FROM WINTER TO SUMMER: PRE-NUPTIAL MIGRATION, CONNECTIVITY & BREEDING RANGE EXPANSION IN A MIGRATORY SHOREBIRD

Avian migration has long fascinated the human mind. The seasonal movement of individuals across the globe is spectacular and in many systems, it connects distant areas often separated by thousands of kilometres. Migratory shorebirds rely on very few sites across their annual cycle with most breeding in the arctic and wintering in the temperate and tropical climate zones. Given that these species mostly use coastal areas they are in the forefront of many environmental pressures, as land claim in the non-breeding range and climate change in the arctic are becoming increasingly prevalent. Studying shorebirds throughout their annual cycle is very challenging, due to the large geographical ranges covered by these species. However, investigating their behaviour and linking it to demography and distribution provides an opportunity to understand the mechanism by which species are able to respond to environmental change.

José A. Alves graduated in Biology at the University of Minho (Portugal) in 2004 and completed a PhD in Population Ecology at the University of East Anglia (UK) in 2010, focusing in linking individual options/strategies to consequences of fitness and population dynamics in migratory systems. After an initial post-doc at UEA investigating range expansion, he is currently at CESAM working in multiple research projects all involving avian migratory systems anywhere between the tropics and the artic. He is an ecologist with specific interests in understanding the mechanisms by which organisms respond to environmental change. His current research focuses on patterns of segregation, seasonal interactions, individual trade-offs, and their consequences for population demography, distribution, and conservation in migratory birds.

[Group Leader: Paulo Célio Alves Conservation Genetics and Wildlife Management]

Image credits: José A. Alves