Tracking the migration of Pacific Golden-Plovers from nonbreeding grounds at Moorea, French Polynesia, using Pinpoint GPS-Argos tags

Johnson, Oscar W.; Tibbitts, T. Lee; Weber, M.; Bybee, David R.; Goodwill, Roger H.; Bruner, Andrea E.; Smith, Errika J.; Buss, Emmalee L.; Waddell, Trinity Q. A.; Brooks, Daxton C.; Smith, Carolyn D.; Meyer, Jean‐Yves

doi:10.18194/ws.00172

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Indeed, American Golden-Plovers can likely refuel regularly and adjust spring migration speed from the non-breeding areas to their last major stopover area in the nearctic temperate grasslands. Interestingly, the departure time from the non-breeding area seems negatively related to the breeding site latitude in the Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva), with birds wintering farther south and nesting later at higher latitudes, leaving their wintering areas earlier (Johnson et al, 2020b). Although this species is similar to the American Golden-Plover, it has a different migratory context and constraints, including a section of the migration over the Pacific Ocean, as well as population specific migratory routes and wintering locations (Johnson et al, 2020b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Timing of Breeding Site Availability Across the North-American Arctic Partly Determines Spring Migration Schedule in a Long-Distance Neotropical Migrant

et al. 2021

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Long-distance migrants are under strong selection to arrive on their breeding grounds at a time that maximizes fitness. Many arctic birds start nesting shortly after snow recedes from their breeding sites and timing of snowmelt can vary substantially over the breeding range of widespread species. We tested the hypothesis that migration schedules of individuals co-occurring at the same non-breeding areas are adapted to average local environmental conditions encountered at their specific and distant Arctic breeding locations. We predicted that timing of breeding site availability (measured here as the average snow-free date) should explain individual variation in departure time from shared non-breeding areas. We tested our prediction by tracking American Golden-Plovers (Pluvialis dominica) nesting across the North-American Arctic. These plovers use a non-breeding (wintering) area in South America and share a spring stopover area in the nearctic temperate grasslands, located >1,800 km away from their nesting locations. As plovers co-occur at the same non-breeding areas but use breeding sites segregated by latitude and longitude, we could disentangle the potential confounding effects of migration distance and timing of breeding site availability on individual migration schedule. As predicted, departure date of individuals stopping-over in sympatry was positively related to the average snow-free date at their respective breeding location, which was also related to individual onset of incubation. Departure date from the shared stopover area was not explained by the distance between the stopover and the breeding location, nor by the stopover duration of individuals. This strongly suggests that plover migration schedule is adapted to and driven by the timing of breeding site availability per se. The proximate mechanism underlying the variable migration schedule of individuals is unknown and may result from genetic differences or individual learning. Temperatures are currently changing at different speeds across the Arctic and this likely generates substantial heterogeneity in the strength of selection pressure on migratory schedule of arctic birds migrating sympatrically.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%