Science Section IV: the nitty gritty

What is the minimum distance migrants must travel for it to be considered migration?

None

Wildebeest migration

In Africa, seasonally migration occurs to find better pasture sites and water access. They travel north in spring, return in winter

What animals especially experience a sudden increase in restless movement?

Birds

Word describing restlessness migratory animals experience when their biological clock indicates they need to migrate

Zugunruhe

Do animals held in captivity experience zugunruhe? What does this tell about migration?

Yes; migration is partially genetic

What level of ecology usually participates in disperal?

Individual or population level

In who and when was the earliest example of migrations?

Bird species over 250,000 years ago

Where is migration rare?

Near the equator

How did migration evolve in the first place?

Animals moving when conditions get worse had higher fitness

Inhospitable environments creates...

Species of obligate migrators

Who believed barnacle goose game from _____?

From gooseneck barnacles??? Oh yeah that was Aristotle

When did the myth of gooseneck barnacles die off?

19th century

What type of migratory animals rely on their current conditions?

Facultative

American kestrel migration pattern

Depends on the latitude

Where are year round residents of american kestrels found?

Under the 36 degree line

Where are facultative migrants of american kestrels found?

Under the 44 degree line and 36 degree line

Where are obligate migrants found?

Above the 44 degree mark

Why do obligate migrators move to a new habitat?

To have their young or breed

Arctic tern migration adaptations

Goes in between the North and South Pole and uses its lightweight streamlines body to glide. It can sleep while flying by keeping parts of the brain awake

How do most animals prepare for flying long hours

They forage for additional fat storage

How does migration support birds' gestation

Extra calcium and protein in their diets for laying eggs and raising chicks

Obtained by insects

Foraging learning in migratory animals compared to non migrating animals

Learning of foraging decreases, instead social behavior increases

Lesser flamingo social behaviors

Migrate at night and congregate in large groups to intimidate predators

Northern elephant seal migration

Spends life in pacific ocean in solitude. Then they go to the West Coast of the US to mate and give birth. After they leave the young.

Their young learn to forage and live on their own with protection from predators in a protected beach

What animals carry pollen and seeds, supporting plant biodiversity?

Bats, birds, insects

How do hooved animals help the environment during migration?

Fertilize soil with their droppings

What animals only learn new migration routes?

Highly social species

What adaptation do male garden warblers make for better flight energy consumption during migration?

They shrink their organs.

By what percentage do male garden warblers increase their testes in preparation for breeding?

Over 300 percent.

What happens to the testes of male garden warblers after the breeding season in winter?

They shrink back to normal size.

Preparing birds to have undamaged feather for smoother flying

Molting

White crowned sparrow migrations

Breed in Sierra Nevada Mountains and Alaska, but travel to lower elevations to avoid cold

Chinook salmon migration

Travel from freshwater river to ocean, mature, then go back to breed and die

Chinook salmon migration is an example of

Intergenerational migration (because it occurs throught ones whole lifespan, repeating)

Intenral cue that triggers migration to begin:

Hormones

Whales are more likely to beach themselves when:

Solar flares disrupt the Earth's magnetic field during migration

What animals have iron-containing material in their beaks

Birds

What animals are especially prone to using olfactory cues to travel to birthplace?

Fish (coho salmon) and birds

Migrations are undertaken by animals that (3)

Walk, swim, or fly, NOT UNDERGROUND

Pronghorn migration

Across US, south in winter, run to avoid predators, mate and birth in late spring/summer, going back north

Largest over-land migration (WHAT, WHO, WHERE, HOW MANY MILES, HOW MANY ANIMALS)

- Great Nile migration,

- antelopes (ex. White eared kob)

- 6 million individuals,

- 1000 miles

- South Sudan

How have local communities reacted to largest over-land migration?

Animals have been part of the culture and traditional beliefs

What is the shortest land migration?

Dusky grouse

How do dusky grouse travel during migration?

They travel by walking to lower elevations in woodlands for plant life and insects.

What distance do dusky grouse typically migrate?

30 miles

What type of lifestyle do dusky grouse lead after migrating?

They disperse to live solitary lives.

What predators benefit from dusky grouse eggs and young?

Foxes and snakes

Why are animals in the water difficult to track? (4)

1) look different at different stages of life

2) change depth

3) saltwater is abrasive

4) live solitary lives outside breeding seazon

What is the migration pattern of American eels in spring?

They move close to the coast.

What is the migration pattern of American eels in fall?

They move back inland.

What type of species are American eels considered?

They are a keystone species.

Where are American eels primarily found?

They are found in the Atlantic coast.

What role do American eels play in their ecosystem?

They are major predators.

What is unusual about the reproductive organs of American eels?

They seem to not have reproductive organs.

Who discovered the Sargasso Sea?

Danish researcher Johannes Schmidt

When was the Sargasso Sea discovered?

1921

A body of water in the southern Atlantic ocean surrounded by a current where adult eels reproduced

Sargasso Sea

How long do American eels live for as adults?

50 years

Why do fish and tiny zooplankton migrate back down to darker depths in the morning

Reduce exposure to ultraviolet light

How do fish and tiny zooplankton travel to new feeding locations

Use deep currents

Where do humpback whales migrate in the winter?

They travel from the equator.

Where do humpback whales migrate in the summer?

They migrate to the North or South Pole to feed.

How many major breeding groups of humpback whales are there in the Northern Hemisphere?

There are 4 major breeding groups.

What is the migration pattern of the group of humpback whales along the coast of southern Mexico and South America?

They travel northward at the end of April about 100 miles a day until reaching Alaska around May.

Where do humpback whales prefer to birth their calves?

In shallow warm waters.

How do humpback whales live outside of migration?

They live isolated lives.

What do humpback whales feed on?

Microorganisms using the sun to produce food and small fish that feed on these organisms.

When do whales feel triggered to migrate south?

When daylengths shorten, food is scarce, and temperatures drop

Do whales use the Earth's magnetic field to orient themselves?

Yes

What population of humpback whales stay as residents but is declining?

Arabian Sea

Why is the resident population of humpback whales declining?

Overfishing and whales getting caught in fishing nets and drowning

When were passenger pigeons reported to migrate in flocks blocking out the sun?

Late 1800s

How long is the journey of the ruby-throated hummingbird?

20 hours

How far does the ruby-throated hummingbird travel?

500 miles

Where does the ruby-throated hummingbird travel through?

Gulf of Mexico between Florida and Central America

How does the ruby-throated hummingbird prepare for flight?

Mass is doubles

Ruby-throated hummingbirds rely on what to trigger their instinctual migration?

Changes in daylength

Ruby-throated hummingbirds have evolved what to help them move to where flowers are at their peak blooming cycle?

Internal biological rhythms

Examples of insect species migrating long distances

Moths and butterflies

Examples of insects who migrate

Dragonflies and insects in the Hemiptera subfamily

What is a characteristic behavior of desert locusts during migration?

They travel in large swarms.

What happens to desert locusts when resources are scarce?

They bump up against one another due to increased competition.

How do desert locusts change during migration?

Their bodies change shape and color.

What do desert locusts produce to attract other locusts?

They produce pheromones.

Longest known continuous insect migration:

1988, desert locusts migrating over the Atlantic Ocean on tropical wind currents

Why do Canada geese migrate to the US?

To avoid cold weather in northern Canada.

What formation do Canada geese use during migration?

A V-shaped formation.

What is the benefit of the V-shaped formation for Canada geese?

It is an efficient aerodynamic strategy for traveling long distances.

Where are Eurasian blackcaps found? (3)

Europe, Asia, Africa

Eurasian blackcap's differences in migrations shows...

That there are epigenetic influences on migratory behavior

Eurasian blackcap's migratory genetics regulate what?

bird's circadian rhythms and immune system responses

Long-distance migrant eurasian blackcaps vs shorter-distance ones

Long-distance migrants had larger bodies and are more sensitive to daylength

Big horn sheep migration

Migrate to alpine areas to birth young. They can change their migration routes

What do animals use to learn migratory behaviors?

Prior experiences

How does the temperature of the ocean affect the world? (5)

Causes overgrowth of plant life, reduces levels of oxygen, intensifies and increases duration of storms, ice thinning, change in food source levels

How has light pollution affected female sea turtles?

Less likely to lay eggs

How has light pollution affected offspring of sea turtles?

Disorient young and lead them inland, dying of exhaustion or predation

How has light pollution been changed for animals such as sea turtles?

White lights turn to red lights

What has been built to help animals migrate when there are manmade obstacles like highways?

Animal bypasses

How have whales been taken in consideration during ship deliveries?

On ports, ships reduce their speeds. Satellites also track them so ships don't crash