Long-distance migrating European Barn swallows spend the northern winter in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Depending on the population from which they originate, individuals employ various migration routes to reach their wintering quarters in different parts of Africa. We use light-level geolocators to map variation of migration routes, timing and wintering grounds of Barn swallows breeding in Switzerland, Northern Germany and Finland. The information about individual migration phenotypes in turn forms the foundation for this study on the genetic and epigenetic basis of the birds’ migration behaviour.
©
© Marcel Burkhardt
Barn Swallow
Migration of Barn swallows
Inferring the genetic and epigenetic basis of the long-distance migration of European Barn swallows
Domain
Research
Unit
Bird Migration
Topics
Evolution, Migratory Birds
Habitat
alpine habitats, farmland, forest, meadows and pastures, rivers & streams, rocky terrain, semi-open farmland, settlements, wasteland, wetlands
Project start
2018
Project status
ongoing
Project management
Jan von Rönn
Project region
Lucerne, Africa, Europe
Details
Project objectives
In this study, we strive to identify areas of the European Barn swallow genome, e.g./i.e. ultimately variations of genes, which are associated with their migration behaviour. Additionally, we employ a very similar approach to identify areas in the Barn swallow genome which are associated with migration phenotypes due to their pattern of cytosine-methylation, as a measure of epigenetics, affecting gene function without sequence changes in the DNA.
Methodology
We use light-level geolocators to track migration routes, timing and wintering areas of Barn swallows breeding in Switzerland, northern Germany and Finland. Using these tracking data we characterize individual migration phenotypes which we contrast in subsequent genome wide or epigenome-wide association studies (GWAS, EWAS) to look for areas of the genome (ultimately, genes) associated with specific migration phenotypes.
Project partner(s)
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.
