The influence of weather and lemmings on spatiotemporal variation in the abundance of multiple avian guilds in the arctic.

ABSTRACT: Climate change is occurring more rapidly in the Arctic than other places in the world, which is likely to alter the distribution and abundance of migratory birds breeding there. A warming climate can provide benefits to birds by decreasing spring snow cover, but increases in the frequency of summer rainstorms, another product of climate change, may reduce foraging opportunities for insectivorous birds. Cyclic lemming populations in the Arctic also influence bird abundance because Arctic foxes begin consuming bird eggs when lemmings decline. The complex interaction between summer temperature, precipitation, and the lemming cycle hinder our ability to predict how Arctic-breeding birds will respond to climate change. The main objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between

SUBMITTER: Robinson BG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4077800 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature