Müll als Futterquelle für Zugvogel: Vor- oder Nachteil?

Kurzbezeichnung

ECOTRAP

Einrichtung Vetmeduni

Forschungsinstitut für Wildtierkunde und Ökologie; Konrad-Lorenz-Institut für Vergleichende Verhaltensforschung

Art der Forschung

Grundlagenforschung

Forschungsschwerpunkt

Wildtierökologie und -medizin

Abstract

Wider research context. Human pressure is threatening many animal species to the edge of extinction. However, living close to humans might also come with advantages. The unstoppable growing increase in food waste and its deposition on open garbage dumps results in many birds and mammals using these landfills as foraging grounds. Hypotheses. While research so far reported potential benefits associated with foraging on landfills such as improved reproductive performance and nutritional status, we hypothesise that this phenomenon could have negative consequences over the longer term due to increased risk of infections and increased physiological damage that could ultimately alter life history cycles of individuals, including seasonal migration. To date this remains largely untested. In addition, the organismal effects of foraging on human waste might be particularly pervasive when experienced during early development, as the environment in which organisms grow is known to alter later life morbidity and mortality. Approach. We will use a migratory bird, the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) as our study system. This species is well-suited for this project because its behaviour and ecology have been strongly impacted by anthropogenic food waste. The study will be carried out in a well monitored breeding population of white storks in Poland. By traking individuals since their early post-natal growth, we aim to determine the extent to which foraging on landfills influences subsequent probability of survival upon the migratory journey, and to which extent these correlate with changes in biomarkers of nutritional status and physiological damage at the individual level. In addition, we will use highly innovative animal tracking technology to test whether landfill foraging behaviour is transferred from parents to offspring (or unrelated neighbouring individuals) and maintained throughout later stages of life. Innovation. The project is original and highly innovative as it integrates multiple techniques in ecology, animal behaviour, physiology, immunology, and molecular biology. Primary researchers involved. The research will be performed by three international teams led by: (1) PI Dr Marcin Tobolka (lead PI, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poland), PI Dr Andrea Flack (Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Germany), and PI Dr Valeria Marasco (Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Vetmeduni Vienna, Austria).