Rapid adjustments of migration and life history in hemisphere-switching cliff swallows

Areta, Juan Ignacio; Salvador, Sergio A.; Gandoy, Facundo A.; Bridge, Eli S.; Gorleri, Fabricio C.; Pegan, Teresa M.; Gulson-Castillo, Eric R.; Hobson, Keith A.; Winkler, David W.

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.019

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…This could be a similar phenomenon to the complete reversal of breeding and migratory phenology recently observed in South American barn swallows (Hirundo rustica; Areta et al, 2021), which in turn would suggest that axis reversal could represent the execution of the spring migratory trajectory in autumn. However, if this were the case it is unclear why breeding phenology would not simultaneously be reversed, as is observed in the barn swallow, and hence it is perhaps more likely that bi-axial orientation instead reflects the mechanism by which orientation information is encoded.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Bi-axial orientation could explain range expansion in a migratory songbird

Wynn

Fandós

Delmore

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The likelihood of a new migratory route evolving is a function of the associated fitness payoff, and the probability that the route arises in the first place. Cross-breeding studies suggest that young birds migrate in a direction intermediate between their parents, though this would seemingly not explain how highly divergent migratory trajectories arise in apparently sympatric populations. It has been suggested that diametrically opposed ‘reverse’ migratory trajectories might be surprisingly common, and if such routes were heritable it follows that they could underlie the rapid evolution of divergent migratory trajectories. Here, we used Eurasian blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla; ‘blackcap’) ringing recoveries and geolocator trajectories to investigate whether a recently-evolved northwards autumn migratory route could be explained by the reversal of each individual’s expected southwards migratory direction. We found that northwards migrants were recovered closer to the sites specified by a precise axis reversal than would be expected by chance, consistent with the rapid evolution of new migratory routes via bi-axial variation in orientation. We suggest that the surprisingly high probability of axis reversal might allow birds to expand their ranges rapidly, and hence propose that understanding how direction is encoded is crucial when characterising the genetic basis of migratory direction and how this relates to route evolution.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Bi-axial orientation could explain range expansion in a migratory songbird

Wynn

Fandós

Delmore

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…Finally, although ecological conditions under which migration initially emerged (especially those that emerged in deep time) may have been different from current observations, birds can apparently rapidly switch migratory strategies in response to changing environmental conditions (Able & Belthoff, 1998; Areta et al, 2021; Berthold et al, 1992; Garcia‐Perez et al, 2013; Zink, 2011). Therefore, even for cases in which ecological conditions have changed since the emergence of contemporary migratory strategies, those strategies must nonetheless remain compatible with current ecological conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Niche dynamics suggest ecological factors influencing migration in an insectivorous owl

Yanco

Linkhart

Marra

et al. 2022

Ecology

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Seasonal migration is a widespread phenomenon undertaken by myriad organisms, including birds. Competing hypotheses about ultimate drivers of seasonal migration in birds contrast relative resource abundances at high latitudes (“southern home hypothesis”) against avoidance of winter resource scarcity (“dispersal‐migration hypothesis”). However, direct tests of these competing hypotheses have been rare and to date limited to historical biogeographic reconstructions. Here we derive novel predictions about the dynamics of individual niches from each hypothesis and provide a framework for evaluating support for these competing hypotheses using contemporary environmental and behavioral data. Using flammulated owls (Psiloscops flammeolus) as a model, we characterized year‐round occupied niche dynamics using high‐resolution global positioning system tracking and remote‐sensed environmental data. We also compared occupied niche dynamics to counterfactual niches using simulated alternative nonmigratory strategies. Owl occupied mean niche was conserved among seasons, whereas niche variance was generally higher during migratory periods. Simulated year‐round residents in Mexico would have experienced putatively more productive niches than migrants. These findings provide ecological support for the “dispersal‐migration” hypothesis in which winter resource scarcity is the primary driver of migration rather than summer resource abundances.

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“…It would in fact be extraordinary to see thousands of vagrants engaging in an evolutionary dead-end every autumn. Conversely, if a new migration route is currently evolving westward in the YBW, the species would join the very few documented cases of contemporary changes of migration routes in birds with genetically encoded migrations (Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla : [ 20 ]; Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica : [ 32 ]; Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota : [ 33 ]; possibly Richard’s Pipit Anthus richardi : [ 8 ]; see also [ 34 – 36 ] for other examples of change of migration routes) and would thus stand out as a prime model to improve our understanding of how new migration routes emerge.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) as a model to understand vagrancy and its potential for the evolution of new migration routes

Dufour

Åkesson

Hellström³

et al. 2022

Mov Ecol

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Why and how new migration routes emerge remain fundamental questions in ecology, particularly in the context of current global changes. In its early stages, when few individuals are involved, the evolution of new migration routes can be easily confused with vagrancy, i.e. the occurrence of individuals outside their regular breeding, non-breeding or migratory distribution ranges. Yet, vagrancy can in theory generate new migration routes if vagrants survive, return to their breeding grounds and transfer their new migration route to their offspring, thus increasing a new migratory phenotype in the population. Here, we review the conceptual framework and empirical challenges of distinguishing regular migration from vagrancy in small obligate migratory passerines and explain how this can inform our understanding of migration evolution. For this purpose, we use the Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) as a case study. This Siberian species normally winters in southern Asia and its recent increase in occurrence in Western Europe has become a prominent evolutionary puzzle. We first review and discuss available evidence suggesting that the species is still mostly a vagrant in Western Europe but might be establishing a new migration route initiated by vagrants. We then list possible empirical approaches to check if some individuals really undertake regular migratory movements between Western Europe and Siberia, which would make this species an ideal model for studying the links between vagrancy and the emergence of new migratory routes.

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Rapid adjustments of migration and life history in hemisphere-switching cliff swallows

Cited by 17 publications

References 29 publications

Bi-axial orientation could explain range expansion in a migratory songbird

Bi-axial orientation could explain range expansion in a migratory songbird

Niche dynamics suggest ecological factors influencing migration in an insectivorous owl

The Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) as a model to understand vagrancy and its potential for the evolution of new migration routes

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