Climate change could lead to an increase in break-ups as it puts pressure on the animal kingdom.
Researchers have found that black-browed albatrosses are more likely to divorce in years when sea temperatures were significantly warmer than average, with the possibility many other species could be affected in the same way.
It's said that birds of a feather stick together. But with global temperatures rising, this adage starts to become unstuck.
A study published in Proceedings B found that black-browed albatrosses were more likely to split up as sea temperatures rose. The birds, which normally stick with their partner year after year, were especially likely to divorce their partner if they failed to breed successfully during the year.
The paper warns that these behavioural changes could represent 'an overlooked consequence of global change, with repercussions for demography and population dynamics.'
The long-term study, using almost two decades worth of data from the Falkland Islands, was conducted by an international team of researchers.
Access the report: Ventura Francesco, Granadeiro José Pedro, Lukacs Paul M., Kuepfer Amanda and Catry Paulo 2021 Environmental variability directly affects the prevalence of divorce in monogamous albatrosses Proc. R. Soc. B.2882021211220212112
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Posted On: 25/11/2021