Heritability of the timing of autumn migration in a natural bird population

Pulido, Francisco; Berthold, Peter; Mohr, Gabriele; Querner, Ulrich

doi:10.1098/rspb.2001.1602

Cited by 156 publications

(143 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Migratory birds will undoubtedly be affected by changes in our climate, but they may also be capable of rapid phenotypic (Przyblo et al 2000) and genetic (Pulida et al 2001) responses over short time periods. Furthermore, to understand the mechanistic basis underlying earlier arrival dates of many migrants species (see references cited above) and to better predict how climate may impact migratory animals in the future we need to more thoroughly explore the relationship between climate and rates of bird migration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of climate on the timing and rate of spring bird migration

et al. 2004

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Ecological processes are changing in response to climatic warming. Birds, in particular, have been documented to arrive and breed earlier in spring and this has been attributed to elevated spring temperatures. It is not clear, however, how long-distance migratory birds that overwinter thousands of kilometers to the south in the tropics cue into changes in temperature or plant phenology on northern breeding areas. We explored the relationships between the timing and rate of spring migration of long-distance migratory birds, and variables such as temperature, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and plant phenology, using mist net capture data from three ringing stations in North America over a 40-year period. Mean April/May temperatures in eastern North America varied over a 5°C range, but with no significant trend during this period. Similarly, we found few significant trends toward earlier median capture dates of birds. Median capture dates were not related to the NAO, but were inversely correlated to spring temperatures for almost all species. For every 1°C increase in spring temperature, median capture dates of migratory birds averaged, across species, one day earlier.Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) budburst, however, averaged 3 days earlier for every 1°C increase in spring temperature, suggesting that the impact of temperature on plant phenology is three times greater than on bird phenology. To address whether migratory birds adjust their rate of northward migration to changes in temperature, we compared median capture dates for 15 species between a ringing station on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana in the southern USA with two stations approximately 2,500 km to the north. The interval between median capture dates in Louisiana and at the other two ringing stations was inversely correlated with temperature, with an average interval of 22 days, that decreased by 0.8 days per 1°C increase in temperature. Our results suggest that, although the onset of migration may be determined endogenously, the timing of migration is flexible and can be adjusted in response to variation in weather and/or phenology along migration routes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of climate on the timing and rate of spring bird migration

et al. 2004

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“…Pulido & Berthold 2004), although these are not mutually exclusive. For example, additive genetic variation in timing of migration has been demonstrated in quantitative genetic studies of autumn migration in blackcaps (Pulido et al 2001), and of spring migration in barn swallows (Møller 2001), whereas a study of pied flycatchers has shown a lack of change in arrival date in spite of strong selection for it (Both & Visser 2001). Responses in the breeding date of collared flycatchers Ficedula albicollis to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) have been shown to be plausibly explained by phenotypic plasticity alone (Przybylo et al 2000).…”

Section: Bird Migration and Sexual Selection C N Spottiswoode And Omentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual selection predicts advancement of avian spring migration in response to climate change

2006

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Global warming has led to earlier spring arrival of migratory birds, but the extent of this advancement varies greatly among species, and it remains uncertain to what degree these changes are phenotypically plastic responses or microevolutionary adaptations to changing environmental conditions. We suggest that sexual selection could help to understand this variation, since early spring arrival of males is favoured by female choice. Climate change could weaken the strength of natural selection opposing sexual selection for early migration, which would predict greatest advancement in species with stronger female choice. We test this hypothesis comparatively by investigating the degree of long-term change in spring passage at two ringing stations in northern Europe in relation to a synthetic estimate of the strength of female choice, composed of degree of extra-pair paternity, relative testes size and degree of sexually dichromatic plumage colouration. We found that species with a stronger index of sexual selection have indeed advanced their date of spring passage to a greater extent. This relationship was stronger for the changes in the median passage date of the whole population than for changes in the timing of first-arriving individuals, suggesting that selection has not only acted on protandrous males. These results suggest that sexual selection may have an impact on the responses of organisms to climate change, and knowledge of a species' mating system might help to inform attempts at predicting these.

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“…Avian researchers have been able to exploit this behavior to investigate a number of factors related to bird migration, including the cues used to orient and navigate (Munro et al, 1997;Wiltschko et al, 1998), the genetic basis of migratory orientation (Helbig, 1996;Pulido et al, 2001) and the circannual rhythms involved in migration (Gwinner, 1996). Similar topics can now be studied in sea turtles using the techniques described in this study.…”

Section: Migratory Orientationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Navigation and seasonal migratory orientation in juvenile sea turtles

Avens

Lohmann

2004

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Juvenile loggerhead and green turtles that inhabit inshore waters of North Carolina, USA undertake long seasonal migrations, after which they often return to specific feeding areas. In addition, juvenile turtles are capable of homing to specific sites after being displaced. As a first step towards investigating the navigational mechanisms that underlie these movements, juvenile turtles were captured in coastal waters of North Carolina and displaced 30-167·km along circuitous routes while deprived of visual cues. At the testing location, turtles were tethered in a circular arena and permitted to swim while their orientation was monitored. Between May and September, when juvenile loggerhead and green turtles inhabit feeding areas along the North Carolina coast, turtles oriented in directions that corresponded closely with the most direct route back to their capture locations. During October and November, however, both loggerhead and green turtles oriented southward, a direction consistent with the migratory paths of turtles beginning their autumn migration. The results demonstrate for the first time that both homing and migratory orientation can be elicited in juvenile turtles under laboratory conditions in which orientation cues can be readily manipulated. In addition, the results provide evidence that juvenile loggerheads can assess their position relative to a goal using local cues available at the test site and are therefore capable of map-based navigation.

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Heritability of the timing of autumn migration in a natural bird population

Cited by 156 publications

References 38 publications

The influence of climate on the timing and rate of spring bird migration

The influence of climate on the timing and rate of spring bird migration

Sexual selection predicts advancement of avian spring migration in response to climate change

Navigation and seasonal migratory orientation in juvenile sea turtles

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