GOOSEPHYSIOL

Resilience to global change in long-lived species: physiological comparisons between Arctic and temperate-breeding barnacle geese

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Global change is expected to have an enormous impact on ecosystems, and the ability of species to adapt to rapidly changing environments is a prerequisite for their survival. Particularly the Arctic is now experiencing some of the most rapid and severe climate changes on earth. To predict the impact of this unprecedented change it is crucial to understand the behavioural and physiological constraints of adaptation to rapidly changing environments. Recent studies mainly emphasised the inability of species to adapt to those changes. Here we approach this problem by studying a traditionally migratory Arctic-breeding species that, in contrast, has been very successful in spreading into new environments, the Barnacle Goose. Within three decades this species underwent a dramatic change in breeding range, numbers and migratory routines. We intend to investigate the mechanisms of adaptation by intra-specific comparison of Arctic and temperate-breeding populations. A number of predictions about life-history variation among birds from Arctic and temperate environments have been put forward, pointing towards a relatively higher ‘pace-of-life’ and reduced immune defence under pathogen-poor conditions in Arctic compared to temperate populations. Our aim is to tests these predictions, in particular to investigate possible tradeoffs between immune defence and the ‘pace-of-life’ (notably the energy metabolism in young geese raised in both biota). Through this multidisciplinary project, the applicant seeks to broaden and diversify his ecological expertise by learning to apply up-to-date physiological and immunological tools.

In a nutshell, the research proposed here exploits a unique natural transfer experiment to a new climate region in a long-lived migratory species by taking advantage of intra-specific comparisons over cross-species contrasts. It integrates different biological levels, such as behaviour, physiology and ecology and links these to global change.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Scientists studied traditionally Arctic-breeding geese that managed to reproduce successfully in new temperate regions. They investigated physiological trade-offs that the geese make to thrive in Arctic vs. temperate Central Europe habitats.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

As the Arctic is experiencing some of the most rapid and severe climate changes on Earth, its animal species must adapt or die. Scientists are keen to understand adaptive responses so that they can better predict the ecological impact of climate change.

The EU-funded GOOSEPHYSIOL project approached this problem by studying Arctic barnacle geese, which have successfully spread into new temperate environments over past decades.

Scientists predicted that geese from the Arctic would have decreased parasite pressure. This hypothesis was supported, with researchers finding fewer intestinal parasites in Arctic geese than in temperate-breeding geese, meaning the risk of infection is greater in the novel temperate breeding environment. They also found evidence of adjustments in immunocompetence, with temperate-breeding geese upregulating some but not all of the investigated immune factors.

The GOOSEPHYSIOL team showed that geese in climate-harsh Arctic conditions grew much faster than temperate-breeding geese, reinforcing the supposed benefits of breeding at higher latitudes. Importantly, this has laid the foundation for future research investigating possible trade-offs between immune defence and energy metabolism in young geese raised in the different environments.

This research has yielded novel insights into the types of physiological adaptations a species must make in order to adjust to rapidly changing environments. It also highlights the importance of animal migration and the ability to move to new habitats undeveloped by humans.