The role of heterothermy in the migration and overwintering strategies of bats and birds

异温在蝙蝠和鸟类迁徙和越冬策略中的作用

• 批准号: RGPIN-2021-02639
• 负责人: McGuire, Liam
• 金额: $ 2.77万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=742125
• 关键词: role; heterothermy; migration; overwintering; strategies

Wildlife must ensure they have energy to support their immediate needs and cope with expected (e.g., winter) and unexpected (e.g., disease) energetic bottlenecks. The balance of energy demand and availability affects many aspects of ecology and evolution, especially for species living in seasonal environments. The long-term goal of my research program is to understand the ecological, physiological, and behavioural strategies animals use to overcome natural and anthropogenic stressors. My research focusses largely on two energetically demanding periods: migration and hibernation. Hibernating bats must survive months without food each winter. Our previous research has focussed on the energetics of hibernation, with particular emphasis on White-nose syndrome, an introduced disease that has killed millions of bats. Moving forward, we will consider the critical periods before and after hibernation to understand how bats prepare for, and recover from, hibernation given challenging environmental conditions and complications of white-nose syndrome. Migration is another energetically demanding strategy bats and birds use to escape winter. In past work with migrating bats we identified the importance of torpor-assisted migration, a strategy where bats use torpor (reduction of body temperature and metabolic rate) as an energy saving strategy during daytime roosting periods. We will continue to investigate the broader implications of how torpor-assisted migration affects landscape- and regional-scale movement patterns, and variation among sexes and species. Furthermore, we will expand this work to understand the degree to which some birds may use a similar strategy. Few birds can use torpor as bats do, but some species may reduce body temperature and metabolic rate to a lesser extent, which may have important energetic implications. My research program trains scientists at all career stages, including undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and research technicians. Trainees learn a variety of skills related to field research and laboratory techniques, critical thinking, statistical analysis, and scientific communication. We share our research at local, national, and international conferences and publish in a wide variety of scientific journals. Our research has direct applications for conservation of vulnerable wildlife. Hibernating bats are threatened by White-nose syndrome (three Endangered Species in Canada), migrating bats are killed by wind turbines (research suggests risk of extinction), and more than a quarter of Canadian bird species are declining. A lack of knowledge about the basic biology of these species hinders efforts to understand threats and propose solutions. My research program contributes critical baseline information and informs potential interventions. We collaborate with a variety of stakeholders, ensuring our research has an impact and providing experience and networking opportunities for trainees.

野生动物必须确保它们有能量来支持它们的即时需求，并应对预期的(例如冬天)和意想不到的(例如疾病)能量瓶颈。能量需求和可获得性的平衡影响着生态和进化的许多方面，特别是对生活在季节性环境中的物种。我的研究计划的长期目标是了解动物用来克服自然和人为压力的生态、生理和行为策略。我的研究主要集中在两个精力充沛的时期：迁徙和冬眠。每年冬天，冬眠的蝙蝠必须在没有食物的情况下存活几个月。我们之前的研究集中在冬眠的能量学上，特别强调白鼻症，这是一种已导致数百万蝙蝠死亡的引入疾病。展望未来，我们将考虑冬眠前后的关键时期，以了解蝙蝠如何在具有挑战性的环境条件和白鼻症并发症的情况下为冬眠做准备并从冬眠中恢复。迁徙是蝙蝠和鸟类用来躲避冬天的另一个耗费精力的策略。在过去对迁徙蝙蝠的研究中，我们确定了麻木辅助迁徙的重要性，这是一种蝙蝠在白天栖息期间使用麻木(降低体温和代谢率)作为一种节能策略的策略。我们将继续调查麻木辅助迁徙如何影响景观和区域尺度的运动模式，以及性别和物种之间的差异的更广泛的影响。此外，我们将扩大这项工作，以了解一些鸟类可能在多大程度上使用类似的策略。很少有鸟类可以像蝙蝠那样使用麻木，但一些物种可能会降低体温和代谢率，程度较小，这可能具有重要的能量影响。我的研究项目培训所有职业阶段的科学家，包括本科生和研究生、博士后研究人员和研究技术人员。学员学习与实地研究和实验室技术、批判性思维、统计分析和科学交流相关的各种技能。我们在地方、国家和国际会议上分享我们的研究成果，并在各种科学期刊上发表论文。我们的研究直接应用于保护脆弱的野生动物。冬眠的蝙蝠受到白鼻症的威胁(加拿大有三种濒危物种)，迁徙的蝙蝠被风力涡轮机杀死(研究表明有灭绝的风险)，超过四分之一的加拿大鸟类正在减少。对这些物种基本生物学知识的缺乏阻碍了了解威胁和提出解决方案的努力。我的研究计划提供了关键的基线信息，并为潜在的干预提供了信息。我们与各种利益相关者合作，确保我们的研究产生影响，并为学员提供经验和网络机会。