SGER: Establishing a new system to monitor long-distance movements in small animals

了解动物的运动在生态学和行为学中是必不可少的。然而，动物生活中的许多重要行为都无法研究，因为没有观察方法。最好的例子是昆虫和鸣禽的迁徙，在这种情况下，人们通常认为不可能跟随个体进行长距离的迁徙。该项目将探索使用一种新的遥测系统来监测小动物(低至1克昆虫)跨越海洋等大型生态屏障的迁徙。与一个国际极地探险队的合作提供了一个独特的机会，可以确定小型(300g)滨鸟(条尾金丝雀，Limosa lapponica)是否在阿拉斯加繁殖地和新西兰非繁殖区之间不间断飞行，距离约11000公里。阿拉斯加将对80只鸟进行无线电标记，并监测它们的起飞时间和方向。大约7-10天后，这些鸟到达新西兰的越冬栖息地，然后将通过自动接收站进行监测。如果成功，这种新的遥测系统的应用范围从研究美国东北部海岸的蜻蜓迁徙到从新英格兰到委内瑞拉的黑嘴莺迁徙。该项目涉及一项对研究具有广泛影响的新技术的国际合作和开发。学生将有机会学习追踪动物的生物遥测技术，以及使用此程序可以解决哪些新问题。

Understanding animal movement is essential in ecology and behavior. However, many important behaviors in an animal's life cannot be studied because no observational methodologies exist. Prime examples are insect and songbird migration, where it is often considered impossible to follow individuals over long migratory distances. This project will explore the use of a new telemetry system to monitor migration of small animals (down to 1 gram insects) over large ecological barriers such as oceans. A collaboration with an international Polar expedition provides the unique opportunity to determine whether small (300 gram) shorebirds (Bar-tailed godwits, Limosa lapponica) fly non-stop between their Alaska breeding grounds and New Zealand non-breeding quarters, a distance of roughly 11000 km. Eighty birds will be radio-tagged in Alaska and their departure times and directions monitored. The birds' arrival in their wintering quarters in New Zealand, approximately 7-10 days later, will then be monitored via automated receiver stations. If successful, applications of this new telemetry system range from studying dragonfly migration along the USA Northeastern seashore to Blackpoll warbler migration from New England to Venezuela. The project involves an international collaboration and development of a new technique that has wide implications for research. Students will have the opportunity to learn biotelemetry techniques for tracking animals and what new kinds of questions can be addressed using this procedure.