Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Climate change: Spring egg-laying shifts by three weeks
The tit is a common small wild bird found in the northern half of the world. They live less than two years. So, if you study their habitats and behaviors for 75 years, you can track nearly 40 generations. That is what researchers in Oxford, England have done to learn about how the birds have evolved and changed to cope with the climate and environmental changes. They have marked and counted the birds, and recorded the date that females lay their eggs and those eggs hatched. What they found is that those birds now lay eggs three weeks earlier than 75 years ago. That is a staggering behavioral change even for this short-lived species. You might also recall the time when certain spring flowers now bloom earlier than decades ago. Do you remember when cherry blossoms fully bloomed when you were a child? Indeed, flora and fauna need to adapt to climate change.
Enjoy reading the text and learning about how spring has been changing around us.
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