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Arctic seabirds show individual variation in foraging responses to glacial conditions without consequences for reproductive output

Mckendrick, Frederick1; Descamps, Sébastien2; Hop, Haakon2; Kohler, Jack2; Chastel, Olivier3; Wold, Anette2; Arnold, Kathryn4; Jenouvrier, Stéphanie5; Harris, Stephanie1; Bertrand, Philip2; van Pelt, Ward6; Jouanneau, William3; Léandri-Breton, Don-Jean7; Blévin, Pierre8; Gillies, Natasha1; Assmy, Philip2; Bailey, Allison2; Strøm, Hallvard2; Patrick, Samantha1

Published Dec 12, 2025 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0rxwdbsc2

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Abstract

Behavioural plasticity is predicted to be the primary mechanism by which long-lived species continue to access resources under rapid climate change. Plasticity will be particularly important at highly dynamic, prey-rich foraging areas such as upwelling fronts of marine-terminating glacier in the high Arctic, where profitability varies significantly across space and time. Understanding individual variation in plasticity is crucial to understand populations adaptability to future climate scenarios. By analysing GPS data from 186 black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) breeding in the high Arctic over six years, we quantified individual variation in behavioural plasticity in use of glacial fronts and its relationship with the number of chicks produced. Variation in the relationship between glacial use and levels of discharged meltwater was primarily explained by differences in food availability between years. Whereas individuals spent more time at glaciers with increasing discharge when zooplankton biomass was low in the fjord, the probability of glacial front use decreased in years when food was more abundant despite high discharge and likely good conditions at the front. Interestingly, neither glacial use nor plasticity in foraging during the breeding season correlated with the number of surviving chicks, suggesting that all individuals still obtained enough food for reproduction. With increasing rate of glacier retreat and shifts in food availability, less plastic individuals or those reliant on glacial fronts may face pressure in finding food and may thereby experience long-term declines in reproductive success. Understanding and quantifying the complex nature of individual variation in plasticity will provide more detailed insights into how species will survive in rapidly changing environments.