GREAT TITS LOVE GLOBAL WARMING

Finally, an article on global warming I thought I could get my teeth into, but I just could not get a firm grasp on the global warming part.  I will try to get a better hold on this subject later, and if find my grasp slipping,  I may have to sleep on it, and dwell over it again in the morning. I may have to look into this closely, look behind the article to find what supporting facts are holding up this matter.   Oh well, sometimes, things are not as they sound.  --John--

GREAT TITS LOVE GLOBAL WARMING

by Roger Highfield, Science Editor, Telegraph.co.uk on line

Climate change has already produced shifts in the distribution of some species, such as amphibians, grasses, migratory birds and butterflies, and by one estimate around one million species worldwide are in danger of extinction over the next half century.

But the great tit (Parus major) has changed its behaviour to take climate change in its stride, according to research by scientists from the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh.

Great tit nestling ready to leave the nest. Synchronization between the date of hatching and the date of caterpillar peak abundance in the environment is very important for the survival prospects of nestlings   The reason for extinctions are many fold. For some species there will no longer be anywhere with a suitable climate for them to survive; in other cases they may be unable to reach distant regions where the climate is suitable. Other species may survive elsewhere only to face new threats, notably if the new area is covered by crops or urban sprawl. But the study of data that goes back 47 years on the great tits in Wytham Woods, (Wytham Woods must be a very popular Great Tit watching area, wonder if you have to make reservations?--John--) near Oxford, published in Science by Anne Charmantier and colleagues shows that the birds have modified their breeding schedule over the years to adapt to the warming climate. The birds are now laying their eggs, on average, two weeks earlier than half a century ago. The change enables them to make the most of seasonal food: a bonanza of caterpillars that now also occurs around two weeks earlier due to warmer spring temperatures. Newly hatched great tits. Syncronisation between the date of hatching and the date of caterpillar peak abundance is very important for the survival prospects of nestlings   In this great tit population, female birds are able to adapt their behaviour from year to year to respond to changing environmental conditions," says Prof Ben Sheldon, senior author of the study. "They have been able to keep track with the changes that have happened over recent decades, showing that population responses to climate change can be driven by the adaptability of individuals rather than genetic changes." Population numbers have roughly doubled since 1960, in line with a general increase in numbers of great tits across the country. (Like the sound of that--John--)   While the data from nearly 10,000 breeding reports shows an overall trend of birds laying eggs earlier in response to warmer spring temperatures, there is surprisingly little variation between individual females as their behaviour closely follows the 'early bird' trend, as if all the birds "know" how to cope

But not all great tits are responding the same way. (Tell me about it!--John--)  Prof Sheldon comments: "While our study shows how important it is to be able to adjust behaviour from year to year, the lack of variation between individuals in their response to climate change is surprising and contrasts with a recent study of Dutch great tits - which found a much greater variation in flexibility between individual birds.  (I for one would welcome more study on Great English Tits and Great Dutch Tits--John)

Little is known about the basis of this sort of behavioural adaptability and why it can vary within species. More work is also needed to discover whether the close matching of the changing environment found by the birds in our study is, indeed, unusual."

Co-author Dr Loeske Kruuk of Edinburgh adds: "If temperatures continue to rise, we do not know whether the birds will be able to track the advancing food peak so closely; although up to now they have kept up remarkably well, we don't know what will happen once temperatures rise to yet higher levels."

One recent study in the journal Nature predicted that climate changes over the next half century will eventually make a quarter of land animals and plants extinct, unless greenhouse gas emissions are drastically reduced.

"Although the current study shows that some populations may have the innate ability to respond immediately to changing environmental conditions, it is very likely that there are limits on this ability to change, and we may well soon reach a point at which populations fail to keep up," says Dr Kruuk.

The bird is a common species throughout Europe and Asia in any sort of woodland and is found throughout the UK (except for the Northern Isles and Western Isles of Scotland).  (This cannot be right, I have it from reliable sources that there are Great Tits in Scotland!--John)

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