Regional changes in the elevational distribution of the Alpine Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus muta helvetica in Switzerland
The Alpine Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus muta helvetica is considered to be particularly vulnerable to climate change because it lives exclusively above the treeline in alpine habitats and is adapted to cold climates. Its Swiss population index has decreased over the last two decades. A considerable shrink...
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crwiley:10.1111/ibi.12298 2024-09-30T14:38:12+00:00 Regional changes in the elevational distribution of the Alpine Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus muta helvetica in Switzerland Pernollet, Claire A. Korner‐Nievergelt, Fränzi Jenni, Lukas Butler, Simon 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12298 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fibi.12298 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ibi.12298 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Ibis volume 157, issue 4, page 823-836 ISSN 0019-1019 1474-919X journal-article 2015 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12298 2024-09-05T05:02:58Z The Alpine Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus muta helvetica is considered to be particularly vulnerable to climate change because it lives exclusively above the treeline in alpine habitats and is adapted to cold climates. Its Swiss population index has decreased over the last two decades. A considerable shrinkage in distributional area is predicted with further climate change. We assess whether the Alpine Rock Ptarmigan has moved to higher elevations in recent years in the Swiss Alps, and whether such elevational shifts have differed between regions and seasons, using observations recorded by volunteers over a 29‐year period. The elevational shifts differed greatly between regions. In the Eastern and Southern Alps, Ptarmigans were increasingly recorded at higher elevations, with a mean uphill shift of 6.4–9.4 m/year over the last three decades, a pattern that could not be explained by the yearly variation in weather conditions, whereas there was only a moderate upward shift (1.5–3.2 m/year) in the Northern Alps and almost no shift in the Western Alps. Elevational changes were generally greater than those observed in other bird species. The observed upward shift in the Eastern and Southern Alps is among the fastest observed in animals and plants, and may be caused by an upward shift of the treeline and reforestation of formerly cut or unforested areas. The observed elevational shift of the distribution of the Alpine Rock Ptarmigan has led to a reduction in the range of this subspecies, which is restricted to the Alps and isolated from other populations. Article in Journal/Newspaper Lagopus muta rock ptarmigan Wiley Online Library Ibis 157 4 823 836 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
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English |
description |
The Alpine Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus muta helvetica is considered to be particularly vulnerable to climate change because it lives exclusively above the treeline in alpine habitats and is adapted to cold climates. Its Swiss population index has decreased over the last two decades. A considerable shrinkage in distributional area is predicted with further climate change. We assess whether the Alpine Rock Ptarmigan has moved to higher elevations in recent years in the Swiss Alps, and whether such elevational shifts have differed between regions and seasons, using observations recorded by volunteers over a 29‐year period. The elevational shifts differed greatly between regions. In the Eastern and Southern Alps, Ptarmigans were increasingly recorded at higher elevations, with a mean uphill shift of 6.4–9.4 m/year over the last three decades, a pattern that could not be explained by the yearly variation in weather conditions, whereas there was only a moderate upward shift (1.5–3.2 m/year) in the Northern Alps and almost no shift in the Western Alps. Elevational changes were generally greater than those observed in other bird species. The observed upward shift in the Eastern and Southern Alps is among the fastest observed in animals and plants, and may be caused by an upward shift of the treeline and reforestation of formerly cut or unforested areas. The observed elevational shift of the distribution of the Alpine Rock Ptarmigan has led to a reduction in the range of this subspecies, which is restricted to the Alps and isolated from other populations. |
author2 |
Butler, Simon |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Pernollet, Claire A. Korner‐Nievergelt, Fränzi Jenni, Lukas |
spellingShingle |
Pernollet, Claire A. Korner‐Nievergelt, Fränzi Jenni, Lukas Regional changes in the elevational distribution of the Alpine Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus muta helvetica in Switzerland |
author_facet |
Pernollet, Claire A. Korner‐Nievergelt, Fränzi Jenni, Lukas |
author_sort |
Pernollet, Claire A. |
title |
Regional changes in the elevational distribution of the Alpine Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus muta helvetica in Switzerland |
title_short |
Regional changes in the elevational distribution of the Alpine Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus muta helvetica in Switzerland |
title_full |
Regional changes in the elevational distribution of the Alpine Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus muta helvetica in Switzerland |
title_fullStr |
Regional changes in the elevational distribution of the Alpine Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus muta helvetica in Switzerland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Regional changes in the elevational distribution of the Alpine Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus muta helvetica in Switzerland |
title_sort |
regional changes in the elevational distribution of the alpine rock ptarmigan lagopus muta helvetica in switzerland |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12298 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fibi.12298 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ibi.12298 |
genre |
Lagopus muta rock ptarmigan |
genre_facet |
Lagopus muta rock ptarmigan |
op_source |
Ibis volume 157, issue 4, page 823-836 ISSN 0019-1019 1474-919X |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12298 |
container_title |
Ibis |
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157 |
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4 |
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823 |
op_container_end_page |
836 |
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1811640913296883712 |