Provenance does matter : links between winter trophic segregation and the migratory origins of European robins
(2016) In Oecologia 182(4). p.985-994- Abstract
Amongst migratory species, it is common to find individuals from different populations or geographical origins sharing staging or wintering areas. Given their differing life histories, ecological theory would predict that the different groups of individuals should exhibit some level of niche segregation. This has rarely been investigated because of the difficulty in assigning migrating individuals to breeding areas. Here, we start by documenting a broad geographical gradient of hydrogen isotopes (δ2H) in robin Erithacus rubecula feathers across Europe. We then use δ2H, as well as wing-tip shape, as surrogates for broad migratory origin of birds wintering in Iberia, to investigate the ecological segregation of... (More)
Amongst migratory species, it is common to find individuals from different populations or geographical origins sharing staging or wintering areas. Given their differing life histories, ecological theory would predict that the different groups of individuals should exhibit some level of niche segregation. This has rarely been investigated because of the difficulty in assigning migrating individuals to breeding areas. Here, we start by documenting a broad geographical gradient of hydrogen isotopes (δ2H) in robin Erithacus rubecula feathers across Europe. We then use δ2H, as well as wing-tip shape, as surrogates for broad migratory origin of birds wintering in Iberia, to investigate the ecological segregation of populations. Wintering robins of different sexes, ages and body sizes are known to segregate between habitats in Iberia. This has been attributed to the despotic exclusion of inferior competitors from the best patches by dominant individuals. We find no segregation between habitats in relation to δ2H in feathers, or to wing-tip shape, which suggests that no major asymmetries in competitive ability exist between migrant robins of different origins. Trophic level (inferred from nitrogen isotopes in blood) correlated both with δ2H in feathers and with wing-tip shape, showing that individuals from different geographic origins display a degree of ecological segregation in shared winter quarters. Isotopic mixing models indicate that wintering birds originating from more northerly populations consume more invertebrates. Our multi-scale study suggests that trophic-niche segregation may result from specializations (arising in the population-specific breeding areas) that are transported by the migrants into the shared wintering grounds.
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- author
- Catry, Paulo ; Campos, Ana R. ; Granadeiro, José Pedro ; Neto, Júlio M. LU ; Ramos, Jaime ; Newton, Jason and Bearhop, Stuart
- organization
- publishing date
- 2016-12-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Ecological segregation, Erithacus rubecula, Migration, Seasonal matching, Stable isotopes
- in
- Oecologia
- volume
- 182
- issue
- 4
- pages
- 10 pages
- publisher
- Springer
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:84988354878
- pmid:27638183
- wos:000386070800006
- ISSN
- 0029-8549
- DOI
- 10.1007/s00442-016-3725-z
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 2c407feb-36b5-412a-9192-a7163e34e6ed
- date added to LUP
- 2016-10-28 08:45:41
- date last changed
- 2024-01-04 15:04:56
@article{2c407feb-36b5-412a-9192-a7163e34e6ed,
abstract = {{<p>Amongst migratory species, it is common to find individuals from different populations or geographical origins sharing staging or wintering areas. Given their differing life histories, ecological theory would predict that the different groups of individuals should exhibit some level of niche segregation. This has rarely been investigated because of the difficulty in assigning migrating individuals to breeding areas. Here, we start by documenting a broad geographical gradient of hydrogen isotopes (δ<sup>2</sup>H) in robin Erithacus rubecula feathers across Europe. We then use δ<sup>2</sup>H, as well as wing-tip shape, as surrogates for broad migratory origin of birds wintering in Iberia, to investigate the ecological segregation of populations. Wintering robins of different sexes, ages and body sizes are known to segregate between habitats in Iberia. This has been attributed to the despotic exclusion of inferior competitors from the best patches by dominant individuals. We find no segregation between habitats in relation to δ<sup>2</sup>H in feathers, or to wing-tip shape, which suggests that no major asymmetries in competitive ability exist between migrant robins of different origins. Trophic level (inferred from nitrogen isotopes in blood) correlated both with δ<sup>2</sup>H in feathers and with wing-tip shape, showing that individuals from different geographic origins display a degree of ecological segregation in shared winter quarters. Isotopic mixing models indicate that wintering birds originating from more northerly populations consume more invertebrates. Our multi-scale study suggests that trophic-niche segregation may result from specializations (arising in the population-specific breeding areas) that are transported by the migrants into the shared wintering grounds.</p>}},
author = {{Catry, Paulo and Campos, Ana R. and Granadeiro, José Pedro and Neto, Júlio M. and Ramos, Jaime and Newton, Jason and Bearhop, Stuart}},
issn = {{0029-8549}},
keywords = {{Ecological segregation; Erithacus rubecula; Migration; Seasonal matching; Stable isotopes}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{12}},
number = {{4}},
pages = {{985--994}},
publisher = {{Springer}},
series = {{Oecologia}},
title = {{Provenance does matter : links between winter trophic segregation and the migratory origins of European robins}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-016-3725-z}},
doi = {{10.1007/s00442-016-3725-z}},
volume = {{182}},
year = {{2016}},
}