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Witczak S, Kormann U, Schaub M, Oppel S, Grüebler MU. Sex and size shape the ontogeny of partial migration. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:406-416. [PMID: 38269638 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
The arrival-time hypothesis of partial seasonal migration proposes that over-winter residence is driven by reproductive benefits of early presence on the breeding grounds. Thus, it predicts increased occurrence of residence at reproductive age. In contrast, the body size hypothesis proposes age-independent benefits of residence for large individuals, who should exhibit greater winter tolerance. Despite different expectations in age patterns for the two hypotheses in long-lived partially migrant species, there is little empirical work investigating the ontogeny of migratory phenotypic expression, that is the expression of residence or migration. We investigated the influence of age, sex and body size on migratory phenotype throughout ontogeny (from first year to early adulthood) in a long-lived partially migrant species, the red kite Milvus milvus. We GPS-tracked 311 individuals tagged as juveniles and 70 individuals tagged as adults over multiple years, yielding 881 observed annual cycles. From this data, we estimated age-dependent probabilities of the transition to residence and of survival in migrants and residents using a Bayesian multistate capture-recapture model, as well as the probability of resuming migration once resident. We then calculated the resulting proportion of residents per age class. In both sexes, almost all juveniles migrated in their first winter, after which the probability of becoming resident gradually increased with age class to approximately 0.3 in adults (>3 calendar years). A size effect in third calendar year females suggests that large females adopt residence earlier in life than small females. The transition from residence back to migration only occurred with a probability of 0.15 across all resident individuals. In addition, survival was notably reduced in adult male migrants compared to adult male residents. These results are largely consistent with the arrival-time and body size hypotheses, simultaneously. Our results reveal a plastic, yet primarily directional within-individual change in migratory phenotype towards more residence with increasing age, varying between sexes and between individuals of different size. This study highlights that different individual characteristics can jointly shape the ontogeny of migratory behaviour and result in complex within-population patterns and persistence of migratory phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Witczak
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Urs Kormann
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | | | - Steffen Oppel
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
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Ferreira HRS, Champagnon J, Alves JA, Lok T. Relationship between wintering site and survival in a migratory waterbird using different migration routes. Oecologia 2024; 204:613-624. [PMID: 38400948 PMCID: PMC10980637 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05518-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
When wintering at different sites, individuals from the same breeding population can experience different conditions, with costs and benefits that may have implications throughout their lifetime. Using a dataset from a longitudinal study on Eurasian Spoonbills from southern France, we explored whether survival rate varied among individuals using different wintering sites. In the last 13 years, more than 3000 spoonbills have been ringed as chicks in Camargue. These birds winter in five main regions that vary in both migratory flyway (East Atlantic vs. Central European) and migration distance (long-distance vs. short-distance vs. resident). We applied Cormack-Jolly-Seber models and found evidence for apparent survival to correlate with migration distance, but not with flyway. During the interval between the first winter sighting and the next breeding period, long-distance migrants had the lowest survival, independently of the flyway taken. Additionally, as they age, spoonbills seem to better cope with migratory challenges and wintering conditions as no differences in apparent survival among wintering strategies were detected during subsequent years. As dispersal to other breeding colonies was rarely observed, the lower apparent survival during this period is likely to be partly driven by lower true survival. This supports the potential role of crossing of natural barriers and degradation of wintering sites in causing higher mortality rates as recorded for a variety of long-distance migrants. Our work confirms variation in demographic parameters across winter distribution ranges and reinforces the importance of longitudinal studies to better understand the complex demographics of migratory species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo R S Ferreira
- Department of Biology & CESAM-Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.
- Tour du Valat, Research Institute for the Conservation of Mediterranean Wetlands, Le Sambuc, 13200, Arles, France.
| | - Jocelyn Champagnon
- Tour du Valat, Research Institute for the Conservation of Mediterranean Wetlands, Le Sambuc, 13200, Arles, France
| | - José A Alves
- Department of Biology & CESAM-Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
- South Iceland Research Centre, University of Iceland, Lindarbraut 4, 840-IS, Laugarvatn, Iceland
| | - Tamar Lok
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
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Chan YC, Chan DTC, Tibbitts TL, Hassell CJ, Piersma T. Site fidelity of migratory shorebirds facing habitat deterioration: insights from satellite tracking and mark-resighting. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:79. [PMID: 38129912 PMCID: PMC10740345 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00443-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Site fidelity, the tendency to return to a previously visited site, is commonly observed in migratory birds. This behaviour would be advantageous if birds returning to the same site, benefit from their previous knowledge about local resources. However, when habitat quality declines at a site over time, birds with lower site fidelity might benefit from a tendency to move to sites with better habitats. As a first step towards understanding the influence of site fidelity on how animals cope with habitat deterioration, here we describe site fidelity variation in two species of sympatric migratory shorebirds (Bar-tailed Godwits Limosa lapponica and Great Knots Calidris tenuirostris). Both species are being impacted by the rapid loss and deterioration of intertidal habitats in the Yellow Sea where they fuel up during their annual long-distance migrations. METHODS Using satellite tracking and mark-resighting data, we measured site fidelity in the non-breeding (austral summer) and migration periods, during which both species live and co-occur in Northwest Australia and the Yellow Sea, respectively. RESULTS Site fidelity was generally high in both species, with the majority of individuals using only one site during the non-breeding season and revisiting the same sites during migration. Nevertheless, Great Knots did exhibit lower site fidelity than Bar-tailed Godwits in both Northwest Australia and the Yellow Sea across data types. CONCLUSIONS Great Knots encountered substantial habitat deterioration just before and during our study period but show the same rate of decline in population size and individual survival as the less habitat-impacted Bar-tailed Godwits. This suggests that the lower site fidelity of Great Knots might have helped them to cope with the habitat changes. Future studies on movement patterns and their consequences under different environmental conditions by individuals with different degrees of site fidelity could help broaden our understanding of how species might react to, and recover from, local habitat deterioration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying-Chi Chan
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands.
- Rudi Drent Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - David Tsz Chung Chan
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - T Lee Tibbitts
- Alaska Science Center, U. S. Geological Survey, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA
| | - Chris J Hassell
- Global Flyway Network, PO Box 3089, Broome, WA, 6725, Australia
- Australasian Wader Studies Group, PO Box 3089, Broome, WA, 6725, Australia
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
- Rudi Drent Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Global Flyway Network, PO Box 3089, Broome, WA, 6725, Australia
- BirdEyes, Centre for Global Ecological Change at the Faculties of Science and Engineering and Campus Fryslân, University of Groningen, Zaailand 110, 8911 BN, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
- Center for East Asian-Australasian Flyway Studies, School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
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Mott R, Prowse TAA, Jackson MV, Rogers DJ, O'Connor JA, Brookes JD, Cassey P. Measuring habitat quality for waterbirds: A review. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9905. [PMID: 37038530 PMCID: PMC10082184 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Quantifying habitat quality is dependent on measuring a site's relative contribution to population growth rate. This is challenging for studies of waterbirds, whose high mobility can decouple demographic rates from local habitat conditions and make sustained monitoring of individuals near-impossible. To overcome these challenges, biologists have used many direct and indirect proxies of waterbird habitat quality. However, consensus on what methods are most appropriate for a given scenario is lacking. We undertook a structured literature review of the methods used to quantify waterbird habitat quality, and provide a synthesis of the context-dependent strengths and limitations of those methods. Our search of the Web of Science and Scopus databases returned a sample of 666 studies, upon which our review was based. The reviewed studies assessed habitat quality by either measuring habitat attributes (e.g., food abundance, water quality, vegetation structure), or measuring attributes of the waterbirds themselves (e.g., demographic parameters, body condition, behavior, distribution). Measuring habitat attributes, although they are only indirectly related to demographic rates, has the advantage of being unaffected by waterbird behavioral stochasticity. Conversely, waterbird-derived measures (e.g., body condition, peck rates) may be more directly related to demographic rates than habitat variables, but may be subject to greater stochastic variation (e.g., behavioral change due to presence of conspecifics). Therefore, caution is needed to ensure that the measured variable does influence waterbird demographic rates. This assumption was usually based on ecological theory rather than empirical evidence. Our review highlighted that there is no single best, universally applicable method to quantify waterbird habitat quality. Individual project specifics (e.g., time frame, spatial scale, funding) will influence the choice of variables measured. Where possible, practitioners should measure variables most directly related to demographic rates. Generally, measuring multiple variables yields a better chance of accurately capturing the relationship between habitat characteristics and demographic rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rowan Mott
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of AdelaideAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
| | - Thomas A. A. Prowse
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of AdelaideAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
| | - Micha V. Jackson
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of AdelaideAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
| | - Daniel J. Rogers
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of AdelaideAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
- Department for Environment and WaterAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
| | - Jody A. O'Connor
- Department for Environment and WaterAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
| | - Justin D. Brookes
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of AdelaideAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
| | - Phillip Cassey
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of AdelaideAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
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Brown JM, Bouten W, Camphuysen KCJ, Nolet BA, Shamoun-Baranes J. Energetic and behavioral consequences of migration: an empirical evaluation in the context of the full annual cycle. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1210. [PMID: 36681726 PMCID: PMC9867707 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28198-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Seasonal migrations are used by diverse animal taxa, yet the costs and benefits of migrating have rarely been empirically examined. The aim of this study was to determine how migration influences two ecological currencies, energy expenditure and time allocated towards different behaviors, in a full annual cycle context. We compare these currencies among lesser black-backed gulls that range from short- (< 250 km) to long-distance (> 4500 km) migrants. Daily time-activity budgets were reconstructed from tri-axial acceleration and GPS, which, in conjunction with a bioenergetics model to estimate thermoregulatory costs, enabled us to estimate daily energy expenditure throughout the year. We found that migration strategy had no effect on annual energy expenditure, however, energy expenditure through time deviated more from the annual average as migration distance increased. Patterns in time-activity budgets were similar across strategies, suggesting migration strategy does not limit behavioral adjustments required for other annual cycle stages (breeding, molt, wintering). Variation among individuals using the same strategy was high, suggesting that daily behavioral decisions (e.g. foraging strategy) contribute more towards energy expenditure than an individual's migration strategy. These findings provide unprecedented new understanding regarding the relative importance of fine versus broad-scale behavioral strategies towards annual energy expenditures.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Morgan Brown
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Willem Bouten
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kees C J Camphuysen
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Bart A Nolet
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Judy Shamoun-Baranes
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Pigniczki C. Winter distribution and migratory strategies of Eurasian Spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia) from the Pannonian breeding population: are they long-distance migrants? ACTA ZOOL ACAD SCI H 2022. [DOI: 10.17109/azh.68.4.341.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper, the wintering characteristics of the Eurasian Spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia) breeding in the Carpathian Basin (Pannonian population) were analysed. The data of 305 wintering Spoonbills marked with colour-rings in Hungary was used. A significant part, 80% of the Spoonbills, wintered in Africa, while 20% spent the winter in Europe and only two birds in the Asian part of western Turkey. The most important wintering sites were in the central part of North Africa (in Algeria, Libya, but mainly Tunisia) and Italy. The tidal area in the Gulf of Gabes in Tunisia was the most important area where a significant proportion, 65% of all wintering Spoonbills, spent the winter. This study provided new evidence of Spoonbills occurring in Saharan wetlands (Chott Tindla in Algeria) in winter. 2% of the resighted Spoonbills were reported from the wetlands of the Sahel in Sudan, Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal. European winterers were mainly found in Italy and, to a lesser extent, in the Balkans and the Carpathian Basin. The mean distance between the natal colonies and the wintering areas was 1,535 km. Spoonbills migrated in a south-southwestern direction (mean: 213°) to reach their wintering sites. In the Hungarian population, most specimens (94%) were short-distance migrants (wintered north of 22°N), 2% were long-distance migrants, and 4% were residents. However, the proportions of the residents and short-distance migrants are supposed to be overestimated and the proportion of the long-distance migrants is likely to be underestimated due to the lack of observation effort in sub-Saharan Africa. However, based on the winter census data and the proportion of ringed individuals of Hungarian origin in the wintering flocks, I estimated that the lack of observation effort would only slightly modify the result. There were two shifts in migratory strategies on an individual level: a resident Spoonbill became a short-distance migrant, and a short-distance migrant became a long-distance migrant by a following winter. While most of the East Atlantic Spoonbills are long-distance migrants, the results of this study indicate that most birds in the Pannonian population are likely to be rather short-distance migrants. The results of the GPS tracking also confirm that most Pannonian Spoonbills are short-distance migrants and support the main conclusion of this paper.
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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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VonBank JA, Weegman MD, Link PT, Cunningham SA, Kraai KJ, Collins DP, Ballard BM. Winter fidelity, movements, and energy expenditure of Midcontinent Greater White-fronted Geese. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2021; 9:2. [PMID: 33472671 PMCID: PMC7816378 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-020-00236-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animal movement patterns are the result of both environmental and physiological effects, and the rates of movement and energy expenditure of given movement strategies are influenced by the physical environment an animal inhabits. Greater white-fronted geese in North America winter in ecologically distinct regions and have undergone a large-scale shift in wintering distribution over the past 20 years. White-fronts continue to winter in historical wintering areas in addition to contemporary areas, but the rates of movement among regions, and energetic consequences of those decisions, are unknown. Additionally, linkages between wintering and breeding regions are generally unknown, and may influence within-winter movement rates. METHODS We used Global Positioning System and acceleration data from 97 white-fronts during two winters to elucidate movement characteristics, model regional transition probabilities using a multistate model in a Bayesian framework, estimate regional energy expenditure, and determine behavior time-allocation influences on energy expenditure using overall dynamic body acceleration and linear mixed-effects models. We assess the linkages between wintering and breeding regions by evaluating the winter distributions for each breeding region. RESULTS White-fronts exhibited greater daily movement early in the winter period, and decreased movements as winter progressed. Transition probabilities were greatest towards contemporary winter regions and away from historical wintering regions. Energy expenditure was up to 55% greater, and white-fronts spent more time feeding and flying, in contemporary wintering regions compared to historical regions. White-fronts subsequently summered across their entire previously known breeding distribution, indicating substantial mixing of individuals of varying breeding provenance during winter. CONCLUSIONS White-fronts revealed extreme plasticity in their wintering strategy, including high immigration probability to contemporary wintering regions, high emigration from historical wintering regions, and high regional fidelity to western regions, but frequent movements among eastern regions. Given that movements of white-fronts trended toward contemporary wintering regions, we anticipate that a wintering distribution shift eastward will continue. Unexpectedly, greater energy expenditure in contemporary wintering regions revealed variable energetic consequences of choice in wintering region and shifting distribution. Because geese spent more time feeding in contemporary regions than historical regions, increased energy expenditure is likely balanced by increased energy acquisition in contemporary wintering areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay A VonBank
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University - Kingsville, Kingsville, TX, 78363, USA.
- Present Address: U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, ND, 58401, USA.
| | - Mitch D Weegman
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Paul T Link
- Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Baton Rouge, LA, 70808, USA
| | | | - Kevin J Kraai
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Canyon, TX, 79015, USA
| | | | - Bart M Ballard
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University - Kingsville, Kingsville, TX, 78363, USA
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Tedeschi A, Sorrenti M, Bottazzo M, Spagnesi M, Telletxea I, Ibàñez R, Tormen N, De Pascalis F, Guidolin L, Rubolini D. Interindividual variation and consistency of migratory behavior in the Eurasian woodcock. Curr Zool 2020; 66:155-163. [PMID: 32440275 PMCID: PMC7233613 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoz038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Diverse spatio-temporal aspects of avian migration rely on relatively rigid endogenous programs. However, flexibility in migratory behavior may allow effective coping with unpredictable variation in ecological conditions that can occur during migration. We aimed at characterizing inter- and intraindividual variation of migratory behavior in a forest-dwelling wader species, the Eurasian woodcock Scolopax rusticola, focusing on spatio-temporal consistency across repeated migration episodes. By satellite-tracking birds from their wintering sites along the Italian peninsula to their breeding areas, we disclosed a remarkable variability in migration distances, with some birds flying more than 6,000 km to Central Asian breeding grounds (up to 101°E). Prebreeding migration was faster and of shorter duration than postbreeding migration. Birds moving over longer distances migrated faster during prebreeding migration, and those breeding at northernmost latitudes left their wintering areas earlier. Moreover, birds making longer migrations departed earlier from their breeding sites. Breeding site fidelity was very high, whereas fidelity to wintering areas increased with age. Migration routes were significantly consistent, both among repeated migration episodes and between pre- and postbreeding migration. Prebreeding migration departure date was not significantly repeatable, whereas arrival date to the breeding areas was highly repeatable. Hence, interindividual variation in migratory behavior of woodcocks was mostly explained by the location of the breeding areas, and spatial consistency was relatively large through the entire annual cycle. Flexibility in prebreeding migration departure date may suggest that environmental effects have a larger influence on temporal than on spatial aspects of migratory behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Tedeschi
- Associazione "Amici di Scolopax", Via Roma, 57, Mugnano del Cardinale, AV, I-83027, Italy
| | - Michele Sorrenti
- Federazione Italiana della Caccia, Ufficio Avifauna Migratoria, Via Salaria 298/A, Roma, I-00199, Italy
| | - Michele Bottazzo
- Veneto Agricoltura, Viale dell'Università 14, Legnaro, PD, I-35020, Italy
| | - Mario Spagnesi
- Ekoclub International, Via per Volano 45, Volano di Codigoro, FE, I-44020, Italy
| | - Ibon Telletxea
- Club de Cazadores de Becada, Avda. Schulz 8, 4 dcha, Gijón, E-33208, Spain
| | - Ruben Ibàñez
- Club de Cazadores de Becada, Avda. Schulz 8, 4 dcha, Gijón, E-33208, Spain
| | - Nicola Tormen
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Padova, Via U. Bassi 58/b, Padova, I-35131, Italy
| | - Federico De Pascalis
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, Milano, I-20133, Italy
| | - Laura Guidolin
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Padova, Via U. Bassi 58/b, Padova, I-35131, Italy
| | - Diego Rubolini
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, Milano, I-20133, Italy
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Kok EMA, Hogan JA, Piersma T. Experimental tests of a seasonally changing visual preference for habitat in a long‐distance migratory shorebird. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Eva M. A. Kok
- Department of Coastal Systems NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University Den Burg The Netherlands
- Conservation Ecology Group Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Jerry A. Hogan
- Department of Psychology University of Toronto Toronto ON Canada
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Department of Coastal Systems NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University Den Burg The Netherlands
- Conservation Ecology Group Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
- Rudi Drent Chair in Global Flyway Ecology Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
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11
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Partial migration in a subtropical wading bird in the southeastern United States. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
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Oudman T, Laland K, Ruxton G, Tombre I, Shimmings P, Prop J. Young Birds Switch but Old Birds Lead: How Barnacle Geese Adjust Migratory Habits to Environmental Change. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
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Buchan C, Gilroy JJ, Catry I, Franco AMA. Fitness consequences of different migratory strategies in partially migratory populations: A multi-taxa meta-analysis. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:678-690. [PMID: 31777950 PMCID: PMC7078763 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Partial migration—wherein migratory and non‐migratory individuals exist within the same population—represents a behavioural dimorphism; for it to persist over time, both strategies should yield equal individual fitness. This balance may be maintained through trade‐offs where migrants gain survival benefits by avoiding unfavourable conditions, while residents gain breeding benefits from early access to resources. There has been little overarching quantitative analysis of the evidence for this fitness balance. As migrants—especially long‐distance migrants—may be particularly vulnerable to environmental change, it is possible that recent anthropogenic impacts could drive shifts in fitness balances within these populations. We tested these predictions using a multi‐taxa meta‐analysis. Of 2,939 reviewed studies, 23 contained suitable information for meta‐analysis, yielding 129 effect sizes. Of these, 73% (n = 94) reported higher resident fitness, 22% (n = 28) reported higher migrant fitness, and 5% (n = 7) reported equal fitness. Once weighted for precision, we found balanced fitness benefits across the entire dataset, but a consistently higher fitness of residents over migrants in birds and herpetofauna (the best‐sampled groups). Residency benefits were generally associated with survival, not breeding success, and increased with the number of years of data over which effect sizes were calculated, suggesting deviations from fitness parity are not due to sampling artefacts. A pervasive survival benefit to residency documented in recent literature could indicate that increased exposure to threats associated with anthropogenic change faced by migrating individuals may be shifting the relative fitness balance between strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Buchan
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
| | - James J Gilroy
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
| | - Inês Catry
- Centro de Ecologia Aplicada 'Prof. Baeta Neves' and InBio - Rede de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Aldina M A Franco
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
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14
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Reneerkens J, Versluijs TSL, Piersma T, Alves JA, Boorman M, Corse C, Gilg O, Hallgrimsson GT, Lang J, Loos B, Ntiamoa-Baidu Y, Nuoh AA, Potts PM, Ten Horn J, Lok T. Low fitness at low latitudes: Wintering in the tropics increases migratory delays and mortality rates in an Arctic breeding shorebird. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:691-703. [PMID: 31584198 PMCID: PMC7078868 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary theories of seasonal migration generally assume that the costs of longer migrations are balanced by benefits at the non‐breeding destinations. We tested, and rejected, the null hypothesis of equal survival and timing of spring migration for High Arctic breeding sanderling Calidris alba using six and eight winter destinations between 55°N and 25°S, respectively. Annual apparent survival was considerably lower for adult birds wintering in tropical West Africa (Mauritania: 0.74 and Ghana: 0.75) than in three European sites (0.84, 0.84 and 0.87) and in subtropical Namibia (0.85). Moreover, compared with adults, second calendar‐year sanderlings in the tropics, but not in Europe, often refrained from migrating north during the first possible breeding season. During northward migration, tropical‐wintering sanderlings occurred at their final staging site in Iceland 5–15 days later than birds wintering further north or south. Namibia‐wintering sanderlings tracked with solar geolocators only staged in West Africa during southward migration. The low annual survival, the later age of first northward migration and the later passage through Iceland during northward migration of tropical‐wintering sanderlings, in addition to the skipping of this area during northward but not southward migration by Namibia‐wintering sanderlings, all suggest they face issues during the late non‐breeding season in West Africa. Migrating sanderlings defy long distances but may end up in winter areas with poor fitness prospects. We suggest that ecological conditions in tropical West Africa make the fuelling prior to northward departure problematic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeroen Reneerkens
- Rudi Drent Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Tom S L Versluijs
- Rudi Drent Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Rudi Drent Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - José A Alves
- DBIO & CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.,South Iceland Research Centre, University of Iceland, Laugarvatn, Iceland
| | | | | | - Olivier Gilg
- UMR 6249 Chrono-Environnement, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Besançon, France.,Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Arctique, Francheville, France
| | | | - Johannes Lang
- Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Arctique, Francheville, France.,Clinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish, Working Group for Wildlife Biology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Bob Loos
- Global Flyway Network, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu
- Centre for African Wetlands, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.,Department of Animal Biology and Conservation Science, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Alfred A Nuoh
- Centre for African Wetlands, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | | | - Job Ten Horn
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Tamar Lok
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University, Texel, The Netherlands
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15
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16
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Rotics S, Kaatz M, Turjeman S, Zurell D, Wikelski M, Sapir N, Eggers U, Fiedler W, Jeltsch F, Nathan R. Early arrival at breeding grounds: Causes, costs and a trade-off with overwintering latitude. J Anim Ecol 2018; 87:1627-1638. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shay Rotics
- Movement Ecology Laboratory; Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour; Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Jerusalem Israel
| | - Michael Kaatz
- Vogelschutzwarte Storchenhof Loburg e.V.; Loburg Germany
| | - Sondra Turjeman
- Movement Ecology Laboratory; Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour; Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Jerusalem Israel
| | - Damaris Zurell
- Geography Department; Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Berlin Germany
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology; Max-Planck-Institute for Ornithology; Radolfzell Germany
- Department of Biology; University of Konstanz; Konstanz Germany
| | - Nir Sapir
- The Animal Flight Laboratory; Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology; University of Haifa; Haifa Israel
| | - Ute Eggers
- Department of Plant Ecology and Conservation Biology; Institute for Biochemistry and Biology; University of Potsdam; Potsdam Germany
| | - Wolfgang Fiedler
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology; Max-Planck-Institute for Ornithology; Radolfzell Germany
- Department of Biology; University of Konstanz; Konstanz Germany
| | - Florian Jeltsch
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB); Berlin Germany
| | - Ran Nathan
- Movement Ecology Laboratory; Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour; Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Jerusalem Israel
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17
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Cayuela H, Rougemont Q, Prunier JG, Moore JS, Clobert J, Besnard A, Bernatchez L. Demographic and genetic approaches to study dispersal in wild animal populations: A methodological review. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:3976-4010. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Revised: 08/17/2018] [Accepted: 08/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Cayuela
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS); Université Laval; Québec City Québec Canada
| | - Quentin Rougemont
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS); Université Laval; Québec City Québec Canada
| | - Jérôme G. Prunier
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale; Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) 5321; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); Université Paul Sabatier (UPS); Moulis France
| | - Jean-Sébastien Moore
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS); Université Laval; Québec City Québec Canada
| | - Jean Clobert
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale; Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) 5321; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); Université Paul Sabatier (UPS); Moulis France
| | - Aurélien Besnard
- CNRS; PSL Research University; EPHE; UM, SupAgro, IRD; INRA; UMR 5175 CEFE; Montpellier France
| | - Louis Bernatchez
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS); Université Laval; Québec City Québec Canada
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18
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Marion L, Bergerot B. Northern range shift may be due to increased competition induced by protection of species rather than to climate change alone. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:8364-8379. [PMID: 30250709 PMCID: PMC6145015 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Revised: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Few long-term, large-scale studies have been conducted about the factors likely to explain changes in species abundance and distribution in winter. Range shifts are generally attributed to the climate change or land use. This study shows that other factors such as species protection and the ensuing increasing numbers of individuals and competition could be involved. It details the progressive conquest of France, the most important European wintering area for great cormorant, in three decades as its legal protection by the EU Birds Directive. It is based on 13 exhaustive national counts. Cormorants first occupied the farthest areas (Atlantic and Mediterranean lagoons, then larger rivers) from the main-core European breeding area, with only progressive occupancy of the northeastern part later. This strategy mainly resulted from competition for optimal available feeding areas. Suboptimal areas (smaller wetlands harboring smaller night roosts, colder northeastern French areas) and progressive fragmentation of large night roosts into smaller, better located ones minimized flight costs. The coldest areas were occupied last, once other areas were saturated. Their occupancy was favored locally by the global climate change, but it played a minor role in these strategies. Both factors induced only a small NNE shift of the weighted centroid range of the wintering population (2.6 km/year) which mainly resulted from competition (buffer effect). Only the 2009 cold wave decreased the total number of wintering cormorants at the national scale, once the population had probably reached the carrying capacity of the country, while the previous cold waves had a minor effect. Comparatively, there was a greater SSE range shift of the weighted centroid of the breeding population (4.66 km/year). Range shifts of other recently protected species have been attributed to the sole climate change in the literature, but competition due to the saturation of usual wintering or breeding areas should be considered too.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loïc Marion
- UMR CNRS ECOBIOUniversité RennesRennes CedexFrance
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19
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Lok T, Veldhoen L, Overdijk O, Tinbergen JM, Piersma T. An age-dependent fitness cost of migration? Old trans-Saharan migrating spoonbills breed later than those staying in Europe, and late breeders have lower recruitment. J Anim Ecol 2017; 86:998-1009. [PMID: 28543867 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Migration is a widespread phenomenon in the animal kingdom. On the basis of the considerable variation that exists between and within species, and even within populations, we may be able to infer the (age- and sex-specific) ecological trade-offs and constraints moulding migration systems from assessments of fitness associated with migration and wintering in different areas. During three consecutive breeding seasons, we compared the reproductive performance (timing of breeding, breeding success, chick body condition and post-fledging survival) of Eurasian spoonbills Platalea leucorodia that breed at a single breeding site in The Netherlands, but migrate different distances (c. 4,500 vs. 2,000 km, either or not crossing the Sahara) to and from wintering areas in southern Europe and West Africa. Using mark-recapture analysis, we further investigated whether survival until adulthood (recruitment probability) of chicks hatched between 2006 and 2010 was related to their hatch date and body condition. Long-distance migrants bred later, particularly the males, and raised chicks of poorer body condition than short-distance migrants. Hatch dates strongly advanced with increasing age in short-distance migrants, but hardly advanced in long-distance migrants, causing the difference in timing of breeding between long- and short-distance migrants to be more pronounced among older birds. Breeding success and chick body condition decreased over the season, and chicks that fledged late in the season or in poor condition were less likely to survive until adulthood. As a result, long-distance migrants-particularly the males and older birds-likely recruit fewer offspring into the breeding population than short-distance migrants. This inference is important for predicting the population-level consequences of changes in winter habitat suitability throughout the wintering range. Assuming that the long-distance migrants-being the birds that occupy the traditional wintering areas-are not the poorer quality birds, and that the observed age-dependent patterns in timing of breeding are driven by within-individual effects and not by selective disappearance, our results suggest that the strategy of long-distance migration, involving the crossing of the Sahara to winter in West Africa, incurred a cost by reducing reproductive output, albeit a cost paid only later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamar Lok
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Linde Veldhoen
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Joost M Tinbergen
- 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.,NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems and Utrecht University, Den Burg (Texel), The Netherlands
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20
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Rotics S, Turjeman S, Kaatz M, Resheff YS, Zurell D, Sapir N, Eggers U, Fiedler W, Flack A, Jeltsch F, Wikelski M, Nathan R. Wintering in Europe instead of Africa enhances juvenile survival in a long-distance migrant. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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21
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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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22
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Teitelbaum CS, Converse SJ, Fagan WF, Böhning-Gaese K, O'Hara RB, Lacy AE, Mueller T. Experience drives innovation of new migration patterns of whooping cranes in response to global change. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12793. [PMID: 27597446 PMCID: PMC5025849 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 08/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic changes in climate and land use are driving changes in migration patterns of birds worldwide. Spatial changes in migration have been related to long-term temperature trends, but the intrinsic mechanisms by which migratory species adapt to environmental change remain largely unexplored. We show that, for a long-lived social species, older birds with more experience are critical for innovating new migration behaviours. Groups containing older, more experienced individuals establish new overwintering sites closer to the breeding grounds, leading to a rapid population-level shift in migration patterns. Furthermore, these new overwintering sites are in areas where changes in climate have increased temperatures and where food availability from agriculture is high, creating favourable conditions for overwintering. Our results reveal that the age structure of populations is critical for the behavioural mechanisms that allow species to adapt to global change, particularly for long-lived animals, where changes in behaviour can occur faster than evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire S Teitelbaum
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Sarah J Converse
- US Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 12100 Beech Forest Road, Laurel, Maryland 20708, USA
| | - William F Fagan
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - Katrin Böhning-Gaese
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Robert B O'Hara
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Anne E Lacy
- International Crane Foundation, P.O. Box 447, E-11376 Shady Lane Road, Baraboo, Wisconsin 53913, USA
| | - Thomas Mueller
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
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23
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Gilbert NI, Correia RA, Silva JP, Pacheco C, Catry I, Atkinson PW, Gill JA, Franco AMA. Are white storks addicted to junk food? Impacts of landfill use on the movement and behaviour of resident white storks (Ciconia ciconia) from a partially migratory population. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2016; 4:7. [PMID: 26981250 PMCID: PMC4791752 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-016-0070-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2015] [Accepted: 02/04/2016] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The migratory patterns of animals are changing in response to global environmental change with many species forming resident populations in areas where they were once migratory. The white stork (Ciconia ciconia) was wholly migratory in Europe but recently guaranteed, year-round food from landfill sites has facilitated the establishment of resident populations in Iberia. In this study 17 resident white storks were fitted with GPS/GSM data loggers (including accelerometer) and tracked for 9.1 ± 3.7 months to quantify the extent and consistency of landfill attendance by individuals during the non-breeding and breeding seasons and to assess the influence of landfill use on daily distances travelled, percentage of GPS fixes spent foraging and non-landfill foraging ranges. RESULTS Resident white storks used landfill more during non-breeding (20.1 % ± 2.3 of foraging GPS fixes) than during breeding (14.9 % ± 2.2). Landfill attendance declined with increasing distance between nest and landfill in both seasons. During non-breeding a large percentage of GPS fixes occurred on the nest throughout the day (27 % ± 3.0 of fixes) in the majority of tagged storks. This study provides first confirmation of year-round nest use by resident white storks. The percentage of GPS fixes on the nest was not influenced by the distance between nest and the landfill site. Storks travelled up to 48.2 km to visit landfills during non-breeding and a maximum of 28.1 km during breeding, notably further than previous estimates. Storks nesting close to landfill sites used landfill more and had smaller foraging ranges in non-landfill habitat indicating higher reliance on landfill. The majority of non-landfill foraging occurred around the nest and long distance trips were made specifically to visit landfill. CONCLUSIONS The continuous availability of food resources on landfill has facilitated year-round nest use in white storks and is influencing their home ranges and movement behaviour. White storks rely on landfill sites for foraging especially during the non-breeding season when other food resources are scarcer and this artificial food supplementation probably facilitated the establishment of resident populations. The closure of landfills, as required by EU Landfill Directives, will likely cause dramatic impacts on white stork populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie I. Gilbert
- />School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ UK
| | - Ricardo A. Correia
- />School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ UK
- />Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (Ce3C), Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - João Paulo Silva
- />Centro de Ecologia Aplicada Prof. Baeta Neves and InBio, Rede de Investigacão em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Carlos Pacheco
- />School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ UK
| | - Inês Catry
- />School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ UK
- />Centro de Ecologia Aplicada Prof. Baeta Neves and InBio, Rede de Investigacão em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Philip W. Atkinson
- />British Trust for Ornithology, BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU UK
| | - Jenny A. Gill
- />School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ UK
| | - Aldina M. A. Franco
- />School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ UK
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24
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Ramo C, Amat JA, Nilsson L, Schricke V, Rodríguez-Alonso M, Gómez-Crespo E, Jubete F, Navedo JG, Masero JA, Palacios J, Boos M, Green AJ. Latitudinal-Related Variation in Wintering Population Trends of Greylag Geese (Anser Anser) along the Atlantic Flyway: A Response to Climate Change? PLoS One 2015; 10:e0140181. [PMID: 26465601 PMCID: PMC4605798 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The unusually high quality of census data for large waterbirds in Europe facilitates the study of how population change varies across a broad geographical range and relates to global change. The wintering population of the greylag goose Anser anser in the Atlantic flyway spanning between Sweden and Spain has increased from 120 000 to 610 000 individuals over the past three decades, and expanded its wintering range northwards. Although population sizes recorded in January have increased in all seven countries in the wintering range, we found a pronounced northwards latitudinal effect in which the rate of increase is higher at greater latitudes, causing a constant shift in the centre of gravity for the spatial distribution of wintering geese. Local winter temperatures have a strong influence on goose numbers but in a manner that is also dependent on latitude, with the partial effect of temperature (while controlling for the increasing population trend between years) being negative at the south end and positive at the north end of the flyway. Contrary to assumptions in the literature, the expansion of crops exploited by greylag geese has made little contribution to the increases in population size. Only in one case (expansion of winter cereals in Denmark) did we find evidence of an effect of changing land use. The expanding and shifting greylag population is likely to have increasing impacts on habitats in northern Europe during the course of this century.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Ramo
- Wetland Ecology Department, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Juan A. Amat
- Wetland Ecology Department, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Leif Nilsson
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Vincent Schricke
- Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Nantes, France
| | | | - Enrique Gómez-Crespo
- Sección de Espacios Naturales y Especies Protegidas, Consejería de Fomento y Medio Ambiente, Junta de Castilla y León, Palencia, Spain
| | | | - Juan G. Navedo
- Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Limnológicas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - José A. Masero
- Grupo de Biología de la Conservación, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain
| | - Jesús Palacios
- Servicio Territorial de Medio Ambiente de Zamora, Junta de Castilla León, Zamora, Spain
| | - Mathieu Boos
- Research Agency in Applied Ecology, Naturaconst@, Wilshausen, France
| | - Andy J. Green
- Wetland Ecology Department, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
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Lok T, Overdijk O, Piersma T. The cost of migration: spoonbills suffer higher mortality during trans-Saharan spring migrations only. Biol Lett 2015; 11:20140944. [PMID: 25589489 PMCID: PMC4321157 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2014.0944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Explanations for the wide variety of seasonal migration patterns of animals all carry the assumption that migration is costly and that this cost increases with migration distance. Although in some studies, the relationships between migration distance and breeding success or annual survival are established, none has investigated whether mortality during the actual migration increases with migration distance. Here, we compared seasonal survival between Eurasian spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia leucorodia) that breed in The Netherlands and migrate different distances (ca 1000, 2000 and 4500 km) to winter in France, Iberia and Mauritania, respectively. On the basis of resightings of individually marked birds throughout the year between 2005 and 2012, we show that summer, autumn and winter survival were very high and independent of migration distance, whereas mortality during spring migration was much higher (18%) for the birds that wintered in Mauritania, compared with those flying only as far as France (5%) or Iberia (6%). As such, this study is the first to show empirical evidence for increased mortality during some long migrations, likely driven by the presence of a physical barrier (the Sahara desert) in combination with suboptimal fuelling and unfavourable weather conditions en route.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamar Lok
- Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Animal Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands Department of Marine Ecology, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Otto Overdijk
- Werkgroep Lepelaar, 9166 NZ Schiermonnikoog, The Netherlands
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Animal Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands Department of Marine Ecology, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
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Garaita R, Arizaga J. The benefits of a constructed lagoon for the conservation of Eurasian Spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia) in a tidal marsh. J Nat Conserv 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2015.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Lee K, Jang YC, Hong S, Lee J, Kwon IK. Plastic Marine Debris Used as Nesting Materials of the Endangered Species Black-Faced Spoonbill Platalea minor Decreases by Conservation Activities. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.7846/jkosmee.2015.18.1.45] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Bourgeon S, Leat EHK, Magnusdóttir E, Furness RW, Strøm H, Petersen A, Gabrielsen GW, Hanssen SA, Bustnes JO. Feather corticosterone levels on wintering grounds have no carry-over effects on breeding among three populations of great skuas (Stercorarius skua). PLoS One 2014; 9:e100439. [PMID: 24964085 PMCID: PMC4070953 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0100439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2013] [Accepted: 05/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental conditions encountered by migratory seabirds in their wintering areas can shape their fitness. However, the underlying physiological mechanisms remain largely unknown as birds are relatively inaccessible during winter. To assess physiological condition during this period, we measured corticosterone concentrations in winter-grown primary feathers of female great skuas (Stercorarius skua) from three breeding colonies (Bjørnøya, Iceland, Shetland) with wintering areas identified from characteristic stable isotope signatures. We subsequently compared winter feather corticosterone levels between three wintering areas (Africa, Europe and America). Among females breeding in 2009, we found significant differences in feather corticosterone levels between wintering areas. Surprisingly, levels were significantly higher in Africa despite seemingly better local ecological factors (based on lower foraging effort). Moreover, contrary to our predictions, females sharing the same wintering grounds showed significant differences in feather corticosterone levels depending on their colony of origin suggesting that some skuas could be using suboptimal wintering areas. Among females wintering in Africa, Shetland females showed feather corticosterone levels on average 22% lower than Bjørnøya and Iceland females. Finally, the lack of significant relationships between winter feather corticosterone levels and any of the breeding phenology traits does not support the hypothesis of potential carry-over effects of winter feather corticosterone. Yet, the fitness consequences of elevated feather corticosterone levels remain to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Bourgeon
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Eliza H. K. Leat
- College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | | | - Robert W. Furness
- College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | | | - Aevar Petersen
- Iceland Institute of Natural History, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | | | | | - Jan Ove Bustnes
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway
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Lok T, Overdijk O, Tinbergen JM, Piersma T. Seasonal variation in density dependence in age-specific survival of a long-distance migrant. Ecology 2013; 94:2358-69. [DOI: 10.1890/12-1914.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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30
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Alves JA, Gunnarsson TG, Hayhow DB, Appleton GF, Potts PM, Sutherland WJ, Gill JA. Costs, benefits, and fitness consequences of different migratory strategies. Ecology 2013; 94:11-7. [PMID: 23600235 DOI: 10.1890/12-0737.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The relative fitness of individuals across a population can shape distributions and drive population growth rates. Migratory species often winter over large geographic ranges, and individuals in different locations experience very different environmental conditions, including different migration costs, which can potentially create fitness inequalities. Here we used energetics models to quantify the trade-offs experienced by a migratory shorebird species at locations throughout the nonbreeding range, and the associated consequences for migratory performance, survival, and breeding habitat quality. Individuals experiencing more favorable winter conditions had higher survival rates, arrived on the breeding grounds earlier, and occupied better quality breeding areas, even when migration costs are substantially higher, than individuals from locations where the energy balance on the wintering grounds was less favorable. The energy costs and benefits of occupying different winter locations can therefore create fitness inequalities which can shape the distribution and population-wide demography of migratory species.
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Affiliation(s)
- José A Alves
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom.
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31
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Lok T, Overdijk O, Piersma T. Migration Tendency Delays Distributional Response to Differential Survival Prospects along a Flyway. Am Nat 2013; 181:520-31. [DOI: 10.1086/669679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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32
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Sanz-Aguilar A, Béchet A, Germain C, Johnson AR, Pradel R. To leave or not to leave: survival trade-offs between different migratory strategies in the greater flamingo. J Anim Ecol 2012; 81:1171-1182. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2012.01997.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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