Large-scale geographical variation confirms that climate change causes birds to lay earlier.
Advances in the phenology of organisms are often attributed to climate change, but alternatively, may reflect a publication bias towards advances and may be caused by environmental factors unrelated to climate change. Both factors are investigated using the breeding dates of 25 long-term studied populations of Ficedula flycatchers across Europe. Trends in spring temperature varied markedly between study sites, and across populations the advancement of laying date was stronger in areas where the spring temperatures increased more, giving support to the theory that climate change causally affects breeding date advancement.
Netherlands Institute of Ecology, PO Box 40, 6666ZG Heteren, The Netherlands. c.both@biol.rug.nl
Christiaan
C
Both
Aleksandr V
AV
Artemyev
Bert
B
Blaauw
Richard J
RJ
Cowie
Aarnoud J
AJ
Dekhuijzen
Tapio
T
Eeva
Anders
A
Enemar
Lars
L
Gustafsson
Elena V
EV
Ivankina
Antero
A
Järvinen
Neil B
NB
Metcalfe
N Erik I
NE
Nyholm
Jaime
J
Potti
Pierre-Alain
PA
Ravussin
Juan Jose
JJ
Sanz
Bengt
B
Silverin
Fred M
FM
Slater
Leonid V
LV
Sokolov
János
J
Török
Wolfgang
W
Winkel
Jonathan
J
Wright
Herwig
H
Zang
Marcel E
ME
Visser
D000818:Animals; D002980:Climate; D005060:Europe; D005843:Geography; D016014:Linear Models; D010507:Periodicity; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012621:Seasons; D020308:Songbirds / Q000502:physiology*; D013696:Temperature