Yang Le, Xu Lei, Liang Waner, Guo Jia, Yang Yongbing, Lyu Cai, Zhou Shengling, Zeng Qing, Jia Yifei, Lei Guangchun
School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Biosafety, Institute of Plateau Biology Research of Xizang Autonomous Region, Lhasa 850000, China.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Aug 6;15(15):2304. doi: 10.3390/ani15152304.
Understanding the migratory strategies of plateau-endemic species is essential for informing effective conservation, especially under climate change. The Black-necked Crane (), a high-altitude specialist, has shown notable population growth in recent years. We analysed satellite tracking data from 16 individuals of a western subpopulation in the lake basin region of northern Tibet (2021-2024), focusing on migration patterns, stopover use, and habitat selection. This subpopulation exhibited short-distance (mean: 284.21 km), intra-Tibet migrations with low reliance on stopover sites. Autumn migration was shorter, more direct, higher in altitude, and slower in speed than spring migration. Juveniles used smaller, more fragmented habitats than subadults, and their spatial range expanded over time. Given these patterns, we infer that the short-distance migration strategy may reduce energetic demands and mortality risks while increasing route flexibility-characteristics that may benefit population growth. We refer to this as a low-energy, high-efficiency migration strategy, which we hypothesise could support faster population growth and enhance resilience to environmental change. We recommend prioritizing the conservation of short-distance migration corridors, such as the typical lake basin area in northern Tibet-Yarlung Tsangpo River system, which may help sustain plateau-endemic migratory populations under future climate scenarios.
了解高原特有物种的迁徙策略对于制定有效的保护措施至关重要，尤其是在气候变化的背景下。黑颈鹤是一种高海拔特化物种，近年来其种群数量显著增长。我们分析了来自西藏北部湖泊流域地区西部亚种群的16只个体的卫星跟踪数据（2021年至2024年），重点关注迁徙模式、中途停歇地利用和栖息地选择。该亚种群表现出短距离（平均：284.21公里）的西藏境内迁徙，对中途停歇地的依赖较低。秋季迁徙比春季迁徙距离更短、更直接、海拔更高且速度更慢。幼鸟使用的栖息地比亚成鸟更小、更破碎，且其空间范围随时间扩大。鉴于这些模式，我们推断短距离迁徙策略可能会降低能量需求和死亡风险，同时增加路线灵活性——这些特征可能有利于种群增长。我们将此称为低能量、高效率的迁徙策略，我们假设这可能支持更快的种群增长并增强对环境变化的适应能力。我们建议优先保护短距离迁徙走廊，如西藏北部典型的湖泊流域地区——雅鲁藏布江系统，这可能有助于在未来气候情景下维持高原特有迁徙种群。
