Climate change is already reshuffling the UK's wildlife calendar, and it's likely this will continue into the future, according to new research published this week in the journal Nature.
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| The study used the date of first flowering as a sign of spring [Credit: Ross Newham/Centre for Ecology & Hydrology] |
Seasonal relationships between predators, such as insect-eating birds and plankton-eating fish, and their prey could be disrupted in the future. This could affect the breeding success and survival of these species, with possible consequences for UK biodiversity.
The analysis shows that, given these patterns in climate sensitivity, species in the middle of food webs, such as some insects and plankton species, which feed on plants but are themselves fed on by predators, are likely to change their seasonal "behaviour" the most in future.
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| Data from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme was used in the analysis [Credit: Heather Lowther/Centre for Ecology & Hydrology] |
The data represented three levels of the food chain, primary producers (such as flowering plants and algae), primary consumers (such as seed-eating birds and herbivorous insects) and secondary consumers (such as insect-eating birds, fish and mammals).
Species records were combined with national temperature and rainfall data to show that plants and animals not only vary greatly in their sensitivity to climate change, but that species at different levels in food chains have been responding to climate in different ways. Using the current best estimates of climate change, the study forecasts that by 2050, primary consumers will have shifted their seasonal timing by more than twice as much as species at other trophic levels—an average of 6.2 days earlier versus 2.5¬¬-2.9 days, although there is substantial variation among taxonomic groups.
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| Scientists surveying freshwater invertebrates. The study involved more than 370,000 observations of seasonal events [Credit: Centre for Ecology & Hydrology] |
Dr Thackeray added, "Our findings highlight the importance of managing ecosystems within a 'safe operating space' with respect to the likely impacts of projected climate change."
The study combined data collected as part of long-running scientific monitoring schemes, and also extensive citizen science initiatives, capitalising on the rich tradition of biological recording in the UK.
Colonies of the algae Syncrypta/Synura, each one made up of many separate cells with
whip-like tails (flagella) that are used for swimming. One of the datasets used in
the paper [Credit: Dr. Stephen Thackeray/Centre for Ecology & Hydrology]
whip-like tails (flagella) that are used for swimming. One of the datasets used in
the paper [Credit: Dr. Stephen Thackeray/Centre for Ecology & Hydrology]
Co-author Dr Deborah Hemming, from the Met Office, said, "We are lucky in the UK to have a long history of people fascinated with observing and recording events in nature. By quantifying the relationships between these phenological records and climate data across the UK, we identify many phenological events that are extremely sensitive to climate variations. These provide ideal early indicators, or sentinels, for monitoring and responding to the impacts of climate variability and change on nature."
Co-author Sian Atkinson, senior conservation advisor with the Woodland Trust, said, "Volunteers with our Nature's Calendar project contribute thousands of records each year on the timing of seasonal events. The resulting database is an invaluable resource for scientists studying the potential impacts of climate change. This piece of research demonstrates how very valuable such records are in helping us to build a picture of the likely impacts of climate change for our wildlife."
Source: Centre for Ecology & Hydrology [June 29, 2016]