WCS 3-Sentence Science

Warmer, Wetter Benefits Some Birds

October 4, 2019

CREDIT: LAUREN BORTOLOTTI

Each year, Wildlife Conservation Society scientists publish more than 300 peer-reviewed studies and papers. “WCS 3-Sentence Science” is a regular tip-sheet — in bite sized helpings — of some of this published work.

Here we present work by WCS Canada’s Mantyka-Pringle comparing the impact of climate to land use on bird species.

1. Researchers evaluated how current climate, climate change, land-use, and wetland water quality relate to aquatic macroinvertebrates and birds in Alberta, Canada.
2. They found that climate patterns and climate change are as important as land use pressures with stronger impacts on birds, finding that progressively warmer, wetter conditions are benefiting some bird groups, including aerial insectivores, a group of conservation concern.
3. Riparian vegetation ameliorated the negative impacts of climate and water quality gradients on macroinvertebrate taxa richness and could mitigate global change impacts in agricultural systems.

Study and Journal: “Antagonistic, synergistic and direct effects of land use and climate on Prairie wetland ecosystems: Ghosts of the past or present?” from Diversity and Distributions
WCS Co-Author(s): Mantyka-Pringle (Lead), Conservation Planning Biologist, WCS Canada

For more information, contact: Stephen Sautner, 718–220–3682, ssautner@wcs.org.