Age-dependent timing and routes demonstrate developmental plasticity in a long-distance migratory bird ...
1. Longitudinal tracking studies have revealed consistent differences in the migration patterns of individuals from the same populations. The sources or processes causing this individual variation are largely unresolved. As a result, it is mostly unknown how much, how fast, and when animals can adju...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Dataset |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Dryad
2021
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.02v6wwq4j https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.02v6wwq4j |
| Summary: | 1. Longitudinal tracking studies have revealed consistent differences in the migration patterns of individuals from the same populations. The sources or processes causing this individual variation are largely unresolved. As a result, it is mostly unknown how much, how fast, and when animals can adjust their migrations to changing environments. 2. We studied the ontogeny of migration in a long-distance migratory shorebird, the black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa limosa), a species known to exhibit marked individuality in the migratory routines of adults. By observing how and when these individual differences arise, we aimed to elucidate whether individual differences in migratory behaviour are inherited or emerge as a result of developmental plasticity. 3. We simultaneously tracked juvenile and adult godwits from the same breeding area on their south- and northward migrations. To determine how and when individual differences begin to arise, we related juvenile migration routes, timing, and mortality rates to ... : Material and methods Satellite tracking data In both 2016 and 2017, we deployed 40 solar-powered 5-g PTT-100s from Microwave Technology Inc. on juveniles, for a total deployment of 80 transmitters. All 80 transmitters were programmed to turn on for 8 hours and off for 24 hours. As a result of this duty cycle, we could only observe the timing of migration on a daily basis. We captured these juveniles by hand in the days just before they gained the ability to fly. Most juveniles were caught within our 12,000 ha study area in southwest Fryslân, The Netherlands (see Senner et al. 2015b for more details). However, in 2016 the number of fledged juveniles in our study area was considerably lower than average, so we also caught 4 juveniles on the island of Ameland (53.45°N, 5.83°E; see Loonstra et al. 2019a). To attach the transmitters, we used a leg-loop harness of 2-mm Dyneema rope. We also took ~30 μl of blood from the brachial vein for molecular sexing. We obtained migratory tracks from 28 of these juveniles ... |
|---|