Our ecosystem provides us with essential services, most of which come without a price tag and hence are assumed to be ＂free gifts of nature＂ available in plenty. Much of the neoclassical thought and analysis was bas...Our ecosystem provides us with essential services, most of which come without a price tag and hence are assumed to be ＂free gifts of nature＂ available in plenty. Much of the neoclassical thought and analysis was based on this assumption until recently. The dynamic rise in population due to rapid industrialisation and urbanization has caused the realisation that ecosystem services are also limited. Environmental degradation is a common term used to describe the loss or impairment of ecosystem services. Migration is often a consequence of environ- mental degradation; when ecosystem services are impaired and survival comes at stake. But is the degradation of essential ecosystem services sufficient to motivate people to relocate？ Through a review of literature on migration and environmental degradation, this paper strives to answer the above question along with exploring ways how monitoring the deterioration of the environment on time can spare human inhabitants of any ecosystem the pains of migration in search of better means of survival and sustenance.展开更多
Accurately quantifying waterfowl migration patterns is pertinent to monitor ecosystem health and control bird-borne infectious diseases. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the environmental mech...Accurately quantifying waterfowl migration patterns is pertinent to monitor ecosystem health and control bird-borne infectious diseases. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the environmental mechanisms that drive waterfowl migration and then investigate the effect of intra- and inter-annual change in food supply and temperature(e.g., climate change) on their migration patterns. Recent advances in remote sensing and animal tracking techniques make it possible to monitor these environmental factors over a wide range of scales and record bird movements in detail. The synergy of these techniques will facilitate substantial progress in our understanding of the environmental drivers of bird migration. We identify prospects for future studies to test existing hypotheses and develop models integrating up-todate knowledge, high-resolution remote sensing data and high-accuracy bird tracking data. This will allow us to predict when waterfowl will be where, in response to shortand long-term global environmental change.展开更多
文摘Our ecosystem provides us with essential services, most of which come without a price tag and hence are assumed to be ＂free gifts of nature＂ available in plenty. Much of the neoclassical thought and analysis was based on this assumption until recently. The dynamic rise in population due to rapid industrialisation and urbanization has caused the realisation that ecosystem services are also limited. Environmental degradation is a common term used to describe the loss or impairment of ecosystem services. Migration is often a consequence of environ- mental degradation; when ecosystem services are impaired and survival comes at stake. But is the degradation of essential ecosystem services sufficient to motivate people to relocate？ Through a review of literature on migration and environmental degradation, this paper strives to answer the above question along with exploring ways how monitoring the deterioration of the environment on time can spare human inhabitants of any ecosystem the pains of migration in search of better means of survival and sustenance.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41471347 and 41401484)Tsinghua University(2012Z02287)
文摘Accurately quantifying waterfowl migration patterns is pertinent to monitor ecosystem health and control bird-borne infectious diseases. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the environmental mechanisms that drive waterfowl migration and then investigate the effect of intra- and inter-annual change in food supply and temperature(e.g., climate change) on their migration patterns. Recent advances in remote sensing and animal tracking techniques make it possible to monitor these environmental factors over a wide range of scales and record bird movements in detail. The synergy of these techniques will facilitate substantial progress in our understanding of the environmental drivers of bird migration. We identify prospects for future studies to test existing hypotheses and develop models integrating up-todate knowledge, high-resolution remote sensing data and high-accuracy bird tracking data. This will allow us to predict when waterfowl will be where, in response to shortand long-term global environmental change.
