CNS Team Examines Migratory Species and Their Response to Climate Change
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As the calls of southbound Canada Geese drift overhead, we’re reminded of the massive movement of migratory birds that takes place around the world each year. One such species, the Hudsonian Godwit, is getting a special spotlight, thanks to a paper co-authored by Nathan Senner—an associate professor in the College of Natural Sciences’s Department of Environmental Conservation—published recently in The Proceedings of the Royal Society B. This paper on the Hudsonian Godwit has far-reaching implications for our understanding of how migratory species respond to climate change.
As climate change continues to impact the routines of virtually every organism on the planet, the authors of this paper noticed that Hudsonian Godwits, an extreme long-distance migratory bird, are arriving later—not earlier—to their breeding grounds.
“The populations of many migratory bird species are rapidly declining, and an inability to respond to climate change is thought to be one of the causes,” explains Senner. “This paper details an unexpected delay in the spring migration of a charismatic long-distance migrant gathered from rare, long-term tracking data. It therefore can help pinpoint why birds are having trouble adequately responding to climate change.”
Climate change is causing springs to occur earlier. In order to ensure that their young have enough food to grow and survive, migratory birds must now migrate earlier in spring than they did in the past.
So why are the Hudsonian Godwits delayed? “This is because they are leaving their wintering grounds in South America almost a week later than they did a decade ago,” argues Senner. “Arriving six days later to their Alaskan breeding grounds is, in turn, likely having negative consequences for their ability to successfully breed.”
The results found in this paper emphasize the need for a more holistic approach to assessing the vulnerability of migratory species and the adaptiveness of changes in migration timing.
Click here to read this paper in The Proceedings of the Royal Society B.