Spatial variation in avian phenological response to climate change linked to tree health

While there is overwhelming evidence for phenological responses of animal and plant populations to climate change, most studies have been conducted at the level of entire populations, thus neglecting the scale at which much selection operates and at which animals and plants respond to their environm...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cole, EF, Regan, CE, Sheldon, BC
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Springer Nature 2021
_version_ 1826307320215240704
author Cole, EF
Regan, CE
Sheldon, BC
author_facet Cole, EF
Regan, CE
Sheldon, BC
author_sort Cole, EF
collection OXFORD
description While there is overwhelming evidence for phenological responses of animal and plant populations to climate change, most studies have been conducted at the level of entire populations, thus neglecting the scale at which much selection operates and at which animals and plants respond to their environments. Here, using data from a 60-year study, we demonstrate marked small-scale spatial variation in the rate of change in timing of egg laying in great tits (Parus major). We show, further, that this variation is linked to changes in the health of a key primary producer, oak Quercus robur. The existence of small-scale spatial variability in responses to climate change has important implications for understanding the extent to which local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity govern responses to climate change, and for the role of behavioural responses such as habitat selection and dispersal to ameliorate challenges due to climate extremes.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T07:01:26Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:7b0c37bb-ab3d-4133-9934-c7c3be13f028
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-07T07:01:26Z
publishDate 2021
publisher Springer Nature
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:7b0c37bb-ab3d-4133-9934-c7c3be13f0282022-03-28T10:05:00ZSpatial variation in avian phenological response to climate change linked to tree healthJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:7b0c37bb-ab3d-4133-9934-c7c3be13f028EnglishSymplectic ElementsSpringer Nature2021Cole, EFRegan, CESheldon, BCWhile there is overwhelming evidence for phenological responses of animal and plant populations to climate change, most studies have been conducted at the level of entire populations, thus neglecting the scale at which much selection operates and at which animals and plants respond to their environments. Here, using data from a 60-year study, we demonstrate marked small-scale spatial variation in the rate of change in timing of egg laying in great tits (Parus major). We show, further, that this variation is linked to changes in the health of a key primary producer, oak Quercus robur. The existence of small-scale spatial variability in responses to climate change has important implications for understanding the extent to which local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity govern responses to climate change, and for the role of behavioural responses such as habitat selection and dispersal to ameliorate challenges due to climate extremes.
spellingShingle Cole, EF
Regan, CE
Sheldon, BC
Spatial variation in avian phenological response to climate change linked to tree health
title Spatial variation in avian phenological response to climate change linked to tree health
title_full Spatial variation in avian phenological response to climate change linked to tree health
title_fullStr Spatial variation in avian phenological response to climate change linked to tree health
title_full_unstemmed Spatial variation in avian phenological response to climate change linked to tree health
title_short Spatial variation in avian phenological response to climate change linked to tree health
title_sort spatial variation in avian phenological response to climate change linked to tree health
work_keys_str_mv AT coleef spatialvariationinavianphenologicalresponsetoclimatechangelinkedtotreehealth
AT regance spatialvariationinavianphenologicalresponsetoclimatechangelinkedtotreehealth
AT sheldonbc spatialvariationinavianphenologicalresponsetoclimatechangelinkedtotreehealth