Temporal change in the contribution of immigration to population growth in a wild seabird experiencing rapid population decline

Horswill, C ORCID: 0000-0002-1795-0753, Wood, Matt J ORCID: 0000-0003-0920-8396 and Manica, A (2022) Temporal change in the contribution of immigration to population growth in a wild seabird experiencing rapid population decline. Ecography, 2022. ART e05846. doi:10.1111/ecog.05846

Preview

Text 11618 Horswill, Wood, Manica (2022) Temporal change in the contribution of immigration to population growth in a wild seabird experiencing rapid population decline.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

The source–sink paradigm predicts that populations in poorer-quality habitats (‘sinks’) persist due to continued immigration from more-productive areas (‘sources’). However, this categorisation of populations assumes that habitat quality is fixed through time. Globally, we are in an era of wide-spread habitat degradation, and consequently there is a pressing need to examine dispersal dynamics in relation to local population change. We used an integrated population model to quantify immigration dynamics in a long-lived colonial seabird, the black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla, that is classified as globally ‘Vulnerable’. We then used a transient life table response experiment to evaluate the contribution of temporal variation in vital rates, immigration rates and population structure to realised population growth. Finally, we used a simulation analysis to examine the importance of immigration to population dynamics. We show that the contribution of immigration changed as the population declined. This study demonstrates that immigration is unlikely to maintain vulnerable sink populations indefinitely, emphasising the need for temporal analyses of dispersal to identify shifts that may have dramatic consequences for population viability.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Demography; Dispersal; Integrated population model; Population dynamics; Population viability; Rissa tridactyla
Related records:	Dataset 'Abundance, breeding success and mark recapture dataset accompanying Horswill et al'
Subjects:	Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology Q Science > QL Zoology Q Science > QL Zoology > QL605 Chordates. Vertebrates Q Science > QL Zoology > QL605 Chordates. Vertebrates > QL671-699 Birds
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Education and Science
Research Priority Areas:	Place, Environment and Community
Depositing User:	Matt Wood
Date Deposited:	13 Oct 2022 12:32
Last Modified:	31 Aug 2023 08:57
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/11618

University Staff: Request a correction | Repository Editors: Update this record