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Climate change disrupts cuckoo migrations, impacting ecological relationships with hosts and prey. Researchers emphasize the need for understanding these shifts.
In the intricate dance of nature, cuckoos and their nesting hosts are falling out of step due to climate change, report researchers from Poznań. Over the past 36 years, cuckoos have been arriving earlier in spring, but their adaptation to climate shifts lags behind their hosts and prey. The mismatch affects crucial life stages, impacting the phenology of cuckoos, their hosts, and prey. Rising spring temperatures prompt earlier arrivals for cuckoos, hosts, and prey, yet cuckoos’ adjustment is slower. The study, featured in “Royal Society Open Science,” reveals significant asynchrony in nesting times, potentially leading to cuckoos changing hosts and altering parasitism rates. The authors, an international team including researchers from Poland and Germany, emphasize the need for understanding these environmental relationships amid climate change.
Climate change is disrupting the delicate balance between cuckoos, their hosts, and prey, as observed by researchers from Poznań. Cuckoos are arriving earlier each spring, driven by rising temperatures over the past 36 years. However, their adaptation to these changes lags behind their hosts and prey.
Impact on Phenology
The mismatch in arrival times affects the phenology of cuckoos, their hosts, and prey, crucial for understanding ecological relationships.
Asynchrony in Nesting Times
Cuckoos face challenges in synchronizing nesting times with hosts and prey, potentially leading to shifts in parasitism rates and host changes. An international team, including researchers from Poland and Germany, emphasizes the significance of understanding these environmental relationships amid climate change.