Laura X. Payne, Ph.D.

Visiting Scholar
University of Washington
School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
Box 355020, Seattle, WA 98195

lxp@u.washington.edu
206-221-5294

Ecosystem importance of migratory species and how we protect them

My interests are rooted at the intersection between ecology and conservation, inspired in part by a childhood in remote, coastal Patagonia. My focal research emphasizes the ecology of migratory species (especially birds) and their conservation and management. I also study ecosystem linkages among migratory species and their habitats, and the ecosystem importance of birds.

Photo by Rob Butler

Research Interests

Protecting species that migrate in different ways

Shorebirds -- sandpipers, plovers, and their allies -- are spectacular globe-trotters whose migrations range from Arctic breeding grounds to South American ‘wintering’ grounds. To complete these migrations, shorebirds must stop between flights to rest and refuel at invertebrate-rich wetlands. Many wetlands have been lost or degraded, and today more than half of the fifty species of shorebirds that commonly breed in North America are at risk.

A primary focus of my research is to understand how shorebird species differ in their use of the continental US during their global migrations. Do they aggregate at just a few sites? Disperse across many sites? Do they use different sets of wetlands? And have their migration strategies changed over time? My research is motivated by a deep commitment to conservation and management. Hence, I work with conservation organizations to address the diverse needs of these birds within the realities of a changing landscape and climate. Although my work focuses on birds, relevance to other vertebrate taxa is universal; conservation planning should be expanded to accommodate species that migrate in different ways.

Current research projects
-- identifying important migratory rest stops for dispersed shorebirds in the continental US
-- developing new conservation strategies for dispersed coastal shorebirds
-- developing a national Conservation Plan for Sanderling, a shorebird

Photo by L. X. Payne

Ecosystem importance of mobile species

Mobile species redistribute nutrients across the landscape by foraging in one location, and defecating (or dying) in another. When mobile organisms aggregate during migration, breeding, or non-breeding, the “back end” of these social aggregations can generate patches of higher (or lower) productivity on the landscape. Birds are important drivers of landscape-scale productivity at small to medium scales, because they move nutrients large distances and then concentrate them into discrete locations.

Research projects
-- role of breeding seabirds as mobile vectors of nutrients, and subsequent effects on freshwater aquatic communities (plants, invertebrates and fish) surrounding seabird islands (Alaska)
-- impact of migratory blackbirds on wetlands where they roost (Midwest)

Ecosystem linkages among salmon and birds

How are vastly different migrants, such as salmon and songbirds, linked? For eight weeks each summer in south-central Alaska, I study the ecosystem linkages between Pacific salmon and an intact, native bird community. Spawning salmon form a crucial part of the food-web in this pristine wilderness, because their decaying carcasses provide nutrition for larval insects, which in turn become food for breeding songbirds. This project is conducted in conjunction with the University of Washington's Alaska Salmon Program.

Photos by L. X. Payne

Other Projects

Women in science

I am collaborating with nine other women on a long-term book project (The Paths We Take) documenting the life paths of women trained as academic scientists. Together, we are documenting the sometimes conflicting, always changing intersections among career, personal life, and the natural world. We hope our stories will help the next generation of female scientists and academics to envision their own possibilities.

Photo by C. P. Ruff

Selected Publications

Payne, L. X. and J. W. Moore. 2006. Mobile scavengers create hotspots of freshwater productivity. Oikos 115(1): 69-80.

Payne L. X., D. E. Schindler, J. K. Parrish, and S. A. Temple. 2005. Quantifying spatial pattern with evenness indices. Ecological Applications 15(2): 507-520.

Payne, L. X. 2005 (Dec). Spatial ecology and conservation of migratory shorebirds in the United States. Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Wisconsin.

Payne, L. X. and E. P. Pierce. 2002. Purple Sandpiper (Calidris maritima). In The Birds of North America, No. 706 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

Bildstein, K. L., G. T. Bancroft, P. J. Dugan, D. H. Gordon, R. M. Erwin, E. Nol, L. X. Payne, and S. E. Senner. 1991. Approaches to the conservation of coastal wetlands in the Western Hemisphere. Wilson Bulletin 103 (2): 218-254.

Publications (in prep)

Payne, L. X., B. A. Harrington, S. A. Temple, and J. K. Parrish. In manuscript. Spatial distributions of shorebirds migrating across the United States: Why protecting hotspots is not enough. Target journal: Conservation Biology.

Payne, L. X., C. Duncan and B. A. Harrington. In manuscript. Expanding conservation paradigms for shorebirds. Target journal: Conservation.

Payne, L. X., B. A. Harrington and S. A. Temple. In prep. Changes in spatial distributions of migrating shorebirds in the United States: 1975–2000. Target journal: Global Change Biology.

Payne, L. X., G. W. Tranowski, and C. B. DeWitt. In prep. The role of migratory blackbirds as nutrient vectors to a palustrine marsh: Implications for wetland management. Target journal: Journal of Wildlife Management.

Last updated: 28 Oct 2008