首页 | 本学科首页   官方微博 | 高级检索  
     检索      


Waterfowls habitat modeling: Simulation of nest site selection for the migratory Little Tern (Sterna albifrons) in the Nakdong estuary
Authors:Kwang-Seuk JeongJi-Deok Jang  Dong-Kyun KimGea-Jae Joo
Institution:a Department of Biological Sciences, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735, South Korea
b School of Computer Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-721, South Korea
Abstract:This paper aims to find patterns in nest site selection by Little Terns Sterna albifrons, in the Nakdong estuary in South Korea. This estuary is important waterfowl stopover and breeding habitat, located in the middle of the East Asia-Australasian Flyway. The Little Tern is a common species easily observed near the seashore but their number is gradually declining around the world. We investigated their nests and eggs on a barrier islet in the Nakdong estuary during the breeding season (May to June, 2007), and a pattern for the nest site selection was identified using genetic programming (GP). The GP generated a predictive rule-set model for the number of Little Tern nests (training: R2 = 0.48 and test: 0.46). The physical features of average elevation, variation of elevation, plant coverage, and average plant height were estimated to determine the influence on nest numbers for Little Tern. A series of sensitivity analyses stressed that mean elevation and vegetation played an important role in nest distribution for Little Tern. The influence of these two variables could be maximized when elevation changed moderately within the sampled quadrats. The study results are regarded as a good example of applying GP to vertebrate distribution patterning and prediction with several important advantages compared to conventional modeling techniques, and can help establish a management or restoration strategy for the species.
Keywords:Little Tern Sterna albifrons  Habitat selection pattern  Elevation  Vegetation  Genetic programming  Rule-set model
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录!
设为首页 | 免责声明 | 关于勤云 | 加入收藏

Copyright©北京勤云科技发展有限公司  京ICP备09084417号