%0 Journal Article %1 weeksshared %A Weeks, Brian C. %A Willard, David E. %A Zimova, Marketa %A Ellis, Aspen A. %A Witynski, Max L. %A Hennen, Mary %A Winger, Benjamin M. %D 2019 %J Ecology Letters %K birds body_size climate_change %N n/a %R 10.1111/ele.13434 %T Shared morphological consequences of global warming in North American migratory birds %U https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ele.13434 %V n/a %X Abstract Increasing temperatures associated with climate change are predicted to cause reductions in body size, a key determinant of animal physiology and ecology. Using a four-decade specimen series of 70 716 individuals of 52 North American migratory bird species, we demonstrate that increasing annual summer temperature over the 40-year period predicts consistent reductions in body size across these diverse taxa. Concurrently, wing length – an index of body shape that impacts numerous aspects of avian ecology and behaviour – has consistently increased across species. Our findings suggest that warming-induced body size reduction is a general response to climate change, and reveal a similarly consistent and unexpected shift in body shape. We hypothesise that increasing wing length represents a compensatory adaptation to maintain migration as reductions in body size have increased the metabolic cost of flight. An improved understanding of warming-induced morphological changes is important for predicting biotic responses to global change.

@article{weeksshared, abstract = {Abstract Increasing temperatures associated with climate change are predicted to cause reductions in body size, a key determinant of animal physiology and ecology. Using a four-decade specimen series of 70 716 individuals of 52 North American migratory bird species, we demonstrate that increasing annual summer temperature over the 40-year period predicts consistent reductions in body size across these diverse taxa. Concurrently, wing length – an index of body shape that impacts numerous aspects of avian ecology and behaviour – has consistently increased across species. Our findings suggest that warming-induced body size reduction is a general response to climate change, and reveal a similarly consistent and unexpected shift in body shape. We hypothesise that increasing wing length represents a compensatory adaptation to maintain migration as reductions in body size have increased the metabolic cost of flight. An improved understanding of warming-induced morphological changes is important for predicting biotic responses to global change.}, added-at = {2019-12-26T16:59:09.000+0100}, author = {Weeks, Brian C. and Willard, David E. and Zimova, Marketa and Ellis, Aspen A. and Witynski, Max L. and Hennen, Mary and Winger, Benjamin M.}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2492cf0680a128a85bb5135cfdf11c871/peter.ralph}, doi = {10.1111/ele.13434}, eprint = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ele.13434}, interhash = {e0cf451b50c977d0dd4091909f1b0206}, intrahash = {492cf0680a128a85bb5135cfdf11c871}, journal = {Ecology Letters}, keywords = {birds body_size climate_change}, number = {n/a}, timestamp = {2019-12-26T16:59:09.000+0100}, title = {Shared morphological consequences of global warming in North American migratory birds}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ele.13434}, volume = {n/a}, year = 2019 }