I am a ornithologist working in Japan and I'm trying to translate a Japanese word, "経年" "けいねん" pronounced "ke i nen", which means change over time or aging but since my English skills are not where they used to be. I am stumped on what word choices to use for changes over time. It's closest to Temporal Change maybe? Temporal is change with time but can it mean change over time as well? Any clue?
The word should fit in this sentence:
The changes over time of nesting sites and population size…
Best Answer
Since this is in the domain of biology, the word might be evolve. Evolve (v.): to change or develop slowly often into a better, more complex, or more advanced state. [ref] Example: The North-American crows have evolved to adapt to urbanization.
To describe a change over time of a part of an animal (e.g. beak), you can try the word morph. Example: The wings of these birds morphed over millenniums as atmospheric pressure changes.
To describe a change in habitat location over time, you can try the word shift. Example: After Seattle became a city, the Pacific wren and the Swainson’s thrush shifted their habitat. [ref]
Suggestion after asker added an example: trend. Example: The trend of population size over the last decade.