Linda A Whittingham

Climate change models often assume similar responses to temperatures across the range of a species, but local adaptation or phenotypic plasticity can lead plants and animals to respond differently to temperature in different parts of their range. To date, there have been few tests of this assumption at the scale of continents, so it is unclear if this is a large‐scale problem. Here, we examined the assumption that insect taxa show similar responses to temperature at 96 sites in grassy habitats across North America. We sampled insects with Malaise traps during 2019–2021 (N = 1041 samples) and examined the biomass of insects in relation to temperature and time of season. Our samples mostly contained Diptera (33%), Lepidoptera (19%), Hymenoptera (18%), and Coleoptera (10%). We found strong regional differences in the phenology of insects and their response to temperature, even within the same taxonomic …

The William Brewster Memorial Award is given each year to the author or coauthors of the most meritorious body of work (book, monograph, or series of related papers) on birds of the Western Hemisphere published during the past 10 years. Established in 1921, the award consists of the Brewster Memorial Medal and an honorarium. In 2021, AOS is presenting two separate William Brewster Memorial Awards; one to Dr. Marty L. Leonard and one to Dr. Kathy Martin. Dr. Marty Leonard is a professor of Biology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she has also been an administrative leader as the Dean for the Faculty of Graduate Studies and as an Acting Dean for the Faculty of Science. Dr. Leonard is being recognized as a distinguished scientist who has made major contributions in two areas of ornithology: the behavioral ecology of breeding birds, and the conservation of endangered birds in …

The Ralph W. Schreiber Conservation Award is an AOS senior professional award that honors extraordinary conservation-related scientific contributions by an individual or small team. The award is named for Ralph Schreiber, a prominent figure in American ornithology known for his enthusiasm, energy, and dedication to research and conservation, particularly of seabirds. This award consists of an original piece of avian art, framed certificate, and an honorarium. In 2021, AOS is presenting two separate Ralph W. Schreiber Conservation Awards; one to Dr. Francesca J. Cuthbert and one to the Bird Ecology Group (BEG) of the faculty of Biology at the University of Havana, Cuba, led by Martin Acosta Cruz. Dr. Cuthbert has worked on a number of waterbird conservation efforts but, in particular, has spent more than 30 years successfully carrying out the near-impossible task of recovering the near-extinct Great Lakes …

Extravagant ornaments are thought to signal male quality to females choosing mates, but the evidence linking ornament size to male quality is controversial, particularly in cases in which females prefer different ornaments in different populations. Here, we use whole-genome sequencing and transcriptomics to determine the genetic basis of ornament size in two populations of a widespread warbler, the common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas). Within a single subspecies, females in a Wisconsin population prefer males with larger black masks as mates, while females in a New York population prefer males with larger yellow bibs. Despite being produced by different pigments in different patches on the body, the size of the ornament preferred by females in each population was linked to numerous genes that function in many of the same core aspects of male quality (e.g., immunity and oxidative balance). These …

The Loye and Alden Miller Research Award is given for lifetime achievement in ornithological research. Loye Holmes Miller and his son, Alden, left a remarkable legacy to the field of ornithology. Together they mentored 30 Ph. D. students, 28 in avian biology, and their students went on to train in turn a total of 166 scientists. Alden served as a long-standing editor of The Condor (now Ornithological Applications) during his distinguished career at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley. This year, the American Ornithological Society (AOS) is pleased to honor Dr. Tony D. Williams as the recipient of 2021 AOS Loye and Alden Miller Research Award.Dr. William is a Professor of Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology in the Department of Biological Sciences at Simon Fraser University. Dr. Williams has made major contributions to the study of avian physiology, focusing his research on …

The Elliott Coues Award recognizes outstanding and innovative contributions to ornithological research, regardless of the geographic location of the work. This award was established in honor of Elliott Coues, a pioneering ornithologist of the western United States and a founding member of the American Ornithologists’ Union. The award consists of the Elliott Coues Medal and an honorarium. In 2021, AOS is presenting two individual Elliott Coues Awards, one to Peter Arcese and one to Bruce Beehler. The AOS recognizes the creative and broadly applicative work of Dr. Peter Arcese, Professor and the Forest Renewal Chair in Conservation Biology in the Department of Forest and Conservation Science at the University of British Columbia, as worthy of a Coues Award. Dr. Arcese’s research program emphasizes comparative and experimental tests of population demographic, genetic, and conservation theory using …

Millicent (Penny) Ficken, whose pioneering research on breeding behavior and acoustic communication in warblers, chickadees, and hummingbirds led to her selection as an Elective Member (1977) and Fellow (1986) by the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU: now American Ornithological Society), died July 7, 2020, shortly after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. She will be remembered as an outstanding mentor to both colleagues and students in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UWM). Her endless curiosity about everything in the natural world, especially birds, inspired many people.Penny Sigler was born July 27, 1933, in Washington DC, but moved frequently during her early years due to her father’s career in the military. By the time she graduated from high school, she had lived in five states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico. Her interest in science, and …

The Elliott Coues Award recognizes outstanding and innovative contributions to ornithological research, regardless of the geographic location of the work. This award was established in honor of Elliott Coues, a pioneering ornithologist of the western United States and a founding member of the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU). The award consists of the Elliott Coues Medal and an honorarium. In 2020, the American Ornithological Society (AOS) is presenting 2 individual Elliott Coues Awards, one to André Dhondt and one to Thomas Smith. Dr. Dhondt is the Edwin H. Morgens Professor of Ornithology at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. He received his Ph. D. from the University of Ghent in Belgium and worked with the Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations, and United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization before taking a faculty position at Antwerp University. He moved to …