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202 results for “Migratory birds”
Elevational niche-shift migration: Why the degree of elevational change matters for the ecology, evolution, and physiology of migratory birds
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Data from: Experimental food supplementation reveals habitat-dependent male reproductive investment in a migratory bird
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Data from: A full annual perspective on sex-biased migration timing in long-distance migratory birds
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Data from: Repertoire-based individual acoustic monitoring of a migratory passerine bird with complex song as an efficient tool for tracking territorial dynamics and annual return rates
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Data from: Intralocus sexual conflict over wing length in a wild migratory bird
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Data to: Opportunities for the conservation of migratory birds to benefit threatened resident vertebrates in the Neotropics
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Leveraging genomics to understand threats to migratory birds
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Data from: A rare study from the wintering grounds provides insight into the costs of malaria infection for migratory birds
Malaria parasites can have strong effects on the population dynamics and evolution of migratory bird species. In many species, parasite transmission occurs on the wintering grounds, but studies to determine the consequences of infection have taken place during the breeding season, when malaria parasites circulate at chronic levels. We examined the predictors of malarial infections for great reed warblers during the northern winter in Africa, where active parasite transmission is thought to occur and naïve individuals experience acute infections. Counter to expectations, we found that winter infection intensities were lower than those encountered on the breeding grounds. One potential explanation is that reduced immune function during breeding allows parasites to persist at higher chronic intensities. We found no relationships between the incidence or intensity of infection on condition (as measured by scaled mass index, plasma metabolites, and feather corticosterone), spring migration departure dates, or home range sizes. We also tested a prediction of the Hamilton–Zuk hypothesis and found that male ornament (song) quality was unrelated to parasitic infection status. Overall, our results provide the first evidence that long-distance migrants captured on their wintering grounds are in the chronic stage of infection, and suggest that winter studies may fare no better than breeding studies at determining the costs of acute malarial infection for great reed warblers.
Data from: Low intensity blood parasite infections do not reduce the aerobic performance of migratory birds
Blood parasites (Haemosporidia) are thought to impair the flight performance of infected animals, and therefore, infected birds are expected to differ from their non-infected counterparts in migratory capacity. Since haemosporidians invade host erythrocytes, it is commonly assumed that infected individuals will have compromised aerobic capacity, but this has not been examined in free-living birds. We tested if haemosporidian infections affect aerobic performance by examining metabolic rates and exercise endurance in migratory great reed warblers (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) experimentally treated with Plasmodium relictum pGRW04 and in naturally infected wild birds over consecutive life history stages. We found no effect of acute or chronic infections on resting metabolic rate, maximum metabolic rate or exercise endurance in either experimentally treated or free-living birds. Oxygen consumption rates during rest and while undergoing maximum exercise as well as exercise endurance increased from breeding to migration stages in both infected and non-infected birds. Importantly, phenotypic changes associated with preparation for migration were similarly unaffected by parasitaemia. Consequently, migratory birds experiencing parasitaemia levels typical of chronic infection do not differ in migratory capacity from their uninfected counterparts. Thus, if infected hosts differ from uninfected conspecifics in migration phenology, another mechanism than changes in aerobic capacity should be involved.
Data from: Animal tracking meets migration genomics: transcriptomic analysis of a partially migratory bird species
Seasonal migration is a widespread phenomenon, which is found in many different lineages of animals. This spectacular behaviour allows animals to avoid seasonally adverse environmental conditions to exploit more favourable habitats. Migration has been intensively studied in birds, which display astonishing variation in migration strategies, thus providing a powerful system for studying the ecological and evolutionary processes that shape migratory behaviour. Despite intensive research, the genetic basis of migration remains largely unknown. Here we used state-of-the-art radio-tracking technology to characterize the migratory behaviour of a partially migratory population of European blackbirds (Turdus merula) in southern Germany. We compared gene expression of resident and migrant individuals using high-throughput transcriptomics in blood samples. Analyses of sequence variation revealed a non-significant genetic structure between blackbirds differing by their migratory phenotype. We detected only four differentially expressed genes between migrants and residents, which might be associated with hyperphagia, moulting, and enhanced DNA replication and transcription. The most pronounced changes in gene expression occurred between migratory birds depending on when, in relation to their date of departure, blood was collected. Overall, the differentially expressed genes detected in this analysis may play crucial roles in determining the decision to migrate, or in controlling the physiological processes required for the onset of migration. These results provide new insights into, and testable hypotheses for, the molecular mechanisms controlling the migratory phenotype and its underlying physiological mechanisms in blackbirds and other migratory bird species.
Data from: Migratory behavior of birds affects their coevolutionary relationship with blood parasites
Host traits, such as migratory behavior, could facilitate the dispersal of disease causing parasites, potentially leading to the transfer of infections both across geographic areas and between host species. There is however, little quantitative information on whether variation in such host attributes do indeed affect the evolutionary outcome of host-parasite associations. Here, we employ Leucocytozoon blood parasites of birds, a group of parasites closely related to avian malaria, to study host-parasite coevolution in relation to host behavior using a phylogenetic comparative approach. We reconstruct the molecular phylogenies of both the hosts and parasites and use cophylogenetic tools to assess whether each host-parasite association contributes significantly to the overall congruence between the two phylogenies. We find evidence for a significant fit between host and parasite phylogenies in this system, but show that this is due only to associations between non-migrant parasites and their hosts. We also show that migrant bird species harbor a greater genetic diversity of parasites compared with non-migrant species. Taken together, these results suggest that the migratory habits of birds could influence their coevolutionary relationship with their parasites, and that consideration of host traits is important in predicting the outcome of coevolutionary interactions.
Data from: Allometric scaling of long-distance seed dispersal by migratory birds
Migratory birds are often suggested to be important vectors for long-distance dispersal (LDD) of plant and animal propagules. The scale of such dispersal events (hundreds to thousands of kilometers) can influence landscape-level biological processes and species distributions. However, the few vector species studied and the lack of proper integration of their migratory movement in models of LDD has precluded the study of their potential as long-distance biotic dispersers. By means of a mechanistic model parameterized with empirical data, we first investigated the properties of seed dispersal curves generated by migratory birds and then analyzed the effect of bird size on model parameters and consequent seed dispersal patterns. Seed dispersal curves showed in most cases large and heavy tails, resulting in relatively frequent LDD (up to 3.5% of dispersal distances longer than 100 km). Bird size mediated trade-offs between bird movement and seed retention time that, in turn, determined seed dispersal patterns and the potential of each bird species as an LDD vector. Our modeling framework builds on a mechanistic understanding of seed dispersal by migratory birds and may thus be a useful tool to estimate the scale and frequency of bird-mediated, large-scale transport of native, invasive, and pathogenic organisms.
Data for: Geography, taxonomy, extinction risk, and exposure of fully migratory birds to droughts and cyclones
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Aim</strong>: Anthropogenic climate change is predicted to drive unprecedented increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events, such as drought and cyclones. The impacts of these events on fully migratory species could be particularly severe and have cascading effects on the functioning of many ecosystems. We explore the relationships between geography, taxonomy, extinction risk, and the exposure of fully migratory birds to drought and cyclones.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Location:</strong> Global.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Time period:</strong> 1985-2014.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Major taxa studied:</strong> 383 fully migratory bird species.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Methods:</strong> We assessed exposure of fully migratory birds to cyclones and droughts, quantifying exposure by calculating the percentage of spatial overlap between a species' range and the extent of an extreme event within a given time series. We compared the level of cumulative exposure sustained by species among different taxonomic groups and within their breeding and wintering ranges; we also assessed whether species currently classed as 'threatened' are more cumulatively exposed than 'non-threatened' species.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Results</strong>: We identified fully migratory bird species highly exposed to extreme climatic events and global geographic hotspots of species exposure. 4% of species were found to be highly exposed to cyclones and droughts in both their wintering and breeding ranges. Wintering ranges were, on average, more cumulatively exposed to cyclones than breeding ranges; there was no discernible difference in drought exposure between ranges. Species currently classed as threatened were shown to experience higher exposure to droughts than non-threatened ones in both ranges.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Main conclusions:</strong> This exposure analysis provides the first step to a full global assessment of fully migratory bird species' vulnerability to extreme climatic events. Many species are at least as exposed to extreme events within their wintering ranges as in their breeding ranges, supporting calls for 'full cycle' assessment of migratory species' vulnerability to climate change. Our identification of hotspots of exposure may help to guide further monitoring, research, and management.</p>
Data and scripts for: Site-level connectivity identified from multiple sources of movement data to inform conservation of a migratory bird
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Stable isotope profile of autumnal migratory bird feathers on Italian Alps
<p>In the study of migration of birds, there are many aspects to be deepened to comprehend both ecology of the species and their geographical connectivity between breeding and wintering grounds. In the last decades, stable isotopes of light elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon and sulphur measured in cheratinous tissues such feathers are increasingly used in order to delineate origin of migrants and to define ecological aspects of birds. Here we present a complete isotopic profile of several passerine species migrating through Italian Alps during post-breeding season. Stable isotope ratios of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and sulphur were measured in juvenile feathers of 807 individuals of 48 different specie ringed in central Italian Alps during post-breeding migration in the years 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. Birds were ringed in two ringing and monitoring stations of Progetto Alpi (<a href="http://progetto-alpi.muse.it/">http://progetto-alpi.muse.it/</a>). No birds were mistreated, and the sampling took place in compliance with the national and international laws in force at the time of the study.</p>
Understanding how diel and seasonal rhythms affect the movements of a small non-migratory bird
Diel and seasonal rhythms affect an animal's environment and life history. Understanding how these rhythms influence movement increases our knowledge on how animals adjust to changing resources, environmental conditions, and risk to their survival. To better understand how diel and seasonal rhythms affect animals, we evaluated movements of Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus); hereafter, bobwhite. Because bobwhite are a small non-migratory species that must cope with daily and seasonal changes in their environment year-around, they are a model species to study how diel and seasonal rhythms influence animal movement of a non-migratory species. Global positioning system data from transmitters attached to bobwhite at four wildlife management sites across Oklahoma were collected during 2019–2021. We parsed the diel data as daytime (7:00–19:00 Central Daylight Savings Time [CDT]) and nighttime (19:00–7:00 CDT), and diurnal (sunrise–sunset) and nocturnal (sunset–sunrise) as well as by astronomical season. We calculated three movement metrics: net displacement (Euclidean distance from the starting fix to the ending fix of a path which encompasses consecutive relocations in a time series of geographic fixes), cumulative distance (sum of all Euclidean distances between each consecutive fix along the path), and hourly movement. We modeled the data using a generalized linear mixed-modeling approach. Across season, model predictions showed that net displacement was highest during spring, and daytime cumulative distance slowly increased as the year progressed. Bobwhite had two movement peaks during the diurnal period, one during 9:00–10:00 and the other during 17:00–20:00 depending on the season. Despite being diurnal, bobwhite occasionally made nocturnal movements, likely in response to a disturbance by a predator, inclement weather, or energetic demands. Movement peaks during the diurnal period may reflect changes in behavior in response to energy requirements, predator risk, and changes in air temperature. Life history events, likely cause seasonal differences in movement. This study furthers our understanding on how animals move daily and seasonally suggesting the importance of analyzing movement across the entire year because animals move differently across the day and year.
Data from: Low migratory connectivity is common in long-distance migrant birds
1. Estimating how much long-distance migrant populations spread out and mix during the non-breeding season (migratory connectivity) is essential for understanding and predicting population dynamics in the face of global change. 2. We quantify variation in population spread and inter-population mixing in long-distance, terrestrial migrant land-bird populations (712 individuals from 98 populations of 45 species, from tagging studies in the Neotropic and Afro-Palearctic flyways). We evaluate the Mantel test as a metric of migratory connectivity, and explore the extent to which variance in population spread can be explained simply by geography. 3. The mean distance between two individuals from the same population during the non-breeding season was 743 km, covering 10–20% of the maximum width of Africa / South America. Individuals from different breeding populations tended to mix during the non-breeding season, though spatial segregation was maintained in species with relatively large non-breeding ranges (and, to a lesser extent, those with low population-level spread). A substantial amount of between-population variation in population spread was predicted simply by geography, with populations using non-breeding zones with limited land availability (e.g. Central America compared to South America) showing lower population spread. 4. The high levels of population spread suggest that deterministic migration strategies are not generally adaptive; this makes sense in the context of the recent evolution of the systems, and the spatial and temporal unpredictability of non-breeding habitat. 5. The conservation implications of generally low connectivity are that the loss (or protection) of any non-breeding site will have a diffuse but widespread effect on many breeding populations. Although low connectivity should engender population resilience to shifts in habitat (e.g. due to climate change), we suggest it may increase susceptibility to habitat loss. We hypothesise that because a migrant species cannot adapt to both simultaneously, migrants generally may be more susceptible to population declines in the face of concurrent anthropogenic habitat and climate change.
Data for: Altered wing phenotypes of captive‐bred migratory birds lower post‐release fitness
<p><span>Captive-breeding and release to the wild is a globally important conservation tool. However, captivity can result in phenotypic changes that incur post-release fitness costs, especially if they affect strenuous or risky behaviors. Bird wing shape is critical for migration success and suboptimal phenotypes are strongly selected against. I demonstrate surprising plasticity of bird wing phenotypes in captivity for 4/16 studied species. In a model species, captive-born juveniles with wild wing phenotypes (a 1mm longer distal primary flight feather) survived post-release at 2.7 times the rate of those with captive phenotypes (i.e. a shorter distal feather). Subtle phenotypic changes and their fitness impacts are more common than widely realized because they are easily overlooked. To improve captive-breeding for conservation, practitioners must surveil phenotypic changes and find ways to mitigate them.<br></span></p>
Data from: Sex-dependent carry-over effects on timing of reproduction and fecundity of a migratory bird
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Data from: Why do migratory birds sing on their tropical wintering grounds?
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.