Connectivity and the En Route Biology of Migratory Birds

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。迁移是许多生物生命史的一个基本特征，使个体能够在环境季节性变化时利用不同的栖息地。例如，在北美温带地区繁殖的陆地鸟类中，超过三分之二的鸟类会飞数千公里到中美洲和南美洲的非繁殖区。长途旅行在能量上是昂贵的，与迁徙有关的死亡率被认为是可观的。鸟类如何解决迁徙过程中出现的问题决定了迁徙的成功，并最终决定了鸟类的生存。也就是说，全年跟踪个体构成了严峻的挑战，我们对候鸟行为的理解受到了限制，因为我们不知道候鸟的繁殖目的地，更不用说出发点了。来自稳定同位素、遗传标记和羽毛颜色的信息被整合到美国南部春季迁徙中转站捕获的个体鸟与它们在北美的最终繁殖目的地之间的地理联系上。这种新颖的方法将使人们对鸟类在迁徙过程中使用的策略有更全面的了解。例如，迁徙“晚”的鸟类停留的时间是否更短，它们重新储存关键能量的速度是否比按计划迁徙的鸟类更快？晚来的候鸟是否会通过更快的迁徙或在空中停留更长的时间来“赶上”？该项目不仅将提高人们对候鸟行为、生态和进化的认识，而且还将为那些每年往返于大陆之间的动物制定保护策略。该项目延续了本科生和研究生实习的悠久历史，并且由于动物迁徙的戏剧性，为教育团体和社区提供了丰富的机会。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Migration is a fundamental characteristic of the life history of many organisms allowing individuals to take advantage of different habitats as environments change seasonally. For example, over two-thirds of all landbirds that breed in temperate North America fly thousands of kilometers to nonbreeding areas in Central and South America. Traveling long distances is energetically expensive, and the mortality associated with migration is thought to be substantial. How well a bird solves problems that arise during migration determines the success of migration, and ultimately a bird's survival. That said, following individuals throughout the year poses a serious challenge, and our understanding of the behavior of migrating birds has been constrained by not knowing the bird's breeding destination, not to mention the point of departure. Information from stable isotopes, genetic markers, and plumage coloration is integrated to geographically link individual birds captured at stopover sites in the southern U.S. during spring migration with their ultimate breeding destination in North America. This novel approach will allow a more comprehensive understanding of the strategies used by birds during migration. For example, do birds 'late' on their migration stop over for a shorter time and do they redeposit critical energy stores faster than migrants on schedule? Do late migrants 'catch up' by migrating faster or for more hours once aloft? This project will enhance not only understanding of the behavior, ecology, and evolution of migratory birds, but also development of conservation strategies for animals whose annual cycle bridges continents. The project continues a long history of undergraduate and graduate student traineeship and, because of the dramatic nature of animal migration, provides rich opportunities for outreach to educational groups and the community.