Detecting Cryptic Exposure and Effects of Neurotoxic Insecticides to Migratory Birds

许多迁徙和农田相关的鸟类在北美各地的数量正在急剧下降。推测的主要原因之一是杀虫剂对利用农业景观的鸟类产生的影响。过去35年来，北美的传统农业做法越来越依赖农用化学品，以维持或提高高度简化地貌的产量。迁徙的鸟类和与农田相关的鸟类可能通过摄入处理过的种子或颗粒、喷洒的土壤或受污染的猎物和水而接触到有毒杀虫剂。由于鸟类迁徙是一个复杂的过程，需要整合多感官信息才能成功定位和导航，并在中转点快速加油，因此即使是暴露在杀虫剂中的微小、隐蔽的干扰也可能推迟鸟类的迁徙，改变它们的路线，降低它们的存活率和繁殖机会。然而，关于同时发生的景观和栖息地变化对杀虫剂影响的程度，研究仍然没有定论。值得注意的是，很少有研究明确测试杀虫剂是否可能直接导致农业栖息地物种丧失的过程。我的目标是开始弄清楚，相对于栖息地的改变，杀虫剂是否在北美鸟类种群的减少中发挥了不成比例的作用，而仅仅是为了简化景观。通过全面的地理信息系统桌面练习、田野研究和圈养实验，使用许多常见的农田鸟类(例如。我将探讨亚致死剂量杀虫剂暴露和影响的多个方面，包括草原麻雀和黑鸟、空中食虫燕子和引进的欧洲八哥)以及尖端技术(敏感的农药残留分析、自动遥测、EDNA元生物编码和生物声学分析)。这项研究将探索支撑稳定的鸟类种群和群落的复杂过程，为全球农田鸟类数量下降的根本原因提供新的见解，并找到有助于保护工作的可行解决方案。它还将为学生创建一个丰富培训经验的平台，为他们在生态学、生态毒理学和保护生物学领域的不同职业做准备。

Many migratory and farmland associated bird species are exhibiting precipitous population declines across North America. One of the main putative causes is the role of pesticides affecting birds using agricultural landscapes. Conventional agricultural practices in North America have increased reliance on agrochemicals over the past 35 years to maintain or increase production yields in highly simplified landscapes. Migrating and farmland associated birds can be exposed to toxic insecticides through ingestion of treated seeds or granules, sprayed soils or contaminated prey items and water. Since avian migration is a complex process that requires integration of multisensory information for successful orientation and navigation and rapid refueling at the staging sites, even subtle, insidious perturbations from insecticide exposure could delay a bird's migration, change their route, and reduce their survival and chance to reproduce. However, studies remain inconclusive about the magnitude of pesticide effects relative to landscape and habitat alterations that have co-occurred. Remarkably, few studies have explicitly tested whether pesticides could be directly responsible for processes underpinning species losses in agricultural habitats. My goal is to begin disentangling whether insecticides are playing a disproportionate role in the decline of avifauna in North America relative to habitat alterations toward simplified landscapes alone. Through comprehensive GIS desktop exercises, field studies, and captive experiments using many common farmland bird species (eg. grassland sparrows and blackbirds, aerial insectivorous swallows and introduced European starlings) as well as cutting edge technologies (sensitive pesticide residue analysis, automated telemetry, eDNA metabarcoding and bioacoustic analyses), I will explore the multiple aspects of sublethal insecticide exposures and effects. The research will explore the complex processes that underpin stable bird populations and communities, provide new insight into the root causes of global farmland bird declines, and pinpoint viable solutions that can aid conservation efforts.  It will also create a platform for a rich training experience for students to prepare them for diverse careers in ecology, ecotoxicology and conservation biology fields.