Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Phenology and climate change: a long-term study in a Mediterranean locality

  • Global Change Ecology
  • Published:
Oecologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

It is well documented that plant and animal phenology is changing in response to recent climate warming in the Palaearctic. However, few long-term data sets are currently available in the Mediterranean basin. The present study reports long-term temporal trends of several phenophases of 45 plants, 4 insects and 6 migratory insectivorous birds. Dynamic factor analyses performed with plant phenophases showed that most of those events occurring at spring and summer had common trends toward the advancement, especially since mid-1970s. However, during these last decades, insect phenology showed a steeper advance than plant phenology, suggesting an increase of decoupling of some plant–insect interactions, such as those between pollinators and flowers or herbivorous insects and their plant resources. All trans-Saharan bird species showed highly significant temporal trends in all studied phenophases (some of them covering most of the last century). In two species, the duration of stay is increasing due to both earlier arrivals and later departures. On the other hand, two wintering species showed a significant advancement in their arrival dates, while an opposite pattern were found for departures of each one. Only one of these species increased significantly its wintering stay. Bird departures were not related to local climate in any species. Our results demonstrate a key role of local temperatures behind interannual variability of most plant and insects phenophases, with especial emphasis in those occurring in spring and summer. Therefore, the common signal towards the advancement recorded since mid-1970s resulted from the recent rise in temperatures.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahas R, Jaagus J, Aasa A (2000) The phenological calendar of Estonia and its correlation with mean air temperature. Int J Biometeorol 44:159–166

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ahas R, Aasa A, Menzel A, Fedotova VG, Scheifinger H (2002) Changes in European spring phenology. Int J Climatol 22:1727–1738

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Almarza C (2000) Variaciones climáticas en España. Época Instrumental. In: Balairón L (ed) El Cambio Climático. Servicio de Estudios del BBVA, Madrid, pp 69–84

    Google Scholar 

  • Benton TG, Bryant DM, Cole L, Crick HQP (2002) Linking agricultural practice to insect and bird populations: a historical study over three decades. J Appl Ecol 39:673–687

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blondel J (1986) Biogéographie Evolutive. Masson, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Borén R, Ribalaygua J, Benito L, Balairón L (2000) Escenarios climáticos 3: Escenarios de alta resolución para España a partir de un experimento HadCM2. In: Balairón L (ed) El Cambio Climático. Servicio de Estudios del BBVA, Madrid, pp 459–462

    Google Scholar 

  • Both C, Visser ME (2001) Adjustment to climate change is constrained by arrival date in a long-distance migrant bird. Nature 411:296–298

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Both C, Artemyev AV, Blaauw B, Cowie RJ, Dekhuijzen AJ, Eeva T, Enemar A, Gustafsson L, Ivankina EV, Järvinen A, Metcalfe NB, Nyholm NEI, Potti J, Ravussin PA, Sanz JJ, Silverin B, Slater FM, Sokolov LV, Török J, Winkel W, Wright J, Zang H, Visser ME (2004) Large-scale geographical variation confirms that climate change causes birds to lay earlier. Proc R Soc Lond B 271:1657–1662

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coppack T, Both C (2002) Predicting life-cycle adaptation of migratory birds to global climate change. Ardea 90:369–378

    Google Scholar 

  • Crick HQP (2004) The impact of climate change on birds. Ibis 146:48–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crick HQP, Dudley C, Glue DE, Thomson DL (1997) UK birds are laying eggs earlier. Nature 388:526

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • EEA (2004) EEA Signals 2004-A European Environment Agency update on selected issues. EEA, Copenhagen

  • Gordo O, Brotons L, Ferrer X, Comas P (2005) Do changes in climate patterns in wintering areas affect the timing of the spring arrival of trans-Saharan migrant birds? Glob Change Biol 11:12–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hüppop O, Hüppop K (2003) North Atlantic Oscillation and timing of spring migration in birds. Proc R Soc Lond B 270:233–240

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IPCC (2001) Climate change 2001: impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

  • Live-Schulman I, Leshem Y, Alon D, Yom-Tov Y (2004) Causes of population declines of the Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni in Israel. Ibis 146:145–152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin TE (2001) Abiotic vs. biotic influences on habitat selection of coexisting species: climate change impacts? Ecology 82:175–188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Menzel A (2000) Trends in phenological phases in Europe between 1951 and 1996. Int J Biometeorol 44:76–81

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Menzel A (2003) Plant phenological anomalies in Germany and their relation to air temperature and NAO. Clim Change 57:243–263

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Møller AP (2003) North Atlantic oscillation (NAO) effects of climate on the relative importance of first and second clutches in a migratory passerine bird. J An Ecol 71:201–210

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parmesan C, Yohe G (2003) A globally coherent fingerprint of climate change impacts across natural systems. Nature 421:37–42

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peñuelas J, Filella I, Comas P (2002) Changed plant and animal life cycles from 1952 to 2000 in the Mediterranean region. Glob Change Biol 8:531–544

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peñuelas J, Filella I, Zhang X, Llorens L, Ogaya R, Lloret F, Comas P, Estiarte M, Terradas J (2004) Complex spatiotemporal phenological shifts as a response to rainfall changes. New Phytol 161:837–846

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Root TL, Price JT, Hall KR, Schneider SH, Rosenzweig C, Pounds JA (2003) Fingerprints of global warming on wild animals and plants. Nature 421:57–60

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Roy DB, Sparks TH (2000) Phenology of the British butterflies and climate change. Glob Change Biol 6:407–416

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanz JJ (2002) Climate change and birds: have their ecological consequences already been detected in the Mediterranean region? Ardeola 49:109–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanz JJ, Potti J, Moreno J, Merino S, Frías O (2003) Climate change and fitness components of a migratory bird breeding in the Mediterranean region. Glob Change Biol 9:461–472

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sokolov LV, Markovets MY, Shapoval AP, Morozov YG (1998) Long-term trends in the timing of spring migration of passerines on the Courish Spit of the Baltic Sea. Avian Ecol Behav 1:1–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Sokolov LV, Markovets MY, Shapoval AP, Morozov YG (1999) Long-term dynamics of the mean date of autumn migration in passerines on the Courish Spit of the Baltic Sea. Avian Ecol Behav 2:1–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Sokolov LV, Yefremov VD, Markovets MY, Shapoval AP, Shumakov ME (2000) Monitoring of numbers in passage populations of passerines over 42 years (1958–1999) on the Courish Spit of the Baltic Sea. Avian Ecol Behav 4:31–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Sparks TH, Mason CF (2001) Dates of arrivals and departures of spring migrants taken from Essex bird reports 1950–1998. Essex Bird Rep 1999:154–164

    Google Scholar 

  • Sparks TH, Menzel A (2002) Observed changes in seasons: an overview. Int J Climatol 22:1715–1725

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stefanescu C, Peñuelas J, Filella I (2003) Effects of the climate change on phenology of butterflies in the northwest Mediterranean Basin. Glob Change Biol 9:1494–1506

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tryjanowski P, Kuźniak S, Sparks TH (2002) Earlier arrival of some farmland migrants in western Poland. Ibis 144:62–68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Winkel W (1997) Long-term trends in reproductive traits of tits (Parus major, P. caeruleus) and Pied Flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca. J Avian Biol 28:187–190

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zuur AF, Pierce GJ (2004) Common trends in northeast Atlantic squid time series. J Sea Res 52:57–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zuur AF, Fryer RJ, Jolliffe IT, Dekker R, Beukema J (2003) Estimating common trends in multivariate time series using dynamic factor analysis. Environmetrics 14:665–685

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful to the Observatori de l’Ebre and especially to J. Germán Solé for providing unpublished data. We also thank to the three anonymous referees for their valuable comments which greatly improved the manuscript. O. G. acknowledges the MECD for the financial support of a Doctoral Fellowship of the FPU programme (ref. AP2002–1439). J. J. S. received financial support from the Spanish MCyT (project REN2001-0611/GLO).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament de Biologia Animal (Vertebrats), Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 645, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Oscar Gordo

  2. Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    Oscar Gordo & Juan José Sanz

Authors
  1. Oscar Gordo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Juan José Sanz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Oscar Gordo.

Additional information

Communicated by Christian Koerner

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gordo, O., Sanz, J.J. Phenology and climate change: a long-term study in a Mediterranean locality. Oecologia 146, 484–495 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-005-0240-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-005-0240-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation