Community structure, abundance variation and population trends of waterbirds in relation to water level fluctuation in Poyang Lake

Li, Yankuo; Qian, Fawen; Silbernagel, Janet; Larson, Hannah

doi:10.1016/j.jglr.2019.08.002

Cited by 53 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Poyang Lake contains 102 sublakes, which are inundated and integrated with the main body of Poyang Lake during summer and are isolated during winter [ 132 ]. As the water level drops, the sublakes appear, and large areas of grasslands, mudflats, and shallow water areas are exposed, providing winter foraging and roosting areas for approximately 420,000 waterbirds from approximately 111 species [ 133 , 134 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influences of submerged plant collapse on diet composition, breadth, and overlap among four crane species at Poyang Lake, China

Hou

Wang

et al. 2021

Front Zool

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Background Interannual variation in resource abundance has become more unpredictable, and food shortages have increasingly occurred in the recent decades. However, compared to seasonal fluctuations in resource abundance, the influences of interannual variation in resource abundance on the dietary niches of consumers remain poorly understood. Poyang Lake, China, is a very important wintering ground for the globally endangered Siberian Crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus), White-naped Crane (Grus vipio), and Hooded Crane (G. monacha), as well as the non-endangered Eurasian Crane (G. grus). Tubers of Vallisneria spp., the dominant submerged macrophytes at Poyang Lake, is an important food for cranes. Nevertheless, submerged macrophytes have experienced serious degradation recently. In this study, we used metabarcoding technology to explore the consequences of Vallisneria tuber collapse on the diet compositions, breadths, and overlaps of the four crane species based on fecal samples collected in winter 2017 (a year with tuber collapse) and winter 2018 (a year with high tuber abundance). Results Compared to previous studies, our study elucidates crane diets in an unprecedented level of detail. Vallisneria tubers was confirmed as an important food source of cranes. Surprisingly, the grassland plant Polygonum criopolitanum was also found to be an important food source in the feces of cranes. Agricultural fields were important foraging sites for Siberian Cranes, White-naped Cranes, and Hooded Cranes, providing foods that allowed them to survive in winters with natural food shortages. However, the three crane species preferred natural wetlands to agricultural fields when the abundance of natural foods was high. The abundance of Vallisneria tubers, and probably P. criopolitanum, greatly influenced the dietary compositions, breadths and overlap of cranes. During periods of preferred resource shortage, White-naped Cranes and Hooded Cranes widened their dietary niches, while Siberian Cranes maintained a stable niche width. The dietary niche overlap among crane species increased substantially under conditions of plentiful preferred food resources. Conclusions Our study emphasizes the superior quality of natural wetlands compared to agricultural fields as foraging habitats for cranes. To provide safer and better foraging areas for cranes, it is urgent to restore the submerged plants at Poyang Lake. While high dietary niche overlap is often interpreted as intense interspecific competition, our study highlights the importance of taking food abundance into account.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influences of submerged plant collapse on diet composition, breadth, and overlap among four crane species at Poyang Lake, China

Hou

Wang

et al. 2021

Front Zool

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“…Owing to its significant intra-year water-level change, a part of the Poyang Lake waterbody will be exposed to air when the drawdown period starts in the fall [ 47 ]. Therefore, during the drawdown period of the lake, the wetland areas play an important role in supporting the inhabitation of many valuable wintering birds [ 28 ], such as the Siberian Crane ( Grus leucogeranus ) [ 48 ]. Furthermore, it is necessary to take effective measures to protect these key regional ecological spaces [ 49 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, is in the region’ s central region and receives most of its water from five major rivers, namely the Gan River, Fu River, Xin River, Xiu River, and Rao River in the south, and empties into the Yangtze River in the north. One distinguishing feature of the Poyang Lake is its dramatic water level fluctuation within a year, which results in a remarkable lake size change from approximately 3000 km 2 in summer (wet season) to <500 km 2 in winter (dry season) [ 28 ]. This significant seasonality and inter-annual water level fluctuation make the lake an important wetland habitat in winter for hundreds of thousands of migratory birds when the water level decline and some previous lake waterbodies become wetlands.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional assessment of human-caused ecological risk in the Poyang Lake Eco-economic Zone using production–living–ecology analysis

Wang

2021

PLoS ONE

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In this study, based on the regional land-use risk space division (regional ecological risk source/receptor space identification) using production–living–ecology analysis, three spatial function indexes, i.e., production, living, and ecology function indexes, were proposed for regional ecological risk assessment (RERA) with respect to human disturbance. The first two indexes can be regarded as regional ecological risk source indexes, whereas the final index can be regarded as a regional ecological risk receptor index. Using an artificial assignment method based on the land-use types and Defense Meteorological Program Operational Line-Scan System (DMSP/OLS) nighttime light intensity data, these three spatial function indexes were effectively manifested. By incorporating these indexes with eco-environmental vulnerability proxies, an RERA framework was established and applied in the Poyang Lake Eco-economic Zone (PLEZ), which is an ecological-protection and economic-development coordination-oriented region in China. The results suggest that (1) the DMSP/OLS nighttime light intensity data correlated well with the spatial distribution of regional urban/town areas; consequently, it was reasonable to use this dataset for representing regional production-living function space (urban/town area). (2) Overall, the forestlands and winter waterbodies of Poyang Lake were in the high-risk grade, and so did the Nanchang City construction land area; in contrast, the final risk levels of winter wetlands and croplands were relatively low. (3) Owing to the highest human disturbance (including both production and consumption human activities) and eco-environmental vulnerability level, urban/town areas such as Nanchang City had the highest final risk grade. (4) The low, medium, high, and very high-risk grades accounted for 21.22%, 39.53%, 36.31%, and 2.94% of the region, respectively. I believe that the proposed land use function indexes will be helpful in conducting human-caused RERA research in the future. Furthermore, the assessment results can provide a scientific basis for regional ecological risk management within the PLEZ.

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“…As waterbird is a mobile entity, there could be a higher frequency of encounters and more interactions among the waterbirds at Shengjin Lake. Every year, many geese (e.g., Bean Geese, Greater White-Fronted Geese, and Swan Goose) overwinter at Shengjin and Poyang Lakes [ 15 , 37 ]. Previous studies have shown that there was the sharing intestinal microbes between the Hooded Cranes and sympatric other waterbirds, such as the Greater White-Fronted Goose [ 38 ], and a recent study demonstrated that the social behaviors (direct or indirect contact) between the Hooded Cranes and the sympatric Bean Goose caused the intestinal bacteria to spread and increased the diversity of intestinal bacteria for both [ 11 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intestinal Microbes of Hooded Cranes (Grus monacha) Wintering in Three Lakes of the Middle and Lower Yangtze River Floodplain

Zhou

2021

Animals

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Intestinal microbes participate in life activities of the host, and are affected by external environmental factors. Different habitat sizes and protection status provide different external environmental selection pressures for the same wintering waterbirds, which may be reflected in their intestinal microbes. Hooded Cranes are vulnerable migratory waterbirds with similar numbers wintering at three different lakes in the middle and lower Yangtze River floodplain, Poyang, Caizi, and Shengjin Lakes. Here, we analyzed the characteristics of intestinal bacterial and fungal communities of Hooded Cranes wintering at the three lakes to clarify the effect of habitat size and protection status on intestinal microbes, using high-throughput sequencing technology. Our results showed that community composition and diversity of intestinal microbes were significantly different among lakes with different habitat size and protection status. The Hooded Cranes at Shengjin Lake (small) had higher intestinal microbial alpha-diversity (for both bacteria and fungi) than those at Poyang Lake (large), which might be induced by social behavior of more waterbirds per unit area. The Hooded Cranes at Caizi Lake (relatively poorly protected habitat) had more diverse and abundant intestinal potential pathogens than Shengjin Lake (well-protected habitat). Our results indicated that the environmental pressure of a habitat might affect intestinal microorganisms and more attention might be needed for the vulnerable waterbirds at the habitat of poor protection status.

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Community structure, abundance variation and population trends of waterbirds in relation to water level fluctuation in Poyang Lake

Cited by 53 publications

References 33 publications

Influences of submerged plant collapse on diet composition, breadth, and overlap among four crane species at Poyang Lake, China

Influences of submerged plant collapse on diet composition, breadth, and overlap among four crane species at Poyang Lake, China

Regional assessment of human-caused ecological risk in the Poyang Lake Eco-economic Zone using production–living–ecology analysis

Intestinal Microbes of Hooded Cranes (Grus monacha) Wintering in Three Lakes of the Middle and Lower Yangtze River Floodplain

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