Re: Reproduction and Environment

["Richard W. Travsky" <rtravsky@uwyo.edu>]

On Thu, 6 Apr 2006, Dinosaur World wrote:
> I know that certain animals time their reproduction so that their young are 
> born to coincide with environmental events that are beneficial to babies, but 
> what is the catalyst that starts the reproductive behavior?
> Birds, for instance, may lay their eggs in advance of the swarming season of 
> certain insects, thus insuring their young have plenty to eat upon hatching. 
> But how is it that they know to time this? Is it tied to climate changes? 
> Position of the moon/sun? Slight changes in the earths magnetic fields?
>
> And if this catalyst did not occur, would that reduce or stop all together 
> the reproduction of that particular species for that season?
>
> Are there any examples of modern animals whose reproductive behavior is 
> altered by environmental changes? Could environmental changes have affected 
> dinosaurs the same way?

This just in:

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4874026.stm
 Antarctic seabirds may be breeding later in response to climate change,
 according to a scientific study.

 French researchers analysed records stretching back to the 1950s and
 think the breeding delays are linked to changes in East Antarctic sea
 ice.

 Bird species are arriving at their colonies an average of nine days
 later and laying eggs on average two days later than they did in the
 1950s.
 ...

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