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Wang X, Somveille M, Dokter AM, Cao W, Cheng C, Liu J, Ma Z. Macro-scale relationship between body mass and timing of bird migration. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4111. [PMID: 38750018 PMCID: PMC11096376 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48248-7] [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: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Clarifying migration timing and its link with underlying drivers is fundamental to understanding the evolution of bird migration. However, previous studies have focused mainly on environmental drivers such as the latitudes of seasonal distributions and migration distance, while the effect of intrinsic biological traits remains unclear. Here, we compile a global dataset on the annual cycle of migratory birds obtained by tracking 1531 individuals and 177 populations from 186 species, and investigate how body mass, a key intrinsic biological trait, influenced timings of the annual cycle using Bayesian structural equation models. We find that body mass has a strong direct effect on departure date from non-breeding and breeding sites, and indirect effects on arrival date at breeding and non-breeding sites, mainly through its effects on migration distance and a carry-over effect. Our results suggest that environmental factors strongly affect the timing of spring migration, while body mass affects the timing of both spring and autumn migration. Our study provides a new foundation for future research on the causes of species distribution and movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodan Wang
- Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary and Institute of Eco-Chongming, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Marius Somveille
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Adriaan M Dokter
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | - Wenhua Cao
- Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary and Institute of Eco-Chongming, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Chuyu Cheng
- Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary and Institute of Eco-Chongming, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Jiajia Liu
- Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary and Institute of Eco-Chongming, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Zhijun Ma
- Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary and Institute of Eco-Chongming, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China.
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2
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Byrd AJ, Talbott KM, Smiley TM, Verrett TB, Gross MS, Hladik ML, Ketterson ED, Becker DJ. Determinants of spring migration departure dates in a New World sparrow: Weather variables reign supreme. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10874. [PMID: 38390000 PMCID: PMC10883105 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10874] [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: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Numerous factors influence the timing of spring migration in birds, yet the relative importance of intrinsic and extrinsic variables on migration initiation remains unclear. To test for interactions among weather, migration distance, parasitism, and physiology in determining spring departure date, we used the Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) as a model migratory species known to harbor diverse and common haemosporidian parasites. Prior to spring migration departure from their wintering grounds in Indiana, USA, we quantified the intrinsic variables of fat, body condition (i.e., mass ~ tarsus residuals), physiological stress (i.e., ratio of heterophils to lymphocytes), cellular immunity (i.e., leukocyte composition and total count), migration distance (i.e., distance to the breeding grounds) using stable isotopes of hydrogen from feathers, and haemosporidian parasite intensity. We then attached nanotags to determine the timing of spring migration departure date using the Motus Wildlife Tracking System. We used additive Cox proportional hazard mixed models to test how risk of spring migratory departure was predicted by the combined intrinsic measures, along with meteorological predictors on the evening of departure (i.e., average wind speed and direction, relative humidity, and temperature). Model comparisons found that the best predictor of spring departure date was average nightly wind direction and a principal component combining relative humidity and temperature. Juncos were more likely to depart for spring migration on nights with largely southwestern winds and on warmer and drier evenings (relative to cooler and more humid evenings). Our results indicate that weather conditions at take-off are more critical to departure decisions than the measured physiological and parasitism variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison J Byrd
- Environmental Resilience Institute Indiana University Bloomington Indiana USA
- Department of Biology Indiana University Bloomington Indiana USA
| | | | - Tara M Smiley
- Department of Ecology and Evolution Stony Brook University Stony Brook New York USA
| | - Taylor B Verrett
- School of Biological Sciences University of Oklahoma Norman Oklahoma USA
| | - Michael S Gross
- U.S. Geological Survey California Water Science Center Sacramento California USA
| | - Michelle L Hladik
- U.S. Geological Survey California Water Science Center Sacramento California USA
| | - Ellen D Ketterson
- Environmental Resilience Institute Indiana University Bloomington Indiana USA
- Department of Biology Indiana University Bloomington Indiana USA
| | - Daniel J Becker
- School of Biological Sciences University of Oklahoma Norman Oklahoma USA
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3
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Thompson PR, Harrington PD, Mallory CD, Lele SR, Bayne EM, Derocher AE, Edwards MA, Campbell M, Lewis MA. Simultaneous estimation of the temporal and spatial extent of animal migration using step lengths and turning angles. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2024; 12:1. [PMID: 38191509 PMCID: PMC10775566 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00444-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animals of many different species, trophic levels, and life history strategies migrate, and the improvement of animal tracking technology allows ecologists to collect increasing amounts of detailed data on these movements. Understanding when animals migrate is important for managing their populations, but is still difficult despite modelling advancements. METHODS We designed a model that parametrically estimates the timing of migration from animal tracking data. Our model identifies the beginning and end of migratory movements as signaled by change-points in step length and turning angle distributions. To this end, we can also use the model to estimate how an animal's movement changes when it begins migrating. In addition to a thorough simulation analysis, we tested our model on three datasets: migratory ferruginous hawks (Buteo regalis) in the Great Plains, barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) in northern Canada, and non-migratory brown bears (Ursus arctos) from the Canadian Arctic. RESULTS Our simulation analysis suggests that our model is most useful for datasets where an increase in movement speed or directional autocorrelation is clearly detectable. We estimated the beginning and end of migration in caribou and hawks to the nearest day, while confirming a lack of migratory behaviour in the brown bears. In addition to estimating when caribou and ferruginous hawks migrated, our model also identified differences in how they migrated; ferruginous hawks achieved efficient migrations by drastically increasing their movement rates while caribou migration was achieved through significant increases in directional persistence. CONCLUSIONS Our approach is applicable to many animal movement studies and includes parameters that can facilitate comparison between different species or datasets. We hope that rigorous assessment of migration metrics will aid understanding of both how and why animals move.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter R Thompson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
| | - Peter D Harrington
- Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | | | - Subhash R Lele
- Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Erin M Bayne
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Andrew E Derocher
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Mark A Edwards
- Office of the Chief Scientist, Environment and Protected Areas, Government of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | | | - Mark A Lewis
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
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4
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Efrat R, Hatzofe O, Mueller T, Sapir N, Berger-Tal O. Early and accumulated experience shape migration and flight in Egyptian vultures. Curr Biol 2023; 33:5526-5532.e4. [PMID: 38042150 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.012] [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: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
Two types of experience affect animals' behavioral proficiencies and, accordingly, their fitness: early-life experience, an animal's environment during its early development, and acquired experience, the repeated practice of a specific task.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 Yet, how these two experience types and their interactions affect different proficiencies is still an open question. Here, we study the interactions between these two types of experience during migration, a critical and challenging period.9,10 We do so by comparing migratory proficiencies between birds with different early-life experiences and explain these differences by testing fine-scale flight mechanisms. We used data collected by GPS transmitters during 127 autumn migrations of 65 individuals to study the flight proficiencies of two groups of Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus), a long-distance, soaring raptor.11,12 The two groups differed greatly in their early-life experience, one group being captive bred and the other wild hatched.13 Both groups improved their migratory performance with acquired experience, exhibiting shorter migration times, longer daily progress, and improved flight skills, specifically more efficient soaring-gliding behavior. The observed improvements were mostly apparent for captive-bred vultures, which were the least efficient during their first migration but were able to catch up in their migratory performance already in the second migration. Thus, we show how the strong negative effects of early-life experience were offset by acquired experience. Our findings uncover how the interaction between early-life and acquired experiences may shape animals' proficiencies and shed new light on the ontogeny of animal migration, suggesting possible effects of sensitive periods of learning on the acquisition of migratory skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ron Efrat
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8499000 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel.
| | - Ohad Hatzofe
- Science Division, Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Am Ve'Olamo 3, 9546303 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Thomas Mueller
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Georg Voigt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Department of Biological Sciences, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt, Max von Laue, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Nir Sapir
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, 3498838 Haifa, Israel
| | - Oded Berger-Tal
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8499000 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
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5
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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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6
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Environmental and social correlates, and energetic consequences of fitness maximisation on different migratory behaviours in a long-lived scavenger. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03223-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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7
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Acácio M, Catry I, Soriano-Redondo A, Silva JP, Atkinson PW, Franco AMA. Timing is critical: consequences of asynchronous migration for the performance and destination of a long-distance migrant. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2022; 10:28. [PMID: 35725653 PMCID: PMC9901525 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-022-00328-3] [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: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Migration phenology is shifting for many long-distance migrants due to global climate change, however the timing and duration of migration may influence the environmental conditions individuals encounter, with potential fitness consequences. Species with asynchronous migrations, i.e., with variability in migration timing, provide an excellent opportunity to investigate how of the conditions individuals experience during migration can vary and affect the migratory performance, route, and destination of migrants. METHODS Here, we use GPS tracking and accelerometer data to examine if timing of autumn migration influences the migratory performance (duration, distance, route straightness, energy expenditure) and migration destinations of a long-distance, asynchronous, migrant, the white stork (Ciconia ciconia). We also compare the weather conditions (wind speed, wind direction, and boundary layer height) encountered on migration and examine the influence of wind direction on storks' flight directions. RESULTS From 2016 to 2020, we tracked 172 white storks and obtained 75 complete migrations from the breeding grounds in Europe to the sub-Saharan wintering areas. Autumn migration season spanned over a 3-month period (July-October) and arrival destinations covered a broad area of the Sahel, 2450 km apart, from Senegal to Niger. We found that timing of migration influenced both the performance and conditions individuals experienced: later storks spent fewer days on migration, adopted shorter and more direct routes in the Sahara Desert and consumed more energy when flying, as they were exposed to less supportive weather conditions. In the Desert, storks' flight directions were significantly influenced by wind direction, with later individuals facing stronger easterly winds (i.e., winds blowing to the west), hence being more likely to end their migration in western areas of the Sahel region. Contrastingly, early storks encountered more supportive weather conditions, spent less energy on migration and were exposed to westerly winds, thus being more likely to end migration in eastern Sahel. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that the timing of migration influences the environmental conditions individuals face, the energetic costs of migration, and the wintering destinations, where birds may be exposed to different environmental conditions and distinct threats. These findings highlight that on-going changes in migration phenology, due to environmental change, may have critical fitness consequences for long-distance soaring migrants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Acácio
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK.
| | - Inês Catry
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade Do Porto, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Andrea Soriano-Redondo
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade Do Porto, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal
- Helsinki Lab of Interdisciplinary Conservation Science (HELICS), Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - João Paulo Silva
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade Do Porto, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
| | | | - Aldina M A Franco
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
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8
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Athamnia M, Belabed BE, Samraoui KR, Boucheker A, Touati L, Samraoui F, El-Serehy HA, Samraoui B. Variability in Arrival Time of White Storks (Ciconia ciconia L.): Impact of Age, Interindividual Variation, and Global Change. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.841744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Global changes are inducing migratory birds to advance their annual cycle. However, changes in the time of arrival at their breeding grounds have significant fitness implications. This study aims to identify factors affecting the variability in arrival time of migratory white storks (Ciconia ciconia L.) and to determine if their arrival at North African breeding grounds is occurring earlier. We monitored the arrival of ringed white storks at a breeding colony in Algeria between 2017 and 2021. The birds arrived at this breeding colony over an extended period spanning mid-December to mid-June each year. We found that stork arrival was negatively correlated with age and year of arrival, with older birds arriving first and stragglers consisting of first- and second-year birds arriving later. Notably, arrivals have been shifting toward earlier dates at this breeding ground. Furthermore, cluster analysis of arrival dates for each age-class revealed two distinct groups comprising early and late arrivals. Advancement of the annual cycle of the North African white stork population is consistent with phenological shifts induced by global changes and that have been recorded globally in a wide range of living organisms.
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9
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Gauld JG, Silva JP, Atkinson PW, Record P, Acácio M, Arkumarev V, Blas J, Bouten W, Burton N, Catry I, Champagnon J, Clewley GD, Dagys M, Duriez O, Exo K, Fiedler W, Flack A, Friedemann G, Fritz J, Garcia‐Ripolles C, Garthe S, Giunchi D, Grozdanov A, Harel R, Humphreys EM, Janssen R, Kölzsch A, Kulikova O, Lameris TK, López‐López P, Masden EA, Monti F, Nathan R, Nikolov S, Oppel S, Peshev H, Phipps L, Pokrovsky I, Ross‐Smith VH, Saravia V, Scragg ES, Sforzi A, Stoynov E, Thaxter C, Van Steelant W, Toor M, Vorneweg B, Waldenström J, Wikelski M, Žydelis R, Franco AMA. Hotspots in the grid: Avian sensitivity and vulnerability to collision risk from energy infrastructure interactions in Europe and North Africa. J Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jethro G. Gauld
- School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Norwich UK
| | - João P. Silva
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos Universidade do Porto Vairão Portugal
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos Universidade de Lisboa Lisbon Portugal
| | | | | | - Marta Acácio
- School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Norwich UK
| | - Volen Arkumarev
- Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds BirdLife Bulgaria Sofia Bulgaria
| | - Julio Blas
- Department of Applied Biology Estación Biológica de Doñana Seville Spain
| | - Willem Bouten
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Niall Burton
- British Trust for Ornithology The Nunnery Thetford UK
| | - Inês Catry
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos Universidade do Porto Vairão Portugal
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos Universidade de Lisboa Lisbon Portugal
| | - Jocelyn Champagnon
- Tour du Valat Research institute for conservation of Mediterranean wetlands Arles France
| | - Gary D. Clewley
- British Trust for Ornithology Scotland Stirling University Innovation Park Stirling UK
| | | | - Olivier Duriez
- Centre of Evolutionary and Functional Ecology CNRS Campus Montpellier France
| | | | - Wolfgang Fiedler
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell am Bodensee Germany
| | - Andrea Flack
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell am Bodensee Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Constance Germany
| | | | | | | | - Stefan Garthe
- Research and Technology Centre (FTZ) Kiel University Kiel Germany
| | | | - Atanas Grozdanov
- Department of Zoology and Anthropology Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski Sofia Bulgaria
- Fund for wild Flora and Fauna Bulgaria
| | - Roi Harel
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem Israel
| | | | - René Janssen
- Bionet Natuuronderzoek EL Stein (Lb) The Netherlands
| | - Andrea Kölzsch
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell am Bodensee Germany
| | - Olga Kulikova
- Institute of Biological Problems of the North FEB RAS Magadan Russia
| | - Thomas K. Lameris
- Netherlands, Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Pascual López‐López
- Movement Ecology Lab, Environmental Research Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia Valencia Spain
| | - Elizabeth A. Masden
- Institute, North Highland College – UHI University of the Highlands and Islands Thurso UK
| | - Flavio Monti
- Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment University of Siena Siena Italy
| | - Ran Nathan
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem Israel
| | - Stoyan Nikolov
- Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds BirdLife Bulgaria Sofia Bulgaria
| | - Steffen Oppel
- Centre for Conservation Science Research Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Cambridge UK
| | - Hristo Peshev
- Fund for wild Flora and Fauna Bulgaria
- Department of Geography, Ecology and Environmental Protection South‐West University Neofit Rilski Blagoevgrad Bulgaria
| | - Louis Phipps
- The Vulture Conservation Foundation Zürich Switzerland
| | - Ivan Pokrovsky
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell am Bodensee Germany
- Institute of Plant & Animal Ecology, UB RAS Ekaterinburg Russia
- Institute of Biological Problems of the North, FEB RAS Magadan Russia
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Chris Thaxter
- British Trust for Ornithology The Nunnery Thetford UK
| | - Wouter Van Steelant
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Mariëlle Toor
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science Linnaeus University Kalmar Sweden
| | - Bernd Vorneweg
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell am Bodensee Germany
| | - Jonas Waldenström
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science Linnaeus University Kalmar Sweden
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell am Bodensee Germany
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Franklin KA, Nicoll MAC, Butler SJ, Norris K, Ratcliffe N, Nakagawa S, Gill JA. Individual repeatability of avian migration phenology: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:1416-1430. [PMID: 35385132 PMCID: PMC9546039 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Changes in phenology and distribution are being widely reported for many migratory species in response to shifting environmental conditions. Understanding these changes and the situations in which they occur can be aided by understanding consistent individual differences in phenology and distribution and the situations in which consistency varies in strength or detectability. Studies tracking the same individuals over consecutive years are increasingly reporting migratory timings to be a repeatable trait, suggesting that flexible individual responses to environmental conditions may contribute little to population-level changes in phenology and distribution. However, how this varies across species and sexes, across the annual cycle and in relation to study (tracking method, study design) and/or ecosystem characteristics is not yet clear. Here, we take advantage of the growing number of publications in movement ecology to perform a phylogenetic multilevel meta-analysis of repeatability estimates for avian migratory timings to investigate these questions. Of 2,433 reviewed studies, 54 contained suitable information for meta-analysis, resulting in 177 effect sizes from 47 species. Individual repeatability of avian migratory timings averaged 0.414 (95% confidence interval: 0.3-0.5) across landbirds, waterbirds and seabirds, suggesting consistent individual differences in migratory timings is a common feature of migratory systems. Timing of departure from the non-breeding grounds was more repeatable than timings of arrival at or departure from breeding grounds, suggesting that conditions encountered on migratory journeys and outcome of breeding attempts can influence individual variation. Population-level shifts in phenology could arise through individual timings changing with environmental conditions and/or through shifts in the numbers of individuals with different timings. Our findings suggest that, in addition to identifying the conditions associated with individual variation in phenology, exploring the causes of between-individual variation will be key in predicting future rates and directions of changes in migratory timings. We therefore encourage researchers to report the within- and between- individual variance components underpinning the reported repeatability estimates to aid interpretation of migration behaviour. In addition, the lack of studies in the tropics means that levels of repeatability in less strongly seasonal environments are not yet clear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsty A Franklin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK.,Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, UK
| | - Malcolm A C Nicoll
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, UK
| | - Simon J Butler
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | - Ken Norris
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, UK
| | - Norman Ratcliffe
- British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Ecology & Evolution Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jennifer A Gill
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
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11
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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: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [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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12
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Fang B, Yang Z, Shen M, Wu X, Hu J. Limited increase in asynchrony between the onset of spring green-up and the arrival of a long-distance migratory bird. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 795:148823. [PMID: 34229240 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
For many migrant bird species around the world, climate change has been shown to induce changes in the timings of arrival and the onset of spring food availability at breeding sites. However, whether such changes enlarged asynchrony between the timings of spring arrival of long-distance migratory birds and onset of vegetation greenness increase remain controversial. We used a 29-year phenological dataset to investigate the temporal changes in spring first-sighting date (FSD) of a long-distance migratory bird (barn swallow, Hirundo rustica), from observations at 160 local breeding sites across northern China, and the vegetation green-up onset date (VGD), determined from satellite observations of vegetation greenness. We found that both FSD and VGD trended earlier at over two-thirds of the breeding sites. FSD significantly advanced at 26.9% of the sites, and VGD significantly advanced at 23.8% of the sites. The degree of asynchrony between FSD and VGD changed significantly at one-third of the breeding sites (22.5% with an increase versus 11.3% with a decrease), leading to a limited increase of phenological mismatch. We speculated that climate change did not disrupt the climatic connections between most breeding sites and corresponding non-breeding sites (wintering grounds and migration routes). Our findings suggest that climate change may not greatly increase phenological mismatch between first arrival date of barn swallows and VGD at breeding sites. Importantly, this study should serve as a cue to encourage ecologists and conservation biologists to expand the context under which to explore the ecological consequences of phenological shifts beyond asynchrony, such as individual survival, population demography and ecosystem-level consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiyong Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Naqu Alpine Grassland Ecosystem Field Scientific Observation and Research Station, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tibet, China
| | - Miaogen Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
| | - Xiaoxu Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, College of Global Change and Earth System Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Junhua Hu
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China.
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13
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Kikuchi DW, Reinhold K. Modelling migration in birds: competition's role in maintaining individual variation. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210323. [PMID: 34753351 PMCID: PMC8580437 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals exhibit extensive intraspecific variation in behaviour. Causes of such variation are less well understood. Here, we ask when competition leads to the maintenance of multiple behavioural strategies. We model variability using the timing of bird migration as an example. Birds often vary in when they return from non-breeding grounds to establish breeding territories. We assume that early-arriving birds (counting permanent residents as 'earliest') select the best territories. But arriving before the optimal (frequency-independent) breeding date incurs a fitness penalty. Using simulations, we find stable sets of return dates. When year-round residency is viable, the greatest between-individual variation occurs when a small proportion of permanent residents is favoured, and the rest of the population varies in their return times. However, when fitness losses due to year-round residency exceed the benefits of breeding in the worst territory, all individuals migrate, although their return dates often vary continuously. In that case, individual variation is inversely related to fitness risks and positively related to territory inequality. This result is applicable across many systems: when there is more to gain through competition, or when its risks are small, a diversity of individual strategies prevails. Additionally, stability can depend upon the distribution of resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. W. Kikuchi
- Evolutionary Biology Department, Universität Bielefeld, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - K. Reinhold
- Evolutionary Biology Department, Universität Bielefeld, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
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14
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Fudickar AM, Jahn AE, Ketterson ED. Animal Migration: An Overview of One of Nature's Great Spectacles. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND SYSTEMATICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-012021-031035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The twenty-first century has witnessed an explosion in research on animal migration, in large part due to a technological revolution in tracking and remote-sensing technologies, along with advances in genomics and integrative biology. We now have access to unprecedented amounts of data on when, where, and how animals migrate across various continents and oceans. Among the important advancements, recent studies have uncovered a surprising level of variation in migratory trajectories at the species and population levels with implications for both speciation and the conservation of migratory populations. At the organismal level, studies linking molecular and physiological mechanisms to traits that support migration have revealed a remarkable amount of seasonal flexibility in many migratory animals. Advancements in the theory for why animals migrate have resulted in promising new directions for empirical studies. We provide an overview of the current state of knowledge and promising future avenues of study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam M. Fudickar
- Environmental Resilience Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA;, ,
| | - Alex E. Jahn
- Environmental Resilience Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA;, ,
| | - Ellen D. Ketterson
- Environmental Resilience Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA;, ,
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA
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15
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Lopez-Ricaurte L, Vansteelant WMG, Hernández-Pliego J, García-Silveira D, Bermejo-Bermejo A, Casado S, Cecere JG, de la Puente J, Garcés-Toledano F, Martínez-Dalmau J, Ortega A, Rodríguez-Moreno B, Rubolini D, Sarà M, Bustamante J. Barrier crossings and winds shape daily travel schedules and speeds of a flight generalist. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12044. [PMID: 34103580 PMCID: PMC8187636 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91378-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
External factors such as geography and weather strongly affect bird migration influencing daily travel schedules and flight speeds. For strictly thermal-soaring migrants, weather explains most seasonal and regional differences in speed. Flight generalists, which alternate between soaring and flapping flight, are expected to be less dependent on weather, and daily travel schedules are likely to be strongly influenced by geography and internal factors such as sex. We GPS-tracked the migration of 70 lesser kestrels (Falco naumanni) to estimate the relative importance of external factors (wind, geography), internal factors (sex) and season, and the extent to which they explain variation in travel speed, distance, and duration. Our results show that geography and tailwind are important factors in explaining variation in daily travel schedules and speeds. We found that wind explained most of the seasonal differences in travel speed. In both seasons, lesser kestrels sprinted across ecological barriers and frequently migrated during the day and night. Conversely, they travelled at a slower pace and mainly during the day over non-barriers. Our results highlighted that external factors far outweighed internal factors and season in explaining variation in migratory behaviour of a flight generalist, despite its ability to switch between flight modes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Lopez-Ricaurte
- Departament of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio 26, E-41092, Seville, Spain.
| | - Wouter M G Vansteelant
- Departament of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio 26, E-41092, Seville, Spain
| | | | - Daniel García-Silveira
- Departament of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio 26, E-41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Ana Bermejo-Bermejo
- Bird Monitoring Unit, SEO/BirdLife, C/Melquiades Biencinto 34, 28053, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Jacopo G Cecere
- Area Avifauna Migratrice, Istituto Superiore Per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Via Ca' Fornacetta 9, 40064, Ozzano dell'Emilia BO, Italy
| | - Javier de la Puente
- Bird Monitoring Unit, SEO/BirdLife, C/Melquiades Biencinto 34, 28053, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | - Diego Rubolini
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Maurizio Sarà
- Dipartimento STEBICEF, Università Degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 18, 90123, Palermo, Italy
| | - Javier Bustamante
- Departament of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio 26, E-41092, Seville, Spain.
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16
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Eikenaar C, Schäfer J, Hessler S, Packmor F, Schmaljohann H. Diel variation in corticosterone and departure decision making in migrating birds. Horm Behav 2020; 122:104746. [PMID: 32217064 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Revised: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Animals usually show distinct periods of diel activity and non-activity. Circulating baseline levels of glucocorticoid hormones (corticosterone and cortisol) often peak just before or at the transition from the non-active to the active period of the day. This upregulation of glucocorticoids may function to mobilize stored energy and prepare an animal for increased activity. Usually, the alternation of active and non-active periods is highly predictable; however, there is one group of animals for which this is not always the case. Many otherwise diurnal birds show nocturnal activity during the migration seasons. Nocturnal migratory flights are alternated with stopover periods during which the birds refuel and rest. Stopovers vary in length, meaning that nocturnal migrants are inactive in some nights (when they continue their stopover) but extremely active in other nights (when they depart and fly throughout the night). This provides an ideal natural situation for testing whether glucocorticoids are upregulated in preparation for an increase in activity, which we used in this study. We found that in northern wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe), corticosterone levels peaked in the few hours before sunset in birds departing from stopover that night, and, importantly, that this peak was absent in birds continuing stopover. This indicates that corticosterone is upregulated in the face of an increase in energy demands, underlining corticosterone's preparative metabolic function (energy mobilization). The timing of upregulation of corticosterone also gives a first insight in when during the day nocturnally migrating birds decide whether or not to resume migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cas Eikenaar
- Institute of Avian Research, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
| | - Jana Schäfer
- Institute of Avian Research, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Sven Hessler
- Institute of Avian Research, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Florian Packmor
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor LL57 2UW, United Kingdom
| | - Heiko Schmaljohann
- Institute of Avian Research, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany; Institute for Biology and Environmental Sciences (IBU), Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany
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17
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Robinson RA, Meier CM, Witvliet W, Kéry M, Schaub M. Survival varies seasonally in a migratory bird: Linkages between breeding and non-breeding periods. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2111-2121. [PMID: 32383289 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Migratory species form an important component of biodiversity; they link ecosystems across the globe, but are increasingly threatened by global environmental change. Understanding and mitigating threats requires knowledge of how demographic processes operate throughout the annual cycle, but this can be difficult to achieve when breeding and non-breeding grounds are widely separated. Our goal is to quantify the importance of variability in survival during the breeding and non-breeding seasons in determining variation in annual survival using a single population and, more broadly, the extent to which annual survival across species reflects variation in probability of surviving the migratory period. We use a 25-year dataset in which individuals of a long-distance migratory bird, the alpine swift Tachymarptis melba, were captured towards the beginning and end of each breeding season to estimate age- and season-specific survival probabilities and incorporate explicit estimation of the correlations in survival between age-classes and seasons. Monthly survival was higher during the breeding period than during the rest of the year and strongly affected by conditions in the breeding season; effects that remained apparent in the following non-breeding season, but not subsequently. Recruitment of juveniles was dependent on the timing of breeding, being higher if egg-laying commenced before the median date, and substantially lower if not. Across migratory bird species, variation in annual survival largely reflects variation in the probability of surviving the migratory period. Using a double-capture approach, even within a single season, provides valuable insights into the demography of migratory species, which will help understand the extent and impacts of the threats they face in a changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Robinson
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland.,British Trust for Ornithology, Thetford, UK
| | | | | | - Marc Kéry
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
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18
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Becciu P, Rotics S, Horvitz N, Kaatz M, Fiedler W, Zurell D, Flack A, Jeltsch F, Wikelski M, Nathan R, Sapir N. Causes and consequences of facultative sea crossing in a soaring migrant. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Becciu
- Animal Flight Laboratory Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology Institute of Evolution University of Haifa Haifa Israel
| | - Shay Rotics
- Movement Ecology Laboratory Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem Israel
| | - Nir Horvitz
- Movement Ecology Laboratory Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem Israel
| | - Michael Kaatz
- Vogelschutzwarte Storchenhof Loburg e.V. Loburg Germany
| | - Wolfgang Fiedler
- Department of Migration Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Damaris Zurell
- Geography Department Humboldt‐Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
- Land Change Science Swiss Federal Research Institute WSl Birmensdorf Switzerland
| | - Andrea Flack
- Department of Migration Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Florian Jeltsch
- Plant Ecology and Conservation Biology Institute for Biochemistry and Biology University of Potsdam Potsdam Germany
- Berlin‐Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB) Berlin Germany
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Ran Nathan
- Movement Ecology Laboratory Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem Israel
| | - Nir Sapir
- Animal Flight Laboratory Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology Institute of Evolution University of Haifa Haifa Israel
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19
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Phipps WL, López-López P, Buechley ER, Oppel S, Álvarez E, Arkumarev V, Bekmansurov R, Berger-Tal O, Bermejo A, Bounas A, Alanís IC, de la Puente J, Dobrev V, Duriez O, Efrat R, Fréchet G, García J, Galán M, García-Ripollés C, Gil A, Iglesias-Lebrija JJ, Jambas J, Karyakin IV, Kobierzycki E, Kret E, Loercher F, Monteiro A, Morant Etxebarria J, Nikolov SC, Pereira J, Peške L, Ponchon C, Realinho E, Saravia V, Sekercioğlu CH, Skartsi T, Tavares J, Teodósio J, Urios V, Vallverdú N. Spatial and Temporal Variability in Migration of a Soaring Raptor Across Three Continents. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
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20
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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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21
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Cheng Y, Fiedler W, Wikelski M, Flack A. "Closer-to-home" strategy benefits juvenile survival in a long-distance migratory bird. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:8945-8952. [PMID: 31462993 PMCID: PMC6706183 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Revised: 05/28/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Human-induced changes in the climate and environment that occur at an unprecedented speed are challenging the existence of migratory species. Faced with these new challenges, species with diverse and flexible migratory behaviors may suffer less from population decline, as they may be better at responding to these changes by altering their migratory behavior. At the individual level, variations in migratory behavior may lead to differences in fitness and subsequently influence the population's demographic dynamics. Using lifetime GPS bio-logging data from 169 white storks (Ciconia ciconia), we explore whether the recently shortened migration distance of storks affects their survival during different stages of their juvenile life. We also explore how other variations in migratory decisions (i.e., time, destination), movement activity (measured using overall body dynamic acceleration), and early life conditions influence juvenile survival. We observed that their first autumn migration was the riskiest period for juvenile white storks. Individuals that migrated shorter distances and fledged earlier experienced lower mortality risks. In addition, higher movement activity and overwintering "closer-to-home" (with 84.21% of the tracked individuals stayed Europe or North Africa) were associated with higher survival. Our study shows how avian migrants can change life history decisions over only a few decades, and thus it helps us to understand and predict how migrants respond to the rapidly changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yachang Cheng
- Department of MigrationMax Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorRadolfzellGermany
- Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| | - Wolfgang Fiedler
- Department of MigrationMax Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorRadolfzellGermany
- Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of MigrationMax Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorRadolfzellGermany
- Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective BehaviourUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| | - Andrea Flack
- Department of MigrationMax Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorRadolfzellGermany
- Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective BehaviourUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
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22
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Briedis M, Bauer S, Adamík P, Alves JA, Costa JS, Emmenegger T, Gustafsson L, Koleček J, Liechti F, Meier CM, Procházka P, Hahn S. A full annual perspective on sex-biased migration timing in long-distance migratory birds. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20182821. [PMID: 30963841 PMCID: PMC6408886 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In many taxa, the most common form of sex-biased migration timing is protandry-the earlier arrival of males at breeding areas. Here we test this concept across the annual cycle of long-distance migratory birds. Using more than 350 migration tracks of small-bodied trans-Saharan migrants, we quantify differences in male and female migration schedules and test for proximate determinants of sex-specific timing. In autumn, males started migration about 2 days earlier, but this difference did not carry over to arrival at the non-breeding sites. In spring, males on average departed from the African non-breeding sites about 3 days earlier and reached breeding sites ca 4 days ahead of females. A cross-species comparison revealed large variation in the level of protandry and protogyny across the annual cycle. While we found tight links between individual timing of departure and arrival within each migration season, only for males the timing of spring migration was linked to the timing of previous autumn migration. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that protandry is not exclusively a reproductive strategy but rather occurs year-round and the two main proximate determinants for the magnitude of sex-biased arrival times in autumn and spring are sex-specific differences in departure timing and migration duration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martins Briedis
- Department of Bird Migration, Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Silke Bauer
- Department of Bird Migration, Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Peter Adamík
- Department of Zoology, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
- Museum of Natural History, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - José A. Alves
- Department of Biology and Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
- South Iceland Research Centre, University of Iceland, Laugarvatn, Iceland
| | - Joana S. Costa
- Department of Biology and Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Tamara Emmenegger
- Department of Bird Migration, Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Lars Gustafsson
- Department of Animal Ecology/Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jaroslav Koleček
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Felix Liechti
- Department of Bird Migration, Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Christoph M. Meier
- Department of Bird Migration, Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Petr Procházka
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Steffen Hahn
- Department of Bird Migration, Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
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Schmaljohann H. The start of migration correlates with arrival timing, and the total speed of migration increases with migration distance in migratory songbirds: a cross-continental analysis. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2019; 7:25. [PMID: 31417677 PMCID: PMC6689889 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-019-0169-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anthropogenic changes in the climate and environment have globally affected ecological processes such that the spatiotemporal occurrence of the main annual cycle events (i.e., breeding, wintering, moulting, and migration) has shifted in migratory birds. Variation in arrival timing at migratory destinations can be proximately caused by an altered start of migration, total migration distance, and/or total speed of migration. Quantifying the relative contributions of these causes is important because this will indicate the mechanisms whereby birds could potentially adjust their annual cycle in response to global change. However, we have relatively little quantitative information about how each of these factors contributes to variation in arrival timing. My main aims are to estimate how arrival timing is correlated with variation in the start of migration and the total migration distance and how the total speed of migration may change with the total migration distance and body mass in a comprehensive analysis including multiple species. METHODS For this purpose, I considered individual tracks covering complete migrations from multiple species and distinguished between within- and between-species effects. RESULTS Assuming that the within- and between-species effects quantified under this approach agree with the effects acting at the individual level, starting migration one day later or increasing the total migration distance by 1000 km would result in later arrival timing by 0.4-0.8 days or 2-5 days, respectively. The generality with which the start of migration is correlated with arrival timing within species suggests that this is the general biological mechanism regulating arrival timing, rather than the total migration distance. The total speed of migration was positively correlated with the total migration distance but not with the bird's body mass. CONCLUSIONS As the start of migration is endogenously controlled and/or affected by hatching date, directional selection can probably act on existing within-species/within-population variation to alter arrival timing. This factor and the importance of variation in the start of migration for arrival timing suggest that migratory species/populations in which there is sufficient variation in the start of migration and transgenerational processes affect the corresponding timing may present an advantage over others in coping with anthropogenic-induced global changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heiko Schmaljohann
- Faculty of Biology/Environmental Sciences, University Oldenburg, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany
- Institute of Avian Research “Vogelwarte Helgoland”, An der Vogelwarte 21, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
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