Migration ecology
Migration ecology
What is migration ecology?
Migration ecology focuses on the scientific study of animal migration. Important research questions concern the genetic basis of the migratory syndrome, what specific skills animals require for migration, how proximte and ultimate mechanisms alter the spatial and temporal distribution and abundance of migrating animals within the annual cycle, the interactions between animals and their biotic and abiotic environment, and how migrating animals influence energy and material cycles within and between ecosystems.
News
03.04.2025 - Microplastic pollution in wild birds
In a new study based on a student-project of Clara Holtmannspötter and led by Wieland Heim (our group) and Friederike Gabel (Universität Münster) we found that faecal samples collected during bird ringing can be used to monitor microplastic pollution in wild birds. Urban waterbird species showed high microplastic pollution rates (almost all birds affected) and high pollution levels (up to 72 microplastic particles per mg faeces). The observed microplastic pollution rates/levels of urban waterbirds were higher compared to other studies on freshwater bird species.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969725009428
01.04.2025 - New study on long-tailed duck migration
In a multiple year and multiple site study, long-tailed ducks were tracked with geolocators, revealing that the Baltic Sea remains the most important wintering site for the European population, underlining the observed drastic population declines in the Baltic.
Karwinkel, T., Pollet, I. L., et al. (2025). Individual Variation in Migration and Wintering Patterns of Long-Tailed Ducks Clangula hyemalis From a Population in Decline. Ecology & Evolution, e71187. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.71187
24.03.2025 - The opportunities of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System
In a new article, we as an international team of scientists, summarise the opportunities of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System from a European perspective. From the evolution of new migration routes to the identification of important stopover sites, this tracking method offers a wide range of opportunities for research and follow-up protection of small migratory birds, bats and insects.
Mitchell, L., Brust, V., Karwinkel, T., Åkesson, S., Kishkinev, D., Norevik, G., Szep, T., Hedenström, A., Lagerveld, S., Helm, B., & Schmaljohann, H. (2025). Conservation-focused mapping of avian migratory routes using a pan-European automated telemetry network. Conservation Biology, e70017. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70017
18.03.2025 - A short note on the migration of a Bluethroat
The short note on the migration of a Bluethroat (Blaukehlchen) from Central Siberia was now published in the Journal of Ornithology:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-025-02270-8
This work was based on several years of fieldwork at two remote sites in Siberia - however, covid and the Russian war in Ukraine has hampered retrieval of loggers and therefore we can only present a single track. This bird used the Central Asian flyway to migrate to wintering grounds at the border between India and Pakistan, differing from an eastern Siberian Bluethroat which was tracked previously along the East Asian flyway, likely migrating through China to Myanmar. We speculate that a migratory divide exists somewhere west of the Yenisei river, separating populations of the same subspecies that migrate either east or west of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau.
The paper was based on the Bachelor thesis of Sarah Strubbe, supervised by Nathalie Kürten (IfV) and Wieland Heim here in Oldenburg.
18.02.2025 - Effects of artificial night light pollution
In particular, as the construction of offshore wind farms increases in addition to shipping traffic in the North Sea, the intensification of human activities requires a deeper understanding of their biological impacts - particularly the effects of artificial night light pollution (ALAN) on migratory birds and bats - and highlights the need for ecosystem-based marine policies.
W, , , , , , , & (2025). Marine artificial light at night: Implications and potential hazards for offshore songbird and bat movements in the Greater North Sea. Conservation Science and Practice, e70008.
https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70008
28.01.2025 - Summary European Motus Meeting 2025 (online)
A one-day online meeting of the European users of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System (https://motus.org/), organized by our working group, took place on 28 January 2025. In addition to the status updates from the individual countries, there were scientific and technical presentations and discussions, including talks by the company Lotek and Birds Canada, who host the central coordination centre of Motus. The meeting also strengthened the cohesion of European Motus users. A written summary of the meeting, including the presentations, will soon be available in the Motus community forum: https://community.motus.org/tag/europe
Current research priorities
We are an important part of the following cooperative research areas:
Magnetoreception and navigation in vertebrates: from biophysics to brain and behaviour
The central goal of the Sonderforschungsbereich (SFB)/Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1372 is to gain a comprehensive and multidisciplinary understanding of magnetoreception and navigation in vertebrates, from the biophysical mechanisms to the natural behaviour of navigating animals, taking into account all intermediate steps.
Excellent Research on Animal Navigation
The scientific mission of the Cluster of Excellence proposal NaviSense is to provide a thorough, interdisciplinary understanding of the mechanisms used by animals to navigate, and how these mechanisms can inspire technology and impact society, ecology, and biodiversity.
