ENVIRONMENT
Matt Kennedy
17 hours ago
3 PICTURES
The great tit
(Parus major) is known to adapt reasonably well to normal climate change
(Credit: Bernard Castelein, Leibniz IZW)
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Led by specialists from Leibniz
Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin, Germany, a team of 64
researchers from around the world found that even when looking at species known
to adjust quickly to variations, the outlook wasn't positive.
For the study, the researchers
looked at data for fairly common birds, known to have already developed adaptive
behavior (and sometimes physical characteristics) in response to climate change.
While birds such as the great tit (parus major), the common magpie (pica pica)
and the European pied flycatcher (ficedula hypoleuca) made up the bulk of the
sample, data on Mississippi painted turtles from Iowa
State University in the US was also included. This data was contributed by
Fredric Janzen – a professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology at ISU
– who has been observing these turtles for decades.
Janzen's research found similar
patterns of adaptation in the turtles, but since they live far longer than most
birds, the effect of rapid climate change – and their ability to adapt in step
with that change – isn't as obvious. So any changes in climate now could have
serious repercussions for successful breeding among the turtles many years down
the line.
The research focused on two
primary areas of change, phenological adjustments –
which involves shifting of the timing of processes such as hibernation,
reproduction and migration – and morphological changes such as body size, weight
and even the shape and size of birds' bills.
The team looked at specific
climate data for the habitats of the chosen species and correlated this with
changes in phenological and morphological traits and then looked at whether
these adaptations resulted in better survival rates or more offspring. While
morphological changes have long been associated with climate change, the study
found no consistent patterns. Phenological adaptations on the other hand were
clearly correlated.
"Our research focused on birds
because complete data on other groups were scarce," says lead author Viktoriia
Radchuk from Leibniz IZW. "We demonstrate that in temperate regions, the rising
temperatures are associated with the shift of the timing of biological events to
earlier dates."
Though they weren't part of this
study, researchers are understandably pessimistic about the adaptive abilities
of rare or endangered species in the face of rapid climate change. The team
hopes that this large scale meta analysis will encourage further research into
the resilience of animal populations facing rapid changes in climate which could
then go on to inform better conservation management planning.
A paper on the study has been
published in the journal Nature
Communications.
Sources: New Atlas URL:
https://newatlas.com/climate-change-animals-adapt-leibniz-izw-meta-study/60893/IZW
Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Iowa
State University