It may be cold outside but our native wildlife thinks spring is getting earlier all the time (by 11 days since 1976)

Experts have warned that the shift in breeding could be disastrous for many species that rely on the spring flowering of plants to supply food for their young


We may be seeing a return to the bitterly cold weather but that is unlikely to affect the current trend in breeding habits which researchers have discovered among our native wildlife.

The study found that four out of five animals and plants are breeding earlier because of changes in UK weather patterns.

Experts have warned that the shift could be disastrous for many species that rely on the spring flowering of plants to supply food for their young.

The study drew on thousands of volunteers from across the UK who looked at 25,000 examples of 726 British plants, animals, insects, amphibians and birds between 1976 and 2005, and analysed their breeding patterns.


It found many species were hatching their offspring earlier, with reproduction moving forward by up to 11 days over the past 30 years.

They found that many species were hatching their offspring earlier because of the early springs and summers that the UK has experienced in the past three decades.

Changes were most rapid for those at the bottom of the food chain, such as plants and the animals that eat them.

Predators were found to have slower overall changes in the seasonal timing of their life cycles.

The researchers warned this could spell problems in the future, as the seasonal timing of reproduction is often matched to the time of year when food supply increases in order for the offspring to receive the amount of food they need to survive.

Dr Stephen Thackeray, of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, who led the study, published in the journal Global Change Biology, said the findings were important because they were on such a large scale. The centre is one of the UK's leading biology research facilities.

‘On average, the seasonal timing of reproduction and population growth has become earlier by more than 11 days over the whole period, but change has accelerated in recent decades,’ he added.

And he claimed that although it was possible the changes could be linked to climate change, he admitted at least another two years of research would be needed to confirm this.

‘The key issue is that there may be other more local phenomena at work,’ he added. ‘The evidence is that the change in the seasons has affected breeding on a hugely broad scale.

He said: 'These changes were noticed alongside the season acceleration we have seen in Britain.

'The effects were most notable at the bottom of the food chain. It's the first time we have seen anything like this.'

Dr Thackery added: 'The seasonal timing of reproduction is often matched to the time of year when food supply increases, so that offspring receive enough food to survive.

'A key question is whether animals higher up the food chain will react to the faster rates of change in the plants and animals they feed upon, or whether they will fail to do so and become less successful at rearing their offspring.'