PhD Studentship - Should I Stay or Should I Go: The Individual Determinants of Variability in Migratory Behaviour

Primary supervisor - Dr Aldina Franco 

Background

Migratory birds are experiencing dramatic population declines and are a priority for conservation. Migration, the regular movement of animals from breeding to non-breeding areas, is common at high latitudes enabling species to cope with fluctuations in resource availability1. Although migration is an inherited trait, recent evidence shows increasing numbers of individuals adopting non-migratory strategies2, mediated by interactions between individual traits and environmental variables3. Recent changes in climate and in resource availability together with improvements in tracking technologies4 provide an opportunity to investigate the drivers and determinants of migratory behaviour at the individual level which can help protect endangered migratory species and better manage natural resources5. This project aims to advance our fundamental understanding of the determinants of individual migratory decisions.

Objectives and Methods

The project uses remote sensing and long-term white stork tracking datasets from the UK and Portugal3. It will have the following objectives:

• Map spatial heterogeneity in primary productivity and resource availability for bird species across Europe and examine if access to resources influences variability in morphological traits (e.g. body mass, wing load).
• Determine the influence of food availability on pre-fledgling growth curves and subsequent consequences for individual fledgling traits (e.g. body mass and wing load).
• Examine if pre-fledgling nutrition and morphological traits influences post-fledgling activity and movement behaviour.
• Determine how individual traits influence flight performance and energetics, and in turn affect individual migratory strategy and survival. 

Training

You will be part of a supportive and dynamic research environment at UEA and work with collaborators at BTO, CWP and the University of Lisbon. The project involves field work in the UK and in Portugal. You will be trained to deploy tracking devices on wild animals and to analyse new and existing long-term tracking datasets and spatial data. This project will develop your critical thinking, programming, statistical and oral presentation skills. It will challenge you to think about conservation strategies for migratory birds and will enhance your future employability.

Person Specification:

You should be interested in animal movement and in advancing our understanding of the natural environment. Relevant research experience will be an advantage. This project is available to highly numerate candidates. Contact supervisor Aldina Franco for further details: a.franco@uea.ac.uk 

For further information, please visit www.aries-dtp.ac.uk

Additional Funding Information

ARIES is awaiting confirmation of funding under the BBSRC-NERC DLA award scheme, which is expected shortly. Funding for this studentship is subject to this confirmation and UKRI terms and conditions. Successful candidates who meet UKRI’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a fully-funded ARIES studentship of fees, maintenance stipend (£19,237 p.a. for 2024/25) and research costs. 

A limited number of ARIES studentships are available to International applicants. Please note however that ARIES funding does not cover additional costs associated with relocation to, and living in, the UK. 

To apply, please click on the ‘Apply’ button above.

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