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Somveille M, Bossu CM, DeSaix MG, Alvarado AH, Gómez Villaverde S, Rodríguez Otero G, Hernández-Baños BE, Smith TB, Ruegg KC. Broad-scale seasonal climate tracking is a consequence, not a driver, of avian migratory connectivity. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14496. [PMID: 39132717 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14496] [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: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Tracking climatic conditions throughout the year is often assumed to be an adaptive behaviour underlying seasonal migration patterns in animal populations. We investigate this hypothesis using genetic markers data to map migratory connectivity for 27 genetically distinct bird populations from 7 species. We found that the variation in seasonal climate tracking across our suite of populations at a continental scale is more likely a consequence, rather than a direct driver, of migratory connectivity, which is primarily shaped by energy efficiency-i.e., optimizing the balance between accessing available resources and movement costs. However, our results also suggest that regional-scale seasonal precipitation tracking affects population migration destinations, thus revealing a potential scale dependency of ecological processes driving migration. Our results have implications for the conservation of these migratory species under climate change, as populations tracking climate seasonally are potentially at higher risk if they adapt to a narrow range of climatic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marius Somveille
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Christen M Bossu
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Matthew G DeSaix
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Allison H Alvarado
- Department of Biology, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, California, USA
| | | | - Genaro Rodríguez Otero
- Museo de Zoología, Departmento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Blanca E Hernández-Baños
- Museo de Zoología, Departmento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Thomas B Smith
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute for the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Kristen C Ruegg
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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