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Publication Open Access Avian use of agricultural areas as migration stopover sites: a review of crop management practices and ecological correlates(Frontiers, 2021) Blount, J. David; Horns, Joshua J.; Kittelberger, Kyle D.; Neate-Clegg, Montague H. C.; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Şekercioğlu, Çağan Hakkı; Faculty Member; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; College of Sciences; 327589An estimated 17% of migratory bird species are threatened or near threatened with extinction. This represents an enormous potential loss of biodiversity and cost to human societies due to the economic benefits that birds provide through ecosystem services and ecotourism. Conservation of migratory bird species presents many unique challenges, as these birds rely on multiple geographically distinct habitats, including breeding grounds, non-breeding grounds, and stopover sites during migration. In particular, stopover habitats are seldom studied relative to breeding and non-breeding habitats, despite their importance as refueling stations for migratory birds. In this study, we summarize the current research on the use of temporary primary crops by birds during migration and we assess the species characteristics and agricultural practices most often associated with the use of cropland as stopover habitat. First, we conducted a systematic review of the literature to document the effects various farming practices and crop types have on the abundance and diversity of migratory birds using agricultural areas for stopovers. Second, we analyzed the ecological correlates of bird species in the Northern Hemisphere that predict which species may use these areas while migrating. We ran a GLMM to test whether primary diet, diet breadth, primary habitat, habitat breadth, or realm predicted stopover use of agricultural areas. Our review suggests that particular crop types (principally rice, corn, and sunflower), as well as farming practices that result in higher non-cultivated plant diversity, encourage the use of agricultural areas by migrating birds. We found that cropland is used as stopover habitat by bird species that can utilize a large breadth of habitats, as well as species with preferences for habitat similar in structure to agricultural areas.Publication Open Access Biological correlates of extinction risk in resident Philippine avifauna(Frontiers, 2021) Kittelberger, Kyle D.; Neate Clegg, Montague H. C.; Blount, J. David; Posa, Mary Rose C.; McLaughlin, John; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Şekercioğlu, Çağan Hakkı; Faculty Member; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; College of Sciences; 327589The majority of the world's biodiversity occurs in the tropics, but human actions in these regions have precipitated an extinction crisis due to habitat degradation, overexploitation, and climate change. Understanding which ecological, biogeographical, and life-history traits predict extinction risk is critical for conserving species. The Philippines is a hotspot of biodiversity and endemism, but it is a region that also suffers from an extremely high level of deforestation, habitat degradation, and wildlife exploitation. We investigated the biological correlates of extinction risk based on the IUCN Red List threat status among resident Philippine birds using a broad range of ecological, biogeographical, and life history traits previously identified as correlates of extinction risk in birds. We found strong support across competing models for endemism, narrower elevational ranges, high forest dependency, and larger body size as correlates significantly associated with extinction risk. Additionally, we compared observed threat status with threat status fitted by our model, finding fourteen species that are not currently recognized by the IUCN Red List as threatened that may be more threatened than currently believed and therefore warrant heightened conservation focus, and predicted threat statuses for the four Philippine Data Deficient bird species. We also assessed species described in recent taxonomic splits that are recognized by BirdLife International, finding 12 species that have a fitted threat status more severe than their IUCN-designated ones. Our findings provide a framework for avian conservation efforts to identify birds with specific biological correlates that increase a species' vulnerability to extinction both in the Philippine Archipelago and elsewhere on other tropical islands.Publication Open Access Combining models of environment, behavior, and physiology to predict tissue hydrogen and oxygen isotope variance among individual terrestrial animals(Frontiers, 2020) Magozzi, Sarah; Vander Zanden, Hannah B.; Wunder, Michael B.; Trueman, Clive N.; Pinney, Kailee; Peers, Dori; Dennison, Philip E.; Horns, Joshua J.; Bowen, Gabriel J.; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Şekercioğlu, Çağan Hakkı; Faculty Member; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; College of SciencesVariations in stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios in terrestrial animal tissues are used to reconstruct origin and movement. An underlying assumption of these applications is that tissues grown at the same site share a similar isotopic signal, representative of the location of their origin. However, large variations in tissue isotopic compositions often exist even among conspecific individuals within local populations, which complicates origin and migration inferences. Field-data and correlation analyses have provided hints about the underlying mechanisms of within-site among-individual isotopic variance, but a theory explaining the causes and magnitude of such variance has not been established. Here we develop a mechanistic modeling framework that provides explicit predictions of the magnitude, patterns, and drivers of isotopic variation among individuals living in a common but environmentally heterogeneous habitat. The model toolbox includes isoscape models of environmental isotopic variability, an agent-based model of behavior and movement, and a physiology-biochemistry model of isotopic incorporation into tissues. We compare model predictions against observed variation in hatch-year individuals of the songbird Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) in Red Butte Canyon, Utah, and evaluate the ability of the model to reproduce this variation under different sets of assumptions. Only models that account for environmental isotopic variability predict a similar magnitude of isotopic variation as observed. Within the modeling framework, behavioral rules and properties govern how animals nesting in different locations acquire resources from different habitats, and birds nesting in or near riparian habitat preferentially access isotopically lighter resources than those associated with the meadow and slope habitats, which results in more negative body water and tissue isotope values. Riparian nesters also have faster body water turnover and acquire more water from drinking (vs. from food), which exerts a secondary influence on their isotope ratios. Thus, the model predicts that local among-individual isotopic variance is linked first to isotopic heterogeneity in the local habitat, and second to how animals sample this habitat during foraging. Model predictions provide insight into the fundamental mechanisms of small-scale isotopic variance and can be used to predict the utility of isotope-based methods for specific groups or environments in ecological and forensic research.Publication Open Access Ecological correlates of elevational range shifts in tropical birds(Frontiers, 2021) Neate-Clegg, Montague H. C.; Jones, Samuel E., I; Tobias, Joseph A.; Newmark, William D.; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Şekercioğlu, Çağan Hakkı; Faculty Member; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; College of Sciences; 327589Globally, birds have been shown to respond to climate change by shifting their elevational distributions. This phenomenon is especially prevalent in the tropics, where elevational gradients are often hotspots of diversity and endemism. Empirical evidence has suggested that elevational range shifts are far from uniform across species, varying greatly in the direction (upslope vs. downslope) and rate of change (speed of elevational shift). However, little is known about the drivers of these variable responses to climate change, limiting our ability to accurately project changes in the future. Here, we compile empirical estimates of elevational shift rates (m/yr) for 421 bird species from eight study sites across the tropics. On average, species shifted their mean elevations upslope by 1.63 +/- 0.30 m/yr, their upper limits by 1.62 m +/- 0.38 m/yr, and their lower limits by 2.81 +/- 0.42 m/yr. Upslope shift rates increased in smaller-bodied, less territorial species, whereas larger species were more likely to shift downslope. When considering absolute shift rates, rates were fastest for species with high dispersal ability, low foraging strata, and wide elevational ranges. Our results indicate that elevational shift rates are associated with species' traits, particularly body size, dispersal ability, and territoriality. However, these effects vary substantially across sites, suggesting that responses of tropical montane bird communities to climate change are complex and best predicted within the local or regional context.
Publication Metadata only Ecosystem services valuation using InVEST modeling: case from southern Iranian mangrove forests(Elsevier, 2023) Dashtbozorgi, Fatemeh; Hedayatiaghmashhadi, Amir; Dashtbozorgi, Ameneh; Ruiz-Agudelo, Cesar Augusto; Furst, Christine; Cirella, Giuseppe T.; Department of Physics; Naderi, Mortaza; Researcher; Department of Physics; College of Sciences; N/AAs one of the most fertile ecosystems on earth, mangrove forests provide many goods and services for humanity. Mangroves are located in the south of Iran on the coasts of Sistan and Baluchistan, Hormozgan and Bushehr provinces, which include two species of Harra (Avicennia marina) and Chandal (Rhizophora mucronata) The purpose of this study was to describe the condition of mangrove forests using the integrated valuation of ecosystem services and tradeoffs (InVEST) between 2010 and 2021 from the southern coasts of Iran. The INVEST model uses land use and land cover maps to estimate habitat quality. With the opinions of local experts, sources of threats, maximum impact distance, state of degradation, and sensitivity to threats were also estimated for each type of land use cover. Urban and rural areas' development, roads network, piers, oil and non-oil industries, agriculture, and aquaculture activities, were identified as sources that threaten mangroves' long-term viability. The output maps of the INVEST habitat quality model included degradability and habitat quality maps, which were classified into four categories: poor, low, medium, and high, to better understand quality changes. The results demonstrated that mangrove habitat quality has decreased considerably despite the increase in their area. The area of the target habitats has been increased by 586.45 ha while two first quality categories, including poor and low classes, increased. Based on a habitat quality assessment in 2010, two classes of poor, low habitat quality, were estimated to be around 0.72, and 8.42 ha, which changed to 3.04 ha, and 9.72 ha respectively in 2021. The output maps obtained in this study can help local managers and decision-makers to have an image of what happened to the quality of the target ecosystems and may help them to adopt more effective management strategies for the conservation of these ecosystems.Publication Metadata only Fall bird migration in western North America during a period of heightened wildfire activity(Resilience Alliance, 2022) Kittelberger, Kyle D.; Miller, Megan K.; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Şekercioğlu, Çağan Hakkı; Faculty Member; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; College of Sciences; 327589Billions of birds annually migrate between breeding and nonbreeding grounds in North America. During fall 2020, there was a series of alarming mass-mortality events of migratory birds across the western United States, with estimates of 100,000 to 1 million birds having perished. One potential culprit behind these die-offs is wildfires, though there has been little research documenting the indirect effects of wildfires on actively migrating birds. We undertook a multi-year assessment of potential impacts that wildfires may have had on fall bird migration over the past decade, with a particular focus on fall 2020, using systematic bird banding data from southeastern Utah. We used a correlative approach to evaluate the relationship between estimates of acres burned by wildfires in western North America on several variables representing bird abundance and body condition. Notably, in our best fit models of birds banded at our research site during fall 2020, we found both a positive relationship for the number of bird captures and a negative relationship for body mass index with more daily burned acres. We provide an examination of incorporating lag effects of wildfires on different metrics of bird migration to account for potential impacts of fires on birds before migration and banding. Additionally, we assess the usefulness of different proxies of body condition in highly stressed land birds and introduce a scale for scoring emaciation of birds in the hand while banding. Our insights into avian migration ecology are one of the few studies that explore the role wildfires may have had in affecting migratory bird movements and health.Publication Metadata only Impact of ocean carbonation on long-term regulation of light harvesting in eelgrass Zostera marina(Inter-Research, 2021) Zimmerman, Richard C.; Hill, Victoria J.; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Ergin, Billur Çelebi; Teaching Faculty; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; College of Sciences; 261792Seagrasses account for approximately 10% of the total carbon stored in the ocean, although photosynthesis of seagrasses is carbon-limited at present oceanic pH levels. Therefore, increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration, which results in ocean acidification/carbonation, is predicted to have a positive impact on seagrass productivity. Previous studies have confirmed the positive influence of increasing CO2 on photosynthesis and survival of the temperate eelgrass Zostera marina, but the acclimation of photoprotective mechanisms in this context has not been characterized. We aimed to quantify the long-term impacts of ocean acidification on photochemical control mechanisms that promote photosynthesis while simultaneously protecting eelgrass from photodamage. Eelgrass were grown in controlled outdoor aquaria at different aqueous CO2 concentrations ranging from similar to 50 to similar to 2100 mu M from May 2013 to October 2014 and examined for differences in leaf optical properties. Even with daily and seasonal variations of temperature and light, CO2 enrichment consistently increased plant size, leaf thickness and chlorophyll use efficiency, and decreased pigment content and the package effect while maintaining similar lightharvesting efficiency. These acclimation responses suggest that a common photosynthetic sensory function, such as redox regulation, can be manipulated by COCO(2)2 availability, as well as light, and may serve to optimize photosynthetic carbon gain by seagrasses into the Anthropocene.Publication Open Access More knot worms: four new Polygordius (Annelida) species from the Pacific and Caribbean(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2020) Tustison, Chrissy A.; Rouse, Greg W.; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Balcı, Patricia A. Ramey; Researcher; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; College of Sciences; 261777Polygordius is a clade of marine annelids mainly seen in coarse-grained habitats. They are notable for their smooth bodies, lacking in chaetae or obvious segments, and they resemble Nematoda or Nemertea. Though Polygordius taxa are found in all oceans of the world, identifying species based only on morphological characters can be challenging due to their relatively uniform external appearances. Diversity within the clade has likely been markedly underestimated. Where morphological characters are inconspicuous or even unreliable, molecular methods can provide clarity in delimiting species. In this study, morphological methods (examination under light and scanning electron microscopy) were integrated with molecular analyses (sequencing of Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, 16S rRNA and Histone H3 gene fragments) to establish the systematic placement of Polygordius specimens collected from Australia, Belize, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Japan, and the U.S. west coast. These analyses revealed three new species of Polygordius from the Pacific Ocean (P. erikae n. sp., P. kurthcarolae n. sp., and P. kurthsusanae n. sp.) as well as one new species from the Caribbean Sea (P. jenniferae n. sp.). These new species are formally described, and a previously known Japanese species, P. pacificus Uchida, 1936, is redescribed. This study establishes the first molecular data set for Polygordius species from the Pacific region, as well as the first formal description of a Caribbean species of Polygordius. Phylogenetic relationships within Polygordius are summarized and discussed.Publication Open Access Multi-modal communication: song sparrows increase signal redundancy in noise(The Royal Society, 2019) Beecher, Michael D.; Department of Psychology; Akçay, Çağlar; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 272053Although the effects of anthropogenic noise on animal communication have been studied widely, most research on the effect of noise in communication has focused on signals in a single modality. Consequently, how multi-modal communication is affected by anthropogenic noise is relatively poorly understood. Here, we ask whether song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) show evidence of plasticity in response to noise in two aggressive signals in acoustic and visual modalities. We test two hypotheses: (i) that song sparrows will shift signalling effort to the visual modality (the multi-modal shift hypothesis) and (ii) that they will increase redundancy of their multi-modal signalling (the back-up signal hypothesis). We presented male song sparrows with song playback and a taxidermic mount with or without a low-frequency acoustic noise from a nearby speaker. We found that males did not switch their signalling effort to visual modality (i.e. wing waves) in response to the noise. However, the correlation between warbled soft songs and wing waves increased in the noise treatment, i.e. signals became more redundant. These results suggest that when faced with anthropogenic noise, song sparrows can increase the redundancy of their multi-modal signals, which may aid in the robustness of the communication system.Publication Open Access Re-emergence and diversification of a specialized antennal lobe morphology in ithomiine butterflies(Wiley, 2021) Morris, BJ.; Couto, A.; Montgomery, SH.; Aydın, Aslı; Undergraduate Student; School of MedicineHow an organism's sensory system functions is central to how it navigates its environment. The insect olfactory system is a prominent model for investigating how ecological factors impact sensory reception and processing. Notably, work in Lepidoptera led to the discovery of vastly expanded structures, termed macroglomerular complexes (MGCs), within the primary olfactory processing centre. MGCs typically process pheromonal cues, are usually larger in males, and provide classic examples of how variation in the size of neural structures reflects the importance of sensory cues. Though prevalent across moths, MGCs were lost during the origin of butterflies, consistent with evidence that courtship initiation in butterflies is primarily reliant on visual cues, rather than long distance chemical signals. However, an MGC was recently described in a species of ithomiine butterfly, suggesting that this once lost neural adaptation has re-emerged in this tribe. Here, we show that MGC-like morphologies are widely distributed across ithomiines, but vary in both their structure and prevalence of sexual dimorphism. Based on this interspecific variation we suggest that the ithomiine MGC is involved in processing both plant and pheromonal cues, which have similarities in their chemical constitution, and co-evolved with an increased importance of plant derived chemical compounds.