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Conservation of Migratory Species Current Biology Magazine recording of local environmental Primer past century, particularly with the parameters offer to provide advent of tracking technologies. complementary streams of extremely Conservation of However, there remains much to valuable information that will allow discover about migration. Even the researchers to obtain an increasingly migratory species movement patterns of Earth’s largest accurate picture of how migrating animal, the blue whale (Balaenoptera animals make movement decisions, musculus), remain poorly understood. 1 and to do so across species Joshua J. Horns Unfortunately, just as we are 1,2, boundaries. It is vital, therefore, that and Çag˘an H. S¸ekerciog˘lu * coming to appreciate the scale and we bring together researchers from signifi cance of animal migrations, diverse disciplines to gather and Were you to fi nd yourself somehow many migratory species are integrate the knowledge that will transported to the American Midwest experiencing substantial population prove essential if we are to conserve in the 18th century, one feature that declines as a result of habitat loss, migratory populations in the face of might strike you would be a curiously overexploitation, climate change and increasing anthropogenic pressures. shifting cloud approaching from the other anthropogenic stressors. Some northeast. As it drew closer, you might conservation strategies give hope for FURTHER READING begin to discern some sound, “[like] optimism, but far more conservation an army of horses laden with sleigh work is necessary to protect Earth’s Bazazi, S., Buhl, J., Hale, J.J., Anstey, M.L., bells” in the words of a Potawatomi great travelers. Sword, G.A., Simpson, S.J., and Couzin, I.D. (2008). Collective motion and cannibalism Native American. However, not in locust migratory bands. Curr. Biol. 18, until it was nearly upon you would The migratory lifestyle 735–739. Berdahl, A., Torney, C.J., Ioannou, C.C., Faria, J., it become apparent that this cloud Migration is a temporally repeated and Couzin, I.D. (2013). Emergent sensing was made up of billions of individual movement undertaken by part or all of complex environments by mobile animal birds. This was the autumn migration of a species’ population. It differs groups. Science 339, 574–576. Berdahl, A., Kao, A., Flack, A., Westley, P., of the passenger pigeon (Ectopistes from other forms of movement in Codling, E., Couzin, I.D., Dell, A., and Biro, D. migratorius), the most abundant bird several important aspects. Unlike (2018). Collective animal navigation and migratory culture: from theoretical models to to ever be found in North America nomadic movement patterns, empirical evidence. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B and perhaps in the world (Figure 1). migration is repeated over a 373, 20170009. By some estimates, the number of regular time interval, at least at the Bolger, D.T., Newmark, W.D., Morrison, T.A., and Doak, D.F. (2008). The need for integrative passenger pigeons in North America population level, and is often linked approaches to understand and conserve at the time of European colonization to seasonal patterns in temperature migratory species. Ecol. Lett. 11, 63–77. Flack, A., Nagy, M., Fiedler, W., Couzin, I.D., and was greater than the combined or precipitation. Additionally, while Wikelski, M. (2018). From local collective number of all birds of all species many non-migratory species may behavior to global migratory patterns in white found on the continent today. Yet, move substantially over the course storks. Science 360, 911–914. th Guttal, V., and Couzin, I.D. (2010). Social by the beginning of the 20 century, of days or weeks within a well- interactions, information use and the evolution passenger pigeons had effectively defi ned home range, migration of collective migration. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 107, 16172–16177. been eradicated, in large part due represents a purposeful departure Holdo, R.M., Holt, R.D., and Fryxell, J.M. (2009). to the extraordinary keenness with from an established territory. The Opposing rainfall and plant nutritional which they were hunted. By 1914, 5 abandonment of familiar surroundings gradients best explain the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti. Am. Nat. 173, billion birds were gone and the last and the greatly amplifi ed energetic 431–445. passenger pigeon, Martha, died in the cost mean that migration is often Larkin, R.P., and Szafoni, R.E. (2008). Evidence for widely dispersed birds migrating together at Cincinnati Zoo. Passenger pigeons risky and marked by higher rates of night. Int. Comp. Biol. 48, 40–49. represented an extraordinary example mortality. Milner-Gulland, E.J., Fryxell, J.M., and of one of Earth’s great natural Migratory behavior is found across Sinclair, A.R.A. (2011). Animal Migration: A Synthesis. (Oxford University Press: Oxford, phenomena: the annual migration of all types of animal and comes in a UK.) organisms. They also highlight the number of different forms. Migratory Portugal, S.J., Hubel, T.Y., Fritz, J., Heese, S., Trobe, D., Voelkl, B., Hailes, S., Wilson, A.M., potential vulnerability of migratory distances, for example, can vary and Usherwood, J.R. (2014). Upwash species. These seasonal movements enormously. The most substantial exploitation and downwash avoidance by fl ap are not only awe-inspiring; they are migration yet recorded is that of phasing in ibis formation fl ight. Nature 505, 399–402. also critical for the health of countless Arctic terns (Sterna paradisaea), Sasaki, T., and Biro, D. (2017). Cumulative culture species and ecosystems. with some individuals travelling over can emerge from collective intelligence in animal groups. Nat. Commun. 8, 15049. Human understanding of animal 80,000 kilometers in a single year. On Wilcove, D.S., and Wikelski, M. (2008). Going, migration has been developing the more modest end of the spectrum going, gone: is animal migration disappearing? remarkably slowly. As late as the is the cricket frog (Acris crepitans), PLoS Biol. 6, e188. 17th century, many hypotheses about which may venture only a dozen migration, such as the belief that meters or so from its native pond Department of Collective Behaviour, birds undertook yearly migrations to before returning to breed. Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, the moon, refl ected human creativity The number of times one individual and Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 more than any empirical evidence. in a given species migrates varies Konstanz, Germany. Our understanding of migration has as well. Most avian or mammalian E-mail: [email protected] improved substantially over the migrants will travel twice per year, R980 Current Biology 28, R952–R1008, September 10, 2018 © 2018 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Current Biology Magazine as well. In addition to ecosystem services, such as pollination and pest control, the rise of ecotourism, often with the express purpose of seeing migratory animals, has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry. In 2008, for instance, 13 million tourists took whale-watching trips, spending a collective $2.1 billion. In many developing nations, ecotourism is the fastest growing sector of the economy. In some cases, a migratory lifestyle may help buffer a species against negative anthropogenic factors. Migratory species often have a greater dispersal capability than sedentary species and this can allow them to fi nd new habitats should their previous home range become degraded or lost altogether. For example, approximately 17% of Figure 1. A taxidermied passenger pigeon. migratory bird species are extinct, Passenger pigeons (Ectopistes migratorius) were once abundant migrant birds, but were hunted threatened or near threatened with to extinction in the early 20th century. Photo: © Jim, the Photographer/Flickr. extinction, compared to 28% for once in the spring and once in the vectors for seeds, fungal spores sedentary and resident bird species fall, and they will continue this pattern and other less mobile organisms. (Figure 2). However, migratory annually throughout their lives. Other Some species of bird consume species can face unique challenges taxa, like spawning salmon, will only higher-than-normal levels of seeds as a result of traveling. The most migrate once during their life in order during migration, and many species notable is the migrants’ reliance on to reproduce. In some migratory of plant respond by timing their multiple, often geographically distant species, no single individual will live seed production to coincide with habitats. This means successful to complete the entire journey. For bird migrations. Lindera plants in conservation of migrant species example, monarch butterfl ies (Danaus North America, for example, time must include the protection of all plexippus) in North America depart their fall fruiting to when many parts of a species’ migratory range. from the mountains of Mexico in opportunistically frugivorous birds, Some areas may only be used for February, spend the summer in the such as hermit thrushes, are passing a brief period during migration as United States and Canada, and return through. The long-distance transport a temporary resting spot to fi nd to Mexico the next winter. During this of seeds by migrating animals allows time, 3–4 generations of monarchs plants to disperse across latitudinal 0.30 will come and go, each completing ranges, helping them to cope with a 0.25 one segment of the journey before warming climate. Animal migrations producing offspring to take up the can also act to move vital nutrients 0.20 next leg in a grand international, from one habitat to another. Millions 0.15 inter-generational relay (for more on of salmon leave the ocean each year monarch migration, see the review by and travel up freshwater streams 0.10 Reppert and colleagues in this special to breed. In doing so, they act as 0.05 issue). a vitally important food source for Proportion of species extinction–prone For many animal species, migration many upland species of animals. 0.00 All species Altitudinal Migrant Irregular Dispersal Sedentary is essential for survival.
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