guillemots, have been monitored since 1975, timing of egg laying is correlated with Utqiaġvik snowmelt with 2015 and 2016 being the earliest years in the 42-yr record. Ice out at a nearby freshwater lagoon is also correlated with Utqiaġvik snowmelt. The date when snow begins to accumulate in autumn at Utqiaġvik shows a trend toward later dates (+4.6 days decade–1, 1975–2016), with 2016 being the latest on record. The relationships between the lengthening snow-free season and regional phenology, soil temperatures, fluxes of gases from the tundra, and to regional sea ice conditions are discussed. Better understanding of these interactions is needed to predict the annual snow cycles in the region at seasonal to decadal scales and to anticipate coupled environmental responses.

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Section: Regional Changes In Vegetation Phenology and Sea Ice Dynamicssupporting

confidence: 74%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers and Environmental Responses to the Changing Annual Snow Cycle of Northern Alaska

Cox

Stone

Douglas

et al. 2017

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

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“…In addition, there is evidence of flexibility in arrival dates in response to local temperatures and significantly earlier spring migration phenology for birds breeding along Alaska's central Arctic Coast over a 50-yr period (Ward et al 2016). On that coastal plain, closely related Lapland Longspurs have advanced clutch initiation dates, with timing of snowmelt being the most important factor explaining this advancement (Liebezeit et al 2014). Unfortunately, there are no long-term data on breeding Smith's Longspurs, so we cannot determine whether the timing of their breeding has changed in recent decades in response to warming temperatures in the Arctic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nest-site selection and reproductive success of Common Yellowthroats in managed Iowa grasslands

Murray

Best

2014

The Condor

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“…Shorebirds comprise a large portion of the avian fauna breeding in the Arctic and are an ideal taxon to investigate phenological mismatch. In fact, several studies have shown that both Subarctic-and Arctic-breeding shorebirds (Gill et al, 2014;Grabowski, Doyle, Reid, Mossop, & Talarico, 2013;Liebezeit, Gurney, Budde, Zack, & Ward, 2014;Saalfeld & Lanctot, 2017) and their invertebrate prey (Braegelman, 2016;Tulp & Schekkerman, 2008) have advanced their phenologies with recent climate change. In fact, several studies have shown that both Subarctic-and Arctic-breeding shorebirds (Gill et al, 2014;Grabowski, Doyle, Reid, Mossop, & Talarico, 2013;Liebezeit, Gurney, Budde, Zack, & Ward, 2014;Saalfeld & Lanctot, 2017) and their invertebrate prey (Braegelman, 2016;Tulp & Schekkerman, 2008) have advanced their phenologies with recent climate change.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenological mismatch in Arctic‐breeding shorebirds: Impact of snowmelt and unpredictable weather conditions on food availability and chick growth

Saalfeld

McEwen

Kesler

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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The ecological consequences of climate change have been recognized in numerous species, with perhaps phenology being the most well‐documented change. Phenological changes may have negative consequences when organisms within different trophic levels respond to environmental changes at different rates, potentially leading to phenological mismatches between predators and their prey. This may be especially apparent in the Arctic, which has been affected more by climate change than other regions, resulting in earlier, warmer, and longer summers. During a 7‐year study near Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska, we estimated phenological mismatch in relation to food availability and chick growth in a community of Arctic‐breeding shorebirds experiencing advancement of environmental conditions (i.e., snowmelt). Our results indicate that Arctic‐breeding shorebirds have experienced increased phenological mismatch with earlier snowmelt conditions. However, the degree of phenological mismatch was not a good predictor of food availability, as weather conditions after snowmelt made invertebrate availability highly unpredictable. As a result, the food available to shorebird chicks that were 2–10 days old was highly variable among years (ranging from 6.2 to 28.8 mg trap−1 day−1 among years in eight species), and was often inadequate for average growth (only 20%–54% of Dunlin and Pectoral Sandpiper broods on average had adequate food across a 4‐year period). Although weather conditions vary among years, shorebirds that nested earlier in relation to snowmelt generally had more food available during brood rearing, and thus, greater chick growth rates. Despite the strong selective pressure to nest early, advancement of nesting is likely limited by the amount of plasticity in the start and progression of migration. Therefore, long‐term climatic changes resulting in earlier snowmelt have the potential to greatly affect shorebird populations, especially if shorebirds are unable to advance nest initiation sufficiently to keep pace with seasonal advancement of their invertebrate prey.

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Phenological advancement in arctic bird species: relative importance of snow melt and ecological factors

Cited by 69 publications

References 60 publications

Drivers and Environmental Responses to the Changing Annual Snow Cycle of Northern Alaska

Drivers and Environmental Responses to the Changing Annual Snow Cycle of Northern Alaska

Nest-site selection and reproductive success of Common Yellowthroats in managed Iowa grasslands

Phenological mismatch in Arctic‐breeding shorebirds: Impact of snowmelt and unpredictable weather conditions on food availability and chick growth

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