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The article focuses on the study dealing with the phenological data including spatial, topographical and land use, of the honey bee, Apis mellifera (A. mellifera) and Pieris rapae (P. rapae) in Spain. It further informs the effect of environmental, biological and evolutionary mechanisms on the spatial variation pattern. It presents several diagrams to support the data presented in the study which includes spatial autocorrelation and predicted dates of appearance of the honey bee in Spain.

1. The first adult appearance of two insect species, the honey bee Apis mellifera (L.) and the small white Pieris rapae (L.), was examined between 1952 and 2004 in Spain. 2. After factoring out the variability resulting from the broad geographical and topographical range of the 798 sampling localities, multiple regression models were used to detect temporal trends in phenology. 3. The best models were repeated, including spring temperature as the explanatory variable to examine the effects of climate on appearance phenology. 4. Both species showed similar temporal trends, delaying their appearance phenology until the mid-1970s and advancing it since that time. 5. The appearance times for both species were negatively related to mean temperature between February and April, with both species appearing earlier in years with warmer springs. 6. The strong dependence of appearance dates on temperature indicates that climatic fluctuations are primarily responsible for the inter-annual variability in spring appearance phenology of both species, and consequently account for the observed long-term trends. 7. This study demonstrates that insect phenology is an accurate and sensitive bioindicator of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies in recent years have demonstrated long-term temporal trends in biological parameters that can only be explained by climate change. Bird phenology has received great attention, as it studies one of the most conspicuous, popular, and easily observable phenomena in nature. There are many studies of long-term changes in spring arrival dates, most of which concur with earlier records from the last few decades. However, few data are available for autumn departures or length of stays. Furthermore, existing data offer an equivocal picture. In this study, we analysed a huge database of about 44 000 records for five trans-Saharan bird species ( Ciconia ciconia, Cuculus canorus, Apus apus, Hirundo rustica and Luscinia megarhynchos). Data were collected from over 1300 sites around Spain during the period 1944–2004. Common spring arrival patterns were found in all species. Spring arrival dates have tended to advance since the mid-1970s. Current dates are similar to those from the 1940s (except for C. ciconia). Thus, the advance of spring migration over the last three decades could be seen as a return to the initial timing of arrival dates, after abnormally delayed arrivals during the 1970s. A strong negative relationship with temperature in Spain at arrival time was observed in all species. A negative relationship with the Sahel Index (a measurement of precipitation in the African Sahel area during the rainy season) for the previous year was also found in C. canorus, A. apus and H. rustica. Regarding autumn departures, all species showed common interdecadal fluctuations, but only H. rustica is leaving earlier Spain at present. All species departed earlier in years that had higher temperatures during their reproductive period. However, only for H. rustica the relation between Spanish temperatures at departure time and the last sightings of individuals was significant. A heterogeneous temporal response for the length of stay was also found: C. ciconia increased, A. apus did not change and H. rustica decreased its stay. This is the first study, based on an extensive bird phenology observational network covering a large region, that shows the most complete and thorough analysis available for the Mediterranean region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The life cycles of plants and animals are changing around the world in line with the predictions originated from hypotheses concerning the impact of global warming and climate change on biological systems. Commonly, the search for ecological mechanisms behind the observed changes in bird phenology has focused on the analysis of climatic patterns from the species breeding grounds. However, the ecology of bird migration suggests that the spring arrival of long-distance migrants (such as trans-Saharan birds) is more likely to be influenced by climate conditions in wintering areas given their direct impact on the onset of migration and its progression. We tested this hypothesis by analysing the first arrival dates (FADs) of six trans-Saharan migrants (cuckooCuculus canorus, swiftApus apus, hoopoeUpupa epops, swallowHirundo rustica, house martinDelichon urbicaand nightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos), in a western Mediterranean area since from 1952 to 2003. By means of multiple regression analyses, FADs were analysed in relation to the monthly temperature and precipitation patterns of five African climatic regions south of the Sahara where species are thought to overwinter and from the European site from where FADs were collected. We obtained significant models for five species explaining 9–41% of the variation in FADs. The interpretation of the models suggests that: (1) The climate in wintering quarters, especially the precipitation, has a stronger influence on FADs than that in the species' potential European breeding grounds. (2) The accumulative effects of climate patterns prior to migration onset may be of considerable importance since those climate variables that served to summarize climate patterns 12 months prior to the onset of migration were selected by final models. (3) Temperature and precipitation in African regions are likely to affect departure decision in the species studied through their indirect effects on food availability and the build-up of reserves for migration. Our results concerning the factors that affect the arrival times of trans-Saharan migrants indicate that the effects of climate change are more complex than previously suggested, and that these effects might have an interacting impact on species ecology, for example by reversing ecological pressures during species' life cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]