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Will earlier springs throw nature out of step?Blue tit. istockphoto.com


Research using your data suggests accelerating trends

The recent trend towards earlier UK springs and summers has been accelerating, according to a study published in the scientific journal Global Change Biology.
 
The collaborative study, involving scientists from 12 UK research institutions, universities and conservation organisations, including the Woodland Trust, is the most comprehensive and rigorous assessment so far of long-term changes in the seasonal timing (phenology) of biological events across marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments in the UK.
 
More than 80% of trends between 1976 and 2005 indicate earlier seasonal events. TheOrange tip butterfly on cuckoo flower. Richard Becker study considers a diverse array of organisms including plankton, plants, insects, amphibians, fish, birds and mammals.
 
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.

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Read the research paper