Climate change and insectivore ecology

Vafidis, J; Smith, J; Thomas, R

Abstract

The impacts of climate change on natural populations are only beginning to be understood. Although some important changes are already occurring, in the future these are predicted to be more substantial and of greater ecological significance. Insects are a key taxonomic group for understanding the ecological impacts of climate change, due to their responsiveness to environmental change and importance as food for other organisms. Insects are highly sensitive to rising temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns and erratic weather conditions, driving rapid short-term variations in their abundance, mobility, distribution and phenology. Such variations represent changes in their availability as prey to insectivores, a diverse range of insect-eating animals that include mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. The impacts of these changes on the ecology of insectivores are complex and include population increases or decreases, broad-scale shifts in distribution, and changes in behavioural traits such as foraging strategy, investment in parental care, and the timing of breeding and migration. Although some insectivorous species are able to respond to- and even benefit from- climate change, those that fail to respond appropriately may struggle to reproduce, disperse and survive, leading to population decline and ultimately, to extinction.

Citation

Vafidis, J., Smith, J., & Thomas, R. (2019). Climate change and insectivore ecology. In Encyclopaedia of Life Sciences. John Wiley and Sons Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470015902.a0028030

• Acceptance Date: Sep 9, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jan 16, 2019
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2019
• Deposit Date: Jan 24, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 24, 2019
• Journal: Encyclopaedia of Life Sciences
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Book Title: Encyclopaedia of Life Sciences
• ISBN: 9780470015902
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470015902.a0028030
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/854478
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9780470015902.a0028030