Variation in weather patterns can influence reproductive effort and success not only within but also between breeding seasons. Where environmental conditions can be highly variable between years, the weather, and particularly extreme weather events such as heat waves and droughts, may exert a strong influence on reproductive effort (number of breeding attempts) and success (number of surviving young) from one breeding season to the next. We used a 15-year dataset for a cooperatively breeding bird, the southern pied babbler Turdoides bicolor, to determine the impact of high temperatures and drought on reproductive effort and success. We tested the influence on reproductive effort and success of mean daily maximum air temperature and drought both within a breeding season, to determine the relative importance of current conditions, and during the previous breeding season, to determine the relative importance of compensatory effects in response to prior conditions. Reproductive effort and success were lower during breeding seasons characterized by drought, and higher in the breeding seasons that followed droughts, but were not predicted by mean daily maximum temperatures measured over the full length of the breeding season. We provide evidence of compensatory breeding following drought in a bird species endemic to a semi-arid ecosystem and suggest that compensatory mechanisms may be an important part of both long-term population persistence and post-drought population recovery.

中文翻译：

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荒漠合作育种者干旱后多年的补偿育种

天气模式的变化不仅会影响繁殖季节内，还会影响繁殖季节之间的繁殖努力和成功。在环境条件在年份之间变化很大的地方，天气，特别是极端天气事件，如热浪和干旱，可能会对一次繁殖的繁殖努力（繁殖尝试次数）和成功（存活幼仔的数量）产生强烈影响下一季。我们使用 15 年的合作繁殖鸟类数据集，即南方花斑鹱鸲，以确定高温和干旱对繁殖努力和成功的影响。我们测试了繁殖季节内平均每日最高气温和干旱对繁殖努力和成功的影响，以确定当前条件的相对重要性，并在上一个繁殖季节期间，确定响应先前条件的补偿效应的相对重要性。在以干旱为特征的繁殖季节，繁殖努力和成功率较低，在干旱之后的繁殖季节繁殖努力和成功率较高，但无法通过整个繁殖季节期间测量的平均每日最高温度进行预测。我们提供了半干旱生态系统特有的鸟类在干旱后进行补偿繁殖的证据，并表明补偿机制可能是长期种群持久性和干旱后种群恢复的重要组成部分。在以干旱为特征的繁殖季节，繁殖努力和成功率较低，在干旱之后的繁殖季节繁殖努力和成功率较高，但无法通过整个繁殖季节期间测量的平均每日最高温度进行预测。我们提供了半干旱生态系统特有的鸟类在干旱后进行补偿繁殖的证据，并表明补偿机制可能是长期种群持久性和干旱后种群恢复的重要组成部分。在以干旱为特征的繁殖季节，繁殖努力和成功率较低，在干旱之后的繁殖季节繁殖努力和成功率较高，但无法通过整个繁殖季节期间测量的平均每日最高温度进行预测。我们提供了半干旱生态系统特有鸟类干旱后补偿繁殖的证据，并表明补偿机制可能是长期种群持久性和干旱后种群恢复的重要组成部分。