Background:The Black-faced Spoonbill(Platalea minor)is a globally threatened species,nesting mainly in western Korea with smaller numbers breeding in Liaoning Province,China,and Far East Russia.Recent winter field sur...Background:The Black-faced Spoonbill(Platalea minor)is a globally threatened species,nesting mainly in western Korea with smaller numbers breeding in Liaoning Province,China,and Far East Russia.Recent winter field surveys to estimate the species'population size were almost totally conducted in coastal areas,but tracking studies showed that some individuals now winter inland.To ensure its long-term survival,we need a more comprehensive assessment of the current distribution and abundance of the species.Methods:We combined the most recent count data and satellite tracking information to update existing informa-tion about the population abundance and distribution of the Black-faced Spoonbill at all stages of its annual life cycle,and how these have changed during 2004-2020.Results:Black-faced Spoonbills mainly breed on the west coast of the Korean peninsula,while immature birds show a wider summer distribution throughout Yellow Sea coastal areas,when a few remain on wintering sites in the south.Combined tracking results and mid-winter counts confirmed known wintering sites on the east and south coasts of China,but showed that the species also winters on wetlands in the Yangtze River floodplain and in Southeast Asia.During 2004-2020,counts of wintering birds in coastal habitats increased from 1198 to 4864,with numbers wintering on the island of Taiwan contributing most to the overall increase.Latest counts found 5222 in 2021.We also identify key wintering and stopover sites as well as their current conservation status.Conclusions:This study revised the known summering and wintering ranges of the Black-faced Spoonbill and assessed the conservation status of key sites based on a combination of field survey and satellite tracking data.We recommend prioritisation of further field research to identify and survey inland wintering areas in the Yangtze River floodplain and summering areas of immature birds.More tracking of adult individuals and birds during spring migration is necessary to fill these information gaps.We also suggest establishing a Black-faced Spoonbill monitoring platform to store,share and show real-time distribution range and population abundance data.展开更多
Fish populations have declined in many estuarine and freshwater ecosystems in part due to the loss of habitat in recent decades.Reconstructing lost habitat for larvae fish is a potential method for recovering larvae f...Fish populations have declined in many estuarine and freshwater ecosystems in part due to the loss of habitat in recent decades.Reconstructing lost habitat for larvae fish is a potential method for recovering larvae fish populations.Three-dimensional artificial floating wetlands(AFWs)on which Phragmites australis was planted were experimentally deployed to recover the lost habitat in the Changjiang(Yangtze)River estuary from May to July 2018.The AFW area was characterized by slow velocity,high transparency,low dissolved oxygen,and relatively constant water temperature.The total individuals of larvae fish in the AFW area(12122 in total)was higher than that in the non-AFW area(1250 in total),and the densities of most larvae fish species were higher in the AFW habitat than in the non-AFW area.The distributions of larvae fish species were positively influenced by habitat type because they were strongly related to the negative part of the first axis of the redundancy analysis,and Cyprinus carpio and Cyprinus auratus were inclined to habitat in the slow velocity and high transparency AFW habitat area.These results indicate that larvae fish species are inclined to inhabit the AFW habitat.The use of three-dimensional P.australis AFWs would be a potential method for enhancing the habitat of larvae fish in the degraded habitats along the estuary.展开更多
Background To rehabilitate the depleted fish resources of the Yangtze River Basin,China,a 10-year fishing ban has been implemented.This national initiative has attracted worldwide attention.The present study aimed to ...Background To rehabilitate the depleted fish resources of the Yangtze River Basin,China,a 10-year fishing ban has been implemented.This national initiative has attracted worldwide attention.The present study aimed to explore the ecological process and recovery effectiveness of this complete fishing ban in the Chishui River,the first river where the fishing ban was enacted in the Yangtze River Basin.Changes in fish resources were analyzed based on investigations conducted 5 years before(2012–2016)and 5 years after(2017–2021)the implementation of the fish-ing ban in four reaches along the longitudinal gradient.Results A total of 140 fish species,including 127 native and 13 exotic species,were collected during the study period.The number of fish species as well as the diversity indices showed no significant temporal changes.However,11 native species that had disappeared for many years appeared again after the fishing ban.The occurrence rates of some key protected species,Procypris rabaudi,Acipenser dabryanus,Euchiloglanis davidi and Myxocyprinus asiaticus,increased after the fishing ban,while Coreius guichenoti,Percocypris pingi,Onychostoma angustistomata and Leptobotia rubrilabris showed no obvious recovery.The fish assemblage structure in nearly all reaches(except the headwater)showed significant temporal changes with an increase in the relative abundance of larger body-sized species.The population structure of most dominant species improved greatly with the mean standard length and the mean body weight as well as the proportion of larger-sized individuals clearly increasing.In addition,the density of fishes changed dramatically with the catch per unit effort(CPUE)increasing by 140–210%for different study reaches.Conclusions The present study confirmed that the complete fishing closure is an effective measure to facilitate fish resources recovery.These results provide valuable references for evaluating the effectiveness of the 10-year fishing ban policy in the entire Yangtze River.展开更多
The deforestation on large scale in the upper reaches of Yangtze River has caused serious problems of ecosystem and environment. Restoration of the degenerated forest ecosystems is one of the main research fields. Tak...The deforestation on large scale in the upper reaches of Yangtze River has caused serious problems of ecosystem and environment. Restoration of the degenerated forest ecosystems is one of the main research fields. Taking Gongga Mountain as an example, degeneration features and existing problems of forest ecosystems are analyzed in this paper, and the measures are also proposed.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.31870369 and 31970433)China Biodiversity Observation Networks(Sino BON)。
文摘Background:The Black-faced Spoonbill(Platalea minor)is a globally threatened species,nesting mainly in western Korea with smaller numbers breeding in Liaoning Province,China,and Far East Russia.Recent winter field surveys to estimate the species'population size were almost totally conducted in coastal areas,but tracking studies showed that some individuals now winter inland.To ensure its long-term survival,we need a more comprehensive assessment of the current distribution and abundance of the species.Methods:We combined the most recent count data and satellite tracking information to update existing informa-tion about the population abundance and distribution of the Black-faced Spoonbill at all stages of its annual life cycle,and how these have changed during 2004-2020.Results:Black-faced Spoonbills mainly breed on the west coast of the Korean peninsula,while immature birds show a wider summer distribution throughout Yellow Sea coastal areas,when a few remain on wintering sites in the south.Combined tracking results and mid-winter counts confirmed known wintering sites on the east and south coasts of China,but showed that the species also winters on wetlands in the Yangtze River floodplain and in Southeast Asia.During 2004-2020,counts of wintering birds in coastal habitats increased from 1198 to 4864,with numbers wintering on the island of Taiwan contributing most to the overall increase.Latest counts found 5222 in 2021.We also identify key wintering and stopover sites as well as their current conservation status.Conclusions:This study revised the known summering and wintering ranges of the Black-faced Spoonbill and assessed the conservation status of key sites based on a combination of field survey and satellite tracking data.We recommend prioritisation of further field research to identify and survey inland wintering areas in the Yangtze River floodplain and summering areas of immature birds.More tracking of adult individuals and birds during spring migration is necessary to fill these information gaps.We also suggest establishing a Black-faced Spoonbill monitoring platform to store,share and show real-time distribution range and population abundance data.
基金Supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(Nos.2019YFD0901202,2018YFD0900905)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2018M632887)。
文摘Fish populations have declined in many estuarine and freshwater ecosystems in part due to the loss of habitat in recent decades.Reconstructing lost habitat for larvae fish is a potential method for recovering larvae fish populations.Three-dimensional artificial floating wetlands(AFWs)on which Phragmites australis was planted were experimentally deployed to recover the lost habitat in the Changjiang(Yangtze)River estuary from May to July 2018.The AFW area was characterized by slow velocity,high transparency,low dissolved oxygen,and relatively constant water temperature.The total individuals of larvae fish in the AFW area(12122 in total)was higher than that in the non-AFW area(1250 in total),and the densities of most larvae fish species were higher in the AFW habitat than in the non-AFW area.The distributions of larvae fish species were positively influenced by habitat type because they were strongly related to the negative part of the first axis of the redundancy analysis,and Cyprinus carpio and Cyprinus auratus were inclined to habitat in the slow velocity and high transparency AFW habitat area.These results indicate that larvae fish species are inclined to inhabit the AFW habitat.The use of three-dimensional P.australis AFWs would be a potential method for enhancing the habitat of larvae fish in the degraded habitats along the estuary.
基金supported by Grants from the National Key Research&Development Program of China(2022FY100400,2022YFB3206905)the National Key Research&Development Program of Yunnan Province(202203AC100001)the China Three Gorges Corporation(BHQ202305).
文摘Background To rehabilitate the depleted fish resources of the Yangtze River Basin,China,a 10-year fishing ban has been implemented.This national initiative has attracted worldwide attention.The present study aimed to explore the ecological process and recovery effectiveness of this complete fishing ban in the Chishui River,the first river where the fishing ban was enacted in the Yangtze River Basin.Changes in fish resources were analyzed based on investigations conducted 5 years before(2012–2016)and 5 years after(2017–2021)the implementation of the fish-ing ban in four reaches along the longitudinal gradient.Results A total of 140 fish species,including 127 native and 13 exotic species,were collected during the study period.The number of fish species as well as the diversity indices showed no significant temporal changes.However,11 native species that had disappeared for many years appeared again after the fishing ban.The occurrence rates of some key protected species,Procypris rabaudi,Acipenser dabryanus,Euchiloglanis davidi and Myxocyprinus asiaticus,increased after the fishing ban,while Coreius guichenoti,Percocypris pingi,Onychostoma angustistomata and Leptobotia rubrilabris showed no obvious recovery.The fish assemblage structure in nearly all reaches(except the headwater)showed significant temporal changes with an increase in the relative abundance of larger body-sized species.The population structure of most dominant species improved greatly with the mean standard length and the mean body weight as well as the proportion of larger-sized individuals clearly increasing.In addition,the density of fishes changed dramatically with the catch per unit effort(CPUE)increasing by 140–210%for different study reaches.Conclusions The present study confirmed that the complete fishing closure is an effective measure to facilitate fish resources recovery.These results provide valuable references for evaluating the effectiveness of the 10-year fishing ban policy in the entire Yangtze River.
基金Under the auspice of the knowledge innovation project of Chinese Academy of Sciences(KZCXZ-SW-319)
文摘The deforestation on large scale in the upper reaches of Yangtze River has caused serious problems of ecosystem and environment. Restoration of the degenerated forest ecosystems is one of the main research fields. Taking Gongga Mountain as an example, degeneration features and existing problems of forest ecosystems are analyzed in this paper, and the measures are also proposed.
