Effects of spring temperatures on the strength of selection on timing of reproduction in a long-distance migratory bird.

ABSTRACT: Climate change has differentially affected the timing of seasonal events for interacting trophic levels, and this has often led to increased selection on seasonal timing. Yet, the environmental variables driving this selection have rarely been identified, limiting our ability to predict future ecological impacts of climate change. Using a dataset spanning 31 years from a natural population of pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca), we show that directional selection on timing of reproduction intensified in the first two decades (1980-2000) but weakened during the last decade (2001-2010). Against expectation, this pattern could not be explained by the temporal variation in the phenological mismatch with food abundance. We therefore explored an alternative hypothesis that selection on timing

SUBMITTER: Visser ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4388467 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature