Species distribution modeling in regions of high need and limited data： waterfowl of China

Background: A number of conservation and societal issues require understanding how species are distributed on the landscape, yet ecologists are often faced with a lack of data to develop models at the resolution and extent desired, resulting in inefficient use of conservation resources.Such a situation presented itself in our attempt to develop waterfowl distribution models as part of a multi-disciplinary team targeting the control of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus in China.Methods: Faced with limited data, we built species distribution models using a habitat suitability approach for China's breeding and non-breeding(hereafter, wintering) waterfowl.An extensive review of the literature was used to determine model parameters for habitat modeling.Habitat relationships were implemented in GIS using land cover covariates.Wintering models were validated using waterfowl census data, while breeding models, though developed for many species, were only validated for the one species with sufficient telemetry data available.Results: We developed suitability models for 42 waterfowl species(30 breeding and 39 wintering) at 1 km resolution for the extent of China, along with cumulative and genus level species richness maps.Breeding season models showed highest waterfowl suitability in wetlands of the high-elevation west-central plateau and northeastern China.Wintering waterfowl suitability was highest in the lowland regions of southeastern China.Validation measures indicated strong performance in predicting species presence.Comparing our model outputs to China's protected areas indicated that breeding habitat was generally better covered than wintering habitat, and identified locations for which additional research and protection should be prioritized.Conclusions: These suitability models are the first available for many of China's waterfowl species, and have direct utility to conservation and habitat planning and prioritizing management of critically important areas, providing an example of how this approach may aid others faced with the challenge of addressing conservation issues with little data to inform decision making.

Assessing nest attentiveness of Common Terns via video cameras and temperature loggers

Background:While nest attentiveness plays a critical role in the reproductive success of avian species,nest attentiveness data with high temporal resolution is not available for many species.However,improvements in both video monitoring and temperature logging devices present an opportunity to increase our understanding of this aspect of avian behavior.Methods:To investigate nest attentiveness behaviors and evaluate these technologies,we monitored 13 nests across two Common Tern(Sterna hirundo)breeding colonies with a paired video camera-temperature logger approach,while monitoring 63 additional nests with temperature loggers alone.Observations occurred from May to August of 2017 on Poplar(Chesapeake Bay,Maryland,USA)and Skimmer Islands(Isle of Wight Bay,Maryland,USA).We examined data respective to four times of day:Morning(civil dawn‒11:59),Peak(12:00‒16:00),Cooling(16:01‒civil dusk),and Night(civil dusk‒civil dawn).Results:While successful nests had mostly short duration off-bouts and maintained consistent nest attentiveness throughout the day,failed nests had dramatic reductions in nest attentiveness during the Cooling and Night periods(p<0.05)with one colony experiencing repeated nocturnal abandonment due to predation pressure from a Great Horned Owl(Bubo virginianus).Incubation appeared to ameliorate ambient temperatures during Night,as nests were significantly warmer during Night when birds were on versus off the nest(p<0.05).Meanwhile,off-bouts during the Peak period occurred during higher ambient temperatures,perhaps due to adults leaving the nest during the hottest periods to perform belly soaking.Unfortunately,temperature logger data alone had limited ability to predict nest attentiveness status during shorter bouts,with results highly dependent on time of day and bout duration.While our methods did not affect hatching success(p>0.05),video-monitored nests did have significantly lower clutch sizes(p<0.05).Conclusions:The paired use of iButtons and video cameras enabled a detailed description of the incubation behavior of COTE.However,while promising for future research,the logistical and potential biological complications involved in the use of these methods suggest that careful planning is needed before these devices are utilized to ensure data is collected in a safe and successful manner.