The Experts below are selected from a list of 5235 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Ronald C. Ydenberg - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Intertidal biofilm distribution underpins differential tide-following behavior of two sandpiper species (Calidris mauri and Calidris alpina) during northward migration
Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 2015Co-Authors: Ariam Jiménez, Robert W. Elner, Corinna Favaro, Karen Rickards, Ronald C. YdenbergAbstract:The discovery that some shorebird species graze heavily on biofilm adds importance to elucidating coastal processes controlling biofilm, as well as impetus to better understand patterns of shorebird use of intertidal flats. Western sandpipers (Calidris mauri) and dunlin (Calidris alpina) stopover in the hundreds of thousands on the Fraser River estuary, British Columbia, Canada, during northward migration to breeding areas. Western sandpipers show greater modification of tongue and bill morphology for biofilm feeding than dunlin, and their diet includes more biofilm. Therefore, we hypothesized that these congeners differentially use the intertidal area. A tide following index (TFI) was used to describe their distributions in the upper intertidal during ebbing tides. Also, we assessed sediment grain size, biofilm (= microphytobenthic or MPB) biomass and invertebrate abundance. Foraging dunlin closely followed the ebbing tide line, exploiting the upper intertidal only as the tide retreated through this area. In contrast, western sandpipers were less prone to follow the tide, and spent more time in the upper intertidal. Microphytobenthic biomass and sediment water content were highest in the upper intertidal, indicating greater biofilm availability for shorebirds in the first 350 m from shore. Invertebrate density did not differ between sections of the upper intertidal. Overall, western sandpiper behaviour and distribution more closely matched MPB biofilm availability than invertebrate availability. Conservation of sandpipers should consider physical processes, such as tides and currents, which maintain the availability of biofilm, a critical food source during global migration.
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the effects of wing loading and gender on the escape flights of least sandpipers Calidris minutilla and western sandpipers Calidris mauri
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2002Co-Authors: James G. Burns, Ronald C. YdenbergAbstract:High body mass caused by fat storage during migration is believed to increase a bird's risk of predation by decreasing its ability to escape predators. We demonstrate the negative effect of wing loading (mass/wing area) on escape speed and angle of two migrating species of shorebird. We also show significant differences in escape performance between the species and genders. To help explain these differences, we test two potential proximate causes, wing shape and leg bone length. Wing shape is correlated with differences in escape performance between the species, but we found no correlation of wing shape or leg bone length with gender. Ultimately, greater predation risk due to habitat use or larger body size, for the species and genders respectively, may have resulted in evolution of enhanced escape ability.
Marcel Klaassen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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active migration is associated with specific and consistent changes to gut microbiota in Calidris shorebirds
Journal of Animal Ecology, 2018Co-Authors: Alice Risely, David W Waite, Beata Ujvari, Bethany J Hoye, Marcel KlaassenAbstract:Gut microbes are increasingly recognised for their role in regulating an animal's metabolism and immunity. However, identifying repeatable associations between host physiological processes and their gut microbiota has proved challenging, in part because microbial communities often respond stochastically to host physiological stress (e.g. fasting, forced exercise or infection). Migratory birds provide a valuable system in which to test host-microbe interactions under physiological extremes because these hosts are adapted to predictable metabolic and immunological challenges as they undergo seasonal migrations, including temporary gut atrophy during long-distance flights. These physiological challenges may either temporarily disrupt gut microbial ecosystems, or, alternatively, promote predictable host-microbe associations during migration. To determine the relationship between migration and gut microbiota, we compared gut microbiota composition between migrating and non-migrating ("resident") conspecific shorebirds sharing a flock. We performed this across two sandpiper species, Calidris ferruginea and Calidris ruficollis, in north-western Australia, and an additional C. ruficollis population 3,000 km away in southern Australia. We found that migrants consistently had higher abundances of the bacterial genus Corynebacterium (average 28% abundance) compared to conspecific residents (average <1% abundance), with this effect holding across both species and sites. However, other than this specific association, community structure and diversity was almost identical between migrants and residents, with migration status accounting for only 1% of gut community variation when excluding Corynebacterium. Our findings suggest a consistent relationship between Corynebacterium and Calidris shorebirds during migration, with further research required to identify causal mechanisms behind the association, and to elucidate functionality to the host. However, outside this specific association, migrating shorebirds broadly maintained gut community structure, which may allow them to quickly recover gut function after a migratory flight. This study provides a rare example of a repeatable and specific response of the gut microbiota to a major physiological challenge across two species and two distant populations.
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Active migration is associated with specific and consistent changes to gut microbiota in Calidris shorebirds.
Journal of Animal Ecology, 2017Co-Authors: Alice Risely, David W Waite, Beata Ujvari, Bethany J Hoye, Marcel KlaassenAbstract:Gut microbes are increasingly recognised for their role in regulating an animal's metabolism and immunity. However, identifying repeatable associations between host physiological processes and their gut microbiota has proved challenging, in part because microbial communities often respond stochastically to host physiological stress (e.g. fasting, forced exercise or infection). Migratory birds provide a valuable system in which to test host-microbe interactions under physiological extremes because these hosts are adapted to predictable metabolic and immunological challenges as they undergo seasonal migrations, including temporary gut atrophy during long-distance flights. These physiological challenges may either temporarily disrupt gut microbial ecosystems, or, alternatively, promote predictable host-microbe associations during migration. To determine the relationship between migration and gut microbiota, we compared gut microbiota composition between migrating and non-migrating ("resident") conspecific shorebirds sharing a flock. We performed this across two sandpiper species, Calidris ferruginea and Calidris ruficollis, in north-western Australia, and an additional C. ruficollis population 3,000 km away in southern Australia. We found that migrants consistently had higher abundances of the bacterial genus Corynebacterium (average 28% abundance) compared to conspecific residents (average
Bethany J Hoye - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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active migration is associated with specific and consistent changes to gut microbiota in Calidris shorebirds
Journal of Animal Ecology, 2018Co-Authors: Alice Risely, David W Waite, Beata Ujvari, Bethany J Hoye, Marcel KlaassenAbstract:Gut microbes are increasingly recognised for their role in regulating an animal's metabolism and immunity. However, identifying repeatable associations between host physiological processes and their gut microbiota has proved challenging, in part because microbial communities often respond stochastically to host physiological stress (e.g. fasting, forced exercise or infection). Migratory birds provide a valuable system in which to test host-microbe interactions under physiological extremes because these hosts are adapted to predictable metabolic and immunological challenges as they undergo seasonal migrations, including temporary gut atrophy during long-distance flights. These physiological challenges may either temporarily disrupt gut microbial ecosystems, or, alternatively, promote predictable host-microbe associations during migration. To determine the relationship between migration and gut microbiota, we compared gut microbiota composition between migrating and non-migrating ("resident") conspecific shorebirds sharing a flock. We performed this across two sandpiper species, Calidris ferruginea and Calidris ruficollis, in north-western Australia, and an additional C. ruficollis population 3,000 km away in southern Australia. We found that migrants consistently had higher abundances of the bacterial genus Corynebacterium (average 28% abundance) compared to conspecific residents (average <1% abundance), with this effect holding across both species and sites. However, other than this specific association, community structure and diversity was almost identical between migrants and residents, with migration status accounting for only 1% of gut community variation when excluding Corynebacterium. Our findings suggest a consistent relationship between Corynebacterium and Calidris shorebirds during migration, with further research required to identify causal mechanisms behind the association, and to elucidate functionality to the host. However, outside this specific association, migrating shorebirds broadly maintained gut community structure, which may allow them to quickly recover gut function after a migratory flight. This study provides a rare example of a repeatable and specific response of the gut microbiota to a major physiological challenge across two species and two distant populations.
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Active migration is associated with specific and consistent changes to gut microbiota in Calidris shorebirds.
Journal of Animal Ecology, 2017Co-Authors: Alice Risely, David W Waite, Beata Ujvari, Bethany J Hoye, Marcel KlaassenAbstract:Gut microbes are increasingly recognised for their role in regulating an animal's metabolism and immunity. However, identifying repeatable associations between host physiological processes and their gut microbiota has proved challenging, in part because microbial communities often respond stochastically to host physiological stress (e.g. fasting, forced exercise or infection). Migratory birds provide a valuable system in which to test host-microbe interactions under physiological extremes because these hosts are adapted to predictable metabolic and immunological challenges as they undergo seasonal migrations, including temporary gut atrophy during long-distance flights. These physiological challenges may either temporarily disrupt gut microbial ecosystems, or, alternatively, promote predictable host-microbe associations during migration. To determine the relationship between migration and gut microbiota, we compared gut microbiota composition between migrating and non-migrating ("resident") conspecific shorebirds sharing a flock. We performed this across two sandpiper species, Calidris ferruginea and Calidris ruficollis, in north-western Australia, and an additional C. ruficollis population 3,000 km away in southern Australia. We found that migrants consistently had higher abundances of the bacterial genus Corynebacterium (average 28% abundance) compared to conspecific residents (average
Michael Gochfeld - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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habitat risk use of intertidal flats by foraging red knots Calidris canutus rufa ruddy turnstones arenaria interpres semipalmated sandpipers Calidris pusilla and sanderling Calidris alba on delaware bay beaches
Environmental Research, 2018Co-Authors: Joanna Burger, Lawrence J. Niles, Christian Jeitner, Michael GochfeldAbstract:Abstract Shorebirds usually forage on intertidal flats that are exposed during low tide, and roost on higher areas when the tidal flats are covered with water. During spring migration on Delaware Bay (New Jersey) shorebirds mainly forage on horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) eggs that are concentrated at the high tide line. However, they also use other habitats for foraging. We examined habitat use of 4 species of shorebirds (with declining populations) at five Delaware Bay beaches to determine their use of the intertidal habitat (2015, 2016). We observed birds in three sections at different distances from the mean high tideline (
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Metal Levels in Blood of Three Species of Shorebirds during Stopover on Delaware Bay Reflect Levels in Their Food, Horseshoe Crab Eggs
MDPI AG, 2017Co-Authors: Joanna Burger, Nellie Tsipoura, Michael GochfeldAbstract:Understanding the relationship between metal level in predators and their prey is an important issue, and is usually difficult to determine because animals eat a variety of organisms. However, shorebirds that stop over during spring migration along Delaware Bay (New Jersey) stay for only 2–3 weeks, and eat mainly horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) eggs. In this paper, we examine the relationship between metal levels in horseshoe crab eggs, and blood and feather levels of metals in red knot (Calidris canutus rufa; n = 30), sanderling (Calidris alba; n = 20) and semipalmated sandpiper (Calidris pusilla; n = 38) from Delaware Bay. There is a rich literature on metal levels in feathers. For all three species, the levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and mercury in blood were highly correlated with the levels of metals in the eggs of horseshoe crab (17 pooled samples). This indicates that the levels in the blood of these shorebirds quickly reflect levels in their prey (horseshoe crab eggs), while metals in the feathers were not correlated with the levels in eggs. Semipalmated sandpipers had the lowest levels of arsenic in blood and the highest levels of arsenic in feathers, compared to the other species. At Delaware Bay, semipalmated sandpipers have a diet higher in marsh invertebrates than the other species, which may account for the differences. The levels of cadmium and chromium in blood were significantly higher in knots than other species; knots only ate horseshoe crab eggs. For all of the metals except arsenic, the ratio of levels in blood/feathers was similar among species. For arsenic, the ratio of levels in blood/feathers were significantly lower in semipalmated sandpipers than in the other species, by an order of magnitude
James G. Burns - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Relationship of Calidris Sandpiper Wing Shape With Relative Fuel Load and Total Migration Distance
The Auk, 2003Co-Authors: James G. BurnsAbstract:Abstract It has proven difficult to support the classic prediction of aerodynamic theory that highly migratory birds should have more pointed wings than less migratory birds. This study extends the search by testing for correlations between wing shape of Calidris sandpipers and a traditional migratory variable (total migration distance) as well as a novel variable (relative fuel load). Using phylogentically independent contrasts, it was determined that relative fuel load is a better predictor of wing shape than total migration distance.
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the effects of wing loading and gender on the escape flights of least sandpipers Calidris minutilla and western sandpipers Calidris mauri
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2002Co-Authors: James G. Burns, Ronald C. YdenbergAbstract:High body mass caused by fat storage during migration is believed to increase a bird's risk of predation by decreasing its ability to escape predators. We demonstrate the negative effect of wing loading (mass/wing area) on escape speed and angle of two migrating species of shorebird. We also show significant differences in escape performance between the species and genders. To help explain these differences, we test two potential proximate causes, wing shape and leg bone length. Wing shape is correlated with differences in escape performance between the species, but we found no correlation of wing shape or leg bone length with gender. Ultimately, greater predation risk due to habitat use or larger body size, for the species and genders respectively, may have resulted in evolution of enhanced escape ability.
