Curriculum Vitae
Employment
Education
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2011-2013 Advanced training "Applied statistics" at the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Switzerland
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Projects
My major research interests are the migration of animals, in particular the timing of migration, the cues animals use before and during migration and how the level of environmental information affects migration strategies and their consequences. Thus, I’m interested in the (proximate) factors that shape migration, what are the individual fitness effects of particular migration strategies (and ultimately, the population-dynamical consequences), but also how climatic or human-driven changes along migratory routes may affect individual migration behaviours and fates.
Specific current projects include:
Reviewing the use of mechanistic models in the migration literature. A variety of theoretical approaches exists for studying different aspects of migration behaviour and its consequences. However, they have been applied with an overwhelming taxonomic bias. Therefore, we aim at providing an overview of the existing approaches that may stimulate the use of behaviour-based models in the currently largely neglected species.
Annual routines of migratory birds: Here, we aim at identifying key processes in the annual cycle incl. knock-on effects, assessing the impact of environmental change along flyways and exploring the degree to which species may adapt to changes (identify timescales for changes).
Barnacle goose: a green-wave spring migration? Several populations of Barnacle geese exist that migrate via different routes to different breeding grounds. These flyways differ in many respects including the information birds may obtain from their current location on the state of future (stop-over) locations. Thus, whether geese can follow the development of vegetation along their migration route highly depends on whether they can predict conditions ahead.
Migration and prediction: What is the role of autocorrelation in environmental conditions for migratory animals? Is there autocorrelation in environmental conditions along major migratory routes? If so, has it changed over time? We test these questions within African-Eurasian flyways, using NDVI values as a proxy for conditions on specific locations.
Agricultural conflict & migrating geese: Many migratory geese in Europe have enjoyed a significant population increase over the past years, leading to numbers never seen before. This raises severe conflicts with local agriculture, particularly since a flyway management plan has not been established or installed yet. We contribute to the development of a long-term management plan by predicting migration schedules of geese under a range of scenarios.
Co-Operation
Selected Publications
Please find a full publication list at my ResearcherID (C-3524-2008)
J.M. McNamara, Z. Barta, M. Klaassen, and S. Bauer. Cues and the optimal timing of activities under environmental changes. Ecology Letters 14 (12):1183-1190.
S. Bauer, B.A. Nolet, J. Giske, J.W. Chapman, S. Åkesson, A. Hedenström, and J.M. Fryxell. Cues and decision rules in animal migration. In: Animal Migration - A Synthesis, eds E.J. Milner-Gulland, J.M. Fryxell, and A.R.E. Sinclair, Oxford University Press, p. 68-87.
S. Bauer, B.J. Ens, and M. Klaassen.Many routes lead to Rome: Potential causes for the multi-route migration system of Red Knots Calidris canutus islandica. Ecology 91: 1822-1831.
S. Bauer, Z. Barta, B. Ens, G.C. Hays, J.M. McNamara, and M. Klaassen (2009) Animal Migration - Linking models and data beyond taxonomic limits. Biology Letters 5:433-435.
S.Hahn, S.Bauer, F.Liechti. The natural link between Europe and Africa - 2.1 billion birds. OIKOS 118: 624-626.
M. Klaassen, S.Bauer, J.Madsen, and H.Possingham (2008) Optimal management of a goose flyway: migrant management at minimum cost. Journal of Applied Ecology 45:1446-1452.
S. Bauer, M. van Dinther, K.-A. Høgda, M. Klaassen & J. Madsen (2008) The consequences of climate-driven stop-over sites changes on migration schedules and fitness of Arctic geese. Journal of Animal Ecology 77:654-660.
S. Bauer, P. Gienapp & J. Madsen (2008) The relevance of local environmental conditions for departure decision changes en route in migrating geese. Ecology 89:1953–1960.
S. Hahn & S. Bauer (2008) Dominance in feeding territories relates to foraging success and offspring growth in brown skuas Catharacta antarctica lonnbergi. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 62:1149-1157.
S. Hahn, S.Bauer, and M. Klaassen (2008) Quantification of allochthonous nutrient input into freshwater bodies by herbivorous waterbirds. Freshwater Biology 53:181-193.
S. Hahn, S. Bauer, and M. Klaassen (2007) Estimating the contribution of carnivorous waterbirds to nutrient loading in freshwater habitats. Freshwater Biology 52:2421-2433.
R.H.G. Klaassen, B.A. Nolet, J.A. van Gils, and S. Bauer (2006) Optimal movement between patches under incomplete information about the spatial distribution of food items. Theoretical Population Biology 70:452-463.
M. Klaassen, S. Bauer, J. Madsen, and I. M. Tombre (2005) Behavioural and fitness consequences of disturbance for geese along their spring flyway. Journal of Applied Ecology 42: 92-100.
S. Hahn, H.-U. Peter, and S. Bauer (2005) Skuas at penguin carcass – patch use and state-dependent leaving decisions in a top-predator. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 272:1449 -1454.
S. Bauer, J. Samietz, and U. Berger (2005) Sexual harassment in heterogeneous landscapes can mediate population regulation in a grasshopper. Behavioural Ecology 16:247-254.
Links
Student projects: Interested in working in the field of bird/animal migration or theoretical ecology? A number of students’ projects are possible within (and slightly outside) the above major projects – please do contact me!
Downloads
Nutrient input of waterbirds into lakes: Waterfowl may cause considerable input of (external) nutrients into freshwaters but its quantification had long been hampered. Based on extensive reviews, we developed a program for the calculation of the nutrient input by birds into freshwaters (download here & see publications below).
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