AUTHOR=Sauser C. , Angelier F. , Blévin P. , Chastel O. , Gabrielsen G.W. , Jouanneau W. , Kato A. , Moe B. , Ramírez F. , Tartu S. , Descamps S. 

TITLE=Demographic responses of Arctic seabirds to spring sea-ice variations

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1107992

DOI=10.3389/fevo.2023.1107992

ISSN=2296-701X

ABSTRACT=<p>The Arctic experiences a rapid retreat of sea-ice, particularly in spring and summer, which may dramatically affect pagophilic species. In recent years, the decline of many Arctic seabird populations has raised concerns about the potential role of sea-ice habitats on their demography. Spring sea-ice drives the dynamics of phytoplankton blooms, the basis of Arctic food webs, and changes in spring sea-ice have the potential to affect the demographic parameters of seabirds through bottom-up processes. To better understand the effects of spring sea-ice on Arctic seabirds, we investigated the influence of spring sea-ice concentration on the survival and breeding success of three seabird species with contrasted foraging strategies in two Svalbard fjords in the high Arctic. We examined these relationships using long-term demographic data (2005–2021) from black-legged kittiwakes (<italic>Rissa tridactyla</italic>), Brünnich guillemots (<italic>Uria lomvia</italic>), and little auks (<italic>Alle alle</italic>). Spring sea-ice concentration was positively related to both the survival and breeding success of little auks, suggesting a higher sensitivity of this species to spring sea-ice. By contrast, the two other species were not particularly sensitive to changes in spring sea-ice, even though a potentially spurious negative effect on the breeding success of black-legged kittiwakes was observed. Overall, the study suggests that spring sea-ice may be involved in the demography of Arctic seabirds, but probably does not play a major role.</p>