The altitudinal frontier in avian climate impact research

Chamberlain, Dan; Arlettaz, Raphaël; Caprio, Enrico; Maggini, Ramona; Pedrini, Paolo; Rolando, Antonio; Zbinden, Niklaus

doi:10.1111/j.1474-919x.2011.01196.x

Cited by 65 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Due largely to the difficulties of carrying out bird monitoring in such challenging environments, evidence on the effects of warming temperatures on altitudinal shifts of breeding birds are often limited in high alpine environments (Chamberlain et al 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Yet, assessing the impact of climate variation on demographic parameters is essential in order to predict the consequences of climate change on avian population dynamics (Saether et al 2000;Grosbois et al 2008). This is particularly true for species occupying arctic and alpine environments where extreme weather conditions prevail (Sandercock et al 2005;Chamberlain et al 2012). While many species have, to some extent, the phenotypic plasticity to cope with climate change (Walther et al 2002), one might expect specialist species, such as birds living at higher elevations or latitudes, to be more at risk.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…While many species have, to some extent, the phenotypic plasticity to cope with climate change (Walther et al 2002), one might expect specialist species, such as birds living at higher elevations or latitudes, to be more at risk. One threat is that high mountains are undergoing rapid changes both in climate and land use, which may result in the loss or increasing fragmentation of high alpine habitat (Martin 2001;Chamberlain et al 2012). In addition, it has been suggested that alpine and arctic birds will face increasing breeding challenges due to the greater climate variability associated with climate change (Martin and Wiebe 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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No short-term effects of climate change on the breeding of Rock Ptarmigan in the French Alps and Pyrenees

Novoa

Astruc

Desmet³

et al. 2016

J Ornithol

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In the last decades, the effects of climate warming have been particularly marked in high mountain areas. High-altitude species adapted to cold temperatures are consensually held to be particularly vulnerable to climate warming. Among these species at risk, alpine birds like the Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) are expected to exhibit a strong negative response, particularly at the southern margins of their ranges in the northern hemisphere. In this study, conducted from 1998 to 2011, we investigated whether variations in the local climate affected the breeding biology of Rock Ptarmigan in the French Alps and Pyrenees. The median hatching date did not significantly advance in either massif, suggesting that Rock Ptarmigan did not breed earlier during this period. The date of snowmelt and spring temperatures influenced the onset of breeding but not consistently in both sites. In the Alps, the median hatching date was significantly correlated with the date of snowmelt, but this correlation was less clear in the Pyrenees. Unlike woodland grouse which inhabit lower elevations, the onset of breeding in Rock Ptarmigan may be related to both date of snowmelt and spring temperatures. Reproductive success varied greatly over the years and among sites. On average, the number of young per adult in the Pyrenean population was greater than that recorded in the two populations in the Alps. A significant positive trend of reproductive success over the period of 2000-2009 was detected in the Pyrenees but not in the Alps. The model that best explained annual variation in reproductive success included the additive effects of site, date of total snowmelt and rainfall after hatching. The estimates from this model showed that for all sites, reproductive success was much lower when snowmelt was late, and rainfall after hatching was high. We did not detect any altitudinal changes in locations of either breeding females or nests, suggesting that the breeding habitat of the species has not shifted upward from 1998 to 2011. To conclude, although the Rock Ptarmigan is generally considered a potential sentinel species for indicating temperature-induced changes in alpine avifauna, our study did not show a short-term effect of climate change on the breeding biology of the southern populations of this species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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No short-term effects of climate change on the breeding of Rock Ptarmigan in the French Alps and Pyrenees

Novoa

Astruc

Desmet³

et al. 2016

J Ornithol

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“…Developing a better understanding of their population trends would be informative, potentially offering wider insights into the effects of environmental stresses on their sensitive breeding habitats (Thompson & Whitfield 1993, Van der Wal et al 2005, Welch et al 2005. Climate change in particular may pose a substantial challenge to birds and other biota associated with montane environments (Chamberlain et al 2012). Birds are expected to track shifts in suitable climate niches to higher altitudes in response to climate change (Huntley et al 2008, Maggini et al 2011, Lehikoinen et al 2014), but opportunities for vertical migration may be restricted for those species (e.g.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The conservation status of birds associated with montane habitats is poorly understood in Europe and elsewhere (Chamberlain et al 2012, but see Lehikoinen et al 2014), reflecting the challenges of monitoring species in such remote locations. Developing a better understanding of their population trends would be informative, potentially offering wider insights into the effects of environmental stresses on their sensitive breeding habitats (Thompson & Whitfield 1993, Van der Wal et al 2005, Welch et al 2005.…”

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confidence: 99%

Changes in the abundance and distribution of a montane specialist bird, the DotterelCharadrius morinellus, in the UK over 25 years

et al. 2015

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Island biogeography theory explains the genetic diversity of a fragmented rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) population

Costanzi

Steifetten

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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The island biogeography theory is one of the major theories in ecology, and its applicability to natural systems is well documented. The core model of the theory, the equilibrium model of island biogeography, predicts that species diversity on an island is positively related to the size of the island, but negatively related by the island's distance to the mainland. In recent years, ecologists have begun to apply this model when investigating genetic diversity, arguing that genetic and species diversity might be influenced by similar ecological processes. However, most studies have focused on oceanic islands, but knowledge on how the theory applies to islands located on the mainland (e.g., mountain islands, forest islands) is scarce. In this study, we examined how the size and degree of isolation of mountain islands would affect the genetic diversity of an alpine bird, the rock ptarmigan ( Lagopus muta ). Within our study area, we defined the largest contiguous mountain area as the mainland, while smaller mountains surrounding the mainland were defined as islands. We found that the observed heterozygosity ( H o ) was significantly higher, and the inbreeding coefficient ( F is ) significantly lower, on the mainland compared to islands. There was a positive significant relationship between the unbiased expected heterozygosity ( H n.b. ) and island size (log km 2 ), but a negative significant relationship between H o and the cost distance to the mainland. Our results are consistent with the equilibrium model of island biogeography and show that the model is well suited for investigating genetic diversity among islands, but also on islands located on the mainland.

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The altitudinal frontier in avian climate impact research

Cited by 65 publications

References 51 publications

No short-term effects of climate change on the breeding of Rock Ptarmigan in the French Alps and Pyrenees

No short-term effects of climate change on the breeding of Rock Ptarmigan in the French Alps and Pyrenees

Changes in the abundance and distribution of a montane specialist bird, the DotterelCharadrius morinellus, in the UK over 25 years

Island biogeography theory explains the genetic diversity of a fragmented rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) population

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