Version #1 of The Book now ready!

One of our main aims when CAnMove was launched was to produce a book on Animal Movement Across Scales. We have now worked with the book project during 2012 and, as you see on the photo, Version #1 is now finished. 

In this version all authors (about 40 persons!) have displayed a draft text of their chapter. This draft will serve as a basis for a lead-author meeting 12-13 Nov, where we will “make 14 chapters transform into a book”. In January 2013 the next version will be ready and that will be sent for review. After revision and editing of all chapters the final version will be handed over to the publisher which we have contract with (Oxford University Press). The book will then be on the shelf in renowned book stores in May 2014. 

//Lars-Anders Hansson

Newsletter CAnMove Autumn 2012

The autumn migration season is coming to an end and we are currently observing redwings and buzzards arriving late from the north heading for wintering sites to the south. Herring gulls and eider ducks are also moving south along the Swedish coasts. It is time to prepare for the winter.

I have with great joy noted that the stream of publications from the CAnMove program is stronger than ever, and many PhD Theses have been defended by students associated with CAnMove. The PhDs are ending their studies in the most excellent way, entering the next stage of their career. Congratulations to the many impressive PhD Thesis, interesting discussions and stimulating seminars which has taken place in association with the Thesis defenses! On the behalf of CAnMove I wish you all good luck with future careers!

CAnMove members are currently strongly involved in the production of the planned text book Animal Movements Across Scales to be published by Oxford University Press. Lars-Anders Hansson is leading the work with energy and strong engagement, making sure the time line is kept. Thanks for this Lasse! We are looking forward to stimulating interactions between scientists which will be a synergetic bi-product of the work. The book will we hope reach the sales desks in 2014.

CAnMove members have invited scientists from the Linnaeus program LCCC (Lund Centre for Control of Complex Engineering Systems; coordinator: Anders Rantzer, Anders Robertsson and co-workers), at LTH to a joint seminar with LCCC. The meeting is open to all interested and the invited scientists will present their work and will occur 15 November 13.30-16.00 at the Ecology Building. All interested are most welcome to join and discuss cross-disciplinary work and technological applications to biological movement research. Please, check CAnMove web page for location and detailed program.

Johan Bäckman and Susanne Åkesson will visit WRAM at Umeå University during end of November to discuss how we may interact and use combined efforts in database work associated with our actions as one of the nodes in LifeWatch Sweden.

The CAnMove program has entered the stage during which we are preparing ourselves for the mid evaluation taking place in 2013 by the Swedish Research Council. A financial evaluation is currently taking place within Lund University. The coming year we will prepare ourselves for the evaluations, and we will ask scientists and students associated with the program to contribute to the evaluation. I am convinced we will make a strong case when presenting our joint achievements, and when reviewing our work I am amazed by the number of activities and new findings that have been generated with support from CAnMove. I feel privileged and proud to represent the program as a coordinator and I look forward to work with preparations of the evaluation with you!

During the coming months the Steering committee will revise the action plan, as well as communication and equality plans for 2013. We welcome input and suggestions from CAnMove members, and please feel free to approach me or other members of the steering committee so that we can take suggestions under considerations with the benefit of the program.

Susanne

New films about CAnMove research!

Earlier this year, four short films about different CAnMove projects were published on the CAnMove YouTube Channel. Now, we are proud to present two more; one on Susanne Åkesson's swift project and the other, a short version of the documentary on Åke Lindström's, Raymond Klaassen's and Thomas Alerstam's research on the Great snipe, which was shown on national television last autumn. The films are in Swedish. Enjoy!
The Swift project
The Great Snipes

Spectacular multi-generational and long-distance migration revealed in the painted lady

One of the most spectacular and widely known long-distance migrations by insects is the multi-generational migration by Monarch butterflies Danaus plexippus, in North America. Monarchs are migrating north in spring to breeding sites as far north as southern Canada and returning to wintering sites in mountainous forests in Mexico. The migration distance and number of generations involved are now beaten by the European migratory butterfly, the painted lady Vanessa cardui. In one year the painted lady is migrating from tropical Africa to northern Europe and back, twice the distance the monarch butterfly is covering in the same time. The painted lady, unlike the Monarch butterfly which is hibernating in winter, reproduces all year around but at different latitudes. It takes the painted lady six generations to cover a round-trip distance of 15 000 km (up to 60 degrees of latitude and back). In some years (like in 2009) the painted lady shows massive migrations, which may be performed also at high altitudes out of sight from entomologists and migration watchers.

Photo: Pål-Axel Olsson

In a recent paper by Stefanescu et al. 2012 (now available as early view) published in Ecography we describe the migration phenology for the painted lady across its continuously breeding path from winter and early spring in tropical Africa via central Europe to the most northern locations in northern Europe in summer and back. The migration of the painted lady is spectacular and show the migration of a habitat generalist and highly polyphagous migrating butterfly adapted to migration in a temperate region. Radar observations show the selectivity to winds and use of high altitude flights to reach more distant areas for breeding which has been observed for other insects too and suggest that the migration strategy may be widespread among insects in temperate regions migrating long distances.

The data set included in the paper contains more than 60 000 observations from the Palaearctic and benefit strongly from national observation schemes (“citizen science”), such as those compiled in the Swedish “Artportalen”, included in LifeWatch Sweden. On the behalf of all co-authors - thanks to all who reported observations of this charismatic long-distance migrating butterfly!    

Susanne

Postdoc position in evolutionary ecology in Svalbard

A 2-year postdoc position in evolutionary ecology is available at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS). The project is on modeling of zooplankton life histories and behavior.

The full announcement is available HERE.

"The Post Doc position is on modeling of life history strategies and annual routines of copepods. Our modeling work is motivated by the ability of mechanistic models to look beyond what can be learnt from observed correlations and predict biological responses to environmental change scenarios. The candidate must have a PhD, or equivalent degree, in biology, computer science, or related fields. We look for individuals with experience from quantitative approaches to ecology, including programing skills, and that are familiar with life history theory, optimization models or individual based models."

The birdy smell of a compatible mate

Blue petrel

Animals are dependent on their nose in many aspects of life. Tasks like food search, navigation or kin recognition often include the ability to evaluate odours and migrate towards or away from them. Humans and several other animals can even sniff their way to picking a compatible partner. By choosing a mate that smells right, individuals can produce healthy babies with efficient immune systems. In contrast to many animals birds have generally been thought to have a poor sense of smell, but there are exceptions. The Blue petrel is an Antarctic sea bird with a remarkable sense of smell that it uses to recognize its partners, to navigate and to find food.

A few weeks ago, CAnMove associate Maria Strand (together with Helena Westerdahl, Björn Canbäck and researchers at CNRS, Montpellier in France) published an article that shows that the nose of the Blue petrel is even capable of smelling which mates will produce kids with the best immune systems. To the article in Proceedings of the Royal Society B!

Swedish storks breaking new migration records!

The Swedish Reintroduction Project on White Storks is running better than ever. Yet, the work with this long-distance migrant bird has been all but straightforward, and a major obstacle has been the birds’ unwillingness to migrate. The turning point came two years ago when about 25 juveniles left Skåne on their first autumn migration.

Equipped with a GPS by Raymond Klaassen & Berith Cavallin.

This year, two juveniles were equipped with 35 gram solar GPS from Northstar. Thanks to Johan Bäckman at CAnMove the storks’ journey has been possible to follow on a map on the project’s webpage. The migration routes and wintering areas of these birds are typical to the European storks of today. One flew southeast, through east Europe, the Bosporus, crossed the Sinai dessert and stopped at the pre-wintering area in Tchad. After three months it headed south and reached South Africa at New Year’s Eve. The second stork migrated southwest and stopped at a rubbish dump in Spain. In fact, half of the west migrating population winter in the Iberian Peninsula, whereas the rest carry on to sub-Saharian West Africa. The study was funded by Foundation Lund Animal Welfare Fund.

In 2011, the number of migrating storks reached 100 – a magnitude similar to long before local extinction! The large number was made possible by the release of some 70 captive bred juveniles. Even this year captive juveniles were released and almost 90 storks migrated. In 2014 the first storks are expected to come back to breed. This will be a critical step since recruitment has to be sufficient for a sustainable population in Skåne. During the next couple of years the project will expand to new localities in Skåne where pairs will be released to settle and breed. Photos: Emma Ådahl. www.storkprojektet.se

/Emma Ådahl, project manager