ARCTIC TERN MIGRATION

The question of current utility discusses the current usefulness of the trait in helping an organism increase its success and lifetime reproductive fitness. 

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Some questions that we would like to ask include:

Why does the Arctic Tern migrate in such a meandering way instead of taking a shorter, straight path? How does the long migration increase an individual’s lifetime reproductive fitness? Does a tern with a shorter migration or one that doesn’t migrate at all (e.g. one kept in a zoo or enclosure) have a shorter LRF? 

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Fijn et al studied the migration path of seven terns caught in the Netherlands, from colonies that were monitored intensively and reliably returned every year (thus increasing the likelihood of recapture). By tracking the routes that these terns took, they discovered that food abundance is the defining factor of what spots are used during the south and northbound journeys. As the weather gets colder, terns migrate to areas with an adequate supply of food. However, their final destination in the south is a breeding ground. Many terns from different continents migrate to “tern hotspots” in the south to breed. 

 

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Fijn et al. Arctic terns Sterna paradise from the Netherlands Migrate Record Distances Across three Oceans to Wilkes Land, East Antarctica. Area: 101(1): 3-12. 2013.

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