Large–scale geographical variation confirms that climate change causes birds to lay earlier

Abstract

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.

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Affiliated Institutions

• University of Gothenburg SE
• University of Glasgow GB
• Umeå University SE
• Eötvös Loránd University HU
• Universidad de Alcalá ES
• Institute of Avian Research DE
• Karelian Research Centre RU
• Uppsala University SE
• University of Helsinki FI
• Netherlands Institute of Ecology NL
• Zoological Institute RU
• University of Turku FI
• Cardiff University GB
• Lomonosov Moscow State University RU
• Bangor University GB
• Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales ES

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