title: Nest fidelity is driven by multi-scale information in a long-lived seabird.
abstract: Although the reproductive success of most organisms depends on factors acting at several spatial scales, little is known about how organisms are able to synthesize multi-scale information to optimize reproduction. Using longitudinal data from a long-lived seabird, Monteiro's storm-petrel, we show that average breeding success is strongly related to oceanic conditions at the population level, and we postulate that (i) individuals use proximal information (their own reproduction outcome in year t) to assess the qualities of their mate and nest and to decide to retain them or not in year t + 1; (ii) the intensity of these responses depends on the quality of the oceanic environment in year t, which affects the predictability of reproduction outcome in year t + 1. Our results confirm that mate and nest fidelities are higher following successful reproduction and that the relationship between the success of a given pair and subsequent nest fidelity is stronger in years with unfavourable oceanic conditions, suggesting that individuals rely on distant information to modulate their use of proximal information and adjust their breeding strategy.
authors.affiliation: UMR 7204 MNHN-CNRS-UPMC, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 55, Rue Buffon, Paris 75005, France arobert@mnhn.fr.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Robert
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto do Mar (IMAR/CMA), Universidade de Coimbra, Apartado 3046, Coimbra 3001-401, Portugal.
authors.forename: Vítor H
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: Paiva
authors.affiliation: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, UK Headquarters, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bolton
authors.affiliation: UMR 7204 MNHN-CNRS-UPMC, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 55, Rue Buffon, Paris 75005, France.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jiguet
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas, Centro do IMAR da Universidade dos Açores, 9901-862 Horta, Açores, Portugal 8 Avenue de la Reine Nathalie, Biarritz 64200, France.
authors.forename: Joël
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bried
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000502:physiology*; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D008136:Longevity; D008297:Male; D009425:Nesting Behavior; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D012098:Reproduction; D012621:Seasons
keywords: Oceanodroma monteiroi; breeding habitat selection; environmental stochasticity; predictability; site fidelity