Data from: Indirect effects of higher mean air temperature related to climate change on major life-history traits in a pulsed-resource consumer

Climate change is directly and indirectly affecting species. The degree of
these effect types differs by species and context, with indirect effects
likely to be stronger for consumers of pulsed resources. Here, we
investigated how higher mean air temperature related to climate change
affects masting, and in parallel, how this change affects life-history
traits in edible dormice (Glis glis). We analysed 17 years of
capture-recapture data from 2,530 individuals. We collected air
temperature and, as a measure of seed production, pollen data from
European beech (Fagus sylvatica). Our results show that increasing mean
air temperature was associated with a shift in beech pollen production,
leading to a biannual mast cycle in recent years, with alteration of years
with very high and very low seed availability. The changed cycle in mast
events resulted in a significant reduction in overall yearling survival in
dormice, while overall adult survival remained stable. In parallel, both
age classes significantly increased their litter size in this timeframe.
Furthermore, survival probabilities in the two age classes also differed
depending on the beech mast status (mast, mast-failure). We show that the
observed dramatic changes in seed production had complex effects on
life-history traits in a pulsed resource consumer.