One caveat to the dinosaur’s extinction is the conclusion that avian dinosaurs survived and became ancestors of birds. Their mobility enabled them to migrate great distances and find the nutrients needed to survive. ...One caveat to the dinosaur’s extinction is the conclusion that avian dinosaurs survived and became ancestors of birds. Their mobility enabled them to migrate great distances and find the nutrients needed to survive. Given this scenario, could the current observable migration of birds (the “dinosaurian offspring”) now be related? Migration is the regular seasonal movement undertaken by many species of birds, with the most common pattern, flying north in the Northern spring to breed in the temperate or Arctic summer and returning in the Northern autumn to wintering grounds in warmer regions of the south. The primary motivation for migration appears to be food. None of the major North-South migratory pathways fly over the Caribbean but three main fly ways, past to the west of the theorized K-T impact centre. Due to their ability to fly, the “avian Dinosaurs” adapted and survived very quickly in response to the disaster that marked the K-T boundary. It is an interesting speculation that the avian migration that we witness today is rooted in an event that occurred 66 million years ago! But it does explain why the migratory birds mostly fly from Polar summer to polar summer when they could just be as easily fly from Polar zone to the warmer equatorial region and back. In the recent article in Nature by Melanie During about identifying the late spring timing of the “Astro disaster”, it can be cited as consistent with my speculation. A late April early May Impact as suggested by During would have seen these migrations completely. The western migratory routes would have been found to be “luxurious” in vegetation in that first northern autumn after the “Astro-impact” while all eastern routes would have still been barren.展开更多
To search for genes associated with migratory phenotypes in songbirds,we selected candidate genes through annotations from the Mouse Genome Informatics database and assembled an extensive candidate-gene library.Then,w...To search for genes associated with migratory phenotypes in songbirds,we selected candidate genes through annotations from the Mouse Genome Informatics database and assembled an extensive candidate-gene library.Then,we implemented a next-generation sequencing approach to obtain DNA sequences from the Painted Bunting genome.We focused on those sequences that were conserved across avian species and that aligned with candidate genes in our mouse library.We genotyped short sequence repeats from the following candidate genes:ADRA1d,ANKRD17,CISH and MYH7.We studied the possible correlations between allelic variations occurring in these novel candidate migration genes and avian migratory phenotypes available from the published literature.We found that allele variation at MYH7 correlated with a calculated index of speed of migration(km/day)across 11 species of songbirds.We highlight the potential of the Mouse Genome Informatics database in providing new candidate genes that might play a crucial role in regulating migration in birds and possibly in other taxa.Our research effort shows the benefits and limitations of working with extensive genomic datasets and offers a snapshot of the challenges related to cross-species validation in behavioral and molecular ecology studies.展开更多
Recently-developed capabilities for tracking the movements of individual birds over the course of a year or longer has provided increasing evidence for consistent individual differences in migration schedules and dest...Recently-developed capabilities for tracking the movements of individual birds over the course of a year or longer has provided increasing evidence for consistent individual differences in migration schedules and destinations. This raises questions about the relative importance of individual consistency versus flexibility in the evolution of migration strategies, and has implications for the ability of populations to respond to climatic change. Using geolocators, we tracked the migrations of Scopoli＇s shearwaters Calonectris diomedea breeding in Linosa （Italy） across three years, and analysed timing and spatial aspects of their movements. Birds showed remarkable variation in their main wintering destination along the western coast of Africa. We found significant individual consistency in the total distance traveled, time spent in transit, and time that individuals spent in the win- tering areas. We found extensive sex differences in scheduling, duration, distances and destinations of migratory journeys. We also found sex differences in the degree of individual consistency in aspects of migration behaviour. Despite strong evidence for individual consistency, which indicates that migration journeys from the same bird tended to be more similar than those of dif- ferent birds, there remained substantial intra-individual variation between years. Indeed, we also found clear annual differences in departure dates, return dates, wintering period, the total distance traveled and re^rn routes from wintering grounds back to the colony. These findings show that this population flexibly shifts migration schedules as well as routes between years in response to direct or indirect effects of heterogeneity in the environment, while maintaining consistent individual migration strategies [Current Zoology 60 （5）： 631-641, 2014].展开更多
Understanding how individuals manage costs during the migration period is challenging because individuals are difficult to follow between sites; the advent of hybrid Global Positioning Systemacceleration （ACC） track...Understanding how individuals manage costs during the migration period is challenging because individuals are difficult to follow between sites; the advent of hybrid Global Positioning Systemacceleration （ACC） tracking devices enables researchers to link spatial and temporal attributes of avian migration with behavior for the first time ever. We fitted these devices on male Greenland white-fronted geese Anser albifrons flavirostris wintering at 2 sites （Loch Ken, Scotland and Wexford, Ireland） to understand whether birds migrating further during spring fed more on winter- ing and staging areas in advance of migration episodes. Although Irish birds flew significantly further （ca. 300 kin） than Scottish birds during spring, their cumulative hours of migratory flight, flight speed during migration, and overall dynamic body ACC （i.e., a proxy for energy expenditure） were not significantly different. Further, Irish birds did not feed significantly more or expend significantly more energy in advance of migration episodes. These results suggest broad individual plasticity in this species, although Scottish birds arriving on breeding areas in Greenland with greater energy stores （because they migrated less） may be better prepared for food scarcity, which might increase their reproductive success.展开更多
Global climate change affects many facets of avian ecology, such as shifts in breeding phenology and migration patterns. Migrating bird species respond to changes in climate by shifting their temporal patterns of spri...Global climate change affects many facets of avian ecology, such as shifts in breeding phenology and migration patterns. Migrating bird species respond to changes in climate by shifting their temporal patterns of spring migration. However, variation in species’ responses exists based on various life history traits, which exposes some species to an increased risk of phenological mismatch. This study examined the spring arrival dates of 115 migrating species over 127 years (1889-2015) using archival sources in West Virginia, USA, making this research unique in the length of study, the high number of species studied, and the historical crowd-sourced observations analyzed. Of the 115 taxa, 45 showed significant negative slopes of spring arrival dates (arriving earlier in the spring) plotted against the year. In contrast, only nine species showed positive slopes (arriving later in the spring), albeit non-significant. The average advance of spring arrival date for all species was 1.7 days per decade, and an advance of 2.6 days per decade in species that showed significance. Arrival dates were associated with increasing spring temperatures—for each 1˚C increase, the arrival date advanced by 0.81 days/decade. Several life history traits were linked to species that advanced their first arrival dates, including a shorter distance migrated to reach wintering grounds, increasing populations, and foraging habitat. Most avian species are advancing their spring arrival dates in response to climate change. However, the implications of earlier spring arrival are unclear. We draw attention to shifts in arrival dates and wintering ranges, leading to a possible increase in overwintering in the mid-latitudes of North America.展开更多
文摘One caveat to the dinosaur’s extinction is the conclusion that avian dinosaurs survived and became ancestors of birds. Their mobility enabled them to migrate great distances and find the nutrients needed to survive. Given this scenario, could the current observable migration of birds (the “dinosaurian offspring”) now be related? Migration is the regular seasonal movement undertaken by many species of birds, with the most common pattern, flying north in the Northern spring to breed in the temperate or Arctic summer and returning in the Northern autumn to wintering grounds in warmer regions of the south. The primary motivation for migration appears to be food. None of the major North-South migratory pathways fly over the Caribbean but three main fly ways, past to the west of the theorized K-T impact centre. Due to their ability to fly, the “avian Dinosaurs” adapted and survived very quickly in response to the disaster that marked the K-T boundary. It is an interesting speculation that the avian migration that we witness today is rooted in an event that occurred 66 million years ago! But it does explain why the migratory birds mostly fly from Polar summer to polar summer when they could just be as easily fly from Polar zone to the warmer equatorial region and back. In the recent article in Nature by Melanie During about identifying the late spring timing of the “Astro disaster”, it can be cited as consistent with my speculation. A late April early May Impact as suggested by During would have seen these migrations completely. The western migratory routes would have been found to be “luxurious” in vegetation in that first northern autumn after the “Astro-impact” while all eastern routes would have still been barren.
基金Funding for this research came from the Oklahoma Biological Survey,the National Science Foundation(IDBR#1152356,and DEB#0946685)the United States Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture(NIFA-AFRI-003536)+1 种基金All work with animals was performed under state and federal banding permits(Permit#23215)was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the University of Oklahoma(Protocol#R12-019).
文摘To search for genes associated with migratory phenotypes in songbirds,we selected candidate genes through annotations from the Mouse Genome Informatics database and assembled an extensive candidate-gene library.Then,we implemented a next-generation sequencing approach to obtain DNA sequences from the Painted Bunting genome.We focused on those sequences that were conserved across avian species and that aligned with candidate genes in our mouse library.We genotyped short sequence repeats from the following candidate genes:ADRA1d,ANKRD17,CISH and MYH7.We studied the possible correlations between allelic variations occurring in these novel candidate migration genes and avian migratory phenotypes available from the published literature.We found that allele variation at MYH7 correlated with a calculated index of speed of migration(km/day)across 11 species of songbirds.We highlight the potential of the Mouse Genome Informatics database in providing new candidate genes that might play a crucial role in regulating migration in birds and possibly in other taxa.Our research effort shows the benefits and limitations of working with extensive genomic datasets and offers a snapshot of the challenges related to cross-species validation in behavioral and molecular ecology studies.
文摘Recently-developed capabilities for tracking the movements of individual birds over the course of a year or longer has provided increasing evidence for consistent individual differences in migration schedules and destinations. This raises questions about the relative importance of individual consistency versus flexibility in the evolution of migration strategies, and has implications for the ability of populations to respond to climatic change. Using geolocators, we tracked the migrations of Scopoli＇s shearwaters Calonectris diomedea breeding in Linosa （Italy） across three years, and analysed timing and spatial aspects of their movements. Birds showed remarkable variation in their main wintering destination along the western coast of Africa. We found significant individual consistency in the total distance traveled, time spent in transit, and time that individuals spent in the win- tering areas. We found extensive sex differences in scheduling, duration, distances and destinations of migratory journeys. We also found sex differences in the degree of individual consistency in aspects of migration behaviour. Despite strong evidence for individual consistency, which indicates that migration journeys from the same bird tended to be more similar than those of dif- ferent birds, there remained substantial intra-individual variation between years. Indeed, we also found clear annual differences in departure dates, return dates, wintering period, the total distance traveled and re^rn routes from wintering grounds back to the colony. These findings show that this population flexibly shifts migration schedules as well as routes between years in response to direct or indirect effects of heterogeneity in the environment, while maintaining consistent individual migration strategies [Current Zoology 60 （5）： 631-641, 2014].
文摘Understanding how individuals manage costs during the migration period is challenging because individuals are difficult to follow between sites; the advent of hybrid Global Positioning Systemacceleration （ACC） tracking devices enables researchers to link spatial and temporal attributes of avian migration with behavior for the first time ever. We fitted these devices on male Greenland white-fronted geese Anser albifrons flavirostris wintering at 2 sites （Loch Ken, Scotland and Wexford, Ireland） to understand whether birds migrating further during spring fed more on winter- ing and staging areas in advance of migration episodes. Although Irish birds flew significantly further （ca. 300 kin） than Scottish birds during spring, their cumulative hours of migratory flight, flight speed during migration, and overall dynamic body ACC （i.e., a proxy for energy expenditure） were not significantly different. Further, Irish birds did not feed significantly more or expend significantly more energy in advance of migration episodes. These results suggest broad individual plasticity in this species, although Scottish birds arriving on breeding areas in Greenland with greater energy stores （because they migrated less） may be better prepared for food scarcity, which might increase their reproductive success.
文摘Global climate change affects many facets of avian ecology, such as shifts in breeding phenology and migration patterns. Migrating bird species respond to changes in climate by shifting their temporal patterns of spring migration. However, variation in species’ responses exists based on various life history traits, which exposes some species to an increased risk of phenological mismatch. This study examined the spring arrival dates of 115 migrating species over 127 years (1889-2015) using archival sources in West Virginia, USA, making this research unique in the length of study, the high number of species studied, and the historical crowd-sourced observations analyzed. Of the 115 taxa, 45 showed significant negative slopes of spring arrival dates (arriving earlier in the spring) plotted against the year. In contrast, only nine species showed positive slopes (arriving later in the spring), albeit non-significant. The average advance of spring arrival date for all species was 1.7 days per decade, and an advance of 2.6 days per decade in species that showed significance. Arrival dates were associated with increasing spring temperatures—for each 1˚C increase, the arrival date advanced by 0.81 days/decade. Several life history traits were linked to species that advanced their first arrival dates, including a shorter distance migrated to reach wintering grounds, increasing populations, and foraging habitat. Most avian species are advancing their spring arrival dates in response to climate change. However, the implications of earlier spring arrival are unclear. We draw attention to shifts in arrival dates and wintering ranges, leading to a possible increase in overwintering in the mid-latitudes of North America.
