Hot birds provide information about climate change

Deserts rarely conjure up images of flourishing life. They are, however, home to several species of birds that, because of their habitat, provide researchers with a unique opportunity to study the links between survival, breeding success and temperature.

A field laboratory in the Kalahari, where Prof McKechnie and his team set up a portable system for measuring physiological variables in birds

Prof Andrew McKechnie

August 18, 2015

Researchers

Professor Andrew McKechnie

Professor Andrew McKechnie is a Professor of Zoology at UP and South African Research Chair in Conservation Physiology at the South African National Biodiversity Institute.

Prof McKechnie did his undergraduate studies at the University of Natal and has been doing research at UP since 2008.

The research that he and his team do contribute to the betterment of the world we live in because it provides a better understanding of how birds and other animals are being affected by climate change. “Climate change is probably the single greatest threat facing biodiversity at present,” he says.
Prof McKechnie cautions that the public should know the climate we currently live in differs substantially from the climate of 30 years ago, and the rate of warming is accelerating. “Climate change poses substantial risks for humans and all other species on Earth,” he adds.

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