Biodiversity - Natural Rhythms
The flash animation explains that "phenology" is the study of a species' rhythm of life. A number of things determine the rhythm of life of a species, such as the seasons, the temperature, the duration of daylight, the rhythm of other species, etc. Over the past few years, a new phenomenon has also started to play a role: climate change. The effects of climate change vary from one species to another.
Within the present animation, we will focus on the phenological changes of 4 different species: the oak tree, the great tit, the caterpillar and the pied flycatcher. Each one of these species reacts differently to rises in temperature, which can result in what is known as a "phenological time-lag".