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Viollat L, Millon A, Ponchon C, Ravayrol A, Couturier T, Besnard A. Both movements and breeding performance are affected by individual experience in the Bonelli's eagle Aquila fasciata. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70081. [PMID: 39050653 PMCID: PMC11268896 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70081] [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: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Movement is a key behaviour to better understand how individuals respond to their environment. Movement behaviours are affected by both extrinsic factors that individuals face, such as weather conditions, and intrinsic factors, such as sex and experience. Because of the energy costs it entails, movement behaviours can have direct consequences on an individual's demographic parameters-and ultimately on population dynamics. However, the relationship between extrinsic factors, intrinsic factors, daily movement behaviour and demographic parameters such as breeding performance is poorly known, in particular for central place forager territorial species. We investigated here the link between movement behaviours and breeding performance of the French population of Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata), a territorial and sedentary long-lived raptor, and how this link may depend on extrinsic and intrinsic factors. By using data from annual monitoring of breeding performance for the population and GPS tracking of 48 individuals (26 males and 22 females), we found that the breeding performance of this population was mainly driven by whether a new individual was recruited into the territory, and only slightly by weather conditions. Movement behaviours (proportion of time in flight, range of movement and straightness of trajectories) showed large between-individual variation. Those behaviours were related with weather conditions (wind and rainfall) at a daily scale, as well as with individual's experience. We found only one significant correlation between movements and breeding performance: male Bonelli's eagles spending more time flying during chick-rearing phase had lower productivity. Movement behaviours and breeding performance were also indirectly linked through individual's experience, with more experienced birds having better breeding success and a shorter range of movement and spent less time in flight. This suggests that experienced individuals progressively acquire knowledge of their breeding territory, are more efficient in finding prey, and adapt their foraging strategies to weather conditions to minimise energy costs, allowing them higher breeding performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lise Viollat
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE‐PSL University, IRDMontpellierFrance
- Aix Marseille Université, Institut Méditerranéen Biodiversité et Ecologie Marine et Continentale, CNRS, IRD, Avignon Université, Technopôle Arbois‐MéditerranéeAix‐en‐ProvenceFrance
- CEN PACASaint‐Martin de CrauFrance
| | - Alexandre Millon
- Aix Marseille Université, Institut Méditerranéen Biodiversité et Ecologie Marine et Continentale, CNRS, IRD, Avignon Université, Technopôle Arbois‐MéditerranéeAix‐en‐ProvenceFrance
| | | | | | - Thibaut Couturier
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE‐PSL University, IRDMontpellierFrance
| | - Aurélien Besnard
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE‐PSL University, IRDMontpellierFrance
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2
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Lagassé BJ, Breed GA. Warming sea surface temperatures are linked to lower shorebird migratory fuel loads. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:240324. [PMID: 39021777 PMCID: PMC11252674 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.240324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 05/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Warming sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are altering the biological structure of intertidal wetlands at a global scale, with potentially serious physiological and demographic consequences for migratory shorebird populations that depend on intertidal sites. The effects of mediating factors, such as age-related foraging skill, in shaping the consequences of warming SSTs on shorebird populations, however, remain largely unknown. Using morphological measurements of Dunlin fuelling for a >3000 km transoceanic migration, we assessed the influence of climatic conditions and age on individuals' migratory fuel loads and performance. We found that juveniles were often at risk of exhausting their fuel loads en route to primary wintering grounds, especially following high June SSTs in the previous year; the lagged nature of which suggests SSTs acted on juvenile loads by altering the availability of critical prey. Up to 45% fewer juveniles may have reached wintering grounds via a non-stop flight under recent high SSTs compared to the long-term trend. Adults, by contrast, were highly capable of reaching wintering grounds in non-stop flight across years. Our findings suggest that juveniles were disproportionately impacted by apparent SST-related declines in critical prey, and illustrate a general mechanism by which climate change may shape migratory shorebird populations worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J. Lagassé
- Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Greg A. Breed
- Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
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3
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Goto Y, Weimerskirch H, Fukaya K, Yoda K, Naruoka M, Sato K. Albatrosses employ orientation and routing strategies similar to yacht racers. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2312851121. [PMID: 38771864 PMCID: PMC11161812 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2312851121] [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: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The way goal-oriented birds adjust their travel direction and route in response to wind significantly affects their travel costs. This is expected to be particularly pronounced in pelagic seabirds, which utilize a wind-dependent flight style called dynamic soaring. Dynamic soaring seabirds in situations without a definite goal, e.g. searching for prey, are known to preferentially fly with crosswinds or quartering-tailwinds to increase the speed and search area, and reduce travel costs. However, little is known about their reaction to wind when heading to a definite goal, such as homing. Homing tracks of wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) vary from beelines to zigzags, which are similar to those of sailboats. Here, given that both albatrosses and sailboats travel slower in headwinds and tailwinds, we tested whether the time-minimizing strategies used by yacht racers can be compared to the locomotion patterns of wandering albatrosses. We predicted that when the goal is located upwind or downwind, albatrosses should deviate their travel directions from the goal on the mesoscale and increase the number of turns on the macroscale. Both hypotheses were supported by track data from albatrosses and racing yachts in the Southern Ocean confirming that albatrosses qualitatively employ the same strategy as yacht racers. Nevertheless, albatrosses did not strictly minimize their travel time, likely making their flight robust against wind fluctuations to reduce flight costs. Our study provides empirical evidence of tacking in albatrosses and demonstrates that man-made movement strategies provide a new perspective on the laws underlying wildlife movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Goto
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Furo, Chikusa, Nagoya464-8601, Japan
| | - Henri Weimerskirch
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS–Université de la Rochelle, Villiers En Bois79360, France
| | - Keiichi Fukaya
- National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Ibaraki305-8506, Japan
| | - Ken Yoda
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Furo, Chikusa, Nagoya464-8601, Japan
| | - Masaru Naruoka
- Aeronautical Technology Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Mitaka, Tokyo181-0015, Japan
| | - Katsufumi Sato
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba277-8564, Japan
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4
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Aikens EO, Nourani E, Fiedler W, Wikelski M, Flack A. Learning shapes the development of migratory behavior. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2306389121. [PMID: 38437530 PMCID: PMC10962998 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306389121] [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: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
How animals refine migratory behavior over their lifetime (i.e., the ontogeny of migration) is an enduring question with important implications for predicting the adaptive capacity of migrants in a changing world. Yet, our inability to monitor the movements of individuals from early life onward has limited our understanding of the ontogeny of migration. The exploration-refinement hypothesis posits that learning shapes the ontogeny of migration in long-lived species, resulting in greater exploratory behavior early in life followed by more rapid and direct movement during later life. We test the exploration-refinement hypothesis by examining how white storks (Ciconia ciconia) balance energy, time, and information as they develop and refine migratory behavior during the first years of life. Here, we show that young birds reduce energy expenditure during flight while also increasing information gain by exploring new places during migration. As the birds age and gain more experience, older individuals stop exploring new places and instead move more quickly and directly, resulting in greater energy expenditure during migratory flight. During spring migration, individuals innovated novel shortcuts during the transition from early life into adulthood, suggesting a reliance on spatial memory acquired through learning. These incremental refinements in migratory behavior provide support for the importance of individual learning within a lifetime in the ontogeny of long-distance migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen O. Aikens
- School of Computing, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY82071
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY82072
- Collective Migration Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell78315, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz78468, Germany
| | - Elham Nourani
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell78315, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz78457, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Fiedler
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell78315, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz78457, Germany
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell78315, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz78457, Germany
| | - Andrea Flack
- Collective Migration Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell78315, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz78468, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz78457, Germany
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5
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Pekarsky S, Shohami D, Horvitz N, Bowie RCK, Kamath PL, Markin Y, Getz WM, Nathan R. Cranes soar on thermal updrafts behind cold fronts as they migrate across the sea. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20231243. [PMID: 38229520 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Thermal soaring conditions above the sea have long been assumed absent or too weak for terrestrial migrating birds, forcing obligate soarers to take long detours and avoid sea-crossing, and facultative soarers to cross exclusively by costly flapping flight. Thus, while atmospheric convection does develop at sea and is used by some seabirds, it has been largely ignored in avian migration research. Here, we provide direct evidence for routine thermal soaring over open sea in the common crane, the heaviest facultative soarer known among terrestrial migrating birds. Using high-resolution biologging from 44 cranes tracked across their transcontinental migration over 4 years, we show that soaring performance was no different over sea than over land in mid-latitudes. Sea-soaring occurred predominantly in autumn when large water-air temperature difference followed mid-latitude cyclones. Our findings challenge a fundamental migration research paradigm and suggest that obligate soarers avoid sea-crossing not due to the absence or weakness of thermals but due to their low frequency, for which they cannot compensate with prolonged flapping. Conversely, facultative soarers other than cranes should also be able to use thermals over the sea. Marine cold air outbreaks, imperative to global energy budget and climate, may also be important for bird migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sasha Pekarsky
- Movement Ecology Laboratory, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - David Shohami
- Movement Ecology Laboratory, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Nir Horvitz
- Movement Ecology Laboratory, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Rauri C K Bowie
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3114, USA
| | - Pauline L Kamath
- School of Food and Agriculture, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Yuri Markin
- Oksky State Reserve, pos. Brykin Bor, Spassky raion, Ryazanskaya oblast 391072, Russia
| | - Wayne M Getz
- School Mathematical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Ran Nathan
- Movement Ecology Laboratory, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
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6
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Yang Z, Jiang B, Benton MJ, Xu X, McNamara ME, Hone DWE. Allometric wing growth links parental care to pterosaur giantism. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231102. [PMID: 37464754 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Pterosaurs evolved a broad range of body sizes, from small-bodied early forms with wingspans of mostly 1-2 m to the last-surviving giants with sizes of small airplanes. Since all pterosaurs began life as small hatchlings, giant forms must have attained large adult sizes through new growth strategies, which remain largely unknown. Here we assess wing ontogeny and performance in the giant Pteranodon and the smaller-bodied anurognathids Rhamphorhynchus, Pterodactylus and Sinopterus. We show that most smaller-bodied pterosaurs shared negative allometry or isometry in the proximal elements of the fore- and hindlimbs, which were critical elements for powering both flight and terrestrial locomotion, whereas these show positive allometry in Pteranodon. Such divergent growth allometry typically signals different strategies in the precocial-altricial spectrum, suggesting more altricial development in Pteranodon. Using a biophysical model of powered and gliding flight, we test and reject the hypothesis that an aerodynamically superior wing planform could have enabled Pteranodon to attain its larger body size. We therefore propose that a shift from a plesiomorphic precocial state towards a derived state of enhanced parental care may have relaxed the constraints of small body sizes and allowed the evolution of derived flight anatomies critical for the flying giants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zixiao Yang
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork T23 TK30, Ireland
- Environmental Research Institute, Ellen Hutchins Building, Lee Road, Cork T23 XE10, Ireland
| | - Baoyu Jiang
- Center for Research and Education on Biological Evolution and Environments, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Michael J Benton
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Xing Xu
- Center for Vertebrate Evolutionary Biology, Yunnan University, Kunming 650031, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
| | - Maria E McNamara
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork T23 TK30, Ireland
- Environmental Research Institute, Ellen Hutchins Building, Lee Road, Cork T23 XE10, Ireland
| | - David W E Hone
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
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7
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Kempton JA, Brighton CH, France LA, KleinHeerenbrink M, Miñano S, Shelton J, Taylor GK. Visual versus visual-inertial guidance in hawks pursuing terrestrial targets. J R Soc Interface 2023; 20:20230071. [PMID: 37312497 PMCID: PMC10265027 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2023.0071] [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: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The aerial interception behaviour of falcons is well modelled by a guidance law called proportional navigation, which commands steering at a rate proportional to the angular rate of the line-of-sight from predator to prey. Because the line-of-sight rate is defined in an inertial frame of reference, proportional navigation must be implemented using visual-inertial sensor fusion. By contrast, the aerial pursuit behaviour of hawks chasing terrestrial targets is better modelled by a mixed guidance law combining information on the line-of-sight rate with information on the deviation angle between the attacker's velocity and the line-of-sight. Here we ask whether this behaviour may be controlled using visual information alone. We use high-speed motion capture to record n = 228 flights from N = 4 Harris' hawks Parabuteo unicinctus, and show that proportional navigation and mixed guidance both model their trajectories well. The mixed guidance law also models the data closely when visual-inertial information on the line-of-sight rate is replaced by visual information on the motion of the target relative to its background. Although the visual-inertial form of the mixed guidance law provides the closest fit, all three guidance laws provide an adequate phenomenological model of the behavioural data, whilst making different predictions on the physiological pathways involved.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lydia A. France
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | | | - Sofia Miñano
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - James Shelton
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
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8
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Elowe CR, Groom DJE, Slezacek J, Gerson AR. Long-duration wind tunnel flights reveal exponential declines in protein catabolism over time in short- and long-distance migratory warblers. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2216016120. [PMID: 37068245 PMCID: PMC10151508 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2216016120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023] Open
Abstract
During migration, long-distance migratory songbirds may fly nonstop for days, whereas shorter-distance migrants complete flights of 6 to 10 h. Fat is the primary fuel source, but protein is also assumed to provide a low, consistent amount of energy for flight. However, little is known about how the use of these fuel sources differs among bird species and in response to flight duration. Current models predict that birds can fly until fat stores are exhausted, with little consideration of protein's limits on flight range or duration. We captured two related migratory species-ultra long-distance blackpoll warblers (Setophaga striata) and short-distance yellow-rumped warblers (Setophaga coronata)-during fall migration and flew them in a wind tunnel to examine differences in energy expenditure, overall fuel use, and fuel mixture. We measured fat and fat-free body mass before and after flight using quantitative magnetic resonance and calculated energy expenditure from body composition changes and doubly labeled water. Three blackpolls flew voluntarily for up to 28 h-the longest wind tunnel flight to date-and ended flights with substantial fat reserves but concave flight muscle, indicating that protein loss, rather than fat, may actually limit flight duration. Interestingly, while blackpolls had significantly lower mass-specific metabolic power in flight than that of yellow-rumped warblers and fuel use was remarkably similar in both species, with consistent fat use but exceptionally high rates of protein loss at the start of flight that declined exponentially over time. This suggests that protein may be a critical, dynamic, and often overlooked fuel for long-distance migratory birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cory R. Elowe
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA01003-9297
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA01003-9297
| | - Derrick J. E. Groom
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA01003-9297
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA94132
| | - Julia Slezacek
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna1160, Austria
| | - Alexander R. Gerson
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA01003-9297
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA01003-9297
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9
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Nussbaumer R, Gravey M, Briedis M, Liechti F, Sheldon D. Reconstructing bird trajectories from pressure and wind data using a highly optimized hidden Markov model. Methods Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.14082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Raphaël Nussbaumer
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology Ithaca New York USA
- Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach Switzerland
| | - Mathieu Gravey
- Department of Physical Geography, Faculty of Geosciences Utrecht University Utrecht Netherlands
| | - Martins Briedis
- Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach Switzerland
- Lab of Ornithology Institute of Biology, University of Latvia Riga Latvia
| | - Felix Liechti
- Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach Switzerland
- Swiss Birdradar Solutions AG Winterthur Switzerland
| | - Daniel Sheldon
- University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst Massachusetts USA
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10
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Pittman M, Kaye TG, Wang X, Zheng X, Dececchi TA, Hartman SA. Preserved soft anatomy confirms shoulder-powered upstroke of early theropod flyers, reveals enhanced early pygostylian upstroke, and explains early sternum loss. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2205476119. [PMID: 36375073 PMCID: PMC9704744 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205476119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Anatomy of the first flying feathered dinosaurs, modern birds and crocodylians, proposes an ancestral flight system divided between shoulder and chest muscles, before the upstroke muscles migrated beneath the body. This ancestral flight system featured the dorsally positioned deltoids and supracoracoideus controlling the upstroke and the chest-bound pectoralis controlling the downstroke. Preserved soft anatomy is needed to contextualize the origin of the modern flight system, but this has remained elusive. Here we reveal the soft anatomy of the earliest theropod flyers preserved as residual skin chemistry covering the body and delimiting its margins. These data provide preserved soft anatomy that independently validate the ancestral theropod flight system. The heavily constructed shoulder and more weakly constructed chest in the early pygostylian Confuciusornis indicated by a preserved body profile, proposes the first upstroke-enhanced flight stroke. Slender ventral body profiles in the early-diverging birds Archaeopteryx and Anchiornis suggest habitual use of the pectoralis could not maintain the sternum through bone functional adaptations. Increased wing-assisted terrestrial locomotion potentially accelerated sternum loss through higher breathing requirements. Lower expected downstroke requirements in the early thermal soarer Sapeornis could have driven sternum loss through bone functional adaption, possibly encouraged by the higher breathing demands of a Confuciusornis-like upstroke. Both factors are supported by a slender ventral body profile. These data validate the ancestral shoulder/chest flight system and provide insights into novel upstroke-enhanced flight strokes and early sternum loss, filling important gaps in our understanding of the appearance of modern flight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Pittman
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Thomas G. Kaye
- Foundation for Scientific Advancement, Sierra Vista, AZ 85650
| | - Xiaoli Wang
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Shandong 276005, China
| | - Xiaoting Zheng
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Shandong 276005, China
- Shandong Tianyu Museum of Nature, Shandong 273300, China
| | | | - Scott A. Hartman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706-1692
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11
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Richardson PL, Wakefield ED. Observations and models of across-wind flight speed of the wandering albatross. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211364. [PMID: 36465680 PMCID: PMC9709578 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Wandering albatrosses exploit wind shear by dynamic soaring (DS), enabling rapid, efficient, long-range flight. We compared the ability of a theoretical nonlinear DS model and a linear empirical model to explain the observed variation of mean across-wind airspeeds of GPS-tracked wandering albatrosses. Assuming a flight trajectory of linked, 137° turns, a DS cycle of 10 s and a cruise airspeed of 16 m s-1, the theoretical model predicted that the minimum wind speed necessary to support DS is greater than 3 m s-1. Despite this, tracked albatrosses were observed in flight at wind speeds as low as 2 m s-1. We hypothesize at these very low wind speeds, wandering albatrosses fly by obtaining additional energy from updrafts over water waves. In fast winds (greater than 8 m s-1), assuming the same 10 s cycle period and a turn angle (TA) of 90°, the DS model predicts mean across-wind airspeeds of up to around 50 m s-1. In contrast, the maximum observed across-wind mean airspeed of our tracked albatrosses reached an asymptote at approximately 20 m s-1. We hypothesize that this is due to birds actively limiting airspeed by making fine-scale adjustments to TAs and soaring heights in order to limit aerodynamic force on their wings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip L. Richardson
- Department of Physical Oceanography, MS#21, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 360 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Ewan D. Wakefield
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
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12
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Fan X, Swartz S, Breuer K. Power requirements for bat-inspired flapping flight with heavy, highly articulated and cambered wings. J R Soc Interface 2022; 19:20220315. [PMID: 36128710 PMCID: PMC9490335 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0315] [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: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Bats fly with highly articulated and heavy wings. To understand their power requirements, we develop a three-dimensional reduced-order model, and apply it to flights of Cynopterus brachyotis, the lesser dog-faced fruit bat. Using previously measured wing kinematics, the model computes aerodynamic forces using blade element momentum theory, and incorporates inertial forces of the flapping wing using the measured mass distribution of the membrane wing and body. The two are combined into a Lagrangian equation of motion, and we performed Monte Carlo simulations to address uncertainties in measurement errors and modelling assumptions. We find that the camber of the armwing decreases with flight speed whereas the handwing camber is more independent of speed. Wing camber disproportionately impacts energetics, mainly during the downstroke, and increases the power requirement from 8% to 22% over flight speed U = 3.2-7.4 m s-1. We separate total power into aerodynamic and inertial components, and aerodynamic power into parasitic, profile and induced power, and find strong agreement with previous theoretical and experimental studies. We find that inertia of wings help to balance aerodynamic forces, alleviating the muscle power required for weight support and thrust generation. Furthermore, the model suggests aerodynamic forces assist in lifting the heavy wing during upstroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaozhou Fan
- Center for Fluid Mechanics, School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Sharon Swartz
- Center for Fluid Mechanics, School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Aeromechanics & Evolutionary Morphology Lab, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Kenneth Breuer
- Center for Fluid Mechanics, School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Aeromechanics & Evolutionary Morphology Lab, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
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13
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Krishnan K, Garde B, Bennison A, Cole NC, Cole EL, Darby J, Elliott KH, Fell A, Gómez-Laich A, de Grissac S, Jessopp M, Lempidakis E, Mizutani Y, Prudor A, Quetting M, Quintana F, Robotka H, Roulin A, Ryan PG, Schalcher K, Schoombie S, Tatayah V, Tremblay F, Weimerskirch H, Whelan S, Wikelski M, Yoda K, Hedenström A, Shepard ELC. The role of wingbeat frequency and amplitude in flight power. J R Soc Interface 2022; 19:20220168. [PMID: 36000229 PMCID: PMC9403799 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Body-mounted accelerometers provide a new prospect for estimating power use in flying birds, as the signal varies with the two major kinematic determinants of aerodynamic power: wingbeat frequency and amplitude. Yet wingbeat frequency is sometimes used as a proxy for power output in isolation. There is, therefore, a need to understand which kinematic parameter birds vary and whether this is predicted by flight mode (e.g. accelerating, ascending/descending flight), speed or morphology. We investigate this using high-frequency acceleration data from (i) 14 species flying in the wild, (ii) two species flying in controlled conditions in a wind tunnel and (iii) a review of experimental and field studies. While wingbeat frequency and amplitude were positively correlated, R2 values were generally low, supporting the idea that parameters can vary independently. Indeed, birds were more likely to modulate wingbeat amplitude for more energy-demanding flight modes, including climbing and take-off. Nonetheless, the striking variability, even within species and flight types, highlights the complexity of describing the kinematic relationships, which appear sensitive to both the biological and physical context. Notwithstanding this, acceleration metrics that incorporate both kinematic parameters should be more robust proxies for power than wingbeat frequency alone.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Baptiste Garde
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8PP, UK
| | - Ashley Bennison
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork T23 N73 K, Ireland
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nik C. Cole
- Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, La Profonde Rue, Jersey JE3 5BP, Jersey
| | - Emma-L. Cole
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8PP, UK
| | - Jamie Darby
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork T23 N73 K, Ireland
| | - Kyle H. Elliott
- Department of Natural Resources Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
| | - Adam Fell
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
| | - Agustina Gómez-Laich
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución and Instituto de Ecología, Genética Y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), CONICET, Pabellón II Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sophie de Grissac
- Diomedea Science – Research and Scientific Communication, 819 route de la Jars, 38 950 Quaix-en-Chartreuse, France
| | - Mark Jessopp
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork T23 N73 K, Ireland
| | | | - Yuichi Mizutani
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Aurélien Prudor
- Centres d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé – CNRS, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Michael Quetting
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Flavio Quintana
- Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos (IBIOMAR), CONICET, Boulevard Brown, 2915, U9120ACD, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
| | | | - Alexandre Roulin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Building Biophore, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Peter G. Ryan
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Kim Schalcher
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Building Biophore, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Schoombie
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Vikash Tatayah
- Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Grannum Road, Vacoas 73418, Mauritius
| | - Fred Tremblay
- Department of Natural Resources Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Shannon Whelan
- Department of Natural Resources Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Ken Yoda
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Anders Hedenström
- Department of Biology, Centre for Animal Movement Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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14
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King DT, Wang G, Cunningham FL. Seasonal climatic niche and migration movements of Double-crested Cormorants. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9153. [PMID: 36016816 PMCID: PMC9396706 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Avian migrants are challenged by seasonal adverse climatic conditions and energetic costs of long-distance flying. Migratory birds may track or switch seasonal climatic niche between the breeding and non-breeding grounds. Satellite tracking enables avian ecologists to investigate seasonal climatic niche and circannual movement patterns of migratory birds. The Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum, hereafter cormorant) wintering in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) migrates to the Northern Great Plains and Great Lakes and is of economic importance because of its impacts on aquaculture. We tested the climatic niche switching hypothesis that cormorants would switch climatic niche between summer and winter because of substantial differences in climate between the non-breeding grounds in the subtropical region and breeding grounds in the northern temperate region. The ordination analysis of climatic niche overlap indicated that cormorants had separate seasonal climatic niche consisting of seasonal mean monthly minimum and maximum temperature, seasonal mean monthly precipitation, and seasonal mean wind speed. Despite non-overlapping summer and winter climatic niches, cormorants appeared to be subjected to similar wind speed between winter and summer habitats and were consistent with similar hourly flying speed between winter and summer. Therefore, substantial differences in temperature and precipitation may lead to the climatic niche switching of fish-eating cormorants, a dietary specialist, between the breeding and non-breeding grounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Tommy King
- U. S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife ServicesNational Wildlife Research CenterMississippi StateMississippiUSA
| | - Guiming Wang
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and AquacultureMississippi State UniversityMississippi StateMississippiUSA
| | - Fred L. Cunningham
- U. S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife ServicesNational Wildlife Research CenterMississippi StateMississippiUSA
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15
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Nussbaumer R, Schmid B, Bauer S, Liechti F. Favorable winds speed up bird migration in spring but not in autumn. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9146. [PMID: 35923938 PMCID: PMC9339755 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Wind has a significant yet complex effect on bird migration speed. With prevailing south wind, overall migration is generally faster in spring than in autumn. However, studies on the difference in airspeed between seasons have shown contrasting results so far, in part due to their limited geographical or temporal coverage. Using the first full-year weather radar data set of nocturnal bird migration across western Europe together with wind speed from reanalysis data, we investigate variation of airspeed across season. We additionally expand our analysis of ground speed, airspeed, wind speed, and wind profit variation across time (seasonal and daily) and space (geographical and altitudinal). Our result confirms that wind plays a major role in explaining both temporal and spatial variabilities in ground speed. The resulting airspeed remains relatively constant at all scales (daily, seasonal, geographically and altitudinally). We found that spring airspeed is overall 5% faster in Spring than autumn, but we argue that this number is not significant compared to the biases and limitation of weather radar data. The results of the analysis can be used to further investigate birds' migratory strategies across space and time, as well as their energy use.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Silke Bauer
- Swiss Ornithological InstituteSempachSwitzerland
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16
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Bragato PJ, Spencer EE, Dickman CR, Crowther MS, Tulloch A, Newsome TM. Effects of habitat, season and flood on corvid scavenging dynamics in Central Australia. AUSTRAL ECOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J. Bragato
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales 2006 Australia
| | - Emma E. Spencer
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales 2006 Australia
| | - Chris R. Dickman
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales 2006 Australia
| | - Mathew S. Crowther
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales 2006 Australia
| | - Ayesha Tulloch
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales 2006 Australia
| | - Thomas M. Newsome
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales 2006 Australia
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17
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Rubalcaba JG, Gouveia SF, Villalobos F, Cruz-Neto AP, Castro MG, Amado TF, Martinez PA, Navas CA, Dobrovolski R, Diniz-Filho JAF, Olalla-Tárraga MÁ. Physical constraints on thermoregulation and flight drive morphological evolution in bats. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2103745119. [PMID: 35377801 PMCID: PMC9169619 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2103745119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Body size and shape fundamentally determine organismal energy requirements by modulating heat and mass exchange with the environment and the costs of locomotion, thermoregulation, and maintenance. Ecologists have long used the physical linkage between morphology and energy balance to explain why the body size and shape of many organisms vary across climatic gradients, e.g., why larger endotherms are more common in colder regions. However, few modeling exercises have aimed at investigating this link from first principles. Body size evolution in bats contrasts with the patterns observed in other endotherms, probably because physical constraints on flight limit morphological adaptations. Here, we develop a biophysical model based on heat transfer and aerodynamic principles to investigate energy constraints on morphological evolution in bats. Our biophysical model predicts that the energy costs of thermoregulation and flight, respectively, impose upper and lower limits on the relationship of wing surface area to body mass (S-MR), giving rise to an optimal S-MR at which both energy costs are minimized. A comparative analysis of 278 species of bats supports the model’s prediction that S-MR evolves toward an optimal shape and that the strength of selection is higher among species experiencing greater energy demands for thermoregulation in cold climates. Our study suggests that energy costs modulate the mode of morphological evolution in bats—hence shedding light on a long-standing debate over bats’ conformity to ecogeographical patterns observed in other mammals—and offers a procedure for investigating complex macroecological patterns from first principles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan G. Rubalcaba
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Madrid, Spain
| | - Sidney F. Gouveia
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, 49100-000 Sergipe, Brazil
| | | | - Ariovaldo P. Cruz-Neto
- Departamento de Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, 13506‐900 São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mario G. Castro
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Madrid, Spain
| | - Talita F. Amado
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Madrid, Spain
| | - Pablo A. Martinez
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, 49100-000 Sergipe, Brazil
| | - Carlos A. Navas
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociência, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-090 São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Dobrovolski
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, 40170-115 Salvador, BA, Brazil
| | | | - Miguel Á. Olalla-Tárraga
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Madrid, Spain
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18
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Brown JM, Bouten W, Camphuysen KCJ, Nolet BA, Shamoun‐Baranes J. Acceleration as a proxy for energy expenditure in a facultative‐soaring bird: comparing dynamic body acceleration and time‐energy budgets to heart rate. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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 and Utrecht University 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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19
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Werfeli M, Ranacher P, Liechti F. Gone with the wind: inferring bird migration with light‐level geolocation, wind and activity measurements. Methods Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mike Werfeli
- Department of Geography University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich Switzerland
- Swiss Ornithological Institute Seerose 1, 6203 Sempach Switzerland
| | - Peter Ranacher
- Department of Geography University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Felix Liechti
- Swiss Ornithological Institute Seerose 1, 6203 Sempach Switzerland
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20
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Schmaljohann H, Eikenaar C, Sapir N. Understanding the ecological and evolutionary function of stopover in migrating birds. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:1231-1252. [PMID: 35137518 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Global movement patterns of migratory birds illustrate their fascinating physical and physiological abilities to cross continents and oceans. During their voyages, most birds land multiple times to make so-called 'stopovers'. Our current knowledge on the functions of stopover is mainly based on the proximate study of departure decisions. However, such studies are insufficient to gauge fully the ecological and evolutionary functions of stopover. If we study how a focal trait, e.g. changes in energy stores, affects the decision to depart from a stopover without considering the trait(s) that actually caused the bird to land, e.g. unfavourable environmental conditions for flight, we misinterpret the function of the stopover. It is thus important to realise and acknowledge that stopovers have many different functions, and that not every migrant has the same (set of) reasons to stop-over. Additionally, we may obtain contradictory results because the significance of different traits to a migrant is context dependent. For instance, late spring migrants may be more prone to risk-taking and depart from a stopover with lower energy stores than early spring migrants. Thus, we neglect that departure decisions are subject to selection to minimise immediate (mortality risk) and/or delayed (low future reproductive output) fitness costs. To alleviate these issues, we first define stopover as an interruption of migratory endurance flight to minimise immediate and/or delayed fitness costs. Second, we review all probable functions of stopover, which include accumulating energy, various forms of physiological recovery and avoiding adverse environmental conditions for flight, and list potential other functions that are less well studied, such as minimising predation, recovery from physical exhaustion and spatiotemporal adjustments to migration. Third, derived from these aspects, we argue for a paradigm shift in stopover ecology research. This includes focusing on why an individual interrupts its migratory flight, which is more likely to identify the individual-specific function(s) of the stopover correctly than departure-decision studies. Moreover, we highlight that the selective forces acting on stopover decisions are context dependent and are expected to differ between, e.g. K-/r-selected species, the sexes and migration strategies. For example, all else being equal, r-selected species (low survival rate, high reproductive rate) should have a stronger urge to continue the migratory endurance flight or resume migration from a stopover because the potential increase in immediate fitness costs suffered from a flight is offset by the expected higher reproductive success in the subsequent breeding season. Finally, we propose to focus less on proximate mechanisms controlling landing and departure decisions, and more on ultimate mechanisms to identify the selective forces shaping stopover decisions. Our ideas are not limited to birds but can be applied to any migratory species. Our revised definition of stopover and the proposed paradigm shift has the potential to stimulate a fruitful discussion towards a better evolutionary ecological understanding of the functions of stopover. Furthermore, identifying the functions of stopover will support targeted measures to conserve and restore the functionality of stopover sites threatened by anthropogenic environmental changes. This is especially important for long-distance migrants, which currently are in alarming decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heiko Schmaljohann
- Institute for Biology and Environmental Sciences (IBU), Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Straße 9-11, Oldenburg, 26129, Germany.,Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte 21, Wilhelmshaven, 26386, Germany
| | - Cas Eikenaar
- Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte 21, Wilhelmshaven, 26386, Germany
| | - Nir Sapir
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and the Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Khoushy Ave, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
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21
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Aagaard KJ, Lonsdorf EV, Thogmartin WE. Effects of weather variation on waterfowl migration: Lessons from a continental-scale generalizable avian movement and energetics model. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8617. [PMID: 35222974 PMCID: PMC8853969 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
We developed a continental energetics-based model of daily mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) movement during the non-breeding period (September to May) to predict year-specific migration and overwinter occurrence. The model approximates movements and stopovers as functions of metabolism and weather, in terms of temperature and frozen precipitation (i.e., snow). The model is a Markov process operating at the population level and is parameterized through a review of literature. We applied the model to 62 years of daily weather data for the non-breeding period. The average proportion of available habitat decreased as weather severity increased, with mortality decreasing as the proportion of available habitat increased. The most commonly used locations during the course of the non-breeding period were generally consistent across years, with the most inter-annual variation present in the overwintering area. Our model revealed that the distribution of mallards on the landscape changed more dramatically when the variation in daily available habitat was greater. The main routes for avian migration in North America were predicted by our simulations: the Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, and Pacific flyways. Our model predicted an average of 77.4% survivorship for the non-breeding period across all years (range = 76.4%-78.4%), with lowest survivorship during autumn (90.5 ± 1.4%), intermediate survivorship in winter (91.8 ± 0.7%), and greatest survivorship in spring (93.6 ± 1.1%). We provide the parameters necessary for exploration within and among other taxa to leverage the generalizability of this migration model to a broader expanse of bird species, and across a range of climate change and land use/land cover change scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eric V. Lonsdorf
- Institute on the EnvironmentUniversity of MinnesotaSt. PaulMinnesotaUSA
| | - Wayne E. Thogmartin
- U.S. Geological SurveyUpper Midwest Environmental Sciences CenterLa CrosseWisconsinUSA
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22
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Skinner AA, Ward MP, Souza‐Cole I, Wright JR, Thompson FR, Benson TJ, Matthews SN, Tonra CM. High spatiotemporal overlap in the non‐breeding season despite geographically dispersed breeding locations in the eastern whip‐poor‐will (
Antrostomus vociferus
). DIVERS DISTRIB 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Aaron A. Skinner
- School of Environment and Natural Resources The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA
| | - Michael P. Ward
- Illinois Natural History Survey Prairie Research Institute University of Illinois Champaign Illinois USA
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Illinois Urbana Illinois USA
| | - Ian Souza‐Cole
- Illinois Natural History Survey Prairie Research Institute University of Illinois Champaign Illinois USA
| | - James R. Wright
- School of Environment and Natural Resources The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA
| | - Frank R. Thompson
- United States Forest ServiceNorthern Research Station Columbia Missouri USA
| | - Thomas J. Benson
- Illinois Natural History Survey Prairie Research Institute University of Illinois Champaign Illinois USA
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Illinois Urbana Illinois USA
| | - Stephen N. Matthews
- School of Environment and Natural Resources The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA
| | - Christopher M. Tonra
- School of Environment and Natural Resources The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA
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23
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Norberg RÅ. Test of theory of foraging mode: Goldcrests, Regulus regulus, forage by high-yield, energy-expensive hovering flight when food is abundant but use low-yield, low-cost methods when food is scarce. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:16547-16561. [PMID: 34938456 PMCID: PMC8668765 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, I describe foraging behavior of goldcrests, Regulus regulus, based on eight years of field observation in a coniferous forest dominated by Norway spruce Picea abies in southwestern Sweden. The aim was to test predictions from theory on the choice of optimal foraging modes in relation to food availability.Mortality from early November to early March amounts to 70-86% among goldcrests in the resident population, suggesting they are food-limited in winter. Food-limitation manifests itself as a shortage of time for foraging. It promotes the use of foraging methods that minimize the daily foraging time by maximizing the rate of net energy gain. It increases both individual survival and competitiveness. Elimination of competitors by exploitation occurs when an individual is able to support itself, while food density in the habitat is reduced to levels at which others cannot.Theory shows that when food is abundant, high-efficiency energy-expensive search and capture methods give shorter daily foraging times than low-efficiency low-cost methods, whereas the latter gives shorter daily foraging times at food shortages (Norberg 2021). Hovering flight is extremely expensive in energy but results in high foraging efficiency. Hover-foraging should therefore be used when food is abundant.In autumn, there were 85.3 arthropods per kilogram of branch mass, as opposed to 12.9 in spring. The numerical decline of arthropods, their fat metabolism, and size-biased predation by birds reduced the spring density of food for goldcrests to less than 15.1% of the autumn density.Hover-foraging occurred 5.29 times per minute in autumn but only 0.23 times per minute in spring, which is 4.4% of the autumn frequency.Foraging conditions are favorable at midsummer because of long days, high temperatures, and an abundance of arthropod prey. Parent birds that were feeding fledglings gathered food at a high rate and hovered 5.42 times per minute. But adults with no young to feed were not compelled to maximize the rate of net energy gain and only hover-foraged 0.52 times per minute, which is 10% of that of providers.These results are highly consistent from year to year and in qualitative agreement with theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rolf Åke Norberg
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences – ZoologyUniversity of GothenburgGothenburgSweden
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24
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Møller AP, Laursen K, Izaguirre J, Marzal A. Antibacterial and anatomical defenses in an oil contaminated, vulnerable seaduck. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:12520-12528. [PMID: 34594517 PMCID: PMC8462148 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 07/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Oil spills have killed thousands of birds during the last 100 years, but nonlethal effects of oil spills on birds remain poorly studied. We measured phenotype characters in 819 eiders Somateria mollissima (279 whole birds and 540 wings) of which 13.6% were oiled. We tested the hypotheses that (a) the morphology of eiders does not change due to oil contamination; (b) the anatomy of organs reflects the physiological reaction to contamination, for example, increase in metabolic demand, increase in food intake, and counteracting toxic effects of oil; (c) large locomotion apparatus that facilitates locomotion increases the risk of getting oiled; and (d) individual eiders with a higher production of secretions from the uropygial grand were more likely to have oil on their plumage. We tested whether 19 characters differed between oiled and nonoiled individuals, showing a consistent pattern. The final model retained seven predictor variables showing relationships between eiders contaminated with oil and food consumption, flight, and diving abilities. We tested whether these effects were due to differences in body condition, liver mass, empty gizzard mass, or other characters that could have been affected by impaired flight and diving ability. There was no evidence of such negative impact of oiling on eiders. We found that significant exposure to oil was associated with increased diversity of antibacterial defense. Oiled eiders did not constitute a random sample, and superior diving ability as reflected by large foot area was at a selective disadvantage during oil spills. Thus, specific characteristics predispose eiders to oiling, with an adaptation to swimming, diving, and flying being traded against the costs of oiling. In contrast, individuals with a high degree of physiological plasticity may experience an advantage because their uropygial secretions counteract the effects of oil contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Pape Møller
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological EngineeringCollege of Life SciencesBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
- Ecologie Systématique EvolutionCNRSUniversité Paris‐SaclayOrsay CedexFrance
| | | | | | - Alfonso Marzal
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of ExtremaduraBadajozSpain
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25
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Domer A, Vinepinsky E, Bouskila A, Shochat E, Ovadia O. Optimal stopover model: A state-dependent habitat selection model for staging passerines. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2793-2805. [PMID: 34455596 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
During their seasonal migration, birds stage in areas comprising stopover sites of varying quality. Given that migrating birds have a limited information about their environment, they may land at a low-quality stopover site in which their fuel deposition rate (FDR) is low. Birds landing at such sites should decide either to extend their stopover duration or to quickly depart in search for a better site. These decisions, however, strongly depend on their body condition upon landing. To understand the decision-making process of passerines within a stopover area, comprising stopover sites of varying quality, prior to the crossing of a large ecological barrier, we constructed a state-dependent habitat selection model. The model assumes that even if migrating birds have an expectation of encountered area quality, they cannot control for their initial landing site. Once landing, movement between low- and high-quality stopover sites will occur only if the body condition of these birds is high to the extent that they can entail the energetic cost of movement. Birds in the model aim to maximize their fuel load at the end of the stopover period, to suffice for successfully crossing a large ecological barrier. The model is based on empirical data on autumn migrating Blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla, collected at two important stopover sites in the Negev desert of Israel. Migrating passerines staging at these two sites differ in their FDR and body condition. The model shows that the optimal behaviour when arriving at a low-quality stopover site is to abandon it quickly. However, as lean individuals cannot entail the costs of searching for an alternative site, they have no other choice but to stay there even if their chances to successfully cross the Sahara Desert ahead are low. Our model can be applied to other ecological systems. Proper use of this model may allow good assessment of stopover site quality, as indicated by the bird's FDR, regardless of specific site characteristics. Hence, it can help applying targeted management decisions regarding the maintenance of stopover sites or establishment of new ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adi Domer
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Ehud Vinepinsky
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Amos Bouskila
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.,Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Eyal Shochat
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.,Yerucham Center of Ornithology and Ecology, Yerucham, Israel
| | - Ofer Ovadia
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
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26
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Henningsson P. Flying through gaps: how does a bird deal with the problem and what costs are there? ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:211072. [PMID: 34430051 PMCID: PMC8355674 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Animals flying in the wild often show remarkable abilities to negotiate obstacles and narrow openings in complex environments. Impressive as these abilities are, this must result in costs in terms of impaired flight performance. In this study, I used a budgerigar as a model for studying these costs. The bird was filmed in stereo when flying through a wide range of gap widths from well above wingspan down to a mere 1/4 of wingspan. Three-dimensional flight trajectories were acquired and speed, wingbeat frequency and accelerations/decelerations were calculated. The bird used two different wing postures to get through the gaps and could use very small safety margins (down to 6 mm on either side) but preferred to use larger when gap width allowed. When gaps were smaller than wingspan, flight speed was reduced with reducing gap width down to half for the smallest and wingbeat frequency was increased. I conclude that flying through gaps potentially comes with multiple types of cost to a bird of which the main may be: (i) reduced flight speed increases the flight duration and hence the energy consumption to get from point A to B, (ii) the underlying U-shaped speed to power relationship means further cost from reduced flight speed, and associated with it (iii) elevated wingbeat frequency includes a third direct cost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Per Henningsson
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Ecology Building, Sölvegatan 35, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
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27
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Zimova M, Willard DE, Winger BM, Weeks BC. Widespread shifts in bird migration phenology are decoupled from parallel shifts in morphology. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2348-2361. [PMID: 34151433 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Advancements in phenology and changes in morphology, including body size reductions, are among the most commonly described responses to globally warming temperatures. Although these dynamics are routinely explored independently, the relationships among them and how their interactions facilitate or constrain adaptation to climate change are poorly understood. In migratory species, advancing phenology may impose selection on morphological traits to increase migration speed. Advancing spring phenology might also expose species to cooler temperatures during the breeding season, potentially mitigating the effect of a warming global environment on body size. We use a dataset of birds that died after colliding with buildings in Chicago, IL to test whether changes in migration phenology are related to documented declines in body size and increases in wing length in 52 North American migratory bird species between 1978 and 2016. For each species, we estimate temporal trends in morphology and changes in the timing of migration. We then test for associations between species-specific rates of phenological and morphological changes while assessing the potential effects of migratory distance and breeding latitude. We show that spring migration through Chicago has advanced while the timing of fall migration has broadened as a result of early fall migrants advancing their migrations and late migrants delaying their migrations. Within species, we found that longer wing length was linked to earlier spring migration within years. However, we found no evidence that rates of phenological change across years, or migratory distance and breeding latitude, are predictive of rates of concurrent changes in morphological traits. These findings suggest that biotic responses to climate change are highly multidimensional and the extent to which those responses interact and influence adaptation to climate change requires careful examination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marketa Zimova
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - David E Willard
- Gantz Family Collection Center, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Benjamin M Winger
- Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Brian C Weeks
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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28
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Olivetti S, Gil MA, Sridharan VK, Hein AM, Shepard E. Merging computational fluid dynamics and machine learning to reveal animal migration strategies. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Simone Olivetti
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationInstitute of Marine SciencesUniversity of California Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - Michael A. Gil
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationInstitute of Marine SciencesUniversity of California Santa Cruz CA USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Colorado Boulder CO USA
| | - Vamsi K. Sridharan
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationInstitute of Marine SciencesUniversity of California Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - Andrew M. Hein
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationInstitute of Marine SciencesUniversity of California Santa Cruz CA USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz CA USA
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29
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Dehnhard N, Klekociuk AR, Emmerson L. Interactive effects of body mass changes and species-specific morphology on flight behavior of chick-rearing Antarctic fulmarine petrels under diurnal wind patterns. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:4972-4991. [PMID: 33976863 PMCID: PMC8093695 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
For procellariiform seabirds, wind and morphology are crucial determinants of flight costs and flight speeds. During chick-rearing, parental seabirds commute frequently to provision their chicks, and their body mass typically changes between outbound and return legs. In Antarctica, the characteristic diurnal katabatic winds, which blow stronger in the mornings, form a natural experimental setup to investigate flight behaviors of commuting seabirds in response to wind conditions. We GPS-tracked three closely related species of sympatrically breeding Antarctic fulmarine petrels, which differ in wing loading and aspect ratio, and investigated their flight behavior in response to wind and changes in body mass. Such information is critical for understanding how species may respond to climate change. All three species reached higher ground speeds (i.e., the speed over ground) under stronger tailwinds, especially on return legs from foraging. Ground speeds decreased under stronger headwinds. Antarctic petrels (Thalassoica antarctica; intermediate body mass, highest wing loading, and aspect ratio) responded stronger to changes in wind speed and direction than cape petrels (Daption capense; lowest body mass, wing loading, and aspect ratio) or southern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialoides; highest body mass, intermediate wing loading, and aspect ratio). Birds did not adjust their flight direction in relation to wind direction nor the maximum distance from their nests when encountering headwinds on outbound commutes. However, birds appeared to adjust the timing of commutes to benefit from strong katabatic winds as tailwinds on outbound legs and avoid strong katabatic winds as headwinds on return legs. Despite these adaptations to the predictable diurnal wind conditions, birds frequently encountered unfavorably strong headwinds, possibly as a result of weather systems disrupting the katabatics. How the predicted decrease in Antarctic near-coastal wind speeds over the remainder of the century will affect flight costs and breeding success and ultimately population trajectories remains to be seen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Dehnhard
- Department of BiologyBehavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology GroupUniversity of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
- Department of Agriculture, Water and the EnvironmentAustralian Antarctic DivisionKingstonTas.Australia
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA)TrondheimNorway
| | - Andrew R. Klekociuk
- Department of Agriculture, Water and the EnvironmentAustralian Antarctic DivisionKingstonTas.Australia
| | - Louise Emmerson
- Department of Agriculture, Water and the EnvironmentAustralian Antarctic DivisionKingstonTas.Australia
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30
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Wheatley R, Buettel JC, Brook BW, Johnson CN, Wilson RP. Accidents alter animal fitness landscapes. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:920-934. [PMID: 33751743 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Animals alter their habitat use in response to the energetic demands of movement ('energy landscapes') and the risk of predation ('the landscape of fear'). Recent research suggests that animals also select habitats and move in ways that minimise their chance of temporarily losing control of movement and thereby suffering slips, falls, collisions or other accidents, particularly when the consequences are likely to be severe (resulting in injury or death). We propose that animals respond to the costs of an 'accident landscape' in conjunction with predation risk and energetic costs when deciding when, where, and how to move in their daily lives. We develop a novel theoretical framework describing how features of physical landscapes interact with animal size, morphology, and behaviour to affect the risk and severity of accidents, and predict how accident risk might interact with predation risk and energetic costs to dictate movement decisions across the physical landscape. Future research should focus on testing the hypotheses presented here for different real-world systems to gain insight into the relative importance of theorised effects in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Wheatley
- School of Natural Sciences and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Jessie C Buettel
- School of Natural Sciences and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Barry W Brook
- School of Natural Sciences and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Christopher N Johnson
- School of Natural Sciences and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Rory P Wilson
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
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31
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Kolk H, Allen AM, Ens BJ, Oosterbeek K, Jongejans E, Pol M. Spatiotemporal variation in disturbance impacts derived from simultaneous tracking of aircraft and shorebirds. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Henk‐Jan Kolk
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
- Centre for Avian Population Studies Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Andrew M. Allen
- Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology Radboud University Nijmegen The Netherlands
- Centre for Avian Population Studies Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Bruno J. Ens
- Sovon Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology Den Burg The Netherlands
- Centre for Avian Population Studies Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Kees Oosterbeek
- Sovon Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology Den Burg The Netherlands
- Centre for Avian Population Studies Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Eelke Jongejans
- Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology Radboud University Nijmegen The Netherlands
- Centre for Avian Population Studies Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Martijn Pol
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
- Centre for Avian Population Studies Wageningen The Netherlands
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32
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Abstract
Flapping flight is extremely costly for large birds, yet little is known about the conditions that force them to flap. We attached custom-made “flight recorders” to Andean condors, the world’s heaviest soaring birds, documenting every single wingbeat and when and how individuals gained altitude. Remarkably, condors flapped for only 1% of their flight time, specifically during takeoff and when close to the ground. This is particularly striking as the birds were immature. Thus, our results demonstrate that even inexperienced birds can cover vast distances over land without flapping. Overall, this can help explain how extinct birds with twice the wingspan of condors could have flown. Flight costs are predicted to vary with environmental conditions, and this should ultimately determine the movement capacity and distributions of large soaring birds. Despite this, little is known about how flight effort varies with environmental parameters. We deployed bio-logging devices on the world’s heaviest soaring bird, the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus), to assess the extent to which these birds can operate without resorting to powered flight. Our records of individual wingbeats in >216 h of flight show that condors can sustain soaring across a wide range of wind and thermal conditions, flapping for only 1% of their flight time. This is among the very lowest estimated movement costs in vertebrates. One bird even flew for >5 h without flapping, covering ∼172 km. Overall, > 75% of flapping flight was associated with takeoffs. Movement between weak thermal updrafts at the start of the day also imposed a metabolic cost, with birds flapping toward the end of glides to reach ephemeral thermal updrafts. Nonetheless, the investment required was still remarkably low, and even in winter conditions with weak thermals, condors are only predicted to flap for ∼2 s per kilometer. Therefore, the overall flight effort in the largest soaring birds appears to be constrained by the requirements for takeoff.
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33
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Clay TA, Joo R, Weimerskirch H, Phillips RA, den Ouden O, Basille M, Clusella-Trullas S, Assink JD, Patrick SC. Sex-specific effects of wind on the flight decisions of a sexually dimorphic soaring bird. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1811-1823. [PMID: 32557603 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In a highly dynamic airspace, flying animals are predicted to adjust foraging behaviour to variable wind conditions to minimize movement costs. Sexual size dimorphism is widespread in wild animal populations, and for large soaring birds which rely on favourable winds for energy-efficient flight, differences in morphology, wing loading and associated flight capabilities may lead males and females to respond differently to wind. However, the interaction between wind and sex has not been comprehensively tested. We investigated, in a large sexually dimorphic seabird which predominantly uses dynamic soaring flight, whether flight decisions are modulated to variation in winds over extended foraging trips, and whether males and females differ. Using GPS loggers we tracked 385 incubation foraging trips of wandering albatrosses Diomedea exulans, for which males are c. 20% larger than females, from two major populations (Crozet and South Georgia). Hidden Markov models were used to characterize behavioural states-directed flight, area-restricted search (ARS) and resting-and model the probability of transitioning between states in response to wind speed and relative direction, and sex. Wind speed and relative direction were important predictors of state transitioning. Birds were much more likely to take off (i.e. switch from rest to flight) in stronger headwinds, and as wind speeds increased, to be in directed flight rather than ARS. Males from Crozet but not South Georgia experienced stronger winds than females, and males from both populations were more likely to take-off in windier conditions. Albatrosses appear to deploy an energy-saving strategy by modulating taking-off, their most energetically expensive behaviour, to favourable wind conditions. The behaviour of males, which have higher wing loading requiring faster speeds for gliding flight, was influenced to a greater degree by wind than females. As such, our results indicate that variation in flight performance drives sex differences in time-activity budgets and may lead the sexes to exploit regions with different wind regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A Clay
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Rocío Joo
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Davie, FL, USA
| | - Henri Weimerskirch
- Centre d'Étude Biologique de Chizé, CNRS UMR 7273, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Richard A Phillips
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Cambridge, UK
| | - Olivier den Ouden
- R&D Seismology and Acoustics, Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, De Bilt, The Netherlands.,Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Department of Geoscience and Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Mathieu Basille
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Davie, FL, USA
| | - Susana Clusella-Trullas
- Department of Botany and Zoology and Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Jelle D Assink
- R&D Seismology and Acoustics, Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, De Bilt, The Netherlands
| | - Samantha C Patrick
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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34
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Bodey TW, Cleasby IR, Blount JD, McElwaine G, Vigfusdottir F, Bearhop S. Consistent measures of oxidative balance predict survival but not reproduction in a long‐distance migrant. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1872-1882. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W. Bodey
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation University of Exeter Penryn Campus Penryn UK
- School of Biological Sciences University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand
| | - Ian R. Cleasby
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation University of Exeter Penryn Campus Penryn UK
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Centre for Conservation Science Inverness UK
| | - Jonathan D. Blount
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation University of Exeter Penryn Campus Penryn UK
| | | | - Freydis Vigfusdottir
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences and School of Social Sciences University of Iceland Reykjavik Iceland
| | - Stuart Bearhop
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation University of Exeter Penryn Campus Penryn UK
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35
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Kolk H, Krijgsveld KL, Linssen H, Diertens R, Dolman D, Jans M, Frauendorf M, Ens BJ, Pol M. Cumulative energetic costs of military aircraft, recreational and natural disturbance in roosting shorebirds. Anim Conserv 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- H. Kolk
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
- Centre for Avian Population Studies Wageningen The Netherlands
| | | | - H. Linssen
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - R. Diertens
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - D. Dolman
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - M. Jans
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - M. Frauendorf
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
- Centre for Avian Population Studies Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - B. J. Ens
- Centre for Avian Population Studies Wageningen The Netherlands
- Sovon‐Texel Sovon Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology Texel The Netherlands
| | - M. Pol
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
- Centre for Avian Population Studies Wageningen The Netherlands
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36
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Norevik G, Åkesson S, Artois T, Beenaerts N, Conway G, Cresswell B, Evens R, Henderson I, Jiguet F, Hedenström A. Wind-associated detours promote seasonal migratory connectivity in a flapping flying long-distance avian migrant. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:635-646. [PMID: 31581321 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
It is essential to gain knowledge about the causes and extent of migratory connectivity between stationary periods of migrants to further the understanding of processes affecting populations, and to allow efficient implementation of conservation efforts throughout the annual cycle. Avian migrants likely use optimal routes with respect to mode of locomotion, orientation and migration strategy, influenced by external factors such as wind and topography. In self-powered flapping flying birds, any increases in fuel loads are associated with added flight costs. Energy-minimizing migrants are therefore predicted to trade-off extended detours against reduced travel across ecological barriers with no or limited foraging opportunities. Here, we quantify the extent of detours taken by different populations of European nightjars Caprimulgus europaeus, to test our predictions that they used routes beneficial according to energetic principles and evaluate the effect of route shape on seasonal migratory connectivity. We combined data on birds tracked from breeding sites along a longitudinal gradient from England to Sweden. We analysed the migratory connectivity between breeding and main non-breeding sites, and en route stopover sites just south of the Sahara desert. We quantified each track's route extension relative to the direct route between breeding and wintering sites, respectively, and contrasted it to the potential detour derived from the barrier reduction along the track while accounting for potential wind effects. Nightjars extended their tracks from the direct route between breeding and main non-breeding sites as they crossed the Mediterranean Sea-Sahara desert, the major ecological barrier in the Palaearctic-African migration system. These clockwise detours were small for birds from eastern sites but increased from east to west breeding longitude. Routes of the tracked birds were associated with partial reduction in the barrier crossing resulting in a trade-off between route extension and barrier reduction, as expected in an energy-minimizing migrant. This study demonstrates how the costs of barrier crossings in prevailing winds can disrupt migratory routes towards slightly different goals, and thereby promote migratory connectivity. This is an important link between individual migration strategies in association with an ecological barrier, and both spatially and demographic population patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Norevik
- Department of Biology, Centre for Animal Movement Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Susanne Åkesson
- Department of Biology, Centre for Animal Movement Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Tom Artois
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group: Zoology, Biodiversity and Toxicology, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Natalie Beenaerts
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group: Zoology, Biodiversity and Toxicology, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | | | | | - Ruben Evens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group: Zoology, Biodiversity and Toxicology, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | | | - Frédéric Jiguet
- UMR7204 MNHN-CNRS-SU, Centre d'Ecologie et de Sciences de la Conservation, Paris, France
| | - Anders Hedenström
- Department of Biology, Centre for Animal Movement Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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37
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Efrat R, Hatzofe O, Nathan R. Landscape‐dependent time versus energy optimizations in pelicans migrating through a large ecological barrier. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ron Efrat
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, Movement Ecology Laboratory, Edmond J. Safra Campus The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem Israel
| | - Ohad Hatzofe
- Science Division Israel Nature and Parks Authority Jerusalem Israel
| | - Ran Nathan
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, Movement Ecology Laboratory, Edmond J. Safra Campus The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem Israel
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38
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Møller AP, Laursen K. Large feet are beneficial for eiders Somateria mollissima. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:8580-8586. [PMID: 31410263 PMCID: PMC6686295 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 05/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Many waterbirds have fully (totipalmate) or partially webbed (palmate) feet that are used for locomotion in aquatic environments.If webbed feet and wings both contribute to efficient diving, we predicted a positive association between the area of webbed feet and the size of the frontal locomotor apparatus (wing area, heart mass, and breast muscle, after adjusting for any partial effects of body size). We predicted that individuals able to acquire more and better quality food due to larger webbed feet should have larger livers with higher concentrations of fat-soluble antioxidants such as vitamin E, and invest more in immune function as reflected by the relative size of the uropygial gland than individuals with small webbed feet.Here, we examine if the area of webbed feet is correlated with locomotion, diet, and body condition in a sea-duck, the eider (Somateria mollissima). We analyzed an extensive database of 233 eiders shot in Danish waters and at Åland, Finland during winter and early spring.Eiders with larger webbed feet had a larger locomotor apparatus, but did not have larger body size, they had larger uropygial glands that waterproof the plumage, they had larger beak volume and larger gizzards, and they had higher body condition.These findings imply that eiders with large webbed feet benefitted in terms of locomotion, feeding, and reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Pape Møller
- Ecologie Systématique EvolutionUniversité Paris‐SudOrsay CedexFrance
- CNRS, AgroParisTechUniversité Paris‐SaclayOrsay CedexFrance
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life SciencesBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
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39
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Decker LE, Soule AJ, de Roode JC, Hunter MD. Phytochemical changes in milkweed induced by elevated CO
2
alter wing morphology but not toxin sequestration in monarch butterflies. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Leslie E. Decker
- Department of Biology Stanford University Stanford California
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan
| | - Abrianna J. Soule
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan
- Department of Biology University of Utah Salt Lake City Utah
| | | | - Mark D. Hunter
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan
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Bodey TW, Cleasby IR, Bell F, Parr N, Schultz A, Votier SC, Bearhop S. A phylogenetically controlled meta‐analysis of biologging device effects on birds: Deleterious effects and a call for more standardized reporting of study data. Methods Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W. Bodey
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
| | - Ian R. Cleasby
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
| | - Fraser Bell
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
| | - Nicole Parr
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
| | - Anthony Schultz
- GeneCology Research CentreUniversity of the Sunshine Coast Sunshine Coast Qld Australia
| | - Stephen C. Votier
- Environment and Sustainability InstituteUniversity of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
| | - Stuart Bearhop
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
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41
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Lank DB, Xu C, Harrington BA, Morrison RIG, Gratto-Trevor CL, Hicklin PW, Sandercock BK, Smith PA, Kwon E, Rausch J, Pirie Dominix LD, Hamilton DJ, Paquet J, Bliss SE, Neima SG, Friis C, Flemming SA, Anderson AM, Ydenberg RC. Long-term continental changes in wing length, but not bill length, of a long-distance migratory shorebird. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:3243-3256. [PMID: 28480022 PMCID: PMC5415538 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2016] [Revised: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
We compiled a >50‐year record of morphometrics for semipalmated sandpipers (Calidris pusilla), a shorebird species with a Nearctic breeding distribution and intercontinental migration to South America. Our data included >57,000 individuals captured 1972–2015 at five breeding locations and three major stopover sites, plus 139 museum specimens collected in earlier decades. Wing length increased by ca. 1.5 mm (>1%) prior to 1980, followed by a decrease of 3.85 mm (nearly 4%) over the subsequent 35 years. This can account for previously reported changes in metrics at a migratory stopover site from 1985 to 2006. Wing length decreased at a rate of 1,098 darwins, or 0.176 haldanes, within the ranges of other field studies of phenotypic change. Bill length, in contrast, showed no consistent change over the full period of our study. Decreased body size as a universal response of animal populations to climate warming, and several other potential mechanisms, are unable to account for the increasing and decreasing wing length pattern observed. We propose that the post‐WWII near‐extirpation of falcon populations and their post‐1973 recovery driven by the widespread use and subsequent limitation on DDT in North America selected initially for greater flight efficiency and latterly for greater agility. This predation danger hypothesis accounts for many features of the morphometric data and deserves further investigation in this and other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- David B Lank
- Centre for Wildlife Ecology Simon Fraser University Burnaby BC Canada
| | - Cailin Xu
- Centre for Wildlife Ecology Simon Fraser University Burnaby BC Canada
| | | | - Richard I Guy Morrison
- National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment and Climate Change Canada Carleton University Ottawa ON Canada
| | - Cheri L Gratto-Trevor
- Prairie and Northern Wildlife Research Centre, Environment and Climate Change Canada Saskatoon SK Canada
| | - Peter W Hicklin
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada Sackville
NB Canada
| | | | - Paul Allen Smith
- National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment and Climate Change Canada Carleton University Ottawa ON Canada
| | - Eunbi Kwon
- Division of Biology Kansas State University Manhattan KS USA.,Present address: Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Virginia Tech Blacksburg VA USA
| | - Jennie Rausch
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada Yellowknife NT Canada
| | - Lisa D Pirie Dominix
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada Iqaluit NU Canada
| | - Diana J Hamilton
- Department of Biology Mount Allison University Sackville NB Canada
| | - Julie Paquet
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada Sackville
NB Canada
| | - Sydney E Bliss
- Department of Biology Mount Allison University Sackville NB Canada
| | - Sarah G Neima
- Department of Biology Mount Allison University Sackville NB Canada
| | - Christian Friis
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada Toronto ON Canada
| | - Scott A Flemming
- Environmental and Life Sciences Trent University Peterborough ON Canada
| | | | - Ronald C Ydenberg
- Centre for Wildlife Ecology Simon Fraser University Burnaby BC Canada
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42
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Péron G, Fleming CH, Duriez O, Fluhr J, Itty C, Lambertucci S, Safi K, Shepard ELC, Calabrese JM. The energy landscape predicts flight height and wind turbine collision hazard in three species of large soaring raptor. J Appl Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Péron
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute National Zoological Park Front Royal VA 22630 USA
- Univ Lyon Université Lyon 1 CNRS Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR5558 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
| | - Christen H. Fleming
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute National Zoological Park Front Royal VA 22630 USA
- Department of Biology University of Maryland College Park MD 4415 USA
| | - Olivier Duriez
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive UMR 5175 CNRS‐Université de Montpellier – EPHE‐Université Paul Valery 1919 Route de Mende 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5 France
| | - Julie Fluhr
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive UMR 5175 CNRS‐Université de Montpellier – EPHE‐Université Paul Valery 1919 Route de Mende 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5 France
| | - Christian Itty
- ONCFS SD34 Les Portes du Soleil 147 route de Lodève 34 990 Juvignac France
| | - Sergio Lambertucci
- Grupo de Biología de la Conservación Laboratorio Ecotono INIBIOMA (CONICET–Universidad Nacional del Comahue) Quintral 1250 8400 Bariloche Argentina
| | - Kamran Safi
- Max Planck Institut für Ornithologie Am Obstberg 1 78315 Radolfzell Germany
| | - Emily L. C. Shepard
- Swansea Laboratory for Animal Movement Biosciences College of Science Swansea University Singleton Park Swansea SA2 8PP UK
| | - Justin M. Calabrese
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute National Zoological Park Front Royal VA 22630 USA
- Department of Biology University of Maryland College Park MD 4415 USA
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43
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Weinzierl R, Bohrer G, Kranstauber B, Fiedler W, Wikelski M, Flack A. Wind estimation based on thermal soaring of birds. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:8706-8718. [PMID: 28035262 PMCID: PMC5192804 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2016] [Revised: 10/06/2016] [Accepted: 10/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The flight performance of birds is strongly affected by the dynamic state of the atmosphere at the birds' locations. Studies of flight and its impact on the movement ecology of birds must consider the wind to help us understand aerodynamics and bird flight strategies. Here, we introduce a systematic approach to evaluate wind speed and direction from the high-frequency GPS recordings from bird-borne tags during thermalling flight. Our method assumes that a fixed horizontal mean wind speed during a short (18 seconds, 19 GPS fixes) flight segment with a constant turn angle along a closed loop, characteristic of thermalling flight, will generate a fixed drift for each consequent location. We use a maximum-likelihood approach to estimate that drift and to determine the wind and airspeeds at the birds' flight locations. We also provide error estimates for these GPS-derived wind speed estimates. We validate our approach by comparing its wind estimates with the mid-resolution weather reanalysis data from ECMWF, and by examining independent wind estimates from pairs of birds in a large dataset of GPS-tagged migrating storks that were flying in close proximity. Our approach provides accurate and unbiased observations of wind speed and additional detailed information on vertical winds and uplift structure. These precise measurements are otherwise rare and hard to obtain and will broaden our understanding of atmospheric conditions, flight aerodynamics, and bird flight strategies. With an increasing number of GPS-tracked animals, we may soon be able to use birds to inform us about the atmosphere they are flying through and thus improve future ecological and environmental studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rolf Weinzierl
- Department of Migration and Immuno‐EcologyMax Planck Institute for OrnithologyRadolfzellGermany
- Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| | - Gil Bohrer
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOHUSA
| | - Bart Kranstauber
- Department of Migration and Immuno‐EcologyMax Planck Institute for OrnithologyRadolfzellGermany
- Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| | - Wolfgang Fiedler
- Department of Migration and Immuno‐EcologyMax Planck Institute for OrnithologyRadolfzellGermany
- Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration and Immuno‐EcologyMax Planck Institute for OrnithologyRadolfzellGermany
- Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| | - Andrea Flack
- Department of Migration and Immuno‐EcologyMax Planck Institute for OrnithologyRadolfzellGermany
- Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
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44
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Leos‐Barajas V, Photopoulou T, Langrock R, Patterson TA, Watanabe YY, Murgatroyd M, Papastamatiou YP. Analysis of animal accelerometer data using hidden Markov models. Methods Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vianey Leos‐Barajas
- Department of Statistics Iowa State University Snedecor Hall Ames IA 50011 USA
| | - Theoni Photopoulou
- Department of Statistical Sciences Centre for Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation University of Cape Town Cape Town Rondebosch 7701 South Africa
- Department of Zoology Institute for Coastal and Marine Research Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Port Elizabeth 6031 South Africa
| | - Roland Langrock
- Department of Business Administration and Economics Bielefeld University Postfach 100131 33501 Bielefeld Germany
| | | | - Yuuki Y. Watanabe
- National Institute of Polar Research 10‐3, Midori‐cho Tachikawa Tokyo 190‐8518 Japan
- SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies) 10‐3, Midori‐cho Tachikawa Tokyo 190‐8518 Japan
| | - Megan Murgatroyd
- Animal Demography Unit Department of Biological Sciences University of Cape Town Cape Town Rondebosch 7701 South Africa
- Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology Department of Biological Sciences University of Cape Town Cape Town Rondebosch 7701 South Africa
| | - Yannis P. Papastamatiou
- School of Biology Scottish Oceans Institute University of St Andrews St Andrews KY16 8LB UK
- Department of Biological Sciences Florida International University 3000 NE 151st, MSB 350 North Miami FL 33181 USA
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Collins PM, Halsey LG, Arnould JPY, Shaw PJA, Dodd S, Green JA. Energetic consequences of time‐activity budgets for a breeding seabird. J Zool (1987) 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- P. M. Collins
- School of Life Sciences University of Roehampton London UK
| | - L. G. Halsey
- School of Life Sciences University of Roehampton London UK
| | - J. P. Y. Arnould
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - P. J. A. Shaw
- School of Life Sciences University of Roehampton London UK
| | - S. Dodd
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds North Wales Office Bangor UK
| | - J. A. Green
- School of Environmental Sciences University of Liverpool Liverpool UK
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46
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Halsey LG. Do animals exercise to keep fit? J Anim Ecol 2016; 85:614-20. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2015] [Accepted: 11/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lewis G. Halsey
- University of Roehampton Holybourne Avenue London SW15 4JD UK
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47
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Pap PL, Osváth G, Sándor K, Vincze O, Bărbos L, Marton A, Nudds RL, Vágási CI. Interspecific variation in the structural properties of flight feathers in birds indicates adaptation to flight requirements and habitat. Funct Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Péter L. Pap
- MTA‐DE “Lendület” Behavioural Ecology Research Group Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology University of Debrecen Egyetem tér 1 Debrecen H–4032 Hungary
- Evolutionary Ecology Group Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology Babeş‐Bolyai University Clinicilor Street 5–7 Cluj Napoca RO–400006 Romania
| | - Gergely Osváth
- Museum of Zoology Babeş‐Bolyai University Clinicilor Street 5–7 Cluj Napoca RO–400006 Romania
| | - Krisztina Sándor
- Evolutionary Ecology Group Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology Babeş‐Bolyai University Clinicilor Street 5–7 Cluj Napoca RO–400006 Romania
| | - Orsolya Vincze
- MTA‐DE “Lendület” Behavioural Ecology Research Group Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology University of Debrecen Egyetem tér 1 Debrecen H–4032 Hungary
- Evolutionary Ecology Group Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology Babeş‐Bolyai University Clinicilor Street 5–7 Cluj Napoca RO–400006 Romania
| | - Lőrinc Bărbos
- Evolutionary Ecology Group Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology Babeş‐Bolyai University Clinicilor Street 5–7 Cluj Napoca RO–400006 Romania
- ‘Milvus Group’ Bird and Nature Protection Association Márton Áron street 9/BTîrgu Mureş RO–540058 Romania
| | - Attila Marton
- Evolutionary Ecology Group Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology Babeş‐Bolyai University Clinicilor Street 5–7 Cluj Napoca RO–400006 Romania
- ‘Milvus Group’ Bird and Nature Protection Association Márton Áron street 9/BTîrgu Mureş RO–540058 Romania
| | - Robert L. Nudds
- Faculty of Life Sciences University of Manchester Manchester M13 9PT UK
| | - Csongor I. Vágási
- MTA‐DE “Lendület” Behavioural Ecology Research Group Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology University of Debrecen Egyetem tér 1 Debrecen H–4032 Hungary
- Evolutionary Ecology Group Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology Babeş‐Bolyai University Clinicilor Street 5–7 Cluj Napoca RO–400006 Romania
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Abstract
Pelagornithidae is an extinct clade of birds characterized by bizarre tooth-like bony projections of the jaws. Here, the flight capabilities of pelagornithids are explored based on data from a species with the largest reported wingspan among birds. Pelagornis sandersi sp. nov. is represented by a skull and substantial postcranial material. Conservative wingspan estimates (∼6.4 m) exceed theoretical maximums based on extant soaring birds. Modeled flight properties indicate that lift:drag ratios and glide ratios for P. sandersi were near the upper limit observed in extant birds and suggest that pelagornithids were highly efficient gliders, exploiting a long-range soaring ecology.
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49
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Unique caudal plumage of Jeholornis and complex tail evolution in early birds. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:17404-8. [PMID: 24101506 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1316979110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Early Cretaceous bird Jeholornis was previously only known to have a distally restricted ornamental frond of tail feathers. We describe a previously unrecognized fan-shaped tract of feathers situated dorsal to the proximal caudal vertebrae. The position and morphology of these feathers is reminiscent of the specialized upper tail coverts observed in males of some sexually dimorphic neornithines. As in the neornithine tail, the unique "two-tail" plumage in Jeholornis probably evolved as the result of complex interactions between natural and sexual selective pressures and served both aerodynamic and ornamental functions. We suggest that the proximal fan would have helped to streamline the body and reduce drag whereas the distal frond was primarily ornamental. Jeholornis reveals that tail evolution was complex and not a simple progression from frond to fan.
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Abstract
Birds that fly over mountain barriers must be capable of meeting the increased energetic cost of climbing in low-density air, even though less oxygen may be available to support their metabolism. This challenge is magnified by the reduction in maximum sustained climbing rates in large birds. Bar-headed geese (Anser indicus) make one of the highest and most iconic transmountain migrations in the world. We show that those populations of geese that winter at sea level in India are capable of passing over the Himalayas in 1 d, typically climbing between 4,000 and 6,000 m in 7-8 h. Surprisingly, these birds do not rely on the assistance of upslope tailwinds that usually occur during the day and can support minimum climb rates of 0.8-2.2 km·h(-1), even in the relative stillness of the night. They appear to strategically avoid higher speed winds during the afternoon, thus maximizing safety and control during flight. It would seem, therefore, that bar-headed geese are capable of sustained climbing flight over the passes of the Himalaya under their own aerobic power.
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