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 synthetise 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 unfavorable oceanic conditions, suggesting that individuals rely on distant information to modulate their use of proximal information and adjust their reproduction strategy.

尽管多数生物的繁殖成功率受多空间尺度下的多种因素调控，但目前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。本研究以一种长寿海鸟——蒙泰罗风暴海燕（Monteiro's Storm-petrel）的纵向数据（longitudinal data）为基础，发现种群平均繁殖成功率与海洋环境条件显著相关；据此提出两项研究假设：其一，个体可借助近端信息（proximal information，即自身在t年的繁殖结果）评估配偶与巢址的质量，并据此决定是否在t+1年继续与之配对、使用该巢址；其二，上述行为响应的强度取决于t年海洋环境的优劣，而海洋环境状况会影响t+1年繁殖结果的可预测性。研究结果证实：繁殖成功的个体，其配偶配对与巢址保真度（mate and nest fidelities）更高；在海洋环境条件恶劣的年份，特定繁殖对的繁殖成功率与后续巢址保真度之间的关联更强。这表明个体可借助远端信息（distant information）调节对近端信息的利用，并优化自身的繁殖策略。