Barbara Helm Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Andechs, D Title Programs, cues, and flexibility: seasonal timing in birds Abstract In fluctuating environments correct timing is essential, and organisms have accordingly evolved diverse strategies to be "on time". Seasonal challenges are anticipated by changes in physiology, morphology, and behaviour. The superb mobility of birds can buffer them from the change of seasons but also puts particular demands on acurate time-keeping. Birds often need to predict seasonal conditions not only at their current location but also in other, sometimes remote, areas. Avian timing has been extensively studied, revealing major insights into endogenous programs, mainly of migratory birds and of species from equatorial regions. Clocks and calendars, however, function in the „real world“, and endogenous programs are therefore only one contributing factor to correct seasonal timing. Endogenous programs interact with information from the environment, and these interactions are specifically taylored to the needs of species. Recent research points to high evolutionary potential of temporal strategies and of responses to environmental cues. But even fine-tuned programs often do not provide the final word on temporal behaviour: social interactions, as well as the state of an individual, also influence schedules of birds. I illustrate these aspects of timing by a selective review of classical and new findings from avian research, and by examples from comparative studies on a passerine species, the Stonechat. CV Research interests My research focus is on temporal behavior. I aim to understand the evolutionary patterns, physiological mechanisms, and life-history strategies by which organisms cope with changing environmental conditions. Addressing this question requires integrative approaches and I’m therefore interested in a wide array of evolutionary and mechanistic approaches. An eager naturalist, I support citizen science and conservation efforts, but most of my work is dedicated to academic research. My research centers on birds, and on avian migration in particular. Academic qualifications 1997 MA degree in philosophy, University of Tübingen. 1997 MA degree (Diplom) in biology, University of Tübingen & Max Planck Institute for Ornithology. 1998 - 2003 Ph. D. degree in biology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology & University of Munich. 2004 Awarded "Otto-Hahn Medal" for outstanding young scientists. Selected publications Gwinner, E. & Helm, B. 2003. Circannual and circadian contributions to the timing of avian migration. In: P. Berthold, E. Gwinner & E. Sonnenschein: Avian Migration. Springer Verlag Heidelberg, pp. 81-95. Helm, B., Gwinner, E. & Trost, L. 2005. Flexible seasonal timing and migratory behaviour: results from Stonechat breeding programs. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1046, 216-227. Helm, B. & Gwinner, E. 2006. Migratory restlessness in an equatorial non-migratory bird. PLoS Biology 4, 611-614. Helm, B., Piersma, T. & Van der Jeugd, H. 2006. Sociable schedules: interplay between avian social and seasonal behaviour. Animal Behaviour 72, 245-262. Helm, B. 2006. Point of view: Zugunruhe of migratory and non-migratory birds in a circannual context. Journal of Avian Biology, 37, in press. Institution address Barbara Helm Max Planck Institute for Ornithology 82346 Andechs, Germany phone: ++ 49 8152 373 114 helm@orn.mpg.de