Effects of immune status on stopover departure decisions are subordinate to those of condition, cloud cover and tailwind in autumn‐migrating common blackbirds Turdus merula
Migratory birds encounter a large variety of parasites and pathogens en route and invest in immune defences to limit the risk and fitness costs of infection. Since both migration and immune defences carry costs, individuals on tight budgets may face trade‐offs between migratory progress and immune s...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Avian Biology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03368 |
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| author | Tjomme van Mastrigt Kevin D. Matson Sander Lagerveld Xinrou S. Huang Willem F. de Boer Henk P. van der Jeugd |
| author_facet | Tjomme van Mastrigt Kevin D. Matson Sander Lagerveld Xinrou S. Huang Willem F. de Boer Henk P. van der Jeugd |
| author_sort | Tjomme van Mastrigt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Migratory birds encounter a large variety of parasites and pathogens en route and invest in immune defences to limit the risk and fitness costs of infection. Since both migration and immune defences carry costs, individuals on tight budgets may face trade‐offs between migratory progress and immune status. Many species alternate legs of strenuous migratory flight with stopovers during which birds refuel, rest, and recover physiologically. Despite this, most time and energy consumed during migration are actually spent on stopovers. As a result, identifying what determines stopover duration is key in understanding how migratory birds balance investments in immune defences and migration. Yet, it is unknown under what conditions an individual's immune status may affect migratory progress through the duration of stopovers. We explored whether immune status at arrival affects stopover duration by radio‐tagging and blood‐sampling common blackbirds Turdus merula during autumn stopovers on the Dutch island of Vlieland. To measure immune status, we quantified levels of bacterial killing ability, natural antibodies, complement, and haptoglobin, as well as heterophil–lymphocyte ratios. We show that stopover departures peaked during periods with low cloud cover and strong tailwinds. While lean birds prolonged stopovers, we only found a weak tendency of prolongation in birds with elevated haptoglobin levels. We conclude that effects of immune status on minimum stopover durations are subordinate to those of condition, cloud cover, and tailwinds in autumn‐migrating common blackbirds. Hence, future studies on the link between immune defences and stopover durations should take weather conditions into account. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-90e35de9a9374fcbbb18497afa08fff5 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0908-8857 1600-048X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Avian Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-90e35de9a9374fcbbb18497afa08fff52025-08-20T02:29:39ZengWileyJournal of Avian Biology0908-88571600-048X2025-03-0120252n/an/a10.1111/jav.03368Effects of immune status on stopover departure decisions are subordinate to those of condition, cloud cover and tailwind in autumn‐migrating common blackbirds Turdus merulaTjomme van Mastrigt0Kevin D. Matson1Sander Lagerveld2Xinrou S. Huang3Willem F. de Boer4Henk P. van der Jeugd5Vogeltrekstation ‐ Dutch Centre for Avian Migration and Demography, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen NetherlandsWildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University & Research (WUR) Wageningen NetherlandsWageningen Marine Research Den Helder NetherlandsWildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University & Research (WUR) Wageningen NetherlandsWildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University & Research (WUR) Wageningen NetherlandsVogeltrekstation ‐ Dutch Centre for Avian Migration and Demography, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen NetherlandsMigratory birds encounter a large variety of parasites and pathogens en route and invest in immune defences to limit the risk and fitness costs of infection. Since both migration and immune defences carry costs, individuals on tight budgets may face trade‐offs between migratory progress and immune status. Many species alternate legs of strenuous migratory flight with stopovers during which birds refuel, rest, and recover physiologically. Despite this, most time and energy consumed during migration are actually spent on stopovers. As a result, identifying what determines stopover duration is key in understanding how migratory birds balance investments in immune defences and migration. Yet, it is unknown under what conditions an individual's immune status may affect migratory progress through the duration of stopovers. We explored whether immune status at arrival affects stopover duration by radio‐tagging and blood‐sampling common blackbirds Turdus merula during autumn stopovers on the Dutch island of Vlieland. To measure immune status, we quantified levels of bacterial killing ability, natural antibodies, complement, and haptoglobin, as well as heterophil–lymphocyte ratios. We show that stopover departures peaked during periods with low cloud cover and strong tailwinds. While lean birds prolonged stopovers, we only found a weak tendency of prolongation in birds with elevated haptoglobin levels. We conclude that effects of immune status on minimum stopover durations are subordinate to those of condition, cloud cover, and tailwinds in autumn‐migrating common blackbirds. Hence, future studies on the link between immune defences and stopover durations should take weather conditions into account.https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03368cloud covercommon blackbirdeco-immunologystopover ecologywind selectivity |
| spellingShingle | Tjomme van Mastrigt Kevin D. Matson Sander Lagerveld Xinrou S. Huang Willem F. de Boer Henk P. van der Jeugd Effects of immune status on stopover departure decisions are subordinate to those of condition, cloud cover and tailwind in autumn‐migrating common blackbirds Turdus merula Journal of Avian Biology cloud cover common blackbird eco-immunology stopover ecology wind selectivity |
| title | Effects of immune status on stopover departure decisions are subordinate to those of condition, cloud cover and tailwind in autumn‐migrating common blackbirds Turdus merula |
| title_full | Effects of immune status on stopover departure decisions are subordinate to those of condition, cloud cover and tailwind in autumn‐migrating common blackbirds Turdus merula |
| title_fullStr | Effects of immune status on stopover departure decisions are subordinate to those of condition, cloud cover and tailwind in autumn‐migrating common blackbirds Turdus merula |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of immune status on stopover departure decisions are subordinate to those of condition, cloud cover and tailwind in autumn‐migrating common blackbirds Turdus merula |
| title_short | Effects of immune status on stopover departure decisions are subordinate to those of condition, cloud cover and tailwind in autumn‐migrating common blackbirds Turdus merula |
| title_sort | effects of immune status on stopover departure decisions are subordinate to those of condition cloud cover and tailwind in autumn migrating common blackbirds turdus merula |
| topic | cloud cover common blackbird eco-immunology stopover ecology wind selectivity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03368 |
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