Winter temperatures limit population growth rate of a migratory songbird.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the factors that limit and regulate wildlife populations requires insight into demographic and environmental processes acting throughout the annual cycle. Here, we combine multi-year tracking data of individual birds with a 26-year demographic study of a migratory songbird to evaluate the relative effects of density and weather at the breeding and wintering grounds on population growth rate. Our results reveal clear support for opposing forces of winter temperature and breeding density driving population dynamics. Above-average temperatures at the wintering grounds lead to higher population growth, primarily through their strong positive effects on survival. However, population growth is regulated over the long term by strong negative effects of breeding density on both fecun

SUBMITTER: Woodworth BK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5364383 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature