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Verhoeven MA, Loonstra AHJ, McBride AD, Kaspersma W, Hooijmeijer JCEW, Both C, Senner NR, Piersma T. Age-dependent timing and routes demonstrate developmental plasticity in a long-distance migratory bird. J Anim Ecol 2021; 91:566-579. [PMID: 34822170 PMCID: PMC9299929 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Longitudinal tracking studies have revealed consistent differences in the migration patterns of individuals from the same populations. The sources or processes causing this individual variation are largely unresolved. As a result, it is mostly unknown how much, how fast and when animals can adjust their migrations to changing environments. We studied the ontogeny of migration in a long‐distance migratory shorebird, the black‐tailed godwit Limosa limosa limosa, a species known to exhibit marked individuality in the migratory routines of adults. By observing how and when these individual differences arise, we aimed to elucidate whether individual differences in migratory behaviour are inherited or emerge as a result of developmental plasticity. We simultaneously tracked juvenile and adult godwits from the same breeding area on their south‐ and northward migrations. To determine how and when individual differences begin to arise, we related juvenile migration routes, timing and mortality rates to hatch date and hatch year. Then, we compared adult and juvenile migration patterns to identify potential age‐dependent differences. In juveniles, the timing of their first southward departure was related to hatch date. However, their subsequent migration routes, orientation, destination, migratory duration and likelihood of mortality were unrelated to the year or timing of migration, or their sex. Juveniles left the Netherlands after all tracked adults. They then flew non‐stop to West Africa more often and incurred higher mortality rates than adults. Some juveniles also took routes and visited stopover sites far outside the well‐documented adult migratory corridor. Such juveniles, however, were not more likely to die. We found that juveniles exhibited different migratory patterns than adults, but no evidence that these behaviours are under natural selection. We thus eliminate the possibility that the individual differences observed among adult godwits are present at hatch or during their first migration. This adds to the mounting evidence that animals possess the developmental plasticity to change their migration later in life in response to environmental conditions as those conditions are experienced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mo A Verhoeven
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - A H Jelle Loonstra
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Alice D McBride
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Wiebe Kaspersma
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jos C E W Hooijmeijer
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Christiaan Both
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Nathan R Senner
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
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Wang X, Que P, Heckel G, Hu J, Zhang X, Chiang CY, Zhang N, Huang Q, Liu S, Martinez J, Pagani-Núñez E, Dingle C, Leung YY, Székely T, Zhang Z, Liu Y. Genetic, phenotypic and ecological differentiation suggests incipient speciation in two Charadrius plovers along the Chinese coast. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:135. [PMID: 31248363 PMCID: PMC6598359 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1449-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Speciation with gene flow is an alternative to the nascence of new taxa in strict allopatric separation. Indeed, many taxa have parapatric distributions at present. It is often unclear if these are secondary contacts, e.g. caused by past glaciation cycles or the manifestation of speciation with gene flow, which hampers our understanding of how different forces drive diversification. Here we studied genetic, phenotypic and ecological aspects of divergence in a pair of incipient shorebird species, the Kentish (Charadrius alexandrinus) and the White-faced Plovers (C. dealbatus), shorebirds with parapatric breeding ranges along the Chinese coast. We assessed divergence based on molecular markers with different modes of inheritance and quantified phenotypic and ecological divergence in aspects of morphometric, dietary and climatic niches. Results Our integrative analyses revealed small to moderate levels of genetic and phenotypic distinctiveness with symmetric gene flow across the contact area at the Chinese coast. The two species diverged approximately half a million years ago in dynamic isolation with secondary contact occurring due to cycling sea level changes between the Eastern and Southern China Sea in the mid-late Pleistocene. We found evidence of character displacement and ecological niche differentiation between the two species, invoking the role of selection in facilitating divergence despite gene flow. Conclusion These findings imply that ecology can indeed counter gene flow through divergent selection and thus contributes to incipient speciation in these plovers. Furthermore, our study highlights the importance of using integrative datasets to reveal the evolutionary history and assist the inference of mechanisms of speciation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-019-1449-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.,Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Pinjia Que
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Genopode, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Junhua Hu
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xuecong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Chung-Yu Chiang
- Department of Environmental Science, Tunhai University, Taichun, Taiwan
| | - Nan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Qin Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Simin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | | | - Emilio Pagani-Núñez
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Caroline Dingle
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China
| | - Yu Yan Leung
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China
| | - Tamás Székely
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.,Milner Center for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, BA1 7AY, UK
| | - Zhengwang Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
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Kentie R, Marquez-Ferrando R, Figuerola J, Gangoso L, Hooijmeijer JCEW, Loonstra AHJ, Robin F, Sarasa M, Senner N, Valkema H, Verhoeven MA, Piersma T. Does wintering north or south of the Sahara correlate with timing and breeding performance in black-tailed godwits? Ecol Evol 2017; 7:2812-2820. [PMID: 28428871 PMCID: PMC5395453 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2016] [Revised: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Migrating long distances requires time and energy, and may interact with an individual's performance during breeding. These seasonal interactions in migratory animals are best described in populations with disjunct nonbreeding distributions. The black‐tailed godwit (Limosa limosa limosa), which breeds in agricultural grasslands in Western Europe, has such a disjunct nonbreeding distribution: The majority spend the nonbreeding season in West Africa, while a growing number winters north of the Sahara on the Iberian Peninsula. To test whether crossing the Sahara has an effect on breeding season phenology and reproductive parameters, we examined differences in the timing of arrival, breeding habitat quality, lay date, egg volume, and daily nest survival among godwits (154 females and 157 males), individually marked in a breeding area in the Netherlands for which wintering destination was known on the basis of resightings. We also examined whether individual repeatability in arrival date differed between birds wintering north or south of the Sahara. Contrary to expectation, godwits wintering south of the Sahara arrived two days earlier and initiated their clutch six days earlier than godwits wintering north of the Sahara. Arrival date was equally repeatable for both groups, and egg volume larger in birds wintering north of the Sahara. Despite these differences, we found no association between wintering location and the quality of breeding habitat or nest survival. This suggests that the crossing of an important ecological barrier and doubling of the migration distance, twice a year, do not have clear negative reproductive consequences for some long‐distance migrants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosemarie Kentie
- Conservation Ecology Group Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands.,Present address: Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford OX1 3PS UK
| | | | - Jordi Figuerola
- Department of Wetland Ecology Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC) Seville Spain.,CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBER ESP) Spain
| | - Laura Gangoso
- Department of Wetland Ecology Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC) Seville Spain
| | - Jos C E W Hooijmeijer
- Conservation Ecology Group Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
| | - A H Jelle Loonstra
- Conservation Ecology Group Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Frédéric Robin
- Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO) Fonderies royales Rochefort France
| | - Mathieu Sarasa
- Fédération Nationale des ChasseursIssy les Moulineaux Cedex France
| | - Nathan Senner
- Conservation Ecology Group Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Haije Valkema
- Conservation Ecology Group Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands.,Global Flyway Network Den Burg Texel The Netherlands
| | - Mo A Verhoeven
- Conservation Ecology Group Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Conservation Ecology Group Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands.,Global Flyway Network Den Burg Texel The Netherlands.,Department of Coastal Systems NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University Den Burg Texel The Netherlands
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Trimbos KB, Doorenweerd C, Kraaijeveld K, Musters CJM, Groen NM, de Knijff P, Piersma T, de Snoo GR. Patterns in nuclear and mitochondrial DNA reveal historical and recent isolation in the Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa). PLoS One 2014; 9:e83949. [PMID: 24416186 PMCID: PMC3886983 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2013] [Accepted: 11/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
On the basis of morphological differences, three subspecies of Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) have been recognized (L. l. limosa, L. l. islandica and L. l. melanuroides). In previous studies mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data showed minimal genetic divergence between the three subspecies and an absence of sub-structuring within L. l. limosa. Here, population genetic structure and phylogeographic patterns have been analyzed using COI, HVR1 and HVR2 mtDNA sequence data as well as 12 microsatellite loci (nuDNA). The nuDNA data suggest genetic differentiation between L. l. limosa from Sweden and The Netherlands, between L. l. limosa and L. l. islandica, but not between L. l. limosa and L. l. melanuroides. However, the mtDNA data were not consistent with the nuDNA pattern. mtDNA did support a split between L. l. melanuroides and L. l. limosa/L. l. islandica and also demonstrated two L. l. limosa haplotype clusters that were not geographically isolated. This genetic structure can be explained by a scenario of isolation of L. l. melanuroides from L. l. limosa in Beringia during the Last Glacial Maximum. During the Pleistocene separation of L. l. islandica from L. l. limosa occurred, followed by colonization of Iceland by the L. l. islandica during the Holocene. Within L. l. limosa founder events, followed by population expansion, took place during the Holocene also. According to the patterns observed in both markers together and their geographic separation, we propose that the three traditional subspecies indeed represent three separate genetic units.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krijn B. Trimbos
- Department of Conservation Biology, Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Camiel Doorenweerd
- Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity, Naturalis, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ken Kraaijeveld
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden Genome Technology Center, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - C. J. M. Musters
- Department of Conservation Biology, Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Niko M. Groen
- Department of Animal Ecology, Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Peter de Knijff
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden Genome Technology Center, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Department of Animal Ecology, Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Marine Ecology, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Geert R. de Snoo
- Department of Conservation Biology, Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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