Yang, 1

Benjamin Yang

Writ 2, Julie Johnson

11/25/2020

Establishing A Global Perspective of Climate Change Consequences on Birds

Most ecological articles regarding climate change are incredibly niche, focusing on a

specific population of animals or plants in a small corner of the world. According to Kerry

Dirk’s article “Navigating Genres”, genres wield the power to “help or hurt human interaction, to

ease communication or to deceive, to enable someone to speak or to discourage”​1​, which is why

it is critical to examine ecological research in a broader context to gain a better understanding of

their convoluted work. From the coasts of Antarctica to the tip of Southern Australia, various

ecologists have delved into the consequences of rising sea levels and temperatures on the

migration patterns of Adiele Penguins, to interspecific competition between Tasmanian Gulls.

However, at the expense of such specific analysis, few scholars have seemed to comprehensively

clarify one important thing: how is climate change affecting bird populations across the entire

planet in general? Using the concept of a literature review (a paper that brings together

(inter)disciplinary articles into conversation around a particular topic), this essay will examine a

collection of 5 peer-reviewed academic articles related to bird ecology and warming. By

analyzing these articles and the impacts of climate change on the migration/breeding patterns of

a pack of Australian & Antarctic Penguins (indicating rapid population loss only in Antarctica),

along with the impacts of rising sea-surface-temperatures on the Sooty Tern and Tasmanian Gull

(predicting low population impact overall), a broader notion of climate change can be established

at points across the Southern Hemisphere, successfully answering the question: How is climate

change affecting bird populations across the globe as a whole?

The first two articles that will be discussed in this literature review are both quite specific

and present a brief insight into the niche world of ecological climate research. By combining

their efforts and conclusions, one can envision a much broader impact of climate change and

rising temperatures. David Ainley and Joellen Russel’s Antarctic Penguin Response to Habitat

Change as Earth's Troposphere Reaches 2C above Preindustrial Level”​2​ dives deep into the

habitat alterations on a pack of Antarctic Penguins. Their research focuses heavily on a

quantitative analysis of sea surface temperature rise, relating to how it affects penguin

populations in the Southern Hemisphere. Common with literary practices, or “general cultural

ways of utilizing written language which people draw upon”​3​, in relation to ecology, visuals and

graphs are prominent, giving clear justification of scientific claims, which conclude that

“Colonies north of 70 degrees S are projected to decrease or disappear: 50% of Emperor colonies

and 75% of Adelie colonies”​4​. The reasoning behind this lies in the fact that “Adelies would be

affected negatively by increasing snowfall, predicted to increase in certain areas owing to

intrusions of warm, moist marine air”​5​, unraveling the specific verification behind direct

cause-effect relationships between climate and habitat. Next, Grant, Ballard, and Viona

Toniolo’s “Responding to Climate Change: Adelie Penguins Confront Astronomical and Ocean

Boundaries”​6​ builds upon the research of Ainley and Russel, analyzing the migration patterns of

the same penguins over a span of 3 years. Their work utilizes an extensive system of geolocation

sensors, tracking migratory patterns of Adelies across thousands of miles, concluding that these

birds are facing “situations that no other Adelie Penguin population has had to confront”, and

2
Ainley, David, Joellen Russel. “ Antarctic Penguin Response to Habitat Change as Earth's
Troposphere Reaches 2C above Preindustrial Level,” 2010, JSTOR.
3
Barton and Mary, Hamilton, “Literary practices.” gu, 2000.
4
​Ainley, David, Joellen Russel, 256
5
​Ainley, David, Joellen Russel, 257
6
​Ballard, Grant, and Viona Toniolo. “ Responding to Climate Change: Adelie Penguins
Confront Astronomical and Ocean Boundaries,” 2010, JSTOR.
 Yang, 3

“can expect further changes in the migration patterns of the Ross Sea penguins”​7​. Both Toniolo

and Ainley are particular in their methodology and subject, but give added insight into the state

of climate change in one of the most isolated areas of the planet. Their findings signify that

land-dwelling birds face dire challenges in migration, population, and habitat and a direct result

of rising temperatures, helping to envision the overall impact of climate change for penguin

populations across Antarctica.

Like their Antarctic counterparts, Australian penguins are another large bird population

that provides insight into the global scale of climate change. Dann Peter and Lynda Chambers’s

“Ecological Effects of Climate Change on Little Penguins Eudyptula Minor and the Potential

Economic Impact on Tourism”​8​ examines exactly this phenomenon. Dann and Chambers focus

on predicting the potential impacts of ascending temperatures and acidic sea levels on the

Eudyptula Minor, using mathematical models to predict habitat loss, food supply, and breeding

success. Unlike their Antarctic counterparts, Dann and Chamber’s research suggests that the

Eudyptula Minor of Southern Australia faces only minor consequences of global warming, given

Australia’s more temperate and forgiving area compared to Antarctica, making breeding and

migration much less vulnerable. However, more detailed data indicates that if current warming

trends continue, the species is likely to start experiencing similar consequences of their Antarctic

cousins. By bringing this paper into consideration among the two aforementioned discussions, a

much more comprehensive and inclusive perspective on climate change effects can be

established, allowing for a more global perspective on bird populations. Specifically, our articles

show that while penguins in extreme/isolated areas face immediate and serious consequences due

7
​Ballard, Grant, and Viona Toniolo, 2057
8
Dann, Peter, and Lynda Chambers. “ Ecological Effects of Climate Change on Little Penguins
Eudyptula Minor and the Potential Economic Impact on Tourism.” ​JSTOR
 Yang, 4

to global warming, their more temperate counterparts are less likely to experience such serious

backlash from climate change.

In a discussion of penguins, their flying equivalents must also be brought to light.

Specifically, populations of the Sooty-Tern (Southern Australia) and Tasmanian Gull

(Southeastern Tasmania), can provide another valuable perspective on the global scale of the

carbon crisis. Bringing Eric Woheller and Toby Patterson’s article “Climate and Competition in

Abundance Trends in Native and Invasive Tasmanian Gulls”​9​ into this literature review helps to

accomplish this. Woheller’s paper pinpoints the negative consequences that derive as a result of

interspecific competition between the Tasmanian gull populations, specifically over-breeding of

the invasive type as a result of climate change. Using statistical/mathematical modeling to

predict the environmental and habitat changes that may cause population fluctuation, this article

shows that increased winds as a result of temperature rise lead to increased productivity, and may

cause heightened competition between the two species, leading to reduced populations of the

native gulls in comparison to the invasive kind. Unlike the previous papers in conversation,

Woheller focuses on interspecific competition as the main culprit and climate change as a

secondary/intermediate cause. This signifies that unlike penguins, flying birds are less impacted

directly by warming, but may see more effects as a secondary cause, such as interspecific

competition. By delving into the research of this new article, we are effectively able to broaden

our understanding of global warming on a host of different bird populations and distinguish

between effects across the globe. In addition to Tasmanian Gulls, Erwin Carol and Bradley

Congdon article “Day-to-Day Variation in Sea-Surface Temperature Reduces Sooty Tern Sterna

Fuscata Foraging Success on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia”​10​ builds on Woheller’s research

9
Woheller, Eric, and Toby Patterson. “Climate and Competition in Abundance Trends in Native
and Invasive Tasmanian Gulls,” 2014, JSTOR.
10
​Erwin, Carol, and Bradley Congdon. “Day-to-Day Variation in Sea-Surface Temperature
 Yang, 5

by scrutinizing a population of Sooty-Terns, a native Australian Seabird. This paper considers

the correlation between SST(sea surface temperature) and the decline of Sooty-tern populations

using numerical observation and quantitative reasoning. Using a simple regression model, Carol

conclusively states that “there is a low negative correlation between SST and breeding

success/populations of the seabird”​11​ due to the decrease of foraging success as a result of

declining ocean prey. Like Woheller’s findings, Carol and Congdon suggest that aerial birds are

likely to face climate change less intensely and directly, as their food supplies and migratory

routes alter at a much more forgivable rate compared to penguins. While Adieles of Antarctica

will have to combat major migratory changes as well as significant breeding obstacles, the

Sooty-Terns consequences pale in comparison. Again, by examining a related article in this

literature review, we are able to gain a much more global view on the impact of climate change

on birds throughout the Southern Hemisphere and depict the impacts of global warming on

several different populations, who have interconnected consequences.

By analyzing and comparing the research on Antarctic Penguins, Sooty-Terns of

Australia, Tasmanian Gulls, and the Eudyptula Minor using the concept of a literature review, a

more comprehensive and global understanding of climate change on bird populations can be

constructed, concluding that warming trends have a vast range of effects on distinct species and

regions. Penguins in more harsh and unforgiving climates are the most susceptible to warming,

while those in more temperate conditions are less likely to experience serious consequences.

Birds, however, unlike penguins, are less exposed due to their aerial nature, but will still be

affected indirectly through interspecific competition or foraging success. Through this literature

review, the question of “how is climate change affecting bird populations across the entire

Reduces Sooty Tern Sterna Fuscata Foraging Success on the Great Barrier Reef,
Australia,” 2007, JSTOR.
11
​Erwin, Carol, and Bradley Congdon, 258
 Yang, 6

planet?”, has been explored, a topic that lacks much discussion in the discipline of ecology and

climate change.

Works Cited

Ainley, David, Joellen Russel. “ Antarctic Penguin Response to Habitat Change as Earth's

Troposphere Reaches 2C above Preindustrial Level,” 2010, JSTOR.

Ballard, Grant, and Viona Toniolo. “ Responding to Climate Change: Adelie Penguins

Confront Astronomical and Ocean Boundaries,” 2010, JSTOR.

Dann, Peter, and Lynda Chambers. “ Ecological Effects of Climate Change on Little Penguins

Eudyptula Minor and the Potential Economic Impact on Tourism.” ​JSTOR

Erwin, Carol, and Bradley Congdon. “Day-to-Day Variation in Sea-Surface Temperature

Reduces Sooty Tern Sterna Fuscata Foraging Success on the Great Barrier Reef,

Australia,” 2007, JSTOR.

Woheller, Eric, and Toby Patterson. “Climate and Competition in Abundance Trends in Native

and Invasive Tasmanian Gulls,” 2014, JSTOR.