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Somveille M, Bossu CM, DeSaix MG, Alvarado AH, Gómez Villaverde S, Rodríguez Otero G, Hernández-Baños BE, Smith TB, Ruegg KC. Broad-scale seasonal climate tracking is a consequence, not a driver, of avian migratory connectivity. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14496. [PMID: 39132717 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Tracking climatic conditions throughout the year is often assumed to be an adaptive behaviour underlying seasonal migration patterns in animal populations. We investigate this hypothesis using genetic markers data to map migratory connectivity for 27 genetically distinct bird populations from 7 species. We found that the variation in seasonal climate tracking across our suite of populations at a continental scale is more likely a consequence, rather than a direct driver, of migratory connectivity, which is primarily shaped by energy efficiency-i.e., optimizing the balance between accessing available resources and movement costs. However, our results also suggest that regional-scale seasonal precipitation tracking affects population migration destinations, thus revealing a potential scale dependency of ecological processes driving migration. Our results have implications for the conservation of these migratory species under climate change, as populations tracking climate seasonally are potentially at higher risk if they adapt to a narrow range of climatic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marius Somveille
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Christen M Bossu
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Matthew G DeSaix
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Allison H Alvarado
- Department of Biology, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, California, USA
| | | | - Genaro Rodríguez Otero
- Museo de Zoología, Departmento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Blanca E Hernández-Baños
- Museo de Zoología, Departmento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Thomas B Smith
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute for the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Kristen C Ruegg
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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2
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Barrientos R, Vickers W, Longcore T, Abelson ES, Dellinger J, Waetjen DP, Fandos G, Shilling FM. Nearby night lighting, rather than sky glow, is associated with habitat selection by a top predator in human-dominated landscapes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220370. [PMID: 37899023 PMCID: PMC10613539 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0370] [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: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is increasing in extent and intensity across the globe. It has been shown to interfere with animal sensory systems, orientation and distribution, with the potential to cause significant ecological impacts. We analysed the locations of 102 mountain lions (Puma concolor) in a light-polluted region in California. We modelled their distribution relative to environmental and human-disturbance variables, including upward radiance (nearby lights), zenith brightness (sky glow) and natural illumination from moonlight. We found that mountain lion probability of presence was highly related to upward radiance, that is, related to lights within approximately 500 m. Despite a general pattern of avoidance of locations with high upward radiance, there were large differences in degree of avoidance among individuals. The amount of light from artificial sky glow was not influential when included together with upward radiance in the models, and illumination from moonlight was not influential at all. Our results suggest that changes in visibility associated with lunar cycles and sky glow are less important for mountain lions in their selection of light landscapes than avoiding potential interactions with humans represented by the presence of nearby lights on the ground. This article is part of the theme issue 'Light pollution in complex ecological systems'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Barrientos
- Road Ecology Lab, Department of Biodiversity Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, José Antonio Novais 12, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Winston Vickers
- Wildlife Health Center, University of California, 1089 Veterinary Medicine Dr, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Travis Longcore
- Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Eric S. Abelson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas Austin, Austin, TX 78705, USA
| | - Justin Dellinger
- Large Carnivore Section, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, 260 Buena Vista Dr., Lander, WY 82520, USA
| | - David P. Waetjen
- Road Ecology Center, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Guillermo Fandos
- Department of Biodiversity Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, José Antonio Novais 12, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Fraser M. Shilling
- Road Ecology Center, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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3
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Callaghan CT, Palacio FX, Benedetti Y, Morelli F, Bowler DE. Large-scale spatial variability in urban tolerance of birds. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:403-416. [PMID: 36477754 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Quantifying intraspecific and interspecific trait variability is critical to our understanding of biogeography, ecology and conservation. But quantifying such variability and understanding the importance of intraspecific and interspecific variability remain challenging. This is especially true of large geographic scales as this is where the differences between intraspecific and interspecific variability are likely to be greatest. Our goal is to address this research gap using broad-scale citizen science data to quantify intraspecific variability and compare it with interspecific variability, using the example of bird responses to urbanization across the continental United States. Using more than 100 million observations, we quantified urban tolerance for 338 species within randomly sampled spatial regions and then calculated the standard deviation of each species' urban tolerance. We found that species' spatial variability in urban tolerance (i.e. standard deviation) was largely explained by the variability of urban cover throughout a species' range (R2 = 0.70). Variability in urban tolerance was greater in species that were more tolerant of urban cover (i.e. the average urban tolerance throughout their range), suggesting that generalist life histories are better suited to adapt to novel anthropogenic environments. Overall, species differences explained most of the variability in urban tolerance across spatial regions. Together, our results indicate that (1) intraspecific variability is largely predicted by local environmental variability in urban cover at a large spatial scale and (2) interspecific variability is greater than intraspecific variability, supporting the common use of mean values (i.e. collapsing observations across a species' range) when assessing species-environment relationships. Further studies, across different taxa, traits and species-environment relationships are needed to test the role of intraspecific variability, but nevertheless, we recommend that when possible, ecologists should avoid using discrete categories to classify species in how they respond to the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corey T Callaghan
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Davie, Florida, USA.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle - Jena - Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle - Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.,Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Facundo X Palacio
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de la Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Yanina Benedetti
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Federico Morelli
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.,Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Zielona Góra, Zielona Góra, Poland
| | - Diana E Bowler
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle - Jena - Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.,Helmoholtz Center for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Ecosystem Services, Leipzig, Germany
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4
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Auteri GG. A conceptual framework to integrate cold-survival strategies: torpor, resistance and seasonal migration. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20220050. [PMID: 35506240 PMCID: PMC9065958 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Freezing temperatures are inherently challenging for life, which is water based. How species cope with these conditions fundamentally shapes ecological and evolutionary processes. Despite this, there is no comprehensive conceptual framework for cold-survival strategies-seasonal migration, cold resistance and torpor. Here, I propose a framework with four components for conceptualizing and quantifying cold-survival strategies. Cold-survival strategies are (i) collectively encompassed by the proposed framework, and that this full breadth of strategies should be considered in focal species or systems (comprehensive consideration). These strategies also (ii) exist on a spectrum, such that species can exhibit partial use of strategies, (iii) are non-exclusive, such that some species use multiple strategies concurrently (combined use) and (iv) should collectively vary inversely and proportionally with one another when controlling for the external environment (e.g. when considering species that occur in sympatry in their summer range), such that use of one strategy reduces, collectively, the use of others (proportional use). This framework is relevant to understanding fundamental patterns and processes in evolution, ecology, physiology and conservation biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia G Auteri
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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6
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Ruegg K, Anderson EC, Somveille M, Bay RA, Whitfield M, Paxton EH, Smith TB. Linking climate niches across seasons to assess population vulnerability in a migratory bird. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:3519-3531. [PMID: 33844878 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Global loss of biodiversity has placed new urgency on the need to understand factors regulating species response to rapid environmental change. While specialists are often less resilient to rapid environmental change than generalists, species-level analyses may obscure the extent of specialization when locally adapted populations vary in climate tolerances. Until recently, quantification of the degree of climate specialization in migratory birds below the species level was hindered by a lack of genomic and tracking information, but recent technological advances have helped to overcome these barriers. Here we take a genome-wide genetic approach to mapping population-specific migratory routes and quantifying niche breadth within genetically distinct populations of a migratory bird, the willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii), which exhibits variation in the severity of population declines across its breeding range. While our sample size is restricted to the number of genetically distinct populations within the species, our results support the idea that locally adapted populations of the willow flycatcher with narrow climatic niches across seasons are already federally listed as endangered or in steep decline, while populations with broader climatic niches have remained stable in recent decades. Overall, this work highlights the value of quantifying niche breadth within genetically distinct groups across time and space when attempting to understand the factors that facilitate or constrain the response of locally adapted populations to rapid environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eric C Anderson
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | | | - Rachael A Bay
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | | | - Eben H Paxton
- U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, Hawaii National Park, HI, USA
| | - Thomas B Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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7
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Bay RA, Karp DS, Saracco JF, Anderegg WRL, Frishkoff LO, Wiedenfeld D, Smith TB, Ruegg K. Genetic variation reveals individual-level climate tracking across the annual cycle of a migratory bird. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:819-828. [PMID: 33594778 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
For migratory species, seasonal movements complicate local climate adaptation, as it is unclear whether individuals track climate niches across the annual cycle. In the migratory songbird yellow warbler (Setophaga petechia), we find a correlation between individual-level wintering and breeding precipitation, but not temperature. Birds wintering in the driest regions of the Neotropics breed in the driest regions of North America. Individuals from drier regions also possess distinct morphologies and population responses to varying rainfall. We find a positive association between bill size and breeding season precipitation which, given documented climate-associated genomic variation, might reflect adaptation to local precipitation regimes. Relative abundance in the breeding range is linked to interannual fluctuations in precipitation, but the directionality of this response varies across geography. Together, our results suggest that variation in climate optima may exist across the breeding range of yellow warblers and provide a mechanism for selection across the annual cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael A Bay
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Daniel S Karp
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - James F Saracco
- The Institute for Bird Populations, Petaluma, CA, 94952, USA
| | - William R L Anderegg
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Luke O Frishkoff
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA
| | | | - Thomas B Smith
- Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA
| | - Kristen Ruegg
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CA, 80523, USA
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8
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Fandos G, Rotics S, Sapir N, Fiedler W, Kaatz M, Wikelski M, Nathan R, Zurell D. Seasonal niche tracking of climate emerges at the population level in a migratory bird. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201799. [PMID: 32962549 PMCID: PMC7542805 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Seasonal animal migration is a widespread phenomenon. At the species level, it has been shown that many migratory animal species track similar climatic conditions throughout the year. However, it remains unclear whether such a niche tracking pattern is a direct consequence of individual behaviour or emerges at the population or species level through behavioural variability. Here, we estimated seasonal niche overlap and seasonal niche tracking at the individual and population level of central European white storks (Ciconia ciconia). We quantified niche tracking for both weather and climate conditions to control for the different spatio-temporal scales over which ecological processes may operate. Our results indicate that niche tracking is a bottom-up process. Individuals mainly track weather conditions while climatic niche tracking mainly emerges at the population level. This result may be partially explained by a high degree of intra- and inter-individual variation in niche overlap between seasons. Understanding how migratory individuals, populations and species respond to seasonal environments is key for anticipating the impacts of global environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Fandos
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, D-14469, Potsdam, Germany.,Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-10099 Berlin, Germany
| | - Shay Rotics
- Movement Ecology Lab, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behaviour, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus at Givat Ram, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nir Sapir
- Department Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, 3498838 Haifa, Israel
| | - Wolfgang Fiedler
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Michael Kaatz
- Vogelschutzwarte Storchenhof Loburg e.V., Loburg, Germany
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Ran Nathan
- Movement Ecology Lab, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behaviour, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus at Givat Ram, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Damaris Zurell
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, D-14469, Potsdam, Germany.,Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-10099 Berlin, Germany
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