Breeding site fidelity and winter admixture in a long-distance migrant, the tufted duck (Aythya fuligula)

AbstractOver a seven-year period, we used mark-recapture in a population of Flammulated Owls (Otus flammeolus) in the Zuni Mountains, New Mexico, to estimate adult breeding-site fidelity, mate fidelity, natal philopatry, and dispersal distances. We also used DNA fingerprinting to examine the genetic population structure of Flammulated Owls among four mountain ranges in New Mexico and one range in Utah. Mark-recapture revealed that adults are site-faithful and tend to maintain pair bonds between years, whereas juveniles show little natal philopatry. DNA fingerprinting revealed very low differentiation among populations, even between the New Mexico and Utah ranges, with population subdivision (FST) estimates ranging from 0.00 to 0.04. Heterozygosity values were high within each mountain range and, together with the low FST values, suggest that this Neotropical migrant may have long-distance natal dispersal and frequent intermountain dispersal.Datos de Marcado-Recaptura y Huellas Dactilares de ADN Revelan Alta Fidelidad a los Sitios de Cría, Baja Filopatría Natal y Bajos Niveles de Diferenciación Genética Poblacional en Otus flammeolus

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Advancement in long-distance bird migration through individual plasticity in departure

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-25022-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jesse R. Conklin ◽

Simeon Lisovski ◽

Phil F. Battley

Keyword(s):

Bird Migration ◽

Population Level ◽

Breeding Site ◽

Environmental Constraints ◽

Adaptive Responses ◽

Long Distance ◽

Direct Observations ◽

Breeding Resources ◽

Plastic Responses

AbstractGlobally, 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.

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Does Breeding Site Fidelity Drive Phenotypic and Genetic Sub-Structuring of a Population of Arctic Charr?

Evolutionary Ecology ◽

10.1007/s10682-005-2489-4 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 11-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Colin E. Adams ◽

Deborah J. Hamilton ◽

Ian Mccarthy ◽

Alastair J. Wilson ◽

Alan Grant ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Site Fidelity ◽

Arctic Charr ◽

Breeding Site

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Breeding site fidelity, and breeding pair infidelity in the endangered Carnaby’s Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus latirostris

Nature Conservation ◽

10.3897/natureconservation.27.27243 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 27 ◽

pp. 59-74 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Denis A. Saunders ◽

Nicole E. White ◽

Rick Dawson ◽

Peter R. M. Mawson

Keyword(s):

Western Australia ◽

Site Fidelity ◽

Breeding Site ◽

Breeding Population ◽

Breeding Pair ◽

Breeding Attempt ◽

The Stability

The ecology and behaviour of the endangered Carnaby’s Cockatoo Calyptorhynchuslatirostris have been studied in detail at Coomallo Creek in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia from 1969 until the present. Results of research on this breeding population conducted on individually marked birds from 1970 to 1990 were compared with results from analyses of DNA taken from nestlings in the study area from 2003, 2005, and each year from 2009 to 2013. Analyses of DNA confirmed earlier findings about the stability of adult breeding pairs, and that females used the same breeding hollow they used previously, provided the hollow was not occupied when they returned to breed. When moving to another hollow, they chose a hollow in the same vicinity of the previous hollow. Analyses in 22 cases where DNA was obtained from both nestlings of a breeding attempt revealed that in six (27.3%) cases, the second egg was fertilised by a male not paired with the female. These extra-pair copulations were not suspected during the earlier study based on observations of individually marked birds.

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Variation in winter site fidelity within and among individuals influences movement behavior in a partially migratory ungulate

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0258128 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (9) ◽

pp. e0258128

Author(s):

Timothy J. Fullman ◽

Brian T. Person ◽

Alexander K. Prichard ◽

Lincoln S. Parrett

Keyword(s):

Site Fidelity ◽

Rangifer Tarandus ◽

First Passage Time ◽

Cost Benefit ◽

Movement Behavior ◽

Long Distance ◽

Directed Movement ◽

Movement Trajectories ◽

Wintering Areas ◽

Wintering Area

Many animals migrate to take advantage of temporal and spatial variability in resources. These benefits are offset with costs like increased energetic expenditure and travel through unfamiliar areas. Differences in the cost-benefit ratio for individuals may lead to partial migration with one portion of a population migrating while another does not. We investigated migration dynamics and winter site fidelity for a long-distance partial migrant, barren ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti) of the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd in northern Alaska. We used GPS telemetry for 76 female caribou over 164 annual movement trajectories to identify timing and location of migration and winter use, proportion of migrants, and fidelity to different herd wintering areas. We found within-individual variation in movement behavior and wintering area use by the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd, adding caribou to the growing list of ungulates that can exhibit migratory plasticity. Using a first passage time–net squared displacement approach, we classified 78.7% of annual movement paths as migration, 11.6% as residency, and 9.8% as another strategy. Timing and distance of migration varied by season and wintering area. Duration of migration was longer for fall migration than for spring, which may relate to the latter featuring more directed movement. Caribou utilized four wintering areas, with multiple areas used each year. This variation occurred not just among different individuals, but state sequence analyses indicated low fidelity of individuals to wintering areas among years. Variability in movement behavior can have fitness consequences. As caribou face the pressures of a rapidly warming Arctic and ongoing human development and activities, further research is needed to investigate what factors influence this diversity of behaviors in Alaska and across the circumpolar Arctic.

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Observations of Long-distance Post-release Dispersal by Reintroduced Bison (Bison bison)

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v131i3.1825 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 131 (3) ◽

pp. 221-224 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Thomas S. Jung ◽

Nicholas C. Larter

Keyword(s):

Site Fidelity ◽

Performance Metrics ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Release Site ◽

Bison Bison ◽

Dispersal Ability ◽

Initial Population ◽

High Survival ◽

Long Distance ◽

Straight Line Distance

Key objectives of wildlife reintroduction projects should include encouraging post-release site fidelity and high survival rates of founding individuals. Yet, few studies empirically evaluate these performance metrics for released individuals. Bison(Bison bison) restoration is receiving renewed interest by wildlife managers. To inform new bison reintroduction projects, we provide an observation of a 375-km (straight-line distance) post-release movement of three bison bulls from a release site in Yukon, Canada, in 1988. In addition, we note 250-km and 155-km post-release movements of bison in the Northwest Territories, Canada, in 1980 and 1998, respectively. These observations demonstrate the dispersal ability of bison encountering new environments. Wildlife managers planning for new bison reintroductions should consider means to enhance post-release site fidelity to limit long-distance dispersal and mortality and maximize initial population growth.

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