MOSCOW, Idaho — Oct. 23, 2024 — Simona Picardi, assistant professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences at University of Idaho, recently published a study alongside colleagues in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The study is titled, “Fitness consequences of anthropogenic subsidies for a partially migratory wading bird.”
Using a long-term GPS-tracking dataset, this study shows that resident individuals in a partially migratory population of wood storks in the southeastern U.S. tend to forage closer to urban areas and experience higher nest survival than migrant individuals. This suggests that consuming abundant and widespread food subsidies created by human activities allows wood storks to skip migration and increases their reproductive success. In the long run, this might affect the population’s migratory status, indicating that human activities are turning residency into a low-risk/high-reward option.
About the University of Idaho:
The University of Idaho, home of the Vandals, is Idaho’s land-grant, national research university. From its residential campus in Moscow, U of I serves the state of Idaho through educational centers in Boise, Coeur d’Alene and Idaho Falls, nine research and Extension centers, plus Extension offices in 42 counties. Home to more than 11,000 students statewide, U of I is a leader in student-centered learning and excels at interdisciplinary research, service to businesses and communities, and in advancing diversity, citizenship and global outreach. U of I competes in the Big Sky Conference. Learn more at www.uidaho.edu.
