Migratory species commute between locations and climate zones along the annual cycle. How the organization of this cycle is determined remains unclear. Migratory behaviour is partly genetically encoded but also requires a plastic component (e.g., the temporal schedule) to adjust for variability in the environment. In this project we aim at quantifying the amount of heritability for different migratory traits (route, stop-over, timing). We track individuals of various degree of relatedness from different populations and in different years to tease apart genetic basis from plasticity.
Alpine swift, Apus melba
The breeding colony in Baden is located in a medival toll gate
Inside the colony with nestlings and adults
Attaching a geolocator on a swift
How flexibly can Alpine swifts (Apus melba) adjust their migration behaviour to a changing environment?
How much of the inter-individual variation in routes and the migratory schedule is genetically determined?
Bereich
Forschung
Ressort
Bird Migration
Thema
Ecology, Evolution, Migratory Birds
Lebensraum
rocky terrain, settlements
Projektstart
2009
Projektstatus
abgeschlossen
Projektleitung
Barbara Helm
Projektregion
Aargau, Bern, Lucerne, Solothurn, Africa, Europe
Employees
Species concerned
Unit
Bird Migration
We research migratory birds from their breeding grounds to Africa and lay the foundations for their protection beyond national borders.