Presenter: Jason Gehring

Faculty Sponsor: Maria Stager

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Biology

Session: Poster Session 6, 4:15 PM - 5:00 PM, 165, D8

ABSTRACT

Large gaps exist in our knowledge of bird social structures, such as who flocks with who? Genetic testing enables determination of relatedness within flocks, allowing us to see the family structures of birds more clearly. My study will characterize genetic relatedness to shed light on the complex social structure of the Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus). It is believed that Black-capped Chickadees form stable winter flocks of unrelated birds. However, the lack of within-flock relatedness has not been confirmed with genetic analysis. My study will be the first of its kind to answer this question using molecular approaches and automated recording devices to track visits to bird feeders on UMass Amherst's campus. First, I will generate a social network of 80 marked birds based on their associations at the feeders and use a walktrap algorithm to sort chickadees into discrete flocks. Then I will characterize four microsatellite loci (a repeated sequence of DNA that varies in length among individuals) for each chickadee and use the microsatellite lengths to determine relatedness among chickadees. Finally, with both the relatedness and association data, I will determine whether chickadees are more likely to be related to their flock mates than they are to individuals in other flocks. Overall, this study will help determine if family ties keep chickadee groups together, or if unrelated chickadees need to band together in order to survive.