scholarly journals Complex Day-to-day Movements of an Alpine Passerine May Act as an Insurance Against Environmental Variability

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnaud Gian Barras ◽  
Felix Liechti ◽  
Raphaël Arlettaz
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
Species Vulnerability ◽  
Mountain Habitats ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Spring Arrival ◽  
European Mountain

Abstract Mountains naturally offer very contrasting habitat conditions, but their biodiversity is nowadays facing the extra challenge of adapting to rapid environmental shifts that are much more pronounced than in the lowlands. Among the possible adaptive responses of wildlife, intra- and inter-seasonal movements represent an important coping strategy that remains largely unexplored. We investigated the seasonal and day-to-day movements of the ring ouzel Turdus torquatus, a European mountain bird species that is declining in many parts of its distribution. We tracked individuals breeding in the Swiss Alps using geolocators, multi-sensor loggers and GPS. Of the birds traced to their non-breeding quarters, two thirds reached the Atlas Mountains while one third stayed in Spain, a region potentially more significant for overwintering than previously thought. The birds remained mostly above 1000 m throughout the annual cycle, highlighting a strict association of ring ouzels with mountain habitats. We also evidenced flexible daily elevational movements, especially upon spring arrival on the breeding grounds, which suggest adaptive potential in response to environmental variation. This study shows how modern technology can deliver deeper insights into animal movements, paving the way for refined assessments of species vulnerability to ongoing global change while providing basic conservation guidance.

scholarly journals Complex Seasonal and Day-to-day Movements of an Alpine Passerine May Act as an Insurance Against Environmental Variability

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnaud Gian Barras ◽  
Felix Liechti ◽  
Raphaël Arlettaz
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
Species Vulnerability ◽  
Mountain Habitats ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Spring Arrival ◽  
European Mountain

Abstract Mountains naturally offer very contrasted habitat conditions, but their biodiversity is nowadays facing the extra challenge of adapting to rapid environmental shifts that are much more pronounced than in the lowlands. Among the possible adaptive responses of wildlife, intra- and inter-seasonal movements represent an important coping strategy that remains largely unexplored. We investigated the seasonal and day-to-day movements of the ring ouzel Turdus torquatus, a European mountain bird species that declines in many parts of its distribution. We tracked individuals breeding in the Swiss Alps using geolocators, multi-sensor loggers and GPS. Of the birds traced to their non-breeding quarters, two thirds reached the Atlas Mountains while one third stayed in Spain, a region potentially more significant for overwintering than previously thought. The birds remained mostly above 1000 m throughout the annual cycle, highlighting a strict association of ring ouzels with mountain habitats. We also evidenced daily transhumance, especially upon spring arrival on the breeding grounds, which provides some noticeable behavioural flexibility, i.e. adaptative potential in response to environmental variation. This study shows how modern technology can deliver deeper insights into animal movements, paving the way for refined assessments of species vulnerability to ongoing global change while providing basic conservation guidance.

scholarly journals Novel methods reveal shifts in migration phenology of barn swallows in South Africa

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1733) ◽  
pp. 1485-1490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Res Altwegg ◽  
Kristin Broms ◽  
Birgit Erni ◽  
Phoebe Barnard ◽  
Guy F. Midgley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Recent Climate ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Barn Swallows

Many migratory bird species, including the barn swallow ( Hirundo rustica ), have advanced their arrival date at Northern Hemisphere breeding grounds, showing a clear biotic response to recent climate change. Earlier arrival helps maintain their synchrony with earlier springs, but little is known about the associated changes in phenology at their non-breeding grounds. Here, we examine the phenology of barn swallows in South Africa, where a large proportion of the northern European breeding population spends its non-breeding season. Using novel analytical methods based on bird atlas data, we show that swallows first arrive in the northern parts of the country and gradually appear further south. On their north-bound journey, they leave South Africa rapidly, resulting in mean stopover durations of 140 days in the south and 180 days in the north. We found that swallows are now leaving northern parts of South Africa 8 days earlier than they did 20 years ago, and so shortened their stay in areas where they previously stayed the longest. By contrast, they did not shorten their stopover in other parts of South Africa, leading to a more synchronized departure across the country. Departure was related to environmental variability, measured through the Southern Oscillation Index. Our results suggest that these birds gain their extended breeding season in Europe partly by leaving South Africa earlier, and thus add to scarce evidence for phenology shifts in the Southern Hemisphere.

scholarly journals Rainfall-induced changes in food availability modify the spring departure programme of a migratory bird

2011 ◽  
Vol 278 (1723) ◽  
pp. 3437-3443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin E. Studds ◽  
Peter P. Marra
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Marked Change ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Climatic Warming ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
American Redstarts ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Induced Changes

Climatic warming has intensified selection for earlier reproduction in many organisms, but potential constraints imposed by climate change outside the breeding period have received little attention. Migratory birds provide an ideal model for exploring such constraints because they face warming temperatures on temperate breeding grounds and declining rainfall on many tropical non-breeding areas. Here, we use longitudinal data on spring departure dates of American redstarts ( Setophaga ruticilla ) to show that annual variation in tropical rainfall and food resources are associated with marked change in the timing of spring departure of the same individuals among years. This finding challenges the idea that photoperiod alone regulates the onset of migration, providing evidence that intensifying drought in the tropical winter could hinder adaptive responses to climatic warming in the temperate zone.

scholarly journals Perspectives for development of ice-core drilling technology: a discussion

2014 ◽  
Vol 55 (68) ◽  
pp. 339-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.G. Talalay
Keyword(s):  
Low Temperature ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Core Drilling ◽  
The Core ◽  
Drilling Technology ◽  
Brittle Zone ◽  
Louis Agassiz

AbstractMore than 170 years ago, Louis Agassiz, one of the creators of glacial theory, made his first attempt to drill into the bed of Unteraargletscher, Swiss Alps. Since that time, various systems for thermal and mechanical drilling have been designed especially for boring into ice, and some conventional drill rigs been adopted for ice coring. Although contemporary ice-drilling knowledge and techniques are now familiar, there remain many problems to be solved by advanced modern technology. Specific challenges related to improving old drilling methods and developing new emerging technologies include: (1) identification of depth limitation of ‘dry’ drilling; (2) improvement of casing; (3) searching for the new environmentally friendly low-temperature drilling fluids; (4) reliable elimination of sticking drills; (5) improvement of core quality in the brittle zone; (6) additional core sampling from borehole walls after the core has been drilled; (7) obtaining oriented core; (8) designing automation drilling systems; (9) developing rapid-access drills. Possible ways of solving these problems are presented below.

Range compression of migratory passerines in wintering grounds of the Western Mediterranean: conservation prospects

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 462-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
GUILLERMO FANDOS ◽  
JOSÉ LUIS TELLERÍA
Keyword(s):  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Migratory Connectivity ◽  
Niche Modelling ◽  
Migrant Populations ◽  
Local Perturbations ◽  
Species Vulnerability ◽  
Western Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
The Individual

SummaryBecause migrant birds occur in different parts of the world in different seasons, their numbers may be limited by the size of the smallest area they inhabit during the year. In addition, restricted ranges make populations more susceptible to local perturbations such that range size is frequently considered a correlate of species vulnerability. Despite this, little is known about the balance between seasonal ranges in the migrant populations of partially migratory species. These migrants are difficult to segregate from sedentary conspecifics in winter grounds and thus the extent of their ranges is difficult to assess. Here, we studied the extent of potential breeding and wintering ranges of 10 partial migratory passerines moving to winter in the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb. After testing migratory connectivity of the individual species, we used niche modelling to calculate the extent of potential breeding and wintering ranges in 1,113 pairs of ring recoveries linking individuals between breeding and wintering localities. The results indicate that most species show migratory connectivity and that all of them show range compression in winter relative to the breeding range, with scores ranging between 19% and 58% (mean 37%) of breeding ranges. We discuss the importance of non-breeding grounds for conserving migratory passerines in the Western Mediterranean Basin, an area under pressure from climate change and agricultural intensification.

Patterns of differential migration in white-throated sparrows evaluated with isotopic measurements of feathers

2007 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 413-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel F. Mazerolle ◽  
Keith A. Hobson
Keyword(s):  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Differential Migration ◽  
Zonotrichia Albicollis ◽  
Cold Temperatures ◽  
Migratory Songbirds ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Arrival Dates ◽  
Wintering Areas ◽  
Spring Arrival ◽  
Carry Over

We used stable isotope techniques to investigate differential migration in the white-throated sparrow ( Zonotrichia albicollis (J.F. Gmelin, 1789)), a short-distance migrant in North America, to clarify hypotheses about patterns and consequences of migration tactics. Sparrows staging in Manitoba, Canada, exhibited sex-biased differential timing of spring arrival and latitude of wintering origin. Specifically, females arrived later and originated from more southern latitudes. Furthermore, there was a negative relationship between wintering latitude and arrival dates of individuals, although this relationship was only present during the second spring of the study, since atypical cold temperatures were associated with a pulse of late-arriving sparrows during the first spring. The negative correlation between wintering latitude and arrival date was also present within males, suggesting that the distribution of males on wintering areas could have carry-over effects to reproduction. This study demonstrates potential links between events occurring on wintering and breeding grounds of migratory songbirds.

scholarly journals Spreading free-riding snow sports represent a novel serious threat for wildlife

2007 ◽  
Vol 274 (1614) ◽  
pp. 1219-1224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphaël Arlettaz ◽  
Patrick Patthey ◽  
Marjana Baltic ◽  
Thomas Leu ◽  
Michael Schaub ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Free Riding ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Impact Factors ◽  
Invasive Technique ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Snow Sports

Stress generated by humans on wildlife by continuous development of outdoor recreational activities is of increasing concern for biodiversity conservation. Human disturbance often adds to other negative impact factors affecting the dynamics of vulnerable populations. It is not known to which extent the rapidly spreading free-riding snow sports actually elicit detrimental stress (allostatic overload) upon wildlife, nor what the potential associated fitness and survival costs are. Using a non-invasive technique, we evaluated the physiological stress response induced by free-riding snow sports on a declining bird species of Alpine ecosystems. The results of a field experiment in which radiomonitored black grouse ( Tetrao tetrix ) were actively flushed from their snow burrows once a day during four consecutive days showed an increase in the concentration of faecal stress hormone (corticosterone) metabolites after disturbance. A large-scale comparative analysis across the southwestern Swiss Alps indicated that birds had higher levels of these metabolites in human-disturbed versus undisturbed habitats. Disturbance by snow sport free-riders appears to elevate stress, which potentially represents a new serious threat for wildlife. The fitness and survival costs of allostatic adjustments have yet to be estimated.

scholarly journals Conservation value of Beeshhazari Lake: an insight into diversity and abundance of wetland birds

Our Nature ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-26
Author(s):  
Jagan Nath Adhikari ◽  
Bishnu Prasad Bhattarai ◽  
Dina Nath Dhakal
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Conservation Value ◽  
Wetland Birds ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
Lake System ◽  
Breeding Grounds

Beeshazari and associated lakes play the vital roles in providing feeding and breeding grounds for a large number of wetland fauna including many migratory birds. Wetland dependent birds in Beeshazari lake system was studied by using Area Search and Scan Sampling methods. We recorded a total of 44 wetland bird species belonging to 11 families and 9 orders. These lakes support a total of 7.5% of globally threatened and 8.93% of the nationally threatened birds. The species diversity and abundance were more in winter than in summer seasons. Fishermen and tourist pressure caused significantly negative impact on abundance and distribution of wetland birds. The major threats to wetland birds in this area were human disturbance, habitat degradation and declining water quality due to eutrophication and invasion of alien plant species such as water Hyacinth and Southern Cutgrass. Therefore, such threats need to be addressed for the long-term survival of wetland birds and extension of conservation value of Beeshazari lake system.

scholarly journals The effect of climate change on the duration of avian breeding seasons: a meta-analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1867) ◽  
pp. 20171710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucyna Halupka ◽  
Konrad Halupka
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Ecological Flexibility ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Breeding Seasons

Many bird species are advancing the timing of their egg-laying in response to a warming climate. Little is known, however, of whether this advancement affects the respective length of the breeding seasons. A meta-analysis of 65 long-term studies of 54 species from the Northern Hemisphere has revealed that within the last 45 years an average population has lengthened the season by 1.4 days per decade, which was independent from changes in mean laying dates. Multi-brooded birds have prolonged their seasons by 4 days per decade, while single-brooded have shortened by 2 days. Changes in season lengths covaried with local climate changes: warming was correlated with prolonged seasons in multi-brooded species, but not in single-brooders. This might be a result of higher ecological flexibility of multi-brooded birds, whereas single brooders may have problems with synchronizing their reproduction with the peak of food resources. Sedentary species and short-distance migrants prolonged their breeding seasons more than long-distance migrants, which probably cannot track conditions at their breeding grounds. We conclude that as long as climate warming continues without major changes in ecological conditions, multi-brooded or sedentary species will probably increase their reproductive output, while the opposite effect may occur in single-brooded or migratory birds.

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