Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Broad-scale patterns of the Afro-Palaearctic landbird migration

Briedis, Martins ; Bauer, Silke ; Adamík, Peter ; Alves, José A. ; Costa, Joana S. ; Emmenegger, Tamara LU orcid ; Gustafsson, Lars LU ; Koleček, Jaroslav ; Krist, Miloš and Liechti, Felix , et al. (2020) In Global Ecology and Biogeography 29(4). p.722-735
Abstract

Aim: Knowledge of broad-scale biogeographical patterns of animal migration is important for understanding ecological drivers of migratory behaviours. Here, we present a flyway-scale assessment of the spatial structure and seasonal dynamics of the Afro-Palaearctic bird migration system and explore how phenology of the environment guides long-distance migration. Location: Europe and Africa. Time period: 2009–2017. Major taxa studied: Birds. Methods: We compiled an individual-based dataset comprising 23 passerine and near-passerine species of 55 European breeding populations, in which a total of 564 individuals were tracked during migration between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, we used remotely sensed primary productivity... (More)

Aim: Knowledge of broad-scale biogeographical patterns of animal migration is important for understanding ecological drivers of migratory behaviours. Here, we present a flyway-scale assessment of the spatial structure and seasonal dynamics of the Afro-Palaearctic bird migration system and explore how phenology of the environment guides long-distance migration. Location: Europe and Africa. Time period: 2009–2017. Major taxa studied: Birds. Methods: We compiled an individual-based dataset comprising 23 passerine and near-passerine species of 55 European breeding populations, in which a total of 564 individuals were tracked during migration between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, we used remotely sensed primary productivity data (the normalized difference vegetation index) to estimate the timing of vegetation green-up in spring and senescence in autumn across Europe. First, we described how individual breeding and non-breeding sites and the migratory flyways link geographically. Second, we examined how the timing of migration along the two major Afro-Palaearctic flyways is tuned with vegetation phenology at the breeding sites. Results: We found the longitudes of individual breeding and non-breeding sites to be related in a strongly positive manner, whereas the latitudes of breeding and non-breeding sites were related negatively. In autumn, migration commenced ahead of vegetation senescence, and the timing of migration was 5–7 days earlier along the Western flyway compared with the Eastern flyway. In spring, the time of arrival at breeding sites was c. 1.5 days later for each degree northwards and 6–7 days later along the Eastern compared with the Western flyway, reflecting the later spring green-up at higher latitudes and more eastern longitudes. Main conclusions: Migration of the Afro-Palaearctic landbirds follows a longitudinally parallel leapfrog migration pattern, whereby migrants track vegetation green-up in spring but depart before vegetation senescence in autumn. The degree of continentality along migration routes and at the breeding sites of the birds influences the timing of migration on a broad scale.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and , et al. (More)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and (Less)
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
annual cycle, climate change, continentality, geolocator, long-distance migrant, migration speed, NDVI, phenology, spring green-up
in
Global Ecology and Biogeography
volume
29
issue
4
pages
722 - 735
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85078654711
ISSN
1466-822X
DOI
10.1111/geb.13063
language
English
LU publication?
no
additional info
Funding Information: We are thankful to all field assistants and volunteers who supported the individual studies underlying this manuscript and other researchers for collecting and publishing their data. T. Finch provided additional details on European roller data. L. Jenni kindly provided helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. Financial support was provided by the Swiss Ornithological Institute. The Swiss Federal Office for the Environment supported geolocator development (UTF‐Nr. 254, 332, 363, 400); individual tracking projects were funded by the Czech Science Foundation (20‐00648S to P.A. and P.P.), Palacký University grant scheme (IGA_PrF_2018_016 to P.A.), Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BPD/91527/2012 and SFRH/BD/113580/2015 to J.A.A. and J.S.C.), the Swedish Research Council (to L.G.), Ústav biologie obratlovců AV ČR (RVO: 68081766 to J.K. and P.P.) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (31003A_160265 to S.H. and S.B.). Funding Information: We are thankful to all field assistants and volunteers who supported the individual studies underlying this manuscript and other researchers for collecting and publishing their data. T. Finch provided additional details on European roller data. L. Jenni kindly provided helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. Financial support was provided by the Swiss Ornithological Institute. The Swiss Federal Office for the Environment supported geolocator development (UTF-Nr. 254, 332, 363, 400); individual tracking projects were funded by the Czech Science Foundation (20-00648S to P.A. and P.P.), Palack? University grant scheme (IGA_PrF_2018_016 to P.A.), Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BPD/91527/2012 and SFRH/BD/113580/2015 to J.A.A. and J.S.C.), the Swedish Research Council (to L.G.), ?stav biologie obratlovc? AV ?R (RVO: 68081766 to J.K. and P.P.) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (31003A_160265 to S.H. and S.B.). Publisher Copyright: © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
id
868adc03-90b7-43b7-9bcc-1cc76eb52cd7
date added to LUP
2021-10-29 10:55:59
date last changed
2022-04-27 05:16:13
@article{868adc03-90b7-43b7-9bcc-1cc76eb52cd7,
  abstract     = {{<p>Aim: Knowledge of broad-scale biogeographical patterns of animal migration is important for understanding ecological drivers of migratory behaviours. Here, we present a flyway-scale assessment of the spatial structure and seasonal dynamics of the Afro-Palaearctic bird migration system and explore how phenology of the environment guides long-distance migration. Location: Europe and Africa. Time period: 2009–2017. Major taxa studied: Birds. Methods: We compiled an individual-based dataset comprising 23 passerine and near-passerine species of 55 European breeding populations, in which a total of 564 individuals were tracked during migration between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, we used remotely sensed primary productivity data (the normalized difference vegetation index) to estimate the timing of vegetation green-up in spring and senescence in autumn across Europe. First, we described how individual breeding and non-breeding sites and the migratory flyways link geographically. Second, we examined how the timing of migration along the two major Afro-Palaearctic flyways is tuned with vegetation phenology at the breeding sites. Results: We found the longitudes of individual breeding and non-breeding sites to be related in a strongly positive manner, whereas the latitudes of breeding and non-breeding sites were related negatively. In autumn, migration commenced ahead of vegetation senescence, and the timing of migration was 5–7 days earlier along the Western flyway compared with the Eastern flyway. In spring, the time of arrival at breeding sites was c. 1.5 days later for each degree northwards and 6–7 days later along the Eastern compared with the Western flyway, reflecting the later spring green-up at higher latitudes and more eastern longitudes. Main conclusions: Migration of the Afro-Palaearctic landbirds follows a longitudinally parallel leapfrog migration pattern, whereby migrants track vegetation green-up in spring but depart before vegetation senescence in autumn. The degree of continentality along migration routes and at the breeding sites of the birds influences the timing of migration on a broad scale.</p>}},
  author       = {{Briedis, Martins and Bauer, Silke and Adamík, Peter and Alves, José A. and Costa, Joana S. and Emmenegger, Tamara and Gustafsson, Lars and Koleček, Jaroslav and Krist, Miloš and Liechti, Felix and Lisovski, Simeon and Meier, Christoph M. and Procházka, Petr and Hahn, Steffen}},
  issn         = {{1466-822X}},
  keywords     = {{annual cycle; climate change; continentality; geolocator; long-distance migrant; migration speed; NDVI; phenology; spring green-up}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{722--735}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Global Ecology and Biogeography}},
  title        = {{Broad-scale patterns of the Afro-Palaearctic landbird migration}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.13063}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/geb.13063}},
  volume       = {{29}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}