Migration shapes senescence in a long-lived bird.

ABSTRACT: Each year, billions of animals migrate across the globe on diverse spatial and temporal scales. Migration behavior thus plays a fundamental role in the life cycle and Darwinian fitness of many organisms. While the influence of migration on early-life survival and reproduction is well documented, its effects on senescence (aging) in advanced age remain largely unexplored. Using a unique 44-y ring-resighting dataset from a long-lived, partially migratory bird species, the Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus), we demonstrate that migration plays a key role in shaping age-specific trajectories of mortality and reproduction. Resident flamingos exhibit higher early-life demographic performances, with lower baseline mortality than migrants, resulting in longer adult lifespan. Residents

SUBMITTER: Cayuela H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12440607 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature