COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: IDBR: Enhancing and disseminating miniaturized tracking technology for widespread use on small migratory songbirds

直到最近，对小型鸟类迁徙运动的了解仅基于特殊的频带返回和生物标志物和人口统计学的推断。虽然研究人员已经能够使用各种电子设备跟踪大型鸟类几十年了，但传统的远距离跟踪方法，如卫星遥测，使用的标签对于大多数鸟类（那些重量在20克或以下的鸟类）来说太大了。然而，一种新的工具已经出现，它可以彻底改变我们对鸟类迁徙的理解。太阳地理定位数据记录仪，或地质学家，是一种非常小而简单的跟踪设备，可以定期存储光强度读数，以确定白天的长度（表示纬度）和太阳正午的时间（表示经度）。地质学家最近对几种小型鸟类进行了研究，这些早期研究的成功引起了科学家和鸟类爱好者对这些设备的极大兴趣。尽管地质学家已经取得了令人兴奋的成果，但仍有必要改进仪器（硬件和软件），为地质学家的使用建立指导方针，并增加他们与科学界的联系。该项目的一个主要目标是改进现有的地质学家设计，创造一种可以被任何研究小组或机构大量部署在各种物种上的设备。第二个目标是生成复杂但可访问的分析工具，将多个信息源合并到一个贝叶斯框架中，以生成迁移轨迹的最佳估计。具体来说，这个项目力求：1)减小地质学家硬件的尺寸；2)重新打包一个未被充分利用但功能强大的分析包（tripEstimation），用于处理地质数据；3)增加地质学家的可用性，提供组装单元、电子套件和自己动手的指导；4)进行广泛的实地测试和分析，以评估设备的准确性及其对鸟类行为的影响；5)将地质学家的成本降低一个数量级。让地质学家参与大规模的条带操作，让资金有限的研究人员参与研究，将促进巨大的科学进步，这将在许多学科中产生反响。随着多重追踪工作的信息被综合，研究人员将能够建立连接不同候鸟种群使用的繁殖区和越冬区的连通性地图。这些活动将有助于制定全面的保护战略，确定候鸟的关键栖息地，并在整个候鸟年周期内保护脆弱物种。为了帮助确保这种数据合成的可能性，这个项目产生的地质学家软件将通过Movebank.org来实现，Movebank.org是一个用于存储和分发动物跟踪数据的在线存储库。使用Movebank.org的科学家将为世界各地的学生和研究人员提供资源，这些学生和研究人员从寻求推进进化论的专业野生生物学家到从事科学展览项目的小学生。与地质学家一起追踪动物需要生物学、地球科学、电子工程和数学的综合。因此，地质学研究是解决STEM（科学、技术、工程和数学）学习目标的优秀材料。通过俄克拉何马大学K20，一个由项目人员和学校教师组成的协作小组将根据太阳能地理定位的概念和基于微处理器的数据记录器的构建，为K-12学生制定课程计划。这些课程计划将通过K20中心维护的K20alt网站提供给美国和国外的教师。

Until recently, knowledge of the migratory movements of small birds was based only on idiosyncratic band returns and inferences from biomarkers and population demographics. Although researchers have been able to track large birds for decades using various electronic devices, traditional long-distance tracking methods, such as satellite telemetry, employ tags that are far too large for the majority of bird species (those weighting 20 grams or less). However, a new tool has emerged that can revolutionize our understanding of bird migration. Solar-geolocation data loggers, or geologgers, are extremely small and simple tracking devices that store light-intensity readings at regular intervals for determining both day length, which indicates latitude, and the time of solar noon, which indicates longitude. Geologgers have recently been deployed on several small bird species and the success of these early studies has sparked considerable interest in these devices among scientists and bird enthusiasts. Although geologgers are already yielding exciting results, there is a need to improve the instrumentation (both hardware and software), establish guidelines for the use of geologgers, and increase their accessibility to the scientific community. A major goal of this project is to improve upon an existing geologger design to create a device that can be deployed in large numbers on a wide range of species by virtually any research group or institution. A second goal is to generate sophisticated yet accessible analysis tools that incorporate multiple sources of information into a Bayesian framework for generating the best possible estimates of migration tracks. Specifically this project seeks to: 1) reduce the size of geologger hardware; 2) repackage an underused but powerful analysis package (tripEstimation) for processing geologger data; 3) increase the availability of geologgers by offering assembled units, electronic kits, and do-it-yourself instructions; 4) carry out extensive field testing and analyses to evaluate the accuracy of the devices and their effects on bird behavior; and 5) reduce the cost of geologgers by an order of magnitude. Making geologgers available to large-scale banding operations and researchers with limited funds will promote a tremendous scientific advance that will reverberate across numerous disciplines. As information from multiple tracking efforts is synthesized, researchers will be able to establish connectivity maps linking breeding and wintering areas used by different populations of migratory birds. These activities will enable comprehensive conservation strategies that can identify critical habitats for migratory birds and protect vulnerable species throughout their annual cycles. To help ensure that this sort of data synthesis is possible, the geologger software resulting from this project will be implemented through Movebank.org, an online repository for storing and distributing animal tracking data. Scientists who use Movebank.org will contribute to a resource used by students and researchers worldwide ranging from professional wildlife biologists seeking to advance evolutionary theory to grade-school children working on science fair projects.Tracking animals with geologgers requires a synthesis of biology, earth science, electrical engineering, and mathematics. As such, geologger studies are excellent material for addressing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) learning objectives. Working through The University of Oklahoma K20, a collaborative group of project personnel and schoolteachers will generate lesson plans for K-12 students based on the concept of solar geolocation and the construction of microprocessor-based data loggers. These lesson plans will reach teachers across the US and abroad through the K20alt website, maintained by the K20 Center.