B IOLOGY S EMINAR
12:00 PM S E M I N A R
H I T C H C O C K H A L L 132
REFRESHMENTS SERVED
I N F O Y E R 11:45 AM
Monday, April 23, 2012
“Studying Birds in the Context of the
Annual Cycle: Carry-over Effects
and Seasonal Interactions”
Dr. Peter Marra
Research Scientist
Smithsonian Conservation
Biology Institute
Migratory Bird Center
National Zoological Park
Biological cycles are a characteristic of all living things. Cycles that regulate critical
biochemical pathways to those that drive complex life histories have enormous
implications for how we interpret animal ecology and evolution. The annual cycles of
migratory animals are no exception. Migratory animals spend different periods of the
annual cycle in geographically disparate places. These periods are inextricably linked,
and events in one period are likely to influence events in subsequent periods that take
place, in some cases, thousands of miles away. Since linked events are likely to occur
both within and between generations, they can profoundly influence both ecological as
well as evolutionary processes. In this talk, using our long-term data on redstarts I
demonstrate how events on wintering grounds, such as climate and habitat affect arrival
time and body condition of individual birds on breeding areas, and how these seasonal
interactions determine reproductive success, natal dispersal and annual survival.
Host: Richard Olmstead
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