Effects on natural bird populations
Effects on natural populations are best examined in long-term data sets. For approximately 40 years, we have been conducting morphological, coloration, ecophysiological, behavioral, phenological and demographic data collection on hole-nesting birds in the Pilis-Visegrádi Mountains. We have so far examined the effects of climate change on developmental plasticity, population synchrony and sexual signal systems. We are currently examining the effects of changing conditions on individual characteristics, population interactions and the condition-indicator value of sexual signals. We also plan to experimentally test temporal shifts in the individual optimization of reproductive investment and the plasticity of the individual developmental trajectory