Arctic seabirds exhibit lower heat tolerance and are at increased risk from climate change impacts
In a groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, researchers from McGill University have found that the thick-billed murre, a cold-adapted Arctic species, is especially vulnerable to heat stress caused by climate change. The study, titled "Limited heat tolerance in a cold-adapted seabird: implications of a warming Arctic," is the first to examine heat stress in large Arctic seabirds.
The Arctic is warming at approximately twice the global rate, making it crucial to understand the effects of climate change on its wildlife. The thick-billed murres, weighing up to one kilogram, have a very high metabolic rate relative to their size. This high metabolism, combined with their limited heat tolerance, may explain the mortalities of these birds on warm weather days.
Researchers led by McGill University subjected thick-billed murres to increasing temperatures and measured their breathing rates and water loss. They found that larger birds were more sensitive to heat stress than smaller ones, with the birds showing signs of stress at temperatures as low as 21C.
Murres nest in dense colonies, often breeding shoulder to shoulder along the narrow ledges of cliffs. Male and female birds take turns nesting on 12-hour shifts. Overheating is an important and understudied effect of climate change on Arctic wildlife, and this study sheds light on this critical issue.
McGill University, founded in 1821, is a top-ranked university with research activities spanning two campuses, 11 faculties, 13 professional schools, 300 programs of study, and over 40,000 students. The university's commitment to sustainability is long-standing, reaching back several decades and spanning scales from local to global. McGill University has signed sustainability declarations affirming its role in shaping a future where people and the planet can flourish.
While the research team leading the latest study on heat stress in Arctic bird species, particularly the Thick-billed Murre, is not explicitly mentioned in the provided search results, the study's DOI (https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.242168) can be used to access more detailed information about the team and their findings.
