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- Devictor, Vincent, et al.
(author)
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Differences in the climatic debts of birds and butterflies at a continental scale
- 2012
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In: Nature Climate Change. - 1758-6798. ; 2:2, s. 121-124
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Climate changes have profound effects on the distribution of numerous plant and animal species(1-3). However, whether and how different taxonomic groups are able to track climate changes at large spatial scales is still unclear. Here, we measure and compare the climatic debt accumulated by bird and butterfly communities at a European scale over two decades (1990-2008). We quantified the yearly change in community composition in response to climate change for 9,490 bird and 2,130 butterfly communities distributed across Europe(4). We show that changes in community composition are rapid but different between birds and butterflies and equivalent to a 37 and 114 km northward shift in bird and butterfly communities, respectively. We further found that, during the same period, the northward shift in temperature in Europe was even faster, so that the climatic debts of birds and butterflies correspond to a 212 and 135 km lag behind climate. Our results indicate both that birds and butterflies do not keep up with temperature increase and the accumulation of different climatic debts for these groups at national and continental scales.
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3. |
- Gamero, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Tracking Progress Toward EU Biodiversity Strategy Targets : EU Policy Effects in Preserving its Common Farmland Birds
- 2017
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In: Conservation Letters. - : Wiley. - 1755-263X. ; 10:4, s. 395-402
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Maximizing the area under biodiversity-related conservation measures is a main target of the European Union (EU) Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. We analyzed whether agrienvironmental schemes (AES) within EU common agricultural policy, special protected areas for birds (SPAs), and Annex I designation within EU Birds Directive had an effect on bird population changes using monitoring data from 39 farmland bird species from 1981 to 2012 at EU scale. Populations of resident and short-distance migrants were larger with increasing SPAs and AES coverage, while Annex I species had higher population growth rates with increasing SPAs, indicating that SPAs may contribute to the protection of mainly target species and species spending most of their life cycle in the EU. Because farmland birds are in decline and the negative relationship of agricultural intensification with their population growth rates was evident during the implementation of AES and SPAs, EU policies seem to generally attenuate the declines of farmland bird populations, but not to reverse them.
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4. |
- Grünwald, Jan, et al.
(author)
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Ecological traits predict population trends of urban birds in Europe
- 2024
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In: Ecological Indicators. - 1470-160X. ; 160
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The population dynamics of urban animals has been so far remarkably understudied. At the same time, urban species’ population trends can provide important information on the consequences of environmental changes in cities. We modelled long-term population trends of 93 bird species breeding in urban areas in 16 European countries as a function of species’ traits, characterising variability in their urbanization and ecology. We found that: (i) earlier colonisers have more negative population trends than recent colonisers; (ii) more urbanized open habitat species had more positive population trends than less urbanized open habitat species; (iii) highly urbanized birds breeding above the ground had more negative trends than highly urbanized ground breeders. These patterns can be explained by several processes occurring in cities as well as outside city borders. Namely, (i) pre-industrial colonisers might struggle to persist in rapidly changing urban areas, limiting their foraging and breeding opportunities of the birds. (ii) Open habitats are under pressure of intensive agricultural exploitation in rural areas, which may negatively affect populations of less urbanized birds. In contrast, urban areas do not experience such pressure keeping the trends of urbanized open habitat species more positive. (iii) Differences in population trends between highly urbanized ground and above-ground breeders suggest that the latter may lose their breeding opportunities in modern buildings that do not provide suitable breeding sites. Our results indicate that even once successful, city dwellers may not keep pace with changes in urban areas, but these areas may also provide suitable habitats for biodiversity.
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6. |
- Heldbjerg, Henning, et al.
(author)
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Contrasting population trends of common starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) across Europe
- 2019
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In: Ornis Fennica. - 0030-5685. ; 96:4, s. 153-168
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The greatest loss of biodiversity in the EU has occurred on agricultural land. The Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is one of the many numerous and widespread European farmland breeding bird species showing major population declines linked to European agricultural intensification. Here we present results based on monitoring data collected since 1975 in 24 countries to examine the influence of changing extent of grassland and cattle abundance (based on results of earlier studies showing the importance of lowland cattle grazed grassland for the species), wintering provenance and temperature on national breeding population trends of Starlings across Europe. Positive Starling population trends in Central-East Europe contrast with negative trends in North and West Europe. Based on this indicative approach, we found some support for the importance of cattle stock and no support for grassland, temperature or wintering provenance to explain Starling population trends in Europe. However, we acknowledge such a European-wide analysis may conceal regional differences in responses and suggest that currently accessible national land use data might be insufficient to describe the detailed current changes in animal husbandry and grassland management that may be responsible for changes in food availability and hence breeding Starling abundance and their differences across Europe. Reviewing results from local studies relating Starling population trends to local agricultural change offer contradictory results, suggesting complex interacting processes at work. We recommend combining national datasets on demography, land-use/agricultural practices and from autecological research to better explain the reasons for contrasting Starling trends across Europe, to enable us to predict how changing agriculture will affect Starlings and potentially suggest mitigation measures to restore local populations where possible.
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7. |
- Jaffre, Mikael, et al.
(author)
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Long-Term Phenological Shifts in Raptor Migration and Climate
- 2013
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In: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 8:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Climate change is having a discernible effect on many biological and ecological processes. Among observed changes, modifications in bird phenology have been widely documented. However, most studies have interpreted phenological shifts as gradual biological adjustments in response to the alteration of the thermal regime. Here we analysed a long-term dataset (1980-2010) of short-distance migratory raptors in five European regions. We revealed that the responses of these birds to climate-induced changes in autumn temperatures are abrupt and synchronous at a continental scale. We found that when the temperatures increased, birds delayed their mean passage date of autumn migration. Such delay, in addition to an earlier spring migration, suggests that a significant warming may induce an extension of the breeding-area residence time of migratory raptors, which may eventually lead to residency.
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8. |
- Jiguet, Frédéric, et al.
(author)
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An update of the European breeding population sizes and trends of the Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana)
- 2016
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In: Ornis Fennica. - : University of Helsinki. - 0030-5685. ; 93:3, s. 186-196
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Following recent updates proposed by BirdLife International and further updates across Europe gathered in the context of a continent-wide study of the migration strategy of the species, we propose here an update of national population sizes and associated recent trends of the Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana). Previous estimates for the period 1999-2002 reported 5,200,000 to 16,000,000 breeding pairs, for an area extending east to European Russia, and south to the Caucasus and Turkey. The countries holding the largest populations were Turkey (3-10 million pairs) and Russia (1.5-5.0 million pairs). The updated results give approximately 3,319,000 to 7,057,000 pairs in Europe (for the period 2012-2014), representing a c. 50% decrease in numbers over the last decade. This decrease is partly due to overestimates proposed in previous reports for the key country, Turkey, which is now considered to support only 500,000 to 1,000,000 pairs. Russia still holds 2.0-4.3 million pairs, although with an estimated decline of c.15-30% since 2000. Overall, within the 39 European countries assessed here, recent decadal trends (on average 2000-2012) in population size are reported as unknown in 15 countries, increasing in 2 countries (Germany and Serbia), stable or fluctuating in 6 countries, and decreasing in 16 countries including recent extinctions in Belgium, Hungary, Slovakia and the Netherlands. Overall, declining populations are mostly located in northern Europe, and fourteen of the 15 northern European countries with a known national trend have declining breeding populations, suggesting that northern breeders are of particular conservation concern.
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9. |
- Jiguet, Frederic, et al.
(author)
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Bird population trends are linearly affected by climate change along species thermal ranges
- 2010
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In: Royal Society of London. Proceedings B. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 1471-2954. ; 277:1700, s. 3601-3608
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Beyond the effects of temperature increase on local population trends and on species distribution shifts, how populations of a given species are affected by climate change along a species range is still unclear. We tested whether and how species responses to climate change are related to the populations locations within the species thermal range. We compared the average 20 year growth rates of 62 terrestrial breeding birds in three European countries along the latitudinal gradient of the species ranges. After controlling for factors already reported to affect bird population trends (habitat specialization, migration distance and body mass), we found that populations breeding close to the species thermal maximum have lower growth rates than those in other parts of the thermal range, while those breeding close to the species thermal minimum have higher growth rates. These results were maintained even after having controlled for the effect of latitude per se. Therefore, the results cannot solely be explained by latitudinal clines linked to the geographical structure in local spring warming. Indeed, we found that populations are not just responding to changes in temperature at the hottest and coolest parts of the species range, but that they show a linear graded response across their European thermal range. We thus provide insights into how populations respond to climate changes. We suggest that projections of future species distributions, and also management options and conservation assessments, cannot be based on the assumption of a uniform response to climate change across a species range or at range edges only.
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10. |
- Jiguet, Frederic, et al.
(author)
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Current population trends mirror forecasted changes in climatic suitability for Swedish breeding birds
- 2013
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In: Bird Study. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0006-3657 .- 1944-6705. ; 60:1, s. 60-66
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Capsule Swedish breeding bird species that are predicted to experience a more suitable climate by 2050 are currently increasing in numbers. Aims To test, for a large set of breeding birds, if recent population trends mirror the changes in predicted climatic suitability across the Swedish distribution range, and to test if considering natal dispersal improves the fit of the predictive models. Methods Recent decadal population trends of 131 species of birds breeding in Sweden were compared to forecasted change in their future national distribution range by 2050, as simulated by suitability distribution models using climate and natal dispersal scenarios. Two other potential predictors of recent demographic trends are controlled for - namely habitat specialization and generation time. Results The 1998-2009 population trends were positively correlated with predicted changes in distribution range. Thus, forecasted changes in climatic suitability predict recent population trends. Accounting for the species-specific natal dispersal provided only a slightly better fit. Conclusion Recent climate change has affected the population size of Swedish breeding birds. Climatic suitability models can be an efficient tool for predicting the impacts of climate change on the abundance of birds.
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