23 Nov 2023

Scientists warn that heat waves are transforming some bird species

Scientists affirm that the effects of climate change are destabilizing different cycles and factors in the morphology of birds...

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العربية

Strong changes in temperature affect all living beings and species that inhabit our planet. Scientists affirm that the effects of climate change are destabilizing different cycles and factors in the morphology of birds.

Studies carried out support that birds are considered a species highly sensitive to atmospheric conditions and that they have presented changes in migratory behavior in addition to some variations in their morphology to be able to face the effects of climate change that are seen more frequently today in extreme weather events.

The accelerated increase in temperatures destabilizes different bird cycles. The main effect of pollution on these vertebrates is the change in the migratory process, because they advance their migration by approximately 1.3 days per decade, thus generating a large number of imbalances in the cycles. ecological.

Another consequence that represents a threat to the survival of the species due to the accelerated increase in temperatures is the alteration of the ecosystems in which they live, such as warming on islands, ecosystems or high mountain areas that force birds to modify their places of survival and have changes in the migratory process.

Brooke Bateman, Director of Climate Science at the Audubon Society noted on NTN24’s Click Verde that “Birds have adapted to different and multiple types of temperatures around the world, it depends a lot on where the birds come from, because they have adapted to a range of temperatures that vary between warmth and do not vary much, but are suitable in practically the same area, except for example in the Arctic, which is different. Other birds that are desert-bred adapt to a warmer or hotter area, which could also be arid. But when you add global warming, it becomes more difficult for them to deal with it.”

According to the study carried out by experts from the Australian National University (ANU), increasing temperatures are to blame for more than half of the effects that affect birds and the climate crisis would have generated a morphological change in the species. , in order to combat global warming, regarding this issue the Director of Climate Science assured “Birds have decreased in size to deal with global warming and the reason why they do this is because their smaller bodies allow them to face warming.” In a better way, multiple species have decreased in size. They have also adapted with longer wings to be able to fly better and move around.”

The expert also pointed out that birds with a larger brain size do not present morphological changes. “Birds with a larger brain size do not make these types of changes because they can use this brain power to convert other spaces into what we call microhabitats and survive high temperatures and changes in them”

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The study also determines the high levels of pollution that the planet is experiencing as a dangerous factor for birds. Experts say that having natural water resources that are regularly clean will help these vertebrates.

“The fact that they have water for them and that it is affordable is good. “We can provide areas of vegetation, for example, some food resources, some specific plants are quite important and this tends to improve the area because this helps them survive”

News taken from: NTN 24

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