Spatially Diverse Water Levels Enhance Habitat Heterogeneity for Wintering Waterbirds

IF 2.8 2区生物学 Q2 ECOLOGY

Freshwater Biology Pub Date : 2025-03-07 DOI:10.1111/fwb.70016

Zijian Wang, Jiaying Zhou, Ying He, Yangsirui Zhang, Peizhong Liu, Yifei Jia, Cai Lu, Guangchun Lei

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

1. Rising global temperatures and the increasing frequency of climate extremes pose significant challenges to waterbird conservation. These effects might be mitigated by managing habitat heterogeneity through diverse water levels in waterbird habitats. East Dongting Lake (EDL), a critical wintering site within the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, has experienced a significant drop in winter water levels due to extreme drought and operation of the Three Gorges Dam. This study aimed to determine optimal water levels for supporting waterbird populations under these changing conditions.

2. We examined winter waterbird populations at EDL from 2004 to 2021. Species were categorised into five foraging guilds based on established criteria. Environmental variables comprised daily water levels from the Chenglingji hydrological station, meteorological data from ERA5-Land, and the 6-month Standardised Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) for drought severity assessment. We used a generalised additive model (GAM) with a negative binomial distribution to analyse the relationships between waterbird abundance and these factors, applying GAIC-based stepwise selection and varying-coefficient functions to account for guild-specific responses.

3. In controlled areas of EDL, higher maximum water levels (MaxWL) during the wet season were positively correlated with waterbird abundance, while controlled areas also maintained high waterbird numbers during extreme drought years, providing crucial habitat refuges. In uncontrolled areas, MaxWL and SPEI positively influenced waterbird abundance, while minimum water levels (MinWL) and biological accumulated temperature (BioT) were negatively associated.

4. In lakes where water levels can be regulated, regulation can be used to maintain habitat heterogeneity and food availability for wintering waterbirds. By adjusting local water management strategies within lake ecosystems, wetland managers can use these findings to support waterbird conservation efforts.

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1.全球气温不断升高，极端气候日益频繁，给水鸟保护工作带来了重大挑战。通过对水鸟栖息地不同水位的管理，可以减轻这些影响。东洞庭湖（EDL）是东亚-澳大利亚航道上的一个重要越冬地，由于极端干旱和三峡大坝的运行，其冬季水位大幅下降。本研究旨在确定在这些变化条件下支持水鸟种群的最佳水位。 2.2. 我们考察了 2004 年至 2021 年 EDL 的冬季水鸟种群。根据既定标准，物种被分为五个觅食类群。环境变量包括城陵矶水文站的日水位、ERA5-Land 的气象数据以及用于评估干旱严重程度的 6 个月标准化降水蒸散指数（SPEI）。我们使用负二项分布的广义加和模型（GAM）分析水鸟丰度与这些因子之间的关系，并应用基于 GAIC 的逐步选择和变化系数函数来考虑鸟类的特定响应。 3.在 EDL 的控制区，雨季较高的最大水位（MaxWL）与水鸟数量呈正相关，而在极端干旱年份，控制区也保持了较高的水鸟数量，为水鸟提供了重要的栖息地。在非控制区，最大水位（MaxWL）和 SPEI 对水鸟数量呈正相关，而最低水位（MinWL）和生物累积温度（BioT）则呈负相关。 4.在可以调节水位的湖泊中，可以利用调节来维持越冬水鸟栖息地的异质性和食物供应。通过调整当地湖泊生态系统的水管理策略，湿地管理者可以利用这些发现来支持水鸟保护工作。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Freshwater Biology 生物-海洋与淡水生物学

CiteScore

5.90

自引率

3.70%

发文量

162

审稿时长

2 months

期刊介绍： Freshwater Biology publishes papers on all aspects of the ecology of inland waters, including rivers and lakes, ground waters, flood plains and other freshwater wetlands. We include studies of micro-organisms, algae, macrophytes, invertebrates, fish and other vertebrates, as well as those concerning whole systems and related physical and chemical aspects of the environment, provided that they have clear biological relevance. Studies may focus at any level in the ecological hierarchy from physiological ecology and animal behaviour, through population dynamics and evolutionary genetics, to community interactions, biogeography and ecosystem functioning. They may also be at any scale: from microhabitat to landscape, and continental to global. Preference is given to research, whether meta-analytical, experimental, theoretical or descriptive, highlighting causal (ecological) mechanisms from which clearly stated hypotheses are derived. Manuscripts with an experimental or conceptual flavour are particularly welcome, as are those or which integrate laboratory and field work, and studies from less well researched areas of the world. Priority is given to submissions that are likely to interest a wide range of readers. We encourage submission of papers well grounded in ecological theory that deal with issues related to the conservation and management of inland waters. Papers interpreting fundamental research in a way that makes clear its applied, strategic or socio-economic relevance are also welcome. Review articles (FRESHWATER BIOLOGY REVIEWS) and discussion papers (OPINION) are also invited: these enable authors to publish high-quality material outside the constraints of standard research papers.