Precipitation Changes, Not Warming, to Affect Bird Populations

A new study led by researchers at Oregon State University and funded by the National Science Foundation with support from the U.S. Geological Survey and others is being published in the journal Global Change Biology. Researchers modeled western North American birds’ response to climate change. Although many past studies have shown that warming can push species to higher latitudes or elevations, these researchers found that precipitation changes are actually more significant for many bird species. Less precipitation in the winter can lead to a spring drying effect; snowfall melt and runoff affect stream flows, plant growth, and insect abundance for months afterward. Drought-tolerant and moisture-dependent bird species, to some degree, are shown to respond accordingly.
This relationship was not observed with all bird species, but researchers are now looking for a pattern in the types of bird species that do respond to precipitation changes. In terms of modeling and predicting future animal species population dynamics, this study bodes well for modeling accuracy and capabilities.
For more information visit the article posted on Science Daily.