Bioindicators Of Climate Change Research Articles

Vertebrates As Bioindicators of Climate Change

The use of living organisms for stratigraphy or as bioindicators of the state of the environment has been known since the 19th century, but mainly for these studies the remains of invertebrate animals (in particular, molluscs) are used, and from vertebrates – mouse-like rodents. In the course of the work, certain species of vertebrates and invertebrates were selected, based on the presence of which in the material it is possible to reconstruct the climatic conditions in the historical past. Such information is very important for historians and archaeologists, since it allows them to better understand the living conditions of people in the historical past.
 The aim of our work is to identify species of vertebrates that are stenotopic in at least one factor and, on the basis of the findings of these species at archaeological sites, to make climatic reconstructions.
 Conclusions. To date, work on the identification of other indicator species continues, we have carried out reconstructions of the paleoclimate on the basis of osteological materials found in the excavations, and for a number of monuments we have compared the results with the data of paleobotanists and soil scientists from the same areas. The similarity of the obtained results is significant, which allows us to propose a method of reconstruction of paleoclimatic and paleoecological conditions based on the findings of the indicator species selected by us as effective. The most effective is a comprehensive study of osteological materials, taking into account the presence of the above-mentioned species in the material. In terms of time spent, the identification of zooarchaeological materials is a simpler and faster method than paleobotanical research, and the results are largely comparable. In addition, the same species can be used to model predictions of habitat changes due to climate change in the future.

The impact of climate changes on the ranges of invertebrates (Diptera, Molluska) in Tavush province of Armenia

Aim. The work’s aim is to study the species composition of invertebrates (Insecta, Molluska) of the Tavush province of Armenia and changes of their ranges due to climatic conditions.Material and Methods. Our own collections of 2021–2022 from different areas of the Tavush province and the collections of invertebrates of the Scientific Centre of Zoology and Hydroecology served as study material. The collection and identification of dipterous insects and mollusks was carried out according to generally accepted methods. The work was performed at the Scientific Centre of Zoology and Hydroecology The scientific material is stored in the collection fund of the Scientific Centre.Results. As a result of our studies of invertebrate species composition, 28 species of horseflies (Tabanidae) are currently listed for the Tavush region: 27 species of phytophagous gall midges (Cecidomyiidae) and 10 species of mollusks. As a result of warming climate change new changes of locality have been registered for: 6 horsefly species S. (N.) caucasicus, Ch. (H.) f. flavipes, Ch. ludens, T. unifasciatus, T. indrae vappa, T. miki; 4 phytophagous gall midge species A. verbasci, D. tortrix, S. euphorbiae, R. terminalis; For one species of mollusk, H. buchi, there are new localities. All these species have expanded their habitat: in horseflies, changes in the range along vertical zonality are observed.Conclusions. As a result of this research, it was revealed that as a consequences of climate change, the ranges of some species of invertebrates – horseflies, gall midges‐phytophages and mollusks – have expanded compared to the data of previous years. All species in which there is a direct dependence of range change on climatic conditions can be further considered as bioindicators of climate change.

Arcellinida testate amoebae as climate miner's canaries in Southern Spain

Southern Spain is currently under threat of desertification as a consequence of global climate change, which pressures on fragile ecosystems such as caves. The organisms living in these extremely stable environments are particularly sensitive and prone to extinction, therefore they can be used as bioindicators for climate change. Cyanobacterial mats form peculiar and vulnerable micro-ecosystems at the entrance of caves and house a diversity of protists. Amongst them, Arcellinida testate amoebae have been traditionally used as bioindicators for environmental quality, notably because their narrow ecological tolerance and their key ecological position as top predators of the microbial foodwebs. We report here two new species of Arcellinida found in the cyanobacterial mats of cave Hundidero, in Sierra de Grazalema, Malaga province, whose traits suggest a narrow tolerance for changes in humidity. We provide a formal description for Difflugia alhadiqa sp. nov. and Heleopera baetica sp. nov. based on morphometrics and 18S rRNA gene data, and propose using the presence of these species to indicate the good health of the cyanobacterial mats, like miner’s canaries for local climate.

Ants Respon to Air Humadity in Small Islands of Haruku

The international community is worried about the increasing number of disasters caused by climate change. The main effort is to carry out mitigation and adaptation programs. In this regard, one of the studies that needs to be done is to see ants as bioindicators of climate change. Sampling of ants is carried out by systematic sampling with a path length of 250 m and a width of 20 m as many as 10 lines. Line distance of 30 m. Three methods of taking ants were carried out, namely: (1) Hand Colecting (2) Pitfall trap and (3) Bait trap and preserved in 70% alcohol. The type of ant that has a strong correlation with air temperature and / or soil temperature will be more sensitive to climate change than the type with low correlation. Thus only certain types of ants can be used as bioindicators of climate change. From the results of the inventory of ants, 32 species of ants were obtained as many as 3,110 tails. Of the 32 types of ants, 5 of the most common species were found and the 5 least species were found. The types of ants that are included have a high correlation with soil temperature and air temperature, namely: Cardiocondyla nuda, Myrmicaria brunnea subcarinata, Polyrhachis bellicosa, Myrmoteras binghami and Crematogaster difformis. This type of ant is most rarely found at the study site. Ants that are less correlated with soil temperature and air temperature are: Polyrhachis abdominal, Hypoponera bugnioni, Leptogenys diminuta, Odonthoponera tranversa infuscata and Oecophylla smaragdina subnitide. This type of ant is most easily found in the study location.

PhenoWin – An R Shiny application for visualization and extraction of phenological windows in Germany

There is an increasing need for small scale information about the temporal shifting of the phenological crop development for applications like fertilization, irrigation, crop and soil protection, weather index insurance, yield prediction, crop classification or as bio-indicator of climate change. This application note introduces PhenoWin, a tool to extract and visualize phenological windows for any given year from 1993 onward and user-defined regions in Germany. Phenological windows represent successive start and end dates of development stages for different main crops, which have been interpolated using the phenological model PHASE. PhenoWin was implemented using R language and the R Shiny web framework. PhenoWin can be used as standalone application or can be embedded in web pages. Both, the used phenological data sets and the PhenoWin source code are available under open source license.

High Diversity of Testate Amoebae (Amoebozoa, Arcellinida) Detected by HTS Analyses in a New England Fen using Newly Designed Taxon-specific Primers.

Testate (shell-building) amoebae, such as the Arcellinida (Amoebozoa), are useful bioindicators for climate change. Though past work has relied on morphological analyses to characterize Arcellinida diversity, genetic analyses revealed the presence of multiple cryptic species underlying morphospecies. Here, we design and deploy Arcellinida-specific primers for the SSU-rDNA gene to assess the community composition on the molecular level in a pilot study of two samplings from a New England fen: (1) 36-cm horizontal transects and vertical cores; and (2) 26-m horizontal transects fractioned into four size classes (2-10, 10-35, 35-100, and 100-300μm). Analyses of these data show the following: (1) a considerable genetic diversity within Arcellinida, much of which comes from morphospecies lacking sequences on GenBank; (2) communities characterized by DNA (i.e. active+quiescent) are distinct from those characterized by RNA (i.e. active, indicator of biomass); (3) active communities on the surface tend to be more similar to one another than to core communities, despite considerable heterogeneity; and (4) analyses of communities fractioned by size find some lineages (OTUs) that are abundant in disjunct size categories, suggesting the possibility of life-history stages. Together, these data demonstrate the potential of these primers to elucidate the diversity of Arcellinida communities in diverse habitats.

Richness, Diversity And Evenness Of Birds In Small Island

Birds play an important role as bioindicators of climate change. For this reason, it is important to know the species richness, diversity and evenness of birds found on small islands. The location of the study was in Haruku Island Maluku. Bird data collected included all bird species, taking into account certain bird species that are sensitive to environmental changes. Bird data collected by the Line Transect method is to use work lines on rectangular data plots in the specified location. This method was chosen because it can trace the plot area of data in a short time and allow repetition of data collection in one day according to the desired time. This method of analysis is to determine the level of diversity in the form of diversity indices, then to scale up the species abundance and then to calculate the estimated population density. The results of the study found 23 species of birds. There were 2 large families recorded, namely: Family Columbidae of 4 types, and Family Psittacidae as many as 5 types, while the other Family groups only had 2 or 1 types.The overall value of the bird species wealth index in 5 data transects is MEDIUM with the value of the Type Wealth Index 3.975863. Then the five Diversity Index of data transects is Medium with the Diversity Index value 2.710911452. Furthermore, the evenness index on five data transects has a fairly good value, which is included in the High Equity Index category with the Evenness Index value of 0.864588 which approaches the number one. From the analysis simulation results, it was found that the temperature aspect, in this case the temperature range at the study location when the data collection did not affect the number of bird species at all, while the estimated altitude aspect has the potential to influence the bird species encounter rate. This condition is quite reasonable because if we look at the data on the number of bird species collected on different transects of data placed in different segment elevations, there seems to be a tendency to increase altitude, so the number of species recorded tends to decrease.

Climate-induced phenology shifts linked to range expansions in species with multiple reproductive cycles per year

Advances in phenology (the annual timing of species’ life-cycles) in response to climate change are generally viewed as bioindicators of climate change, but have not been considered as predictors of range expansions. Here, we show that phenology advances combine with the number of reproductive cycles per year (voltinism) to shape abundance and distribution trends in 130 species of British Lepidoptera, in response to ~0.5 °C spring-temperature warming between 1995 and 2014. Early adult emergence in warm years resulted in increased within- and between-year population growth for species with multiple reproductive cycles per year (n = 39 multivoltine species). By contrast, early emergence had neutral or negative consequences for species with a single annual reproductive cycle (n = 91 univoltine species), depending on habitat specialisation. We conclude that phenology advances facilitate polewards range expansions in species exhibiting plasticity for both phenology and voltinism, but may inhibit expansion by less flexible species.

Effects of light pollution on tree phenology in the urban environment

AbstractResearch on urban climates has been an important topic in recent years, given the growing number of city inhabitants and significant influences of climate on health. Nevertheless, far less research has focused on the impacts of light pollution, not only on humans, but also on plants and animals in the landscape. This paper reports a study measuring the intensity of light pollution and its impact on the autumn phenological phases of tree species in the town of Zvolen (Slovakia). The research was carried out at two housing estates and in the central part of the town in the period 2013–2016. The intensity of ambient nocturnal light at 18 measurement points was greater under cloudy weather than in clear weather conditions. Comparison with the ecological standard for Slovakia showed that average night light values in the town centre and in the housing estate with an older type of public lighting, exceeded the threshold value by 5 lux. Two tree species, sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) and staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina L.), demonstrated sensitivity to light pollution. The average onset of the autumn phenophases in the crown parts situated next to the light sources was delayed by 13 to 22 days, and their duration was prolonged by 6 to 9 days. There are three major results: (i) the effects of light pollution on organisms in the urban environment are documented; (ii) the results provide support for a theoretical and practical basis for better urban planning policies to mitigate light pollution effects on organisms; and (iii) some limits of the use of plant phenology as a bioindicator of climate change are presented.

Spatiotemporal Variation in Full-Flowering Dates of Tree Peonies in the Middle and Lower Reaches of China’s Yellow River: A Simulation through the Panel Data Model

The spring flowering of tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) not only attract tens of million tourists every year, but it can also serve as a bio-indicator of climate change. Examining climate-associated spatiotemporal changes in peony flowering can contribute to the development of smarter flower-viewing tourism by providing more efficient decision-making information. We developed a panel data model for the tree peony to quantify the relationship between full-flowering date (FFD) and air temperature in the middle and lower reaches of China’s Yellow River. Then, on the basis of the model and temperature data, FFD series at 24 sites during 1955–2011 were reconstructed and the spatiotemporal variation in FFD over the region was analysed. Our results showed that the panel data model could well simulate the phenophase at the regional scale with due consideration paid to efficiency and difficulty, and the advance of peony FFD responded to the increase in February–April temperature at a rate of 3.02 days/1 °C. In addition, the simulation revealed that regional FFDs followed the latitudinal gradient and had advanced by 6–9 days over the past 57 years, at the rate of 0.8 to 1.8 days/decade. Among sub-areas, the eastern forelands of Taihang Mountains and Luliang Mountains showed more FFD advances than the other areas.

A macroecological perspective for phenological research under climate change

AbstractLife cycles of animals and plants worldwide are shifting in response to recent climate change. Macroecology, which deals with biological patterns and processes at a large scale, is ideally suited to address this global phenomenon, thus providing a more general and generalizable understanding of the impacts of climate change on ecosystems. To date, a macroecological approach to examining phenological changes based on historical ground observations remains mostly unexplored, as the phenological studies have been conducted at local scales, while the recent new technologies, e.g., remote sensing, can extend phenological study to global scales. Because phenology is probably the most widely used bioindicator of climate change, thus allowing for studies at the macroscale. Some meta‐analyses have indeed employed broad‐scale, long‐term datasets to estimate overall shift rates in the timing of plant and animal phenological events. However, none has provided a convincing macroecological view of current phenological shifts, and few attempts have been made to make global‐scale predictions of phenological responses under future climatic scenarios. Understanding spatial variability and clines may be essential for comprehending phenological variations stemming from future climate change. Here, we discuss how ecological mechanisms discovered in macroecology may provide new insights for understanding spatial variation of sensitivity of phenology to climate change.

Harmonisation of phenology stages and selected cherry cultivars as bioindicators for climate change

Harmonisation of phenology stages and selected cherry cultivars as bioindicators for climate change

The little-known Fraser’s dolpin Lagenodelphis hosei in the North Atlantic: new records and a review of distribution

The distribution of the poorly known Fraser’s dolphin Lagenodelphis hosei Fraser (Sarawak Mus J 7:478–503, 1956), is revised for the northern Atlantic (NA), with new records for temperate and subtropical oceanic islands. Fraser’s dolphins are reported for the first time in the Azores, from a pod of approximately 50 individuals observed in August 2008, and for the Madeira Archipelago, where a pod of circa 80 individuals is described from opportunistic observations in August 2010. Observations in the Azores occurred during a period of regional increase in seawater temperature (23.5 °C; >1 °C for circa 15 days), revealing the species potential as a bio-indicator of climate change. The occurrence of Fraser’s dolphins in the NA is characterized by an equally small number of stranding events and sightings at sea which have been accumulating since 1972. A compilation of 47 occurrences from publications, reports and online databases (plus one report with 123 sightings in the Lesser Antilles), was used to comment on the species ecology in the region. Stranding events are often of a single specimen, occurring on both western and eastern margins. Sightings at sea are scattered throughout the NA, with most observations from the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea, where year-round sightings have been reported in the Lesser Antilles (off Guadeloupe). Observations are mostly confined to open waters over 200–2,200 m depth areas, approaching the coasts of oceanic islands. Pod sizes vary between 50 and 80 in the Caribbean Sea, with smaller pods observed in the Gulf of Mexico (15–30), only rarely exceeding 100 individuals per group (20 %, n = 5), in contrast to large aggregations reported in the Pacific. Captures have been reported from St. Vincent (Lesser Antilles) and more recently from Ghana. Mixed-species groups have been observed, such as with Peponocephala electra and Globicephala macrorhynchus. Knowledge of Fraser’s dolphin ecology in the NA is expected to grow with increasing surveys in the Caribbean area and tropical latitudes. Reports on the species occurrence, such as data from opportunistic platforms, should continue to reach the scientific community, including with associated environmental data.

Light rings as bioindicators of climate change in Interior North America

In light of the recent cool summers observed in Interior North America (INA), it is important to put these events into a longer term context of climate variability and change. Due to the limited coverage of meteorological stations and to the near absence of temperature-sensitive bio-environmental indicators in INA, we conducted studies of temperature-sensitive light-ring (LR) chronologies. Five LR chronologies were developed from 1167 jack pine ( Pinus banksiana Lamb.) trees growing along a ca. 675 km latitudinal transect in INA. Each chronology represents the annual variability in the proportion (ρ) of tree-ring samples identified as LR (hereafter ρLR) and covers the last two to three centuries. Years recording high ρLR were synchronous across the transect with southern and northern regions showing common variability. In each region and for the instrumental period, both late spring and late summer temperatures (particularly daytime maximum temperatures) were significantly cooler (1 to 2 °C) in years with high ρLR compared with low ρLR years. These temperature anomalies were associated with increased cyclonic activity over much of central Canada. Changes in the occurrence rate of LR years (ρ ≥ 2%) were analyzed using kernel-density functions and bootstrap confidence bands. The distribution of LRs in the south provided little evidence of reduced occurrence in the last 250 years, suggesting there were no long-term linear changes in years marked by cool late springs and late summers. In contrast, the northern chronology provided evidence of a decreasing occurrence rate of LR years from 1830 to the present. These results support prior evidence of a response of trees to ongoing environmental changes in northern regions. However, they also illustrate the spatial complexity in these responses.

Diversity and abundance of macrofungi in rubber agroforests in southwestern Nigeria

The mushroom diversity was studied for 14 months in Edo State, southwestern Nigeria. A total of 76 macrofungi tantamount to 333 fruit bodies were encountered, 74% of which were identified and named. The basidiomycetes and members of the family Tricholomataceae were the best represented taxa while species on wood-based substrates made up 66% of the total mushroom taxa. The monthly mushroom abundance profile, diversity and species richness for each sampled plot correlated with local meteorological factors, age of the sampled sites and distribution of wood-based substrates. Jaccard, Sorensen and Bray�Curtis similarity index values showed that plots A and D, representing young actively managed and old abandoned rubber tree plantations, respectively, were the most dissimilar in mushroom composition. The hypersensitive response of macrofungal fruit bodies to climate variables qualify mushrooms as veritable biomonitors or bioindicators of climate change. This study supported earlier reports that rubber agroforests are a depauperate pool of utilitarian mushrooms.

Corals as Bioindicators of Climate Change

Potential effects of climate change and ocean acidification have energized much discussion among coral scientists, especially biologists. Will corals go extinct, lose their skeletons, or migrate po...

Analysis of long-term time series of the beginning of flowering by Bayesian function estimation

The identification of changes in long-term phenological time series is a prerequisite for the analysis and interpretation of phenological observations as bio-indicator of climate change. The new method for the analysis of phenological time series based on Bayesian concepts, recently presented by DOSE and MENZEL (2004), is employed to the analysis of three long term observational flowering records in Germany (1900-2003) as well as of a 600 year record of cherry flowering in Kyoto, Japan. The onset of these phenological phases in relation to reported temperature variations is discussed, considering three different models for function estimation: The one-change-point-model is preferred in all data sets to the less sophisticated alternatives, the linear model and the constant model. The three time series covering the 20 th century at Geisenheim have a clear maximum of change point probability mid of the 1980s; the record from Kyoto spanning the last 6 centuries has a broad maximum at the beginning of the 20 th century. After these maxima, the resulting rates of change indicate advancing onset of flowering, reaching - with a considerable uncertainty range - higher rates at Geisenheim (up to -1.7 days/year in 2003) compared to Kyoto (-0.1 days/year in 1998). Thus, our analysis allows us to quantify these shifts in phenological phases, which turn out to be strongly dependent on spring temperature. Consequently, they mirror the marked temperature rise in the 20 th century (Kyoto), especially its enhancement in the last 2-3 decades as reflected by the Geisenheim time series.

Monitoring biogeographical response to climate change: The potential role of aeropalynology

To test models predicting biological reponse to future climate change, it is essential to find climatically-sensitive, easily monitored biological indicators that respond to climate change. Routine monitoring of airborne pollen, now undertaken on a near-global basis, could be adapted for this purpose. Analysis of spatial and seasonal variations in pollen levels in New Zealand suggests that the timing of onset and peak abundance of certain pollen taxa should be explored as possible bio-indicators of climate change. The onset of the airborne grass pollen season during the summer of 1988/89 varied consistently with latitude, and hence temperature, with the season in Southland commencing 8--9 days after Northland. However, these patterns were only apparent after sampling sites were separated into two groups reflecting predominantly urban or rural pollen sources. A less consistent north to south trend was apparent in the frequency of high (30 grains/m3) grass pollen levels, with high levels frequent in North Island localities in November, December and January and in southern localities during December and January. The successive onset of pollen seasons for the principal tree species during the spring-to-early summer warming interval may also be a useful bio-indicator of climate change. As well as assisting forecasts of the onset of the pollinosis season, these biogeographical patterns, reflecting climatic variation with latitude, suggest that routine aeropalynological monitoring might provide early signals of vegetation response to climate change. These conclusions are supported by recent investigations of long-term aeropalynological datasets in Europe that indicate earlier onset of pollen seasons in response to recent global warming.

Vascular plants as bioindicators of regional warming in Antarctica.

Monitoring selected populations of the only two native Antarctic vascular plant species (Colobanthus quitensis andDeschampsia antarctica) over a 27-year period has revealed a significant and relatively rapid increase in numbers of individuals and populations at two widely separated localities in the maritime Antarctic. There is strong evidence that this increase is a response to a warming trend in summer air temperatures, which has been evident throughout the region since the late 1940s, enhancing seed maturation, germination and seedling survival. This study provides the only known long-term monitoring data for any terrestrial organisms in Antarc-tica. Because their response to ameliorating conditions is more rapid than that of the dominant cryptogamic groups, Antarctic phanerogams may be useful bioindicators of climate change in West Antarctica.