Effects of anthropogenic landscapes on population maintenance of waterbirds |
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Authors: | Xiaodan Wang Xinhai Li Xiaotong Ren Micha V Jackson Richard A Fuller David S Melville Tatsuya Amano Zhijun Ma |
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Institution: | 1. Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, Institute of Eco-Chongming, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433 China;2. Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China;3. School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia;4. Global Flyway Network, Wakefield, 7096 New Zealand |
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Abstract: | Anthropogenic impacts have reduced natural areas but increased the area of anthropogenic landscapes. There is debate about whether anthropogenic landscapes (e.g., farmlands, orchards, and fish ponds) provide alternatives to natural habitat and under what circumstances. We considered whether anthropogenic landscapes can mitigate population declines for waterbirds. We collected data on population trends and biological traits of 1203 populations of 579 species across the planet. Using Bayesian generalized linear mixed models, we tested whether the ability of a species to use an anthropogenic landscape can predict population trends of waterbird globally and of species of conservation concern. Anthropogenic landscapes benefited population maintenance of common but not less-common species. Conversely, the use of anthropogenic landscapes was associated with population declines for threatened species. Our findings delineate some limitations to the ability of anthropogenic landscapes to mitigate population declines, suggesting that the maintenance of global waterbird populations depends on protecting remaining natural areas and improving the habitat quality in anthropogenic landscapes. Article impact statement: Protecting natural areas and improving the quality of anthropogenic landscapes as habitat are both needed to achieve effective conservation. |
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Keywords: | conservation habitat management natural habitat population trends threatened species wetlands conservación especie amenazada hábitat natural humedales manejo de hábitat tendencias poblacionales |
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