1
|
Conklin JR, Verkuil YI, Lefebvre MJM, Battley PF, Bom RA, Gill RE, Hassell CJ, Ten Horn J, Ruthrauff DR, Tibbitts TL, Tomkovich PS, Warnock N, Piersma T, Fontaine MC. High dispersal ability versus migratory traditions: Fine-scale population structure and post-glacial colonisation in bar-tailed godwits. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17452. [PMID: 38970373 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17452] [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: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
In migratory animals, high mobility may reduce population structure through increased dispersal and enable adaptive responses to environmental change, whereas rigid migratory routines predict low dispersal, increased structure, and limited flexibility to respond to change. We explore the global population structure and phylogeographic history of the bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica, a migratory shorebird known for making the longest non-stop flights of any landbird. Using nextRAD sequencing of 14,318 single-nucleotide polymorphisms and scenario-testing in an Approximate Bayesian Computation framework, we infer that bar-tailed godwits existed in two main lineages at the last glacial maximum, when much of their present-day breeding range persisted in a vast, unglaciated Siberian-Beringian refugium, followed by admixture of these lineages in the eastern Palearctic. Subsequently, population structure developed at both longitudinal extremes: in the east, a genetic cline exists across latitude in the Alaska breeding range of subspecies L. l. baueri; in the west, one lineage diversified into three extant subspecies L. l. lapponica, taymyrensis, and yamalensis, the former two of which migrate through previously glaciated western Europe. In the global range of this long-distance migrant, we found evidence of both (1) fidelity to rigid behavioural routines promoting fine-scale geographic population structure (in the east) and (2) flexibility to colonise recently available migratory flyways and non-breeding areas (in the west). Our results suggest that cultural traditions in highly mobile vertebrates can override the expected effects of high dispersal ability on population structure, and provide insights for the evolution and flexibility of some of the world's longest migrations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jesse R Conklin
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- BirdEyes, Centre for Global Ecological Change at the Faculties of Science & Engineering and Campus Fryslân, University of Groningen, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
| | - Yvonne I Verkuil
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- BirdEyes, Centre for Global Ecological Change at the Faculties of Science & Engineering and Campus Fryslân, University of Groningen, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Phil F Battley
- Zoology and Ecology Group, School of Food Technology and Natural Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Roeland A Bom
- BirdEyes, Centre for Global Ecological Change at the Faculties of Science & Engineering and Campus Fryslân, University of Groningen, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Robert E Gill
- U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
| | | | - Job Ten Horn
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
| | | | - T Lee Tibbitts
- U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
| | - Pavel S Tomkovich
- Zoological Museum, Moscow MV Lomonosov State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Nils Warnock
- Audubon Canyon Ranch, Cypress Grove Research Center, Marshall, California, USA
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- BirdEyes, Centre for Global Ecological Change at the Faculties of Science & Engineering and Campus Fryslân, University of Groningen, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Michaël C Fontaine
- MiVEGEC, CNRS, IRD, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Gunnarsson TG, Alves JA, Gilroy JJ, Þórisson B, Sutherland WJ, Potts PM, Gill JA. Movement of juvenile migratory birds from settlement to adulthood across the non-breeding range. J Anim Ecol 2024. [PMID: 38946701 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Among migratory vertebrates, high levels of fidelity to non-breeding sites during adulthood are common. If occupied sites vary in quality, strong site fidelity can have profound consequences for individual fitness and population demography. Given the prevalence of adult site fidelity, the regions of the non-breeding range to which juveniles first migrate, and the scale of any subsequent movements, are likely to be pivotal in shaping distributions and demographic processes across population ranges. However, inherent difficulties in tracking migratory individuals through early life mean that opportunities to quantify juvenile settlement and movements across non-breeding ranges, and the mechanisms involved, are extremely rare. Through long-term, range-wide resightings of hundreds of colour-marked individuals from their first migration to adulthood and the application of state-space models, we quantify levels of juvenile and adult regional-scale movements and distances at different life stages across the whole non-breeding distribution range in a migratory shorebird, the Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa islandica). We show that the probability of individuals changing non-breeding regions (seven historical wintering regions spanning the Western Europe range) at all ages is very low (mean movement probability = 10.9% from first to subsequent winter, and 8.3% from first adult winter to later winters). Movement between regions was also low between autumn and winter of the same year for both juveniles (mean movement probability = 17.0%) and adults (10.4%). The great majority of non-breeding movements from the first autumn to adulthood were within regions and less than 100 km. The scarcity of regional-scale non-breeding movements from the first autumn to adulthood means that the factors influencing where juveniles settle will be key determinants of non-breeding distributions and of the rate and direction of changes in distributions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - José A Alves
- South Iceland Research Centre, University of Iceland, Laugarvatn, Iceland
- Department of Biology & CESAM-Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - James J Gilroy
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Böðvar Þórisson
- South Iceland Research Centre, University of Iceland, Laugarvatn, Iceland
| | | | | | - Jennifer A Gill
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Schlicht E, Gilsenan C, Santema P, Türk A, Wittenzellner A, Kempenaers B. Removal of older males increases extra-pair siring success of yearling males. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002584. [PMID: 38626215 PMCID: PMC11020368 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024] Open
Abstract
In animals, reproductive performance typically improves over time early in life. Several ultimate and proximate mechanisms may contribute to such an age-related improvement and these mechanisms can act in a relative or in an absolute sense. Low performance of young individuals may be the consequence of a comparison or competition with older individuals (relative), or it may be due to specific traits of young individuals and be unrelated to the presence of older competitors (absolute). Here, we perform a test to disentangle whether the effect of age class (yearling or older) on male extra-pair siring success is relative or absolute. Male age is the most consistent predictor of male extra-pair siring success across bird species, yet the mechanisms underlying this pattern are not well understood. Low extra-pair siring success of yearling males may be a consequence of the presence of older ("adult") males (hypothesis 1), because adult males are more successful in intra- and intersexual interactions or because females prefer to copulate with adult males when available (relative preference). Alternatively, low extra-pair siring success of yearlings may be independent of the presence of adult males (hypothesis 2), for example, if yearling males on average invest less in extra-pair behavior or if females avoid them as extra-pair mates, independent of the availability of older males (absolute preference). To distinguish between these 2 hypotheses, we experimentally manipulated the age structure of a nest-box-breeding population of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) by removing almost all adult males, and compared patterns of extra-pair paternity in the experimental year with those from the preceding 15 "control" years. Removal of adult males resulted in a substantial increase in the extra-pair siring success of yearling males compared to the "control" years, but did not affect the population-level frequency of extra-pair paternity or its spatial patterns. Our results provide clear evidence that extra-pair siring success of yearlings can increase and that it depends on the presence of older males in the population, indicating a relative effect of age on reproductive performance. These results suggest that older males outcompete yearling males in direct or indirect interactions, in sperm competition or as a result of differences in attractiveness to females.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emmi Schlicht
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Department of Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Carol Gilsenan
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Department of Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Peter Santema
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Department of Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Agnes Türk
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Department of Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Andrea Wittenzellner
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Department of Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Department of Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
van Bemmelen RSA, Moe B, Schekkerman H, Hansen SA, Snell KRS, Humphreys EM, Mäntylä E, Hallgrimsson GT, Gilg O, Ehrich D, Calladine J, Hammer S, Harris S, Lang J, Vignisson SR, Kolbeinsson Y, Nuotio K, Sillanpää M, Sittler B, Sokolov A, Klaassen RHG, Phillips RA, Tulp I. Synchronous timing of return to breeding sites in a long-distance migratory seabird with ocean-scale variation in migration schedules. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2024; 12:22. [PMID: 38520007 PMCID: PMC10960466 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-024-00459-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Migratory birds generally have tightly scheduled annual cycles, in which delays can have carry-over effects on the timing of later events, ultimately impacting reproductive output. Whether temporal carry-over effects are more pronounced among migrations over larger distances, with tighter schedules, is a largely unexplored question. METHODS We tracked individual Arctic Skuas Stercorarius parasiticus, a long-distance migratory seabird, from eight breeding populations between Greenland and Siberia using light-level geolocators. We tested whether migration schedules among breeding populations differ as a function of their use of seven widely divergent wintering areas across the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean. RESULTS Breeding at higher latitudes led not only to later reproduction and migration, but also faster spring migration and shorter time between return to the breeding area and clutch initiation. Wintering area was consistent within individuals among years; and more distant areas were associated with more time spent on migration and less time in the wintering areas. Skuas adjusted the period spent in the wintering area, regardless of migration distance, which buffered the variation in timing of autumn migration. Choice of wintering area had only minor effects on timing of return at the breeding area and timing of breeding and these effects were not consistent between breeding populations. CONCLUSION The lack of a consistent effect of wintering area on timing of return between breeding areas indicates that individuals synchronize their arrival with others in their population despite extensive individual differences in migration strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rob S A van Bemmelen
- Wageningen Marine Research, Haringkade 1, 1976 CP, IJmuiden, The Netherlands.
- Waardenburg Ecology, Culemborg, The Netherlands.
| | - Børge Moe
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway
| | | | | | - Katherine R S Snell
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
| | - Elizabeth M Humphreys
- British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Scotland, Stirling University Innovation Park, Stirling, FK9 4NF, UK
| | - Elina Mäntylä
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Applied Zoology/Animal Ecology, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | | | - Olivier Gilg
- UMR 6249 Chrono-Environnement, CNRS, Université de Bourgogne Franche Comté, 25000, Besançon, France
- Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Arctique, 16 Rue de Vernot, 21440, Francheville, France
| | | | - John Calladine
- British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Scotland, Stirling University Innovation Park, Stirling, FK9 4NF, UK
| | - Sjúrður Hammer
- Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Faroe Islands, Vestarabryggja 15, 100, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
| | - Sarah Harris
- British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU, UK
| | - Johannes Lang
- Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Arctique, 16 Rue de Vernot, 21440, Francheville, France
- University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | | | | | - Kimmo Nuotio
- Pori Ornithological Society, Pori, Finland
- Environmental Agency, Pori, Finland
| | | | - Benoît Sittler
- Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Arctique, 16 Rue de Vernot, 21440, Francheville, France
- University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Aleksandr Sokolov
- Arctic Research Station of Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Labytnangi, Russia
| | - Raymond H G Klaassen
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Groningen University, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Richard A Phillips
- British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Cambridge, UK
| | - Ingrid Tulp
- Wageningen Marine Research, Haringkade 1, 1976 CP, IJmuiden, The Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Age-related changes in migratory behaviour within the first annual cycle of a passerine bird. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0273686. [PMID: 36260548 PMCID: PMC9581414 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
First time migrants (juveniles hereafter) of many species migrate without specific knowledge of non-breeding locations, but experience may aid adults in timing and route decisions because they can migrate more efficiently to their previous non-breeding sites. Consequently, we expect a transition to more efficient migratory behaviour with age, but when and how this happens is little known. We used light-level geolocator data from Cyprus wheatears Oenanthe cypriaca to compare migration timing and route directness between juveniles and adults, and repeatability of their timing and non-breeding locations. We predicted that juveniles would depart and arrive later than adults for both autumn and spring migration; that duration of migration would be greater for juveniles; that routes taken by juveniles would be less direct than those for adults; and that autumn and spring departure timing, and non-breeding locations, would be more repeatable for adults between two years than for juveniles between their first and subsequent migration. We found that juveniles departed significantly later than adults in autumn but there was no difference in arrival timing, and although spring departure timings did not differ, juveniles arrived on the breeding grounds later than adults. Nevertheless, we found no significant age-related difference in the duration of migration in autumn or spring. Yet, juvenile migrations were less direct than those of adults in autumn, but not spring. We found evidence that spring departure timing and non-breeding locations were repeatable for adults but not juveniles. Our findings show that age-related changes in migratory behaviour begin to occur during the first annual cycle demonstrating the potential for early adaptation to environmental variability within an individual's life.
Collapse
|
6
|
Morrick ZN, Lilleyman A, Fuller RA, Bush R, Coleman JT, Garnett ST, Gerasimov YN, Jessop R, Ma Z, Maglio G, Minton CDT, Syroechkovskiy E, Woodworth BK. Differential population trends align with migratory connectivity in an endangered shorebird. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Zaine N. Morrick
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Amanda Lilleyman
- Threatened Species Recovery Hub, National Environmental Science Program, Research Institute for Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Casuarina Northern Territory Australia
| | - Richard A. Fuller
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Robert Bush
- Queensland Wader Study Group Brisbane Queensland Australia
- Australasian Wader Studies Group Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | | | - Stephen T. Garnett
- Threatened Species Recovery Hub, National Environmental Science Program, Research Institute for Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Casuarina Northern Territory Australia
- Queensland Wader Study Group Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | | | - Roz Jessop
- Australasian Wader Studies Group Melbourne Victoria Australia
- Victorian Wader Study Group Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Zhijun Ma
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, Institute of Biodiversity Science, School of Life Sciences Fudan University Shanghai China
| | - Grace Maglio
- Australasian Wader Studies Group Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Clive D. T. Minton
- Australasian Wader Studies Group Melbourne Victoria Australia
- Victorian Wader Study Group Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Evgeny Syroechkovskiy
- All‐Russian Research Institute for Nature Conservation of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment/BirdsRussia Moscow Russia
| | - Bradley K. Woodworth
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
- Queensland Wader Study Group Brisbane Queensland Australia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Verhoeven MA, Loonstra AHJ, McBride AD, Kaspersma W, Hooijmeijer JCEW, Both C, Senner NR, Piersma T. Age-dependent timing and routes demonstrate developmental plasticity in a long-distance migratory bird. J Anim Ecol 2021; 91:566-579. [PMID: 34822170 PMCID: PMC9299929 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Longitudinal tracking studies have revealed consistent differences in the migration patterns of individuals from the same populations. The sources or processes causing this individual variation are largely unresolved. As a result, it is mostly unknown how much, how fast and when animals can adjust their migrations to changing environments. We studied the ontogeny of migration in a long‐distance migratory shorebird, the black‐tailed godwit Limosa limosa limosa, a species known to exhibit marked individuality in the migratory routines of adults. By observing how and when these individual differences arise, we aimed to elucidate whether individual differences in migratory behaviour are inherited or emerge as a result of developmental plasticity. We simultaneously tracked juvenile and adult godwits from the same breeding area on their south‐ and northward migrations. To determine how and when individual differences begin to arise, we related juvenile migration routes, timing and mortality rates to hatch date and hatch year. Then, we compared adult and juvenile migration patterns to identify potential age‐dependent differences. In juveniles, the timing of their first southward departure was related to hatch date. However, their subsequent migration routes, orientation, destination, migratory duration and likelihood of mortality were unrelated to the year or timing of migration, or their sex. Juveniles left the Netherlands after all tracked adults. They then flew non‐stop to West Africa more often and incurred higher mortality rates than adults. Some juveniles also took routes and visited stopover sites far outside the well‐documented adult migratory corridor. Such juveniles, however, were not more likely to die. We found that juveniles exhibited different migratory patterns than adults, but no evidence that these behaviours are under natural selection. We thus eliminate the possibility that the individual differences observed among adult godwits are present at hatch or during their first migration. This adds to the mounting evidence that animals possess the developmental plasticity to change their migration later in life in response to environmental conditions as those conditions are experienced.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mo A Verhoeven
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - A H Jelle Loonstra
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Alice D McBride
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Wiebe Kaspersma
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jos C E W Hooijmeijer
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Christiaan Both
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Nathan R Senner
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Advancement in long-distance bird migration through individual plasticity in departure. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4780. [PMID: 34362899 PMCID: PMC8346503 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25022-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Globally, bird migration is occurring earlier in the year, consistent with climate-related changes in breeding resources. Although often attributed to phenotypic plasticity, there is no clear demonstration of long-term population advancement in avian migration through individual plasticity. Using direct observations of bar-tailed godwits (Limosa lapponica) departing New Zealand on a 16,000-km journey to Alaska, we show that migration advanced by six days during 2008-2020, and that within-individual advancement was sufficient to explain this population-level change. However, in individuals tracked for the entire migration (50 total tracks of 36 individuals), earlier departure did not lead to earlier arrival or breeding in Alaska, due to prolonged stopovers in Asia. Moreover, changes in breeding-site phenology varied across Alaska, but were not reflected in within-population differences in advancement of migratory departure. We demonstrate that plastic responses can drive population-level changes in timing of long-distance migration, but also that behavioral and environmental constraints en route may yet limit adaptive responses to global change.
Collapse
|
9
|
Li D, Davison G, Lisovski S, Battley PF, Ma Z, Yang S, How CB, Watkins D, Round P, Yee A, Srinivasan V, Teo C, Teo R, Loo A, Leong CC, Er K. Shorebirds wintering in Southeast Asia demonstrate trans-Himalayan flights. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21232. [PMID: 33311583 PMCID: PMC7732824 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77897-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Many birds wintering in the Indian subcontinent fly across the Himalayas during migration, including Bar-headed Geese (Anser indicus), Demoiselle Cranes (Anthropoides virgo) and Ruddy Shelducks (Tadorna ferruginea). However, little is known about whether shorebirds migrate across the Himalayas from wintering grounds beyond the Indian subcontinent. Using geolocators and satellite tracking devices, we demonstrate for the first time that Common Redshanks (Tringa totanus) and Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus) wintering in Singapore can directly fly over the Himalayas to reach breeding grounds in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and north-central Russia respectively. The results also show that migratory shorebirds wintering in Southeast Asia can use both the Central Asian Flyway and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. For Redshanks, westerly-breeding birds crossed the Himalayas while more easterly breeders on the Plateau migrated east of the Himalayas. For Whimbrels, an individual that crossed the Himalayas was probably from a breeding population that was different from the others that migrated along the coast up the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. The minimum required altitude of routes of trans-Himalayan Redshanks were no higher on average than those of eastern migrants, but geolocator temperature data indicate that birds departing Singapore flew at high elevations even when not required to by topography, suggesting that the Himalayan mountain range may be less of a barrier than assumed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Li
- National Parks Board, Singapore, 718925, Singapore.
| | | | - Simeon Lisovski
- Alfred-Wegener-Institute Helmholtz Centre for Marine and Polar Research, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Phil F Battley
- Wildlife & Ecology Group, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - Zhijun Ma
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Coastal Ecosystems Research Station of the Yangtze River Estuary, Institute of Biodiversity Science, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Shufen Yang
- National Parks Board, Singapore, 718925, Singapore
| | | | - Doug Watkins
- Australasian Wader Studies Group, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia
| | - Philip Round
- Department of Biology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Alex Yee
- National Parks Board, Singapore, 718925, Singapore
| | | | - Clarice Teo
- National Parks Board, Singapore, 718925, Singapore
| | - Robert Teo
- National Parks Board, Singapore, 718925, Singapore
| | - Adrian Loo
- National Parks Board, Singapore, 718925, Singapore
| | | | - Kenneth Er
- National Parks Board, Singapore, 718925, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Wanamaker SM, Singh D, Byrd AJ, Smiley TM, Ketterson ED. Local adaptation from afar: migratory bird populations diverge in the initiation of reproductive timing while wintering in sympatry. Biol Lett 2020; 16:20200493. [PMID: 33023381 PMCID: PMC7655480 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The initiation of reproduction in many seasonally breeding animals is controlled by photoperiod and tends to be clinal: populations at higher latitudes breed later than those at lower latitudes, often reflecting a higher photoperiodic threshold. Migratory animals presumably time reproduction to match conditions at their breeding grounds, at least in part, by cues perceived on their wintering grounds. We asked how closely related dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) populations that overwinter in sympatry but breed in allopatry respond to their shared winter environment by comparing early spring indices of readiness to migrate (fat and muscle condition) and breed (baseline and elevated testosterone). We measured stable hydrogen isotopes from feathers grown the preceding year and claws grown during winter to estimate breeding and wintering latitudes, respectively. We predicted that if reproductive initiation is adapted to the emergence of resources at their respective breeding destinations, then birds migrating to higher latitudes (slate-coloured junco; J. h. hyemalis) should delay breeding as compared with those migrating to lower latitudes (pink-sided junco; J. h. mearnsi) despite a common overwinter environment. We found higher testosterone in pink-sided juncos, consistent with earlier reproductive initiation, suggesting local adaptation in reproductive phenology is achieved through differential responses to predictive environmental cues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S. M. Wanamaker
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Environmental Resilience Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - D. Singh
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Environmental Resilience Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - A. J. Byrd
- Environmental Resilience Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - T. M. Smiley
- Environmental Resilience Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - E. D. Ketterson
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Environmental Resilience Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Oversummering in the southern hemisphere by long-distance migratory shorebirds calls for reappraisal of wetland conservation policies. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
|