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Hedh L, Dänhardt J, Hedenström A. Evolution of leapfrog migration: A test of competition-based hypotheses. Ecology 2024; 105:e4379. [PMID: 39056159 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Leapfrog migration is a common migration pattern in birds where the breeding and wintering latitudes between populations are in reversed latitudinal sequence. Competition for wintering and breeding sites has been suggested to be an ultimate factor, and several competitor-based hypotheses have been proposed to explain this pattern. If wintering sites close to the breeding sites are favored, competitive exclusion could force subdominant individuals to winter further away. Competitive exclusion could be mediated either through body size or by prior occupancy. The alternative "spring predictability" hypothesis assumes competition for sufficiently close wintering areas, allowing the birds to use autocorrelated weather cues to optimally time spring migration departure. To test predictions and assumptions of these hypotheses, we combined morphometrics, migration, and weather data from four populations of common ringed plover breeding along a latitudinal (56-68° N) and climatic gradient (temperate to Arctic). Critical for our evaluation was that two populations were breeding on the same latitude in subarctic Sweden with the same distance to the closest potential wintering site, but differed in breeding phenology, and wintered in West Africa and Europe, respectively. Thus, while breeding on the same latitude, their winter distribution overlapped with that of an Arctic and temperate population. Body size was largest within the temperate population, but there was no size difference between the two subarctic populations. Populations wintering in Europe arrived there before populations wintering in Africa. The largest variation in the arrival of meteorological spring occurred at the temperate breeding site, while there was almost no difference among the other sites. In general, temperatures at the northernmost wintering area correlated well with each breeding site prior to breeding site-specific spring arrival. Based on these observations, we conclude that competitive exclusion through body-size-related dominance cannot explain leapfrog migration. Furthermore, the assumptions on which the "spring predictability" hypothesis is based did not match the observed wintering ranges either. However, we could not reject the hypothesis that competitive exclusion mediated by prior occupancy in the wintering area could lead to leapfrog migration, and therefore, this hypothesis should be retained as working hypothesis for further work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linus Hedh
- Department of Biology, Ecology Building, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Juliana Dänhardt
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Anders Hedenström
- Department of Biology, Ecology Building, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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2
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Sur S, Sharma A. Understanding the role of temperature in seasonal timing: Effects on behavioural, physiological and molecular phenotypes. Mol Ecol 2024:e17447. [PMID: 38946196 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Organisms adapt to daily and seasonal environmental changes to maximise their metabolic and reproductive fitness. For seasonally breeding animals, photoperiod is considered the most robust cue to drive these changes. It, however, does not explain the interannual variations in different seasonal phenotypes. Several studies have repeatedly shown the influence of ambient temperature on the timing of different seasonal physiologies including the timing of migration, reproduction and its associated behaviours, etc. In the present review, we have discussed the effects of changes in ambient temperature on different seasonal events in endotherms with a focus on migratory birds as they have evolved to draw benefits from distinct but largely predictable seasonal patterns of natural resources. We have further discussed the physiological and molecular mechanisms by which temperature affects seasonal timings. The primary brain area involved in detecting temperature changes is the hypothalamic preoptic area. This area receives thermal inputs via sensory neurons in the peripheral ganglia that measure changes in thermoregulatory tissues such as the skin and spinal cord. For the input signals, several thermal sensory TRP (transient receptor potential ion channels) channels have been identified across different classes of vertebrates. These channels are activated at specific thermal ranges. Once perceived, this information should activate an effector function. However, the link between temperature sensation and the effector pathways is not properly understood yet. Here, we have summarised the available information that may help us understand how temperature information is translated into seasonal timing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayantan Sur
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Aakansha Sharma
- Department of Zoology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, India
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3
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van Bemmelen RSA, Moe B, Schekkerman H, Hansen SA, Snell KRS, Humphreys EM, Mäntylä E, Hallgrimsson GT, Gilg O, Ehrich D, Calladine J, Hammer S, Harris S, Lang J, Vignisson SR, Kolbeinsson Y, Nuotio K, Sillanpää M, Sittler B, Sokolov A, Klaassen RHG, Phillips RA, Tulp I. Synchronous timing of return to breeding sites in a long-distance migratory seabird with ocean-scale variation in migration schedules. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2024; 12:22. [PMID: 38520007 PMCID: PMC10960466 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-024-00459-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Migratory birds generally have tightly scheduled annual cycles, in which delays can have carry-over effects on the timing of later events, ultimately impacting reproductive output. Whether temporal carry-over effects are more pronounced among migrations over larger distances, with tighter schedules, is a largely unexplored question. METHODS We tracked individual Arctic Skuas Stercorarius parasiticus, a long-distance migratory seabird, from eight breeding populations between Greenland and Siberia using light-level geolocators. We tested whether migration schedules among breeding populations differ as a function of their use of seven widely divergent wintering areas across the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean. RESULTS Breeding at higher latitudes led not only to later reproduction and migration, but also faster spring migration and shorter time between return to the breeding area and clutch initiation. Wintering area was consistent within individuals among years; and more distant areas were associated with more time spent on migration and less time in the wintering areas. Skuas adjusted the period spent in the wintering area, regardless of migration distance, which buffered the variation in timing of autumn migration. Choice of wintering area had only minor effects on timing of return at the breeding area and timing of breeding and these effects were not consistent between breeding populations. CONCLUSION The lack of a consistent effect of wintering area on timing of return between breeding areas indicates that individuals synchronize their arrival with others in their population despite extensive individual differences in migration strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rob S A van Bemmelen
- Wageningen Marine Research, Haringkade 1, 1976 CP, IJmuiden, The Netherlands.
- Waardenburg Ecology, Culemborg, The Netherlands.
| | - Børge Moe
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway
| | | | | | - Katherine R S Snell
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
| | - Elizabeth M Humphreys
- British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Scotland, Stirling University Innovation Park, Stirling, FK9 4NF, UK
| | - Elina Mäntylä
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Applied Zoology/Animal Ecology, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | | | - Olivier Gilg
- UMR 6249 Chrono-Environnement, CNRS, Université de Bourgogne Franche Comté, 25000, Besançon, France
- Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Arctique, 16 Rue de Vernot, 21440, Francheville, France
| | | | - John Calladine
- British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Scotland, Stirling University Innovation Park, Stirling, FK9 4NF, UK
| | - Sjúrður Hammer
- Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Faroe Islands, Vestarabryggja 15, 100, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
| | - Sarah Harris
- British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU, UK
| | - Johannes Lang
- Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Arctique, 16 Rue de Vernot, 21440, Francheville, France
- University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | | | | | - Kimmo Nuotio
- Pori Ornithological Society, Pori, Finland
- Environmental Agency, Pori, Finland
| | | | - Benoît Sittler
- Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Arctique, 16 Rue de Vernot, 21440, Francheville, France
- University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Aleksandr Sokolov
- Arctic Research Station of Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Labytnangi, Russia
| | - Raymond H G Klaassen
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Groningen University, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Richard A Phillips
- British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Cambridge, UK
| | - Ingrid Tulp
- Wageningen Marine Research, Haringkade 1, 1976 CP, IJmuiden, The Netherlands.
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Linssen H, van Loon EE, Shamoun-Baranes JZ, Nuijten RJM, Nolet BA. Migratory swans individually adjust their autumn migration and winter range to a warming climate. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:6888-6899. [PMID: 37795645 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
In response to climate warming, migratory animals can alter their migration so that different events in the annual cycle are better aligned in space and time with suitable environmental conditions. Although such responses have been studied extensively during spring migration and the breeding season, much less is known about the influence of temperature on movements throughout autumn migration and how those movements result in a winter range and shifts therein. We use multi-year GPS tracking data to quantify how daily autumn movement and annual winter distance from the breeding grounds are related to temperature in the Western Palearctic Bewick's swan, a long-lived migratory waterbird whose winter range has shifted more than 350 km closer to the breeding grounds since 1970 due to individuals increasingly 'short-stopping' their autumn migration. We show that the migratory movement of swans is driven by lower temperatures throughout the autumn season, with individuals during late autumn moving only substantially when temperatures drop below freezing. As a result, there is large flexibility in their annual winter distance as a response to winter temperature. On average, individuals overwinter 118 km closer to the breeding grounds per 1°C increase in mean December-January temperature. Given the observed temperature increase in the Bewick's swan winter range during the last decades, our results imply that the observed range shift is for a substantial part driven by individual responses to a warming climate. We thus present an example of individual flexibility towards climatic conditions driving the range shift of a migratory species. Our study adds to the understanding of the processes that shape autumn migration decisions, winter ranges and shifts therein, which is crucial to be able to predict how climate change may impact these processes in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Linssen
- Theoretical and Computational Ecology Group, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - E Emiel van Loon
- Theoretical and Computational Ecology Group, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Judy Z Shamoun-Baranes
- Theoretical and Computational Ecology Group, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rascha J M Nuijten
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Future for Nature Foundation, Arnhem, The Netherlands
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bart A Nolet
- Theoretical and Computational Ecology Group, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Pearse AT, Szymanski ML, Anchor CA, Anteau MJ, Murano RM, Brandt DA, Stafford JD. Factors influencing autumn-winter movements of midcontinent Mallards and consequences for harvest and habitat management. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10605. [PMID: 37899883 PMCID: PMC10600409 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Annual phenology and distributions of migratory wildlife have been noticeably influenced by climate change, leading to concerns about sustainable populations. Recent studies exploring conditions influencing autumn migration departure have provided conflicting insights regarding factors influencing the movements of Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), a popular game species. We determined factors affecting timing and magnitude of long-distance movements of 97 juvenile Mallards during autumn-winter across the midcontinent of North America marked with implanted transmitters in North and South Dakota, 2018-2019. Factors influencing variation in movement timing, along with direction and magnitudes, depended on type of movement (i.e., regional [25-310 km], initial migration, or subsequent migration movements [>310 km]). Photoperiod influenced probability of initiating all movements, although the effect was most influential for regional movements. Minimum temperature most influenced initial migration events (probability of movement increased 29% for each 1°C decrease); favorable winds also increased likelihood of initial migration events. Probability of subsequent migration events increased 80% for each 1 cm increase in depth of snow. Subsequent migration movements also were 2.0 times more likely to occur on weekend days, indicating disturbance from humans may influence movements. Migration distances increased 166 km for each 1°C reduction in minimum temperature. We also observed markedly different autumn-winter distributions of marked birds between years. Median locations during autumn-winter 2018-2019 were ~250 km farther north and ~300 km farther west during mid-December-January compared to the same time in 2019-2020. Concurrently, harvest rates for marked females and males were 10% and 26% during autumn-winter 2018-2019 and 26% and 31% during autumn-winter 2019-2020. Climate-related changes may result in increasingly variable autumn-winter distributions, with implications for wildlife recreationalists, conservation planners, and harvest managers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron T. Pearse
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research CenterJamestownNorth DakotaUSA
| | | | - Cynthia A. Anchor
- Department of Natural Resources ManagementSouth Dakota State UniversityBrookingsSouth DakotaUSA
| | - Michael J. Anteau
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research CenterJamestownNorth DakotaUSA
| | | | - David A. Brandt
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research CenterJamestownNorth DakotaUSA
| | - Joshua D. Stafford
- U.S. Geological Survey, South Dakota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitBrookingsSouth DakotaUSA
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Seebacher F, Narayan E, Rummer JL, Tomlinson S, Cooke SJ. How can physiology best contribute to wildlife conservation in a warming world? CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coad038. [PMID: 37287992 PMCID: PMC10243909 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coad038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Global warming is now predicted to exceed 1.5°C by 2033 and 2°C by the end of the 21st century. This level of warming and the associated environmental variability are already increasing pressure on natural and human systems. Here we emphasize the role of physiology in the light of the latest assessment of climate warming by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. We describe how physiology can contribute to contemporary conservation programmes. We focus on thermal responses of animals, but we acknowledge that the impacts of climate change are much broader phylogenetically and environmentally. A physiological contribution would encompass environmental monitoring, coupled with measuring individual sensitivities to temperature change and upscaling these to ecosystem level. The latest version of the widely accepted Conservation Standards designed by the Conservation Measures Partnership includes several explicit climate change considerations. We argue that physiology has a unique role to play in addressing these considerations. Moreover, physiology can be incorporated by institutions and organizations that range from international bodies to national governments and to local communities, and in doing so, it brings a mechanistic approach to conservation and the management of biological resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Seebacher
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences A08, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Edward Narayan
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia QLD4072, Australia
| | - Jodie L Rummer
- College of Science and Engineering and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4810, Australia
| | - Sean Tomlinson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Steven J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
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Šmejkal M, Bartoň D, Blabolil P, Kolařík T, Kubečka J, Sajdlová Z, Souza AT, Brabec M. Diverse environmental cues drive the size of reproductive aggregation in a rheophilic fish. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:16. [PMID: 36949527 PMCID: PMC10035167 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00379-0] [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: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animal migrations are periodic and relatively predictable events, and their precise timing is essential to the reproductive success. Despite large scientific effort in monitoring animal reproductive phenology, identification of complex environmental cues that determine the timing of reproductive migrations and temporal changes in the size of reproductive aggregations in relation to environmental variables is relatively rare in the current scientific literature. METHODS We tagged and tracked 1702 individuals of asp (Leuciscus aspius), a large minnow species, and monitored with a resolution of one hour the size of their reproductive aggregations (counts of sexes present at the breeding grounds standardized by the sum of individuals in the season) over seven breeding seasons using passive integrated transponder tag systems. We examined the size of reproductive aggregations in relation to environmental cues of day number within a reproductive season (intra-year seasonality), water temperature, discharge, hour in a day (intra-day pattern), temperature difference between water and air, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and lunar phase. A generalized additive model integrating evidence from seven breeding seasons and providing typical dynamics of reproductive aggregations was constructed. RESULTS We demonstrated that all environmental cues considered contributed to the changes in the size of reproductive aggregations during breeding season, and that some effects varied during breeding season. Our model explained approximately 50% of the variability in the data and the effects were sex-dependent (models of the same structure were fitted to each sex separately, so that we effectively stratified on sex). The size of reproductive aggregations increased unimodally in response to day in season, correlated positively with water temperature and wind speed, was highest before and after the full moon, and highest at night (interacting with day in a season). Males responded negatively and females positively to increase in atmospheric pressure. CONCLUSION The data demonstrate complex utilization of available environmental cues to time reproductive aggregations in freshwater fish and their interactions during the reproductive season. The study highlights the need to acquire diverse data sets consisting of many environmental cues to achieve high accuracy of interpretation of reproductive timing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marek Šmejkal
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Daniel Bartoň
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Blabolil
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Kolařík
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Kubečka
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Sajdlová
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Allan T Souza
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research INAR, Forest Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marek Brabec
- Institute of Computer Science, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
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Linek N, Brzęk P, Gienapp P, O’Mara MT, Pokrovsky I, Schmidt A, Shipley JR, Taylor JRE, Tiainen J, Volkmer T, Wikelski M, Partecke J. A partial migrant relies upon a range-wide cue set but uses population-specific weighting for migratory timing. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2021; 9:63. [PMID: 34930467 PMCID: PMC8686659 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-021-00298-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many birds species range over vast geographic regions and migrate seasonally between their breeding and overwintering sites. Deciding when to depart for migration is one of the most consequential life-history decisions an individual may make. However, it is still not fully understood which environmental cues are used to time the onset of migration and to what extent their relative importance differs across a range of migratory strategies. We focus on departure decisions of a songbird, the Eurasian blackbird Turdus merula, in which selected Russian and Polish populations are full migrants which travel relatively long-distances, whereas Finnish and German populations exhibit partial migration with shorter migration distances. METHODS We used telemetry data from the four populations (610 individuals) to determine which environmental cues individuals from each population use to initiate their autumn migration. RESULTS When departing, individuals in all populations selected nights with high atmospheric pressure and minimal cloud cover. Fully migratory populations departed earlier in autumn, at longer day length, at higher ambient temperatures, and during nights with higher relative atmospheric pressure and more supportive winds than partial migrants; however, they did not depart in higher synchrony. Thus, while all studied populations used the same environmental cues, they used population-specific and locally tuned thresholds to determine the day of departure. CONCLUSIONS Our data support the idea that migratory timing is controlled by general, species-wide mechanisms, but fine-tuned thresholds in response to local conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Linek
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Paweł Brzęk
- Faculty of Biology, University of Białystok, Białystok, Poland
| | | | - M. Teague O’Mara
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, USA
| | - Ivan Pokrovsky
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, UB RAS, Ekaterinburg, Russia
- Institute of Biological Problems of the North, FEB RAS, Magadan, Russia
| | - Andreas Schmidt
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
| | - J. Ryan Shipley
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
| | | | - Juha Tiainen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Helsinki, Finland
- Lammi Biological Station, University of Helsinki, Lammi, Finland
| | - Tamara Volkmer
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Jesko Partecke
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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Abrahms B, Teitelbaum CS, Mueller T, Converse SJ. Ontogenetic shifts from social to experiential learning drive avian migration timing. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7326. [PMID: 34916500 PMCID: PMC8677782 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27626-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Migrating animals may benefit from social or experiential learning, yet whether and how these learning processes interact or change over time to produce observed migration patterns remains unexplored. Using 16 years of satellite-tracking data from 105 reintroduced whooping cranes, we reveal an interplay between social and experiential learning in migration timing. Both processes dramatically improved individuals' abilities to dynamically adjust their timing to track environmental conditions along the migration path. However, results revealed an ontogenetic shift in the dominant learning process, whereby subadult birds relied on social information, while mature birds primarily relied on experiential information. These results indicate that the adjustment of migration phenology in response to the environment is a learned skill that depends on both social context and individual age. Assessing how animals successfully learn to time migrations as environmental conditions change is critical for understanding intraspecific differences in migration patterns and for anticipating responses to global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briana Abrahms
- Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | | | - Thomas Mueller
- Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe-University Frankfurt and Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Sarah J Converse
- U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences & School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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Birds use individually consistent temperature cues to time their migration departure. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2026378118. [PMID: 34260383 PMCID: PMC8285904 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2026378118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Whether migratory populations are preadapted or constrained in responding to global climate change largely depends on which cues individuals use when deciding to start their migration. The identity of these cues is revealed by whether response thresholds are consistent within, but differ between, individuals (“repeatability”). By satellite tracking 48 individuals across multiple migrations, we show that 1) Asian houbara used the environmental cue of local temperature, which was correlated between wintering and breeding grounds, to time their spring migration departure; 2) departure responses to temperature varied between individuals but were individually repeatable; and 3) individuals’ use of temperature as a cue allowed for adaptive population-level change in migration timing, relative to annual variation in spring temperatures. A fundamental issue in migration biology is how birds decide when to start their journey, given that arriving too early or too late in a variable environment reduces individual fitness. Internal circannual regulation and predictable cues such as photoperiod prepare birds for migration, while variable external cues such as temperature and wind are thought to fine-tune departure times; however, this has not been demonstrated at the key point at which an individual animal decides to start migrating. In theory, environmental cues correlated between departure and arrival sites allow informed departure decisions. For 48 satellite-tracked Asian houbara Chlamydotis macqueenii, a medium-distance migrant with climatic connectivity between wintering and breeding areas, each tracked across multiple years, spring departure was under individually consistent temperature conditions, with greater individual repeatability than for photoperiod or wind. Individuals occupied a range of wintering sites latitudinally spanning 1,200 km but departed at lower temperatures from more northerly latitudes. These individual departure decisions produced earlier mean population-level departure and arrival dates in warmer springs. Phenological adjustments were fully compensatory, because individuals arrived on the breeding grounds under similar temperature conditions each year. Individuals’ autumn departure decisions were also repeatable for temperature but less distinct than for spring, likely because of relaxed time constraints on leaving breeding grounds and the use of wind as a supplementary departure cue. We show that individual-level departure decisions informed by local temperatures can preadapt a population to adjust its population-level phenology in response to annual variability in spring temperatures without requiring genetic change in reaction thresholds.
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