The environmental determinants of dispersal and migratory behaviour of long lived birds

近年来，越来越多的证据表明，许多鸟类的迁徙行为正在随着环境条件的变化而发生变化。特别是在以前完全移徙的人口中报告了非移徙个人。这些迁徙行为的快速变化为理解迁徙行为的个体发生提供了机会，并确定了复杂而高度进化的行为对不断变化的环境条件作出反应的机制。环境条件和资源可用性的变化可以改变对迁徙行为起作用的选择压力，个体的策略可能根据个体将经历的条件而有所不同。长寿鸟类在其一生中可能会经历环境和资源的巨大变化，因此对个体来说，灵活地采取最能利用变化的环境条件的迁徙策略是有利的。这种情况很少被观察到，个体在生命早期采取的迁徙策略往往是一致的。该项目将研究决定不同个体迁徙策略建立的环境条件。个人层面的数据很难获得，因为环境数据在个人经历的规模上是不可获得的。该项目将包括追踪白鹳（大型、长寿的鸟类），同时监测单个鸟类所经历的环境条件。我们目前的GPS/GSM记录仪可以记录加速度计和温度数据，但需要新的传感器来监测其他可能影响扩散和运动的环境参数（风速，方向，湿度）。我们将监测环境条件的变化如何影响留鸟和候鸟白鹳的迁徙、迁徙行为和死亡率。方法：该项目将受益于之前在葡萄牙和西班牙跟踪白鹳的工作经验，并将与现有的NERC POC联系起来，以开发新的跟踪设备来监测动物的运动行为。白鹳是一个很好的研究系统，因为它们是大型的长寿物种，可能具有适应性行为，因为它们在一生中经历了环境条件的变化。我们将跟踪40只幼鱼和20只成年鱼的运动，以及它们对环境条件变化的反应。这些鸟将被困在鸟巢里，记录它们的健康状况、性别和年龄。运动特征（速度、方向、飞行类型和移动距离）将与跟踪装置上的环境传感器获得的数据和鸟类降落地点的地面覆盖物有关。目标：-确定扩散和迁徙行为的环境决定因素，控制个体适应性、年龄和性别；-在现有的数据记录器中加入新的传感器，并创造新的原型，同时监测鸟类的运动（GPS），行为（加速度计）和环境参数（例如温度，风速，气压计）-确定环境参数对白鹳人口统计的影响，包括迁徙和越冬生存，到达日期，筑巢地点选择和繁殖成功。

In recent years, evidence has grown that the migratory behaviour of many bird species is changing in response to changing environmental conditions. In particular, non-migratory individuals have been reported in previously wholly migratory populations. These rapid changes in migratory behaviour provide an opportunity to understand the ontogeny of migratory behaviour and identify the mechanisms through which complex and highly evolved behaviours respond to changing environmental conditions. Changes in environmental conditions and in resource availability can alter the selection pressures operating on migratory behaviour, and individual strategies may differ according to the conditions individuals will experience. Long-lived birds may experience considerable changes in environment and resource availability during their life-time, hence it would be advantageous for individuals to be flexible and adopt the migratory strategy that best takes advantage of changing environmental conditions. This has rarely been observed and individuals tend to be consistent in the migratory strategy they adopt in early life. This project will examine the environmental conditions that determine the establishment of different individual migratory strategies. Individual level data is difficult to obtain since the environmental data is not available at the scale individuals experience it. This project will involve tracking white storks (large, long-lived birds) and simultaneously monitoring the environmental conditions which individual birds experience. Our current GPS/GSM loggers can record accelerometer and temperature data but new sensors are needed to monitor other environmental parameters that may affect dispersal and movement (wind speed, direction, humidity). We will monitor how changes in environmental conditions will affect the movement, migratory behaviour and mortality of resident and migratory white storks. Methods:This project will benefit from the experience of previous work done with tracking white storks in Portugal and Spain and will be linked to an existing NERC POC for the development of new tracking devices to monitor the movement behavior of animals.White storks are a good study system because they are large long-lived species likely to have adaptable behaviour because they experience variation in environmental conditions through their lives. We will track the movement of 40 juveniles and 20 adults and their movement in response to changes in environmental conditions. The birds will be trapped at the nest, their fitness, sex and age will be recorded. Movement characteristics (speed, direction, flight type and distance moved) will be related to the data obtained by the environmental sensors on the tracking devices and to ground cover on the locations where birds land.Objectives:- Identify the environmental determinants of dispersal and migratory behaviour, controlling for individual fitness, age and sex;- Incorporate new sensors in existing dataloggers and create new prototypes that simultaneous monitor bird movement (GPS), behavior (accelerometer) and environmental parameters (e.g. temperature, wind speed, barometer)- Determine the influence of environmental parameters in the demography of white storks including migration and over-winter survival, arrival date, nest-site selection, and breeding success.