Light-level geolocation reveals wintering distribution, migration routes, and primary stopover locations of an endangered long-distance migratory songbird

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan W. Cooper ◽  
Michael T. Hallworth ◽  
Peter P. Marra
Keyword(s):  
Light Level ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Migratory Songbird ◽  
Wintering Distribution

scholarly journals The influence of morphological variation on migration performance in a trans-hemispheric migratory songbird

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Lam ◽  
Emily A. McKinnon ◽  
James D. Ray ◽  
Myrna Pearman ◽  
Glen T. Hvenegaard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Morphological Traits ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Spring Migration ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Intrinsic Factors ◽  
Migratory Songbirds ◽  
Migratory Songbird ◽  
Direct Tracking

AbstractFor long-distance migratory songbirds, morphological traits such as longer wings and a smaller body size are predicted to increase migration efficiency. Due to previous limitations in our ability to track the long-distance journeys of small-bodied birds, the relationship between morphology and start-to-finish migration performance has never been fully tested in free-living songbirds. Using direct-tracking data obtained from light-level geolocators, we examined the effects of morphological factors (wing and body size) on spring and fall migration performance (flight speed, duration of stopovers, total stopovers taken) of a widely distributed, trans-hemispheric migratory songbird, the purple martin (Progne subis) (n = 120). We found that smaller-bodied birds spent fewer days at stopovers along fall migration, but larger-bodied birds spent fewer days at stopover and took fewer stopovers during spring migration. More of the variation in fall migration performance was explained by morphology, as compared to spring migration, possibly indicating a larger influence of environmental conditions on spring performance. Overall, our results partially support long-standing and previously untested predictions regarding the influence of intrinsic factors on migration performance. Future research should examine the influence of environmental variation on migration performance as well as additional morphological traits that may contribute to migration performance.

scholarly journals Reconstruction of long-distance bird migration routes using advanced machine learning techniques on geolocator data

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (155) ◽  
pp. 20190031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mattia Pancerasa ◽  
Matteo Sangiorgio ◽  
Roberto Ambrosini ◽  
Nicola Saino ◽  
David W. Winkler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Machine Learning Techniques ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Light Levels ◽  
Environmental Light ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Manual Selection

Geolocators are a well-established technology to reconstruct migration routes of animals that are too small to carry satellite tags (e.g. passerine birds). These devices record environmental light-level data that enable the reconstruction of daily positions from the time of twilight. However, all current methods for analysing geolocator data require manual pre-processing of raw records to eliminate twilight events showing unnatural variation in light levels, a step that is time-consuming and must be accomplished by a trained expert. Here, we propose and implement advanced machine learning techniques to automate this procedure and we apply them to 108 migration tracks of barn swallows ( Hirundo rustica ). We show that routes reconstructed from the automated pre-processing are comparable to those obtained from manual selection accomplished by a human expert. This raises the possibility of fully automating light-level geolocator data analysis and possibly analysing the large amount of data already collected on several species.

scholarly journals Habitat loss on the breeding grounds is a major contributor to population declines in a long-distance migratory songbird

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1949) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. Hallworth ◽  
Erin Bayne ◽  
Emily McKinnon ◽  
Oliver Love ◽  
Junior A. Tremblay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Annual Cycle ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Migratory Songbirds ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Migratory Songbird ◽  
Land Use Practices

Many migratory species are declining and for most, the proximate causes of their declines remain unknown. For many long-distance Neotropical migratory songbirds, it is assumed that habitat loss on breeding or non-breeding grounds is a primary driver of population declines. We integrated data collected from tracking technology, community science and remote sensing data to quantify migratory connectivity (MC), population trends and habitat loss. We quantified the correlation between forest change throughout the annual cycle and population declines of a long-distance migratory songbird, the Connecticut warbler ( Oporornis agilis , observed decline: −8.99% yr −1 ). MC, the geographic link between populations during two or more phases of the annual cycle, was stronger between breeding and autumn migration routes (MC = 0.24 ± 0.23) than between breeding and non-breeding locations (MC = −0.2 ± 0.14). Different Connecticut warbler populations tended to have population-specific fall migration routes but overlapped almost completely within the northern Gran Chaco ecoregion in South America. Cumulative forest loss within 50 km of breeding locations and the resulting decline in the largest forested patch index was correlated more strongly with population declines than forest loss on migratory stopover regions or on wintering locations in South America, suggesting that habitat loss during the breeding season is a driver of observed population declines for the Connecticut warbler. Land-use practices that retain large, forested patches within landscapes will likely benefit breeding populations of this declining songbird, but further research is needed to help inform land-use practices across the full annual cycle to minimize the impacts to migratory songbirds and abate ongoing population declines.

scholarly journals Geomagnetic imprinting predicts spatio-temporal variation in homing migration of pink and sockeye salmon

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (99) ◽  
pp. 20140542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan F. Putman ◽  
Erica S. Jenkins ◽  
Catherine G. J. Michielsens ◽  
David L. G. Noakes
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Olfactory Imprinting

Animals navigate using a variety of sensory cues, but how each is weighted during different phases of movement (e.g. dispersal, foraging, homing) is controversial. Here, we examine the geomagnetic and olfactory imprinting hypotheses of natal homing with datasets that recorded variation in the migratory routes of sockeye ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) and pink ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha ) salmon returning from the Pacific Ocean to the Fraser River, British Columbia. Drift of the magnetic field (i.e. geomagnetic imprinting) uniquely accounted for 23.2% and 44.0% of the variation in migration routes for sockeye and pink salmon, respectively. Ocean circulation (i.e. olfactory imprinting) predicted 6.1% and 0.1% of the variation in sockeye and pink migration routes, respectively. Sea surface temperature (a variable influencing salmon distribution but not navigation, directly) accounted for 13.0% of the variation in sockeye migration but was unrelated to pink migration. These findings suggest that geomagnetic navigation plays an important role in long-distance homing in salmon and that consideration of navigation mechanisms can aid in the management of migratory fishes by better predicting movement patterns. Finally, given the diversity of animals that use the Earth's magnetic field for navigation, geomagnetic drift may provide a unifying explanation for spatio-temporal variation in the movement patterns of many species.

Range‐wide populations of a long‐distance migratory songbird converge during stopover in the tropics

2019 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. e01349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila Gómez ◽  
Sara L. Guerrero ◽  
Alyssa M. FitzGerald ◽  
Nicholas J. Bayly ◽  
Keith A. Hobson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Long Distance ◽  
Migratory Songbird ◽  
The Tropics

scholarly journals Genome-wide footprints in the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) unveil a new domestication pattern of fruit trees in the Mediterranean

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Baumel ◽  
Gonzalo Nieto Feliner ◽  
Frederic Medail ◽  
Stefano La Malfa ◽  
Mario Diguardo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Plant Domestication ◽  
Mediterranean Forests ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Western Morocco ◽  
Carob Tree ◽  
The Mediterranean

Intense research efforts on phylogeography over the last two decades uncovered major biogeographical trends and renewed our understandings of plant domestication in the Mediterranean. We aim to investigate the evolutionary history and the origin of domestication of the carob tree that has been cultivated for millennia for food and fodder. We used >1000 microsatellite genotypes to identify carob evolutionary units (CEUs) based on genetic diversity structure and geography. We investigated genome-wide diversity and evolutionary patterns of the CEUs with 3557 SNPs generated by restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq). The 56 populations sampled across the Mediterranean basin, classified as natural, semi-natural or cultivated, were examined. Although, RADseq data are consistent with previous studies identifying a strong West-to-East genetic structure and considerable admixture in some geographic parts, we reconstructed a new phylogeographic scenario with two migration routes occurring from a single refugium likely located in South-Western Morocco. Our results do not favour the regionally bound or single origin of domestication. Indeed, our findings support a cultivation model of locally selected wild genotypes, albeit punctuated by long-distance westward dispersals of domesticated varieties by humans, concomitant with major cultural waves by Romans and Arabs in the regions of dispersal. Ex-situ efforts to preserve carob genetic resources should prioritize accessions from both western and eastern populations, with emphasis on the most differentiated CEUs situated in South-Western Morocco, South Spain and Eastern Mediterranean. Our study underscores the relevance of natural and seminatural habitats of Mediterranean forests and their refugia in the conservation efforts of tree crops.

No detectable effect of light-level geolocators on the behaviour and fitness of a long-distance migratory seabird

2019 ◽  
Vol 160 (4) ◽  
pp. 1087-1095 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Kürten ◽  
Oscar Vedder ◽  
Jacob González-Solís ◽  
Heiko Schmaljohann ◽  
Sandra Bouwhuis
Keyword(s):  
Light Level ◽  
Detectable Effect ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Effect Of Light

scholarly journals Bergmann's rule is followed at multiple stages of postembryonic development in a long‐distance migratory songbird

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (19) ◽  
pp. 10672-10686
Author(s):  
Joseph Youtz ◽  
Kelly D. Miller ◽  
Emerson K. Bowers ◽  
Samantha L. Rogers ◽  
Lesley P. Bulluck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Postembryonic Development ◽  
Bergmann’S Rule ◽  
Bergmann's Rule ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Migratory Songbird ◽  
Multiple Stages

scholarly journals Use of stable isotopes (δ2H, δ13C and δ15N) to infer the migratory connectivity of Terek Sandpipers (Xenus cinereus) at stopover sites in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 10-17
Author(s):  
Young-Min Moon ◽  
Kwanmok Kim ◽  
Jinhan Kim ◽  
Hwajung Kim ◽  
Jeong-Chil Yoo
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Conservation Strategy ◽  
Migratory Connectivity ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Stopover Sites ◽  
Wintering Areas

Stable isotopes are well documented as effective intrinsic markers to infer migratory connectivity which provides key information for establishing an effective conservation strategy in migratory birds. However, there are few studies using stable isotopes that have been applied to long-distance migratory shorebirds globally and such studies are especially scarce along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. We used stable isotope analysis (δ2H, δ13C and δ15N) to infer breeding and wintering areas and examine the differences in those values among populations of Terek Sandpipers ( Xenus cinereus) at stopover sites in South Korea. The range of δ2H in feathers sampled from birds caught in the Korean peninsula at spring and autumn migration stopover sites was consistent with them being grown at sites throughout their flyway as confirmed by leg flag resightings of birds on this flyway. The eastern Siberia region from Yakutsk to Norilsk and Chukotka in Russia was inferred as the most probable breeding area of the population. Papua New Guinea in the Melanesia region, Malaysia and Indonesia were identified as the most probable wintering areas. Isotope values of populations at different stopover sites and different seasons were consistent. These results suggest that stable isotopes can be effectively used alongside other existing methods (e.g. ringing, coloured leg flags, light level geolocation, satellite tag telemetry) to infer the migratory connectivity for long-distance migratory shorebird species that occur over many countries and continents.

scholarly journals Migration Routes and Strategies in a Highly Aerial Migrant, the Common Swift Apus apus, Revealed by Light-Level Geolocators

PLoS ONE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. e41195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Åkesson ◽  
Raymond Klaassen ◽  
Jan Holmgren ◽  
James W. Fox ◽  
Anders Hedenström
Keyword(s):  
Light Level ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
The Common
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