Connectivity and the En Route Biology of Migratory Birds

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案(公法111-5)资助的。迁徙是许多生物生活史的一个基本特征，使个人能够随着环境的季节性变化而利用不同的栖息地。例如，在北美温带繁殖的所有陆地鸟中，超过三分之二的人飞行数千公里到中美洲和南美洲的非繁殖区。长途旅行耗费能源，而且与迁徙相关的死亡率被认为是相当高的。鸟类能否很好地解决迁徙过程中出现的问题，决定着迁徙的成功，最终决定鸟类的生存。也就是说，全年跟踪个体构成了一个严重的挑战，我们对候鸟行为的理解受到了限制，因为我们不知道鸟类的繁殖目的地，更不用说起点了。来自稳定同位素、遗传标记和羽毛着色的信息被整合，以在地理上将春季迁徙期间在美国南部中途停留地点捕获的个体鸟类与它们在北美的最终繁殖目的地联系起来。这一新的方法将使人们能够更全面地了解鸟类在迁徙过程中使用的策略。例如，候鸟在迁徙时“迟到”停留的时间是否比候鸟更短，它们是否比候鸟更快地重新存放关键的能量储备？迟到的移民是通过更快地迁徙还是在高处停留更长时间来“追赶”呢？该项目不仅将加强对候鸟的行为、生态和进化的了解，还将为每年循环连接大陆的动物制定保护策略。该项目延续了本科生和研究生培训的悠久历史，由于动物迁徙的戏剧性，为接触教育团体和社区提供了丰富的机会。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Migration is a fundamental characteristic of the life history of many organisms allowing individuals to take advantage of different habitats as environments change seasonally. For example, over two-thirds of all landbirds that breed in temperate North America fly thousands of kilometers to nonbreeding areas in Central and South America. Traveling long distances is energetically expensive, and the mortality associated with migration is thought to be substantial. How well a bird solves problems that arise during migration determines the success of migration, and ultimately a bird's survival. That said, following individuals throughout the year poses a serious challenge, and our understanding of the behavior of migrating birds has been constrained by not knowing the bird's breeding destination, not to mention the point of departure. Information from stable isotopes, genetic markers, and plumage coloration is integrated to geographically link individual birds captured at stopover sites in the southern U.S. during spring migration with their ultimate breeding destination in North America. This novel approach will allow a more comprehensive understanding of the strategies used by birds during migration. For example, do birds 'late' on their migration stop over for a shorter time and do they redeposit critical energy stores faster than migrants on schedule? Do late migrants 'catch up' by migrating faster or for more hours once aloft? This project will enhance not only understanding of the behavior, ecology, and evolution of migratory birds, but also development of conservation strategies for animals whose annual cycle bridges continents. The project continues a long history of undergraduate and graduate student traineeship and, because of the dramatic nature of animal migration, provides rich opportunities for outreach to educational groups and the community.