CHANGES IN THE AGE STRUCTURE OF CURLEW SANDPIPER POPULATIONS AT LANGEBAAN LAGOON, SOUTH AFRICA, IN RELATION TO LEMMING CYCLES IN SIBERIA

SUMMARY

In years of lemming abundance, the chief prey of the arctic fox is the lemming. In years of lemming scarcity, foxes prey on breeding waders and ducks, causing reduced breeding success. In the Taimyr Peninsula, Siberia, there is a three-year lemming cycle. The effect of this, cycle is observed 13 000 km away at Langebaan Lagoon, South Africa, where the breeding success of the Curlew Sandpiper, a migrant from the Taimyr, can be measured, and is shown to follow the same three-year cycle.