Climate change is expected to cause plastic responses and evolutionary change across all taxa. For many bird species, climate change will alter weather patterns (such as temperature, rainfall, and wind), that will likely impact how young birds grow.
In a recent review, Queen's Biology PhD Candidate Drew Sauve, Professor Dr. Vicki Friesen, and Dr. Anne Charmantier (Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France) sought to characterize how current weather variation affects the growth of birds to predict future changes in nestling growth under climate change. In their review, they concluded that most weather variables can improve and worsen nestling growth, and how weather impacts growth likely depends on the life-history and geographic location of a species. Further, they determined that it is generally unknown how nestling growth might evolve in response to climate change.
Ultimately, understanding how nestlings are affected by weather conditions could help us predict the effects of climate change on future bird populations' stability. To learn more, read their article in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.
