News Release

Climate and synchrony of species interactions

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Researchers report that the timing of life events, or phenology, among pairwise species interactions has shifted in recent decades, and future phenological changes remain difficult to predict, according to a study. Studies on shifts in phenology, particularly among species interactions, such as predators and prey, typically examine single ecological systems, limiting researchers' ability to draw inferences on a global scale. Heather M. Kharouba and colleagues examined 27 phenology studies of 54 interacting terrestrial and aquatic species pairs between 1951 and 2013. The authors found that species' phenology shifted four days earlier per decade after 1981, compared with 2.7 days per decade before 1981. Shifts in synchrony between species also increased from 0.97 days per decade before 1981 to 6.1 days per decade after 1981. The species pairs did not exhibit a sustained change in the direction of synchrony shifts; the phenology of some species pairs shifted together while that of others shifted apart. Also, the authors did not find direct correlations between the magnitude of the phenological shifts and the magnitude of recent temperature changes, likely due to time series length and variations among species in the relationship between temperature and life event timing. According to the authors, such uncertainties would need to be resolved to accurately predict how synchrony between interacting species might change due to changing climates in the future.

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Article #17-14511: "Global shifts in the phenological synchrony of species interactions over recent decades," by Heather M. Kharouba et al.

MEDIA CONTACT: Heather M. Kharouba, University of Ottawa, CANADA; tel: 613-562-5800 x6740; e-mail: heather.kharouba@uottawa.ca


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