Ecology of migration

迁徙生态学

• 批准号: RGPIN-2014-04961
• 负责人: Taylor, Philip
• 金额: $ 1.97万
• 依托单位: Acadia University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=611348
• 关键词: Ecology; migration

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.

我建议使用新颖的区域规模自动遥测阵列来研究新斯科舍省黑头莺的运动生态学。 黑顶莺承担着所有小鸟中已知最长的不间断迁徙路线，在一次迁徙飞行中穿越数千公里的公海。这些莺在九月和十月期间从美国东北部和加拿大邻近地区起飞。该物种在新斯科舍省沿海地区以及远至阿拉斯加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头莺从繁殖季节结束（繁殖后和幼鸟扩散）到迁徙期结束的运动行为。黑顶莺（和其他小型鸣禽种类）在迁徙过程中进行“景观规模的中途停留运动”——距离最初捕获地点最远 30 公里的运动，这似乎不是真正的迁徙飞行。这些动作在某些方面与幼鸟刚长出羽毛后不久的动作相似。我将利用穿过新斯科舍省的不同黑头莺种群来研究这些运动，并通过观察和实验，尝试了解它们的原因，以及它们如何影响这些物种的当地种群。 我将通过使用可以固定在个体鸟类身上的小型无线电发射器，以及位于滨海省周围和缅因湾其他地方的一百个或更多自动遥测接收站的阵列来做到这一点。接收站持续监听个体鸟类的标签，并记录所有检测到这些标签的时间和日期。这样，我就可以“跟踪”个人在整个地区的移动情况。类似的接收器阵列和天线放置得更密集，将用于跟踪个人全天的活动。通过检查个体选择迁移或停留的栖息地，我可以推断出个体做出特定迁移决定的原因。 我还将使用色带标记新斯科舍省该物种繁殖的两个地点（坎索半岛和邦波蒂奇岛）的所有个体。每年我都会捕捉尽可能多的个体，并给他们贴上独特的颜色编码带。在接下来的几年中，所有这些带有颜色标记的鸟类的目击事件都将被记录下来，这将使我能够测量个体存活并年复一年返回同一地点的概率。我可以利用这些信息来评估个人在前一年做出的决定如何影响他们生存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于野生动物生态、保护和管理的许多其他问题。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。