Innate factors and ontogeny determine nonbreeding areas of migrant songbirds
Abstract
Migratory birds connect ecosystems worldwide and often show connectivity between breeding and nonbreeding areas, meaning that individuals have nonbreeding (“wintering”) locations close to others from the same breeding population. Although much work has characterized migration routes, we know little about what determines nonbreeding areas. We tracked pied flycatchers ( Ficedula hypoleuca ) from their entire breeding range and identified population-specific nonbreeding areas. Using an egg translocation experiment between the Netherlands and Sweden, we show that both inheritance and natal environment determine nonbreeding areas. Genetically Dutch birds that hatched in Sweden had nonbreeding areas intermediate between Swedish and Dutch populations. Although an inherited basis for migratory routes and nonbreeding areas may hamper rapid adaptation to a changing world, dispersing individuals can create new breeding–nonbreeding site combinations.
Article Details
Journal Info
Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Authors (16)
K.P. Lamers
Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
J. Ouwehand
Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
R. Ubels
Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
M. Nicolaus
Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
C. Camacho
Department of Ecology and Evolution, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain.
J. Potti
Department of Ecology and Evolution, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain.
F. Bell
Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK.
M. Burgess
Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK.
H.M. Lampe
Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Dept. of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, Norway.
J.Å. Nilsson
Department of Biology, Evolutionary Ecology Lab, Lund University, Ecology Building, Lund, Sweden.
A. Kerimov
Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, Russia.
T. Ilyina
Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, Russia.
E. Belskii
Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia.
V.G. Grinkov
Department of Biological Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.
H. Sternberg
OAG f. Populationsforschung Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.
C. Both
Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.