Dataset Information

Fitness consequences of different migratory strategies in partially migratory populations: A multi-taxa meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT: Partial migration-wherein migratory and non-migratory individuals exist within the same population-represents a behavioural dimorphism; for it to persist over time, both strategies should yield equal individual fitness. This balance may be maintained through trade-offs where migrants gain survival benefits by avoiding unfavourable conditions, while residents gain breeding benefits from early access to resources. There has been little overarching quantitative analysis of the evidence for this fitness balance. As migrants-especially long-distance migrants-may be particularly vulnerable to environmental change, it is possible that recent anthropogenic impacts could drive shifts in fitness balances within these populations. We tested these predictions using a multi-taxa meta-analysis. Of 2,939 reviewed studies, 23 contained suitable information for meta-analysis, yielding 129 effect sizes. Of these, 73% (n = 94) reported higher resident fitness, 22% (n = 28) reported higher migrant fitness, and 5% (n = 7) reported equal fitness. Once weighted for precision, we found balanced fitness benefits across the entire dataset, but a consistently higher fitness of residents over migrants in birds and herpetofauna (the best-sampled groups). Residency benefits were generally associated with survival, not breeding success, and increased with the number of years of data over which effect sizes were calculated, suggesting deviations from fitness parity are not due to sampling artefacts. A pervasive survival benefit to residency documented in recent literature could indicate that increased exposure to threats associated with anthropogenic change faced by migrating individuals may be shifting the relative fitness balance between strategies.

SUBMITTER: Buchan C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7078763 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Fitness consequences of different migratory strategies in partially migratory populations: A multi-taxa meta-analysis.

Buchan Claire C Gilroy James J JJ Catry Inês I Franco Aldina M A AMA

The Journal of animal ecology 20191224 3

Partial migration-wherein migratory and non-migratory individuals exist within the same population-represents a behavioural dimorphism; for it to persist over time, both strategies should yield equal individual fitness. This balance may be maintained through trade-offs where migrants gain survival benefits by avoiding unfavourable conditions, while residents gain breeding benefits from early access to resources. There has been little overarching quantitative analysis of the evidence for this fit ...[more]

PMID: 31777950

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Project description:Alternative migratory strategies can coexist within animal populations and species. Anthropogenic impacts can shift the fitness balance between these strategies leading to changes in migratory behaviors. Yet some of the mechanisms that drive such changes remain poorly understood. Here we investigate the phenotypic differences, and the energetic, behavioral, and fitness trade-offs associated with four different movement strategies (long-distance and short-distance migration, and regional and local residency) in a population of white storks (Ciconia ciconia) that has shifted its migratory behavior over the last decades, from fully long-distance migration toward year-round residency. To do this, we tracked 75 adult storks fitted with GPS/GSM loggers with tri-axial acceleration sensors over 5 years, and estimated individual displacement, behavior, and overall dynamic body acceleration, a proxy for activity-related energy expenditure. Additionally, we monitored nesting colonies to assess individual survival and breeding success. We found that long-distance migrants traveled thousands of kilometers more throughout the year, spent more energy, and >10% less time resting compared with short-distance migrants and residents. Long-distance migrants also spent on average more energy per unit of time while foraging, and less energy per unit of time while soaring. Migratory individuals also occupied their nests later than resident ones, later occupation led to later laying dates and a lower number of fledglings. However, we did not find significant differences in survival probability. Finally, we found phenotypic differences in the migratory probability, as smaller sized individuals were more likely to migrate, and they might be incurring higher energetic and fitness costs than larger ones. Our results shed light on the shifting migratory strategies in a partially migratory population and highlight the nuances of anthropogenic impacts on species behavior, fitness, and evolutionary dynamics.

Dataset Information

Fitness consequences of different migratory strategies in partially migratory populations: A multi-taxa meta-analysis.

Publications

Fitness consequences of different migratory strategies in partially migratory populations: A multi-taxa meta-analysis.

Similar Datasets

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