Global climate change leads to mistimed avian reproduction

Climate change is apparent as an advancement of spring phenology. However, there is no a priori reason to expect that all components of food chains will shift their phenology at the same rate. This differential shift will lead to mistimed reproduction in many species, including seasonally breeding birds. We argue that climate change induced mistiming in avian reproduction occurs because there is a substantial period between the moment of decision making on when to reproduce and the moment at which selection operates on this decision. Climate change is therefore likely to differentially alter the environment of decision-making and the environment of selection. We discuss the potential consequences of such mistiming, and identify a number of ways in which either individual birds or bird populations potentially can adapt to reproductive mistiming.