Journal of Avian Biology最新文献

{"title":"Early-life adversity modulates growth trajectories and red blood cell mitochondrial metabolism in king penguin chicks","authors":"Nina Cossin-Sevrin,&nbsp;Katja Anttila,&nbsp;Mathilde Lejeune,&nbsp;Céline Bocquet,&nbsp;Maëlle Fusillier,&nbsp;Thomas Faulmann,&nbsp;Camille Lemonnier,&nbsp;Natacha Garcin,&nbsp;Anne Cillard,&nbsp;Pierre Bize,&nbsp;Jean-Patrice Robin,&nbsp;Suvi Ruuskanen,&nbsp;Vincent A. Viblanc","doi":"10.1002/jav.03597","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jav.03597","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In many avian species, variation in breeding phenology is known to affect reproductive success. In king penguins, the breeding cycle lasts more than a year, and the start of egg-laying extends over three months, with early-breeders laying eggs around December and late-breeders around February. Consequently, late-born chicks have less time to grow and build-up their energy reserves before the austral winter. Variation in metabolic rate is one important pathway affecting differences in growth patterns, as it is directly involved both in energy allocation processes and fitness. The conversion of resources into energy occurs in mitochondria, and the efficiency of this conversion is likely to play a fundamental role in explaining individual variation in growth and survival. The purposes of this study were to investigate the differences in red blood cell mitochondrial metabolism between early- and late-born king penguin chicks and to assess whether growth patterns could be explained by differences in mitochondrial metabolism. Late chicks expressed higher mitochondrial metabolism than early chicks at 100 days post-hatching, probably linked to the stress related to winter environmental conditions and a decrease in parental feeding rates. We did not find a clear association between chick mitochondrial metabolism and growth patterns, suggesting that environmental conditions mostly contributed in explaining different metabolic phenotypes. As king penguin populations in Crozet may face changing breeding conditions (changes in feeding area and foraging trips duration) in relation to global changes, studying the physiological traits and adaptations underlying the chick growth and survival may help in understanding the response of king penguins facing challenging conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2026 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jav.03597","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148324208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Studying avian ecological epigenetics to advance our understanding of ecology and evolution","authors":"Rebecca Shuhua Chen,&nbsp;Bernice Sepers,&nbsp;Caroline Isaksson,&nbsp;Kees van Oers","doi":"10.1002/jav.03658","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jav.03658","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Ecologically relevant traits are shaped by a combination of genetic, environmental and stochastic factors (Stinchcombe and Hoekstra &lt;span&gt;2008&lt;/span&gt;). Molecular processes regulating gene expression provide an additional source of intra- and inter-individual phenotypic variation. Epigenetic mechanisms are biochemical mechanisms that stably alter gene expression without changing the underlying nucleotide sequence. These mechanisms determine how, when and to what extent genes are expressed (Richards &lt;span&gt;2006&lt;/span&gt;), regulate development (Skinner &lt;span&gt;2011&lt;/span&gt;, John and Rougeulle &lt;span&gt;2018&lt;/span&gt;), shape phenotypes (Frésard et al. &lt;span&gt;2013&lt;/span&gt;, Duncan et al. &lt;span&gt;2014&lt;/span&gt;), affect fitness (McGhee and Bell &lt;span&gt;2014&lt;/span&gt;), reflect biological age (Horvath &lt;span&gt;2013&lt;/span&gt;), and can contribute to evolutionary processes (Klironomos et al. &lt;span&gt;2013&lt;/span&gt;, Skinner et al. &lt;span&gt;2014&lt;/span&gt;, Ashe et al. &lt;span&gt;2021&lt;/span&gt;). Because epigenetic marks are at least partly environmentally sensitive (Sepers et al. &lt;span&gt;2019&lt;/span&gt;), they are expected to underlie phenotypic plasticity (Kilvitis et al. &lt;span&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;, Romero-Mujalli et al. &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;) and provide a molecular mechanism by which early-life conditions can exert long-lasting effects (Ruuskanen &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;). Understanding the role of epigenetic mechanisms is therefore key to elucidating the proximate processes shaping ecological and evolutionary dynamics.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Epigenetic mechanisms include DNA methylation, histone modifications and post-transcriptional regulators such as microRNAs. DNA methylation is the most commonly studied epigenetic mechanism in wild animals and involves the attachment of a methyl group to DNA. In vertebrates, DNA methylation at CpG sites – cytosine bases followed by guanine – particularly in promoter regions, can inhibit transcription factor binding and is therefore often associated with reduced gene expression (Jones &lt;span&gt;2012&lt;/span&gt;). Birds have emerged as important model systems for studying epigenetic variation in natural contexts because they are conspicuous, globally distributed and can often be sampled repeatedly with minimal invasiveness (Sepers et al. &lt;span&gt;2019&lt;/span&gt;, Watson et al. &lt;span&gt;2021&lt;/span&gt;). Despite rapid growth in the field over the past decade, substantial knowledge gaps remain in avian ecological epigenetics.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;First of all, research in model organisms highlights the importance of epigenetic modifier genes (Chen et al. &lt;span&gt;2026&lt;/span&gt;), such as DNA methylation transferase (&lt;i&gt;DNMT&lt;/i&gt;) and ten-eleven translocation (&lt;i&gt;TET&lt;/i&gt;) genes, in establishing and maintaining epigenetic marks and genome stability (Okano et al. &lt;span&gt;1999&lt;/span&gt;, Mohan &lt;span&gt;2022&lt;/span&gt;). However, their role in shaping ecologically relevant traits in wild populations remains poorly understood. Moreover, causal links between epigenetic variation and gene expression are often assumed rather than tested, even though the transcriptional eff","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2026 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jav.03658","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148282339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring Andean foothill connectivity: insights from population divergence in the white-tipped sicklebill, Eutoxeres aquila","authors":"Laura Rosado- Llerena,&nbsp;Abigail Perkins,&nbsp;David Ocampo,&nbsp;Jefferson García- Loor,&nbsp;Andrés M. Cuervo,&nbsp;David A. Prieto- Torres,&nbsp;Elisa Bonaccorso","doi":"10.1002/jav.03611","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jav.03611","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Northern Andes, acting both as barrier and corridor, exert strong influence in Neotropical biodiversity. Still, the diversification of foothill taxa inhabiting ecotonal zones between lowland rainforest and montane environments in this region remains poorly understood. We investigated the evolutionary history of <i>Eutoxeres aquila</i>, a hermit hummingbird distributed across Central America, the Chocó, and both Andean slopes. Using mitochondrial DNA (ND2 and cytb), morphometrics, resistance surface analyses, and ecological niche models, we examined the potential roles of topography, connectivity, and climatic oscillations in shaping lineage divergence. Phylogenetic analyses of 59 individuals of <i>Eutoxeres aquila</i> revealed two major clades: 1) an eastern clade (eastern Andean slope–upper Magdalena valley + mid Magdalena valley–Tamá), and 2) a western clade (western slope–N Central cordillera + Panama). Divergence from <i>E. condamini</i> occurred ~4.3 million years ago (Mya), while crown <i>E. aquila</i> diversification began ~0.9 Mya, coinciding with Pleistocene climate cycles. The Panama lineage diverged from the western slope–N Central cordillera ~0.4 Mya, suggesting post-Isthmus dispersal. Morphometric analyses of 69 museum specimens showed significant bill shape differentiation among regions, broadly consistent with genetic structure. Genetic distances among individuals were weakly correlated with both resistance and geographic (Euclidean) distances. Ecological niche projections indicated expanded connectivity during the mid-Holocene and LGM, but contraction and fragmentation during the LIG, with downward elevational shifts during colder periods (LGM and mid-Holocene) and upward shifts during warmer conditions (LIG and present). These models also revealed that ~227 500 km² of long-term climatic stability areas concentrated mostly in Amazonia and the Chocó. These results highlight recurrent isolation and reconnection of mountain environments as key drivers of foothill diversification and emphasize the importance of ecotonal taxa for understanding Andean evolutionary processes.</p>","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2026 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jav.03611","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148238205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using passive acoustic monitoring and LiDAR to conduct a statewide assessment of ruffed grouse Bonasa umbellus occurrence in Pennsylvania","authors":"Randall J. Koleck,&nbsp;Darin J. McNeil,&nbsp;Lauren M. Chronister,&nbsp;G. Burch Fisher,&nbsp;Cameron J. Fiss,&nbsp;Jacob Goldman,&nbsp;Luke F. Gray,&nbsp;Tyler J. Hodges,&nbsp;Justin Kitzes,&nbsp;Sam Lapp,&nbsp;Halie A. Larkin,&nbsp;Jeffery T. Larkin,&nbsp;Reina Tyl,&nbsp;Jeffery L. Larkin","doi":"10.1002/jav.03587","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jav.03587","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Effective conservation of wildlife is often hindered by poor understanding of where focal species and their habitats occur across large landscapes. Advancements in remote sensing have enabled researchers to improve detection of focal species (e.g. autonomous recording units [ARUs]) and the characterization of their habitats (e.g. light detection and ranging [LiDAR]), thus mitigating these issues. Research into ruffed grouse <i>Bonasa umbellus</i>, a declining forest game bird, stands to benefit from these technologies given the species' low detectability and preference for particular forest structure conditions that are difficult to capture using imagery-based remotely sensed data. Herein, we investigated regional occurrence of ruffed grouse across Pennsylvania via the use of a multi-year passive acoustic monitoring dataset, fine scale LiDAR-derived forest structure metrics, and a suite of other forest and landscape variables to predict state-wide ruffed grouse occurrence probability and identify areas in need of targeted habitat management. Our analyses indicated that, well-connected, high-elevation hardwood forests with some conifers and well-developed understories (e.g. timber harvests) were predicted to have the highest probability of grouse occurrence. Likewise, similar forests with open understories (e.g. mature forests within similar landscape contexts) were predicted to be the most promising for future management. ARUs proved to be effective at building a large detection dataset, which when paired with the superior forest structure data provided by LiDAR, allowed us make predictions about ruffed grouse across Pennsylvania with greater confidence than ever before.</p>","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2026 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jav.03587","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148237974","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Passive-acoustic evidence of lunar, temporal, and weather effects on the vocal activity of four coexisting forest owl species in southern Taiwan","authors":"Shih-Hung Wu,&nbsp;Jerome Chie-Jen Ko,&nbsp;Wen-Ling Tsai","doi":"10.1002/jav.03624","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jav.03624","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Lunar illumination and environmental conditions are known to shape vocal behavior of nocturnal birds, but few studies have simultaneously compared responses across multiple owl species. Using a full-year passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) dataset from Yushan National Park, Taiwan, we investigated how four sympatric Strigidae species – mountain scops-owl <i>Otus spilocephalus</i>, collared owlet <i>Taenioptynx brodiei</i>, collared scops-owl <i>O. lettia</i>, and northern boobook <i>Ninox japonica</i> – responded to variation in lunar phase, lunar altitude, temporal factors, and weather. We analyzed 1946 h of nighttime audio using an AI-based sound recognition model (SILIC ver. exp32), yielding over 700 000 vocalizations. Generalized additive models revealed species-specific responses to lunar variables: while collared owlet and northern boobook increased vocal activity near full moon or high lunar altitude, the other two species remained relatively unaffected. By incorporating both absolute hour and solar-referenced night-phase indices, we further clarified how diel behavior varies across seasons. Weather factors such as wind and rain suppressed vocal activity across all species, but to a varying degree. These results highlight the ecological divergence in nocturnal communication strategies among different owl species, with implications for improving survey timing and species detection in community monitoring.</p>","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2026 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jav.03624","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148173902","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2026 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148089524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2026 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148088025","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2026 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148076650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2026 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148067721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Structural instability and concerted evolution in the mitochondrial control region of the grey-headed lapwing Vanellus cinereus during range expansion","authors":"Kazuya Nagai,&nbsp;Yusuke Takahashi,&nbsp;Hiroto Okabe","doi":"10.1002/jav.03626","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jav.03626","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Mitochondrial genome duplications, particularly within the control region, can influence evolutionary trajectories and population structure, yet their prevalence and dynamics in birds remain insufficiently understood. The rey-headed lapwing <i>Vanellus cinereus</i> has recently undergone a rapid range expansion in Japan, providing a unique opportunity to study genome evolution under demographic change. We combined nanopore long-read sequencing and Sanger validation to characterize complete mitogenomes of 44 <i>V. cinereus</i> individuals from historical and newly established populations across Japan, along with partial sequences from a congener, the northern lapwing <i>V. vanellus</i>. We analyzed structural variations, gene conversion events, and phylogenetic relationships to elucidate the evolutionary history of these populations. All <i>V. cinereus</i> individuals harbored a conserved ~ 2.5 kb tandem duplication spanning cytochrome <i>b</i> to the control region. The duplicated copies exhibited high similarity within individuals (mean 99.05%) with evidence of ongoing concerted evolution. We identified a ‘chimeric' individual displaying discordant phylogenetic positions between copies within single long-reads, capturing a snapshot of the incomplete homogenization process via gene conversion, rather than heteroplasmy. Phylogenomic analysis revealed a specific lineage (‘Akita–Okayama' clade) that became predominant in the recently established Okayama population (62.5%), likely due to a founder effect. This study demonstrates the utility of long-read sequencing for resolving complex mitochondrial structures. The results reveal that the mitochondrial genome of <i>V. cinereus</i> is shaped by the interplay of structural instability (duplication), concerted evolution, and demographic history (founder effects) during range expansion.</p>","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2026 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jav.03626","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147708213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}