Lee Dong-Yun, Lee Ju-Hyun, Son Jong-Ju, Oh Seung-Jun, Sung Ha-Cheol
Department of Biological Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
School of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
PLoS One. 2025 Jun 11;20(6):e0325750. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0325750. eCollection 2025.
Coastal habitats play an important role in the nesting ecology of shorebirds; however, these habitats are increasingly threatened by human activity and ongoing habitat loss. The conservation of shorebird populations thus necessitates understanding the utilization pattern of artificial coastal habitats by these birds. Substrate particle size and vegetation cover are key environmental factors influencing the nest site selection and nest success in ground-nesting shorebirds such as plovers. This study aimed to investigate the impact of substrate particle size and vegetation cover for the Kentish plover (Anarhynchus alexandrinus) nesting sites within an artificial coastal environment, the Saemangeum reclaimed land. Geological criteria and 1-m2 quadrat photos were used to develop Bayesian network (BN) models to analyze the impact of these variables on nest site selection and nest success in 2020. The BN models predicted the impact of substrate particle size and vegetation cover on the likelihood of nest presence and nest success. The results indicated that Kentish plovers prefer sandy sites with moderate vegetation cover and achieve higher nest success in habitats with mixed soil types, including medium (0.25-0.5 mm), fine (0.125-0.25 mm), and very fine (0.063-0.125 mm) sand, along with small proportions of mud (<0.063 mm). These findings highlight the importance of evaluating the complex interactions between plover nests and substrate characteristics, including soil porosity and permeability. Vegetation cover must also be managed with attention to the trade-offs involved, such as predation risk, nest camouflage, crypsis, and thermoregulation which influence plover nesting preference and success. This study provides valuable quantitative insights and emphasizes the need for incorporating multi-layered ecological factors along with inherent uncertainties in coastal environments to restore appropriate artificial coastal habitats for shorebird conservation.
沿海栖息地在滨鸟的筑巢生态中发挥着重要作用；然而，这些栖息地正日益受到人类活动和持续的栖息地丧失的威胁。因此，保护滨鸟种群需要了解这些鸟类对人工沿海栖息地的利用模式。基质颗粒大小和植被覆盖是影响诸如鸻等地面筑巢滨鸟的巢址选择和筑巢成功率的关键环境因素。本研究旨在调查在人工沿海环境——新万金填海造地中，基质颗粒大小和植被覆盖对环颈鸻（Anarhynchus alexandrinus）筑巢地点的影响。利用地质标准和1平方米样方照片构建贝叶斯网络（BN）模型，以分析这些变量在2020年对巢址选择和筑巢成功率的影响。BN模型预测了基质颗粒大小和植被覆盖对巢存在可能性和筑巢成功率的影响。结果表明，环颈鸻更喜欢植被覆盖适中的沙地，并且在包括中砂（0.25 - 0.5毫米）、细砂（0.125 - 0.25毫米）和极细砂（0.063 - 0.125毫米）以及少量泥（<0.063毫米）的混合土壤类型的栖息地中筑巢成功率更高。这些发现凸显了评估鸻巢与基质特征（包括土壤孔隙度和渗透率）之间复杂相互作用的重要性。还必须谨慎管理植被覆盖，要注意其中涉及的权衡，例如捕食风险、巢的伪装、保护色以及体温调节等，这些都会影响鸻的筑巢偏好和成功率。本研究提供了有价值的定量见解，并强调需要纳入多层生态因素以及沿海环境中固有的不确定性，以恢复适合保护滨鸟的人工沿海栖息地。
