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Effects of spring temperature and volcanic eruptions on wader productivity
Author(s) -
Gunnarsson Tómas Grétar,
Jóhannesdóttir Lilja,
Alves José A.,
Þórisson Böðvar,
Gill Jennifer A.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
ibis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.933
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1474-919X
pISSN - 0019-1019
DOI - 10.1111/ibi.12449
Subject(s) - wader , productivity , volcano , population , arctic , spring (device) , range (aeronautics) , geography , environmental science , global warming , ecology , climate change , physical geography , biology , demography , predation , mechanical engineering , paleontology , materials science , macroeconomics , composite material , sociology , engineering , economics
Key demographic parameters often show substantial annual variation that can have important consequences for rates of population growth. Since 2011 we have conducted annual estimates of the productivity of Icelandic Black‐tailed Godwits Limosa limosa islandica over a large part of their breeding range. During this period, a volcanic eruption resulted in extensive dust deposition across the region. We show that Godwit productivity varies with spring temperatures but in the year of the volcanic eruption, productivity was reduced to almost zero. This rare but extreme event is likely to have had only a short‐term influence, whereas ongoing warming of sub‐Arctic regions is potentially a more substantial driver of the continued growth of this population.