Avian responses to extreme weather across functional traits and temporal scales. (26th May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cohen, Jeremy M.; Fink, Daniel; Zuckerberg, Benjamin
• Is Part Of: Global change biology. Volume 26:Number 8(2020)
• Page Start: 4240
• Page End: 4250
• Publication Date: 2020-05-26
• Subjects: citizen science -- climate change -- droughts -- dynamic species distribution models -- eBird -- extreme weather -- flooding -- heat waves; Climatic changes -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Troposphere -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Biodiversity conservation -- Periodicals; Eutrophication -- Periodicals; 551.5
• DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15133
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1354-1013

Abstract

Abstract: Extreme weather, including heat waves, droughts, and high rainfall, is becoming more common and affecting a diversity of species and taxa. However, researchers lack a framework that can anticipate how diverse species will respond to weather extremes spanning weeks to months. Here we used high‐resolution occurrence data from eBird, a global citizen science initiative, and dynamic species distribution models to examine how 109 North American bird species ranging in migration distance, diet, body size, habitat preference, and prevalence (commonness) respond to extreme heat, drought, and rainfall across a wide range of temporal scales. Across species, temperature influenced species' distributions more than precipitation at weekly and monthly scales, while precipitation was more important at seasonal scales. Phylogenetically controlled multivariate models revealed that migration distance was the most important factor mediating responses to extremely hot or dry weeks; residents and short‐distance migrants occurred less often following extreme heat. At monthly or seasonal scales, less common birds experienced decreases in occurrence following drought‐like conditions, while widespread species were unaffected. Spatial predictions demonstrated variation in responses to extreme weather across species' ranges, with predicted decreases in occurrence up to 40% in parts of ranges. Our results highlight that extreme weather has variable and potentially strong implications for birds at different time scales, but these responses are mediated by life‐history characteristics. As weather once considered extreme occurs more frequently, researchers and managers require a better understanding of how diverse species respond to extreme conditions. Abstract : Extreme weather, including heat waves and droughts, is becoming more common with climate change. We used high‐resolution data from eBird, a global citizen science initiative, and species distribution models to examine how 109 North American bird species ranging in migration distance, diet, body size, habitat preference, and prevalence (commonness) respond to extreme heat, drought, and high rainfall across weeks, months, and seasons. Residents and short‐distance migrants occurred less often following extreme heat, while uncommon birds experienced decreases in occurrence following drought‐like conditions, suggesting that the impacts of extreme weather will vary across bird species.