Birds are also getting smaller due to global warming

Previously at GIGAZINE due to the impact of global warmingA sheep that is getting smaller and smaller in weight year by yearAlthough we talked about,Australian National UniversityAccording to the survey, it became clear that birds are getting smaller in size. It seems that this is also thought to be caused by global warming.

Details are as below.Global warming causes birds to shrink - Telegraph

Research by Dr. Janet Gardner of Australian National University and others announced at the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, it is clear that about 8% of the Australian birds are about 2-4% smaller in the past century became. The cause is considered to be global warming.

Birds inhabited in the vicinity of the equator are smaller in size and tend to be as large as birds living in high latitudes (Bergmann's law)there is. Heat production in the body of a homeothermal animal is proportional to the body weight, and the amount of heat release is proportional to the body surface area. Therefore, it is better to be small (large body surface area per body weight) because it is necessary to sufficiently dissipate heat in a temperate area, and it is necessary to suppress heat radiation in cold areas, so it is large (body surface area per body weight is small) It is more advantageous. According to this law, it seems that birds of high latitudes are also miniaturizing due to global warming.

"Our findings are the first to show that the size of birds based on distribution areas is changing.SydneyBirds in the old days are close to the equator 7 degrees latitudeBrisbaneIt is the size seen in "Dr. Gardner.

In this study, we investigated 517 specimens collected in about 140 years from 1860 to 2001, and the length of the feathers which are indicators of the size of the bird's body is 1.8% to 3.6% shorter It was confirmed.

Miniaturization was most prominentMunagro Australia MusikhiiThen, the nextYellow-rumped Thornbill(Common Thresher Hush Shumi)It seems that it was. According to Dr. Gardner, there was no evidence that change in nutrition intake due to environmental change led to miniaturization.

Munagro Australia Musikhii


Common spider shellfish


Interestingly, the miniaturization of birds found this timeDrosophilidaeIt seems that it looked like a miniaturization phenomenon seen in several species of. Drosophila can also feed birds.

"Shoujouba inhabiting the area of ​​high latitude (closer to Antarctica) has become a genetic composition of Drosophila that was inhabiting more north (closer to the equator) 20 years ago.Warming global warming It is reasonable if you think about it, "Dr. Gardner says.

The results of this research are recently announcedSoahi has become 5% smaller in the past 24 yearsAnd the report that the average weight of fish has decreased by half in the past 20 to 30 years, etc., and supports scientists' view that global warming can have a serious influence on the animal kingdom It is getting.