Dietary divergence and temporal partitioning facilitate the stopover coexistence of two molluscivorous shorebird species in the Yellow Sea

IF 3.4 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Global Ecology and Conservation Pub Date : 2025-09-27 DOI:10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03877

Furong Bai , He-Bo Peng , Chenjing Huang , Yang Wu , Hui Wang , Haozhan Feng , Mei Guo , Zhengwang Zhang , Weipan Lei , De Chen

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Species coexistence, largely maintained through mechanisms of niche differentiation, is fundamental for sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. For migratory shorebirds, the limited availability of staging sites intensifies interspecific competition, making coexistence mechanisms critical for refueling and survival during migration. This study examined the coexistence mechanisms of two threatened shorebird species, the Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris) and Red Knot (Calidris canutus), in Nanpu wetland, a key stopover site along the East AsianAustralasian Flyway. Using noninvasive DNA metabarcoding of 81 droppings, we identified 32 MOTUs, revealing that both species primarily feed on Bivalvia. The Great Knot exhibited a more diverse diet, with Mactra quadrangularis (FOO = 71.43 %, RRA = 69.41 %) as its primary food source, whereas the Red Knot specializes in feeding on Potamocorbula laevis (FOO = 93.48 %, RRA = 80.15 %). Long-term survey data collected from 2014 to 2024 revealed that the abundance of Great Knots peaked in late April, whereas the number of Red Knots peaked 12.6 days later, in mid-May. These findings highlight how dietary differentiation and temporal partitioning enable the coexistence of these threatened species, offering valuable insights for the development of targeted conservation strategies to support species with specialized diets in adapting to fluctuations in food resources.

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黄海两种软体动物滨鸟的食性差异和时间分配促进了它们的中途共存

物种共存是维持生物多样性和生态系统恢复力的基础，主要通过生态位分化机制来维持。对于候鸟来说，有限的迁徙地点加剧了种间竞争，使得共存机制对迁徙期间的补充和生存至关重要。研究了南浦湿地两种濒危滨鸟——大结（Calidris tenuirostris）和红结（Calidris canutus）的共存机制。南浦湿地是东亚-澳大拉斯鸟迁徙路线的重要中途停留点。通过对81份粪便进行非侵入性DNA元条形码编码，我们鉴定出32个motu，表明这两个物种主要以双壳类动物为食。大结表现出更多样化的饮食，其主要食物来源是Mactra quadrangularis (FOO = 71.43 %,RRA = 69.41 %)，而红结则专门以Potamocorbula laevis （FOO = 93.48 %,RRA = 80.15 %）为食。从2014年到2024年收集的长期调查数据显示，大结的数量在4月下旬达到顶峰，而红结的数量在12.6天后的5月中旬达到顶峰。这些发现强调了饮食差异和时间分配如何使这些受威胁物种能够共存，为制定有针对性的保护策略提供了有价值的见解，以支持具有特殊饮食的物种适应食物资源的波动。

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

Global Ecology and Conservation Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

CiteScore

8.10

自引率

5.00%

发文量

346

审稿时长

83 days

期刊介绍： Global Ecology and Conservation is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal covering all sub-disciplines of ecological and conservation science: from theory to practice, from molecules to ecosystems, from regional to global. The fields covered include: organismal, population, community, and ecosystem ecology; physiological, evolutionary, and behavioral ecology; and conservation science.