Rainfall preceding egg-laying ? a factor of breeding success in Common Terns (Sterna hirundo)

Becker, Peter; Finck, Peter; Anlauf, Andreas

doi:10.1007/bf00378919

Cited by 20 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Unlike temperate Roseate Tern populations (Nisbet 198 l), the earliest-nesting Roseate Terns laid smaller eggs in a year of poor productivity and had smaller clutches in a year of good productivity than those of peak-nesting birds. Despite this difference, Roseate Terns on Aride, like other temperate seabirds (Spendelow 1982, Nisbet & Welton 1984, Coulson & Porter 1985, Becker et al 1985, Burger et al 1996, showed a seasonal decline in the number of nests initiated and in breeding success.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Seasonal variation in reproductive measures of tropical Roseate Terns Sterna dougallih previously undescribed breeding patterns in a seabird

Ramos

2001

Ibis

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Seasonal variation in egg-laying, egg size, hatching success, hatchling mass, fledging success and chick growth of Roseate Terns Sterna dougallii breeding on Aride Island (Seychelles), Indian Ocean, were studied in 1997 and 1998. I investigated to what extent two patterns, common in a range of species, were followed by tropical Roseate Terns: (a) seasonal decrease in clutch size, egg size and breeding success and (b) an increase in breeding success with increasing egg weight. In 1997 (a poor year), the earliest nesting birds laid significantly smaller eggs, and chicks were lighter at hatching than those of peak nesting birds. The mean clutch size, of 1.04 eggs, showed no seasonal variation and no 'b'-eggs hatched. In 1998 (a good year) the earliest nesting birds laid eggs of similar size and their chicks were of similar weight to those of peak nesting birds. Mean clutch size, of 1.25 eggs, increased significantly through the season and about 60% of the 'b'-eggs hatched. In 1997, hatching success was 57% whereas in 1998 it was 80%. In both years, breeding success declined significantly through the season. The fact that the earliest breeding birds laid smaller eggs in a poor year and smaller clutches in a good year is in marked contrast t o a range of other species, and to temperate-nesting Roseate Terns. Egg volume explained about half of the variance in hatchling mass in both years, but only 15% of the variation

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Seasonal variation in reproductive measures of tropical Roseate Terns Sterna dougallih previously undescribed breeding patterns in a seabird

Ramos

2001

Ibis

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“…On the other hand, the absence of a relationship between egg size and laying dates in 2004 suggests that food resources were available in sufficient quantity throughout the season and did not affect late whiskered tern breeders. When food supply is insufficient, it may be less adaptive to invest the available resources in an extra egg (Drent and Daan 1980;Becker et al 1985); conversely, it may be a better strategy to invest in relatively fewer and larger eggs which have generally been shown to have a higher probability of survival (see, for example, Quinn and Morris 1986;Bolton 1991;Hipfner 2000). This trade-off between the quantity and the quality (size) of eggs was found in the present study: large clutch size was linked with relatively small eggs in 2004, and small clutch size was linked with large eggs in 2005.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive parameters in relation to food supply in the whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida)

Paillisson

Reeber²,

Carpentier

et al. 2007

J Ornithol

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It is generally accepted that breeding terns are sensitive to food supply and that their reproductive effort could be substantially affected by the availability and access to resources. In this study we examined reproductive parameters in the whiskered tern Chlidonias hybrida in relation to food supply during the courtship feeding period (food brought by males to females) over a 2-year period (2004)(2005). We also studied whether the condition of the nestlings [body condition index (BCI)] was related to a proxy of the reproductive investment of the adults (the clutch size) during a season of food shortage. Behavioural observations showed a decrease in the intensity of male courtship feeding between years (2004 > 2005), and a strong shift in the relative abundance of the two prey groups (invertebrates/fish; invertebrate prey dropped from 88.0 to 49.3%) brought by males. This change in food delivery rates did not result in a delay in laying, but there was a significant difference in mean clutch size between years (2.71 ± 0.49 eggs in 2004 and 2.05 ± 0.78 eggs in 2005) without any within-year variation in relation to the laying dates. The egg size (volume and length) was related to the year (2004 < 2005), suggesting a trade-off in the quantity and the quality of eggs between the two seasons. We also found no evidence that the investment in a large clutch affected nestling BCI in the course of the food shortage season. Since many pairs (about 60%) interrupted breeding during the incubation stage, we assumed that parents that succeeded in rearing nestlings in these conditions were probably 'high-quality' individuals. Our results therefore showed that whiskered terns are sensitive to the varying food conditions they experienced throughout the courtship period. The diversity of prey types could be a key factor in the reproductive investment of this tern species.

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“…Becker et al . , Frick & Becker , Wendeln ) and cause low growth rates, low peak mass and often starvation of chicks (Becker & Finck , Dänhardt & Becker ). This could be seen on all sub‐colonies, even the significantly less densely populated ones (Table ), because the colony as a whole was too large to be sustained by the environment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colony size and not nest density drives reproductive output in the Common TernSterna hirundo

Szostek

Becker

Meyer³

et al. 2013

Ibis

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Density is known to be an important factor in population size regulation. Several mechanisms of density limitation have been identified in colonial birds. We studied competition in Common Terns Sterna hirundo to assess whether the factor limiting reproductive output was competition for nest-sites, which is dependent on local nest density, or density-dependent competition for food resources, which is dependent on overall colony size using the same foraging area. We found strong associations of both colony size and nest density with reproductive output in five colonies of Common Terns in three different habitats (one marine, two freshwater). Based on detailed long-term datasets of six separate sub-colonies of the Banter See colony that differed in nest density, we found that reproductive success was not related to nest density but to overall colony size, possibly a result of resource depletion and food competition. We also found carry-over effects of colony size during rearing on post-fledging return rate. These results have important implications for the conservation management plans aimed at recovering declining populations of Common Terns.

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Rainfall preceding egg-laying ? a factor of breeding success in Common Terns (Sterna hirundo)

Cited by 20 publications

References 23 publications

Seasonal variation in reproductive measures of tropical Roseate Terns Sterna dougallih previously undescribed breeding patterns in a seabird

Seasonal variation in reproductive measures of tropical Roseate Terns Sterna dougallih previously undescribed breeding patterns in a seabird

Reproductive parameters in relation to food supply in the whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida)

Colony size and not nest density drives reproductive output in the Common TernSterna hirundo

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