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Shifting nonbreeding distributions of migratory fauna in relation to climatic change.
- Source :
- Global Change Biology; Jan2005, Vol. 11 Issue 1, p31-38, 8p
- Publication Year :
- 2005
-
Abstract
- The distributions of eight out of nine common species of waders (Charadrii) overwintering on UK estuaries have changed in association with recent climate change. These birds represent a high proportion of various populations from breeding grounds as far apart as Greenland to the west to high-arctic Russia to the east. During warmer winters, smaller proportions of seven species wintered in south-west Britain. The distributions of the smaller species show the greatest temperature dependence. The opposite was found for the largest species and no relationship was found for a particularly site-faithful species. In north-west Europe, the winter isotherms have a broadly north to south alignment, with the east being colder than the west. The average minimum winter temperatures across the UK having increased by about 1.5°C since the mid-1980s, the temperatures on the east coast during recent winters have been similar to those of the west coast during the mid-1980s. On average, estuaries on the east and south coasts of Britain have muddier sediments than those on the west coast and thus support a higher biomass of the invertebrate prey of waders. We suggest that, with global climatic change, the advantage gained by waders wintering in the milder west to avoid cold weather-induced mortality is diminished. Consequently, more choose to winter in the east and thus benefit from better foraging opportunities. The implications of these results are considered in terms of a site-based approach to wildlife protection used in Europe and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 13541013
- Volume :
- 11
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Global Change Biology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 15382323
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1529-8817.2003.00876.x