Tetrapods Observatory

Climate change is expected to impact different species of Tetrapods (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians) to a various degree and with diverse mechanisms and consequences. For example, an increase in temperature will pose very different challenges for endothermic (mammals and birds) and ectothermic (reptiles and amphibians) species. In species with a delimited breeding season (most tetrapods in temperate climates), breeding phenology (the timing of the start of the breeding season) is one of the most important trait through which species can (or not) respond to climate change.

In France, a few dozens of long-term surveys on Tetrapod species include monitoring of breeding phenology, but they concern a vast diversity of species, and phenology is rarely the main object of the survey. The role of the Tetrapod Observatory is to build a scientific and data network between these surveys, and facilitate the collaboration between scientists working on different species.

Objectives : 

• Inventory and build a network of long-term surveys on Tetrapod species collecting information on breeding phenology.
• Facilitate the collaboration between scientists working on the breeding phenology of different Tetrapod species, favouring a convergence of measures and analyses of phenology.
• Share collective expertise and scientific monitoring on the subject of phenology, generating a broader, cross-specific perspective on the subject of phenology

Manager : 

• Pierre de Villeremeuil, pierre.devillemereuil@ephe.psl.eu