Data science used to examine how birds respond to climate change
Siobhan Treacy | August 25, 2020Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison conducted a study focused on how bird species respond to environmental changes, helping conservationists focus on the birds that need Short-distance migrants like yellow-bellied sapsuckers were negatively affected by heat waves, with their numbers reduced due to unlivable environmental conditions. Source: Jeremy Cohenthe most help adapting to climate change.
Because not all birds respond to weather changes in the same way, the team wondered how different bird species respond to weather events occurring for different amounts of time and how traits unique to their species affect their vulnerability to extreme weather.
To answer these questions, experts traditionally would observe a small number of bird species at various sites over a few years. The University of Wisconsin-Madison team looked at 109 bird species all over eastern North America over 15 years. They integrated their data with fine-scale satellite temperatures and precipitation data.
During the study, the team found that not all birds are equally vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather changes due to climate change, finding that some species may adapt while others struggle. This study could help conservationists target their efforts to the species and locations that are the most vulnerable.
The global citizen science initiative eBird, where bird watchers submit checklists of bird sightings online, including the species, number of birds, location and time of sightings, was used to gather data for the study. Researchers compiled over 830,000 checklists and integrated them with weather data from a week, month and three months before the observations were recorded. Researchers relied on advanced computing to manage the information.
Results showed that some species are less sensitive to extreme weather and bird populations are not equally exposed to climate change effects because some areas are warming faster than others. They found that long-distance migrant birds are not really affected by heatwaves. These birds spend winter in tropical environments and, consequently, are more tolerant of heat. On the other hand, resident birds and short-distance migrants responded negatively to heatwaves. The team observed that the number of these birds declined by 10% to 30% over several weeks.
The team also looked at bird response to drought, another effect of climate change. They found that commonly occurring species are more resilient than rare birds during severe and long-lasting drought. Rarer bird species require more specialized habitats and food requirements while common species have more options.
Researchers said this is the first study to look at how birds respond immediately after weather events and it will allow conservationists to better understand how many species are likely to be affected by climate change and work toward mitigating the negative effects.
This study was published in Global Change Biology.