Little Egrets (Egretta Garzetta) and Trace-Metal Contamination in Wetlands of China

The rapidly developing Asian countries may face threatening environmental contamination, that however remains largely unassessed. We studied persistent trace elements in three wetlands, Poyang Lake, relatively unpolluted, and Tai Lake, and Pearl River Delta, selected as hotspots of pollution in Central China. We adopted as indicator the Little Egret, a widespread colonial waterbird, and during 1999 and 2000 we collected and analysed the same samples as for a parallel study we conducted in Pakistan, e.g. eggs, body feathers of chicks, prey spontaneously regurgitated by the chicks, and sediments at the areas most used by foraging egrets. The levels of trace-metals at our three study areas were similar, or within the range, of those found in the few other studies for East Asia, with few exceptions. The concentrations of the various elements were below the threshold that may affect the survival or reproduction of the birds, and even the highest concentrations relative to background, i.e. Se in eggs, and Hg in feathers at Pearl Delta, do not pose toxic hazards. In sediments, the levels of trace elements were lower than the critical levels assumed for contaminated soil, except for alarming high levels of As at Poyang. These results do not confirm our expectation, that Poyang was relatively uncontaminated, while Tai and Pearl were polluted. Although trace metal concentration differed significantly among the three study areas, these differences were minor and were not consistent among elements and samples. The bioaccumulation ratios from sediments through prey, feather and egg, were consistent with our previous findings for Pakistan. Only Hg exhibited high bioaccumulation, while Se and Zn had low accumulation, and the other elements no accumulation. This reasserts that feathers of predators such as egrets, may be more sensitive indicators of environmental contamination for the elements subject to bioaccumulation, whereas the sediments or the organisms low in the food chain are better indicators for the other elements.     

Winter bird use of seed-rich habitats in agri-environment schemes

To assess the effectiveness of over-winter seed provision by agri-environment schemes, bird use of patches of seed-bearing crops was compared with that of other seed-rich habitats on 53 farms in eastern Scotland over three winters. Seed-bearing crops were the most frequently selected habitat, and held 28% of birds of the 10 species recorded. Outside schemes, cereal stubble was the most selected habitat and held 44% of birds. For nine species, seed-bearing crops were used by more birds than expected from the area of crop available in at least one winter, and five species were more likely to occur in first-winter patches, reflecting a greater abundance of cereal grain than in second-winter patches. For cereal grain specialists such as buntings, sowing cereal-based crops annually would ensure that grain is available in each winter, whilst either a 1-year or a 2-year crop would be appropriate for finches that favour oilseeds, and species with a more generalist diet.     

Effects on fisheries and waterbirds of raising water levels at Kerkini Reservoir,a Ramsar site in northern greece

A new, higher dam was installed at Kerkini Reservoir in 1982, causing habitat and landscape disruption. A decrease in the area of grassland and shallow water areas, the rapid disappearance of reedbeds, the appearance of beds ofNymphaea, and the disappearance of half the forest area were all observed between 1982 and 1991. With the new hydrological regime, a lacustrine system was created, with an extensive, rather deep (4–8 m), pelagic zone favorable for the development of coarse fish species throughout the year. After 1982, an increase in fishing effort and a change in the relative abundance of fish species in the catch, including the disappearance of eels and wels, were observed. The impact of the rise in the water level of breeding aquatic birds led to a general decline in species typical of marshy habitats in favor of species preferring deeper open water habitats. A decrease was recorded in bird species that feed largely on invertebrates and to a lesser extent fish (e.g., glossy ibis) and that require extensive shallow feeding areas. There was a decline in geese, whose nests were regularly flooded, and a major increase in piscivorous birds, particularly diving birds (e.g., cormorants), which prefer deeper open water and benefitted directly from the large increase in coarse fish biomass. The disappearance of birds breeding in flooded meadows (e.g., black-winged stilts) and of those restricted to reedbeds (e.g., marsh harrier) occurred from 1983. Over the same period, the changes in populations of wintering birds at Kerkini were different from those occurring in other wetlands in northern Greece. The changes recorded in the populations of wintering birds at Kerkini did not therefore result from overall regional trends but from the major habitat modifications that occurred to this wetland. As for breeding birds, strictly piscivorous species increased greatly as a result of the increased availability of fish, but also due to the appearance of many suitable night roosting sites (flooded trees) and to the great increase in the area of open water greater than 2 m deep. Today, Kerkini has become the most important breeding site in Greece for a majority of colonial waterbirds. In contrast, wintering shorebirds practically disappeared. The many changes recorded in the status of breeding and wintering birds at Kerkini can mostly be explained by the changes that occurred in the functioning of the ecosystem and in the habitat structure following the inauguration of the new hydrological regime. These changes did not all occur at the same time: some were immediate and others required a delay before they could be detected.     

湖北省湿地冬季水鸟多样性研究

报道了2004年1~4月湖北冬季水鸟调查结果,记录水鸟 66 种,种群数量 59 613 只,分属8目15科,其中列入国家重点保护的一级鸟类 4 种,115 只,国家二级 7 种,2 968 只。分析了冬季水鸟群落结构、分布和种群变动,并用生物多样性指数、物种丰富度与生物量3个不同的测度指标对其中12个湖泊的水鸟群落进行了评价,认为沉湖、梁子湖、龙感湖和网湖是较为成熟稳定的群落;并从沉湖东方白鹳（Ciconia boyciana）、龙感湖白头鹤（Grus monacha）、洪湖鸭科水鸟近40年的种群动态探讨了湿地水鸟现状,认为种群衰退趋势明显、湿地干扰和威胁严重。对此提出了加强湿地保护区的建设,理顺管理体制,合理规划与发展湿地产业和保护湿地资源对策。     

Effect of deep freezing of lakes on food supply in habitats of waterbirds

The phenomenon of bottom substrate exposure in deeply freezing lakes during the melting of ice in spring is described. It leads to the formation in the lake of a large temporary biotope—a combination of shoals and exposed portions of the silty bed—with a high trophic capacity for ducks, shorebirds, gulls, etc. The lake in such a state is a rich foraging area for nesting and migrating bird populations. This phenomenon, which is widespread in the Central Yakutian plain, is an ecological manifestation of cryoarid conditions developing in the plains due to extreme climate continentality.     

Pair territoriality of wintering stonechats : behaviour,function and hormones

Migratory stonechats (Saxicola torquata) spend the winter in the northern Negev desert in Israel. After arrival in October most birds defend territories throughout the winter either as heterosexual pairs or as single birds. In this population we examined: (1) aggressive behaviour of pairs; (2) the functional significance of pair territoriality; and (3) hormonal correlates of territorial behaviour. Pairs were aggressive towards both conspecific intruders and stonechat dummies, particularly in autumn when territories were established. Males were more aggressive than females and aggression was primarily intrasexual. More frequent than intraspecific interactions were interspecific encounters, with 94% involving the local mourning wheatear (Oenanthe lugens). With one exception these encounters consisted of attacks of mourning wheatears against stonechats, mainly males. Two functions of winter territoriality of migrant pairs are proposed: (a) a reduction of individual defense costs associated with the maintenance of a territory; (b) an increase of the net vigilance to reduce the risk of attacks by competitors or predators. The levels of testosterone (males and females) and estradiol (females only) were close to or below the lower detection limit of the assay throughout the winter. Therefore, high levels of gonadal steroids are not required for pair formation and aggression in the non-reproductive context. The results indicate that both the function and the proximate control mechanisms of territoriality during the non-breeding season in winter are different from those during the breeding season in spring.     

The value of agricultural wetlands as invertebrate resources for wintering shorebirds

Agricultural landscapes have received little recognition for the food resources they provide to wintering waterbirds. In the Willamette Valley of Oregon, modest yet significant populations of wintering shorebirds (Charadriiformes) regularly use hundreds of dispersed wetlands on agricultural lands. Benthic invertebrates are a critical resource for the survival of overwintering shorebirds, yet the abundance of invertebrate resources in agricultural wetlands such as these has not been quantified. To evaluate the importance of agricultural wetlands to a population of wintering shorebirds, the density, biomass, and general community composition of invertebrates available to birds were quantified at a sample of Willamette Valley sites during a wet (1999–2000) and a dry winter (2000–2001). Invertebrate densities ranged among wetlands from 173 to 1925 (mean ± S.E.: 936 ± 106) individuals/m² in the wet winter, and from 214 to 3484 (1028 ± 155) individuals/m² in the dry winter. Total invertebrate estimated biomass among wetlands ranged from 35 to 652 (mean ± S.E.: 364 ± 35) mg/m² in the wet winter, and from 85 to 1405 (437 ± 62) mg/m² in the dry winter. These estimates for food abundance were comparable to that observed in some other important freshwater wintering regions in North America.     

上海崇明东滩人工湿地冬春季水鸟的生境因子分析

为了解围垦后不同土地利用方式对水鸟的影响,于2011年11月~2012年5月对上海市崇明东滩湿地公园、北八滧鱼塘、98大堤内抛荒鱼塘、以及捕鱼港互花米草控制示范区的芦苇塘4类人工湿地开展水鸟调查,在冬季共统计到水鸟20 050只,隶属于5目9科34种,春季共统计到水鸟5 080只,隶属于6目7科47种。方差分析表明,冬、春季4类人工湿地水鸟种类、密度、多样性均有显著差异。运用相关分析对水鸟种类、密度、物种多样性、均匀性指数等群落特征及调查样方内明水面面积、平均水位、人为干扰、裸露浅滩面积、植被面积等环境因子进行水鸟生境因子选择分析,结果表明,冬季水鸟种类、多样性与明水面面积呈极显著正相关,水鸟种类与植被面积呈极显著负相关;春季种类、密度、多样性都与裸露浅滩面积呈极显著正相关。崇明东滩人工湿地在水鸟保育中起到了重要的作用,根据不同水鸟对生境因子的要求,冬季应保持较大的明水面面积和一定的水深,为雁鸭类建立合适的栖息地。春季应保持一定的裸露浅滩面积,为鸻鹬类提供良好的避难所。因此,水位调控成为崇明东滩人工湿地自然保育的重要手段     

洱海冬季水鸟群落结构与水位变化的潜在关系

水深是影响水鸟栖息地利用最重要的因素,而湿地的水位波动会导致水深发生变化。为研究水位波动对水深岸陡型高原湖泊冬季水鸟群落的影响,本研究以云南大理洱海为研究地点,在水位下降前后,即2014年和2017年的冬季(11月至次年1月)对洱海北部湖湾5个观察点各进行10次和8次水鸟统计调查,结果 2014年冬季共记录到22个物种,11 611只个体;2017年冬季共记录到30个物种,17 278只个体。对比涉禽、钻水鸭、潜水类三类功能集团的变化,发现水位下降后钻水鸭和潜水类的物种丰富度和多度都有所增加,而涉禽的物种丰富度不变,多度下降,这一结果与浅水滩地型湿地的响应变化规律不同。6种钻水鸭2017年冬季同时在洱海出现,说明可能为共同的环境因素所吸引。研究结果说明水位下降是洱海钻水鸭类物种丰富度和多度增加的必要条件。