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Perrig M, Oppel S, Tschumi M, Keil H, Naef‐Daenzer B, Grüebler MU. Juvenile survival of little owls decreases with snow cover. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11379. [PMID: 38770120 PMCID: PMC11103642 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Global environmental changes are associated with warmer average temperatures and more extreme weather events, potentially affecting wildlife population dynamics by altering demographic processes. Extreme weather events can reduce food resources and survival in all seasons of the year. Estimates of season-specific survival probabilities are therefore crucial to understand the moderating effect of extreme events on annual mortality. Here, we analysed survival probabilities of 307 radio-tracked juvenile little owls (Athene noctua) over two-week periods from fledging to their first breeding attempt in the following spring to assess the contribution of extreme weather events. Survival probabilities were typically lowest during the first weeks after fledging in summer but were moderated by seasonal extremes in winter. The duration of snow cover in winter had a strong negative effect on survival probability, while being food supplemented during the nestling stage increased survival during the first weeks after fledging in summer and ultimately led to a larger proportion of birds surviving the first year. Overall annual survival probability over the first year varied by 34.3% between 0.117 (95% credible interval 0.052-0.223) and 0.178 (0.097-0.293) depending on the severity of the winter, and was as high as 0.233 (0.127-0.373) for food-supplemented fledglings. In years with mild winters, the season with the lowest survival was the summer post-fledging period (0.508; 0.428-0.594), but in years with extensive snow cover the winter was the season with the lowest survival (0.481; 0.337-0.626). We therefore show that extreme weather events occurring in a particular season reduced the proportion of first-year survivors. Increasing extreme weather events can moderate seasonal survival probability through altering food supply of juvenile little owls either during the nestling period or in winter, with similarly large effects on annual survival and the viability of populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Perrig
- Swiss Ornithological InstituteSempachSwitzerland
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | | | | | - Herbert Keil
- Forschungsgemeinschaft zur Erhaltung einheimischer Eulen (FOGE)OberriexingenGermany
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2
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Schirmer S, Korner-Nievergelt F, von Rönn JAC, Liebscher V. Estimating survival in continuous space from mark-dead-recovery data - Towards a continuous version of the multinomial dead recovery model. J Theor Biol 2023; 574:111625. [PMID: 37748534 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2023.111625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Understanding spatially varying survival is crucial for understanding the ecology and evolution of migratory animals, which may ultimately help to conserve such species. We develop an approach to estimate an annual survival probability function varying continuously in geographic space, if the recovery probability is constant over space. This estimate is based on a density function over continuous geographic space and the discrete age at death obtained from dead recovery data. From the same density function, we obtain an estimate for animal distribution in space corrected for survival, i.e., migratory connectivity. This is possible, when migratory connectivity can be separated from recovery probability. In this article, we present the method how spatially and continuously varying survival and the migratory connectivity corrected for survival can be obtained, if a constant recovery probability can be assumed reasonably. The model is a stepping stone in developing a model allowing for disentangling spatially heterogeneous survival and migratory connectivity corrected for survival from a spatially heterogeneous recovery probability. We implement the method using kernel density estimates in the R-package CONSURE. Any other density estimation technique can be used as an alternative. In a simulation study, the estimators are unbiased but show edge effects in survival and migratory connectivity. Applying the method to a real-world data set of European robins Erithacus rubecula results in biologically reasonable continuous heat-maps for survival and migratory connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Schirmer
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 47, 17489 Greifswald, Germany; Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, 6204 Sempach, Switzerland; Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Loitzer Straße 26, 17489 Greifswald, Germany.
| | | | - Jan A C von Rönn
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, 6204 Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Volkmar Liebscher
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 47, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
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3
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Schirmer S, Korner-Nievergelt F, von Rönn JAC, Liebscher V. Estimation in the multinomial reencounter model - Where do migrating animals go and how do they survive in their destination area? J Theor Biol 2022; 543:111108. [PMID: 35367238 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2022.111108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Spatial variation in survival has individual fitness consequences and influences population dynamics. Which space animals use during the annual cycle determines how they are affected by this spatial variability. Therefore, knowing spatial patterns of survival and space use is crucial to understand demography of migrating animals. Extracting information on survival and space use from observation data, in particular dead recovery data, requires explicitly identifying the observation process. We build a fully stochastic model for animals marked in populations of origin, which were found dead in spatially discrete destination areas. The model acts on the population level and includes parameters for use of space, survival and recovery probability. It is based on the division coefficient and the multinomial reencounter model. We use a likelihood-based approach, derive Restricted Maximum Likelihood-like estimates for all parameters and prove their existence and uniqueness. In a simulation study we demonstrate the performance of the model by using Bayesian estimators derived by the Markov chain Monte Carlo method. We obtain unbiased estimates for survival and recovery probability if the sample size is large enough. Moreover, we apply the model to real-world data of European robins Erithacus rubecula ringed at a stopover site. We obtain annual survival estimates for different spatially discrete non-breeding areas. Additionally, we can reproduce already known patterns of use of space for this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Schirmer
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 47, 17489 Greifswald, Germany; Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, 6204 Sempach, Switzerland.
| | | | - Jan A C von Rönn
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, 6204 Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Volkmar Liebscher
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 47, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
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4
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McCabe RA, Therrien JF, Wiebe K, Gauthier G, Brinker D, Weidensaul S, Reid D, Doyle FI, Jacobsen KO, Aarvak T, Øien IJ, Solheim R, Fitzgerald G, Smith N, Bates K, Fuller M, Miller E, Elliott KH. Density-dependent winter survival of immatures in an irruptive raptor with pulsed breeding. Oecologia 2021; 198:295-306. [PMID: 34657176 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05057-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Highly mobile predators can show strong numerical responses to pulsed resources, sometimes resulting in irruptions where large numbers of young invade landscapes at a continental scale. High production of young in irruption years may have a strong influence on the population dynamics unless immature survival is reduced compared to non-irruption years. This could occur if subordinate individuals (mainly immatures) are forced into suboptimal habitats due to density-dependent effects in irruption years. To test whether irruptive individuals had lower survival than non-irruptive ones, we combined necropsy results (N = 365) with telemetry (N = 185) from more than 20 years to record timing and causes of mortality in snowy owls (Bubo scandiacus), which irrupt into eastern North America during winter following high breeding output caused by lemming peaks in the Arctic. Mortality was more than four times higher in irruption years than non-irruption years, but only for immatures, and occurred disproportionately in early winter for immatures, but not adults. Mortality was also higher in eastern North America, where owl abundance fluctuates considerably between years, compared to core winter regions of the Arctic and Prairies where populations are more stable. Most mortality was not due to starvation, but rather associated with human activity, especially vehicle collisions. We conclude that immature snowy owls that irrupt into eastern North America are limited by density-dependent factors, such as increased competition forcing individuals to occupy risky human-altered habitats. For highly mobile, irruptive animals, resource pulses may have a limited impact on population dynamics due to low subsequent survival of breeding output during the nonbreeding season.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A McCabe
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada.
| | - Jean-François Therrien
- Acopian Center for Conservation Learning, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association, Orwigsburg, PA, USA
| | - Karen Wiebe
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Gilles Gauthier
- Department of Biology and Centre d'études Nordiques, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - David Brinker
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis, MD, USA
| | | | - Donald Reid
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Whitehorse, YT, Canada
| | - Frank I Doyle
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, BC, Canada
| | - Karl-Otto Jacobsen
- Department of Arctic Ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Tomas Aarvak
- Norwegian Ornithological Society/BirdLife Norway, Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Roar Solheim
- Natural History Museum, University of Agder, Kristiansand S, Norway
| | - Guy Fitzgerald
- Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | | | - Kirk Bates
- Boise State University, Raptor Research Center, Boise, ID, USA
| | - Mark Fuller
- Boise State University, Raptor Research Center, Boise, ID, USA
| | - Erica Miller
- Wildlife Futures Program, Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square, PA, USA
| | - Kyle H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
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5
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Fay R, Schaub M, Banik MV, Border JA, Henderson IG, Fahl G, Feulner J, Horch P, Korner F, Müller M, Michel V, Rebstock H, Shitikov D, Tome D, Vögeli M, Grüebler MU. Whinchat survival estimates across Europe: can excessive adult mortality explain population declines? Anim Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- R. Fay
- Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach Switzerland
| | - M. Schaub
- Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach Switzerland
| | - M. V. Banik
- V.N.Karazin Kharkiv National University Kharkiv Ukraine
| | | | | | | | | | - P. Horch
- Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach Switzerland
| | - F. Korner
- Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach Switzerland
| | - M. Müller
- Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach Switzerland
| | - V. Michel
- Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach Switzerland
| | | | - D. Shitikov
- Zoology and Ecology Department Moscow Pedagogical State University Moscow Russia
| | - D. Tome
- National Institute of Biology Ljubljana Slovenia
| | - M. Vögeli
- Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach Switzerland
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6
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Robinson RA, Meier CM, Witvliet W, Kéry M, Schaub M. Survival varies seasonally in a migratory bird: Linkages between breeding and non-breeding periods. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2111-2121. [PMID: 32383289 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Migratory species form an important component of biodiversity; they link ecosystems across the globe, but are increasingly threatened by global environmental change. Understanding and mitigating threats requires knowledge of how demographic processes operate throughout the annual cycle, but this can be difficult to achieve when breeding and non-breeding grounds are widely separated. Our goal is to quantify the importance of variability in survival during the breeding and non-breeding seasons in determining variation in annual survival using a single population and, more broadly, the extent to which annual survival across species reflects variation in probability of surviving the migratory period. We use a 25-year dataset in which individuals of a long-distance migratory bird, the alpine swift Tachymarptis melba, were captured towards the beginning and end of each breeding season to estimate age- and season-specific survival probabilities and incorporate explicit estimation of the correlations in survival between age-classes and seasons. Monthly survival was higher during the breeding period than during the rest of the year and strongly affected by conditions in the breeding season; effects that remained apparent in the following non-breeding season, but not subsequently. Recruitment of juveniles was dependent on the timing of breeding, being higher if egg-laying commenced before the median date, and substantially lower if not. Across migratory bird species, variation in annual survival largely reflects variation in the probability of surviving the migratory period. Using a double-capture approach, even within a single season, provides valuable insights into the demography of migratory species, which will help understand the extent and impacts of the threats they face in a changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Robinson
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland.,British Trust for Ornithology, Thetford, UK
| | | | | | - Marc Kéry
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
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7
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Cox AR, Robertson RJ, Lendvai ÁZ, Everitt K, Bonier F. Rainy springs linked to poor nestling growth in a declining avian aerial insectivore ( Tachycineta bicolor). Proc Biol Sci 2020; 286:20190018. [PMID: 30862285 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
As species shift their ranges and phenology to cope with climate change, many are left without a ready supply of their preferred food source during critical life stages. Food shortages are often assumed to be driven by reduced total food abundance, but here we propose that climate change may cause short-term food shortages for foraging specialists without affecting overall food availability. We frame this hypothesis around the special case of birds that forage on flying insects for whom effects mediated by their shared food resource have been proposed to cause avian aerial insectivores' decline worldwide. Flying insects are inactive during cold, wet or windy conditions, effectively reducing food availability to zero even if insect abundance remains otherwise unchanged. Using long-term monitoring data from a declining population of tree swallows ( Tachycineta bicolor), we show that nestlings' body mass declined substantially from 1977 to 2017. In 2017, nestlings had lower body mass if it rained during the preceding 3 days, though females increased provisioning rates, potentially in an attempt to compensate. Adult body mass, particularly that of the males, has also declined over the long-term study. Mean rainfall during the nestling period has increased by 9.3 ± 0.3 mm decade-1, potentially explaining declining nestling body mass and population declines. Therefore, we suggest that reduced food availability, distinct from food abundance, may be an important and previously overlooked consequence of climate change, which could be affecting populations of species that specialize on foraging on flying insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelia R Cox
- 1 Department of Biology, Queen's University , Kingston, Ontario , Canada
| | | | - Ádám Z Lendvai
- 2 Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen , Debrecen , Hungary.,3 Department of Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University , Cluj-Napoca , Romania
| | - Kennedy Everitt
- 1 Department of Biology, Queen's University , Kingston, Ontario , Canada
| | - Frances Bonier
- 1 Department of Biology, Queen's University , Kingston, Ontario , Canada
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8
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Cox AR, Robertson RJ, Rendell WB, Bonier F. Population decline in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) linked to climate change and inclement weather on the breeding ground. Oecologia 2020; 192:713-722. [PMID: 32100152 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04618-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Population decline and the threat of extinction are realities currently facing many species. Yet, in most cases, the detailed demographic data necessary to identify causes of population decline are unavailable. Using 43 years (1975-2017) of data from a box-nesting population of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), we identified reduced survival of offspring as a probable demographic cause of population decline. Poor fledging success was associated with increased predation and poor weather conditions during early nestling development. Low juvenile survival and subsequent recruitment was linked to poor weather conditions during the post-fledging period and may also be linked to conditions on the wintering grounds. Regional weather conditions during critical stages of breeding (early nestling and post-fledging) have become progressively worse over the 43-year study period. None of the other factors linked to offspring survival have similarly deteriorated. Overall, our results suggest tree swallows should be added to the growing list of species challenged by climate change, and that other species of aerial insect specialists may face similar impacts of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelia R Cox
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
| | | | - Wallace B Rendell
- Applied Sciences, Skills, and Technology, Loyalist College, Belleville, ON, Canada
| | - Frances Bonier
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
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9
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von Rönn JAC, Grüebler MU, Fransson T, Köppen U, Korner‐Nievergelt F. Integrating stable isotopes, parasite, and ring-reencounter data to quantify migratory connectivity-A case study with Barn Swallows breeding in Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, and Finland. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:2225-2237. [PMID: 32128151 PMCID: PMC7042758 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecosystems around the world are connected by seasonal migration. The migrant animals themselves are influenced by migratory connectivity through effects on the individual and the population level. Measuring migratory connectivity is notoriously difficult due to the simple requirement of data conveying information about the nonbreeding distribution of many individuals from several breeding populations. Explicit integration of data derived from different methods increases the precision and the reliability of parameter estimates. We combine ring-reencounter, stable isotope, and blood parasite data of Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica in a single integrated model to estimate migratory connectivity for three large scale breeding populations across a latitudinal gradient from Central Europe to Scandinavia. To this end, we integrated a non-Markovian multistate mark-recovery model for the ring-reencounter data with normal and binomial mixture models for the stable isotope and parasite data. The integration of different data sources within a mark-recapture modeling framework enables the most precise quantification of migratory connectivity on the given broad spatial scale. The results show that northern-breeding populations and Southern Africa as well as southern-breeding populations and Western-Central Africa are more strongly connected through Barn Swallow migration than central European breeding populations with any of the African wintering areas. The nonbreeding distribution of Barn Swallows from central European breeding populations seems to be a mixture of those populations breeding further north and south, indicating a migratory divide.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ulrich Köppen
- Hof Gronow 14SundhagenGermany
- Hiddensee Bird Ringing CentreGüstrowGermany
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10
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Pegan TM, Winkler DW, Haussmann MF, Vitousek MN. Brief Increases in Corticosterone Affect Morphology, Stress Responses, and Telomere Length but Not Postfledging Movements in a Wild Songbird. Physiol Biochem Zool 2019; 92:274-285. [DOI: 10.1086/702827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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11
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Pegan TM, Craig DP, Gulson-Castillo ER, Gabrielson RM, Bezner Kerr W, MacCurdy R, Powell SP, Winkler DW. Solar-powered radio tags reveal patterns of post-fledging site visitation in adult and juvenile Tree Swallows Tachycineta bicolor. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0206258. [PMID: 30408052 PMCID: PMC6224047 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The availability of small, lightweight tracking devices enhances our ability to study birds during mobile phases of their lives. Tree Swallows Tachycineta bicolor, a model species of wild songbird, are well-studied during their breeding season; but our understanding of their biology at other times of the year, when they are not tied to the fixed location of a nest, is more limited. We developed a lightweight radio tag with no battery (solar nanotag) to study the movements of small animals, and we deployed it to explore the behavior of Tree Swallows after the end of their summer breeding season. We tagged 32 breeding adult swallows and 36 juveniles and monitored their presence and absence at the breeding site during the post-fledging period. Although our observations are based on very small sample sizes, the tags revealed previously unknown patterns in Tree Swallow behavior during the post-breeding season. Some Tree Swallow fledglings continued to visit the site repeatedly in the months following the nesting season, with the latest detection occurring on September 30th; by contrast, all adults had permanently departed by the end of July. These results inform future hypotheses about post-breeding movements in Tree Swallows. But, more generally, the detection of tagged swallows on their distant wintering grounds, seven months after tagging, indicates the potential of studying small passerine movements throughout their entire lifetimes, and suggests a rich array of applications for these "Life Tags" to study the movements of small animals world-wide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa M. Pegan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | - David P. Craig
- Department of Biology, Willamette University, Salem, OR, United States of America
| | - Eric R. Gulson-Castillo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | - Richard M. Gabrielson
- Technology for Animal Biology and Environmental Research (TABER), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | - Wayne Bezner Kerr
- Technology for Animal Biology and Environmental Research (TABER), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | - Robert MacCurdy
- Technology for Animal Biology and Environmental Research (TABER), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States of America
| | - Steven P. Powell
- Technology for Animal Biology and Environmental Research (TABER), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | - David W. Winkler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
- Technology for Animal Biology and Environmental Research (TABER), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
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12
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Dokter AM, Farnsworth A, Fink D, Ruiz-Gutierrez V, Hochachka WM, La Sorte FA, Robinson OJ, Rosenberg KV, Kelling S. Seasonal abundance and survival of North America's migratory avifauna determined by weather radar. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 2:1603-1609. [PMID: 30224817 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0666-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Avian migration is one of Earth's largest processes of biomass transport, involving billions of birds. We estimated continental biomass flows of nocturnal avian migrants across the contiguous United States using a network of 143 weather radars. We show that, relative to biomass leaving in autumn, proportionally more biomass returned in spring across the southern United States than across the northern United States. Neotropical migrants apparently achieved higher survival during the combined migration and non-breeding period, despite an average three- to fourfold longer migration distance, compared with a more northern assemblage of mostly temperate-wintering migrants. Additional mortality expected with longer migration distances was probably offset by high survival in the (sub)tropics. Nearctic-Neotropical migrants relying on a 'higher survivorship' life-history strategy may be particularly sensitive to variations in survival on the overwintering grounds, highlighting the need to identify and conserve important non-breeding habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriaan M Dokter
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | | | - Daniel Fink
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | - Orin J Robinson
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Kenneth V Rosenberg
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,American Bird Conservancy, Washington DC, USA
| | - Steve Kelling
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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13
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Brown JM, Taylor PD. Adult and hatch-year blackpoll warblers exhibit radically different regional-scale movements during post-fledging dispersal. Biol Lett 2017; 11:20150593. [PMID: 26631243 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2015.0593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Using a broad-scale automated telemetry array, we explored post-fledging movements of blackpoll warblers breeding in Atlantic Canada. We sought to determine the full spatial scale of post-fledging dispersal, to assess support for three hypotheses for regional-scale post-fledging movement, and to determine whether learning influenced movement during this period. We demonstrated that both young and adults moved over distances more than 200 km prior to initiating migration. Adults moved southwest, crossing the Gulf of Maine (GOM), consistent with the commencement of migration hypothesis. Hatch-year birds exhibited less directional movements constrained geographically by the GOM. Their movements were most consistent with exploration hypotheses--that young birds develop a regional-scale map to aid in habitat selection, natal dispersal and subsequent migrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Morgan Brown
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada B4P 2R6
| | - Philip D Taylor
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada B4P 2R6
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14
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Romano A, De Giorgio B, Parolini M, Favero C, Possenti CD, Iodice S, Caprioli M, Rubolini D, Ambrosini R, Gianfranceschi L, Saino N, Bollati V. Methylation of the circadian Clock gene in the offspring of a free-living passerine bird increases with maternal and individual exposure to PM 10. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2017; 220:29-37. [PMID: 27712846 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.08.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2016] [Revised: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The consequences of exposure to particulate matter (PM) have been thoroughly investigated in humans and other model species, but there is a dearth of studies of the effects of PM on physiology and life-history traits of non-human organisms living in natural or semi-natural environments. Besides toxicological relevance, PM has been recently suggested to exert epigenetic effects by altering DNA methylation patterns. Here, we investigated for the first time the association between the exposure to free-air PM10 and DNA methylation at two loci ('poly-Q exon' and '5'-UTR') of the Clock gene in blood cells of the nestlings of a synanthropic passerine bird, the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica). The Clock gene is a phylogenetically highly conserved gene playing a major role in governing circadian rhythms and circannual life cycles of animals, implying that change in its level of methylation can impact on important fitness traits. We found that methylation at both loci significantly increased with PM10 levels recorded few days before blood sampling, and also with PM10 exposure experienced by the mother during or shortly before egg laying. This study is the first where methylation at a functionally important gene has been shown to vary according to the concentration of anthropogenic pollutants in any animal species in the wild. Since early-life environmental conditions produce epigenetic effects that can transgenerationally be transmitted, DNA methylation of genes controlling photoperiodic response can have far reaching consequences for the ecology and the evolution of wild animal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Romano
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Barbara De Giorgio
- EPIGET - Epidemiology, Epigenetics and Toxicology Lab - Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, via San Barnaba 8, I-20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Parolini
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Favero
- EPIGET - Epidemiology, Epigenetics and Toxicology Lab - Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, via San Barnaba 8, I-20122 Milan, Italy
| | | | - Simona Iodice
- EPIGET - Epidemiology, Epigenetics and Toxicology Lab - Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, via San Barnaba 8, I-20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Manuela Caprioli
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Diego Rubolini
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Ambrosini
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT), University of Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza, 1, I-20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Gianfranceschi
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy.
| | - Nicola Saino
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina Bollati
- EPIGET - Epidemiology, Epigenetics and Toxicology Lab - Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, via San Barnaba 8, I-20122 Milan, Italy.
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15
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Procházka P, Hahn S, Rolland S, van der Jeugd H, Csörgő T, Jiguet F, Mokwa T, Liechti F, Vangeluwe D, Korner-Nievergelt F. Delineating large-scale migratory connectivity of reed warblers using integrated multistate models. DIVERS DISTRIB 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Petr Procházka
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Květná 8 CZ-60365 Brno Czech Republic
| | - Steffen Hahn
- Department of Bird Migration; Swiss Ornithological Institute; Seerose 1 CH-6204 Sempach Switzerland
| | - Simon Rolland
- MNHN; Centre d'Ecologie et de Sciences de la Conservation; 55 rue Buffon CP51 75005 Paris France
| | - Henk van der Jeugd
- Dutch Centre for Avian Migration and Demography NIOO-KNAW; Postbus 50 NL-6700 AB Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Tibor Csörgő
- Department of Anatomy, Cell- and Developmental Biology; Eötvös Loránd University; Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c H-1117 Budapest Hungary
| | - Frédéric Jiguet
- MNHN; Centre d'Ecologie et de Sciences de la Conservation; 55 rue Buffon CP51 75005 Paris France
| | - Tomasz Mokwa
- Museum and Institute of Zoology; Ornithological Station; Polish Academy of Sciences; Nadwiślańska 108 80-680 Gdańsk Poland
| | - Felix Liechti
- Department of Bird Migration; Swiss Ornithological Institute; Seerose 1 CH-6204 Sempach Switzerland
| | | | - Fränzi Korner-Nievergelt
- Department of Bird Migration; Swiss Ornithological Institute; Seerose 1 CH-6204 Sempach Switzerland
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16
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Finch T, Dunning J, Kiss O, Račinskis E, Schwartz T, Sniauksta L, Szekeres O, Tokody B, Franco A, Butler SJ. Insights into the migration of the European Roller from ring recoveries. JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY 2016; 158:83-90. [PMID: 32355602 PMCID: PMC7175680 DOI: 10.1007/s10336-016-1374-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2016] [Revised: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 07/25/2016] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Despite recent advances in avian tracking technology, archival devices still present several limitations. Traditional ring recoveries provide a complementary method for studying migratory movements, particularly for cohorts of birds with a low return rate to the breeding site. Here we provide the first international analysis of ring recovery data in the European Roller Coracias garrulus, a long-distance migrant of conservation concern. Our data comprise 58 records of Rollers ringed during the breeding season and recovered during the non-breeding season. Most records come from Eastern Europe, half are of juveniles and over three quarters are of dead birds. Thus, ring recoveries provide migration data for cohorts of Rollers-juveniles and unsuccessful migrants-for which no information currently exists, complementing recent tracking studies. Qualitatively, our results are consistent with direct tracking studies, illustrating a broad-front migration across the Mediterranean Basin in autumn and the use of the Arabian Peninsula by Rollers from eastern populations in spring. Autumn movements were, on average, in a more southerly direction for juveniles than adults, which were more easterly. Juvenile autumn recovery direction also appeared to be more variable than in adults, though this difference was not statistically significant. This is consistent with juveniles following a naïve vector-based orientation program, and perhaps explains the 'moderate' migratory connectivity previously described for the Roller. In the first (qualitative) analysis of Roller non-breeding season mortality, we highlight the high prevalence of shooting. The recovery age ratio was juvenile-biased in autumn but adult-biased in spring. Although not statistically significant, this difference points towards a higher non-breeding season mortality of juveniles than adults. Our study demonstrates the complementarity of ring recoveries to direct tracking, providing an insight into the migration of juvenile Rollers and non-breeding season mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Finch
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ UK
- Present Address: RSPB/UCCRI, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ UK
| | - Jamie Dunning
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Peel Building, Salford, M5 4WT UK
| | - Orsolya Kiss
- Faculty of Agriculture, University of Szeged, Andrássy Street 15, Hodmezovasarhely, H-6800 Hungary
| | | | | | | | - Otto Szekeres
- “Riparia” Association of Naturalists, Radanovac 83/b, 24000 Subotica, Serbia
| | - Béla Tokody
- BirdLife Hungary, Költo utca 21, Budapest, 1121 Hungary
| | - Aldina Franco
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ UK
| | - Simon J. Butler
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ UK
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17
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18
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von Rönn JA, Shafer AB, Wolf JB. Disruptive selection without genome-wide evolution across a migratory divide. Mol Ecol 2016; 25:2529-41. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.13521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2015] [Revised: 12/01/2015] [Accepted: 12/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jan A.C. von Rönn
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics; Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Biology; August-Thienemann-Str. 2 24306 Plön Germany
| | - Aaron B.A. Shafer
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Science for Life Laboratory; Uppsala University; Norbyvägen 18D 75236 Uppsala Sweden
| | - Jochen B.W. Wolf
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics; Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Biology; August-Thienemann-Str. 2 24306 Plön Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Science for Life Laboratory; Uppsala University; Norbyvägen 18D 75236 Uppsala Sweden
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19
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Schaub M, von Hirschheydt J, Grüebler MU. Differential contribution of demographic rate synchrony to population synchrony in barn swallows. J Anim Ecol 2015; 84:1530-41. [PMID: 26179225 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2015] [Accepted: 07/02/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Populations of many species show temporally synchronous dynamics over some range, mostly caused by spatial autocorrelation of the environment that affects demographic rates. Synchronous fluctuation of a demographic rate is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for population synchrony because population growth is differentially sensitive to variation in demographic rates. Little is known about the relative effects of demographic rates to population synchrony, because it is rare that all demographic rates from several populations are known. We develop a hierarchical integrated population model with which all relevant demographic rates from all study populations can be estimated and apply it to demographic data of barn swallows Hirundo rustica from nine sites that were between 19 and 224 km apart from each other. We decompose the variation of the population growth and of the demographic rates (apparent survival, components of productivity, immigration) into global and local temporal components using random effects which allowed the estimation of synchrony of these rates. The barn swallow populations fluctuated synchronously, but less so than most demographic rates. The highest synchrony showed the probability of double brooding, while fledging success was highly asynchronous. Apparent survival, immigration and total productivity achieved intermediate levels of synchrony. The growth of all populations was most sensitive to changes in immigration and adult apparent survival, and both of them contributed to the observed temporal variation of population growth rates. Using a simulation model, we show that immigration and apparent survival of juveniles and adults were able to induce population synchrony, but not components of local productivity due to their low population growth rate sensitivity. Immigrants are mostly first-time breeders, and consequently, their number depends on the productivity of neighbouring populations. Since total productivity was synchronized, we conclude that it contributed to population synchrony in an indirect way through dispersing individuals which appear as immigrants at the local scale. The hierarchical integrated population model is promising for achieving an improved mechanistic understanding of population synchrony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Schaub
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, 6204, Sempach, Switzerland
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20
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Hobson KA, Kardynal KJ, Van Wilgenburg SL, Albrecht G, Salvadori A, Cadman MD, Liechti F, Fox JW. A Continent-Wide Migratory Divide in North American Breeding Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica). PLoS One 2015; 10:e0129340. [PMID: 26065914 PMCID: PMC4466147 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2015] [Accepted: 05/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Populations of most North American aerial insectivores have undergone steep population declines over the past 40 years but the relative importance of factors operating on breeding, wintering, or stopover sites remains unknown. We used archival light-level geolocators to track the phenology, movements and winter locations of barn swallows (Hirdundo rustica; n = 27) from populations across North America to determine their migratory connectivity. We identified an east-west continental migratory divide for barn swallows with birds from western regions (Washington State, USA (n = 8) and Saskatchewan, Canada (n = 5)) traveling shorter distances to wintering areas ranging from Oregon to northern Colombia than eastern populations (Ontario (n = 3) and New Brunswick (n = 10), Canada) which wintered in South America south of the Amazon basin. A single swallow from a stable population in Alabama shared a similar migration route to eastern barn swallows but wintered farther north in northeast Brazil indicating a potential leap frog pattern migratory among eastern birds. Six of 9 (67%) birds from the two eastern populations and Alabama underwent a loop migration west of fall migration routes including around the Gulf of Mexico travelling a mean of 2,224 km and 722 km longer on spring migration, respectively. Longer migration distances, including the requirement to cross the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico and subsequent shorter sedentary wintering periods, may exacerbate declines for populations breeding in northeastern North America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith A. Hobson
- Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Kevin J. Kardynal
- Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Michael D. Cadman
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
| | - Felix Liechti
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
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