Responsiveness of Lepidoptera phenology to climate has been detected in a number of species during the current trend in global warming. There is still a question of whether climate signals would be evident in historical data. In this paper we examine the climatic response of 155 species of moths and butterflies collected during the period 1866-1884 in Wiltshire, southern England. In general, species responded to increased temperature in the previous October by delayed appearance and to increased temperature in the current spring by advanced appearance. Thus, differential changes in temperatures of the autumn and spring could well affect changes in the relative pattern of the phenology of species. Attributes influencing the species' ecology were examined to see if they influenced temperature responsiveness. In general, few consistent effects emerged, though responsiveness to climate was found to be greater for species eclosing later in the year, specifically to the previous autumn temperatures, and to hibernal environment, increasingly for species less exposed to air temperatures. These findings warn against expecting simple responses to climate warming.
Solar activity has important effect on terrestrial environment in which human population lives. Long-term and short-term periodicities in solar activity had influence on secular climate changes, little ice ages and climatic optima. The article summarizes briefly the results and methods of historical climatology. The text resumes the methods of research of the solar activity variation over the last 1500 years, through physical methods as well as through preserved written sources. The basic mechanisms of the effects of solar activity on terrestrial environment and human population are explained as well as the predictions of the upcoming solar activity. This may indicate that we are currently at the beginning of another long-term solar minimum., Kateřina Podolská., and Obsahuje bibliografii