Arthropod phenology and how it can affect the arctic snow bunting's reproductive success in relation to climate change, RiS ID 10112

I will study the phenological match-mismatch between food resources and onset of breeding in the Arctic terrestrial environment and how climate change can affect this relationship. To accomplish this, I will use the snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) breeding in Svalbard as a model species. It is optimal for the snow buntings reproductive success that nesting coincides with the highest availability of food during the season, the insect peak. To get the results I need for this project I will gather information on insect abundance using pit fall traps to get an estimate of the insect peak, and analyse hatching data, offspring survival and nestling weights as estimates of reproductive success.