Historical changes in the phenology of British Odonata are related to climate

Abstract

Responses of biota to climate change take a number of forms including distributional shifts, behavioural changes and life history changes. This study examined an extensive set of biological records to investigate changes in the timing of life history transitions (specifically emergence) in British Odonata between 1960 and 2004. The results show that there has been a significant, consistent advance in phenology in the taxon as a whole over the period of warming that is mediated by life history traits. British odonates without an egg diapause significantly advanced the leading edge (first quartile date) of the flight period by a mean of 2.73 days per decade ± 0.055 (s.e.m., n=19) or 5.82 ± 1.15 (s.e.m., n=19) per degree rise in temperature. Species exhibiting a diapause in the egg stage did not respond significantly to increases in UK temperatures. This study represents the first review of changes in odonate phenology in relation to climate change and shows that responses to global warming are mediated by life-history traits. The results suggest that the damped temperature oscillations experienced by aquatic organisms compared to terrestrial organisms are sufficient to evoke phenological responses similar to those of purely terrestrial taxa.

The mechanisms of phenology: the patterns and processes of phenological shifts

“…The time that a species reaches a developmental stage relative to others in the same taxonomic group (e.g., early vs. late flowering) is predicted to explain variation in phenological shift (e.g., early vs. late species). Many studies among diverse taxonomic groups including fungi (Kauserud et al 2008), insects (Hassall et al 2007, Diamond et al 2011, O'Neill et al 2012, Karlsson 2014, and plants (Price and Waser 1998, Abu-Asab et al 2001, Fitter and Fitter 2002, Dunne et al 2003, Menzel et al 2006b, Sherry et al 2007, Miller-Rushing and Primack 2008, Miller-Rushing and Inouye 2009, Morin et al 2009, Wolkovich et al 2012, Iler et al 2013, Mazer et al 2013, Cara-Donna et al 2014 show that species that complete a developmental stage earlier in the year exhibit larger phenological shifts than late species in the same community. However, a few studies report that late-season (insects; Altermatt 2010, Nufio et al 2010 or mid-season species shift phenology more than early season species (plants; Sherry et al 2007, Whittington et al 2015.…”

The influence of life history traits on the phenological response of British butterflies to climate variability since the late‐19th century

“…In general, insects that emerge earlier in the year tend to advance their phenology greater than later emerging species (Hassall et al 2007 (dragonflies), Altermatt 2010 (Lepidoptera), Bartomeus et al 2011 (bees)). Hassall et al (2007) suggest that phenology of later emerging species is influenced by both spring and summer temperatures which may moderate their phenological sensitivity.…”

Phenological shifts in hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae): linking measurement and mechanism

“…Insect phenology shows a degree of phylogenetic correlation where groups of related species share traits that impede responses to climate change (e.g. the egg diapause in Odonata, Hassall et al 2007). However, it may be that where traits are more labile the phylogenetic signal can be lost and the traits themselves constitute the main predictor of species responses to climate (e.g.…”