Dr. Teja Curk

In the Arctic tundra, snow conditions are crucial for several processes such as breeding decisions, phenology, and survival. Ongoing climate change causes modifications in snow patters, which are especially evident at the high latitudes, and might consequently affect decision-making in biological organisms. Avian predators specifically, play a major role in the tundra ecosystem by shaping communities. Therefore, studying the mechanisms of their movement ecology and decision-making is crucial for the understanding the functionality of the ecosystem. My project focuses on investigating how spatio-temporal variation in snow and prey density affects individual movement and settlement decisions of the three most important Arctic predators (i.e. snowy owl, rough-legged buzzard and peregrine falcon), to what degree are these movement patterns shaped by an ongoing environmental change, and what are the fitness and survival consequences for the species.