For a migratory species like the Willow Flycatcher, where does adaptation pressure manifest besides the breeding grounds?
Answer
During migration or wintering
The Willow Flycatcher faces a twofold requirement for adaptation due to its migratory lifestyle. While significant scientific focus is placed on the breeding grounds where phenology (timing) and local tolerance to heat must adjust, the pressures do not cease there. Because the species travels between North America and Mexico/Central America, adaptation may also need to occur, or at least be accommodated, during the arduous migratory phases or while surviving the conditions encountered on the wintering grounds, though breeding ground adaptation currently receives more intensive research focus.
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