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.