Dataset Information

Synchronous timing of return to breeding sites in a long-distance migratory seabird with ocean-scale variation in migration schedules.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Migratory birds generally have tightly scheduled annual cycles, in which delays can have carry-over effects on the timing of later events, ultimately impacting reproductive output. Whether temporal carry-over effects are more pronounced among migrations over larger distances, with tighter schedules, is a largely unexplored question.

Methods

We tracked individual Arctic Skuas Stercorarius parasiticus, a long-distance migratory seabird, from eight breeding populations between Greenland and Siberia using light-level geolocators. We tested whether migration schedules among breeding populations differ as a function of their use of seven widely divergent wintering areas across the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean.

Results

Breeding at higher latitudes led not only to later reproduction and migration, but also faster spring migration and shorter time between return to the breeding area and clutch initiation. Wintering area was consistent within individuals among years; and more distant areas were associated with more time spent on migration and less time in the wintering areas. Skuas adjusted the period spent in the wintering area, regardless of migration distance, which buffered the variation in timing of autumn migration. Choice of wintering area had only minor effects on timing of return at the breeding area and timing of breeding and these effects were not consistent between breeding populations.

Conclusion

The lack of a consistent effect of wintering area on timing of return between breeding areas indicates that individuals synchronize their arrival with others in their population despite extensive individual differences in migration strategies.

SUBMITTER: van Bemmelen RSA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10960466 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Synchronous timing of return to breeding sites in a long-distance migratory seabird with ocean-scale variation in migration schedules.

van Bemmelen Rob S A RSA Moe Børge B Schekkerman Hans H Hansen Sveinn Are SA Snell Katherine R S KRS Humphreys Elizabeth M EM Mäntylä Elina E Hallgrimsson Gunnar Thor GT Gilg Olivier O Ehrich Dorothée D Calladine John J Hammer Sjúrður S Harris Sarah S Lang Johannes J Vignisson Sölvi Rúnar SR Kolbeinsson Yann Y Nuotio Kimmo K Sillanpää Matti M Sittler Benoît B Sokolov Aleksandr A Klaassen Raymond H G RHG Phillips Richard A RA Tulp Ingrid I

Movement ecology 20240322 1

<h4>Background</h4>Migratory birds generally have tightly scheduled annual cycles, in which delays can have carry-over effects on the timing of later events, ultimately impacting reproductive output. Whether temporal carry-over effects are more pronounced among migrations over larger distances, with tighter schedules, is a largely unexplored question.<h4>Methods</h4>We tracked individual Arctic Skuas Stercorarius parasiticus, a long-distance migratory seabird, from eight breeding populations bet ...[more]

PMID: 38520007

Similar Datasets

Project description:Understanding general migration characteristics and how breeding and non-breeding sites are connected is crucial for predicting the response of long-distance migratory bird populations to environmental changes. We use data collected from six geolocators to describe migratory routes and identify breeding and non-breeding locations, migratory behaviour and differences between spring and autumn migration of Common Whitethroats Curruca communis, an Afro-Palearctic migrant, wintering in Nigeria. Most individuals departed on spring migration in April, following a north-easterly direction, arriving at their breeding grounds across central-eastern Europe (~425,000 km2) in May. Departures from breeding grounds took place between July and August in a south-westerly direction. During spring migration individuals travelled longer distances at faster rates making its overall duration shorter than autumn migration. We suggest that, while Whitethroats can cross the Sahara Desert and Mediterranean Sea in a single flight, they are likely to refuel before and after crossing. Results indicate that Whitethroats undertook loop migration and visited two wintering sites: first in the Sahel, then in Nigeria, where they remained until spring migration. Geolocator results and data from the European Union for Bird Migration's (EURING) ringing database suggest that Whitethroats have a relatively high migratory spread-individuals from a single non-breeding site breed across a wide area of Europe. Our research is the first to track and describe the complete annual cycle of Whitethroats and one of the few studies to do so for any Afro-Palearctic migrant from non-breeding grounds. We identified the Sahel as an important refuelling and first wintering site indicating its conservation, alongside other stopover sites, is crucial for the species. We believe that changes in this region will have severe effects on a subset of individuals of specific European breeding populations, but these effects will greatly depend on the severity of the changes and at what spatial scale they occur.

Dataset Information

Synchronous timing of return to breeding sites in a long-distance migratory seabird with ocean-scale variation in migration schedules.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Synchronous timing of return to breeding sites in a long-distance migratory seabird with ocean-scale variation in migration schedules.

Similar Datasets

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