To Winter East or West? Heterogeneity in Winter Philopatry in a Central-Arctic Population of King Eiders

Mehl, Katherine R.; Alisauskas, Ray T.; Hobson, Keith A.; Kellett, Dana K.

doi:10.1093/condor/106.2.241

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 35 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This study confirms a migratory divide for this species in the Nearctic around 96° W. Our work on Sabine’s gulls is one of only a few other studies documenting breeding populations of any species from the Canadian Arctic moving to disjunct wintering areas [12,17]. Because much of the North American Arctic has only relatively recently been exposed after the last glacial period, the colonization and migration patterns of birds breeding there are difficult to interpret; some species show distinct genetic structuring in populations (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

“…Combined data from several species and studies suggests a zone of transition or overlap between Atlantic and Pacific wintering populations around 100° W in the Canadian Arctic. [11,12,17]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The study of migration patterns in the Canadian High Arctic is of particular interest for several reasons: (i) it is ecologically a very “young” area, having only become accessible as nesting habitat for birds since the last major ice age [5]; (ii) it extends so far north of the Nearctic continental landmass that in its northern reaches it is geographically an equally likely destination for migrants from the both the Nearctic and western Palearctic; and (iii) it extends from the North American continent symmetrically, so that its relative midpoint lies approximately equidistant from both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts [11]. These factors have led to the colonization of the Canadian High Arctic archipelago by migratory seabird species from three source regions: Atlantic, Pacific and Palearctic [12–14]. Determining how species and populations are distributed through the Canadian High Arctic archipelago can help clarify the evolutionary process behind the migration patterns seen in Arctic birds as a group [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, many shorebirds appear to be divided in the western Arctic [13], while some passerines follow a divide in the east [17]. Jaegers, terns, and gulls [11], as well as some waterfowl [12,18] migrate both east and west out of the Nearctic, with no consistent shared geographic boundary across species. It remains unclear exactly what factors result in these inconsistencies, but the relatively recent colonization of the region as a whole may be an important factor.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Migratory Connectivity at High Latitudes: Sabine’s Gulls (Xema sabini) from a Colony in the Canadian High Arctic Migrate to Different Oceans

Davis

Maftei²,

Mallory

2016

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The world's Arctic latitudes are some of the most recently colonized by birds, and an understanding of the migratory connectivity of circumpolar species offers insights into the mechanisms of range expansion and speciation. Migratory divides exist for many birds, however for many taxa it is unclear where such boundaries lie, and to what extent these affect the connectivity of species breeding across their ranges. Sabine’s gulls (Xema sabini) have a patchy, circumpolar breeding distribution and overwinter in two ecologically similar areas in different ocean basins: the Humboldt Current off the coast of Peru in the Pacific, and the Benguela Current off the coasts of South Africa and Namibia in the Atlantic. We used geolocators to track Sabine’s gulls breeding at a colony in the Canadian High Arctic to determine their migratory pathways and wintering sites. Our study provides evidence that birds from this breeding site disperse to both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans during the non-breeding season, which suggests that a migratory divide for this species exists in the Nearctic. Remarkably, members of one mated pair wintered in opposite oceans. Our results ultimately suggest that colonization of favorable breeding habitat may be one of the strongest drivers of range expansion in the High Arctic.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Migratory Connectivity at High Latitudes: Sabine’s Gulls (Xema sabini) from a Colony in the Canadian High Arctic Migrate to Different Oceans

Davis

Maftei²,

Mallory

2016

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The location of the wintering area can affect the timing of migration and subsequent arrival for breeding. Although birds wintering closer may arrive earlier and enjoy greater success (Hötker 2002, Mehl et al 2004), this is not universal (Bregnballe et al 2006). Although birds wintering closer may arrive earlier and enjoy greater success (Hötker 2002, Mehl et al 2004), this is not universal (Bregnballe et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From the Editor No Access

2014

Ornithological Monographs

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Because I usually study small animals, I am always jealous of people wise enough to study those things that are large enough to carry tracking devices that last more than a few weeks. In this monograph, Fifield and co-authors present results of a tracking study of Northern Gannets across almost all of their North American breeding range and from multiple years.Migration is largely under genetic control and has evolved to allow individuals to occupy locations that maximize survival and ultimately fitness. There is thus much interest in knowing how individuals respond to annual fluctuations in conditions, and how such short-term responses result in long-term patterns in movements and survival.Although they did not enter into the debate over climate change per se, the authors note that if climate change alters the timing of prey availability at stopover sites or at the breeding grounds, then a mismatch could occur between the timing of events in wintering and breeding areas. They also make the important point that because changes in climate are likely to vary by latitude, birds returning to colonies at different latitudes will be affected differently. Changes in climate may decouple timing linkages between departure and arrival at seasonally occupied locations. Of course, climate has and always will be changing; it is the nature and timing of the changes, and how birds adapt to these changes, that is of interest for persistence of a species.This monograph thus provides us with both an interesting study of migration patterns, but also important baseline data that can be used to monitor how this species responds to continuing changes in the environment. The discussion of migration provided by Fifield and co-authors provides important ideas for anyone interested in migration and goes far beyond specific application to the study species. Even species undergoing short-distance migration must deal with matching timing of movements with resources; hence the message here applies to most-if not all-species at some appropriate spatial and temporal scale. Even those of us who find telemetry of little practical value can learn a lot from this monograph.Abstract.-Migration has evolved to allow organisms to undertake life-history functions in the most appropriate place at the most appropriate time. Migration creates seasonal ecological linkages that have important implications for survival, population dynamics, response to climate change, and conservation. Although advances in bird-borne tracking technology have promoted knowledge of avian migratory ecology, major information gaps remain for most avian species, including seabirds. Ours is the first study to electronically track the migration and wintering of Northern Gannets (Morus bassanus; hereafter "gannets") from almost all of their North American breeding range, in multiple years and with multiple tracks from individual birds.Gannets used distinct wintering areas and aggregated in several major hotspots. Most adults remained along the northeast North American coast, and bree...

show abstract

Coast to coast: High genomic connectivity in North American scoters

Sonsthagen

Wilson

Lavretsky

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dispersal shapes demographic processes and therefore is fundamental to understanding biological, ecological, and evolutionary processes acting within populations. However, assessing population connectivity in scoters (Melanitta sp.) is challenging as these species have large spatial distributions that span remote landscapes, have varying nesting distributions (disjunct vs. continuous), exhibit unknown levels of dispersal, and vary in the timing of the formation of pair bonds (winter vs. fall/spring migration) that may influence the distribution of genetic diversity. Here, we used double‐digest restriction‐associated DNA sequence (ddRAD) and microsatellite genotype data to assess population structure within the three North American species of scoter (black scoter, M. americana; white‐winged scoter, M. deglandi; surf scoter, M. perspicillata), and between their European congeners (common scoter, M. nigra; velvet scoter, M. fusca). We uncovered no or weak genomic structure (ddRAD ΦST < 0.019; microsatellite FST < 0.004) within North America but high levels of structure among European congeners (ddRAD ΦST > 0.155, microsatellite FST > 0.086). The pattern of limited genomic structure within North America is shared with other sea duck species and is often attributed to male‐biased dispersal. Further, migratory tendencies (east vs. west) of female surf and white‐winged scoters in central Canada are known to vary across years, providing additional opportunities for intracontinental dispersal and a mechanism for the maintenance of genomic connectivity across North America. In contrast, the black scoter had relatively elevated levels of divergence between Alaska and Atlantic sites and a second genetic cluster found in Alaska at ddRAD loci was concordant with its disjunct breeding distribution suggestive of a dispersal barrier (behavioral or physical). Although scoter populations appear to be connected through a dispersal network, a small percentage (<4%) of ddRAD loci had elevated divergence which may be useful in linking areas (nesting, molting, staging, and wintering) throughout the annual cycle.

show abstract

To Winter East or West? Heterogeneity in Winter Philopatry in a Central-Arctic Population of King Eiders

Cited by 15 publications

References 35 publications

Migratory Connectivity at High Latitudes: Sabine’s Gulls (Xema sabini) from a Colony in the Canadian High Arctic Migrate to Different Oceans

Migratory Connectivity at High Latitudes: Sabine’s Gulls (Xema sabini) from a Colony in the Canadian High Arctic Migrate to Different Oceans

From the Editor No Access

Coast to coast: High genomic connectivity in North American scoters

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About