  One important decision, especially for long-lived species, is where and when
to start reproduction, i.e. where and when to recruit. For an informed decision
on recruitment, individuals may prospect potential breeding sites and gather
information on the future breeding site, hence reducing uncertainty.
Recruitment may also be delayed or advanced over a range of sexually mature
ages and this individual decision may influence survival costs of first
reproduction, senescence patterns and ultimately lifetime reproductive success.
Here we show that recruitment in the long-lived Audouin's gull is mostly
informed, meaning that mainly occurs when the individual has visited the colony
before. Individuals recruiting without gathering information were all young
first-time breeders. Interestingly, these recruits were affected by demographic
carry-over effects: first, they were much less prone to reproduce in subsequent
seasons than individuals that performed informed recruitment. More strikingly,
uninformed recruitment also affected survival, which was much lower for those
individuals breeding without gathering information on the breeding site. This
study suggests that taking stock before recruitment may be crucial for reducing
environmental uncertainty and for maximising individual fitness prospects.
