Origins & Evolution:
informatics activities
and needs
Steve Brooks
Natural History Museum
London, UK
Rationale
use NHM Life Science collections to investigate response of organisms to
climate change
Focus
•
phenology
•
morphometry
•
niche
•
freshwater insects, bees, beetles, butterflies,
flowering plants, bird eggs
Phenology
•
dates of flowering, emergence, egg-laying, pollinia removal
•
NHM specimens give longer time perspective than most observational
records
•
provides baseline on rates of phenological change prior to recent rapid
climate change
•
NHM data available for rare species
•
place and date of collection against climate
•
pilot study of four species of British butterflies
Orange Tip
Grizzled Skipper
Duke of Burgundy
Adonis Blue
Initial results
Orange Tip
Adonis Blue (1st generation)
Duke of Burgundy
Grizzled Skipper
Interpretation of results
•
significant negative correlation between earliest collection date and median
collection date and spring temperature
•
significant positive correlation between length of flight period and spring or
summer temperature
•
warmer springs result in earlier flying dates and extend flying season
•
cool, wet springs delay first flying dates
•
rates of advancement per 1C for early emerging species higher in NHM data
than modern observations
•
for early emerging species March temperature more significant than
February in NHM data
Morphometry
•
stomatal density, leaf morphology influenced by climate, change through
time (with Utrecht University)
•
wing and body symmetry and size of insects may vary with climate and
influence distribution
•
use digital images of UK and European dragonflies to test this hypothesis
Niche
•
hypothesis that temperature and precipitation drives distribution of European
flora and fauna
•
compile locality data of European freshwater insects and beetles from NHM
collections
•
model distribution range against climate and environmental variables
•
determine major variables driving distribution
•
in collaboration with Queen’s University Belfast.