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Pierce AK, Yanco SW, Wunder MB. Seasonal migration alters energetic trade-off optimization and shapes life history. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14392. [PMID: 38400796 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14392] [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: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
Trade-offs between current and future reproduction manifest as a set of co-varying life history and metabolic traits, collectively referred to as 'pace of life' (POL). Seasonal migration modulates environmental dynamics and putatively affects POL, however, the mechanisms by which migratory behaviour shapes POL remain unclear. We explored how migratory behaviour interacts with environmental and metabolic dynamics to shape POL. Using an individual-based model of movement and metabolism, we compared fitness-optimized trade-offs among migration strategies. We found annual experienced seasonality modulated by migratory movements and distance between end-points primarily drove POL differentiation through developmental and migration phenology trade-offs. Similarly, our analysis of empirically estimated metabolic data from 265 bird species suggested seasonal niche tracking and migration distance interact to drive POL. We show multiple viable life-history strategies are conducive to a migratory lifestyle. Overall, our findings suggest metabolism mediates complex interactions between behaviour, environment and life history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison K Pierce
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Scott W Yanco
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Michael B Wunder
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
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2
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Schumm YR, Masello JF, Cohou V, Mourguiart P, Metzger B, Rösner S, Quillfeldt P. Should I stay or should I fly? Migration phenology, individual-based migration decision and seasonal changes in foraging behaviour of Common Woodpigeons. Naturwissenschaften 2022; 109:44. [PMID: 35976443 PMCID: PMC9385845 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-022-01812-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Migration is used by many species as a strategy to deal with a seasonally changing environment. For some species, migration patterns can vary across different or even within the same breeding area. The Common Woodpigeon Columba palumbus, an abundant and widespread Palearctic species, exhibits three migratory strategies (strictly migratory, partially migratory and resident) across its European breeding grounds. Based on ring recoveries and satellite tracking data, we investigated the migration and foraging behaviour of Woodpigeons breeding in Southwestern Europe (Portugal) and Central Europe (Germany). We found that individuals could be classified as residents (Portugal) or partial migrants (Germany), with migrating individuals following the European sector of the East Atlantic flyway, and mainly wintering in France. In addition to general data on migration phenology, we provide evidence for different migration strategies (migration of varying distances or resident behaviour), low wintering site fidelity and the use of multiple wintering sites. Furthermore, tracking data provided information on migratory behaviour in consecutive years, clearly showing that individuals may switch migratory strategies (resident vs. migrant) between years, i.e. are facultative partial migrants. While individuals from Portugal mainly stayed within a large park (‘green urban area’) year-round, Woodpigeons from the city of Giessen (Germany) regularly left the urban area to forage on surrounding farmland (with an average distance covered of 5.7 km), particularly from July to September. Overall, our results highlight the behavioural plasticity in Woodpigeons in terms of foraging and migration strategies within and amongst individuals as well as populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne R Schumm
- Department of Animal Ecology & Systematics, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Juan F Masello
- Department of Animal Ecology & Systematics, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Valerie Cohou
- GIFS France (Groupe d'investigations Sur La Faune Sauvage, France) - 111, Chemin de L'Herté, BP 10, 40465, Pontonx-sur-Adour, France
| | - Philippe Mourguiart
- GIFS France (Groupe d'investigations Sur La Faune Sauvage, France) - 111, Chemin de L'Herté, BP 10, 40465, Pontonx-sur-Adour, France
| | | | - Sascha Rösner
- Conservation Ecology, Department of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Petra Quillfeldt
- Department of Animal Ecology & Systematics, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany
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3
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Lambert C, Fort J. No evidence that seasonal changes in large-scale environmental conditions drive migration in seabirds. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:1813-1825. [PMID: 35681266 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Seasonal variability is one of the main drivers of seasonal movements like migration. The literature has suggested that bird migration is often driven by poor environmental conditions during one season and permits avoidance of resource shortage or harsh weather by tracking the more favourable conditions. We tested at the global scale, and focusing on seabirds, whether this pattern exists in the marine realm. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that seabird migration permits achieving stability in niche occupancy, and that it is triggered by seasonal variations in niche availability. We collated data on monthly presence of species over marine ecoregions from literature and expert knowledge. First, we quantified niche occupancy during breeding and non-breeding periods from environmental conditions encountered in ecoregions in which species were present at each periods and compared seasonal dynamics across migratory strategies. Second, we quantified the seasonal niche dynamics from simulated residency in breeding and non-breeding grounds to quantify the seasonality in niche availability and to test its effect on seabird migratory strategies. We demonstrated that all seabirds are niche trackers, yet resident and dispersive seabirds displayed higher levels of niche tracking throughout the year, regardless of the environmental seasonality, while migrants exhibited more divergent seasonal niches. In most cases, migratory status was not related to the unavailability of favourable conditions at the breeding or non-breeding grounds, suggesting that the availability of the favourable niche is not the main driver of migration. We hypothesise that this unexpected pattern might arise from strong constraints imposed on seabirds by the scarcity of suitable breeding sites which constrain the range of environments available for optimising reproductive success. This work sheds new light on the ecological drivers of migration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jérôme Fort
- LIENSs UMR 7266 La Rochelle Université-CNRS, La Rochelle, France
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4
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Linek N, Brzęk P, Gienapp P, O’Mara MT, Pokrovsky I, Schmidt A, Shipley JR, Taylor JRE, Tiainen J, Volkmer T, Wikelski M, Partecke J. A partial migrant relies upon a range-wide cue set but uses population-specific weighting for migratory timing. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2021; 9:63. [PMID: 34930467 PMCID: PMC8686659 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-021-00298-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many birds species range over vast geographic regions and migrate seasonally between their breeding and overwintering sites. Deciding when to depart for migration is one of the most consequential life-history decisions an individual may make. However, it is still not fully understood which environmental cues are used to time the onset of migration and to what extent their relative importance differs across a range of migratory strategies. We focus on departure decisions of a songbird, the Eurasian blackbird Turdus merula, in which selected Russian and Polish populations are full migrants which travel relatively long-distances, whereas Finnish and German populations exhibit partial migration with shorter migration distances. METHODS We used telemetry data from the four populations (610 individuals) to determine which environmental cues individuals from each population use to initiate their autumn migration. RESULTS When departing, individuals in all populations selected nights with high atmospheric pressure and minimal cloud cover. Fully migratory populations departed earlier in autumn, at longer day length, at higher ambient temperatures, and during nights with higher relative atmospheric pressure and more supportive winds than partial migrants; however, they did not depart in higher synchrony. Thus, while all studied populations used the same environmental cues, they used population-specific and locally tuned thresholds to determine the day of departure. CONCLUSIONS Our data support the idea that migratory timing is controlled by general, species-wide mechanisms, but fine-tuned thresholds in response to local conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Linek
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Paweł Brzęk
- Faculty of Biology, University of Białystok, Białystok, Poland
| | | | - M. Teague O’Mara
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, USA
| | - Ivan Pokrovsky
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, UB RAS, Ekaterinburg, Russia
- Institute of Biological Problems of the North, FEB RAS, Magadan, Russia
| | - Andreas Schmidt
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
| | - J. Ryan Shipley
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
| | | | - Juha Tiainen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Helsinki, Finland
- Lammi Biological Station, University of Helsinki, Lammi, Finland
| | - Tamara Volkmer
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Jesko Partecke
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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5
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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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6
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McCabe RA, Therrien JF, Wiebe K, Gauthier G, Brinker D, Weidensaul S, Reid D, Doyle FI, Jacobsen KO, Aarvak T, Øien IJ, Solheim R, Fitzgerald G, Smith N, Bates K, Fuller M, Miller E, Elliott KH. Density-dependent winter survival of immatures in an irruptive raptor with pulsed breeding. Oecologia 2021; 198:295-306. [PMID: 34657176 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05057-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Highly mobile predators can show strong numerical responses to pulsed resources, sometimes resulting in irruptions where large numbers of young invade landscapes at a continental scale. High production of young in irruption years may have a strong influence on the population dynamics unless immature survival is reduced compared to non-irruption years. This could occur if subordinate individuals (mainly immatures) are forced into suboptimal habitats due to density-dependent effects in irruption years. To test whether irruptive individuals had lower survival than non-irruptive ones, we combined necropsy results (N = 365) with telemetry (N = 185) from more than 20 years to record timing and causes of mortality in snowy owls (Bubo scandiacus), which irrupt into eastern North America during winter following high breeding output caused by lemming peaks in the Arctic. Mortality was more than four times higher in irruption years than non-irruption years, but only for immatures, and occurred disproportionately in early winter for immatures, but not adults. Mortality was also higher in eastern North America, where owl abundance fluctuates considerably between years, compared to core winter regions of the Arctic and Prairies where populations are more stable. Most mortality was not due to starvation, but rather associated with human activity, especially vehicle collisions. We conclude that immature snowy owls that irrupt into eastern North America are limited by density-dependent factors, such as increased competition forcing individuals to occupy risky human-altered habitats. For highly mobile, irruptive animals, resource pulses may have a limited impact on population dynamics due to low subsequent survival of breeding output during the nonbreeding season.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A McCabe
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada.
| | - Jean-François Therrien
- Acopian Center for Conservation Learning, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association, Orwigsburg, PA, USA
| | - Karen Wiebe
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Gilles Gauthier
- Department of Biology and Centre d'études Nordiques, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - David Brinker
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis, MD, USA
| | | | - Donald Reid
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Whitehorse, YT, Canada
| | - Frank I Doyle
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, BC, Canada
| | - Karl-Otto Jacobsen
- Department of Arctic Ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Tomas Aarvak
- Norwegian Ornithological Society/BirdLife Norway, Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Roar Solheim
- Natural History Museum, University of Agder, Kristiansand S, Norway
| | - Guy Fitzgerald
- Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | | | - Kirk Bates
- Boise State University, Raptor Research Center, Boise, ID, USA
| | - Mark Fuller
- Boise State University, Raptor Research Center, Boise, ID, USA
| | - Erica Miller
- Wildlife Futures Program, Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square, PA, USA
| | - Kyle H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
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7
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Linek N, Volkmer T, Shipley JR, Twining CW, Zúñiga D, Wikelski M, Partecke J. A songbird adjusts its heart rate and body temperature in response to season and fluctuating daily conditions. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200213. [PMID: 34121457 PMCID: PMC8200648 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In a seasonal world, organisms are continuously adjusting physiological processes relative to local environmental conditions. Owing to their limited heat and fat storage capacities, small animals, such as songbirds, must rapidly modulate their metabolism in response to weather extremes and changing seasons to ensure survival. As a consequence of previous technical limitations, most of our existing knowledge about how animals respond to changing environmental conditions comes from laboratory studies or field studies over short temporal scales. Here, we expanded beyond previous studies by outfitting 71 free-ranging Eurasian blackbirds (Turdus merula) with novel heart rate and body temperature loggers coupled with radio transmitters, and followed individuals in the wild from autumn to spring. Across seasons, blackbirds thermoconformed at night, i.e. their body temperature decreased with decreasing ambient temperature, but not so during daytime. By contrast, during all seasons blackbirds increased their heart rate when ambient temperatures became colder. However, the temperature setpoint at which heart rate was increased differed between seasons and between day and night. In our study, blackbirds showed an overall seasonal reduction in mean heart rate of 108 beats min-1 (21%) as well as a 1.2°C decrease in nighttime body temperature. Episodes of hypometabolism during cold periods likely allow the birds to save energy and, thus, help offset the increased energetic costs during the winter when also confronted with lower resource availability. Our data highlight that, similar to larger non-hibernating mammals and birds, small passerine birds such as Eurasian blackbirds not only adjust their heart rate and body temperature on daily timescales, but also exhibit pronounced seasonal changes in both that are modulated by local environmental conditions such as temperature. This article is part of the theme issue 'Measuring physiology in free-living animals (Part I)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Linek
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Tamara Volkmer
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - J Ryan Shipley
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Cornelia W Twining
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Limnological Institute, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Daniel Zúñiga
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Jesko Partecke
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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8
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Oppel S, Saravia V, Bounas A, Arkumarev V, Kret E, Dobrev V, Dobrev D, Kordopatis P, Skartsi T, Velevski M, Petrovski N, Bino T, Topi M, Klisurov I, Stoychev S, Nikolov SC. Population reinforcement and demographic changes needed to stabilise the population of a migratory vulture. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Oppel
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Cambridge UK
| | | | | | - Volen Arkumarev
- Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife Bulgaria Sofia Bulgaria
| | | | - Vladimir Dobrev
- Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife Bulgaria Sofia Bulgaria
| | - Dobromir Dobrev
- Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife Bulgaria Sofia Bulgaria
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Mirjan Topi
- Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania Tirana Albania
| | | | - Stoycho Stoychev
- Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife Bulgaria Sofia Bulgaria
| | - Stoyan C. Nikolov
- Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife Bulgaria Sofia Bulgaria
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9
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Acker P, Burthe SJ, Newell MA, Grist H, Gunn C, Harris MP, Payo-Payo A, Swann R, Wanless S, Daunt F, Reid JM. Episodes of opposing survival and reproductive selection cause strong fluctuating selection on seasonal migration versus residence. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210404. [PMID: 34004132 PMCID: PMC8131125 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantifying temporal variation in sex-specific selection on key ecologically relevant traits, and quantifying how such variation arises through synergistic or opposing components of survival and reproductive selection, is central to understanding eco-evolutionary dynamics, but rarely achieved. Seasonal migration versus residence is one key trait that directly shapes spatio-seasonal population dynamics in spatially and temporally varying environments, but temporal dynamics of sex-specific selection have not been fully quantified. We fitted multi-event capture-recapture models to year-round ring resightings and breeding success data from partially migratory European shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) to quantify temporal variation in annual sex-specific selection on seasonal migration versus residence arising through adult survival, reproduction and the combination of both (i.e. annual fitness). We demonstrate episodes of strong and strongly fluctuating selection through annual fitness that were broadly synchronized across females and males. These overall fluctuations arose because strong reproductive selection against migration in several years contrasted with strong survival selection against residence in years with extreme climatic events. These results indicate how substantial phenotypic and genetic variation in migration versus residence could be maintained, and highlight that biologically important fluctuations in selection may not be detected unless both survival selection and reproductive selection are appropriately quantified and combined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Acker
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Institutt for Biologi, NTNU, Norway
| | - Sarah J. Burthe
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, UK
| | - Mark A. Newell
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, UK
| | - Hannah Grist
- SAMS Research Services Ltd, European Marine Science Park, Oban, UK
| | - Carrie Gunn
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, UK
| | | | - Ana Payo-Payo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK
| | | | - Sarah Wanless
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, UK
| | - Francis Daunt
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, UK
| | - Jane M. Reid
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Institutt for Biologi, NTNU, Norway
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10
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Buechley ER, Oppel S, Efrat R, Phipps WL, Carbonell Alanís I, Álvarez E, Andreotti A, Arkumarev V, Berger-Tal O, Bermejo Bermejo A, Bounas A, Ceccolini G, Cenerini A, Dobrev V, Duriez O, García J, García-Ripollés C, Galán M, Gil A, Giraud L, Hatzofe O, Iglesias-Lebrija JJ, Karyakin I, Kobierzycki E, Kret E, Loercher F, López-López P, Miller Y, Mueller T, Nikolov SC, de la Puente J, Sapir N, Saravia V, Şekercioğlu ÇH, Sillett TS, Tavares J, Urios V, Marra PP. Differential survival throughout the full annual cycle of a migratory bird presents a life-history trade-off. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:1228-1238. [PMID: 33786863 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Long-distance migrations are among the most physically demanding feats animals perform. Understanding the potential costs and benefits of such behaviour is a fundamental question in ecology and evolution. A hypothetical cost of migration should be outweighed by higher productivity and/or higher annual survival, but few studies on migratory species have been able to directly quantify patterns of survival throughout the full annual cycle and across the majority of a species' range. Here, we use telemetry data from 220 migratory Egyptian vultures Neophron percnopterus, tracked for 3,186 bird months and across approximately 70% of the species' global distribution, to test for differences in survival throughout the annual cycle. We estimated monthly survival probability relative to migration and latitude using a multi-event capture-recapture model in a Bayesian framework that accounted for age, origin, subpopulation and the uncertainty of classifying fates from tracking data. We found lower survival during migration compared to stationary periods (β = -0.816; 95% credible interval: -1.290 to -0.318) and higher survival on non-breeding grounds at southern latitudes (<25°N; β = 0.664; 0.076-1.319) compared to on breeding grounds. Survival was also higher for individuals originating from Western Europe (β = 0.664; 0.110-1.330) as compared to further east in Europe and Asia, and improved with age (β = 0.030; 0.020-0.042). Anthropogenic mortalities accounted for half of the mortalities with a known cause and occurred mainly in northern latitudes. Many juveniles drowned in the Mediterranean Sea on their first autumn migration while there were few confirmed mortalities in the Sahara Desert, indicating that migration barriers are likely species-specific. Our study advances the understanding of important fitness trade-offs associated with long-distance migration. We conclude that there is lower survival associated with migration, but that this may be offset by higher non-breeding survival at lower latitudes. We found more human-caused mortality farther north, and suggest that increasing anthropogenic mortality could disrupt the delicate migration trade-off balance. Research to investigate further potential benefits of migration (e.g. differential productivity across latitudes) could clarify how migration evolved and how migrants may persist in a rapidly changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan R Buechley
- Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, Washington, DC, USA.,HawkWatch International, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Steffen Oppel
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ron Efrat
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | | | | | - Ernesto Álvarez
- GREFA (Grupo para la Rehabilitación de la Fauna Autóctona y su Hábitat) Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alessandro Andreotti
- Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Ozzano Emilia, Italy
| | - Volen Arkumarev
- Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife Bulgaria, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Oded Berger-Tal
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | | | - Anastasios Bounas
- Hellenic Ornithological Society/BirdLife Greece - Themistokleous 80, Athens, Greece
| | - Guido Ceccolini
- Association CERM Centro Rapaci Minacciati, Rocchette di Fazio (GR), Italy
| | - Anna Cenerini
- Association CERM Centro Rapaci Minacciati, Rocchette di Fazio (GR), Italy
| | - Vladimir Dobrev
- Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife Bulgaria, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Olivier Duriez
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valery Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - Javier García
- Department of Biodiversity and Environmental Management, University of León, León, Spain
| | | | - Manuel Galán
- GREFA (Grupo para la Rehabilitación de la Fauna Autóctona y su Hábitat) Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alberto Gil
- GREFA (Grupo para la Rehabilitación de la Fauna Autóctona y su Hábitat) Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lea Giraud
- Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux, Site Grands Causses, Peyreleau, France
| | - Ohad Hatzofe
- Science Division, Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | | | - Erik Kobierzycki
- Nature en Occitanie, Coordination Technique Plan National d' Actions Vautour Percnoptère, Bruges, France
| | | | | | - Pascual López-López
- Movement Ecology Lab, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Paterna, Spain
| | - Ygal Miller
- Science Division, Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Thomas Mueller
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Stoyan C Nikolov
- Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife Bulgaria, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | | | - Nir Sapir
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Victoria Saravia
- Hellenic Ornithological Society/BirdLife Greece - Themistokleous 80, Athens, Greece
| | - Çağan H Şekercioğlu
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,College of Sciences, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey.,KuzeyDoğa Derneği, Kars, Turkey
| | | | - José Tavares
- Vulture Conservation Foundation, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Vicente Urios
- Vertebrate Zoology Research Group, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Peter P Marra
- Department of Biology and McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
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11
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Lundblad CG, Conway CJ. Ashmole's hypothesis and the latitudinal gradient in clutch size. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:1349-1366. [PMID: 33754488 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
One enduring priority for ecologists has been to understand the cause(s) of variation in reproductive effort among species and localities. Avian clutch size generally increases with increasing latitude, both within and across species, but the mechanism(s) driving that pattern continue to generate hypotheses and debate. In 1961, a Ph.D. student at Oxford University, N. Philip Ashmole, proposed the influential hypothesis that clutch size varies in direct proportion to the seasonality of resources available to a population. Ashmole's hypothesis has been widely cited and discussed in the ecological literature. However, misinterpretation and confusion has been common regarding the mechanism that underlies Ashmole's hypothesis and the testable predictions it generates. We review the development of well-known hypotheses to explain clutch size variation with an emphasis on Ashmole's hypothesis. We then discuss and clarify sources of confusion about Ashmole's hypothesis in the literature, summarise existing evidence in support and refutation of the hypothesis, and suggest some under-utilised and novel approaches to test Ashmole's hypothesis and gain an improved understanding of the mechanisms responsible for variation in avian clutch size and fecundity, and life-history evolution in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl G Lundblad
- Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1141, Moscow, ID, 83844, U.S.A
| | - Courtney J Conway
- U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fish & Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1141, Moscow, ID, 83844, U.S.A
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12
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Rodgers PA, Sawyer H, Mong TW, Stephens S, Kauffman MJ. Sex‐specific migratory behaviors in a temperate ungulate. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick A. Rodgers
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Department of Zoology and Physiology University of Wyoming Laramie Wyoming82071USA
| | - Hall Sawyer
- Western Ecosystems Technology, Inc. 1610 Reynolds Street Laramie Wyoming82072USA
| | - Tony W. Mong
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department Cody Regional Office 2820 State Highway 120 Cody Wyoming82414USA
| | - Sam Stephens
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department Cheyenne Wyoming82009USA
| | - Matthew J. Kauffman
- U.S. Geological Survey Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Department of Zoology and Physiology University of Wyoming Laramie Wyoming82071USA
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13
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Acker P, Daunt F, Wanless S, Burthe SJ, Newell MA, Harris MP, Grist H, Sturgeon J, Swann RL, Gunn C, Payo‐Payo A, Reid JM. Strong survival selection on seasonal migration versus residence induced by extreme climatic events. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:796-808. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paul Acker
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Institutt for Biologi NTNU Trondheim Norway
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Hannah Grist
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
- Scottish Association for Marine Science Scottish Marine Institute Oban UK
| | - Jenny Sturgeon
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
| | | | - Carrie Gunn
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Midlothian UK
| | - Ana Payo‐Payo
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
| | - Jane M. Reid
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Institutt for Biologi NTNU Trondheim Norway
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14
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Kanerva AM, Hokkanen T, Lehikoinen A, Norrdahl K, Suhonen J. The impact of tree crops and temperature on the timing of frugivorous bird migration. Oecologia 2020; 193:1021-1026. [PMID: 32766935 PMCID: PMC7458887 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04726-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Migration has evolved to tackle temporal changes in availability of resources. Climate change has been shown to affect the migration dates of species, which raises the question of whether the variation in the timing of migration is climate or resource dependent? The relative importance of temperature and availability of food as drivers of migration behaviour during both spring and autumn seasons has been poorly studied. Here, we investigated these patterns in frugivorous and granivorous birds (hereafter frugivorous) that are assumed to postpone their autumn migration when there is plenty of food available, which may also advance upcoming spring migration. On the other hand, especially spring migration dates have been negatively connected with increasing temperatures. We tested whether the autumn and spring migration dates of eleven common frugivorous birds depended on the crop size of trees or ambient temperatures using 29 years of data in Finland. The increased crop sizes of trees delayed autumn migration dates; whereas, autumn temperature did not show a significant connection. We also observed a temporal trend towards later departure. Increasing temperature and crop sizes advanced spring arrival dates. Our results support the hypothesis that the timing of autumn migration in the frugivorous birds depends on the availability of food and is weakly connected with the variation in temperature. Importantly, crop size can have carry-over effects and affect the timing of spring arrival possibly because birds have overwintered closer to the breeding grounds after an abundant crop year.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tatu Hokkanen
- Natural resources/Forest management, Natural Resources Institute Finland, PO Box 2, 00791, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Aleksi Lehikoinen
- The Helsinki Lab of Ornithology, The Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, PO Box 17, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kai Norrdahl
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland
| | - Jukka Suhonen
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland.
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15
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Reid JM, Souter M, Fenn SR, Acker P, Payo-Payo A, Burthe SJ, Wanless S, Daunt F. Among-individual and within-individual variation in seasonal migration covaries with subsequent reproductive success in a partially migratory bird. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200928. [PMID: 32693718 PMCID: PMC7423652 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Within-individual and among-individual variation in expression of key environmentally sensitive traits, and associated variation in fitness components occurring within and between years, determine the extents of phenotypic plasticity and selection and shape population responses to changing environments. Reversible seasonal migration is one key trait that directly mediates spatial escape from seasonally deteriorating environments, causing spatio-seasonal population dynamics. Yet, within-individual and among-individual variation in seasonal migration versus residence, and dynamic associations with subsequent reproductive success, have not been fully quantified. We used novel capture-mark-recapture mixture models to assign individual European shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) to 'resident', 'early migrant', or 'late migrant' strategies in two consecutive years, using year-round local resightings. We demonstrate substantial among-individual variation in strategy within years, and directional within-individual change between years. Furthermore, subsequent reproductive success varied substantially among strategies, and relationships differed between years; residents and late migrants had highest success in the 2 years, respectively, matching the years in which these strategies were most frequently expressed. These results imply that migratory strategies can experience fluctuating reproductive selection, and that flexible expression of migration can be partially aligned with reproductive outcomes. Plastic seasonal migration could then potentially contribute to adaptive population responses to currently changing forms of environmental seasonality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane M. Reid
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, Scotland
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Institutt for Biologi, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Sarah R. Fenn
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, Scotland
| | - Paul Acker
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, Scotland
| | - Ana Payo-Payo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, Scotland
| | - Sarah J. Burthe
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Edinburgh EH26 0QB, Scotland
| | - Sarah Wanless
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Edinburgh EH26 0QB, Scotland
| | - Francis Daunt
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Edinburgh EH26 0QB, Scotland
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16
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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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17
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Lundblad CG, Conway CJ. Testing four hypotheses to explain partial migration: balancing reproductive benefits with limits to fasting endurance. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2796-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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18
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Buchan C, Gilroy JJ, Catry I, Franco AMA. Fitness consequences of different migratory strategies in partially migratory populations: A multi-taxa meta-analysis. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:678-690. [PMID: 31777950 PMCID: PMC7078763 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Partial migration—wherein migratory and non‐migratory individuals exist within the same population—represents a behavioural dimorphism; for it to persist over time, both strategies should yield equal individual fitness. This balance may be maintained through trade‐offs where migrants gain survival benefits by avoiding unfavourable conditions, while residents gain breeding benefits from early access to resources. There has been little overarching quantitative analysis of the evidence for this fitness balance. As migrants—especially long‐distance migrants—may be particularly vulnerable to environmental change, it is possible that recent anthropogenic impacts could drive shifts in fitness balances within these populations. We tested these predictions using a multi‐taxa meta‐analysis. Of 2,939 reviewed studies, 23 contained suitable information for meta‐analysis, yielding 129 effect sizes. Of these, 73% (n = 94) reported higher resident fitness, 22% (n = 28) reported higher migrant fitness, and 5% (n = 7) reported equal fitness. Once weighted for precision, we found balanced fitness benefits across the entire dataset, but a consistently higher fitness of residents over migrants in birds and herpetofauna (the best‐sampled groups). Residency benefits were generally associated with survival, not breeding success, and increased with the number of years of data over which effect sizes were calculated, suggesting deviations from fitness parity are not due to sampling artefacts. A pervasive survival benefit to residency documented in recent literature could indicate that increased exposure to threats associated with anthropogenic change faced by migrating individuals may be shifting the relative fitness balance between strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Buchan
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
| | - James J Gilroy
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
| | - Inês Catry
- Centro de Ecologia Aplicada 'Prof. Baeta Neves' and InBio - Rede de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Aldina M A Franco
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
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19
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Abstract
Understanding how breeding populations are spatially and temporarily associated with one another over the annual cycle has important implications for population dynamics. Migratory connectivity typically assumes that populations mix randomly; yet, in many species and populations, sex-, age- or other subgroups migrate separately, and/or spend the non-breeding period separated from each other-a phenomenon coined differential migration. These subgroups likely experience varying environmental conditions, which may carry-over to affect body condition, reproductive success and survival. We argue that environmental or habitat changes can have disproportional effects on a population's demographic rates under differential migration compared to random mixing. Depending on the relative contribution of each of these subgroups to population growth, environmental perturbations may be buffered (under-proportional) or amplified (over-proportional). Thus, differential migration may result in differential mortality and carry-over effects that can have concomitant consequences for dynamics and resilience of the populations. Recognizing the role of differential migration in migratory connectivity and its consequences on population dynamics can assist in developing conservation actions that are tailored to the most influential demographic group(s) and the times and places where they are at peril.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martins Briedis
- Swiss Ornithological Institute , Seerose 1, 6204 Sempach , Switzerland
| | - Silke Bauer
- Swiss Ornithological Institute , Seerose 1, 6204 Sempach , Switzerland
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20
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Winger BM, Auteri GG, Pegan TM, Weeks BC. A long winter for the Red Queen: rethinking the evolution of seasonal migration. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 94:737-752. [PMID: 30393938 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Revised: 10/02/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
This paper advances an hypothesis that the primary adaptive driver of seasonal migration is maintenance of site fidelity to familiar breeding locations. We argue that seasonal migration is therefore principally an adaptation for geographic persistence when confronted with seasonality - analogous to hibernation, freeze tolerance, or other organismal adaptations to cyclically fluctuating environments. These ideas stand in contrast to traditional views that bird migration evolved as an adaptive dispersal strategy for exploiting new breeding areas and avoiding competitors. Our synthesis is supported by a large body of research on avian breeding biology that demonstrates the reproductive benefits of breeding-site fidelity. Conceptualizing migration as an adaptation for persistence places new emphasis on understanding the evolutionary trade-offs between migratory behaviour and other adaptations to fluctuating environments both within and across species. Seasonality-induced departures from breeding areas, coupled with the reproductive benefits of maintaining breeding-site fidelity, also provide a mechanism for explaining the evolution of migration that is agnostic to the geographic origin of migratory lineages (i.e. temperate or tropical). Thus, our framework reconciles much of the conflict in previous research on the historical biogeography of migratory species. Although migratory behaviour and geographic range change fluidly and rapidly in many populations, we argue that the loss of plasticity for migration via canalization is an overlooked aspect of the evolutionary dynamics of migration and helps explain the idiosyncratic distributions and migratory routes of long-distance migrants. Our synthesis, which revolves around the insight that migratory organisms travel long distances simply to stay in the same place, provides a necessary evolutionary context for understanding historical biogeographic patterns in migratory lineages as well as the ecological dynamics of migratory connectivity between breeding and non-breeding locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M Winger
- Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, U.S.A
| | - Giorgia G Auteri
- Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, U.S.A
| | - Teresa M Pegan
- Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, U.S.A
| | - Brian C Weeks
- Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, U.S.A
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21
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Reid JM, Travis JMJ, Daunt F, Burthe SJ, Wanless S, Dytham C. Population and evolutionary dynamics in spatially structured seasonally varying environments. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 93:1578-1603. [PMID: 29575449 PMCID: PMC6849584 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Revised: 02/17/2018] [Accepted: 02/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Increasingly imperative objectives in ecology are to understand and forecast population dynamic and evolutionary responses to seasonal environmental variation and change. Such population and evolutionary dynamics result from immediate and lagged responses of all key life‐history traits, and resulting demographic rates that affect population growth rate, to seasonal environmental conditions and population density. However, existing population dynamic and eco‐evolutionary theory and models have not yet fully encompassed within‐individual and among‐individual variation, covariation, structure and heterogeneity, and ongoing evolution, in a critical life‐history trait that allows individuals to respond to seasonal environmental conditions: seasonal migration. Meanwhile, empirical studies aided by new animal‐tracking technologies are increasingly demonstrating substantial within‐population variation in the occurrence and form of migration versus year‐round residence, generating diverse forms of ‘partial migration’ spanning diverse species, habitats and spatial scales. Such partially migratory systems form a continuum between the extreme scenarios of full migration and full year‐round residence, and are commonplace in nature. Here, we first review basic scenarios of partial migration and associated models designed to identify conditions that facilitate the maintenance of migratory polymorphism. We highlight that such models have been fundamental to the development of partial migration theory, but are spatially and demographically simplistic compared to the rich bodies of population dynamic theory and models that consider spatially structured populations with dispersal but no migration, or consider populations experiencing strong seasonality and full obligate migration. Second, to provide an overarching conceptual framework for spatio‐temporal population dynamics, we define a ‘partially migratory meta‐population’ system as a spatially structured set of locations that can be occupied by different sets of resident and migrant individuals in different seasons, and where locations that can support reproduction can also be linked by dispersal. We outline key forms of within‐individual and among‐individual variation and structure in migration that could arise within such systems and interact with variation in individual survival, reproduction and dispersal to create complex population dynamics and evolutionary responses across locations, seasons, years and generations. Third, we review approaches by which population dynamic and eco‐evolutionary models could be developed to test hypotheses regarding the dynamics and persistence of partially migratory meta‐populations given diverse forms of seasonal environmental variation and change, and to forecast system‐specific dynamics. To demonstrate one such approach, we use an evolutionary individual‐based model to illustrate that multiple forms of partial migration can readily co‐exist in a simple spatially structured landscape. Finally, we summarise recent empirical studies that demonstrate key components of demographic structure in partial migration, and demonstrate diverse associations with reproduction and survival. We thereby identify key theoretical and empirical knowledge gaps that remain, and consider multiple complementary approaches by which these gaps can be filled in order to elucidate population dynamic and eco‐evolutionary responses to spatio‐temporal seasonal environmental variation and change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane M Reid
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, U.K
| | - Justin M J Travis
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, U.K
| | - Francis Daunt
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0QB, U.K
| | - Sarah J Burthe
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0QB, U.K
| | - Sarah Wanless
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0QB, U.K
| | - Calvin Dytham
- Department of Biology, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, U.K
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