Habitat For Migratory Birds Research Articles

Review of terrestrial temporarily conserved areas in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

The establishment of protected areas is a cornerstone of conservation, but permanent protection could be inefficient or even impossible in some situations. We synthesized the literature on temporarily conserved areas (TCAs) across Canada, the United States, and Mexico. We used a comprehensive search string to retrieve peer-reviewed articles published from 2000 to 2021 from the Web of Science. We identified 27 relevant peer-reviewed articles that examined the potential benefits of TCAs in the study area, indicating TCA is a relatively understudied area of research in the peer-reviewed literature. The TCA studies were highly clustered; 77% of studies focused on protecting a single life stage of migratory species and 61% of studies related to temporary conservation of breeding or staging habitats for migratory birds. Ninety-three percent of studies focused on preventing human-driven threats, mainly on public lands of coastal areas, the Great Plains, and the Mississippi Valley in the central United States. Short-term and experimental studies were the dominant study types. TCAs have the potential to complement permanently protected areas and provide protection when permanent protection is difficult. Some included studies examined their conservation value, but the ecological, social, and economic outcomes of TCAs are unclear. More TCA research is needed to determine the role they could play in conservation worldwide. Embracing the concept of TCAs as conservation tool could lead to more comprehensive and consistent reporting of the outcomes of temporary area-based conservation measures. However, a global review and analysis of effectiveness of TCAs will be required if they are to play a formal role in meeting international targets for biodiversity conservation.

Investigation of organochlorine pesticides in the Wang Lake Wetland, China: Implications for environmental processes and risks

Wang Lake Wetland is an important habitat for many fish and migratory birds. To explore the effect of periodic hydrological changes on the transfer and ecological risk of OCPs in the multimedia system of the wetland, eight sampling sites were selected for collecting soil (SS), sediment (SD) and water, to acquire dissolved phase (DP) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) samples during low- and high-flow periods. The results indicated that OCPs are pervasive in the various media of Wang Lake Wetland, and there was a significant temporal variability in concentration of ∑23OCPs in the SPM samples. Several OCPs exist certain ecological risks to aquatic organisms, but higher level of OCPs do not always equal to higher ecological risk. The residues of OCPs are largely attributed to their historical use, but recent inputs of some of them are still non-ignorable. The relatively higher values of organic carbon normalized partition coefficient (KOC) for SPM-W (KOC(SPM-W)) were obtained, which reflected the more frequent exchange of OCPs in the SPM samples. The sediment of the Wang Lake Wetland is likely to be a sink for several OCPs with high n-octanol/water partition coefficient (KOW) (e.g., DDTs and its metabolites), and high-temperature and rainfall-driven changes may promote the migration of OCPs with low KOW to the DP.

The influence of roads on depressional storage capacity estimates from high-resolution LiDAR DEMs in a Canadian Prairie agricultural basin

The Canadian Prairies are a post-glacial agricultural landscape, where millions of small depressions store surface water, form wetlands and control runoff contributing area. Their management is key to flood and drought hydrology, groundwater recharge, ecological integrity, migratory bird habitat and agricultural productivity. Depression drainage and infilling is common in the region, where it is often used to increase cropped area. The regularly spaced, rural ‘grid-road‘ network also impedes drainage, but associated culvert drainage can mitigate those effects. Management of depressions can be informed by hydrological modelling, but accurate surface water storage capacity estimates are needed to ensure accurate model results. Simple representation of road embankments in digital elevation models (DEMs) neglects the effects of culvert drainage. Here, a raster-based depression-filling algorithm was used to delineate depressions from three LiDAR-derived DEMs: a 10-m DEM with roads intact, a 2-m DEM with roads intact, and a 2-m DEM with roads breached at culvert locations. Road breaching was conducted manually in the 2-m DEM to remove artifact depressions that form alongside roads where culverts exist. Results indicated that increasing DEM resolution from 10-m to 2-m in a 393.5 km2 basin did not significantly change depression area or storage capacity estimates; however, breaching roads in the 2-m DEM decreased depression area by 29% (from 98.5 km2 to 69.8 km2) and estimated storage capacity by 48% (from 47.4 × 106 m3 to 23.8 × 106 m3), compared to leaving roads intact in the 2-m DEM. Depressions delineated from the 2-m roads-breached DEM also covered 48% more area and offered 53% more storage capacity than Canadian Wetland Inventory (CWI) aerial-photograph delineated wetlands, which occupied 47.1 km2 with an estimated storage capacity of 15.5 × 106 m3. The implications of these results for the ability of hydrological models to calculate runoff contributing areas and streamflow are discussed.

Spatio-temporal distribution characteristics and driving factors of phytoplankton community in Duchang Migratory Bird Nature Reserve of Lake Poyang, China: a 9-year study.

Eutrophication of water bodies used as migratory bird habitats will lead to a sharp increase in the abundance of phytoplankton, mainly cyanobacteria. These changes will affect the species distribution of migratory birds, thus damaging the ecological balance of affected habitats. We used 9-year field quarterly data of phytoplankton and environmental factors in the Duchang Reserve (2011 to 2016 and 2019 to 2021) as the basis to analyze the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of phytoplankton, and explore the phytoplankton community succession and its driving factors through redundancy analysis. The results show that (1) during our sampling, 7 phyla and 93 genera of phytoplankton were identified; (2) the nutrient content of the water in Duchang Nature Reserve decreased, but the phytoplankton increased; (3) the factors influencing phytoplankton shifted from initially nutrient controlled to hydrological control; and (4) the driving factors of phytoplankton are seasonal. Nutrients are the main driving factor of phytoplankton in the dry season (January), while hydrological factors have a greater impact on phytoplankton in the wet season (July) and dry season (October).

Analysis of Spatial and Temporal Variation in Water Coverage in the Sub-Lakes of Poyang Lake Based on Multi-Source Remote Sensing

As the largest freshwater lake in China, Poyang Lake is an internationally important wetland and the largest migratory bird habitat in Asia. Many sub-lakes distributed in the lake basin are seasonal lakes, which have a significant impact on hydro-ecological processes and are susceptible to various changes. In this study, using multi-source remote sensing data, a continuous time-series construction method of water coverage suitable in Poyang Lake was developed. That method combined the downscaling of the MNDWI (modified normalized difference water index) with the ISODATA (iterative self-organizing data analysis technique algorithm), and its accuracy can be up to 97% in the months when Landsat 8 is available or 87% when it is unavailable. Based on that method, the increasing variation in water coverage was observed in the sub-lakes of Poyang Lake during 2013–2020 to be within a range of 200–690 km2 normally. The center of the sub-lakes always remained inundated (>80% inundation frequency), while the surrounding areas were probably kept dry for seven months (except for June to September). The dominant influencing factors of water coverage variations were different in different hydrological periods (wet season and dry–wet season: discharge; dry season: temperature and wind speed; wet–dry season: temperature and precipitation). In addition, “returning farmland to lakes” affected the increase in the water area in the sub-lakes. This study is helpful for the management of water resources and the protection of migratory birds in the Poyang Lake region.

Developing bird friendly transmission power lines in Kenya

Background: Kenya's rich wildlife is an important natural resource and is vital to the country's economy. However, rapid infrastructure development in key wildlife areas has threatened the survival of numerous species including raptors. Policy: The growing distribution of electricity grids in Kenya poses a significant risk to raptors and populations of other large birds. This research aimed to review the policy gaps in Kenya’s National Energy Policy (2018) examining the strategies for developing bird friendly transmission power lines in Kenya, with a goal to reduce the negative impact on raptor populations and improve their conservation. The findings indicate a high overlap between the ecological niche of raptors with medium and high voltage transmission power lines, with indication of high-risk hotspots for electrocution and collisions. Recommendations: This policy brief therefore proposes the adoption of bird friendly power lines in new transmission infrastructure projects and retrofitting existing power lines with bird friendly devices. This can be achieved through strengthening the legal and regulatory frameworks in the National Energy Policy. This will help prioritize avian conservation in power lines infrastructural development projects including the development of specific policies and guidelines for the placement, orientation, and marking of power lines to reduce the risk of electrocution and collisions of raptor species. Conclusions: Kenya committed to protecting migratory bird species and their habitats by signing the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals in 1999. However, the National Energy Policy of 2018 lacks guidelines for bird-friendly power lines. Addressing this requires collaboration from the government, power companies, research institutions, conservation groups, and local communities. A concerted effort involving public education, targeted funding for research, and stakeholder collaboration can help Kenya meet its conservation obligations and safeguard vital habitats for migratory birds.

Mechanistic movement models to predict geographic range expansions of ticks and tick-borne pathogens: Case studies with Ixodes scapularis and Amblyomma americanum in eastern North America

The geographic range of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, is expanding northward from the United States into southern Canada, and studies suggest that the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum, will follow suit. These tick species are vectors for many zoonotic pathogens, and their northward range expansion presents a serious threat to public health. Climate change (particularly increasing temperature) has been identified as an important driver permitting northward range expansion of blacklegged ticks, but the impacts of host movement, which is essential to tick dispersal into new climatically suitable regions, have received limited investigation. Here, a mechanistic movement model was applied to landscapes of eastern North America to explore 1) relationships between multiple ecological drivers and the speed of the northward invasion of blacklegged ticks infected with the causative agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, and 2) its capacity to simulate the northward range expansion of infected blacklegged ticks and uninfected lone star ticks under theoretical scenarios of increasing temperature. Our results suggest that the attraction of migratory birds (long-distance tick dispersal hosts) to resource-rich areas during their spring migration and the mate-finding Allee effect in tick population dynamics are key drivers for the spread of infected blacklegged ticks. The modeled increases in temperature extended the climatically suitable areas of Canada for infected blacklegged ticks and uninfected lone star ticks towards higher latitudes by up to 31% and 1%, respectively, and with an average predicted speed of the range expansion reaching 61 km/year and 23 km/year, respectively. Differences in the projected spatial distribution patterns of these tick species were due to differences in climate envelopes of tick populations, as well as the availability and attractiveness of suitable habitats for migratory birds. Our results indicate that the northward invasion process of lone star ticks is primarily driven by local dispersal of resident terrestrial hosts, whereas that of blacklegged ticks is governed by long-distance migratory bird dispersal. The results also suggest that mechanistic movement models provide a powerful approach for predicting tick-borne disease risk patterns under complex scenarios of climate, socioeconomic and land use/land cover changes.

Mangcuo Lake in Hengduan Mountains: An Important Alpine Breeding and Stopover Site along Central Asian Flyway

The stopovers provide food and habitat for migratory birds and therefore play an important role in facilitating the birds' completion of their migration. The Hengduan Mountains, which have a complex topography, are located in a large corridor of the Central Asian migratory flyway, so the lakes along the Hengduan Mountains are important for waterbird migration. The existing research on lakes in the Hengduan Mountain area is mostly concentrated in the central and southern parts of the mountains, which proves that many lakes are wintering grounds for migrating birds. We wonder whether the ecological functions of lakes will change more with further elevation. With this question, we conducted four surveys for the seasonal bird survey in Mangcuo Lake, which is located in the northwest of the Hengduan Mountains, in Markam County of Qamdo City, between October 2019 and July 2020. We recorded a total of 6109 birds from 20 species of waterbirds, including 20 species of migratory waterbirds, accounting for 100% of all bird species. The diversity and richness of waterbirds in Mangtso Lake is shown as spring > autumn ≥, summer > winter, with no waterbirds in winter. The black-necked grebe (Podiceps nigricollis), great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus), bar-headed goose (Anser indicus), and ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) were the dominant species in the waterbird community. The highest number of waterbird species and total individuals were found in the transition zone between the marsh wetlands and lakes, and the number of waterbird species differed significantly among habitats (X2 = 14.405, p = 0.000), with habitat complexity being an important factor influencing waterfowl abundance and distribution. The IUCN Red-listed species recorded include the black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis), painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala), and common pochard (Aythya ferina). By comparing with other lakes in Hengduan Mountain, we found that the ecological functions of the plateau lakes in the Hengduan Mountains, to support the life histories of migrating waterbirds, are gradually transforming as the altitude rises, and can be divided into approximately three levels, with the first level of Qionghai, Chenghai, Erhai, and Jianhu at altitudes of 1500-2200 m being the most important ecological function in terms of providing wintering grounds for migrating birds. The second layer, at an altitude of 2400-3300 m, includes Lashihai, Lugu Lake, and Napahai, which are not only wintering wetlands for migratory birds but also important stopover sites. The third layer of Mangcuo Lake, which is above 4000 m above sea level, provides a breeding ground for some migratory waterbirds in summer and a migratory resting place for migratory waterbirds in spring and autumn. We advocate for the importance of Mangcuo Lake in the alpine region along the central Asian flyway, as well as emerging nature conservation action that was previously neglected.

Construction of international important wetland White-headed crane ecological corridor in Chongming Dongtan, China

At the Yangtze River estuary, the Chongming Dongtan International Important Wetland is a typical estuary wetland. It is an essential habitat for international migratory birds. The habitat of birds in this area changes rapidly. The ecological corridor is an important means to maintain the stability of the watershed ecosystem and enhance the ecological sustainability of the watershed. It has significant demonstration implications for the preservation of biodiversity and the restoration of ecological functions of wetlands with significant ecological value. In this study, the rare white-headed crane distributed in Chongming Dongtan was taken as the research object, and the land use change in Chongming Dongtan in recent ten years was obtained by ENVI and ArcGIS10.8 software. The ecological sources of the white-headed crane population were screened using morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and landscape connectivity. Using GIS technology to construct a comprehensive resistance surface, combined with circuit theory, the ecological processes in heterogeneous landscapes are simulated by calculating ' resistance ' or ' current ' to identify important ecological corridors, ecological pinch points, and ecological obstacles. The results showed that the region included 24 ecological sources, 46 ecological corridors, 127 ecological pinch points, and 134 Ecological obstacle points. The habitat in the study area showed a trend of fragmentation. The high-resistance areas of Chongming Dongtan were mainly distributed in low-altitude areas with rapid urbanization and frequent human activities, such as Qiyao Town and Yuxi Village. The ecological corridors of White-headed cranes are mainly distributed in bare flat, reed beaches, grassland, and paddy fields. The optimal threshold of MSPA landscape in the study area is 500 m. At the same time, the ecological function area is optimized and divided into different levels, such as ecological core area, ecological buffer zone, ecological crisscross area, production and living area. This study constructs the ecological corridor of the White-headed crane in Chongming Dongtan from the regional wetland scale, which is helpful to optimize the suitable habitat pattern, and provide the method basis for the habitat protection and ecological network construction of regional wetland habitat.

Partial Migration by Great Egrets Ardea alba in Coastal California

Migratory behavior of California Great Egrets (Ardea alba) is poorly understood. GPS tags were deployed on eleven Great Egrets on Tomales Bay, Marin County, California, USA. Six individuals displayed migratory behavior, four remained resident, and one individual employed both strategies across three winters. Both diurnal and nocturnal migratory movements were observed. Five of the Great Egrets flew through or wintered in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and California's Central Valley, and one Great Egret moved through Nevada, Arizona, and Mexico, indicating use of wintering grounds outside of California. This study provides the first documentation of partial migration by Great Egrets, and the first information on round trip migration of this species on the U.S. west coast. Our results further illustrate the importance of connectivity between coastal and inland habitats for migratory birds.

Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Massachusetts, USA: A Wetland of Distinction

Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Massachusetts has been recognized as a Wetland of Distinction by the Society of Wetland Scientists. It provides essential habitat for migratory birds as well as for resident wildlife including state endangered birds: least bittern (Ixobrychus exilis), pied-billed grebe (Podilymbus podiceps), upland sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda), American bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), and two state threatened species grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) and king rail (Rallus elegans). Great Meadows also harbors the largest genetically distinct populations of threatened Blanding’s turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) in the Northeast. The refuge also provides outdoor recreation opportunities (hunting, fishing, and nature observation) and a place for environmental education.

Microplastics (MPs) distribution in Surface Sediments of the Freidounkenar Paddy Wetland

There is an urgent need to increase knowledge on the distribution of microplastics (MPs) in wetlands because these are sites of special ecological value and the ever-growing use of plastic can threaten such fragile ecosystems. This research assesses, for the first time, the occurrence of MPs in surface sediment of the Freidounkenar International Wetland (Northern Iran), a valuable habitat for migratory birds. A total of 1368 MP/kg were identified in the surface sediments of the wetland. The distribution of MPs in sediments per area was Ezbaran (36.5%), Western Sorkhrood (32.0%), Freidounkenar (20.1%) and Eastern Sorkhrood Ab-bandans (11.4%). The most contaminated sites were located close to agricultural fields, Damgahs (agroecosystems for birds), fishing areas and roads. Fibers and white-transparent and black-grey MPs constituted the dominant MPs in the surface sediment. The most abundant MPs were < 250 μm and these were made of nylon, polypropylene-low density polyethylene copolymer, polystyrene, low density polyethylene and polypropylene. The identification of MPs was carried out visually and supported with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)-Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) and micro-Raman techniques. There were weathering signs in large proportion of the MPs, according to SEM analysis, which evidences their formation from the degradation of other plastics. This is a comprehensive study on MPs in surface sediment of this sensitive internationally recognized ecosystem with high ecological value.

Interannual changes of coastal aquaculture ponds in China at 10-m spatial resolution during 2016–2021

The rapid growth of coastal aquaculture has strongly supported global food security and economic development of coastal areas in the past few decades but has also caused remarkable impacts on coastal ecosystems. Accurate delineation of coastal aquaculture extent and changes is thus significant for improving coastal zone management toward sustainability. Here, by means of Sentinel-2 images, we propose an effective and rapid approach that combines simple non-iterative clustering (SNIC) with hierarchical decision trees (HDT), so-called SNIC-HDT, to generate fine-resolution coastal aquaculture pond data at the national scale of China. The SNIC-HDT fully considers the spatial heterogeneity of coastal aquaculture ponds and performs accurate segmentation by determining the optimal segmentation scale for coastal aquaculture ponds with different sizes and shapes. In addition, the SNIC-HDT incorporates temporal features into the establishment of HDT and thus effectively distinguishes coastal aquaculture ponds from other water bodies. In support of the Google Earth Engine platform, we employed 85,501 scenes of Sentinel-2 images and generated the first annual 10-m spatial resolution national coastal aquaculture pond dataset of China between 2016 and 2021 (China_CAP), with an overall classification accuracy of more than 90%. This dataset reveals that total area of China's coastal aquaculture ponds experienced a substantial loss of 13.21% from 9769 km2 in 2016 to 8629 km2 in 2021. The most remarkable areal reduction occurred in Zhejiang Province, with a decrease rate of 38.24%, followed by Guangdong (27.93%), and these reductions were mostly related to the policy of retuning aquaculture ponds to natural wetlands. Coastal aquaculture ponds in Fujian and Tianjin provinces experienced slight areal gains (7.24% and 2.13%). The results generated in this study could provide a basis for the conservation of habitats of migratory water birds on the East Asia-Australia Flyway and are of great scientific and practical importance to support the evaluation of Sustainable Development Goals.

Impact of hydrological processes on wetland landscapes and wintering migratory birds in a large floodplain lake (Poyang Lake, China)

AbstractHydrological processes are an important factor influencing the wetland landscapes and the quality of wintering migratory birds habitat in Poyang Lake. However, most of the research on a small spatiotemporal scale and there is a lack of studies on the impact of hydrological processes on migratory bird habitats. This study analysed the response of the Poyang Lake wetland landscape to low water levels from 1990 to 2016 and determined the relationship between hydrological processes, wetland landscape characteristics and migratory bird habitats. According to the results, the number of days during the study period when the maximum water level was higher than the current water level (MaxDay) and the average water level from the 40th to 50th day prior to the current day (D50) are two critical factors affecting the area of grassland in Poyang Lake. In particular, a D50 value of 9.5–11.0 m is important for maintaining the grassland area and growth of wetland vegetation. Besides, the water level should not exceed 11 m from mid–late October to early November and should be maintained between 7.58 and 7.97 m in mid–late December that can maximize the habitat area of migratory birds. Furthermore, this study used ecological threshold to propose the optimal inundation period of Cyperus rotundus L. community, Leersia japonica community, Polygonum criopolitanum community, Phragmites australis community, Triarrhena lutarioriparia community, Carex spp. community and Phalaris arundinacea community, which are 124–174, 31–101, 199–249, 65–147, 51–121, 110–190 and 175–253 days, respectively.

Airborne Avian Influenza Virus in Ambient Air in the Winter Habitats of Migratory Birds.

Outbreaks of avian influenza virus (AIV) have raised public concerns recently. Airborne AIV has been evaluated in live poultry markets and case farms; however, no study has discussed airborne AIV in ambient air in the winter habitats of migratory birds. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate airborne AIV, specifically H5, H7, and H9, in a critical winter habitat of migratory birds and assess the factors influencing airborne AIV transmission in ambient air to provide novel insights into the epidemiology of avian influenza. A total of 357 ambient air samples were collected in the Aogu Wetland, Taiwan, Republic of China, between October 2017 and December 2019 and analyzed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The effects of environmental factors including air pollutants, meteorological factors, and the species of the observed migratory birds on the concentration of airborne AIV were also analyzed. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the relationship between airborne AIV in ambient air and the influence factors in the winter habitats of migratory birds, demonstrating the benefits of environmental sampling for infectious disease epidemiology. The positive rate of airborne H7 (12%) was higher than that of H5 (8%) and H9 (10%). The daily mean temperature and daily maximum temperature had a significant negative correlation with influenza A, H7, and H9. Cold air masses and bird migration were significantly associated with airborne H9 and H7, respectively. In addition, we observed a significant correlation between AIV and the number of pintails, common teals, Indian spot-billed ducks, northern shovelers, Eurasian wigeons, tufted ducks, pied avocets, black-faced spoonbills, and great cormorants. In conclusion, we demonstrated the potential for alternative surveillance approaches (monitoring bird species) as an indicator for influenza-related risks and identified cold air masses and the presence of specific bird species as potential drivers of the presence and/or the airborne concentration of AIV.

Unusual record of the Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) in Costa Rica after 120 years

The Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) is considered a vagrant as well as a migratory species in Central America with very few reports in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. On 28 November 2020 we observed an individual Burrowing Owl at La Ceiba, Orotina, Alajuela province, Costa Rica. This was an unusual record for the country, and is of importance as there have been no confirmed records of the species in Costa Rica for 120 years. This sighting also emphasizes the importance of the area as a suitable habitat for migratory and resident birds, so its conservation and proper management is essential to preserve biodiversity.

Occurrence dataset of waterbirds in the Tiaozini Wetland, a World Nature Heritage, China.

Tiaozini, the core area of the Yellow (Bohai) Sea Migratory Bird Habitat in Dongtai, Jiangsu Province and a World Heritage Site, has provided an ideal habitat for migratory birds. As an important hub on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), Tiaozini Wetland provides pivotal stopover and wintering sites for tens of thousands of migratory waterbirds, including some global critically endangered species, such as Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidrispygmaea) and Spotted Greenshank (Tringaguttifer). Although many researchers have conducted a lot of studies on waterbirds in Tiaozini Wetland, there is still a lack of a dataset on waterbird species composition and individual quantity in Tiaozini Wetland throughout the year. Here, we conducted a one-year waterbird survey in the Tiaozini Wetland during 2020-2021 and provided an occurrence dataset with detailed species and geographic information. This occurrence dataset is the first public record of species and number of waterbirds in Tiaozini Wetland for a whole year, which includes the taxonomic information, location information, number, investigation date and endangered level for each species. All data have been published on GBIF.

Primary Productivity of Iraqi lakes: A Review

Lentic ecosystems are important for fish production and are a critical habitat for waterfowl and numerous migratory birds. In this study we have gathered data on primary productivity of lakes across Iraq to provide updated information to strategize conservation and management. Tigris and Euphrates rivers are the primary sources of filling up major lakes in Iraq the overall assessment shows that the primary productivity is dependent on the algal composition and environmental factors with coincident role of macrophytes. An average of 37 to 637 mg carbon/m3/day of primary productivity was calculated for most of the lakes comprised of Bacillariophyceae and followed by Cyanophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Euglenophyceae, and Pyrrophyceae. It is hoped that this study can be an input to fill knowledge gaps and help to build long term maintainability of water quality and conservation of lake ecosystem across Iraq.

Monitoring and Distribution of Mosquitoes in the Downtown Areas and Migratory Bird Habitats in the Jeonbuk Region, 2021

Monitoring and Distribution of Mosquitoes in the Downtown Areas and Migratory Bird Habitats in the Jeonbuk Region, 2021

Evolution of Ecological Patterns of Poyang Lake Wetland Landscape over the Last One Hundred Years Based on Historical Topographic Maps and Landsat Images

Ecological pattern evolution of Poyang Lake wetland, the largest freshwater lake in China, is critical for regional ecological protection and sustainable development of migratory bird habitats; however, this information is still not fully explored. In this study, we quantitatively reconstructed the spatial distribution and landscape ecological pattern of Poyang Lake wetlands in three periods in the past 100 years based on the military topographic map in the 1930s and the Landsat satellite remote sensing image data in 1979 and 2021. Further, use the Fragstats software to analyze the ecological pattern index of wetland reconstruction results. The results show that the wetland area in the Poyang Lake region has experienced a continuous reduction process over the past 100 years, and it decreased from 3857 km2 in the 1930s to 3673 km2 in the 1970s, and then to 3624 km2 in the 2020s. The current wetland area has decreased by about 6.04% compared with the 1930s. The general trend of changes in the spatial pattern of Poyang Lake wetlands is that the surface water decreases and the open land increases. Nevertheless, the trend has certain spatial differences as a large area of wetlands disappeared in the southwest and west of Poyang Lake and the areas with enlarged wetland density values mainly appeared in the northeastern and northern parts of the study area. The NP (number of patches) in the wetlands of Poyang Lake over the past 100 years showed a downward trend during the 1930s–1970s, and an increasing trend during the 1970s–2010s. Due to the increases of constructed wetlands, the number and density of patches also increased, and PD (patch density) reached a maximum value of 0.142 in 2020s. The LPI (largest patch index) has shown a gradual downward trend in the past 100 years. Compared with the 1930s, the wetlands in 2020s dropped by about 26.64%, and the wetlands further showed a trend of fragmentation. The AI index, which indicates the concentration of wetland patches, reached the maximum value in 2020s, but the LSI (landscape shape index) showed a downward trend in general, indicating that the shape of wetland patches has been simplified over the past 100 years. The research results can provide basic data and decision-making basis for Poyang Lake wetland protection, construction of migratory bird reserve and regional sustainable development.