Global warming is a nonlinear process, and temperature may increase in a stepwise manner. Periods of abrupt warming can trigger persistent changes in the state of ecosystems, also called regime shifts. The responses of organisms to abrupt warming and associated regime shifts can be unlike responses to periods of slow or moderate change. Understanding of nonlinearity in the biological responses to ...

The black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla is a pelagic seabird whose population has recently declined in most parts of the North Atlantic and which is red-listed in most bordering countries. To investigate a possible cause for this decline, we analysed the population dynamics of 5 kittiwake colonies along the Norwegian coast, ranging from 62° to 71° N, over the last 20 to 35 yr. By quantifying the ...

Analysis of spring arrival dates in North Norway showed advanced arrival of the Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus but not of four of its most frequently used hosts. No evidence was found of a climate-driven mismatch that might contribute to the decline in the Norwegian Cuckoo population.

Hekkebestandene av lomvi (Uria aalge) langs norskekysten har hatt en sterk nedgang i løpet av de siste 45 årene. Den norske fastlandsbestanden utgjør i dag ikke mer enn ca 15 000 par, mens den til sammenligning ble beregnet til 120-160 000 par i begynnelsen av 1960-årene. Den største bestanden i norske områder finnes i dag på Bjørnøya hvor det hekker ca 100 000 par, men også her er bestanden ...

Colonial breeding is an evolutionary puzzle, as the benefits of breeding in high densities are still not fully explained. Although the dynamics of existing colonies are increasingly understood, few studies have addressed the initial formation of colonies, and empirical tests are rare. Using a high-resolution larval drift model, we here document that the distribution of seabird colonies along the ...

During its population recovery in the North Atlantic in the early 1900s, the northern gannet (Morus bassanus) established its first colony in Norway at Runde in 1946. Since the 1960s, gannets have established (and later abandoned) several small colonies in the north of the country. These colonies have been regularly monitored, and in 2015–16 ca. 3300 apparently occupied nests (AON) were counted ...

To identify priorities for management of seabirds during the breeding season, it is important to understand the ecological mechanisms driving chick growth and survival. In this study, we examined the effects of diet and prevailing weather on the growth and survival of chicks of black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla over a 10 yr period at Anda, a seabird colony in northern Norway. We show that ...

Since 1980, there has been large variation and a recent decline in the mass and body condition of Common Guillemot Uria aalge chicks departing from the nest site in NE Norway. This may be related to deterioration in the feeding conditions off the colony and is alarming considering the critically endangered status of the species in Norway. To measure body condition, earlier studies have caught, weighed ...

This is the first annual report from SEAPOP, a long-term seabird programme aiming to provide and maintain base-line knowledge needed for an improved management of marine areas. For several reasons, the activities in the initial year were restricted to the Lofoten and Barents Sea area, but the programme is designed for implementation on the full national scale within a few years. The report ...

SEAPOP (Seabird population management and petroleum operations) er et nasjonalt, kunnskapsoppbyggende program om sjøfugl tilrettelagt for å gi styrket beslutningsstøtte for marine områder. Konseptet ble først utviklet for oljeindustrien i et samarbeid mellom Norsk institutt for naturforskning (NINA) og Den norske stats oljeselskap as (Statoil), men er senere videreutviklet i samarbeid med Norsk ...