Albatross ‘Divorces’ May Be Climbing Because Of Climate Change

[ad_1]

One of the most famously monogamous species of birds may be driven to “divorce” their partners at higher rates as a result of a warming planet, a new study found.

Black-browed albatrosses have the reputation of mating for life and usually stick with one partner after pairing off. Usually, only 1% to 3% of albatross pairs split up and find new mates, according to The Guardian.

But that rose to as much as 8% during years of unusually warm water temperatures, according to researchers who analyzed data involving more than 15,000 albatross pairs in the Falkland Islands over a 15-year period. The study was published in the Royal Society journal this week.

A courting pair of black-browed albatrosses.
A courting pair of black-browed albatrosses.

Kevin Schafer via Getty Images

Scientists have long known that albatross pairs may divorce, typically involving the female finding a new mate, if they had an unsuccessful breeding season. But researchers found that in unusually warm years, breakup rates rose even among pairs that had successfully reproduced.

So why might warmer waters have this kind of effect? For one thing, warmer waters mean that phytoplankton, organisms that form the foundation of the marine food chain, are less plentiful. As Scientific American noted, the scarcity of phytoplankton has cascading effects up the food chain and, in this case, means that albatrosses must fly farther and work harder to find enough food.

In some cases, birds may simply have traveled farther afield and not returned in time for breeding season, leading their partners to find a new mate, University of Lisbon researcher and study co-author Francesco Ventura told The Guardian.

Ventura also said harsher temperatures and having to work harder to eat raises stress levels in the birds overall, and it’s possible that the birds may more or less blame their partner for their unhappiness.

​“We propose this partner-blaming hypothesis ― with which a stressed female might feel this physiological stress, and attribute these higher stress levels to a poor performance of the male,” he said.

Earlier this month, a different study was published that documented another way that human-caused climate change seems to be affecting birds. That study found that birds in the Amazon rainforest are getting smaller in size as temperatures get hotter.



[ad_2]

Original Post

23 thoughts on “Albatross ‘Divorces’ May Be Climbing Because Of Climate Change

  • 20 January 2022 at 4:35 am
    Permalink

    It’s the best time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy. I’ve read this post and if I could I wish to suggest you some interesting things or advice. Perhaps you could write next articles referring to this article. I wish to read more things about it!

    Reply
  • 24 January 2022 at 12:09 pm
    Permalink

    One important thing is that when you’re searching for a education loan you may find that you will want a co-signer. There are many situations where this is correct because you should find that you do not employ a past credit standing so the loan provider will require that you’ve someone cosign the financial loan for you. Interesting post.

    Reply
  • 25 January 2022 at 9:41 am
    Permalink

    A formidable share, I simply given this onto a colleague who was doing a bit of evaluation on this. And he actually bought me breakfast because I found it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the deal with! But yeah Thnkx for spending the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love studying extra on this topic. If attainable, as you develop into experience, would you thoughts updating your blog with more details? It’s extremely useful for me. Large thumb up for this weblog publish!

    Reply
  • 25 January 2022 at 10:22 pm
    Permalink

    Thanks – Enjoyed this article, can you make it so I receive an update sent in an email whenever there is a fresh update?

    Reply
  • 26 January 2022 at 5:54 am
    Permalink

    Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wished to say that I have really enjoyed surfing around your blog posts. In any case I will be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again very soon!

    Reply
  • 8 February 2022 at 3:19 pm
    Permalink

    You actually make it seem so easy together with your presentation but I to find this matter to be actually one thing which I think I would never understand. It kind of feels too complex and extremely extensive for me. I am taking a look forward on your next publish, I抣l attempt to get the hang of it!

    Reply
  • 17 December 2023 at 5:03 pm
    Permalink

    I am always searching online for tips that can facilitate me. Thanks!

    Reply
  • 20 January 2024 at 11:46 am
    Permalink

    Thank you, I’ve just been looking for info approximately this topic for a while and yours is the greatest I have came upon so far. However, what in regards to the conclusion? Are you sure in regards to the source?

    Reply
  • 28 February 2024 at 4:09 am
    Permalink

    I was examining some of your blog posts on this site and I think this site is real instructive! Keep posting.

    Reply
  • 6 March 2024 at 6:28 pm
    Permalink

    Howdy this is kinda of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding skills so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    Reply
  • 11 March 2024 at 9:17 pm
    Permalink

    I am often to blogging and i really appreciate your content. The article has really peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your site and keep checking for new information.

    Reply
  • 22 March 2024 at 6:59 pm
    Permalink

    Have you ever thought about adding a little bit more than just your articles? I mean, what you say is valuable and everything. However think about if you added some great photos or videos to give your posts more, “pop”! Your content is excellent but with images and videos, this site could certainly be one of the greatest in its field. Superb blog!

    Reply
  • 27 March 2024 at 8:00 pm
    Permalink

    In the great pattern of things you receive an A just for effort and hard work. Where exactly you actually misplaced me personally was first in your facts. As people say, the devil is in the details… And that could not be much more true right here. Having said that, let me reveal to you just what exactly did work. The text is quite powerful which is most likely why I am taking the effort in order to comment. I do not really make it a regular habit of doing that. Next, while I can easily notice the jumps in reason you come up with, I am definitely not convinced of exactly how you appear to connect your ideas which produce your final result. For right now I will, no doubt subscribe to your issue however wish in the near future you connect the facts much better.

    Reply
  • 28 March 2024 at 2:57 am
    Permalink

    I am always invstigating online for ideas that can facilitate me. Thx!

    Reply
  • 14 April 2024 at 11:00 am
    Permalink

    Good ?V I should definitely pronounce, impressed with your web site. I had no trouble navigating through all tabs and related info ended up being truly easy to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it in the least. Quite unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or something, site theme . a tones way for your customer to communicate. Nice task..

    Reply
  • 14 April 2024 at 7:25 pm
    Permalink

    Fantastic site. Lots of useful information here. I am sending it to some friends ans also sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks for your sweat!

    Reply
  • 15 April 2024 at 1:40 pm
    Permalink

    Lovely just what I was searching for.Thanks to the author for taking his clock time on this one.

    Reply
  • 16 April 2024 at 9:16 am
    Permalink

    I was wondering if you ever considered changing the structure of your site? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or 2 pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?

    Reply
  • 16 April 2024 at 10:12 am
    Permalink

    My spouse and I stumbled over here from a different page and thought I may as well check things out. I like what I see so now i am following you. Look forward to looking into your web page yet again.

    Reply
  • 28 April 2024 at 12:01 am
    Permalink

    Merely wanna remark that you have a very nice site, I love the style and design it really stands out.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *