The environmental determinants of dispersal and migratory behaviour of long lived birds
Lead Research Organisation:
University of East Anglia
Department Name: Environmental Sciences
Abstract
In recent years, evidence has grown that the migratory behaviour of many bird species is changing in response to changing environmental conditions. In particular, non-migratory individuals have been reported in previously wholly migratory populations. These rapid changes in migratory behaviour provide an opportunity to understand the ontogeny of migratory behaviour and identify the mechanisms through which complex and highly evolved behaviours respond to changing environmental conditions. Changes in environmental conditions and in resource availability can alter the selection pressures operating on migratory behaviour, and individual strategies may differ according to the conditions individuals will experience. Long-lived birds may experience considerable changes in environment and resource availability during their life-time, hence it would be advantageous for individuals to be flexible and adopt the migratory strategy that best takes advantage of changing environmental conditions. This has rarely been observed and individuals tend to be consistent in the migratory strategy they adopt in early life. This project will examine the environmental conditions that determine the establishment of different individual migratory strategies. Individual level data is difficult to obtain since the environmental data is not available at the scale individuals experience it.
This project will involve tracking white storks (large, long-lived birds) and simultaneously monitoring the environmental conditions which individual birds experience. Our current GPS/GSM loggers can record accelerometer and temperature data but new sensors are needed to monitor other environmental parameters that may affect dispersal and movement (wind speed, direction, humidity). We will monitor how changes in environmental conditions will affect the movement, migratory behaviour and mortality of resident and migratory white storks.
Methods:
This project will benefit from the experience of previous work done with tracking white storks in Portugal and Spain and will be linked to an existing NERC POC for the development of new tracking devices to monitor the movement behavior of animals.
White storks are a good study system because they are large long-lived species likely to have adaptable behaviour because they experience variation in environmental conditions through their lives. We will track the movement of 40 juveniles and 20 adults and their movement in response to changes in environmental conditions. The birds will be trapped at the nest, their fitness, sex and age will be recorded. Movement characteristics (speed, direction, flight type and distance moved) will be related to the data obtained by the environmental sensors on the tracking devices and to ground cover on the locations where birds land.
Objectives:
- Identify the environmental determinants of dispersal and migratory behaviour, controlling for individual fitness, age and sex;
- Incorporate new sensors in existing dataloggers and create new prototypes that simultaneous monitor bird movement (GPS), behavior (accelerometer) and environmental parameters (e.g. temperature, wind speed, barometer)
- Determine the influence of environmental parameters in the demography of white storks including migration and over-winter survival, arrival date, nest-site selection, and breeding success.
This project will involve tracking white storks (large, long-lived birds) and simultaneously monitoring the environmental conditions which individual birds experience. Our current GPS/GSM loggers can record accelerometer and temperature data but new sensors are needed to monitor other environmental parameters that may affect dispersal and movement (wind speed, direction, humidity). We will monitor how changes in environmental conditions will affect the movement, migratory behaviour and mortality of resident and migratory white storks.
Methods:
This project will benefit from the experience of previous work done with tracking white storks in Portugal and Spain and will be linked to an existing NERC POC for the development of new tracking devices to monitor the movement behavior of animals.
White storks are a good study system because they are large long-lived species likely to have adaptable behaviour because they experience variation in environmental conditions through their lives. We will track the movement of 40 juveniles and 20 adults and their movement in response to changes in environmental conditions. The birds will be trapped at the nest, their fitness, sex and age will be recorded. Movement characteristics (speed, direction, flight type and distance moved) will be related to the data obtained by the environmental sensors on the tracking devices and to ground cover on the locations where birds land.
Objectives:
- Identify the environmental determinants of dispersal and migratory behaviour, controlling for individual fitness, age and sex;
- Incorporate new sensors in existing dataloggers and create new prototypes that simultaneous monitor bird movement (GPS), behavior (accelerometer) and environmental parameters (e.g. temperature, wind speed, barometer)
- Determine the influence of environmental parameters in the demography of white storks including migration and over-winter survival, arrival date, nest-site selection, and breeding success.
People |
ORCID iD |
Aldina M. A. Franco (Primary Supervisor) | |
Marta Serra Acacio (Student) |
Publications
Soriano-Redondo A
(2020)
Testing alternative methods for estimation of bird migration phenology from GPS tracking data
in Ibis
Studentship Projects
Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NE/N012070/1 | 30/09/2016 | 30/03/2025 | |||
1942320 | Studentship | NE/N012070/1 | 01/01/2018 | 30/11/2021 | Marta Serra Acacio |
NE/W503034/1 | 31/03/2021 | 30/03/2022 | |||
1942320 | Studentship | NE/W503034/1 | 01/01/2018 | 30/11/2021 | Marta Serra Acacio |
Description | NEXUSS Capital Fund |
Amount | £25,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2018 |
End | 03/2018 |
Description | UCT-UEA Newton PhD partnership on Understanding the Climate System and Coping with Climate Change |
Amount | £3,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Newton Fund |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2018 |
End | 12/2018 |
Description | CIBIO/InBio - University of Porto, Portugal |
Organisation | University of Porto |
Country | Portugal |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | During my PhD I am collecting data on the field that will be used by the members of this project. We have also deployed 30 devices on juvenile white storks; this data will be used by other members of the project. I am also analysing data collected by myself and by other members of this project. |
Collaborator Contribution | During this project, the researchers from the University of Porto have deployed 50 devices on adult white storks; this data will used in my analysis. They have also supported a part of my expenses during fieldwork and a participation in the X Portuguese Ornithology Congress, in 2019. |
Impact | This collaboration is merely scientific. The outputs this collaboration are the following: 1 - article publication: Soriano-Redondo, et al (2020) Testing alternative methods for estimation of bird migration phenology from GPS tracking data 2 - participation on the X Portuguese Ornithology Congress |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | University of Cape Town |
Organisation | University of Cape Town |
Department | Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology |
Country | South Africa |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | In this collaboration I analysed movement data of shoebills collected by researchers from the FitzPatrick Institute from 2011 until 2018. This is the second chapter of my PhD thesis. |
Collaborator Contribution | The FitzPatrick Institute collected movement data of shoebills from 2011 until 2018, that I analysed as a part of this collaboration and my PhD thesis. |
Impact | This collaboration led to the development of my second PhD chapter, which is now being prepared for publication at an international peer-review journal. |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | Le Figaro newspaper - "Ces cigognes qui ne migrant plus" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The project team was interviewed by Le Figaro, France's second largest newspaper. The journalists travelled to Portugal and met with several members of this project, including Marta Acácio. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://www.lefigaro.fr/sciences/2018/04/29/01008-20180429ARTFIG00188-ces-cigognes-qui-ne-migrent-pl... |
Description | Norwich Science Festival 2018 and 2019 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Marta Serra Acacio, together with a colleague, Kate Rogerson, envisioned a board game to explain bird migration to the general public. In 2018, this game was brought to life in the Norwich Science Festival, one of the largest science events in the UK. The game was a success in 2018, attracting over 300 people to the Bird Migration stand, and the team was invited to join again in 2019. The general public was very interested in knowing more about bird migration in general, the white stork project at the University of East Anglia (UEA), as well as the technology being developed at UEA to track wildlife. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
Description | Soapbox Science 2019 - "Fly another day: Spying on the incredible journeys of migratory birds" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Soapbox Science is a novel public outreach platform for promoting women scientists and the science they do. These events aim to transform public areas into an arena for public learning and scientific debate. This event was a part of the Norwich Science Festival 2019, that had over 137,000 visitors. During the 1 hour activity, there were over 20 people attending the stand, both children and adults, wanting to know more about the research we're developing at University of East Anglia with white storks, as well as the technology being developed to study changes in migratory movements of birds. Other female scientists were eager to participate in this event in following years, wanting to broadcast their own science to the general public, while trying to change the stereotypical image of a scientist in our society. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |