幸运飞艇计划

Phenology is the timing of natural events, such as when flowers bloom in spring, birds migrate in the autumn, or insects go into overwintering mode. At our temperate latitudes, one can study phenology by observing when plants and animals start growing and breeding in the spring. One consequence of global warming is that the spring phenology of many species has advanced in the past decades.

Many species of caterpillars eat the young leaves of trees in spring, and their emergence in spring is tracking the warming spring temperatures. One step up the food chain, birds like blue tits and great tits rely on these caterpillars to feed their chicks in the spring. Studies done elsewhere in Europe show that if the birds time their breeding incorrectly鈥攈atching their chicks too early or too late鈥攖heir chicks grow and survive poorly, for lack of food.

At the Botanic Gardens and Arboretum, and at other sites around Bergen, we are studying this relationship by collecting tree-dwelling caterpillars and monitoring bird activity throughout the spring. We are testing if birds in Bergen are managing to 鈥渒eep up鈥� with the caterpillars as these become available earlier and earlier as spring temperatures increase. In parallel, we are studying the parasites that feed on the birds (for example fleas), to also test how these are affected by warming springs.

Now if you see us shaking branches in the gardens to collect caterpillars or checking the contents of nest boxes, you know what we are doing!

This project is the work of (PhD candidate), supervised by (Associate Professor) at the University of Bergen, Department of Biological Sciences.