Submitted by Lauren-Buckley on
Title | Species' traits predict phenological responses to climate change in butterflies. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2011 |
Authors | Diamond SE, Frame AM, Martin RA, Buckley LB |
Journal | Ecology |
Volume | 92 |
Issue | 5 |
Pagination | 1005-12 |
Date Published | 2011 May |
ISSN | 0012-9658 |
Keywords | Animals, Butterflies, Climate Change, Feeding Behavior, Larva, Models, Biological, Phylogeny, Species Specificity, Universities |
Abstract | <p>How do species' traits help identify which species will respond most strongly to future climate change? We examine the relationship between species' traits and phenology in a well-established model system for climate change, the U.K. Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS). Most resident U.K. butterfly species have significantly advanced their dates of first appearance during the past 30 years. We show that species with narrower larval diet breadth and more advanced overwintering stages have experienced relatively greater advances in their date of first appearance. In addition, species with smaller range sizes have experienced greater phenological advancement. Our results demonstrate that species' traits can be important predictors of responses to climate change, and they suggest that further investigation of the mechanisms by which these traits influence phenology may aid in understanding species' responses to current and future climate change.</p> |
Alternate Journal | Ecology |