Abstract
Migratory connectivity describes the extent to which migratory species' populations are connected throughout the annual cycle. While recognized as critical for understanding the population dynamics of migratory species and conserving them, empirical evidence of links between migratory connectivity and population dynamics are uncommon. We analyzed associations between spatiotemporal connectivity and differential population trends in a declining and endangered migratory shorebird, the far eastern curlew (Numenius madagascariensis), with multiyear tracking data from across the Australian nonbreeding grounds. We found evidence of temporal and spatial segregation during migration and breeding: curlew from southeast Australia initiated northward migration earlier, arrived at breeding sites earlier, and bred at lower latitudes than curlew from northwest Australia. Analysis of land modification intensity revealed that populations from southeast Australia face greater human impacts compared to those from northwest Australia at both the breeding and nonbreeding grounds, a pattern that aligns with steeper population declines in southeast Australia. This alignment between migratory connectivity, human impacts, and differential population change highlights the importance of a full annual cycle approach to conservation that includes mitigating threats on the breeding grounds and better protecting nonbreeding habitats in Australia where far eastern curlew spend over half of each year.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e594 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Conservation Science and Practice |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We acknowledge and thank the Traditional Owners of the land on which our fieldwork was conducted ? the Larrakia, Yawuru, Quandamooka, Gubbi Gubbi, Turrbal, Yuggera, and Boon Wurrung People. We are grateful to G. O'Brien, D. Stanioch, and volunteers of the Queensland Wader Study Group, Australasian Wader Studies Group, and Victorian Wader Study Group for their fieldwork contributions. This research was funded by the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program through the Threatened Species Recovery Hub project Strategic planning for the Far Eastern Curlew, Charles Darwin University, Darwin Port, the Queensland Wader Study Group, Birds Queensland, and the University of Queensland. Access to field sites was provided by Darwin Port and Genesee Wyoming Australia in the Northern Territory, and by the Department of Transport and Main Roads, Moreton Bay Regional Council, and Redland City Council in Queensland. BKW was supported by a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and ARC Linkage Project LP150101059.
Funding Information:
Australian Research Council; Birds Queensland; Charles Darwin University; Darwin Port; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; Queensland Wader Study Group; Threatened Species Recovery Hub; University of Queensland Funding information
Funding Information:
We acknowledge and thank the Traditional Owners of the land on which our fieldwork was conducted – the Larrakia, Yawuru, Quandamooka, Gubbi Gubbi, Turrbal, Yuggera, and Boon Wurrung People. We are grateful to G. O'Brien, D. Stanioch, and volunteers of the Queensland Wader Study Group, Australasian Wader Studies Group, and Victorian Wader Study Group for their fieldwork contributions. This research was funded by the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program through the Threatened Species Recovery Hub project , Charles Darwin University, Darwin Port, the Queensland Wader Study Group, Birds Queensland, and the University of Queensland. Access to field sites was provided by Darwin Port and Genesee Wyoming Australia in the Northern Territory, and by the Department of Transport and Main Roads, Moreton Bay Regional Council, and Redland City Council in Queensland. BKW was supported by a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and ARC Linkage Project LP150101059. Strategic planning for the Far Eastern Curlew
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© 2021 The Authors. Conservation Science and Practice published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology.
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Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.