In the great hall of climate change research, where heroic scientists tirelessly study hypothetical hazards of sea level rise, disappearing ice caps and other phenomena. Inclement weather we have now found a new champion. A bird. Mind you, not just any bird, but the humble turkey – yes, the bird that decorates our table at Thanksgiving and inspires the respect of Benjamin Franklin.
In a new, not so compelling study, from North Carolina State University, researchers presented their concern that climate change could pose a threat to turkey reproduction, mainly because turkeys may not change their nesting times to accommodate changing climates. In other words, they fear that while the Earth may warm, the turkeys will stay cool, adamantly during their breeding season.
So, the team embarked on an eight-year study that involved catching female turkeys, attaching a GPS transmitter, tracking turkeys remotely, and matching this turkey data with real-time data. details.
And what is the key conclusion of this study? Well, they found that changes in temperature and rainfall caused turkeys to slightly alter their nesting times. However, these changes are measurable in hours, not days. Under two climate change scenarios, the timing of successful nests would change in less than three hours. Basically, the turkeys just hit the snooze button on their biological clocks.
The whole idea of this “phenomenological mismatch,” in which the turkey’s reproductive cycle is not matched by food and cover resources, is also somewhat rich.
The turkey is a highly adaptable species. They have survived and recovered from the threat of extinction due to overhunting and habitat loss. We have them all over North America. This resilience should give them some respect, perhaps even confidence in their ability to adapt to a hypothetical warmer climate, given the wide range of climates they can survive, rather than lead them to potential doom after only a few hours of delay in nesting time.
This study is a prime example of researchers getting lost in the weeds. Instead of focusing on important, high-impact environmental realities, we spent eight years tracking turkeys and worrying about their nesting times. And while every aspect of our ecosystem is essential, perhaps there are more pressing concerns that need to be addressed.
In any case, rest assured, folks. Climate change or not, it looks like our Thanksgiving dinner is still safe. Now, if only we could figure out how to get the turkey to adapt to a less involved lifestyle, you know, ending with dinner.
DOIs: 10.1016/j.ecochg.2023.100075
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