Environmental variability, but not pollutant exposure, affects the survival of the most abundant Arctic seabird

Environmental variability, but not pollutant exposure, affects the survival of the most abundant Arctic seabird | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL Oikos This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 12 May 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Environmental variability, but not pollutant exposure, affects the survival of the most abundant Arctic seabird Authors : Marta Cruz Flores 0000-0001-9905-4727 [email protected] , Jérôme Fort 0000-0002-0860-6707 [email protected] , Christophe Barbraud [email protected] , Vegard Bråthen [email protected] , Ann Harding [email protected] , Carine Churlau [email protected] , Gaël Guillou [email protected] , Maud Brault-Favrou [email protected] , David Grémillet [email protected] , and Paco Bustamante [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003230/v1 22 views 14 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Environmental modifications due to climate change impact the phenology, distribution and demography of marine organisms. Such effects are striking in the Arctic, which is warming up to four times faster than other regions of the planet. Environmental changes are bound to propagate from primary producers to top predators, yet their ultimate effects on key species in the Arctic ecosystems remain poorly understood. We evaluated how environmental conditions across seasons affect little auk (Alle alle) survival. Little Auks are the most abundant Arctic seabird, and they play a key role in structuring marine and terrestrial ecosystems. To do so, we collected little auk capture-mark-recapture data from the Ukaleqarteq colony (East Greenland) during the breeding season (late-June to mid-August) from 2006 to 2022, and used tracking devices to identify their distribution year-round. Specifically, we evaluated the influence of the Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly (SSTA), Surface Ice Covering (SIC), Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and Arctic Oscillation (AO) as proxies of climatic conditions, in combination with mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) concentrations, and Se:Hg ratio measured in blood as proxies for environmental pollution and Hg toxic risk, respectively. SSTA and SIC encountered during breeding had negative and positive effects, respectively, on little auk survival with a three-year lag. Whereas during moulting, these effects were positive and negative for SSTA and SIC, respectively, and without a lag effect. During the non-breeding period, Chl-a had a negative two-year lag effect on survival. Conversely, pollutant exposure (Hg, Se or Se:Hg) did not affect the adult survival of little auks in this study, nor in combination with other variables. The results suggest that climatic conditions influence the zooplankton diet and subsequent survival of adult little auks.These findings provide a major contribution to our understanding of the impacts of climate change on a keystone Arctic marine species. Supplementary Material File (appendices.docx) appendices Download 1.23 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 12 May 2026 Collection Oikos Keywords Capture-Mark-Recapture Dovekie Mercury Sea Ice Covering Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly Selenium food webs population dynamics spatial subsidies stable isotopes carnivores Theoretical ecology Population dynamics Time series analysis Ecological stability Plankton ecology food webs ecological networks Authors Affiliations Marta Cruz Flores 0000-0001-9905-4727 [email protected] View all articles by this author Jérôme Fort 0000-0002-0860-6707 [email protected] LIENSs, La Rochelle, France View all articles by this author Christophe Barbraud [email protected] LIENSs, La Rochelle, France View all articles by this author Vegard Bråthen [email protected] LIENSs, La Rochelle, France View all articles by this author Ann Harding [email protected] LIENSs, La Rochelle, France View all articles by this author Carine Churlau [email protected] LIENSs, La Rochelle, France View all articles by this author Gaël Guillou [email protected] LIENSs, La Rochelle, France View all articles by this author Maud Brault-Favrou [email protected] LIENSs, La Rochelle, France View all articles by this author David Grémillet [email protected] View all articles by this author Paco Bustamante [email protected] View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 22 views 14 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Marta Cruz Flores, Jérôme Fort, Christophe Barbraud, et al. Environmental variability, but not pollutant exposure, affects the survival of the most abundant Arctic seabird. Authorea . 12 May 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003230/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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