Seasonal connectivity in settlement decision of migratory birds

在候鸟物种中，个体在良好的冬季和繁殖环境中定居的能力可以决定它们的生存和繁殖成功。最近的证据表明，在迁徙系统中，一些个体可以占据范围两端的最佳地点。这种连通性对人口、生活史和保护都有相当大的影响。在许多候鸟中，父母独立于后代迁徙，因此幼鸟必须在没有任何指导的情况下选择冬季和繁殖地点。由于成年人倾向于返回他们以前使用过的网站，这些青少年的决定至关重要。这项研究将确定决定幼鸟定居决定的机制，以及它们对迁徙滨鸟黑尾金丝雀种群调控的影响。由于个体迁徙的距离很远，对迁徙物种的研究变得复杂。GODWIT系统是此类研究的理想选择，因为大量被标记的个体在整个范围内被例行跟踪，而且羽毛中的化学特征可以决定繁殖鸟类的越冬栖息地。了解这些定居决定将使我们能够预测该物种在整个范围内失去不同地点的后果，并确定在类似迁徙物种中重要的关键参数。

In migratory bird species, the ability of individuals to settle on good quality winter and breeding habitat can determine their survival and reproductive success. Recent evidence shows that in migratory systems, some individuals can occupy the best sites at both ends of the range. This connectivity has considerable consequences for demography, life histories and conservation. In many migratory birds, parents migrate independently of their offspring, so juveniles must choose winter and breeding locations without any guidance. As adults tend to return to the sites they have used previously, these juvenile decisions are critical. This study will identify the mechanisms that determine juvenile settlement decisions, and their implications for population regulation, in black-tailed godwits, a migratory shorebird. Studies of migratory species are complicated by the vast distances over which individuals move. The godwit system is ideal for such studies because large numbers of marked individuals are routinely tracked throughout the range, and because chemical signatures in feathers can determine the wintering habitat of breeding birds. Understanding these settlement decisions will allow us to predict the consequences of the loss of different sites throughout the range for this species, and to identify the key parameters of importance in similar migratory species.