Mountain Ecology

Our lab has a long-term study system on the Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe, a migratory species that breeds in the alpine grasslands. We are interested in studying the breeding and migration ecology. We collect data on phenology, habitat selection, nesting success, survival rates and migration as well as climate and habitat data (at small and large scales) in Val Troncea Natural Park in the Western Italian Alps. Birds are ringed with colour-rings in order to identify individuals and some of them are fitted with geolocators that record their migration journeys to sub-Saharian Africa back and forth.

We also aim to study its breeding ecology in relation to trophic links, considering both higher (predator) and lower (prey) trophic levels.  We use camera traps in order to study nest predation, and  metabarcoding on feces to study the diet during the breeding season.  At the same time, invertebrate are sampled to assess food availability on the breeding territories. 

We are interested in studying the ecological interactions between mountain bird assemblages and different natural processes and the human footprint over a broad area covering the Western Italian Alps.  We carry out point counts and transects not only during the breeding period but also during other periods of the birds' life-cycle, such as the pre- and post-breeding period, with a particular focus on semi-open and open habitat bird species. Most of our studies focus on the elevational gradient and we cover several topics such as the habitat use of mountain birds in natural (i.e. avalanche tracks) or human-made (i.e. ski pistes) habitats. We carried out research about the habitat use of high-elevations by migrants during the autumn period, and we also study the upward altitudinal shift of bird communities in the Alps due to climate change. 

The aim is to understand fine-scale factors that dictate alpine bird species distributions in the forest-shrub ecotone, with particular focus on habitat structure and microclimate, and to identify key factors influencing the reproductive success of four common mountain birds (Dunnock Prunella modularis, Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca, Common Linnet Linaria cannabina and Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe). Furthermore, whether broad-scale processes (general impacts of grazing, synchrony between distinct regional populations) show consistent effects across geographically distinct mountain areas was assessed. Data on bird species distributions and nesting success, as well as climate and habitat data (at small and large scales), were collected in Val Troncea Natural Park in the Western Italian Alps.