In recent decades, populations of many wild bird species have declined dramatically worldwide due to many factors associated with urbanisation. Climate change, induced by human activity, influence the population dynamics of wild birds due to its effect on behaviour, physiology, and reproduction. It was shown that in many wild bird species that not just the increasing temperature, but the unpredictable severe weather changes (i.e. immediate temperature drop, or snowing in April) can have a negative impact on nestlings´ growth or fledging success. Unfortunately, our knowledge about how hatching failure, as one of the main determinant of fitness, can change due to climate change, and how this effect is altered by urban environment (eg.: urban heat island effect), is scarce.
Aim of the study: Using our long-term dataset, we will to study, how temperature increase and extreme weather event influence hatching failure in 2 wild bird species (Blue and Great tits).
Questions:
Q1: Did hatching failure increase over the last decade?
Q2: Do the changes in hatching failure differ between urban and rural habitats?
Q3: Do the interaction between climate and urban environment influence hatching failure?
Your tasks:
- Collect basic breeding data in 2025, following the individual breeding attempt, ringing nestlings and adults, collecting unhatched eggs.
- Organise the data back till 2013 for your analysis.
- Collect the weather data for each nestbox from different databases.
- Carry out the statistical analysis.
- Write your thesis.
You will learn to:
- handle and measure birds
- use brightfield and fluorescent microscope, fluorescent DNA staining of the egg perivitelline layer
- basic principles of databases and using different statistical tools to analyse your data
- use GIS for analysing spatial data
Starting date: 1st of April (but sooner is the better). Duration: 45-60 credits
Contact:
Main supervisor: Caroline Isaksson: caroline.isaksson@biol.lu.se
Co-supervisor: Zsófia Tóth: zsofia.toth@biol.lu.se