Climate Change, community dynamics, and long-distance migratory birds

在环境快速变化的时代，自然资源保护者、生态学家和资源管理者面临着两个基本问题：（1）哪些物种最容易受到环境变化的影响？（2）什么样的机制能使个体和种群对这些环境变化作出反应，从而避免灭绝？ 一些野生动物物种每年迁移数千英里，因此在其生命周期的许多不同部分面临环境变化。 因此，这些物种可能特别容易受到环境变化的影响。 为了解决这些重要的保护问题，拟议的研究将遵循个别长途迁徙鸟类，特别是Hudsonian Godwits（Limosa haemastica），在他们的整个生命中，从阿拉斯加的繁殖地到智利南部的非繁殖地，使用新型小型化跟踪设备和国际合作者团队的实地工作。在鸟类的整个生命中跟踪它们的个体将提供对不同时间段或不同地点发生的变化如何单独或协同作用以影响整个种群成功生存和繁殖的能力的见解。然后，为了帮助保护迁徙物种，如哈德逊Godwits，并加深与当地社区的接触，该项目将重点与阿拉斯加农村的当地学校和既定的教育媒体制作人合作开发K12课程，通过举办在线科学研讨会促进国际合作，并修改现有的保护计划，以纳入最新的研究结果。全球环境的变化驱动着我国人类活动的多样性和普遍性。野生动物物种每年迁移数千英里，因此在其生命周期的许多不同部分面临环境变化。 因此，这些物种种群可能特别容易受到环境变化的影响。这项研究将利用自2009年以来一直在阿拉斯加州白鲸河的一个研究地点，以解决生物和非生物压力在长寿的长距离候鸟Hudsonian Godwit（Limosa haemastica）的整个生命周期中的同时影响。当它们从智利南部迁移到阿拉斯加时，Godwits面临着多个独立的，潜在的协同作用，全年的环境变化。在这项研究中，关于godwits在其生命过程中改变其迁移时间的能力的个人水平信息将与关于godwits小鸡如何被迫权衡觅食和安全的人口水平信息相结合，以帮助告知物种水平评估godwits将能够在其年度周期中应对未来环境变化。因此，该项目的结果不仅有可能阐明迁移生态学中长期存在的问题，而且有可能阐明有关个人、种群和物种如何应对环境变化的基本问题。最终，该项目的目标是提供重要的、广泛适用的信息，为评估物种对未来全球变化的脆弱性提供信息。PI将与USFWS合作，就物种脆弱性提供建议，并与当地村民合作，教育和吸引当地公民参与保护和管理。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In an era of rapid environmental change, conservationists, ecologists and resource managers are faced with two fundamental questions: (1) Which species are most vulnerable to environmental change? and, (2) What mechanisms will enable individuals and populations to respond to these environmental changes and thus avoid extinction? Some wildlife species migrate thousands of miles each year and thus face environmental changes in many different parts of their life cycle. These species may thus be especially susceptible to environmental change. To address these important conservation questions, the proposed research will follow individual long-distance migratory birds, in particular Hudsonian Godwits (Limosa haemastica), throughout their entire lives, from their breeding grounds in Alaska to their nonbreeding grounds in southern Chile using novel miniaturized tracking devices and on-the-ground efforts by an international team of collaborators. Following individual birds throughout their lives will provide insights into how changes occurring during different time periods or in different locations may act separately or synergistically to influence the ability of entire populations to successfully survive and reproduce. Then, to aid the conservation of migratory species such as Hudsonian Godwits and deepen engagement with local communities, this project will focus on developing K12 curricula in collaboration with local schools in rural Alaska and established educational media producers, facilitating international collaborations by holding online scientific symposia, and revising existing conservation plans to incorporate recent findings. Global environmental changes driven my human activities are diverse and ubiquitous. Wildlife species migrate thousands of miles each year thus face environmental changes in many different parts of their life cycle. These species populations may thus be especially vulnerable to environmental change. This study will utilize a study site that has been maintained since 2009 in Beluga River, Alaska, to address the simultaneous effects of biotic and abiotic pressures acting throughout the life cycle of the long-lived, long-distance migratory bird, the Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica). Godwits face multiple separate, and potentially synergistic, environmental changes throughout the year as they migrate from southern Chile to Alaska. In this study, individual-level information on the ability of godwits to alter their migration timing over the course of their lives will be coupled with population-level information about how godwit chicks may be forced to trade off foraging and safety to help inform a species-level assessment of how well godwits will be able to respond to future environmental changes occurring throughout their annual cycle. As a consequence, this project’s results have the potential to illuminate not only long-held questions in migration ecology, but fundamental questions about how individuals, populations, and species are able to respond to environmental change. Ultimately, the project’s aim is to provide critical, broadly applicable information to inform assessments of species’ vulnerability to future global change. The PI will work with the USFWS to advice on species vulnerability and with local villagers to educate and engage local citizens in conservation and management.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.