. (2020). Weak effects of geolocators on small birds: A meta-analysis controlled for phylogeny and publication bias (Vol. 89).
Abstract: Currently, the deployment of tracking devices is one of the most frequently used approaches to study movement ecology of birds. Recent miniaturization of light-level geolocators enabled studying small bird species whose migratory patterns were widely unknown. However, geolocators may reduce vital rates in tagged birds and may bias obtained movement data. There is a need for a thorough assessment of the potential tag effects on small birds, as previous meta-analyses did not evaluate unpublished data and impact of multiple life-history traits, focused mainly on large species and the number of published studies tagging small birds has increased substantially. We quantitatively reviewed 549 records extracted from 74 published and 48 unpublished studies on over 7,800 tagged and 17,800 control individuals to examine the effects of geolocator tagging on small bird species (body mass <100 g). We calculated the effect of tagging on apparent survival, condition, phenology and breeding performance and identified the most important predictors of the magnitude of effect sizes. Even though the effects were not statistically significant in phylogenetically controlled models, we found a weak negative impact of geolocators on apparent survival. The negative effect on apparent survival was stronger with increasing relative load of the device and with geolocators attached using elastic harnesses. Moreover, tagging effects were stronger in smaller species. In conclusion, we found a weak effect on apparent survival of tagged birds and managed to pinpoint key aspects and drivers of tagging effects. We provide recommendations for establishing matched control group for proper effect size assessment in future studies and outline various aspects of tagging that need further investigation. Finally, our results encourage further use of geolocators on small bird species but the ethical aspects and scientific benefits should always be considered.
Keywords: condition migration phenology reproduction return rate survival tag effect tracking device
Programme: 1036
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David Boertmann, Flemming Merkel, Olivier Gilg. (2020). Seabird Breeding Colonies in East and North Greenland: A Baseline (Vol. 73).
Keywords: climate change colonial seabirds distribution Greenland
Programme: 1036
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. (2020). Parasitoids indicate major climate-induced shifts in arctic communities (Vol. 26).
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. (2020). Low fitness at low latitudes: Wintering in the tropics increases migratory delays and mortality rates in an Arctic breeding shorebird (Vol. 89).
Keywords: demography fitness migration nutrient storage strategies site fidelity solar geolocation survival timing
Programme: 1036
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. (2018). Bachelor's thesis, , .
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Peter S. Ungar, Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Alexandria S. Peterson, Aleksandr A. Sokolov, Natalia A. Sokolova, Dorothee Ehrich, Ivan A. Fufachev, Olivier Gilg, Alexandra Terekhina, Alexander Volkovitskiy, Viktor Shtro. (2021). Dental evidence for variation in diet over time and space in the Arctic fox, Vulpes lagopus (Vol. 44).
Abstract: Studies of the effects of variation in resource availability are important for understanding the ecology of high-latitude mammals. This paper examines the potential of dental evidence (tooth wear and breakage) as a proxy for diet and food choice in Vulpes lagopus, the Arctic fox. It presents a preliminary study of dental microwear, gross wear score, and tooth breakage in a sample (n?=?78 individuals) from the Yamal Peninsula of the Russian Arctic. While these measures have each been associated with feeding ecology in larger carnivorans (e.g., proportion of bone in the diet), they have yet to be combined in any study and have rarely been applied to smaller species or those from high latitudes. Arctic foxes from the north and south of the peninsula, and those from rodent peak and trough density periods, are compared to assess impact of changes in food availability across space and time. Results indicate that microwear textures vary in dispersion, with more variation in texture complexity, including higher values (suggesting more consumption of bone), in the rodent-poor period in the north of Yamal. Gross wear scores and tooth breakage are also significantly higher for the north of Yamal than the south. These data together suggest that dental evidence can provide important insights into variation in the feeding ecology of Arctic foxes and potentially into the impacts of changes in food abundance across space and time.
Programme: 1036
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. (2021). The story of endurance: Biogeography and the evolutionary history of four Holarctic butterflies with different habitat requirements (Vol. 48).
Keywords: COI Ef-1? insect Lepidoptera mammoth steppe Pleistocene Quaternary RpS5 species distribution modelling
Programme: 1036
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. (2021). A risk assessment of the effects of mercury on Baltic Sea, Greater North Sea and North Atlantic wildlife, fish and bivalves (Vol. 146).
Abstract: A wide range of species, including marine mammals, seabirds, birds of prey, fish and bivalves, were investigated for potential population health risks resulting from contemporary (post 2000) mercury (Hg) exposure, using novel risk thresholds based on literature and de novo contamination data. The main geographic focus is on the Baltic Sea, while data from the same species in adjacent waters, such as the Greater North Sea and North Atlantic, were included for comparative purposes. For marine mammals, 23% of the groups, each composing individuals of a specific sex and maturity from the same species in a specific study region, showed Hg-concentrations within the High Risk Category (HRC) and Severe Risk Category (SRC). The corresponding percentages for seabirds, fish and bivalves were 2.7%, 25% and 8.0%, respectively, although fish and bivalves were not represented in the SRC. Juveniles from all species showed to be at no or low risk. In comparison to the same species in the adjacent waters, i.e. the Greater North Sea and the North Atlantic, the estimated risk for Baltic populations is not considerably higher. These findings suggest that over the past few decades the Baltic Sea has improved considerably with respect to presenting Hg exposure to its local species, while it does still carry a legacy of elevated Hg levels resulting from high neighbouring industrial and agricultural activity and slow water turnover regime.
Keywords: Biological effect Bird of prey Hg Marine mammal Risk threshold Seabird
Programme: 1036
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. (2020). Nest attentiveness drives nest predation in arctic sandpipers (Vol. 129).
Keywords: Arctic shorebirds breeding behaviour incubation recesses incubation strategy nest survival parental care
Programme: 1036
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Sittler, B., Lang, J., Gilg, O., Aebischer, A. (2020). Snowy owls in Greenland on the brink? Insights from 32 years of long-term monitoring on Traill Island.
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