| 1. |
- Caliendo, V, et al.
(author)
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Transatlantic spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 by wild birds from Europe to North America in 2021
- 2022
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 12:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses of the A/Goose/Guangdong/1/1996 lineage (GsGd), which threaten the health of poultry, wildlife and humans, are spreading across Asia, Europe, Africa and North America but are currently absent from South America and Oceania. In December 2021, H5N1 HPAI viruses were detected in poultry and a free-living gull in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Our phylogenetic analysis showed that these viruses were most closely related to HPAI GsGd viruses circulating in northwestern Europe in spring 2021. Our analysis of wild bird migration suggested that these viruses may have been carried across the Atlantic via Iceland, Greenland/Arctic or pelagic routes. The here documented incursion of HPAI GsGd viruses into North America raises concern for further virus spread across the Americas by wild bird migration.
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| 2. |
- Gauld, Jethro G., et al.
(author)
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Hotspots in the grid : Avian sensitivity and vulnerability to collision risk from energy infrastructure interactions in Europe and North Africa
- 2022
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In: Journal of Applied Ecology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0021-8901 .- 1365-2664. ; 59:6, s. 1496-1512
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Wind turbines and power lines can cause bird mortality due to collision or electrocution. The biodiversity impacts of energy infrastructure (EI) can be minimised through effective landscape-scale planning and mitigation. The identification of high-vulnerability areas is urgently needed to assess potential cumulative impacts of EI while supporting the transition to zero carbon energy. We collected GPS location data from 1,454 birds from 27 species susceptible to collision within Europe and North Africa and identified areas where tracked birds are most at risk of colliding with existing EI. Sensitivity to EI development was estimated for wind turbines and power lines by calculating the proportion of GPS flight locations at heights where birds were at risk of collision and accounting for species' specific susceptibility to collision. We mapped the maximum collision sensitivity value obtained across all species, in each 5 x 5 km grid cell, across Europe and North Africa. Vulnerability to collision was obtained by overlaying the sensitivity surfaces with density of wind turbines and transmission power lines. Results: Exposure to risk varied across the 27 species, with some species flying consistently at heights where they risk collision. For areas with sufficient tracking data within Europe and North Africa, 13.6% of the area was classified as high sensitivity to wind turbines and 9.4% was classified as high sensitivity to transmission power lines. Sensitive areas were concentrated within important migratory corridors and along coastlines. Hotspots of vulnerability to collision with wind turbines and transmission power lines (2018 data) were scattered across the study region with highest concentrations occurring in central Europe, near the strait of Gibraltar and the Bosporus in Turkey. Synthesis and applications. We identify the areas of Europe and North Africa that are most sensitive for the specific populations of birds for which sufficient GPS tracking data at high spatial resolution were available. We also map vulnerability hotspots where mitigation at existing EI should be prioritised to reduce collision risks. As tracking data availability improves our method could be applied to more species and areas to help reduce bird-EI conflicts.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Ahlstrom, Christina A., et al.
(author)
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Evidence for continental-scale dispersal of antimicrobial resistant bacteria by landfill-foraging gulls
- 2021
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 764, s. 1-10
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Anthropogenic inputs into the environment may serve as sources of antimicrobial resistant bacteria and alter the ecology and population dynamics of synanthropic wild animals by providing supplemental forage. In this study, we used a combination of phenotypic and genomic approaches to characterize antimicrobial resistant indicator bacteria, animal telemetry to describe host movement patterns, and a novel modeling approach to combine information from these diverse data streams to investigate the acquisition and long-distance dispersal of antimicrobial resistant bacteria by landfill-foraging gulls. Our results provide evidence that gulls acquire antimicrobial resistant bacteria from anthropogenic sources, which they may subsequently disperse across and between continents via migratory movements. Furthermore, we introduce a flexible modeling framework to estimate the relative dispersal risk of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in western North America and adjacent areas within East Asia, which may be adapted to provide information on the risk of dissemination of other organisms and pathogens maintained by wildlife through space and time. Published by Elsevier B.V.
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| 5. |
- Alam, A. B. M. Sarowar, et al.
(author)
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Population trends and effects of local environmental factors on waterbirds at Tanguar Haor freshwater wetland complex in northeast Bangladesh
- 2023
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In: Avian Conservation and Ecology. - : Resilience Alliance. - 1712-6568. ; 18:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Analysis of long-term datasets on bird populations can be used to answer ecological and management questions that are useful for conservation. Tanguar Haor (9500 ha) is one of the major freshwater wetlands in Bangladesh and supports a large number of migratory and resident waterbirds. Because of its unique ecological and economic values, it is arguably the most notable wetland in the floodplains of northeast Bangladesh and in the region. This Ramsar site supports globally important populations of threatened waterbirds, such as the Baer's Pochard Aythya baeri, Common Pochard Aythya ferina, Falcated Duck Mareca falcata, Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca, Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster, and Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa. Considering the international significance of this site, knowledge gaps on waterbird population trends, and key ecological factors, we conducted waterbird census between 2008 and 2021 to identify priority sites for conservation, population trends of resident and migratory waterbirds, and environmental factors that influence their abundances. We recorded a total of 69 species of waterbirds (maximum count of 166,788 individuals in 2013) and assessed population trends of 47 species. Of these, peak counts of 15 species exceeded the 1% threshold of their Asian-Australian Flyway population estimates. Most species (59%) showed a declining trend, including the critically endangered Baer's Pochard and the vulnerable Common Pochard, and 16 species (41%) showed an increasing trend. Based on the abundance and species diversity, we have identified Chotainna beel and Lechuamara beel as conservation priority sites within the Haor complex and discuss key threats to these areas. We also offer evidence that adjusting water-level management to annual rainfall patterns could be a useful intervention for waterbird management. Involving local communities in conservation efforts by creating bird sanctuaries within the Haor complex will strengthen waterbird conservation in the country and along the East Asian-Australian Flyway.
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| 6. |
- Jetz, Walter, et al.
(author)
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Biological Earth observation with animal sensors
- 2022
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In: Trends in Ecology & Evolution. - : Elsevier. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 37:4, s. 293-298
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Space-based tracking technology using low-cost miniature tags is now delivering data on fine-scale animal movement at near-global scale. Linked with remotely sensed environmental data, this offers a biological lens on habitat integrity and connectivity for conservation and human health; a global network of animal sentinels of environmental change.
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| 7. |
- Kleyheeg, Erik, et al.
(author)
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A Comprehensive Model for the Quantitative Estimation of Seed Dispersal by Migratory Mallards
- 2019
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In: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-701X. ; 7, s. 1-14
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Long-distance seed dispersal is an important ecosystem service provided by migratory animals. Plants inhabiting discrete habitats, like lakes and wetlands, experience dispersal limitation, and rely heavily on zoochory for their spatial population dynamics. Granivorous waterbirds may disperse viable seeds of wetland plants over long distances during migration. The limited knowledge of waterbird migration has long hampered the evaluation of the importance of waterbirds in seed dispersal, requiring key metrics such as realistic dispersal distances. Using recent GPS tracking of mallards during spring migration, we built a mechanistic seed dispersal model to estimate realistic dispersal distances. Mallards are abundant, partially migratory ducks known to consume seeds of >300 European plant species. Based on the tracking data, we informed a mallard migration simulator to obtain a probabilistic spring migration model for the mallard population wintering at Lake Constance in Southern Germany. We combined the spring migration model with seed retention curves to develop seed dispersal kernels. We also assessed the effects of pre-migratory fasting and the availability of suitable deposition habitats for aquatic and wetland plants. Our results show that mallards at Lake Constance can disperse seeds in the northeastern direction over median distances of 293 and 413 km for seeds with short and long retention times, respectively, assuming a departure immediately after foraging. Pre-migratory fasting strongly affected the dispersal potential, with only 1-7% of ingested seeds left for dispersal after fasting for 12 h. Availability of a suitable deposition habitat was generally <5% along the migratory flyway. The high probability of seed deposition in a freshwater habitat during the first stopover, after the mallards completed the first migratory flight, makes successful dispersal most likely to happen at 204-322 km from Lake Constance. We concluded that the directed long-distance dispersal of plant seeds, realized by mallards on spring migration, may contribute significantly to large scale spatial plant population dynamics, including range expansion in response to shifting temperature and rainfall patterns under global warming. Our dispersal model is the first to incorporate detailed behavior of migratory waterbirds and can be readily adjusted to include other vector species when tracking data are available.
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| 8. |
- Sztukowski, Lisa A., et al.
(author)
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Tracking reveals limited interactions between Campbell Albatross and fisheries during the breeding season
- 2017
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In: Journal of Ornithology = Journal fur Ornithologie. - : Springer. - 0021-8375 .- 1439-0361. ; 158:3, s. 725-735
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fisheries-related mortality has been influential in driving global declines in seabird populations. Understanding the overlap between seabird distribution and fisheries is one important element in assessing bycatch risk, and may be achieved by tracking the movements of individual birds and fishing vessels. Here, we assess the spatiotemporal overlap between the vulnerable Campbell Albatross Thalassarche impavida and large (>28 m) commercial fishing boats in New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). We used a novel analytical approach, bivariate Gaussian bridge movement modelling, to compute spatiotemporal utilization distributions of bird-borne global positioning system (GPS) loggers and data from the Vessel Monitoring System. We tracked birds for 28,815 h during incubation and chick brooding, with half of this time spent within New Zealand’s EEZ, utilizing 6.7% of the available area. However, there was no evidence that albatrosses and fishing vessels were in the same location simultaneously. We accounted for the broader ecological footprint of fishing vessels by calculating the distance between GPS-fix locations for albatrosses and fishing vessels, revealing that albatrosses were within 30 km of fishing vessels in 8.4% of foraging trips. This highlights differences in estimated fine-scale spatiotemporal overlaps which may be due to the distance between albatrosses and vessels or the methods used. Overall, the low levels of spatial overlap could be a result of Campbell Albatross’ preference for foraging in areas without fishing activity or competitive exclusion by other species. Our results reinforce the importance of multi-scale, temporally explicit, and multi-national approaches to risk assessment, as Campbell Albatrosses spend approximately half of their time foraging outside New Zealand’s EEZ.
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| 9. |
- van Toor, Mariëlle L., et al.
(author)
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As the Duck Flies-Estimating the Dispersal of Low-Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses by Migrating Mallards
- 2018
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In: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-701X. ; 6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Many pathogens rely on the mobility of their hosts for dispersal. In order to understand and predict how a disease can rapidly sweep across entire continents, illuminating the contributions of host movements to disease spread is pivotal. While elegant proposals have been made to elucidate the spread of human infectious diseases, the direct observation of long-distance dispersal events of animal pathogens is challenging. Pathogens like avian influenza A viruses, causing only short disease in their animal hosts, have proven exceptionally hard to study. Here, we integrate comprehensive data on population and disease dynamics for low-pathogenic avian influenza viruses in one of their main hosts, the mallard, with a novel movement model trained from empirical, high-resolution tracks ofmallardmigrations. This allowed us to simulate individualmallard migrations from a key stopover site in the Baltic Sea for the entire population and link these movements to infection simulations. Using this novel approach, we were able to estimate the dispersal of low-pathogenic avian influenza viruses by migrating mallards throughout several autumn migratory seasons and predicted areas that are at risk of importing these viruses. We found that mallards are competent vectors and on average dispersed viruses over distances of 160 km in just 3 h. Surprisingly, our simulations suggest that such dispersal events are rare even throughout the entire autumn migratory season. Our approach directly combines simulated population-level movements with local infection dynamics and offers a potential converging point for movement and disease ecology.
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| 10. |
- van Toor, Mariëlle L., et al.
(author)
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Flexibility of Continental Navigation and Migration in European Mallards
- 2013
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 8:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The ontogeny of continent-wide navigation mechanisms of the individual organism, despite being crucial for the understanding of animal movement and migration, is still poorly understood. Several previous studies, mainly conducted on passerines, indicate that inexperienced, juvenile birds may not generally correct for displacement during fall migration. Waterbirds such as the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos, Linnaeus 1758) are more flexible in their migration behavior than most migratory songbirds, but previous experiments with waterbirds have not yet allowed clear conclusions about their navigation abilities. Here we tested whether immature mallard ducks correct for latitudinal displacement during fall migration within Europe. During two consecutive fall migration periods, we caught immature females on a stopover site in southeast Sweden, and translocated a group of them ca. 1,000 km to southern Germany. We followed the movements of the ducks via satellite GPS-tracking and observed their migration decisions during the fall and consecutive spring migration. The control animals released in Ottenby behaved as expected from banding recoveries: they continued migration during the winter and in spring returned to the population's breeding grounds in the Baltics and Northwest Russia. Contrary to the control animals, the translocated mallards did not continue migration and stayed at Lake Constance. In spring, three types of movement tactics could be observed: 61.5% of the ducks (16 of 26) stayed around Lake Constance, 27% (7 of 26) migrated in a northerly direction towards Sweden and 11.5% of the individuals (3 of 26) headed east for ca. 1,000 km and then north. We suggest that young female mallards flexibly adjust their migration tactics and develop a navigational map that allows them to return to their natal breeding area.
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| 11. |
- van Toor, Mariëlle L., et al.
(author)
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Flexibility of habitat use in novel environments : insights from a translocation experiment with lesser black-backed gulls
- 2017
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In: Royal Society Open Science. - : The Royal Society. - 2054-5703. ; 4:1, s. 1-14
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Being faced with unknown environments is a concomitant challenge of species' range expansions. Strategies to cope with this challenge include the adaptation to local conditions and a flexibility in resource exploitation. The gulls of the Larus argentatus-fuscus-cachinnans group form a system in which ecological flexibility might have enabled them to expand their range considerably, and to colonize urban environments. However, on a population level both flexibility and local adaptation lead to signatures of differential habitat use in different environments, and these processes are not easily distinguished. Using the lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) as a system, we put both flexibility and local adaptation to a test. We compare habitat use between two spatially separated populations, and use a translocation experiment during which individuals were released into novel environment. The experiment revealed that on a population-level flexibility best explains the differences in habitat use between the two populations. We think that our results suggest that the range expansion and huge success of this species complex could be a result of its broad ecological niche and flexibility in the exploitation of resources. However, this also advises caution when using species distribution models to extrapolate habitat use across space.
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| 12. |
- van Toor, Mariëlle L., et al.
(author)
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Integrating animal movement with habitat suitability for estimating dynamic migratory connectivity
- 2018
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In: Landscape Ecology. - : Springer. - 0921-2973 .- 1572-9761. ; 33:6, s. 879-893
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- High-resolution animal movement data are becoming increasingly available, yet having a multitude of empirical trajectories alone does not allow us to easily predict animal movement. To answer ecological and evolutionary questions at a population level, quantitative estimates of a species' potential to link patches or populations are of importance. We introduce an approach that combines movement-informed simulated trajectories with an environment-informed estimate of the trajectories' plausibility to derive connectivity. Using the example of bar-headed geese we estimated migratory connectivity at a landscape level throughout the annual cycle in their native range. We used tracking data of bar-headed geese to develop a multi-state movement model and to estimate temporally explicit habitat suitability within the species' range. We simulated migratory movements between range fragments, and calculated a measure we called route viability. The results are compared to expectations derived from published literature. Simulated migrations matched empirical trajectories in key characteristics such as stopover duration. The viability of the simulated trajectories was similar to that of the empirical trajectories. We found that, overall, the migratory connectivity was higher within the breeding than in wintering areas, corroborating previous findings for this species. We show how empirical tracking data and environmental information can be fused for meaningful predictions of animal movements throughout the year and even outside the spatial range of the available data. Beyond predicting migratory connectivity, our framework will prove useful for modelling ecological processes facilitated by animal movement, such as seed dispersal or disease ecology.
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| 13. |
- van Toor, Mariëlle L., et al.
(author)
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Integrating sex‐specific habitat use for conservation using habitat suitability models
- 2011
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In: Animal Conservation. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1367-9430 .- 1469-1795. ; 14:5, s. 512-520
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Divergent habitat utilization and niche partitioning can cause high degrees of ecological specialization even in generalist species. For example, sex‐specific specialization results in differential habitat use, which, if neglected in monitoring studies, can lead to biased estimates of population sizes. However, many widely used methods of population monitoring such as bioacoustical surveys of echolocating bats cannot take such demographic differences into account, due to methodological limitations. Here, we use ecological niche factor analysis (ENFA) to derive habitat suitability maps (HSMs) of male and female parti‐coloured bat Vespertilio murinus using previously published radio‐tracking data. The ENFA revealed that males and females were highly specialized and ecologically segregated. Accordingly, we found that significantly more high‐quality habitats were available for males than for females, with no spatial overlap between sexes. The HSMs allowed us to estimate the skew in the distribution of the sexes in space. Our approach provides a way to estimate intra‐species spatial segregation and consequently generate a more accurate prediction of effective population size and niche requirements of vulnerable species. This study also highlights the importance of making geographic and environmental data, as well as animal occurrence and movement data publicly available for the benefit of conservation efforts.
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- van Toor, Mariëlle L., et al.
(author)
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Migration distance affects how closely Eurasian wigeons follow spring phenology during migration
- 2021
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In: Movement Ecology. - : Springer. - 2051-3933. ; 9:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The timing of migration for herbivorous migratory birds is thought to coincide with spring phenologyas emerging vegetation supplies them with the resources to fuel migration, and, in species with a capital breedingstrategy also provides individuals with energy for use on the breeding grounds. Individuals with very long migrationdistances might however have to trade of between utilising optimal conditions en route and reaching the breeding grounds early, potentially leading to them overtaking spring on the way. Here, we investigate whether migrationdistance afects how closely individually tracked Eurasian wigeons follow spring phenology during spring migration.Methods: We captured wigeons in the Netherlands and Lithuania and tracked them throughout spring migration toidentify staging sites and timing of arrival. Using temperature-derived indicators of spring phenology, we investigatedhow maximum longitude reached and migration distance afected how closely wigeons followed spring. We furtherestimated the impact of tagging on wigeon migration by comparing spring migratory timing between tracked individuals and ring recovery data sets.Results: Wigeons migrated to locations between 300 and 4000 km from the capture site, and migrated up to1000 km in a single day. We found that wigeons migrating to more north-easterly locations followed spring phenology more closely, and increasingly so the greater distance they had covered during migration. Yet we also found thatdespite tags equalling only around 2% of individual’s body mass, individuals were on average 11–12 days slower thanring-marked individuals from the same general population.Discussion: Overall, our results suggest that migratory strategy can vary dependent on migration distance withinspecies, and even within the same migratory corridor. Individual decisions thus depend not only on environmentalcues, but potentially also trade-ofs made during later life-history stages.
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| 16. |
- van Toor, Mariëlle L., et al.
(author)
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Temporal segmentation of animal trajectories informed by habitat use
- 2016
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In: Ecosphere. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2150-8925 .- 2150-8925. ; 7:10, s. 1-16
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Most animals live in seasonal environments and experience very different conditions throughout the year. Behavioral strategies like migration, hibernation, and a life cycle adapted to the local seasonality help to cope with fluctuations in environmental conditions. Thus, how an individual utilizes the environment depends both on the current availability of habitat and the behavioral prerequisites of the individual at that time. While the increasing availability and richness of animal movement data has facilitated the development of algorithms that classify behavior by movement geometry, changes in the environmental correlates of animal movement have so far not been exploited for a behavioral annotation. Here, we suggest a method that uses these changes in individual–environment associations to divide animal location data into segments of higher ecological coherence, which we term niche segmentation. We use time series of random forest models to evaluate the transferability of habitat use over time to cluster observational data accordingly. We show that our method is able to identify relevant changes in habitat use corresponding to both changes in the availability of habitat and how it was used using simulated data, and apply our method to a tracking data set of common teal (Anas crecca). The niche segmentation proved to be robust, and segmented habitat suitability outperformed models neglecting the temporal dynamics of habitat use. Overall, we show that it is possible to classify animal trajectories based on changes of habitat use similar to geometric segmentation algorithms. We conclude that such an environmentally informed classification of animal trajectories can provide new insights into an individuals' behavior and enables us to make sensible predictions of how suitable areas might be connected by movement in space and time.
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| 17. |
- Waldenström, Jonas, 1975-, et al.
(author)
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Active wild bird surveillance of avian influenza viruses, a report
- 2022
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In: EFSA Supporting Publications. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2397-8325 .- 2397-8325. ; 19:12
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This report summarises the potential for an EU-wide active surveillance of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus in wild birds. As basis for the analyses, we collected and analysed virological and ornithological data and carried out fieldwork in two countries outside the EU: Ukraine and Georgia. We show that it is possible to build capacity and logistics for sampling nodes that can provide rapid detection and identification of HPAI, that are key features for an early warning system. Based on the data presented here, it is suggested that an EU-level surveillance network in wild birds is constructed, where surveillance nodes are chosen to reflect the epidemiological benefit of the whole EU. Selection of sampling nodes in the surveillance network should incorporate ornithological and virological background data, and that on-site development should include combined local ornithology and virology expertise and a minimised analytic time frame from sample to result. Ideally, surveillance nodes should be constructed with operational flexibility in what type of material that can be collected, such as active surveillance of wild birds (cloacal, oropharyngeal, blood samples), sampling of hunting bags, and the possibility to take environmental samples or to sample carcasses. This way a surveillance node could be adapted to changes in virus epidemiology, such as shifts in what hosts need to be sampled and at what times of the year sampling should occur. In times of enzootic virus circulation, the network should be tuned to monitor waves of infections and provide warning signals when increased activity is anticipated based on migratory bird movements. Based on the above assumptions, we provide a set of suitable regions, both within and outside the EU, that should be considered.
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| 18. |
- Waldenström, Jonas, 1975-, et al.
(author)
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Long-term trends in abundance, phenology, and morphometrics of Little Stint Calidris minuta during autumn migration in southern Sweden, 1946–2020
- 2023
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In: Ornis Svecica. - : BirdLife Sweden. - 1102-6812 .- 2003-2633. ; 33, s. 30-48
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Little Stint Calidris minuta is an Arctic wader species that migrates through the Baltic Sea region towards wintering areas in North and West Africa and the Mediterranean region. We use a 75-year trapping series, comprising 4,791 Little Stints on autumn migration, from Ottenby Bird Observatory in Sweden to illustrate long-term trends in abundance, phenology, and morphometrics. Numbers of trapped juveniles dropped from median 31 (mean 74) in 1946–1999 to median 1.5 (mean 3.5) birds in 2000–2020, while the number of adults was generally low and without trends. Rolling window analyses showed that the drop in juveniles started around 1984, and from 1993 onward the median never exceeded seven juveniles/year (25 %-quantile: 0–1; 75 %-quantile: 4–55). Moreover, adult birds advanced their passage on average 0.48 days per year, passing 26 days earlier in 2020 than in 1946. Earlier migration of adults and decreased numbers of juveniles suggest low reproductive output in recent decades. Morphometric data of recaptured birds show that Little Stints on stopover at Ottenby gain fuel at a speed close to the theoretical maximum, strongly indicating that the conditions at the trapping site remain favourable for foraging waders.
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| 19. |
- Zhao, Tianhao, et al.
(author)
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Seasonal migration patterns of Siberian Rubythroat (Calliope calliope) facing the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
- 2024
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In: Movement Ecology. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 2051-3933. ; 12:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Small songbirds respond and adapt to various geographical barriers during their annual migration. Global flyways reveal the diverse migration strategies in response to different geographical barriers, among which are high-elevation plateaus. However, few studies have been focused on the largest and highest plateau in the world, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) which poses a significant barrier to migratory passerines. The present study explored the annual migration routes and strategies of a population of Siberian Rubythroats (Calliope calliope) that breed on the north-eastern edge of the QTP. Methods Over the period from 2021 to 2023, we applied light-level geolocators (13 deployed, seven recollected), archival GPS tags (45 deployed, 17 recollected), and CAnMove multi-sensor loggers (with barometer, accelerometer, thermometer, and light sensor, 20 deployed, six recollected) to adult males from the breeding population of Siberian Rubythroat on the QTP. Here we describe the migratory routes and phenology extracted or inferred from the GPS and multi-sensor logger data, and used a combination of accelerometric and barometric data to describe the elevational migration pattern, flight altitude, and flight duration. All light-level geolocators failed to collect suitable data. Results Both GPS locations and positions derived from pressure-based inference revealed that during autumn, the migration route detoured from the bee-line between breeding and wintering grounds, leading to a gradual elevational decrease. The spring route was more direct, with more flights over mountainous areas in western China. This different migration route during spring probably reflects a strategy for faster migration, which corresponds with more frequent long nocturnal migration flights and shorter stopovers during spring migration than in autumn. The average flight altitude (1856 +/- 781 m above sea level) was correlated with ground elevation but did not differ between the seasons. Conclusions Our finding indicates strong, season-dependent impact of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau on shaping passerine migration strategies. We hereby call for more attention to the unexplored central-China flyway to extend our knowledge on the environment-migration interaction among small passerines.
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