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Creators/Authors contains: "Heath, Julie A."

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  1. ; ; ; ; ( , Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences)
    Seasonal migration is a dynamic natural phenomenon that allows organisms to exploit favourable habitats across the annual cycle. While the morphological, physiological and behavioural changes associated with migratory behaviour are well characterized, the genetic basis of migration and its link to endogenous biological time-keeping pathways are poorly understood. Historically, genome-wide research has focused on genes of large effect, whereas many genes of small effect may work together to regulate complex traits like migratory behaviour. Here, we explicitly relax stringent outlier detection thresholds and, as a result, discover how multiple biological time-keeping genes are important to migratory timing in an iconicmore »raptor species, the American kestrel ( Falco sparverius ). To validate the role of candidate loci in migratory timing, we genotyped kestrels captured across autumn migration and found significant associations between migratory timing and genetic variation in metabolic and light-input pathway genes that modulate biological clocks ( top1, phlpp1, cpne4 and peak1) . Further, we demonstrate that migrating individuals originated from a single panmictic source population, suggesting the existence of distinct early and late migratory genotypes (i.e. chronotypes). Overall, our results provide empirical support for the existence of a within-population-level polymorphism in genes underlying migratory timing in a diurnally migrating raptor.« less
    Free, publicly-accessible full text available May 11, 2023
  2. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; et al ( , Molecular Ecology)
    Free, publicly-accessible full text available January 1, 2023
  3. ; ; ; ( , Ibis)
    Abstract In migratory birds, among- and within-species heterogeneity in response to climate change may be attributed to differences in migration distance and environmental cues that affect timing of arrival at breeding grounds. We used eBird observations and a within-species comparative approach to examine whether migration distance (with latitude as a proxy) and weather predictors can explain spring arrival dates at the breeding site in a raptor species with a widespread distribution and diverse migration strategies, the American Kestrel Falco sparverius. We found an interactive effect between latitude and spring minimum temperatures on arrival dates, whereby at lower latitudes (short-distance migrants)more »American Kestrels arrived earlier in warmer springs and later in colder springs, but American Kestrels at higher latitudes (long-distance migrants) showed no association between arrival time and spring temperatures. Increased snow cover delayed arrival at all latitudes. Our results support the hypothesis that short-distance migrants are better able to respond to conditions on the breeding ground than are long-distance migrants, suggesting that long-distance migrants may be more vulnerable to shifts in spring conditions that could lead to phenological mismatch between peak resources and nesting.« less
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  4. ; ; ; ; ( , Conservation Physiology)
    Cooke, Steven (Ed.)
    Abstract Haematophagous ectoparasites can directly affect the health of young animals by depleting blood volume and reducing energetic resources available for growth and development. Less is known about the effects of ectoparasitism on stress physiology (i.e. glucocorticoid hormones) or animal behaviour. Mexican chicken bugs (Haematosiphon inodorus; Hemiptera: Cimicidae) are blood-sucking ectoparasites that live in nesting material or nest substrate and feed on nestling birds. Over the past 50 years, the range of H. inodorus has expanded, suggesting that new hosts or populations may be vulnerable. We studied the physiological and behavioural effects of H. inodorus on golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) nestlingsmore »in southwestern Idaho. We estimated the level of H. inodorus infestation at each nest and measured nestling mass, haematocrit, corticosterone concentrations, telomere lengths and recorded early fledging and mortality events. At nests with the highest levels of infestation, nestlings had significantly lower mass and haematocrit. In addition, highly parasitized nestlings had corticosterone concentrations twice as high on average (42.9 ng/ml) than non-parasitized nestlings (20.2 ng/ml). Telomeres of highly parasitized female nestlings significantly shortened as eagles aged, but we found no effect of parasitism on the telomeres of male nestlings. Finally, in nests with higher infestation levels, eagle nestlings were 20 times more likely to die, often because they left the nest before they could fly. These results suggest that H. inodorus may limit local golden eagle populations by decreasing productivity. For eagles that survived infestation, chronically elevated glucocorticoids and shortened telomeres may adversely affect cognitive function or survival in this otherwise long-lived species. Emerging threats from ectoparasites should be an important management consideration for protected species, like golden eagles.« less
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  5. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; et al ( , Molecular Ecology Resources)
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  6. ; ; ( , Ecological Applications)
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  7. ; ; ; ; ( , Journal of Animal Ecology)
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  8. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ( , Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology)
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