DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Role of Breeding Hormones in Seasonal Interactions: How Do Birds Meet the Conflicting Demands of Breeding Preparation and Migration?

论文研究：繁殖激素在季节相互作用中的作用：鸟类如何满足繁殖准备和迁徙的冲突需求？

• 批准号: 1011123
• 负责人: Rebecca Holberton
• 金额: $ 0.94万
• 依托单位: University of Maine
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-07-15 至 2012-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1011123&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Role; Breeding; Hormones

Migratory birds complete different stages of their life cycle in locations that can be thousands of miles apart. Conditions during one stage can impose carry-over effects on subsequent stages. It is critical that researchers examine how environmental factors act as carry-over effects across different annual stages in order to fully understand how migratory bird populations are regulated. In the American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), males wintering in superior quality habitats arrive earlier at the breeding grounds and have greater breeding success than those wintering in poor habitats. While these seasonal interactions are well documented, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Energetic demands of spring migration can be compounded by the additional demands of transitioning from the non-breeding to breeding state. This study focuses on how ecological and endogenous factors interact during this transition in Jamaica, West Indies, and if hormones usually associated with breeding can also help migrants reach the breeding grounds earlier. Relationships among environmental conditions, energy stores, breeding preparation, and migration will be examined. Testosterone will be manipulated (enhanced or inhibited, compared to controls) in male redstarts during the period leading up to spring departure. Stable isotope signatures in feathers and/or claws will link wintering ground events with migration distance to the breeding grounds. Breeding readiness and migratory condition will be collected in other Neotropical migrant species wintering in Jamaica. This study will significantly add to our understanding of how wintering and breeding events are linked, and the role of T in a migration context. It will help resource managers develop effective management plans for migratory populations. The study brings together U.S. academic institutions and resource management agencies in Jamaica, and provides many career development experiences (field observations, sample collection, hormone manipulation, laboratory techniques) for graduate and undergraduate students interested in behavioral ecology, eco-physiology, and conservation.

候鸟在相距数千英里的地点完成生命周期的不同阶段。 一个阶段的条件可能会对后续阶段产生影响。研究人员必须研究环境因素如何在不同的年度阶段产生残留效应，以便充分了解候鸟种群是如何受到调节的。 在美洲红尾鸲（Setophaga ruticilla）中，在优质栖息地越冬的雄性比在不良栖息地越冬的雄性更早到达繁殖地，并且繁殖成功率更高。 虽然这些季节性相互作用已有详细记录，但其潜在机制尚不清楚。 从非繁殖状态过渡到繁殖状态的额外需求可能会加剧春季迁徙的能量需求。这项研究的重点是牙买加和西印度群岛在这一转变过程中生态和内源因素如何相互作用，以及通常与繁殖相关的激素是否也可以帮助移民更早到达繁殖地。 将研究环境条件、能量储存、繁殖准备和迁移之间的关系。在春季出发之前，雄性红尾鸲的睾酮激素将受到控制（与对照组相比，增强或抑制）。 羽毛和/或爪子中的稳定同位素特征将把越冬地面事件与迁徙到繁殖地的距离联系起来。 将收集在牙买加越冬的其他新热带候鸟物种的繁殖准备情况和迁徙状况。这项研究将极大地加深我们对越冬和繁殖事件之间的联系以及 T 在迁徙过程中的作用的理解。 它将帮助资源管理者为流动人口制定有效的管理计划。 该研究汇集了牙买加的美国学术机构和资源管理机构，为对行为生态学、生态生理学和保护感兴趣的研究生和本科生提供了许多职业发展经验（实地观察、样本收集、激素操作、实验室技术）。