Our research interests
Migratory animals are vital ecosystem indicators that connect peoples and places across the world, but their finely-tuned ecology makes them vulnerable to large environmental changes. Working across disciplines, we investigate the anthropogenic threats that migratory animals face and the mechanisms through which they respond to a changing world. Our research integrates field, lab, and computational approaches to address pressing research questions around animal movement, guide conservation action, and inform policy. Some of our ongoing research interests include:
How do migrating birds use urban habitats—both aloft and on the ground?
Migratory animals have experienced dramatic population declines in recent decades. Human activities and the built environment are an important cause. With partners across Chicago, we are studying the risks migratory birds face in urban areas—both on the ground and in the air. Working with partners across the region, we are (1) exploring how migratory birds use aerial habitats high above the city, (2) characterizing the value of urban green spaces, and (3) identifying the most important factors driving fatal bird-building collisions. Armed with this new understanding, we will develop data-driven tools for use by advocates and policymakers and engage and educate the public about the inspiring phenomenon of bird migration and what they can do to help.
Our research aims incorporate science, outreach, and education goals and include partners across Chicagoland.
Illuminating the impacts of artificial light on animal migration
Light pollution is a dramatic symptom of global change, influencing half of all land in the United States and affecting animal behavior and habitat selection on a large scale. Our research has documented the outsized impact of artificial light at night on migrating birds in cities across the US (Van Doren et al. 2017 PNAS). Light pollution is an important factor in bird-building collisions and a major source of migrant mortality in urban centers. By disentangling the complex contributions of light, weather, and migratory behavior to collisions, we have found that selectively reducing light pollution could decrease bird mortality by over 50% (Van Doren et al. 2021 PNAS). These findings have led directly to conservation and policy steps aimed at reducing light pollution during migration periods. However, the underlying mechanism by which light attracts and disorients birds is still largely unknown, and further work is needed to understand how bird species differ in their responses to light at night.
Collision victims from Chicago, Illinois. From the scientific collections of the Field Museum. Image courtesy of Karen Bean, Field Museum.
Forecasting migration for science and conservation
To understand birds’ responses to global change, it is vital to track and predict their movements. We have designed a machine learning system to forecast migration across the United States using data from a network of weather surveillance radars (Van Doren and Horton 2018 Science). Using this system, we can forecast where large migration events will occur up to one week in advance. Automated migration forecasts are now an essential tool for science and outreach (see daily forecasts on birdcast.info during migration seasons). Beyond broad public engagement, migration forecasts are mitigating the impacts of light pollution by alerting the public to high-migration nights when lights-out action is essential. Working with colleagues in biology, economics, and computer science, we have showed that forecast-based alerts are likely to protect birds more effectively than alternative strategies
Migration forecast for the night of 10 May 2023, predicting 455 million migrating birds over the contiguous United States. From birdcast.info.
Revealing how migrants adapt to environmental change
Organisms confront environmental change in diverse ways, including through change in migratory behavior. Many aspects of bird migration are innate (Van Doren et al. 2017 J Avian Biology), but traditional field methods are generally unable to detect microevolutionary change in migratory traits in the wild. By integrating data from the lab and field, we found rare evidence for evolutionary change in the migratory and reproductive timing of pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca (Helm, Van Doren et al. 2019 Current Biology). This suggests that migratory birds may adapt to environmental change via microevolution more readily than previously believed. In addition to timing, we also study change in migration routes. Eurasian blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla have recently adopted a novel northbound autumn migration to the British Isles, where they associate closely with humans in winter. We discovered that this association has reshaped their winter ecology, resulting in higher site fidelity, less movement, and even morphological change (Van Doren et al. 2021 Global Change Biology). Migration routes in blackcaps are honed by strong selection (Delmore, Van Doren et al. 2020 Proceedings B), and we are interested in understanding the genomic basis of migration to understand the mechanisms by which animals can adapt to environmental change.
Graphical summary of impacts of human-dominated environments on avian migrants. From Van Doren et al. 2021 Global Change Biology.