Data from: Nest fidelity is driven by multi-scale information in a long-lived seabird

Although the reproductive success of most organisms depends on factors acting at several spatial scales, little is known about how organisms are able to synthesize multi-scale information to optimize reproduction. Using longitudinal data from a long-lived seabird, Monteiro's storm-petrel, we show that average breeding success is strongly related to oceanic conditions at the population level, and we postulate that (i) individuals use proximal information (their own reproduction outcome in year t) to assess the qualities of their mate and nest and to decide to retain them or not in year t + 1; (ii) the intensity of these responses depends on the quality of the oceanic environment in year t, which affects the predictability of reproduction outcome in year t + 1. Our results confirm that mate and nest fidelities are higher following successful reproduction and that the relationship between the success of a given pair and subsequent nest fidelity is stronger in years with unfavourable oceanic conditions, suggesting that individuals rely on distant information to modulate their use of proximal information and adjust their breeding strategy.

尽管多数生物的繁殖成功率受多空间尺度下的多个因素共同影响，但学界对生物如何整合多尺度信息以优化繁殖策略仍知之甚少。本研究基于一种长寿命海鸟——蒙特氏风暴海燕（Monteiro's storm-petrel）的纵向监测数据，发现种群平均繁殖成功率与海洋环境条件显著相关。据此我们提出两项假设：(1) 个体可通过近端信息（即自身在t年的繁殖结果）评估配偶与巢穴的质量，并以此决定是否在t+1年继续与其配对、使用该巢穴；(2) 上述行为响应的强度取决于t年的海洋环境质量，而海洋环境质量会影响t+1年繁殖结果的可预测性。本研究结果证实，繁殖成功后的个体，其配偶与巢穴保真度均更高；且在海洋环境条件不佳的年份，配对繁殖成功的个体其后续巢穴保真度与当年繁殖成功率的关联更强。这表明生物会依托远端信息调节对近端信息的利用，进而调整自身的繁殖策略。