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Understanding how energy efficiency and biogeographic history drive bird migration

Objective

Understanding why birds migrate is a long-standing problem that still largely eludes scientists. Recent advance in technology is currently leading migration science into a golden age as patterns of bird migration are increasingly being documented. However, the question of what are the ecological and evolutionary causes underlying the observed widespread variation in avian migration, remains open. Answering this will provide a greater comprehension of the forces driving how species distribute in space and time, and improve predictions of the fate of migratory birds under global change. In MIGRACAST, I will investigate the extent to which energy efficiency and biogeographic history shape avian migration patterns. These two key processes have been proposed to explain bird migration: stating that species’ migratory movements and seasonal redistribution are, respectively, energetically optimal and/or retrace postglacial colonisation routes. However, these processes have never been tested together and across many species on a large scale. To fill this important gap in migration science, I will design a novel modelling framework based on first ecological principles that uses recently developed computational tools. This model will leverage the power of multiple large datasets on the distribution, movement and genetic diversity of birds as well as environmental conditions to explicitly test hypotheses about mechanisms driving bird migration. This approach will be applied to North American bird species that are particularly rich in data and exhibits a diversity of migration behaviours. It will be utilised to (i) examine the extent to which energy efficiency drives bird migration, (ii) refine weekly bird migration forecasts on a continental scale, and (iii) back-cast bird migration to the Last Glacial Maximum (~20,000 years ago) to determine if the history of shift and expansion of seasonal ranges complements energy optimisation to shape migratory movements.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019

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Coordinator

THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 271 732,80
Address
TRINITY LANE THE OLD SCHOOLS
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom

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Region
East of England East Anglia Cambridgeshire CC
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 271 732,80

Partners (1)

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