Behavioural and physiological monitoring of sea ducks over the annual cycle

候鸟跨越国界，在300-8000公里的大地理范围内的不同地点进行繁殖、换羽和越冬。众所周知，它们的迁徙活动每年大约在同一时间发生，这可能受到外源（温度、食物丰度等）和内源性质的计时机制的影响。在拟议的研究计划中，我的目标是描述海鸭的年周期，并了解不同的生物阶段是如何按时间顺序和能量地整合在一起的，与繁殖成功有关。我将使用微型数据记录系统来监测野生和圈养个体的生理和行为参数，以确定内源性时钟作为计时机制的存在。了解候鸟如何根据环境波动调整它们的季节活动是很重要的，因为它可以揭示它们适应气候变化的策略。

Migratory birds cross frontiers to breed, moult and winter at various locations over large geographic scales (300-8000 km). They are well known for their migratory activity to occur at about the same time every year, which may be explained by the influence of timekeeping mechanism of exogenous (temperature, food abundance etc.) and endogenous nature. In the proposed research program, my aim is to describe the annual cycle of sea ducks and understand how the various biological phases are integrated chronologically and energetically in relation to breeding success. I will use miniature data logging systems to monitor physiological and behavioural parameters of wild and captive individuals in order to determine the presence of endogenous clocks as a timekeeping mechanism. It is important to understands how migratory birds adjust their seasonal activities in relation to environmental fluctuations as it could unravel the strategy by which they may adapt to climate change.