Foraging behaviour of mulga birds in Western Australia. I. Use of resources and temporal effects

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry F. Recher ◽  
William E. Davis Jr
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Heavy Rain ◽  
Winter Rainfall ◽  
Extreme Heat Events ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Heat Events

The foraging behaviour of mulga birds in the Murchison and Gascoyne Bioregions was studied in 1999 following a period of heavy rain and again in 2002 when it was dry. Mulga birds allocated foraging resources in a similar fashion to other bird communities, with species differing in the way that prey were taken, the substrates and plant species on which prey were found, and the heights at which prey were sought. The numbers of birds and bird species in the study areas declined with drier conditions and there was less breeding activity. Nomadic species, including honeyeaters, seed-eaters, and insect-eaters, largely left the area as it became drier and food resources changed. The birds that remained foraged differently when it was drier than when conditions were wetter and food more abundant. These observations illustrate the fragility of the mulga avifauna and its likely sensitivity to long-term climate change with predicted increasing temperatures, more extreme heat events, and reduced winter rainfall. Conservation of mulga birds and associated flora and fauna requires a whole-of-landscape approach and the adoption of land management practices by Australian governments and land managers that will allow species to adapt to climate change and guarantee their right to evolve.

Physiological and morphological effects of climate change

2019 ◽  
pp. 120-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew E. McKechnie
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
High Temperatures ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Heat Events

The direct impacts of higher temperatures on birds are manifested over timescales ranging from minutes and hours to years and decades. Over short timescales, acute exposure to high temperatures can lead to hyperthermia or dehydration, which among arid-zone species occasionally causes catastrophic mortality events. Over intermediate timescales of days to weeks, high temperatures can have chronic sub-lethal effects via body mass loss or reduced nestling growth rates, negatively affecting sev eral fitness components. Long-term effects of warming manifested over years to decades involve declining body mass or changes in appendage size. Key directions for future research include elucidating the role of phenotypic plasticity and epigenetic processes in avian adaptation to climate change, examining the role of stress pathways in mediating responses to heat events, and understanding the consequences of higher temperatures for species that traverse hot regions while migrating.

scholarly journals Analysis of Long-Term Trends of Annual and Seasonal Rainfall in the Awash River Basin, Ethiopia

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Mulugeta ◽  
Clifford Fedler ◽  
Mekonen Ayana
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Seasonal Rainfall ◽  
Winter Rainfall ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Awash River Basin ◽  
Long Term Trends ◽  
Increasing Trends

With climate change prevailing around the world, understanding the changes in long-term annual and seasonal rainfall at local scales is very important in planning for required adaptation measures. This is especially true for areas such as the Awash River basin where there is very high dependence on rain- fed agriculture characterized by frequent droughts and subsequent famines. The aim of the study is to analyze long-term trends of annual and seasonal rainfall in the Awash River Basin, Ethiopia. Monthly rainfall data extracted from Climatic Research Unit (CRU 4.01) dataset for 54 grid points representing the entire basin were aggregated to find the respective areal annual and seasonal rainfall time series for the entire basin and its seven sub-basins. The Mann-Kendall (MK) test and Sen Slope estimator were applied to the time series for detecting the trends and for estimating the rate of change, respectively. The Statistical software package R version 3.5.2 was used for data extraction, data analyses, and plotting. Geographic information system (GIS) package was also used for grid making, site selection, and mapping. The results showed that no significant trend (at α = 0.05) was identified in annual rainfall in all sub-basins and over the entire basin in the period (1902 to 2016). However, the results for seasonal rainfall are mixed across the study areas. The summer rainfall (June through September) showed significant decreasing trend (at α ≤ 0.1) over five of the seven sub-basins at a rate varying from 4 to 7.4 mm per decade but it showed no trend over the two sub-basins. The autumn rainfall (October through January) showed no significant trends over four of the seven sub-basins but showed increasing trends over three sub-basins at a rate varying from 2 to 5 mm per decade. The winter rainfall (February through May) showed no significant trends over four sub-basins but showed significant increasing trends (at α ≤ 0.1) over three sub-basins at a rate varying from 0.6 to 2.7 mm per decade. At the basin level, the summer rainfall showed a significant decreasing trend (at α = 0.05) while the autumn and winter rainfall showed no significant trends. In addition, shift in some amount of summer rainfall to winter and autumn season was noticed. It is evident that climate change has shown pronounced effects on the trends and patterns of seasonal rainfall. Thus, the study contribute to better understanding of climate change in the basin and the information from the study can be used in planning for adaptation measures against a changing climate.

scholarly journals Long-Term Population Dynamics of Namib Desert Tenebrionid Beetles Reveal Complex Relationships to Pulse-Reserve Conditions

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 804
Author(s):  
Joh R. Henschel
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Rain ◽  
Population Variation ◽  
Population Bottlenecks ◽  
Namib Desert ◽  
Winter Rainfall ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
High Species Diversity ◽  
Complex Relationships ◽  
Coleoptera Tenebrionidae

Noy-Meir’s paradigm concerning desert populations being predictably tied to unpredictable productivity pulses was tested by examining abundance trends of 26 species of flightless detritivorous tenebrionid beetles (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) in the hyper-arid Namib Desert (MAP = 25 mm). Over 45 years, tenebrionids were continuously pitfall trapped on a gravel plain. Species were categorised according to how their populations increased after 22 effective rainfall events (>11 mm in a week), and declined with decreasing detritus reserves (97.7–0.2 g m−2), while sustained by nonrainfall moisture. Six patterns of population variation were recognised: (a) increases triggered by effective summer rainfalls, tracking detritus over time (five species, 41% abundance); (b) irrupting upon summer rainfalls, crashing a year later (three, 18%); (c) increasing gradually after series of heavy (>40 mm) rainfall years, declining over the next decade (eight, 15%); (d) triggered by winter rainfall, population fluctuating moderately (two, 20%); (e) increasing during dry years, declining during wet (one, 0.4%); (f) erratic range expansions following heavy rain (seven, 5%). All species experienced population bottlenecks during a decade of scant reserves, followed by the community cycling back to its earlier composition after 30 years. By responding selectively to alternative configurations of resources, Namib tenebrionids showed temporal patterns and magnitudes of population fluctuation more diverse than predicted by Noy-Meir’s original model, underpinning high species diversity.

scholarly journals A heatwave forecast service for Australia

2019 ◽  
Vol 131 (1) ◽  
pp. 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynette Bettio ◽  
John R. Nairn ◽  
Steven C. McGibbony ◽  
Pandora Hope ◽  
Andrew Tupper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Australian Bureau ◽  
Extreme Heat ◽  
Extreme Heat Events ◽  
Health Infrastructure ◽  
Weather And Climate ◽  
High Maximum ◽  
Heat Events

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology monitors, researches, predicts and communicates Australia’s weather and climate. Australia’s mean temperature has risen by over 1°C since 1910, leading to an increase in the frequency of extreme heat events. Extreme heat can profoundly impact human health, infrastructure and the environment. Research conducted at the Bureau and elsewhere shows that climate change is impacting the intensity and frequency of extreme heat events. One way that the Bureau has responded to this challenge is by providing a forecast service specifically targeted at identifying heatwaves. The heatwave service identifies areas expected to be impacted by three or more consecutive days of unusually high maximum and minimum temperatures on a national map. The service has been developed with clear impact-based categories of heatwave severity. This heatwave service is now available operationally on the Bureau’s website during the heatwave season (nominally November to March) and is proving a valuable tool for engaging the community, including emergency services, with forecasts and warnings of extreme heat.

scholarly journals Climate Change Perception and Adaptation in a Remote Costa Rican Agricultural Community

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn E. Smith ◽  
Maren Oelbermann
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Costa Rican ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Agricultural Community ◽  
Agroecosystem Management

Current agroecosystem management practices in tropical latitudes may not be an economically feasible and an effective long-term adaptation strategy to climate change. As such, implementing, improving and refining sustainable land management practices may be a more effective adaptation strategy. This study determined the perception and knowledge of climate change by landowners in a remote Costa Rican agricultural community, and evaluated the type of sustainable agricultural practices currently implemented and how such practices could also serve as a climate change adaptation strategy. Based on this information, recommendations for successful adaptation applicable to other communities were also discussed. This study showed that community members observed changes in local weather patterns over the past decade, which paralleled changes in the distribution patterns of vegetation and wildlife. Results also showed that community members had a good understanding of climate change and its potential impact(s) on agricultural production. Community members were continually striving to implement long-term sustainable agroecosystem management practices to maintain productivity, integrity and agroecosystem resilience while also meeting economic and socioecological needs. For example, implementing seedbanks helped to improve the quality of crops and provided a source of seeds adapted to current climate conditions. Other adaptation strategies included agroforestry for soil and water conservation and as a source of fruits, nuts and forage for people and livestock. The use of livestock nutritional supplements to offset low-quality forage during the now more intense dry season, compared to previous dry seasons, were also used as an adaptation strategy. An affiliation with social networks to help access resources and implement sustainable agriculture and climate change adaptation strategies were essential in this community. Based on surveys with community members, this study developed a 3- stage plan for developing successful adaptation programs for application in other small agricultural communities in tropical latitudes.

scholarly journals Early effects of climate change: do they include changes in vector-borne disease?

2001 ◽  
Vol 356 (1411) ◽  
pp. 1057-1068 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. Kovats ◽  
D. H. Campbell-Lendrum ◽  
A. J. McMichel ◽  
A. Woodward ◽  
J. St H. Cox
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Climate Change Effects ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Early Effects ◽  
The Impact

The world's climate appears now to be changing at an unprecedented rate. Shifts in the distribution and behaviour of insect and bird species indicate that biological systems are already responding to this change. It is well established that climate is an important determinant of the spatial and temporal distribution of vectors and pathogens. In theory, a change in climate would be expected to cause changes in the geographical range, seasonality (intra–annual variability), and in the incidence rate (with or without changes in geographical or seasonal patterns). The detection and then attribution of such changes to climate change is an emerging task for scientists. We discuss the evidence required to attribute changes in disease and vectors to the early effects of anthropogenic climate change. The literature to date indicates that there is a lack of strong evidence of the impact of climate change on vector–borne diseases (i.e. malaria, dengue, leishmaniasis, tick–borne diseases). New approaches to monitoring, such as frequent and long–term sampling along transects to monitor the full latitudinal and altitudinal range of specific vector species, are necessary in order to provide convincing direct evidence of climate change effects. There is a need to reassess the appropriate levels of evidence, including dealing with the uncertainties attached to detecting the health impacts of global change.

scholarly journals Climate Hazard Assessment for Stakeholder Adaptation Planning in New York City

2011 ◽  
Vol 50 (11) ◽  
pp. 2247-2266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radley M. Horton ◽  
Vivien Gornitz ◽  
Daniel A. Bader ◽  
Alex C. Ruane ◽  
Richard Goldberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
York City ◽  
Extreme Event ◽  
Adaptation Planning ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Climate Services ◽  
Heat Events

AbstractThis paper describes a time-sensitive approach to climate change projections that was developed as part of New York City’s climate change adaptation process and that has provided decision support to stakeholders from 40 agencies, regional planning associations, and private companies. The approach optimizes production of projections given constraints faced by decision makers as they incorporate climate change into long-term planning and policy. New York City stakeholders, who are well versed in risk management, helped to preselect the climate variables most likely to impact urban infrastructure and requested a projection range rather than a single “most likely” outcome. The climate projections approach is transferable to other regions and is consistent with broader efforts to provide climate services, including impact, vulnerability, and adaptation information. The approach uses 16 GCMs and three emissions scenarios to calculate monthly change factors based on 30-yr average future time slices relative to a 30-yr model baseline. Projecting these model mean changes onto observed station data for New York City yields dramatic changes in the frequency of extreme events such as coastal flooding and dangerous heat events. On the basis of these methods, the current 1-in-10-year coastal flood is projected to occur more than once every 3 years by the end of the century and heat events are projected to approximately triple in frequency. These frequency changes are of sufficient magnitude to merit consideration in long-term adaptation planning, even though the precise changes in extreme-event frequency are highly uncertain.

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