Ecological and behavioural constraints on range expansion in migratory birds
Lead Research Organisation:
University of East Anglia
Department Name: Biological Sciences
Abstract
For many species, changing climatic conditions are altering the suitability of the landscapes that they currently inhabit. The future success of such species may depend on their ability to shift their distribution to areas where conditions are suitable, which will require individuals to disperse to new sites. Migratory birds might be expected to be most capable of such dispersal, given the vast distances over which they travel. However, individual birds are typically highly site-faithful to their breeding and winter sites, and so dispersal events can be rare. The success of dispersal events will also depend on the quality of the habitat available to dispersing individuals. Individual dispersal behaviour and habitat availability can therefore help or hinder a species' capacity to shift distribution in response to climate change. Exploring the relative importance of these ecological and behavioural constraints for migratory birds requires a system in which 1. habitat quality has been identified, 2. changes in range size and distribution have been documented and 3. individual dispersal decisions can be tracked. Icelandic black-tailed godwits have been increasing in number and range in recent decades and expanding into poorer quality habitats in summer and winter. Our long-term marking and tracking of these godwits has shown that birds in new breeding sites tend to also use new winter sites, and that they tend to be larger than birds in traditional breeding sites. Larger birds may be more common on new sites either because they can cope better with conditions in these sites or because these are less successful individuals that are more likely to disperse to try and find a mate. This study therefore provides a unique opportunity to explore the consequences of range expansion in a migratory species, by measuring the quality of new sites and the probability of birds in new sites breeding successfully. This study will greatly improve our understanding of the potential for migratory species to expand their ranges, and of the demographic and evolutionary consequences of such range shifts.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Jennifer Gill (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Alves J
(2011)
Overtaking on migration: does longer distance migration always incur a penalty?
in Oikos
Alves J
(2010)
Population overlap and habitat segregation in wintering Black-tailed Godwits Limosa limosa
in Bird Study
Alves J
(2011)
Will improving wastewater treatment impact shorebirds? Effects of sewage discharges on estuarine invertebrates and birds
in Animal Conservation
Alves JA
(2013)
Costs, benefits, and fitness consequences of different migratory strategies.
in Ecology
Alves JA
(2013)
Sex-biases in distribution and resource use at different spatial scales in a migratory shorebird.
in Ecology and evolution
Alves JA
(2019)
Linking warming effects on phenology, demography, and range expansion in a migratory bird population.
in Ecology and evolution
Catry T
(2012)
Sex promotes spatial and dietary segregation in a migratory shorebird during the non-breeding season.
in PloS one
CATRY T
(2011)
Long-term declines of wader populations at the Tagus estuary, Portugal: a response to global or local factors?
in Bird Conservation International
Fisher B
(2011)
Impacts of species-led conservation on ecosystem services of wetlands: understanding co-benefits and tradeoffs
in Biodiversity and Conservation
Gill J
(2019)
Mechanisms driving phenological and range change in migratory species
in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Gill J
(2019)
Does competition really drive population distributions?
in Wader Study
Gill JA
(2014)
Why is timing of bird migration advancing when individuals are not?
in Proceedings. Biological sciences
Gill JA
(2015)
Encountering extreme weather during migration: individual strategies and their consequences.
in The Journal of animal ecology
Gunnarsson T
(2017)
Effects of spring temperature and volcanic eruptions on wader productivity
in Ibis
Gunnarsson TG
(2012)
Rapid changes in phenotype distribution during range expansion in a migratory bird.
in Proceedings. Biological sciences
Gunnarsson TG
(2015)
Ecosystem recharge by volcanic dust drives broad-scale variation in bird abundance.
in Ecology and evolution
Jóhannesdóttir L
(2019)
Interacting effects of agriculture and landscape on breeding wader populations
in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
Jóhannesdóttir L
(2017)
Use of agricultural land by breeding waders in low-intensity farming landscapes
in Animal Conservation
Jóhannesdóttir L
(2017)
Reconciling biodiversity conservation and agricultural expansion in the subarctic environment of Iceland
in Ecology and Society
Knudsen E
(2011)
Challenging claims in the study of migratory birds and climate change.
in Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
Lopes R
(2012)
Do different subspecies of Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa overlap in Iberian wintering and staging areas? Validation with genetic markers
in Journal of Ornithology
Morrison CA
(2019)
Why do earlier-arriving migratory birds have better breeding success?
in Ecology and evolution
Sutherland W
(2012)
A horizon scanning assessment of current and potential future threats to migratory shorebirds
in Ibis
| Description | For many species, changing climatic conditions are altering the suitability of the landscapes that they currently inhabit. The future success of such species may depend on their ability to shift their distribution to areas where conditions are suitable, which will require individuals to disperse to new sites. Migratory birds might be expected to be most capable of such dispersal, given the vast distances over which they travel. However, individual birds are typically highly site-faithful to their breeding and winter sites, and so dispersal events can be rare. The success of dispersal events will also depend on the quality of the habitat available to dispersing individuals. Individual dispersal behaviour and habitat availability can therefore help or hinder a species' capacity to shift distribution in response to climate change. To explore the importance of these ecological and behavioural constraints for migratory birds, we have developed a study system in which 1. habitat quality has been identified, 2. changes in range size and distribution have been documented and 3. individual dispersal decisions can be tracked. Icelandic black-tailed godwits have been increasing in number and range in recent decades. Our long-term marking and tracking of these godwits throughout their migratory range has shown that birds in new breeding sites tend to also use new winter sites, and that they tend to be larger than birds in traditional breeding sites. Our research has shown that the rate of range expansion in this species can be strongly influenced by habitat quality and seasonal interactions, as breeding success, survival and energetic benefits in winter are all lower in more recently occupied sites. However, in addition to this, agricultural expansion in Iceland appears to be altering the quality of the breeding habitat, particularly in more recently occupied areas. Land use change in Iceland may therefore be facilitating the rate of range expansion, particularly for individuals occupying more recently colonised sites, but strong seasonal interactions mean that conditions in the non-breeding season can potentially constrain the benefits of these changes. Finally, our life-long tracking of migratory individuals has shown, for the first time, that shifts in the distribution and phenology of migratory populations result from generational changes (new recruits to the population differing in spatial or phenological distribution to their predecessors) and not from individuals shifting in response to changing conditions. Generational changes are likely to result in slower responses to environmental change, and this major finding emphasises the need to understand the factors determining individual migratory routes and timings, in order to predict future changes in these populations. |
| Exploitation Route | Our findings can directly inform the development of conservation strategies to facilitate range expansion in species of conservation concern |
| Sectors | Environment |
| Description | The findings of this research are being used to inform the development of government land-use policy in Iceland, through the invited membership of one of our research team (Dr T Gunnarsson) on government committees |
| First Year Of Impact | 2016 |
| Sector | Environment |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Description | Development of International Species Action Plans |
| Geographic Reach | Asia |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Collaboration between universities and citizen scientists |
| Organisation | University of Iceland |
| Country | Iceland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This research involves collaboration between the Universities of East Anglia, Cambridge and Iceland, with substantial collaboration and contributions from volunteer 'citizen scientists' from across Europe who collect data for the research. |
| Collaborator Contribution | All team members contribute equally to the regular communication with the citizen science network, and dissemination of study findings |
| Impact | Please see publications listed for this grant |
| Description | Blog series - ceecscience |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We run a blog site describing our research |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018 |
| URL | https://ceecscience.wordpress.com/ |
| Description | Blog series - wadertales |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We work closely with a professional science communicator to produce blogs describing our research |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021,2022,2023 |
| URL | https://wadertales.wordpress.com/ |
| Description | Public communication |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Regular communication with volunteers who contribute data to the study, and frequent presentations of research findings to the public We regularly give public presentations (2-3 per year) on our research in order to foster public understanding of science and to encourage direct involvement in the study by volunteer citizen scientists |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018 |
| Description | Witherby Lecture - the annual lecture of the British Trust for Ornithology |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation to the annual BTO conference, attended by citizen scientists, practitioners and policy-makers |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |