Aerial Monitoring of Marine Waterfowl in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea

The purpose of this study was to design and test a monitoring protocol for marine waterfowl in the central Alaskan Beaufort Sea. The study provides an important case-study of how a long-term monitoring program may be affected by unanticipated human disturbances.Because of its overwhelming and widespread abundance, relatively sedentary behavior, ease in counting, and the extensive historical database, the long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis) was selected as the focal species. Two null hypotheses were formulated concerning potential changes in the numbers and distribution of long-tailed ducks in relation to disturbance in an industrial study area, compared to a reference study area located about 50 km to the east.A 9-year historical database (1977–1984, 1989) of long-tailed duck densities and other important data recorded during systematic aerial surveys was analyzed retrospectively using multiple regression techniques. The retrospective analyses determined which of several predictor variables recorded were significantly related to long-tailed duck density. Separate analyses were conducted for two periods: (1) the overall period when long-tailed ducks were present in the lagoon study areas, and (2) the shorter adult male molt period. The results of the two analyses indicated that 57% and 68%, respectively, of the total variation in long-tailed duck density during the two periods could be explained by variables recorded during the surveys. Predictor variables representing habitat, day of the year, time of day, amount of ice, and wave height recorded on-transect during surveys were most closely associated with long-tailed duck density. Measurement error during the surveys, and influences outside the study area such as nesting success in tundra habitats and mortality during migration and in over-wintering areas likely also had strong influences on the results, but these factors were not measurable in our study.Based on results of the retrospective analyses, a long-term monitoring protocol consisting of a program of systematic aerial surveys and an analyses of variance and covariance (ANOVA and ANCOVA) statistical procedure was designed and initially tested in 1990 and 1991. This 2-year testing phase resulted in several revisions to the monitoring protocol. Refinements were made to the original sampling procedures, to the survey schedule, and to the recommended statistical analysis procedures. Results of the ANOVA and ANCOVA indicated that there was no evidence of a change in long-tailed duck densities that could be attributable to disturbance (from any source) in the industrial study area relative to a reference area with no industrial development. Other analyses indicated that the sampling and analysis procedures would be adequate to detect long-term trends in long-tailed duck density and localized disturbance effects, but that the monitoring program should be continued well beyond two years to detect statistically significant changes. As a result, additional aerial surveys of both study areas were conducted again during 1999–2001.Results of the revised ANOVA and ANCOVA of the 1990–1991 and 1999–2001 survey data indicated that the density of long-tailed ducks had significantly declined in coastal lagoons along the central Alaskan Beaufort Sea coast during the study period. In addition, disturbances throughout the barrier island-lagoon systems used by these ducks, including both the industrial and the reference study areas, had significantly increased over the same period. However, because unanticipated disturbances from a variety of anthropogenic sources, and not just industry sources, increased in both study areas, the reference study area was not an effective statistical control. As a result, the decline in long-tailed duck density in both study areas was not attributable to industry-related activities. Although the monitoring protocol described here is an effective method to detect statistically significant changes in long-tailed duck distribution and abundance in the nearshore Alaskan Beaufort Sea, many more years of sampling would be necessary to attribute observed changes to industry-related disturbances.     

湖北省湿地水禽资源研究

1996年5月至2003年7月,使用直接计数法、样方法和专项调查法研究了湖北省湿地水禽资源,包括物种多样性、分布和种群数量。结果表明:湖北省共有水禽131种,隶属于7目19科58属;记录到107种,其中有黄嘴白鹭、小苇(?)、红脚苦恶鸟和长嘴剑(?)4个新记录种。按区系型分,古北界种类占优势,有80种,广布种26种,东洋种25种;按季节型分,冬候鸟为主体,有75种,夏候鸟32种,旅鸟14种,留鸟10种;按生活型分,涉禽占优势,共81种,游禽50种。湖北省水禽种群总数为159.396 9×104只,密度为101.96只/km₂;种群数量在1×104只以上的有28种。角(?)(?)等24种未发现。     

气候变化背景下京津冀地区濒危水鸟潜在适宜区模拟及保护空缺分析

明确濒危水鸟栖息地分布并加以保护对于维持水鸟物种多样性和提高湿地环境质量具有重要意义.自1980年以来京津冀地区水鸟数量出现较大波动,为了分析濒危水鸟潜在分布区域及其变化特征,借助GIS平台和MaxEnt模型,基于2015年濒危水鸟"出现点"信息,定量识别了影响京津冀地区濒危水鸟分布的主要驱动因素和贡献率,并预测了2050年RCP2.6、RCP4.5、RCP8.5（依次代表低、中、高3种CO₂浓度排放模式）3种气候情景下濒危水鸟的潜在适宜区分布和保护空缺规律.结果表明:①京津冀地区濒危水鸟共有9种,东方白鹳、遗鸥和黑鹳3种濒危水鸟潜在适宜区面积较大.东方白鹳和遗鸥适宜区主要集中于环渤海湾沿岸和北京市中南部,黑鹳则主要集中于北京市南部房山区和东北部.②与2015年相比,2050年RCP2.6、RCP4.5和RCP8.5三种气候情景下濒危水鸟适宜区面积均较大,相应适宜区面积增幅依次为96.24%、103.94%和65.51%,适宜区空间分布上向西南和东北方向扩张.③国家自然保护区对濒危水鸟潜在适宜区和热点区的覆盖率较低,相较天津市,河北省和北京市对这两个区域的覆盖不足.④在京津冀地区尺度下,不同情景下保护区覆盖濒危水鸟适宜区比例依次为基准情景（1.26%）> RCP8.5情景（1.11%）> RCP2.6情景（0.70%）> RCP4.5情景（0.29%）,保护区覆盖热点区比例依次为RCP4.5情景（0.83%）>基准情景（0.77%）> RCP8.5情景（0.08%）> RCP2.6情景（0）.研究显示,以单个水鸟为单位分析濒危水鸟潜在适宜区分布格局,能够精准有效地揭示国家自然保护区对濒危水鸟的覆盖情况.      

盐城湿地建设项目对越冬水鸟生境的累积生态影响评价研究

选择盐城湿地的建设项目为研究对象.选取丹顶鹤、雁鸭类和鸻鹬类作为盐城湿地越冬水鸟的代表性物种,选取生境景观类型、土地占用以及人为干扰作为影响因子,利用ArcGIS分别做出三个影响因子对于越冬水鸟生境影响分布图,采用图形叠置法对各因子生境影响进行叠加.据此,以越冬水鸟适宜生境面积的变化来反映建设项目对于越冬水鸟的累积生态影响.并且提出设立鸟类监测救护站和栖息地补偿等生态措施来减少建设项目的影响.     

汕头市海岸湿地自然保护区主要水鸟的种群数量及分布

汕头市海岸湿地自然保护区是我国三大候鸟迁徙路线涉及区之一;分布64种水鸟,约占汕头鸟类总种数的51.2%。汕头海岸湿地自然保护区给鸟类提供了广阔的活动空间和丰富的食物来源,每年都有超过了3万只以上的候鸟类在此停留或越冬,是重要的国际候鸟迁徙区及水禽繁衍区。     

洞庭湖湿地珍稀濒危鸟类群落组成及多样性

2005年7至2007年4月,采用直接记数法和"GPS"技术定位监测对洞庭湖湿地珍稀濒危保护鸟类资源及其环境进行调查。结果表明:洞庭湖湿地珍稀濒危保护鸟类有218种,隶属于16目46科。其中古北界鸟类占优势,有118种,东洋界鸟类54,广布种鸟类46种。冬候鸟为主体,有118种,留鸟40种,夏侯鸟35种,旅鸟25种。按生态类群分,游禽45种、涉禽69种、陆禽3种、猛禽22种、攀禽11种、鸣禽68种;该湿地有国家Ⅰ级重点保护鸟类7种、Ⅱ级重点保护鸟类43种,国际湿地公约名录中的鸟类37种。洞庭湖湿地珍稀濒危保护鸟类群落Shannon-Wiener多样性指数和Pielou均匀性指数分别为4.489 7和0.576 5。     

Organochlorines and Mercury in Waterfowl Harvested in Canada

Samples of breast muscle from 32 species of waterfowl collected from 123 sites across Canada were analyzed for chlorobenzenes (CBz), chlordane-related compounds (CHL), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCH), DDT, mirex, dieldrin, PCBs and mercury. ΣDDT, ΣCBz and ΣPCB were the compounds most frequently found above trace levels. ΣHCH and ΣMirex were detected the least often. Mercury was detected in all of the mergansers, over 50% of dabbling, bay and sea ducks, and in less than 2% of the geese analysed. The highest levels of contaminants were generally found in birds feeding at higher trophic levels such as sea ducks and mergansers. With the exception of a few samples of mergansers and long-tailed ducks from eastern Canada, which contained ΣPCB concentrations of 1.0–2.4 mg kg⁻¹, ΣPCB levels were less than 1 mg kg⁻¹ wet weight. Only one merganser from eastern Canada had a ΣDDT concentration (2.6 mg kg⁻¹ ww) which was greater than 1 mg kg⁻¹ ww. The highest ΣCHL (0.10 mg kg⁻¹ ww) was also found in mergansers from eastern Canada. Levels of total mercury in breast muscle were either low (< 1 mg kg⁻¹ ww) or below detection limits with the exception of a few samples of mergansers from eastern Canada which contained mercury concentrations of 1.0–1.5 mg kg⁻¹ ww. Health Canada determined that the organochlorine and mercury levels found in samples of breast muscle of ducks and geese analysed in this study did not pose a health hazard to human consumers and therefore these waterfowl were safe to eat.