Factors underlying migratory timing of a seasonally migrating bird
Abstract Bird migration has fascinated natural historians and scientists for centuries. While the timing of migration is known to vary by species, population, sex, and individual, identifying the cause of this variation can be challenging. Here we investigate factors underlying migratory timing in a...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-93442-2 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849774728009482240 |
|---|---|
| author | Taylor J. Bobowski Christen Bossu Rafael Rueda-Hernández Teia Schweizer Ingrid Tello-Lopez Thomas B. Smith Richard Feldman Emily Cohen Kristen Ruegg |
| author_facet | Taylor J. Bobowski Christen Bossu Rafael Rueda-Hernández Teia Schweizer Ingrid Tello-Lopez Thomas B. Smith Richard Feldman Emily Cohen Kristen Ruegg |
| author_sort | Taylor J. Bobowski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Bird migration has fascinated natural historians and scientists for centuries. While the timing of migration is known to vary by species, population, sex, and individual, identifying the cause of this variation can be challenging. Here we investigate factors underlying migratory timing in a long-distance migratory bird, the Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypas trichas), using a population genomic approach. We begin by creating a map of genetic variation across geographic space (a “genoscape”) using lcWGS from across the breeding range. We then utilize genetic assays to assign 249 wintering and 1050 northward migrating birds to genetically distinct breeding populations. Additionally, we estimate the expected spring onset date in each predicted breeding region and calculate the remaining migratory distance for northward migrating birds. Our findings indicate that when population genetic structure is not a factor in the analysis, it appears that birds captured early in the season are migrating to breeding grounds where spring arrives later, which contrasts with prior research. However, when we incorporate population structure into our analysis, our results align with predictions, indicating that birds captured earlier in the season are indeed heading to breeding grounds where spring arrives earlier. Further analysis revealed that the disparity between results obtained with and without population genetic structure can be attributed to the fact that individuals from the western genetic group migrate three times the distance to the west, despite breeding at the same latitude. Our findings suggest that categorizing large numbers of migrating birds into genetically distinct groups can reveal population-specific patterns in migratory timing and shed light on the relative contributions of different selective forces responsible for the observed patterns. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b96f96cd47964366ba425006e229dd9b |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-b96f96cd47964366ba425006e229dd9b2025-08-20T03:01:38ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-03-0115111110.1038/s41598-025-93442-2Factors underlying migratory timing of a seasonally migrating birdTaylor J. Bobowski0Christen Bossu1Rafael Rueda-Hernández2Teia Schweizer3Ingrid Tello-Lopez4Thomas B. Smith5Richard Feldman6Emily Cohen7Kristen Ruegg8Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State UniversityDepartment of Biology, Colorado State UniversityDepartamento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoDepartment of Biology, Colorado State UniversityCentro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Unidad de Recursos NaturalesDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los AngelesCentro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Unidad de Recursos NaturalesAppalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental ScienceGraduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State UniversityAbstract Bird migration has fascinated natural historians and scientists for centuries. While the timing of migration is known to vary by species, population, sex, and individual, identifying the cause of this variation can be challenging. Here we investigate factors underlying migratory timing in a long-distance migratory bird, the Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypas trichas), using a population genomic approach. We begin by creating a map of genetic variation across geographic space (a “genoscape”) using lcWGS from across the breeding range. We then utilize genetic assays to assign 249 wintering and 1050 northward migrating birds to genetically distinct breeding populations. Additionally, we estimate the expected spring onset date in each predicted breeding region and calculate the remaining migratory distance for northward migrating birds. Our findings indicate that when population genetic structure is not a factor in the analysis, it appears that birds captured early in the season are migrating to breeding grounds where spring arrives later, which contrasts with prior research. However, when we incorporate population structure into our analysis, our results align with predictions, indicating that birds captured earlier in the season are indeed heading to breeding grounds where spring arrives earlier. Further analysis revealed that the disparity between results obtained with and without population genetic structure can be attributed to the fact that individuals from the western genetic group migrate three times the distance to the west, despite breeding at the same latitude. Our findings suggest that categorizing large numbers of migrating birds into genetically distinct groups can reveal population-specific patterns in migratory timing and shed light on the relative contributions of different selective forces responsible for the observed patterns.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-93442-2 |
| spellingShingle | Taylor J. Bobowski Christen Bossu Rafael Rueda-Hernández Teia Schweizer Ingrid Tello-Lopez Thomas B. Smith Richard Feldman Emily Cohen Kristen Ruegg Factors underlying migratory timing of a seasonally migrating bird Scientific Reports |
| title | Factors underlying migratory timing of a seasonally migrating bird |
| title_full | Factors underlying migratory timing of a seasonally migrating bird |
| title_fullStr | Factors underlying migratory timing of a seasonally migrating bird |
| title_full_unstemmed | Factors underlying migratory timing of a seasonally migrating bird |
| title_short | Factors underlying migratory timing of a seasonally migrating bird |
| title_sort | factors underlying migratory timing of a seasonally migrating bird |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-93442-2 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT taylorjbobowski factorsunderlyingmigratorytimingofaseasonallymigratingbird AT christenbossu factorsunderlyingmigratorytimingofaseasonallymigratingbird AT rafaelruedahernandez factorsunderlyingmigratorytimingofaseasonallymigratingbird AT teiaschweizer factorsunderlyingmigratorytimingofaseasonallymigratingbird AT ingridtellolopez factorsunderlyingmigratorytimingofaseasonallymigratingbird AT thomasbsmith factorsunderlyingmigratorytimingofaseasonallymigratingbird AT richardfeldman factorsunderlyingmigratorytimingofaseasonallymigratingbird AT emilycohen factorsunderlyingmigratorytimingofaseasonallymigratingbird AT kristenruegg factorsunderlyingmigratorytimingofaseasonallymigratingbird |