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Spatio-Temporal Distribution Patterns and Determinant Factors of Wintering Hooded Cranes (Grus monacha) Population. DIVERSITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/d14121091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Hooded Cranes (Grus monacha) rely on wetlands for the majority of their life cycle and respond to the environmental conditions during the wintering period. Future conservation planning should be driven by an understanding of how cranes respond to environmental factors at degraded wetland sites and the changes in their spatio-temporal distribution. In recent years, the spatial and temporal distribution of waterbirds and determinant factors have become a research focus. However, research on the specific factors influencing the relative abundance of Hooded Cranes from multiple perspectives in the different habitat patches at Shengjin and Caizi Lakes is lacking. Therefore, from 2021 to 2022, we investigated the quantity and distribution of Hooded Cranes in the upper part of Shengjin and Baitu Lake part of Caizi Lakes. We considered multiple habitat variables, including patch size, food biomass, food availability, and human disturbance, and analyzed the dynamic changes in the distribution of the population in different wintering periods. We used model selection and averaging to select the best model and identify key variables. During different wintering periods, the spatio-temporal distribution of the crane population differed in the upper part of Shengjin Lake, but the crane was mainly distributed in the northern part of the Baitu Lake part of Caizi Lake. The model that included food biomass and patch size was the best for predicting the relative abundance of Hooded Cranes. Cranes foraged in areas with large patches and abundant food resources. Therefore, we suggest reserving patch integrity and availability in the current habitats and protecting and restoring the main food resources to provide high-quality habitat patches and plentiful food resources for wintering populations of Hooded Cranes.
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Norambuena HV, Rivera R, Barros R, Silva R, Peredo R, Hernández CE. Living on the edge: genetic structure and geographic distribution in the threatened Markham's Storm-Petrel ( Hydrobates markhami). PeerJ 2022; 9:e12669. [PMID: 35036151 PMCID: PMC8711276 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Migratory birds are threatened by habitat loss and degradation, illegal killings, ineffective conservation policies, knowledge gaps and climate change. These threats are particularly troubling in the Procellariiformes (Aves), one of the most endangered bird groups. For “storm-petrels”, their cryptic breeding behavior, asynchrony between populations, and light pollution pose additional threats that contribute to increased mortality.Markham’s Storm-Petrel (Hydrobates markhami), a poorly known migratory species, is a pelagic bird that breeds in dispersed colonies in the Sechura and Atacama Deserts, with asynchronous reproduction between colonies, and is highly affected by artificial lights. Considering its complex conservation scenario and singular breeding, we expected to find narrow habitat distribution conditions, strong geographic genetic structure, and spatially differentiation related to human population activities (e.g., light pollution) and the climate global change. To evaluate these predictions, we analyzed the phylogeography, current and future potential distribution based on mitochondrial gene ND1 and geographic records.The phylogeographic analyses revealed three well-supported clades (i.e., Paracas, Arica, and Salar Grande), and the geographical distribution modeled using an intrinsic conditional model (iCAR) suggests a positive relationship with the mean temperature of the wettest quarter and of the driest quarter, solar radiation, and anthropogenic disturbance. The future predictions under moderate and severe scenarios of global change indicated a drastic distribution area reduction, especially in the southern zone around Tarapacá and Antofagasta in Chile. These suggest a potential loss of unique genetic diversity and the need for conservation actions particularly focused at the edges of the H. markhami distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heraldo V Norambuena
- Centro Bahía Lomas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Santo Tomás, Concepción, Chile.,Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Filoinformática, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.,Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Reinaldo Rivera
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Filoinformática, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.,Millennium Institute of Oceanography (IMO), Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Barros
- Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Silva
- Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ronny Peredo
- Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Cristián E Hernández
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Filoinformática, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.,Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa, Perú
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Landsat Observations of Two Decades of Wetland Changes in the Estuary of Poyang Lake during 2000–2019. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w14010008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The stability of wetlands is threatened by the combined effects of global climate change and human activity. In particular, the vegetation cover status of lake wetlands has changed. Here, the change in vegetation cover at the estuary of Poyang Lake was monitored, and its influencing factors are studied to elucidate the dynamic change characteristics of vegetation at the inlet of this lake. Flood and water level changes are two of the main factors affecting the evolution of wetland vegetation at the estuary of Poyang Lake. Therefore, Landsat data from 2000 to 2019 were used to study the spatial and temporal variation in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in the vegetation cover area. Theil–Sen Median trend analysis and Mann–Kendall tests were used to study the long-term trend characteristics of NDVI. The response between NDVI and the explanatory variables at the estuary of Poyang Lake was quantified using regression tree analysis to study the regional climate, water level, and flood inundation duration. Results showed the following: (1) Vegetation in a large area of the study area improved significantly from 2000 to 2010 and only slightly from 2010 to 2019, and few areas with slight degradation of vegetation were found. In most of these areas, the vegetation from 2000 to 2010 exhibited a gradual change, from nothing to something, which started around 2004; (2) The main variable that separated the NDVI values was the mean water level in October. When the mean October water level was greater than 14.467 m, the study area was still flooded in October. Thus, the regional value of BestNDVI was approximately 0.3, indicating poor vegetation growth. When the mean water level in October was less than 14.467 m, the elevation of the study area was higher than the water level value, and after the water receded in October, the wetland vegetation exhibited autumn growth in that year. Thus, the vegetation in the study area grew more abundantly. These results could help manage and protect the degraded wetland ecology.
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Yang G, He H, Zhang G, Zhao W, Zhou J, Qian Y, Huang X, Dong L. Neglected parasite reservoirs in wetlands: Prevalence and diversity of avian haemosporidians in waterbird communities in Northeast China. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2021; 15:177-183. [PMID: 34141566 PMCID: PMC8182418 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2021.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The diversity of waterbirds is threatened, and haemosporidian parasite infection is considered one of the most important causative factors. However, to date, only a few studies focusing on specific parasite species have been carried out, which cannot reflect the general patterns at the community level. To test whether the reported haemosporidian diversity in waterbirds is underestimated, we estimated the prevalence and lineage diversity of avian haemosporidian parasites in 353 waterbirds from 26 species in the Tumuji National Nature Reserve, Northeast China, as well as the host-parasite associations. According to the molecular analysis of cytochrome b (cyt b) barcode sequences, 28.3% of the birds were infected by 49 distinct parasite lineages, including 11 Plasmodium, 12 Haemoproteus, and 26 Leucocytozoon lineages, of which 39 were novel. The highest prevalence was contributed by Leucocytozoon (13.31%), followed by Plasmodium (13.03%) and Haemoproteus (4.25%), which suggested that waterbirds were infected to a lesser extent by Haemoproteus than by the other two genera. Among the most sampled birds, species belonging to Anatidae appeared to be susceptible to Leucocytozoon but resistant to Plasmodium, while Rallidae presented the opposite pattern. On the phylogenetic tree, most of the Leucocytozoon lineages detected in Anatidae clustered together and formed two well-supported clades, while lineages restricted to Gruidae were distantly related to other parasites in all three genera. SW5 was the most abundant lineage and therefore might be a major threat to waterbirds; among the hosts, the common coot harboured the highest diversity of parasite lineages and thus could act as a reservoir for potential transmission. This is the first study of avian haemosporidian infections in a wild waterbird community in Asia. Our findings have doubled the number of lineages recorded in waterbirds, broadened our understanding of host-parasite associations, and addressed the importance of studying haemosporidian infections in wild waterbird conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guocheng Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Haiyan He
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Guogang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Protection of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, National Bird Banding Center of China, Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China
| | - Wenyu Zhao
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Jingying Zhou
- Tumuji National Nature Reserve of Inner Mongolia, Zhalaiteqi, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 137600, China
| | - Ying Qian
- Tumuji National Nature Reserve of Inner Mongolia, Zhalaiteqi, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 137600, China
| | - Xi Huang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Lu Dong
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
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Habitat Suitability Assessment of Wintering Herbivorous Anseriformes in Poyang Lake, China. DIVERSITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/d13040171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
To design a good conservation strategy for herbivorous Anseriformes wintering in Poyang Lake, knowledge of habitat suitability is essential. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the habitat suitability of herbivorous Anseriformes of China’s Poyang Lake. Landsat images with a resolution of 30 m downloaded from the United States Geological Survey, and other ancillary data were used. The ENVI 5.3 software and ArcGIS 10.2 software were used for preprocessing, classifying the satellite image, and mapping habitat suitability. The study reveals that land cover types were divided into vegetation, mudflats, water, and sand. Similarly, the study area’s habitats were also divided into unsuitable, fair, good, and best grades. However, the distribution of the habitat suitability for each grade reveals significant spatial variations. For instance, vegetation indicated the areas with the best habitat grade, followed by mudflats, and these areas cover (47.93%, 2015 and 55.78%, 2019) the majority of the study area. The unsuitable grades cover the smallest areas (0.48%) of the lake. Similarly, this study results showed a slight change in habitat suitability areas. Therefore, this study highlighted that Poyang Lake has valuable importance for the conservation of herbivorous Anseriformes. Extending the years of study and including some ecological variables from different stopovers could improve the results.
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Xu Y, Si Y, Takekawa J, Liu Q, Prins HHT, Yin S, Prosser DJ, Gong P, de Boer WF. A network approach to prioritize conservation efforts for migratory birds. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2020; 34:416-426. [PMID: 31268188 PMCID: PMC7154769 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Habitat loss can trigger migration network collapse by isolating migratory bird breeding grounds from nonbreeding grounds. Theoretically, habitat loss can have vastly different impacts depending on the site's importance within the migratory corridor. However, migration-network connectivity and the impacts of site loss are not completely understood. We used GPS tracking data on 4 bird species in the Asian flyways to construct migration networks and proposed a framework for assessing network connectivity for migratory species. We used a node-removal process to identify stopover sites with the highest impact on connectivity. In general, migration networks with fewer stopover sites were more vulnerable to habitat loss. Node removal in order from the highest to lowest degree of habitat loss yielded an increase of network resistance similar to random removal. In contrast, resistance increased more rapidly when removing nodes in order from the highest to lowest betweenness value (quantified by the number of shortest paths passing through the specific node). We quantified the risk of migration network collapse and identified crucial sites by first selecting sites with large contributions to network connectivity and then identifying which of those sites were likely to be removed from the network (i.e., sites with habitat loss). Among these crucial sites, 42% were not designated as protected areas. Setting priorities for site protection should account for a site's position in the migration network, rather than only site-specific characteristics. Our framework for assessing migration-network connectivity enables site prioritization for conservation of migratory species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanjie Xu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modelling and Department of Earth System ScienceTsinghua University30 Shuangqing RoadBeijing100084China
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen University and ResearchDroevendaalsesteeg 3a6708 PBWageningenthe Netherlands
| | - Yali Si
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modelling and Department of Earth System ScienceTsinghua University30 Shuangqing RoadBeijing100084China
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen University and ResearchDroevendaalsesteeg 3a6708 PBWageningenthe Netherlands
| | - John Takekawa
- Suisun Resource Conservation District2544 Grizzly Island RoadSuisun CityCA94585U.S.A.
| | - Qiang Liu
- Network Architectures and Services GroupDelft University of TechnologyMekelweg 42600GADelftthe Netherlands
| | - Herbert H. T. Prins
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen University and ResearchDroevendaalsesteeg 3a6708 PBWageningenthe Netherlands
| | - Shenglai Yin
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen University and ResearchDroevendaalsesteeg 3a6708 PBWageningenthe Netherlands
| | - Diann J. Prosser
- U.S. Geological SurveyPatuxent Wildlife Research CentreLaurelMD20708U.S.A.
| | - Peng Gong
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modelling and Department of Earth System ScienceTsinghua University30 Shuangqing RoadBeijing100084China
| | - Willem F. de Boer
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen University and ResearchDroevendaalsesteeg 3a6708 PBWageningenthe Netherlands
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Response of Anatidae Abundance to Environmental Factors in the Middle and Lower Yangtze River Floodplain, China. SUSTAINABILITY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/su11236814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Understanding and predicting animal distribution is one of the most elementary objectives in ecology and conservation biology. Various environmental factors, such as habitat area, habitat quality, and climatic factors, play important roles in shaping animal distribution. However, the mechanism underlying animal distribution remains unclear. Using generalized additive mixed models, we analyzed the effects of environmental factors and years on the population of five Anatidae species: Tundra swan, swan goose, bean goose, greater and lesser white-fronted goose, across their wintering grounds along the Middle and Lower Yangtze River floodplain (MLYRF) during 2001–2016. We found that: (1) All populations decreased except for that of the bean goose. (2) The patch area was not included in any of the best models. (3) NDVI was the most important factor in determining the abundance of grazing geese. (4) Climatic factors had no significant effect on the species in question. Our results suggest that, when compared to habitat area, habitat quality is better in predicting Anatidae distribution on the basin scale. Thus, to better conserve wintering Anatidae, we should keep a sufficiently large area at the single lake, as well as high quality habitat over the whole basin. This might be achieved by developing a more strategic water plan for the MLYRF.
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Xu Y, Si Y, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Prins HHT, Cao L, de Boer WF. Loss of functional connectivity in migration networks induces population decline in migratory birds. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2019; 29:e01960. [PMID: 31237968 PMCID: PMC6852588 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2019] [Revised: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Migratory birds rely on a habitat network along their migration routes by temporarily occupying stopover sites between breeding and non-breeding grounds. Removal or degradation of stopover sites in a network might impede movement and thereby reduce migration success and survival. The extent to which the breakdown of migration networks, due to changes in land use, impacts the population sizes of migratory birds is poorly understood. We measured the functional connectivity of migration networks of waterfowl species that migrate over the East Asian-Australasian Flyway from 1992 to 2015. We analysed the relationship between changes in non-breeding population sizes and changes in functional connectivity, while taking into account other commonly considered species traits, using a phylogenetic linear mixed model. We found that population sizes significantly declined with a reduction in the functional connectivity of migration networks; no other variables were important. We conclude that the current decrease in functional connectivity, due to habitat loss and degradation in migration networks, can negatively and crucially impact population sizes of migratory birds. Our findings provide new insights into the underlying mechanisms that affect population trends of migratory birds under environmental changes. Establishment of international agreements leading to the creation of systematic conservation networks associated with migratory species' distributions and stopover sites may safeguard migratory bird populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanjie Xu
- Department of Earth System ScienceMinistry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System ModellingTsinghua UniversityBeijingChina
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Yali Si
- Department of Earth System ScienceMinistry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System ModellingTsinghua UniversityBeijingChina
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Yingying Wang
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Yong Zhang
- College of Biology and the EnvironmentNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Herbert H. T. Prins
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Lei Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional EcologyResearch Center for Eco‐Environmental SciencesChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Willem F. de Boer
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
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Zhang Y, Fox AD, Cao L, Jia Q, Lu C, Prins HHT, de Boer WF. Effects of ecological and anthropogenic factors on waterbird abundance at a Ramsar Site in the Yangtze River Floodplain. AMBIO 2019; 48:293-303. [PMID: 29987519 PMCID: PMC6374229 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-018-1076-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Revised: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Continuing declines in abundance of many waterbird species on wetland ecosystems require explanations to support effective management interventions. We used 6 year survey data from Shengjin Lake National Nature Reserve in the Yangtze River Floodplain, China, to study the effects of ecological and anthropogenic variables as determinants of waterbird species abundance. Our results showed that effects were guild-dependent, although distance to nearest human settlements had the largest adverse effects on bird abundance across all guilds. These results suggested that although the abundance of waterbird species could be affected by habitat conditions and buffalo grazing activities, Yangtze River Wetlands would most likely benefit most from reduced pressure from the proximity to the surrounding human population. We suggest that screening and/or restricting public access at some key sites may be the most cost-efficient way to restrict or reduce human activity in these wetlands, to improve the conservation status and wintering conditions for these waterbirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Zhang
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037 China
- College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Longpan Road, Nanjing, 210037 China
| | - Anthony D. Fox
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Kalø, Grenåvej 14, 8410 Rønde, Denmark
| | - Lei Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Beijing, 100085 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049 China
| | - Qiang Jia
- School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, 230027 Anhui China
| | - Changhu Lu
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037 China
- College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Longpan Road, Nanjing, 210037 China
| | - Herbert H. T. Prins
- Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Willem F. de Boer
- Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Si Y, Xu Y, Xu F, Li X, Zhang W, Wielstra B, Wei J, Liu G, Luo H, Takekawa J, Balachandran S, Zhang T, de Boer WF, Prins HHT, Gong P. Spring migration patterns, habitat use, and stopover site protection status for two declining waterfowl species wintering in China as revealed by satellite tracking. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:6280-6289. [PMID: 29988414 PMCID: PMC6024133 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Revised: 02/08/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
East Asian migratory waterfowl have greatly declined since the 1950s, especially the populations that winter in China. Conservation is severely hampered by the lack of primary information about migration patterns and stopover sites. This study utilizes satellite tracking techniques and advanced spatial analyses to investigate spring migration of the greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) and tundra bean goose (Anser serrirostris) wintering along the Yangtze River Floodplain. Based on 24 tracks obtained from 21 individuals during the spring of 2015 and 2016, we found that the Northeast China Plain is far-out the most intensively used stopover site during migration, with geese staying for over 1 month. This region has also been intensely developed for agriculture, suggesting a causal link to the decline in East Asian waterfowl wintering in China. The protection of waterbodies used as roosting area, especially those surrounded by intensive foraging land, is critical for waterfowl survival. Over 90% of the core area used during spring migration is not protected. We suggest that future ground surveys should target these areas to confirm their relevance for migratory waterfowl at the population level, and core roosting area at critical spring-staging sites should be integrated in the network of protected areas along the flyway. Moreover, the potential bird-human conflict in core stopover area needs to be further studied. Our study illustrates how satellite tracking combined with spatial analyses can provide crucial insights necessary to improve the conservation of declining Migratory species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yali Si
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System ModelingDepartment of Earth System ScienceTsinghua UniversityBeijingChina
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Yanjie Xu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System ModelingDepartment of Earth System ScienceTsinghua UniversityBeijingChina
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Fei Xu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System ModelingDepartment of Earth System ScienceTsinghua UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Xueyan Li
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System ModelingDepartment of Earth System ScienceTsinghua UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Wenyuan Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System ModelingDepartment of Earth System ScienceTsinghua UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Ben Wielstra
- Department of Animal and Plant SciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaLos AngelesCalifornia
- Naturalis Biodiversity CenterLeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Jie Wei
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System ModelingDepartment of Earth System ScienceTsinghua UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Guanhua Liu
- Jiangxi Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve AuthorityJiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland Ecosystem National Research StationNanchangChina
| | - Hao Luo
- Jiangxi Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve AuthorityJiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland Ecosystem National Research StationNanchangChina
| | - John Takekawa
- Suisun Resource Conservation DistrictSuisun CityCalifornia
| | | | - Tao Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System ModelingDepartment of Earth System ScienceTsinghua UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Willem F. de Boer
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
| | | | - Peng Gong
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System ModelingDepartment of Earth System ScienceTsinghua UniversityBeijingChina
- Joint Center for Global Change StudiesBeijingChina
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Tang X, Li H, Xu X, Yang G, Liu G, Li X, Chen D. Changing land use and its impact on the habitat suitability for wintering Anseriformes in China's Poyang Lake region. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 557-558:296-306. [PMID: 27016677 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2015] [Revised: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
As an internationally important wetland for migratory waterbirds, China's Poyang Lake region has experienced substantial changes in land use during the past two decades owing to climate change and anthropogenic disturbances. Recent dam constructions on the Yangtze River and its tributaries for agriculture and hydroelectric power exert strong effects on the hydrological regimes of this lake. However, few studies have investigated how the land-use changes through time affect the habitat suitability for wintering Anseriformes-the largest community in this region. Thus, it is necessary to timely monitor changes in the habitat quality and understand the potential factors that alter it. In this study, three periods (1995, 2005 and 2014) of typical environmental indicators that have direct impacts on foraging and resting for the Anserformes, including proximity to water (density of lakes, rivers and ponds), human disturbances (density of residences and various road networks), preferred land cover types and food availability (NDVI), are integrated to develop a habitat suitability index model for habitat mapping. The results indicate that long-term lake shrinkage in low-water periods led to greatly expanded wetlands in these years, which provided more suitable habitat for migratory waterfowl. The amount of highly suitable habitat in 2014 was nearly twice as much as in 1995. Recent survey data from 1997 to 2013 also revealed an increase in the population size, and confirmed the improvement of habitat suitability in the Poyang Lake region. Spatial analysis revealed that land use changes contributed most to the improved habitat coverage between 1995 and 2014. However, the relative significances of these transformations for highly suitable and moderately suitable habitats are strikingly different. Increases in wetland and paddy field area are the main reasons for explaining these improvements, respectively. The framework model proposed in this study will help governments to evaluate habitat conservation and restoration for protecting waterbirds in a spatially explicit way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuguang Tang
- Key Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research (Jiangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Nanchang 330022, China.
| | - Hengpeng Li
- Key Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
| | - Xibao Xu
- Key Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Guishan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Guihua Liu
- Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research (Jiangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Nanchang 330022, China
| | - Xinyan Li
- Key Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Dongqiang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
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12
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Landscape-Level Associations of Wintering Waterbird Diversity and Abundance from Remotely Sensed Wetland Characteristics of Poyang Lake. REMOTE SENSING 2016. [DOI: 10.3390/rs8060462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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13
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Zhang Y, Jia Q, Prins HHT, Cao L, de Boer WF. Effect of conservation efforts and ecological variables on waterbird population sizes in wetlands of the Yangtze River. Sci Rep 2015; 5:17136. [PMID: 26601785 PMCID: PMC4658538 DOI: 10.1038/srep17136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2015] [Accepted: 10/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Forage quality and availability, climatic factors, and a wetland’s conservation status are expected to affect the densities of wetland birds. However, the conservation effectiveness is often poorly studied. Here, using twelve years’ census data collected from 78 wetlands in the Yangtze River floodplain, we aimed to understand the effect of these variables on five Anatidae species, and evaluate the effectiveness of the conservation measures by comparing population trends of these species among wetlands that differ in conservations status. We showed that the slope angle of a wetland and the variation thereof best explain the differences in densities of four species. We also found that the population abundances of the Anatidae species generally declined in wetlands along the Yangtze River floodplain over time, with a steeper decline in wetlands with a lower protection status, indicating that current conservation policies might deliver benefits for wintering Anatidae species in China, as population sizes of the species were buffered to some extent against decline in numbers in wetlands with a higher level protection status. We recommend several protection measures to stop the decline of these Anatidae species in wetlands along the Yangtze River floodplain, which are of great importance for the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Zhang
- Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Qiang Jia
- School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China
| | - Herbert H T Prins
- Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Lei Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Science, Chinese Academic of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Willem Frederik de Boer
- Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
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14
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Individual-area relationship best explains goose species density in wetlands. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0124972. [PMID: 25996502 PMCID: PMC4440642 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2015] [Accepted: 03/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Explaining and predicting animal distributions is one of the fundamental objectives in ecology and conservation biology. Animal habitat selection can be regulated by top-down and bottom-up processes, and is mediated by species interactions. Species varying in body size respond differently to top-down and bottom-up determinants, and hence understanding these allometric responses to those determinants is important for conservation. In this study, using two differently sized goose species wintering in the Yangtze floodplain, we tested the predictions derived from three different hypotheses (individual-area relationship, food resource and disturbance hypothesis) to explain the spatial and temporal variation in densities of two goose species. Using Generalized Linear Mixed Models with a Markov Chain Monte Carlo technique, we demonstrated that goose density was positive correlated with patch area size, suggesting that the individual area-relationship best predicts differences in goose densities. Moreover, the other predictions, related to food availability and disturbance, were not significant. Buffalo grazing probably facilitated greater white-fronted geese, as the number of buffalos was positively correlated to the density of this species. We concluded that patch area size is the most important factor determining the density of goose species in our study area. Patch area size is directly determined by water levels in the Yangtze floodplain, and hence modifying the hydrological regimes can enlarge the capacity of these wetlands for migratory birds.
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