Divergent climate impacts despite similar response to temperature in a widespread aerial insectivore.

ABSTRACT: Climate change is shifting when animals breed^1,2, but it is still not clear why some populations keep pace with warming while others fall behind^3,4. Differences could arise from variation in sensitivity to temperature³ or constraints on the ability to respond to temperature. Without knowing whether populations differ in sensitivity-or in their ability to act on that sensitivity-we cannot identify which are most at risk. Using 1,555 population-years from 123 populations of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), we show that populations have similar sensitivity to local temperature, advancing breeding by about one day per degree of warming. However, northern populations face tighter time constraints and greater exposure to recent warming. Northern popula

SUBMITTER: Taff CC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12724441 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature