AS ASAS DA MUDANÇA: ontogenia do comportamento migratório das aves em resposta a alterações ambientais

In this project, we will study the physiological, ecological and evolutionary mechanisms determining shifts in migratory behaviour, and assess how fast populations can adapt to environmental change. Additionally, we seek to understand the broader implications of human-induced changes in migratory behaviour for wildlife and public health, informing conservation efforts and mitigating human-wildlife conflicts. Our long-term effort of GPS-tracking WS (>300 individuals tracked in 2012-2023) coincides with significant shifts in WS migratory behaviour in Europe [21] and an increased reliance on anthropogenic food subsidies from landfills [18,19]. This offers a rare opportunity to improve our understanding of the ecology and evolution of bird migration, and species’ adaptation to human-induced environmental changes. Specifically, we aim to: 1. Assess the role of innate, social, and environmental cues on juvenile migratory decisions. Disentangling these determinants in wild populations is challenging, yet the ongoing reintroduction of WS in the UK (Annex 1) offers a unique opportunity to, quasi-experimentally, isolate the drivers of migratory behaviour. 2. Examine how conditions experienced during early-life influence juvenile migratory decisions. We will assess WS nestlings’ developmental and fledging conditions (body condition, flight apparatus, oxidative stress, diet, nutritional status, and pathogen load) and relate them with WS post-fledging migratory decisions. 3. Investigate how individual experiences during ontogeny shape migratory decisions. We will test the hypothesis of a progressive shift in WS migratory strategy mediated by age, migratory experience, and competitive interactions in the access to foraging resources. We will explore if events experienced by immature storks during one annual cycle can carry-over to the following year, modifying their migration program. 4. Examine the effect of changes in migratory behaviour on human health and on the spread of pathogens across ecosystems. We will investigate the role of landfill foraging by WS on acquisition of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and genes (ARG), and identify areas of high risk of spillover at the human-wildlife interface. By involving waste management and public health stakeholders, we aim to establish guidelines to mitigate the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance and minimize human-wildlife conflicts. 5. Explore the demographic consequences of different migratory strategies under current and future environmental change. We will test if the observed increase of the WS resident population is driven by generational shifts, mediated by an increase of non-migratory young recruits. Ongoing changes in waste management, driven by EU Landfill Directives (2018/850/EU), are sharply reducing food availability for WS, offering a unique opportunity for predicting to what extent and how fast birds will adapt to gradual or abrupt waste removal scenarios. 6. Raise public awareness and promote environmental education regarding the potential role of WS as sentinels for pathogen surveillance. We aim to highlight the importance of proper waste management, thereby fostering a more environmentally conscious society. Additionally, we aim to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration among experts from various fields, including politicians, public health stakeholders, scientists, and the public, to define effective management strategies for mitigating human-wildlife conflicts.