Divorce Rates Better Predict Population‐Level Reproductive Success in Little Penguins Than Foraging Behaviour or Environmental Factors
ABSTRACT Understanding the relative contributions of environmental, behavioural and social factors to reproductive success is crucial for predicting population dynamics of seabirds. However, these factors are often studied in isolation, limiting our ability to evaluate their combined influence. This...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70787 |
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| author | Matthew D. Simpson Ashton L. Dickerson Andre Chiaradia Lloyd Davis Richard D. Reina |
| author_facet | Matthew D. Simpson Ashton L. Dickerson Andre Chiaradia Lloyd Davis Richard D. Reina |
| author_sort | Matthew D. Simpson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Understanding the relative contributions of environmental, behavioural and social factors to reproductive success is crucial for predicting population dynamics of seabirds. However, these factors are often studied in isolation, limiting our ability to evaluate their combined influence. This study investigates how marine environmental variables, foraging behaviour and social factors (divorce), influence reproductive success in little penguins (Eudyptula minor) over 13 breeding seasons. By examining these factors together, we aimed to identify which is the most reliable predictor of population‐level reproductive success. We found that divorce rate was the most consistent predictor of reproductive success, with lower annual rates of divorce preceding the breeding season associated with higher hatching and fledging success. Foraging trip duration also influenced reproductive success, but in contrasting ways: Longer trips during egg incubation were linked with increased hatching success, while shorter trips after hatching led to higher fledging success. Marine environmental conditions had unexpected effects, with a lower Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) correlating with improved hatching and fledging success, in contrast to previous research, while sea surface temperature (SST) had no significant effect on reproductive success. This highlights the complexity of seabird breeding responses to large‐scale oceanographic indices, suggesting SOI and SST are generally less reliable measures to use as indicators of reproductive success. Our results suggest that divorce rate could serve as a valuable, noninvasive index of reproductive success in seabirds. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-91eb1210385445bf9168889bcd287e0e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-91eb1210385445bf9168889bcd287e0e2025-01-29T05:08:41ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582025-01-01151n/an/a10.1002/ece3.70787Divorce Rates Better Predict Population‐Level Reproductive Success in Little Penguins Than Foraging Behaviour or Environmental FactorsMatthew D. Simpson0Ashton L. Dickerson1Andre Chiaradia2Lloyd Davis3Richard D. Reina4School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Victoria AustraliaLeibniz‐Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries Berlin GermanySchool of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Victoria AustraliaCentre for Science Communication University of Otago Dunedin New ZealandSchool of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Victoria AustraliaABSTRACT Understanding the relative contributions of environmental, behavioural and social factors to reproductive success is crucial for predicting population dynamics of seabirds. However, these factors are often studied in isolation, limiting our ability to evaluate their combined influence. This study investigates how marine environmental variables, foraging behaviour and social factors (divorce), influence reproductive success in little penguins (Eudyptula minor) over 13 breeding seasons. By examining these factors together, we aimed to identify which is the most reliable predictor of population‐level reproductive success. We found that divorce rate was the most consistent predictor of reproductive success, with lower annual rates of divorce preceding the breeding season associated with higher hatching and fledging success. Foraging trip duration also influenced reproductive success, but in contrasting ways: Longer trips during egg incubation were linked with increased hatching success, while shorter trips after hatching led to higher fledging success. Marine environmental conditions had unexpected effects, with a lower Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) correlating with improved hatching and fledging success, in contrast to previous research, while sea surface temperature (SST) had no significant effect on reproductive success. This highlights the complexity of seabird breeding responses to large‐scale oceanographic indices, suggesting SOI and SST are generally less reliable measures to use as indicators of reproductive success. Our results suggest that divorce rate could serve as a valuable, noninvasive index of reproductive success in seabirds.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70787divorceEudyptula minorforaginglittle penguinsmarine environmental conditionsreproductive success |
| spellingShingle | Matthew D. Simpson Ashton L. Dickerson Andre Chiaradia Lloyd Davis Richard D. Reina Divorce Rates Better Predict Population‐Level Reproductive Success in Little Penguins Than Foraging Behaviour or Environmental Factors Ecology and Evolution divorce Eudyptula minor foraging little penguins marine environmental conditions reproductive success |
| title | Divorce Rates Better Predict Population‐Level Reproductive Success in Little Penguins Than Foraging Behaviour or Environmental Factors |
| title_full | Divorce Rates Better Predict Population‐Level Reproductive Success in Little Penguins Than Foraging Behaviour or Environmental Factors |
| title_fullStr | Divorce Rates Better Predict Population‐Level Reproductive Success in Little Penguins Than Foraging Behaviour or Environmental Factors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Divorce Rates Better Predict Population‐Level Reproductive Success in Little Penguins Than Foraging Behaviour or Environmental Factors |
| title_short | Divorce Rates Better Predict Population‐Level Reproductive Success in Little Penguins Than Foraging Behaviour or Environmental Factors |
| title_sort | divorce rates better predict population level reproductive success in little penguins than foraging behaviour or environmental factors |
| topic | divorce Eudyptula minor foraging little penguins marine environmental conditions reproductive success |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70787 |
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