Climate change leads to range shift of Willy Wagtails to previously uncolonised Tasmania

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1 Cygnus (2012) 1: DOI , , RESEARCH ARTICLE Climate change leads to range shift of Willy Wagtails to previously uncolonised Tasmania Michelle Fraser Raynuka Narayanan Margaret Tu Received: 22 May 2012 / Accepted: 30 May 2012 Abstract There is growing evidence climate change has affected the breeding cycles and distribution of species worldwide and the effects of these changes are still largely unknown for species within Australia. To explore such effects on Australian avifauna, we examined a recent, citizen-science based dataset of sightings of Willy Wagtails (Rhipidura leucophrys) across Australia. Our analysis was primarily confined to the comparison of current and historical data on sightings of breeding and nesting R. leucophrys and researching the impact of global warming on Australia s climate. The distribution of R. leucophrys was seen to have shifted south to Tasmania and South-East Australia, whilst breeding season remained unchanged. This range shift was attributed to rising temperatures and variable rainfall across mainland Australia resulting in Tasmania and coastal South-East Australia becoming suitable habitats for R. leucophrys due to their milder temperatures and steady rainfall. We conclude that R. leucophrys will extend their range to more temperate climates rather than change the timing of their breeding season as a result of rising temperatures. Keywords Rhipidura leucophrys, climate change, distribution, range shifts, Australian birds, Tasmania 1 Introduction Global warming has altered physical and biological systems and there is growing evidence it has affected the distribution and timing of biological events for many plant and animal species (Cotton, 2003). However, the implications of global warming for avifauna in particular are of growing concern, as evidence for ecological effects in birds is rising (Walther et al. 2002). These implications include the possible onset of earlier breeding seasons and potential changes in geographic range, movement patterns, abundance, 244

2 phenology, physiology, morphology and community composition (Chambers et al. 2005). Most studies on the effects of climatic warming have been conducted on birds in the Northern Hemisphere, which differs greatly ecologically and climatically from the Southern. As a result of this, knowledge of how climate change has affected Australian avifauna has been relatively poor until recently. As knowledge of the systems in both hemispheres is crucial in understanding the full effects of climate change, we focus on the effects of climate change on Australian birds with particular reference to Willy Wagtails (Rhipidura leucophrys) (Chambers et al. 2005). The impact of climate change on a species will be determined by its adaptive ability. Average continental temperatures in Australia have risen by 0.9 C since 1900, with most of this rise occurring after Temperatures are projected to rise a further 1 degree over the next two decades (Birds Australia 2007, Hughes, 2003). Recent studies indicate Australian birds have evolved to cope with high levels of year-to-year variability in climate and are thus able to adjust life-events accordingly. Observed changes in phenology have not been as drastic as for some species from the Northern Hemisphere where increases in breeding dates of 2-5 days per decade since the 1970s have been recorded. However, range expansions, with increasing species distribution southward as much as kilometres over the past two decades have been noted for Australian birds (Chambers et al. 2005, Hughes, 2003). This evidence indicates the ability for a species to adapt by moving with its changing climatic zone. Global warming is predicted to move climatic zones poleward and for Australia this implies climatic zones moving to the south. From this evidence, changes in geographic regions of mobile species such as birds can be expected. It can therefore be inferred that adaptable species that have broad climatic ranges and a strong ability to disperse will most likely be advantaged, while species with narrow climatic ranges, small populations and specific habitat requirements will most likely be disadvantaged, facing declining numbers and the possibility of extinction (Birds Australia 2007). In this study, we explored the effects of climate change on the Willie Wagtail by reviewing a recent dataset of observations obtained from ClimateWatch of this species. We compared these observations to known changes in the Australian climate. R. leucophrys are highly adaptive, insectivorous, passerine birds, native to Australia and have responded well to human alteration of the landscape. Historically, these birds have been listed as either absent or as vagrants to Tasmania due to its cooler climate, preferring warmer temperatures for its breeding conditions (Birds in Backyards: Willie Wagtail, ClimateWatch: Willie Wagtail). However, recent studies indicate Tasmanian temperatures have risen at an average rate of 0.1 C per decade since the 1950s and are projected, at most, to rise on average 2.6 to 3.3 C over the entire 21 st century (Grose et al. 2012). These changes in temperature have coincided with increased sightings of R. leucophrys in Tasmania. In this paper we report new data that suggests R. leucophrys have formed new breeding colonies in Tasmania, extending their distribution south due to global warming and this indicates strong adaptive ability in response to climate change. We hypothesised that R. leucophrys will extend their range to more temperate climates rather than change the timing of their breeding season as a result of elevated temperatures. 245

3 2 Materials and Methods The first aspect of our research was to determine the changes in the distribution of breeding and mating R. leucophrys over time. To do so, we examined a recent dataset of 945 sightings of R. leucophrys nationwide from the online citizen science program, ClimateWatch. ClimateWatch was established in 2009 to study the phenological changes in commonly found species, used as indicator species, to record the possible effects of climatic warming. Our paper s focus is on nesting habits of R. leucophrys and so the sightings we used from the ClimateWatch dataset were those relating only to breeding, namely those of: 'bird on nest', 'bird on eggs', bird on chicks, courting, mating and 'bird feeding young'. This data was manipulated using Microsoft Excel to exclude irrelevant data and generate a spreadsheet of data relevant to our area of research. After the relevant data was isolated, it was imported on to The Living Atlas of Australia map. We used the outline map option of Australia from this Atlas to show locations in Australia that R. leucophrys have recently been breeding. We then compared this to historical data by importing onto the map outline, The Atlas of Living Australia s historical data on R. leucophrys which dated back to Following this, we used the species availability function to find the distribution density of the Wagtails. The map produced from both sets of data through The Living Atlas of Australia gave us an outline in the change in breeding locations for R. leucophrys over time, allowing recent data to be compared with historical data on the same map. As the ClimateWatch dataset was only based on recent observations (2 years worth), this data alone was not sufficient to fully determine changes in Willie Wagtail breeding distribution. Due to this reason, we isolated data based on sightings of R. leucophrys in Tasmania from The Living Atlas of Australia across the past century. We then used this data to generate a graph using Microsoft Excel, plotting the number of sightings against year from the period We also obtained climate data from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology to determine if any temperature or rainfall changes had taken place over continental Australia or Tasmania during the past century and examined the extent of these changes (BOM, 2012). On gathering this data, we investigated whether the level of rainfall affects the distribution of breeding and nesting Wagtails by mapping the isolated ClimateWatch data against the precipitation layer function from The Atlas of Living Australia. 3 Results When climate data were examined, we found that global warming has altered the Australian climate. There was a clear warming trend in mean annual temperatures in mainland Australia and Tasmania (Figure 1). In the period mean annual temperature anomalies above the mean were more common, while before the 1970s, it was temperature anomalies below the mean that were more apparent. Climate data obtained also shows the effects of global warming on particular regions of Australia. Comparatively warmer temperatures are found in 246

4 South-Eastern areas of Australia and Tasmania as the distribution of warmer days than average is greater in those regions when compared to the rest of Australia (Figure 2). Rainfall throughout mainland Australia has become highly variable from year-to-year (Figure 3). Despite this variability, rainfall has remained steady in areas such as South-East Australia and Tasmania which have continued to experience high levels of rainfall above 600mm per annum (Figure 4). A B Fig. 1 (a) Anomalies in annual mean temperature from departing from the mean temperature of 10.4 C in Tasmania. (b) Anomalies in annual mean temperature from departing from thr mean temperature of 10.4 C in Australia (BOM, 2012). Fig 2. The the average annual number of heating days across Australia, over the period 1961 to 1990, calculated from a base temperature of 12 C (BOM, 2012). 247

5 Fig 3. Annual rainfall (mm) from 1900 to 2010 (BOM, 2012). A B Fig 4. (a) The average annual rainfall across 30 years from the period (b) the average annual rainfall across 30 years from the period for Australia. Note (a) and (b) show heavy rainfall, above 900mm in the majority of Tasmania and southeastern regions of Australia. The regions also correspond to areas of increased heating days in the heating degree days map. (BOM, 2012) We found that changes have occurred in the distribution of R. leucophrys. This change in distribution of can be seen in the Atlas of Living Australia map as shown in Figure 5. Current distribution (green) has shifted south and is mainly restricted to coastal southern temperate areas and subtropical southern regions of Australia. Willie Wagtail current distribution also corresponded to areas that received at least 600 millimetres of rainfall (Figure 7). A sharp increase in sightings of R. leucophrys in Tasmania from 2007 onwards was also observed (Figure 6). 248

6 Fig 5. The distribution of R. leucophrys in Australia. Yellow areas represent historical sightings sourced from The Atlas of Living Australia. The green areas represent the current distribution of R. leucophrys over the past two years based on recent sightings recorded in the ClimateWatch dataset (ClimateWatch, 2012, The Atlas of Living Australia, 2012). 6 5 Number of sightings Series Year Fig 6. The number of R. leucophrys sightings in Tasmania for the period from Atlas of Living Australia records (The Atlas of Living Australia, 2012). 249

7 Fig 7. The annual distribution of rainfall from and the ClimateWatch data (blue points) on breeding and nesting distribution of R. leucophrys in Australia (ClimateWatch, 2012, The Atlas of Living Australia, 2012). 4 Discussion Although citizen science is often questioned for its reliability, other studies have demonstrated that it is an accurate source of previously unknown information on a species (Mayer, 2010) and as a result, we are confident that our analysis shows R. leucophrys has colonised Tasmania due to climate change. However, while we believe that our study offers valuable insight into climate change related pressures on species and their responses, we feel that the reliability of citizen science must still be addressed. Increased awareness of the effects of climate change on Australian species may have led to greater numbers of participants in such programs and therefore increased observations of R. leucophrys in these regions. Observations collected by citizen scientists may be mistaken sightings of the species due to the relative lack of knowledge on differentiating characteristics between similar species. Population increase in Tasmania may have also played a role in these increased sightings of R. leucophrys as a greater population would undoubtedly lead to more sightings. Due to these reasons, we believe more research on the effects of climate change on species is needed to confirm and expand these findings, particularly for Australian species. Our study shows that recent sightings of R. leucophrys in Tasmania have risen sharply and this indicates the birds have formed new colonies south of their known species distribution. This reflects a range shift poleward towards cooler, wetter areas, and more temperate 250

8 climates. As additional research has concluded that R. leucophrys were absent from Tasmania due to the climate being too temperate for the survival of their young (Sharland, 1950), the colonisation of Tasmania by Wagtails shows that climatic warming has resulted in Tasmania becoming a suitable habitat for the species. The colonisation of Tasmania by R. leucophrys may also be driven by Tasmania s higher and more stable rainfall levels. R. leucophrys prefer to live and breed near water (Dyrcz, 1994) and this is supported by our data where current distribution correlates with high rainfall regions. When data from the Atlas of Living Australia is examined with this trend in mind, historical sightings of R. leucophrys in Tasmania coincide with either increased temperature or decreased rainfall on the Australian mainland. This shows that when the Australian mainland becomes unsuitable for R. leucophrys as a breeding site, they migrate to Tasmania for this purpose. As R. leucophrys are also insectivorous, this may contribute to their preference for high rainfall areas. Moisture has been shown to be an important factor in the ecology of insects and higher rainfall levels may lead to the greater abundance of prey for the Wagtails (Tauber et al. 1998). Their diet has been found to be highly adaptable, with the proportion of each taxon in their diet varying greatly across different locations. This suggests they feed opportunistically rather than preferentially and may have enabled them to settle relatively easily in Tasmania (Adriano and Calver 1995). As a greater abundance of resources is advantageous for the survival of species and their offspring (Walther et al. 2002), these reasons may partly account for their range shift south to Tasmania for breeding and nesting. Our findings also suggest that high adaptive ability may present opportunities for species to gain from climate change. The range shift to Tasmania by R. leucophrys shows high adaptive ability and has allowed the formation of a new habitat. The formation of new habitats through range shifts have also been noted for other species in response to climate change. It has been predicted that a change in the average annual temperature of 1 degree will correspond with a shift in climatic zone of kilometres in temperate areas. This is consistent with the movement of other Australian, warmer climatic zone birds such as the Roseate Tern (Sterna bergii) and Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda), which formed new breeding locations south of their historical ranges in the 1950s and 60s. Furthermore, the rate of growth and establishment of new colonies south of their historical locations appear to have risen since the early 1980s. These changes reflect the pace of global warming and climate change. Higher temperatures and variable rainfall distribution have caused these birds to migrate south in favour of more temperate climates for higher chances of survival of their offspring and this may allow them to gain from climate change (Birds Australia 2007, Chambers et al. 2005, Hughes, 2003). While R. leucophrys have shown high adaptive ability in their colonisation of Tasmania, climate change is occurring at unprecedented rates and may outweigh species adaptation ability (Birds Australia 2007). Tasmania remains a suitable habitat for the meantime but it is predicted that future climate change will continue to raise Tasmania s temperatures and shift rainfall patterns significantly (Grose et al. 2012). The data analysed showed the birds will travel to Tasmania when mainland conditions are unfavourable. The colonisation of 251

9 Tasmania therefore demonstrates that the species is not able to return to its previous habitat (continental Australia) and indicates that unfavourable conditions such as warmer temperatures and decreased rainfall are not coming to a close in mainland Australia. Once the colonisation of Tasmania by R. leucophrys is complete and climate change continues to raise temperatures and disrupt rainfall patterns there, the question to ask is what will happen to R. leucophrys when their last resort habitat is no longer suitable? Acknowledgements The authors thank sub-editor Sophie Arnall and acknowledge that data sourced in this paper is from ClimateWatch, The Atlas of Living Australia, and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. References Adriano, S and Calver, M. (1995). Diet of Breeding R. leucophrys Rhipidura leucophrys in Suburban Western Australia. Emu 95: Atlas of Living Australia: Sharing Biodiversity Knowledge (2012), Mapping and Analysis, accessed 10 April 2012, < Atlas of Living Australia: Sharing Biodiversity Knowledge (2012), Data Sets, accessed 12 April 2012, < Blache D, Sharp P. (2003). A neuroendocrine model for prolactin as the key mediator of seasonal breeding in birds under long- and short-day photoperiods. Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, vol. 81, no. 4, pp Birds Australia (2007) The State of Australia s birds 2007: Birds in a Changing Climate, Wingspan, vol. 14, no. 4, pp1-12. Birds in Backyards, Willie Wagtail: Basic Information, accessed 4 April 2012, < Chambers, LE, Hughes, L, Weston, MA (2005) Climate change and its impact on Australia s avifauna. Emu105: 1-5 ClimateWatch (2012) Willie Wagtail accessed 4 April 2012, < Cotton, PA (2003) Avian migration phenology and global climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 100, Dyrcz, A (1994) Breeding Biology and Behaviour of the Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys in the Madang Region, Papua New Guinea. Emu 94: Grose, M, Harris, R, Lee, G (2012) IVG Forest Conservation Report 6: Future Climate Projections for Tasmanian IBRA Regions, A Report to the Independent Verification Group for the Tasmanian Forest Agreement, pp1-9, accessed 12 April 2012, <docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:ldmtndq4mjuj: endent-verification/pubs/ivg_conservation_6_climate.pdf+tasmania+insects+temperature. Hughes, L (2003) Climate Change and Australia: Trends, projections and impacts. Austral Ecology 28: Mayer, A (2010) Phenology and Citizen Science. BioScience 60: Sharland, M (1950) Stray Feathers. Emu 49: Tauber, M, Tauber, C, Nyrop, J, Villani, M (1998) Moisture, a Vital but Neglected Factor in the Seasonal Ecology of Insects: Hypotheses and Tests of Mechanisms, Environmental Entomology 27: Walther, G.R., Post, E, Convey, P, Menzel, A, Parmesan, C, Beebee, T.J.C., Fromentin, J.M., Hoegh-Guldberg, O, Bairlein, F (2002), Ecological responses to Climate Change. Nature 416:

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