Ecology of migration

我建议使用新的、区域规模的自动遥测阵列来研究新斯科舍省黑斑林莺的运动生态。 黑嘴莺的迁徙路线是已知的所有小鸟中最长的，在一次迁徙飞行中穿越数千公里的开阔海洋。这些林莺在9月和10月期间从美国东北部和加拿大邻近地区进行这些飞行。该物种在新斯科舍省沿海地区繁殖，并在远至阿拉斯加以西的整个北方森林中繁殖。 在这个研究项目中，我将研究新斯科舍省黑斑林莺从繁殖季节(繁殖后和幼体扩散)结束到迁徙结束的活动行为。黑嘴莺(和其他种类的小型鸣禽)在迁徙过程中进行“景观规模的中途停留”--距离它们最初捕获的地点最多30公里，似乎并不是真正的迁徙飞行。这些动作似乎在某些方面类似于幼鸟羽毛刚长出后不久所做的动作。利用在新斯科舍省迁徙的不同种群的黑斑莺，我将研究这些迁徙，并通过观察和实验，试图理解它们的原因，以及它们如何影响这些物种的当地种群。 我将使用可以固定在每只鸟身上的小型无线电发射器，以及位于马里泰姆海峡周围和缅因湾其他地方的100个或更多自动遥测接收站的阵列来做到这一点。接收站持续监听每只鸟身上的标签，并记录所有检测到这些标签的时间和日期。通过这种方式，我可以在个人在整个地区流动时‘跟踪’他们。类似的带有天线的接收器阵列将被用于全天跟踪个人的活动。通过研究个体选择迁入或停留的栖息地，我可以推断为什么个体会做出特定的迁徙决定。 我还将使用颜色带来标记该物种在新斯科舍省繁殖的两个地点--坎索半岛和邦波蒂奇岛--的所有个体。每年，我都会捕捉到尽可能多的个体，并在它们身上系上独特的颜色编码带子。在接下来的几年里，所有这些带有颜色标记的鸟类的目击都将被记录下来，这将使我能够衡量个人存活并年复一年回到同一个地方的可能性。我可以利用这些信息来评估个人在前一年所做的决定如何影响他们存活并返回同一地点的可能性。 拟议的研究将利用自动遥测阵列来研究生物体的运动。我们从这个项目中学到的东西可以应用到野生动物生态、保护和管理的许多其他问题上。我们的工作将有助于开发和完善这一重要工具，以便世界各地的其他研究人员和从业者可以使用和利用它。

I propose to use novel, regional-scale automated telemetry arrays to study the movement ecology of blackpoll warblers in Nova Scotia. Blackpoll warblers undertake the longest known non-stop migration route of any small bird, traversing thousands of kilometres of open ocean during a single migratory flight. These warblers undertake these flights from the northeastern United States and adjacent parts of Canada during September and October. The species breeds in areas of coastal Nova Scotia, and throughout the Boreal forest as far west as Alaska. In this research project I will study the movement behaviours of blackpoll warblers in Nova Scotia from the end of their breeding season (post-breeding and juvenile dispersal) through to the end of the migratory period. Blackpoll warblers (and other species of small songbirds) undertake 'landscape-scale stopover movements' during migration -- movements of up to 30 km from their site of initial capture that do not appear to be true migratory flights. These movements appear similar in some ways to movements made by juveniles shortly after fledging. Using the different populations of blackpoll warblers that move through Nova Scotia, I will study these movements, and using observations and experiments, attempt to understand the reasons for them, and how they influence the local populations of these species. I will do this by using small radio transmitters that can be affixed to individual birds, and an array of a hundred or more automated telemetry receiver stations situated at key locations around the Maritimes and elsewhere in the Gulf of Maine. The receiver stations continuously listen for the tags on individual birds, and record the time and date of all detections of those tags. In that way, I can 'follow' individuals as they move throughout the region. Similar arrays of receivers with antennas that are much more densely placed will be used to follow movements of individuals throughout the day. By examining the habitats that individuals choose to move to or stay in, I can infer why individuals are making particular movement decisions. I will also use colour bands to mark all individuals at each of two locations where the species breeds in Nova Scotia -- the Canso Peninsula and Bon Portage Island. Each year I will capture as many individuals as possible, and affix them with unique colour-coded bands. During subsequent years, all sightings of these colour marked birds will be recorded, which will allow me to measure the probability that individuals survive and return to the same place year after year. I can use that information to assess how the decisions made by individuals in the previous year influence the likelihood that they will survive and return to the same location. The proposed research will exploit the use of automated telemetry arrays for the study of movement of organisms. What we learn from this project can be applied to many other questions in wildlife ecology, conservation and management. Our work will help develop and refine this important tool so that it can be used and exploited by other researchers and practitioners around the world.