Figure 1: Range of the Black-capped Chickadee and Carolina Chickadee with the approximate hybridization zone noted by the dark gray line.
Analysis Questions:
1. If the hybrid zone is moving north at a rate of 0.7 miles/year, how far will the hybrid zone move in the next 25 years __________? or 75 Years_________?
2. They hybrid zone is currently found at Kean University. If the rate of 0.7 miles/year is maintained, how long will it take for true breeding Black-Capped Chickadee to be extinct from NJ? Kean University to the Northern most part of the state = 53 miles.
3. What evidence is there that the Carolina Chickadee and the Black Capped Chickadee are actually two distinct species rather than subspecies?
4. The winter of 2014 was approximately 6 degrees Fahrenheit colder than normal in much of the Midwest and Northeastern U.S. What impact would this cold winter have on the overlap zone (hybridizations zone) of the Carolina and Black-capped Chickadee?
5. With climate change predictions from Part 2, do you believe Black Capped Chickadee will become extinct within the US by the end of the century? Use information from part 2 and part 3 to back up your answers.