Avian Reproduction Dynamics and Ecomorphology in Boreal Ecosystems

加拿大的北方森林以其作为数十亿鸣禽的主要繁殖地而闻名。然而，我们对这个庞大的生态系统中鸟类繁殖的基本知识知之甚少，更不用说鸟类繁殖动力学背后的机制了，主要是因为难以获得广泛地区和整个物种群落的可靠适应性数据。近年来，我的发现补助金主要集中在北方和温带森林的栖息地选择过程。我的实验室已经通过实验证明，森林的破碎化确实限制了鸣禽的活动，以至于在经历了世纪的森林景观变化后，它成为了一种进化的力量，改变了森林鸟类的翅膀形态。这表明，森林格局的变化直接影响与鸣禽栖息地选择相关的权衡（健身成本/收益）。然而，栖息地破碎化，栖息地选择，人口和进化反应之间的联系仍然知之甚少。我的下一个发现基金将致力于通过一系列专注于鸣禽健康成分和栖息地选择的形态相关性的项目来寻找这种联系。

Canada's boreal forests are famous for their role as major breeding grounds for billions of songbirds. Yet, we know very little about the basics of avian reproduction in this vast ecosystem, let alone the mechanisms behind avian reproduction dynamics, mostly because of difficulties in getting reliable fitness data over extensive areas and entire species communities. In recent years, my Discovery Grant focused on habitat selection processes in boreal and temperate forests. My lab has shown experimentally that forest fragmentation does limit movements of songbirds, to the point of becoming an evolutionary force that has changed the wing morphology of forest birds after one century of forest landscape change. This suggests that changes in forest patterns directly impact the tradeoffs (fitness costs/benefits) associated to songbirds' habitat selection. Yet, the links between habitat fragmentation, habitat selection, and demographic and evolutionary responses remain poorly known. My next Discovery Grant will be dedicated to finding such links, through a set of projects focused on songbird fitness components and morphological correlates of habitat selection.