Multiple migration strategies in sympatric Painted Buntings - behavioral plasticity or genetic divergence?

University Of Oklahoma Norman Campus, Norman OK

Investigators

Abstract

Migration is a way for animals to take advantage of predictable changes in food availability. It is unclear how migrants will respond to the changes in the seasonality of food abundance that are caused by global change. Predicting how global change will affect migrant populations requires knowing how unique migration strategies arise and persist, which in turn requires an intense focus on populations where multiple migration strategies exist. However, local populations that harbor such variation are extremely rare. One such population exists in Painted Buntings (Passerina ciris). Based on chemical analyses of feathers, it appears that about half the birds molt in a single dry location while a significant minority appear to initiate molt in a more moist location. This project will track the locations of individual birds through their annual cycle by using a small geolocation device (0.7g). The project will reveal factors that enable different migration strategies to co-exist within populations and it will evaluate the carry-over impacts of these strategies on the reproductive success of migrants. The tiny geolocators developed for this project will improve scientific research by greatly expanding the range of animal body sizes for which it is possible to track movements. A Ph.D. student will be trained to pioneer the combined use of stable isotope ratios and geolocators to track migrants while gaining significant international experience. The project will also provide significant training opportunities for a Post-doc and a second graduate student. The researchers will expand their ongoing educational collaborations with public schools and local zoos to include technological aspects of animal tracking and Painted Bunting migration.