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Winkler, David Ward
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Affiliations
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member of
- David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future (ACSF) Faculty Fellow
Research
research overview
- We study the variation of swallow life histories over many scales of time and space. At the most fundamental scale of time, we study swallow phylogeny and map trait variation onto this phylogeny. At much shorter temporal scales, we study in detail the effects of weather variation on swallow breeding biology, both directly on metabolic costs and indirectly through the flight behavior of the swallows' aerial insect prey. These studies directly inform predictions of the response to climate change. In the spatial realm, we study swallow spatial ecology, from detailed investigations of the dispersal behavior of individuals all the way up to exploring transcontinental migrations and the causes of large-scale patterns in the clutch sizes, breeding seasons and survival rates of the birds. We use a diversity of intellectual tools to explore the causes and consequences of these patterns. We use conceptual models to explore the responses of life history traits to events in geological time. We are exploring the application of genomic methods to better understand the biological basis of variation in metabolic, timing, immunological, and aging traits. And we conduct a wide variety of physiological and ecological experiments to better understand the selective forces affecting trait variation. Finally, we are always working to develop the technological tools to find new ways to get answers to age-old questions in spatial and temporal ecology.
research activities
principal investigator on
- COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: IDBR: ENHANCING AND DISSEMINATING MINIATURIZED TRACKING TECHNOLOGY FOR WIDESPREAD USE OF SMALL MIGRATORY SONGBIRDS awarded by DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES NSF 2012 - 2015
- COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: OXIDATIVE STRESS, TELOMERE DYNAMICS AND AGING IN A FREE-LIVING ORGANISM awarded by NATL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 2008 - 2013
- DISSERTATION RESEARCH: IMMUNE-BASED MATERNAL EFFECTS: INVESTIGATING VARIATION AND PLASTICITY IN FEMALE DEPOSITION OF PROTECTIVE IMMUNE COMPOUNDS INTO EGGS awarded by DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES NSF 2011 - 2013
- LTREB RENEWAL: PREDICTING THE RESPONSES OF SWALLOWS AND THEIR INSECT PREY TO CLIMATE CHANGE awarded by DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES NSF 2012 - 2017
- LTREB: PREDICTING THE RESPONSES OF SWALLOWS AND THEIR INSECT PREY TO CLIMATE CHANGE awarded by DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES NSF 2007 - 2013
- PIRE: GOLONDRINAS DE LAS AMERICAS: INTEGRATED PAN-AMERICAN RESEARCH AND TRAINING IN ORGANISMS AND ENVIRONMENTS awarded by DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES NSF 2007 - 2013
co-principal investigator on
area(s) of concentration/expertise
keywords
- avian life history variation
- behavioral
- ecology
- evolutionary
- ornithology
- physiological
submitted impact statement
Publications
individual publications
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academic article
- Ancestry and evolution of seasonal migration in the Parulidae.. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B. 279:610-618. 2012
- Clock Gene Variation in Tachycineta Swallows. Ecology and Evolution. 2:95-105. 2012
- Interrelations among immune defense indexes reflect major components of the immune system in a free-living vertebrate.. Physiological and biochemical zoology. 85:1-10. 2012
- Phylogeny of the Tachycineta genus of New World swallows: Insights from complete mitochondrial genomes.. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 63:64-71. 2012
- REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY OF A NARROWLY ENDEMIC TACHYCINETA SWALLOW IN DRY, SEASONAL FOREST IN COASTAL PERU.. Ornitología Neotropical. 23:95-112. 2012
- Species trees for the tree swallows (Genus Tachycineta): an alternative phylogenetic hypothesis to the mitochondrial gene tree.. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 65:317-322. 2012
- A Test of the Mismatch Hypothesis: How is Timing of Reproduction Related to Food Abundance in an Aerial Insectivore. Ecology. 92:450-461. 2011
- Consequences of Immune System Aging in Nature: A Study of Immunosenescence Costs in Free-living Tree Swallows. Ecology. 92:952-966. 2011
- Heterozygosity and Fitness Benefits of Extrapair Mate Choice in White-Rumped Swallows (Tachycineta leucorrhoa). Behavioral Ecology. 22:1178-1186. 2011
- Heterozygosity and fitness benefits of extrapair mate choice in White-rumped Swallows (Tachycineta leucorrhoa).. Behavioral Ecology. 22:1178-1186. 2011
- Low variation in the polymorphic clock gene poly-Q region despite population genetic structure across Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) populations. . PLoS One. 6. 2011
- Population Genetics of a Recent Transcontinental Colonization of South America by Breeding Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica). The Auk. 128:506-513. 2011
- Population genetics of the recent transcontinental colonization of South America by breeding Barn Swallows.. Auk. 128:506-513. 2011
- Integrating Concepts and Technologies to Advance the Study of Bird Migration. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 8:354-361. 2010
- Phylogeny of the Genus Hirundo and the Barn Swallow Subspecies Complex. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 56:409-418. 2010
- The Design of Artificial Nestboxes for the Study of Secondary Hole-Nesting Birds: A Review of Methodological Inconsistencies and Potential Biases. Acta Ornithologica. 45:1-26. 2010
- Consequences of immunosenescence in the wild: A field experiment in tree swallows. Integrative and Comparative Biology. 49. 2009
- Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers from three species of swallows in the genus Tachycineta: T. albilinea, T. bicolor and T. leucorrhoa. Plant Signaling and Behavior. 9:631-635. 2009
- Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers from three species of swallows in the genus Tachycineta: T. albilinea, T. bicolor and T. leucorrhoa.. Molecular Ecology Resources. 9:631-635. 2009
- Polygyny in the tree swallow Tachycineta bicolor: a result of the cost of searching for an unmated male. Journal of Avian Biology. 40:289-295. 2009
- Subtle edge-of-range genetic structuring in transcontinentally distributed North American Tree Swallows. Condor. 111:470-478. 2009
- Development of a brain nucleus involved in song production in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) is disrupted by Aroclor 1248. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 27:2071-2075. 2008
- Ecology - A matter of timing. Science. 321:1051-1052. 2008
- Effects of site fidelity and breeding performance on mate retention in a short-lived passerine, the tree swallow Thachycineta bicolor. Journal of Avian Biology. 39:493-499. 2008
- Movement ecology of migration in turkey vultures. Proceedings at the National Academy of Science USA. 105:19102-19107. 2008
- Begging in the absence of parents: A "quick on the trigger" strategy to minimize costly misses. Behavioral Ecology. 18:97-102. 2007
- Dispersal distances of Tree Swallows estimated from continent-wide and limited-area data. Journal of Field Ornithology. 78:290-297. 2007
- Group breeding in vertebrates: Linking individual- and population-level approaches. Evolutionary Ecology Research. 9:1163-1185. 2007
- Group breeding in vertebrates: linking individual and population-level analyses. Evolutionary Ecology Research. 9:1163-1185. 2007
- Immunosenescence in some but not all immune components in a free-living vertebrate, the Tree Swallow. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B. 274:951-957. 2007
- Roosts and migrations of swallows (Hirundinidae). . El Hornero. 21:85-97. 2007
- Telomerase activity is maintained throughout the lifespan of long-lived birds. Experimental Gerontology. 42:610-618. 2007
- Annual variation in numbers of breeding California Gulls at Mono Lake, California: The importance of natal philopatry and local and regional conditions. Condor. 108:82-96. 2006
- Brood parasitism of White-rumped Swallows by Shiny Cowbirds. Journal of Field Ornithology. 77:80-84. 2006
- Individual quality and food availability determine yolk and egg mass and egg composition in tree swallows Tachycineta bicolor. Journal of Avian Biology. 37:252-259. 2006
- Cell-mediated immunosenescence in birds. Oecologia. 145:269-274. 2005
- Defining the concept of public information. Science. 308:354. 2005
- Longer telomeres associated with higher survival in birds. . Biology Letters. 1:212-214. 2005
- Phylogeny of swallows (Aves: Hirundinidae) estimated from nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 35:254-270. 2005
- The natal dispersal of tree swallows in a continuous mainland environment. Journal of Animal Ecology. 74:1080-1090. 2005
- Breeding dispersal and philopatry in the tree swallow. Condor. 106:768-776. 2004
- Can reinforcement learning explain variation in early infant crying?. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 27:468. 2004
- Natural variation in flight performance is related to timing of breeding in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) in New York. The Auk. 121:345-353. 2004
- Telomerase expression is differentially regulated in birds of differing life span. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1019:186-190. 2004
- From snowmelt to desert sea: Water is the thread that binds the birds of the Mono Lake Basin. Living Bird. 21:30-37. 2002
- Phylogeny of the Tree Swallow genus, Tachycineta (Aves: Hirundinidae) by Bayesian analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 22:430-441. 2002
- Humoral immunocompetence correlates with date of egg-laying and reflects work load in female tree swallows. Behavioral Ecology. 12:93-97. 2001
- Geographic and ecological variation in clutch size of tree swallows. The Auk. 117:215-221. 2000
- The AOU Conservation Committee Review of the Biology, Status, and Management of Cape Sable Seaside Sparrows: Final Report. Auk. 117:1093-1115. 2000
- The phylogenetic approach to avian life histories: An important complement to within population studies. Condor. 102:52-59. 2000
- A comparison of Cytochrome b and DNA Hybridization data bearing on the phylogeny of Swallows (Aves: Hirundinidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 11:320-331. 1999
- Foraging ecology and diet selectivity of Tree Swallows feeding nestlings. Condor. 101:246-254. 1999
- Overviews: Nest architecture and avian systematics. The Auk. 116:875-877. 1999
- Relative importance of environmental variables in determining the growth of nestling Tree Swallows Tachycineta bicolor. Ibis. 141:286-296. 1999
- Review of Coloniality in the Cliff Swallow: The effect of group size on social behavior, by C. R. Brown and M. B. Brown. Ibis. 140:343. 1998
- Review of The origin and evolution of birds, by A. Feduccia. American Paleontologist. 5:12-13. 1997
- Dynamic state variable models for parental care: I. A submodel for the growth of the chicks of passerine birds. Journal of Avian Biology. 27:343-353. 1996
- The seasonal decline in avian clutch size: Strategy or physiological constraints? . Ecology. 77:922-932. 1996
- Effects of handicapping on female condition and reproduction in Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). The Auk. 112:737-747. 1995
- Anti-predator defence by neighbours as a responsive amplifier of parental defence in tree swallows. Animal Behaviour. 47:595-605. 1994
- Phylogenetic hierarchy in character variability and its causes: Lessons from character-state distributions in swallows, Hirundinidae. Journal für Ornithologie. 135:342. 1994
- A fondness for feathers. Living Bird. 12:30-34. 1993
- Intergeneric phylogenetic relationships of swallows estimated by DNA-DNA hybridization. Auk. 110:798-824. 1993
- Use and importance of feathers as nest lining in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). Auk. 110:29-36. 1993
- Causes and consequences of variation in parental defense behavior by tree swallows. Condor. 94:502-520. 1992
- Hungry chicks and mortal parents: A state-variable approach to the breeding seasons of birds. Bulletin of Mathematical Biology. 54:379-400. 1992
- Parental care in birds: Here is where we have been, now where are we going? Review of The evolution of parental care, by T. H. Clutton-Brock. Condor. 94:1035-1036. 1992
- Ecological vs. evolutionary hypotheses: Demographic stasis and the Murray-Nolan clutch size equation. Evolution. 45:1947-1950. 1991
- Parental investment decision rules in tree swallows: Parental defense, abandonment and the so-called Concorde Fallacy. Behavioral Ecology. 2:133-142. 1991
- Use of an artificial nestling for determining the diet of nestling tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). Journal of Field Ornithology. 62:211-217. 1991
- Osmoregulation in nestling California gulls at Mono Lake, California. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. 95A:567-571. 1990
- A method for transplanting nests of barn swallows. Journal of Field Ornithology. 61:426-430. 1989
- Evolutionary ecology of Darwin's finches. Review of Ecology and evolution of Darwin's finches, by P. R. Grant. Evolution. 43:701-702. 1989
- Changes in the numbers and locations of California gulls nesting at Mono Lake, California, in the period 1863-1986. Colonial Waterbirds. 11:263-274. 1988
- A general model for parental care. American Naturalist. 130:526-543. 1987
- Offspring size and number: A life history model linking effort per offspring and total effort. American Naturalist. 129:708-720. 1987
- Review of Birds of the Great Basin, a natural history, by F. A. Ryser, Jr. Ibis. 129:294-295. 1987
- Review of Ecological aspects of social evolution. Birds and mammals, D. I. Rubenstein and R. W. Wrangham (eds.). American Scientist. 76:511-512. 1987
- Review of Natural selection in the wild, by J. A. Endler. American Scientist. 75:524-525. 1987
- Flock-feeding on fish schools increases individual success in gulls. Nature. 319:589-591. 1986
- Spatial and temporal distribution patterns of three trophic levels in a saline lake. Journal of Plankton Research. 8:1051-1064. 1986
- Clutch size, timing of laying, and reproductive success in a colony of great blue herons and great egrets. Auk. 102:49-63. 1985
- Factors determining a clutch size reduction in the California gull: A multi-hypothesis approach. Evolution. 39:667-677. 1985
- Review of A Guide to Bird Behavior, Volumes I and II, by D. W. Stokes and L. Q. Stokes. Ibis. 127:576. 1985
- Review of Redwings, by R. W. Nero. Ibis. 127:575. 1985
- Oxygen consumption, evaporative water loss, and temperature regulation of California gull chicks (Larus californicus) in a desert rookery. Physiological Zoology. 57:204-214. 1984
- The effect of grebe predation on a brine shrimp population. Journal of Animal Ecology. 53:51-64. 1984
- Genetic and morphological similarity of two California gull populations with different life history traits. Biochemistry and Systematic Ecology. 11:397-403. 1983
- Spacing out at Mono Lake: Nest density, predation, and breeding success in the snowy plover. Auk. 100:13-24. 1983
- The determination of clutch size in precocial birds. Current Ornithology. 1:33-68. 1983
- Review of On human nature, by E. O. Wilson. The Biologist. 61:34-39. 1979
- Summer birds of a lodgepole-aspen forest in the southern Warner Mountains, California. Western Birds. 8:45-62. 1977
- Breeding bird census, riparian oak woodland. American Birds. 27:996. 1973
- Winter bird census, riparian oak woodland. American Birds. 27:689. 1973
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article
-
booksection
- How do migration and dispersal interact? 2005
- Preface 1999
- Swallows. Vol. 2. 1999
- California Gull (Larus californicus). Vol. 259. 1996
- Parental effort in birds and mammals: Theory and measurement. Vol. 5. 1988
- A null model for null models in biogeography 1984
- Ticks parasitizing humans and California gulls at Mono Lake, California. Vol. 2. 1984
- Ornithology. Vol. 12. 1977
-
chapter
- Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor), The Birds of North America Online. Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online. 2011
- Nests, Eggs, and Young: Breeding Biology of Birds. Home Study Course in Bird Biology, Pt. 2. 1152. 2001
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conference paper
- Reproductive effort reduces long-term immune function in breeding tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. 1679-1683. 2003
- Telomeres shorten more slowly in long-lived birds and mammals than in short-lived ones. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. 1387-1392. 2003
- Predicting the effects of climate change on avian life-history traits. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. 13595-13599. 2002
- Experimental evidence for offspring learning in parent-offspring communication. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. 1723-1727. 2000
- Climate change has affected breeding date of tree swallows throughout North America. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. 2487-2490. 1999
- Songbirds do not create long-term stores of calcium in their legs prior to laying: Results from high-resolution radiography. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. 239-244. 1997
- Evolution of nest construction in swallows (Hirundinidae): A molecular phylogenetic perspective. Proceedings, National Academy of Sciences, USA. 5705-5707. 1993
- Testosterone in egg yolks: An ornithologist's perspective. Proceedings, National Academy of Sciences, USA. 11439-11441. 1993
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conference poster
-
document part
-
report
- The California gull and snowy plover populations of Mono Lake, California: An eleven-year review and synthesis of available data. 1-74. 1988
- Importance of Great Basin lakes in northern California to nongame aquatic birds 1982
- Status report on Negit Island gull rookery 1981
- Nesting success of California gulls on Negit Island and the effectiveness of the Negit Island fence during the 1980 nesting season 1980
- Lines, circles, cycles, spirals 2005
- A biological gem in the desert: Frontiers of understanding at Mono Lake 1999
presentations
Teaching
teaching overview
- Ornithology, Quantitative Biology
teaching activities
- BIOEE-8990: M.S. Thesis Research - Spring 2013
- BIOEE-9990: Ph.D. Dissertation Research - Spring 2013
- BIOEE-3610: Advanced Ecology - Fall 2012
- BIOEE-8990: M.S. Thesis Research - Fall 2012
- BIOEE-9990: Ph.D. Dissertation Research - Fall 2012
- BIOEE-4750: Ornithology - Spring 2012
- BIOEE-4940: Special Topics in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology - Spring 2012
- BIOEE-4980: Teaching Experience - Spring 2012
- BIOEE-7800: Graduate Seminar in Ornithology - Spring 2012
- BIOEE-8990: M.S. Thesis Research - Spring 2012
- BIOEE-9990: Ph.D. Dissertation Research - Spring 2012
- NTRES-7800: Graduate Seminar in Ornithology - Spring 2012
- BIOEE-8990: M.S. Thesis Research - Fall 2011
- BIOEE-9990: Ph.D. Dissertation Research - Fall 2011
Service
service to the profession
- Mono Science Council Chairperson 2002 -
- American Ornithologists' Union
- Cooper Ornithological Society
- Deposed by Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
- Deposed by Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
- Global Flyway Network
- Mono Lake Science Council Meetings
- Testified before California Legislature
- Max Planck Institute of Ornithology Research Review Panel 2012 - 2016
- International Ornithological Congress Research Review Panel 2012 - 2014
- Scientific Programme Committee, International Ornithological Congress Member 2012 - 2014
- Max Planck Institute of Ornithology Reviewer, Program 2011 - 2014
- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association Board of Directors 2010 - 2013
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario External PhD Examiner 2010
- e-bird NSF International Research Network on ecology and endocrinology of birds Steering Committee Member - 2006
- American Ornithologist’s Union Elected Councilor - 2006
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University External Ph.D. Examiner for Mary Stapleton (Prof. Raleigh Robertson) - 2005
- Department of Ecology and Population Biology, Uppsala University External Ph.D. Examiner for Sönke Eggers (Prof. Jan Ekman) - 2002
- American Ornithologists' Union Council Member 1998 - 2000
- American Ornithologists' Union Committee on Scientific Basis for Management of Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Committee Member - 1999
- National Audubon Society vs. City of Los Angeles, California Superior Court Expert Witness - 1990
- Mono Lake Study Panel of the National Academy of Sciences Resource Person - 1986
- Northern Chapter, Cooper Ornithological Society President 1980 - 1983
- Northern Chapter, Cooper Ornithological Society Vice-President 1978 - 1980
reviewer or editor for
Background
education and training
- Ph.D. in Zoology, University of California 1983
- B.S. in Zoology, University of California, Davis 1977
awards and honors
- Fellow, 2009
- Faculty Excellence in Research Mentoring Award, 2002
- Merrill Presidential Scholar Influential Professor, 2002
- Fellow, 1998
- Jacob Blaustein Professor, 1992
- Chosen as Most Influential Faculty Member, 1991
- Elected Member, 1989
- Postdoctoral Fellowship in Environmental Biology, 1986
- NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1984
- Thord-Gray Fellowship, 1983
- Travel Fellowship, 1983
- University of California Regent's Fellowship, 1982
- Marcia Brady Tucker Travel Award, 1982
- University of California Regent's Fellowship, 1981
- Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, 1981
- Departmental Citation in Zoology and Graduation with Highest Honors, 1977
- Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow
Other
college
- CALS
research keyword
- avian life history variation
- behavioral
- ecology
- evolutionary
- ornithology
- physiological