The behavioural ecology of animal movement: reflections upon potential synergies.

Movement is a ubiquitous feature of the lives of animals, and is integral to many important behavioural processes, acting at multiple scales. Animal movement can shape the destiny of individuals and populations; govern community and ecosystem structure; and influence evolutionary processes and patterns of biodiversity.

Thus, CAnMove organised a symposium on "Behavioural Ecology of Animal Movement" as post-conference Symposium following the ISBE conference in Lund, August 2012.

The symposium was very well attended and resulted in a lively discussion among participants - part of which we summarised as an opinion paper that just got published with Animal Migration (doi: 10.2478/ami-2013-0002).

In this short paper, we outline state-of-the-art insight into research carried out covering a diverse range of taxa with focus on different aspects, and present the various methodological approaches ready to be applied to study movement ecology in order to make major advances in this research field. We reflect on the behavioural ecology of animal movement, asking how these two related disciplines can produce new insights and synergies, highlight the latest technological toolkit, exchange our ideas and opinions on current research within the field of movement ecology, and aim to enhance interdisciplinary discussion in this vibrant field in order to identify future directions and methodological approaches to be focused upon.

We want to thank all attendees, and particularly our invited speakers, again, for making this symposium such a great success.

In this spirit we just say: Move on!

M. Liedvogel, B. Chapman, R. Muheim, S. Åkesson (2013): The behavioural ecology of animal movement: reflections upon potential synergies. Animal Migration 1, 39–46.

Post doc position in Rothamstead

Rothamsted Research is seeking an experienced entomologist/insect molecular biologist to join the Insect Migration and Spatial Ecology group within the Department of AgroEcology and the Insect Molecular Biology group in the Department of Biological Chemistry and Crop Protection. Read more (scroll down a few vacancies)

A global database for Avian Malaria parasites

Birds are hosts of a stunning diversity of malaria (Plasmodium) and related haemosporidan parasites (Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon). Globally, a few hundred species have been described morphologically but the true number of species probably counts in thousands as revealed by recent molecular analyses. The species diversity is highest in the tropics but many have active transmission as far north as in Sweden. A particular concern is that with a warmer climate, tropical parasites will expand their ranges and infect resident species of Europe that have not encountered these parasites before. This may have substantial effects on their populations as has been seen on Hawaii where malaria was accidentally introduced in the beginning of the 20^th century and since then, has contributed to the decline and extinction of several endemic bird species.

To evaluate whether global change will impact the distribution of parasites and their potential effects on resident bird populations at northern latitudes require good basic knowledge of their present distribution. For most parasitic groups we have a very poor knowledge of their natural distribution. The past decade has seen a strong increase in the interest of bird malaria parasites. Research groups all over the world are now screening bird malaria parasites using a barcoding approach, i.e. identifying infections by sequencing a part of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. This data has since a few years been summarized in a Microsoft Access database MalAvi that has been available for download (Bensch et al , Molecular Ecology Resources, 9: 2009).

Now, CAnMove researchers Staffan Bensch and Björn Canbäck, together with a master student in Bioinformatics at Lund University, Martin Egerhill, have rebuilt the database in SQL and made it available online at “http://mbio-serv2.mbioekol.lu.se/Malavi”. It presently contains the distribution of more than 1300 parasite lineages in nearly 700 species of birds. This resource will serve the research community with important background information to examine range and host shifts of parasites and will offer unique opportunities to study the role of migratory birds in the spread of parasites and disease. 

//Staffan

Fish migrate to escape predation from fish

Roach. Photo J Brodersen

There has been a lot of discussion about the importance of predation in animal migration, but data is scarce and difficult to collect. We recently collaborated with scientists at the Danish Technical University to quantify predation from cormorants upon migratory and resident roach fish in a 4 year study of two Danish lakes. By tagging >2,000 roach with individual PIT-tags, we were able to show that migration confers profound survival benefits for these fish. We did this by collecting data from tags found at the cormorant roosting sites from fish which had been eaten, and the tags excreted by these predatory birds. We found that 92.5% of the fish eaten by cormorants had been eaten in the lake, and that the longer a fish spent in the streams during winter, the lower the probability that it would be eaten. So we have some nice direct evidence for a mortality cost to residency in these fish.

Cormorant. Photo Michael Gerber

We have also been monitoring the cormorants at Lake Krankesjön, and will study how roach respond to the recent increase in cormorant numbers at the lake. Do we see any shifts in the migratory patterns at the lake in response to the predatory birds?

Here is the paper, which is also featured in this week’s Nature as a research highlight.

/Ben, Kaj, Anders, Christer & Lasse

Time to evaluate

This summer, CAnMove will have covered half of the program period (first 5 years), and by autumn the half-time VR evaluation is coming up. For the evaluation, we need to report on achieved results, generated synergies and actions, but also identify what difference the CAnMove program has made for science and education.

To start this quite extensive work, the PIs, the personnel and some invited CAnMove members met at Häckeberga last week. The aim of the meeting was to produce an outline of the VR report, but also to discuss important future research directions of CAnMove!

Ben during one of the presentations

Jan-Åke, Åke and Lasse

 

The coordinator performing a classic plié.

It was 1,5 days quite hard, but inspiring, work! As a surprise we had also invited a dear old friend – Maria, our former project assistant, to give us a dance class – in one of the living rooms!

The grand finale was quite impressive, and you could tell that the CAnMove people are high achievers!

Throughout the year we hope to involve all CAnMove members in the evaluation, and the first opportunity will be the CAnMove conference in April, so don’t forget to sig up!

By the September 15^th, a first draft of the report will be circulated within the University and by end of October the report should be sent in to VR.

PhD positions in Denmark and the UK

Two CAnMove collaborators, Kasper Thorup and Brendan Godley, are announcing new PhD studentships:

PhD studentship in bird movement, Copenhagen
A three-year PhD studentship is available at the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen. Deadline for applications is 20 March 2013. Read more: http://www.ku.dk/english/available_positions/vip/

PhD studentship in life-history variation in reproductive strategies of marine turtles, Cornwall

Deadline for applications is 17 March 2013. Read more: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/studying/funding/award/?id=1170