Xu Peng, Zhang Yalan, Zhang Xiaoran, Chen Hao, Lu Changhu
Nanjing Forestry University, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Yancheng National Nature Reserve for Rare Birds, Administrative Bureau, Yancheng, Jiangsu, China.
PeerJ. 2019 Sep 13;7:e7682. doi: 10.7717/peerj.7682. eCollection 2019.
Reed beds represent an important habitat for the survival of birds by providing favorable foraging and reproduction conditions. Reed management, as a traditional agricultural activity, primarily includes water level control and vegetation removal by cutting. Red-crowned crane () is one of the most endangered cranes, and their population continues to decline due to habitat loss caused by artificial activities. A lack of research relating to how reed management affects crane habitat distribution patterns throughout the wintering period hinders our ability to offer conservation recommendations. In the present study, we explored the effect of reed management on the habitat distribution patterns and analyzed the food resources of red-crowned crane in the Yancheng National Nature Reserve (YNNR). According to the reed management activities in December, we divided the wintering period into two phases: the preharvest period and the postharvest period. Throughout the wintering period, the number of cranes recorded in the common seepweed () tidal flats remained stable, but cranes were rarely recorded in the smooth cordgrass () tidal flats and aquaculture fish ponds. The number of cranes, however, showed a noticeable fluctuation in the reed beds during the two periods. Before the reed harvest, only a small proportion of cranes were recorded in the reed beds (relative abundance = 2.9%). However, more cranes (relative abundance = 61.0%) were recorded after the reed harvest. Water was introduced from adjacent rivers and fish ponds to submerge the cut reed beds. Changes in potential animal food resources (items and biomass) might be one of the vital reasons for the preference of cranes to the postharvest reed beds. Our results suggest that traditional reed management in the YNNR could benefit this flagship crane species that winters in the wetland system. However, as reed harvest has been forbidden in the core zone for conservation purposes since 2016, further research is needed to verify whether forbidding the harvest of reeds is reasonable.
芦苇床通过提供有利的觅食和繁殖条件，成为鸟类生存的重要栖息地。芦苇管理作为一项传统农业活动，主要包括水位控制和通过砍伐去除植被。丹顶鹤（）是最濒危的鹤类之一，由于人工活动导致栖息地丧失，其种群数量持续下降。缺乏关于芦苇管理如何影响鹤类在整个越冬期栖息地分布模式的研究，阻碍了我们提供保护建议的能力。在本研究中，我们探讨了芦苇管理对栖息地分布模式的影响，并分析了盐城国家级自然保护区（YNNR）内丹顶鹤的食物资源。根据12月的芦苇管理活动，我们将越冬期分为两个阶段：收获前阶段和收获后阶段。在整个越冬期，记录到的鹤在碱蓬（）潮滩中的数量保持稳定，但在大米草（）潮滩和水产养殖鱼塘中很少记录到鹤。然而，在这两个时期，鹤在芦苇床中的数量出现了明显波动。在芦苇收获前，只有一小部分鹤在芦苇床中被记录到（相对丰度 = 2.9%）。然而，在芦苇收获后记录到了更多的鹤（相对丰度 = 61.0%）。从相邻河流和鱼塘引入水淹没砍伐后的芦苇床。潜在动物食物资源（种类和生物量）的变化可能是鹤偏好收获后芦苇床的重要原因之一。我们的结果表明，YNNR的传统芦苇管理可能有利于这种在湿地系统越冬的旗舰鹤类物种。然而，由于自2016年起为保护目的已禁止在核心区进行芦苇收获，需要进一步研究以验证禁止收获芦苇是否合理。
