Data from: Effects of food abundance and early clutch predation on reproductive timing in a high Arctic shorebird exposed to advancements in arthropod abundance

Climate change may influence the phenology of organisms unequally across trophic levels and thus lead to phenological mismatches between predators and prey. In cases where prey availability peaks before reproducing predators reach maximal prey demand, any negative fitness consequences would selectively favor resynchronization by earlier starts of the reproductive activities of the predators. At a study site in northeast Greenland, over a period of 17 years, the median emergence of the invertebrate prey of Sanderling Calidris alba advanced with 1.27 days per year. Yet, over the same period Sanderling did not advance hatching date. Thus, Sanderlings increasingly hatched after their prey was maximally abundant. Surprisingly, the phenological mismatches did not affect chick growth, but the interaction of the annual width and height of the peak in food abundance did. Chicks grew especially better in years when the food peak was broad. Sanderling clutches were most likely to be depredated early in the season, which should delay reproduction. We propose that high early clutch predation may favor a later reproductive timing. Additionally, our data suggest that in most years food was still abundant after the median date of emergence, which may explain why Sanderlings did not advance breeding along with the advances in arthropod phenology.

气候变化可对不同营养级（trophic levels）生物的物候学（phenology）产生不均等影响，进而引发捕食者与猎物间的物候失配（phenological mismatches）。当猎物可利用量峰值早于处于繁殖期的捕食者达到最大猎物需求时，若出现此类负面适合度（fitness）后果，自然选择将倾向于筛选出提前启动繁殖活动的捕食者个体，从而实现物候重新同步。
在格陵兰东北部一处研究样地开展的17年监测中，三趾鹬（Sanderling Calidris alba）的无脊椎动物猎物的中位数出现时间以每年1.27天的速率提前。但同期三趾鹬的孵化日期并未出现提前，这导致其雏鸟孵化时间愈发滞后于猎物种群的最大丰度时段。
令人意外的是，此类物候失配并未对雏鸟生长产生显著影响，但食物丰度峰值的年度宽度与高度的交互作用却产生了显著效应：在食物峰值较宽的年份，雏鸟生长状况更佳。
三趾鹬的窝卵在季节早期被捕食的概率最高，这一现象本应推动繁殖时间延后。我们推测，高发生率的早期窝卵捕食可能更倾向于选择延后的繁殖时机。此外，我们的数据表明，在多数年份中，节肢动物（arthropod）猎物的丰度在其中位数出现日期之后仍保持充足，这或可解释为何三趾鹬未随节肢动物物候学的提前而同步推进繁殖。