Arctic-breeding shorebirds have experienced widespread population declines in recent decades. These declines are occurring even though Arctic nesting grounds are relatively undisturbed by human infrastructure and fragmentation, although future infrastructure expansion poses a threat to breeding birds. Additionally, climate change effects are more pronounced in the Arctic, leading to variable spring environmental conditions such as snowmelt. However, it is unknown how shorebirds respond to variable environmental conditions or to what extent human infrastructure influences shorebird movements on the breeding grounds. To address this knowledge gap, we monitored Dunlin movements using high-frequency GPS tracking devices prior to nesting near the village of Utqiaġvik in northern Alaska. We found that Dunlin respond strongly to annual environmental conditions and use anthropogenically-modified areas, particularly roadside areas, prior to nesting likely due to the availability of food resources in these areas. This work highlights the need to evaluate the consequences, positive or negative, of shorebird use of human-modified areas on the breeding grounds.
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Anna joined the Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit as Assistant Unit Leader in 2021. Prior to joining the Iowa Unit, Dr. Tucker received a M.S. degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, a Ph.D. from Auburn University, and was a postdoctoral researcher at the USGS Eastern Ecological Research Center (formerly Patuxent Wildlife Research Center). Her research themes include wildlife population ecology and demographics, population viability analysis, and wildlife-habitat associations, with an emphasis on the use of quantitative methods and hierarchical modeling to analyze demographic data. Most of her research has focused on migratory shorebirds, songbirds, and waterfowl, but she has also worked with other species of conservation concern including pollinators and herpetofauna. Her work also involves using structured decision making to assist state and federal managers with decision making in the face of uncertainty. Dr. Tucker teaches a graduate-level class on Decision-support Modeling and has led workshops on Bayesian population analysis methods.
Aaron Yappert is a master’s student at Iowa State University in the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. His research focuses on the movement ecology of Dunlin, a medium-sized shorebird, on the breeding grounds in Northern Alaska. Specifically, he is exploring how Dunlin movements prior to nest initiation are influenced by environmental factors such as snow cover and temperature as well as human factors such as roads and snow fences. This research will improve our understanding of how shorebirds respond to both the environment and human development during an important time during their reproductive cycle.
