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Hanmer HJ, Boersch-Supan PH, Robinson RA. Differential changes in life cycle-event phenology provide a window into regional population declines. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20220186. [PMID: 36043306 PMCID: PMC9428546 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change affects the phenology of annual life cycle events of organisms, such as reproduction and migration. Shifts in the timing of these events could have important population implications directly, or provide information about the mechanisms driving population trajectories, especially if they differ between life cycle event. We examine if such shifts occur in a declining migratory passerine bird (willow warbler, Phylloscopus trochilus), which exhibits latitudinally diverging population trajectories. We find evidence of phenological shifts in breeding initiation, breeding progression and moult that differ across geographic and spring temperature gradients. Moult initiation following warmer springs advances faster in the south than in the north, resulting in proportionally shorter breeding seasons, reflecting higher nest failure rates in the south and in warmer years. Tracking shifts in multiple life cycle events allowed us to identify points of failure in the breeding cycle in regions where the species has negative population trends, thereby demonstrating the utility of phenology analyses for illuminating mechanistic pathways underlying observed population trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugh J Hanmer
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK
| | - Philipp H Boersch-Supan
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK.,Department of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Robert A Robinson
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK
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2
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Kiat Y, Izhaki I, Sapir N. The effects of long-distance migration on the evolution of moult strategies in Western-Palearctic passerines. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 94:700-720. [PMID: 30334341 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2017] [Revised: 09/16/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Although feathers are the unifying characteristic of all birds, our understanding of the causes, mechanisms, patterns and consequences of the feather moult process lags behind that of other major avian life-history phenomena such as reproduction and long-distance migration. Migration, which evolved in many species of the temperate and arctic zones, requires high energy expenditure to endure long-distance journeys. About a third of Western-Palearctic passerines perform long-distance migrations of thousands of kilometres each year using various morphological, physiological, biomechanical, behavioural and life-history adaptations. The need to include the largely non-overlapping breeding, long-distance migration and feather moult processes within the annual cycle imposes a substantial constraint on the time over which the moult process can take place. Here, we review four feather-moult-related adaptations which, likely due to time constraints, evolved among long-distance Western-Palearctic migrants: (i) increased moult speed; (ii) increased overlap between moult and breeding or migration; (iii) decreased extent of plumage moult; and (iv) moult of part or all of the plumage during the over-wintering period in the tropics rather than in the breeding areas. We suggest that long-distance migration shaped the evolution of moult strategies and increased the diversity of these strategies among migratory passerines. In contrast to this variation, all resident passerines in the Western Palearctic moult immediately after breeding by renewing the entire plumage of adults and in some species also juveniles, while in other species juvenile moult is partial. We identify important gaps in our current understanding of the moult process that should be addressed in the future. Notably, previous studies suggested that the ancestral moult strategy is a post-breeding summer moult in the Western Palearctic breeding areas and that moult during the winter evolved due to the scheduling of long-distance migration immediately after breeding. We offer an alternative hypothesis based on the notion of southern ancestry, proposing that the ancestral moult strategy was a complete moult during the 'northern winter' in the Afro-tropical region in these species, for both adults and juveniles. An important aspect of the observed variation in moult strategies relates to their control mechanisms and we suggest that there is insufficient knowledge regarding the physiological mechanisms that are involved, and whether they are genetically fixed or shaped by environmental factors. Finally, research effort is needed on how global climate changes may influence avian annual routines by altering the scheduling of major processes such as long-distance migration and feather moult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yosef Kiat
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa 199 Aba Khoushy Avenue, Mount Carmel 3498838, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ido Izhaki
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa 199 Aba Khoushy Avenue, Mount Carmel 3498838, Haifa, Israel
| | - Nir Sapir
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa 199 Aba Khoushy Avenue, Mount Carmel 3498838, Haifa, Israel
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Tarka M, Hansson B, Hasselquist D. Selection and evolutionary potential of spring arrival phenology in males and females of a migratory songbird. J Evol Biol 2015; 28:1024-38. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2014] [Revised: 11/30/2014] [Accepted: 01/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Tarka
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics; Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Realfagsbygget; NTNU; Trondheim Norway
| | - B. Hansson
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution Lab; Department of Biology; Lund University; Lund Sweden
| | - D. Hasselquist
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution Lab; Department of Biology; Lund University; Lund Sweden
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Gamero A, Senar JC, Hohtola E, Nilsson JÅ, Broggi J. Population differences in the structure and coloration of great tit contour feathers. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gamero
- Department of Biology; University of Oulu; FIN-90014 Oulu Finland
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology; University of Göttingen; D-37077 Göttingen Germany
| | - Juan C. Senar
- Unitat Associada d'Ecologia Evolutiva i de la Conducta; CSIC; Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona; 08003 Barcelona Spain
| | - Esa Hohtola
- Department of Biology; University of Oulu; FIN-90014 Oulu Finland
| | - Jan-Åke Nilsson
- Department of Ecology, Animal Ecology; University of Lund; S-22362 Lund Sweden
| | - Juli Broggi
- Estación Biológica Doñana; CSIC; 41092 Sevilla Spain
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Saino N, Romano M, Rubolini D, Ambrosini R, Romano A, Caprioli M, Costanzo A, Bazzi G. A trade-off between reproduction and feather growth in the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica). PLoS One 2014; 9:e96428. [PMID: 24826890 PMCID: PMC4020794 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0096428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2014] [Accepted: 04/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Physiological trade-offs mediated by limiting energy, resources or time constrain the simultaneous expression of major functions and can lead to the evolution of temporal separation between demanding activities. In birds, plumage renewal is a demanding activity, which accomplishes fundamental functions, such as allowing thermal insulation, aerodynamics and socio-sexual signaling. Feather renewal is a very expensive and disabling process, and molt is often partitioned from breeding and migration. However, trade-offs between feather renewal and breeding have been only sparsely studied. In barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) breeding in Italy and undergoing molt during wintering in sub-Saharan Africa, we studied this trade-off by removing a tail feather from a large sample of individuals and analyzing growth bar width, reflecting feather growth rate, and length of the growing replacement feather in relation to the stage in the breeding cycle at removal and clutch size. Growth bar width of females and length of the growing replacement feather of both sexes were smaller when the original feather had been removed after clutch initiation. Importantly, in females both growth bar width and replacement feather length were negatively predicted by clutch size, and more strongly so for large clutches and when feather removal occurred immediately after clutch completion. Hence, we found strong, coherent evidence for a trade-off between reproduction, and laying effort in particular, and the ability to generate new feathers. These results support the hypothesis that the derived condition of molting during wintering in long-distance migrants is maintained by the costs of overlapping breeding and molt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Saino
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Maria Romano
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Diego Rubolini
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Ambrosini
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Romano
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | | | - Gaia Bazzi
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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Broggi J, Gamero A, Hohtola E, Orell M, Nilsson JÅ. Interpopulation variation in contour feather structure is environmentally determined in great tits. PLoS One 2011; 6:e24942. [PMID: 21949798 PMCID: PMC3176289 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2011] [Accepted: 08/24/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The plumage of birds is important for flying, insulation and social communication. Contour feathers cover most of the avian body and among other functions they provide a critical insulation layer against heat loss. Feather structure and composition are known to vary among individuals, which in turn determines variation in the insulation properties of the feather. However, the extent and the proximate mechanisms underlying this variation remain unexplored. Methodology/Principal Findings We analyzed contour feather structure from two different great tit populations adapted to different winter regimes, one northern population in Oulu (Finland) and one southern population in Lund (Sweden). Great tits from the two populations differed significantly in feather structure. Birds from the northern population had a denser plumage but consisting of shorter feathers with a smaller proportion containing plumulaceous barbs, compared with conspecifics from the southern population. However, differences disappeared when birds originating from the two populations were raised and moulted in identical conditions in a common-garden experiment located in Oulu, under ad libitum nutritional conditions. All birds raised in the aviaries, including adult foster parents moulting in the same captive conditions, developed a similar feather structure. These feathers were different from that of wild birds in Oulu but similar to wild birds in Lund, the latter moulting in more benign conditions than those of Oulu. Conclusions/Significance Wild populations exposed to different conditions develop contour feather differences either due to plastic responses or constraints. Environmental conditions, such as nutrient availability during feather growth play a crucial role in determining such differences in plumage structure among populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juli Broggi
- Department of Biology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
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Vágási CI, Pap PL, Barta Z. Haste makes waste: accelerated molt adversely affects the expression of melanin-based and depigmented plumage ornaments in house sparrows. PLoS One 2010; 5:e14215. [PMID: 21151981 PMCID: PMC2997061 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0014215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2010] [Accepted: 11/10/2010] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Many animals display colorful signals in their integument which convey information about the quality of their bearer. Theoretically, these ornaments incur differential production and/or maintenance costs that enforce their honesty. However, the proximate mechanisms of production costs are poorly understood and contentious in cases of non-carotenoid-based plumage ornaments like the melanin-based badge and depigmented white wing-bar in house sparrows Passer domesticus. Costly life-history events are adaptively separated in time, thus, when reproduction is extended, the time available for molt is curtailed and, in turn, molt rate is accelerated. Methodology/Principal Findings We experimentally accelerated the molt rate by shortening the photoperiod in order to test whether this environmental constraint is mirrored in the expression of plumage ornaments. Sparrows which had undergone an accelerated molt developed smaller badges and less bright wing-bars compared to conspecifics that molted at a natural rate being held at natural-like photoperiod. There was no difference in the brightness of the badge or the size of the wing-bar. Conclusions/Significance These results indicate that the time available for molt and thus the rate at which molt occurs may constrain the expression of melanin-based and depigmented plumage advertisements. This mechanism may lead to the evolution of honest signaling if the onset of molt is condition-dependent through the timing of and/or trade-off between breeding and molt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Csongor I Vágási
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary.
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GRIGGIO M, SERRA L, LICHERI D, CAMPOMORI C, PILASTRO A. Moult speed affects structural feather ornaments in the blue tit. J Evol Biol 2009; 22:782-92. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2009.01700.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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SVENSSON ERIK, HEDENSTRÖM ANDERS. A phylogenetic analysis of the evolution of moult strategies in Western Palearctic warblers (Aves: Sylviidae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.1999.tb01864.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Serra L, Griggio M, Licheri D, Pilastro A. Moult speed constrains the expression of a carotenoid-based sexual ornament. J Evol Biol 2007; 20:2028-34. [PMID: 17714319 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2007.01360.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the effect of moult speed on the expression of a sexually selected, carotenoid-based feather ornament in the rock sparrow (Petronia petronia). We experimentally accelerated the moult speed of a group of birds by exposing them to a rapidly decreasing photoperiod and compared the area and the spectral characteristics of their ornaments with those of control birds. Birds with accelerated moulting rate showed a smaller yellow patch with lower yellow reflectance compared to their slow-moulting counterparts. Considering that the time available for moulting is usually constrained between the end of the breeding season and migration or wintering, carotenoid feather ornaments, whose expression is mediated by moult speed, may convey long term information about an individual's condition, potentially encompassing the previous breeding season. Furthermore, the observed trade-off between moult speed and ornament expression may represent a previously unrecognized selective advantage for early breeding birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Serra
- Istituto Nazionale per la Fauna Selvatica, Via Ca' Fornacetta, Ozzano dell'Emilia BO, Italy.
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12
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The cost of reproduction: a new link between current reproductive effort and future reproductive success. Proc Biol Sci 1997. [DOI: 10.1098/rspb.1996.0106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 240] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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